Life Boat Drills

((There is a problem when passengers do not do the drills. Personally, I have found if one is sick, they will accommodate them. The couple had already been on one segment of the cruise and she had attendded the drill on the first cruise. Seaborne did refund the unused portion of the cruise. If one is unable to do the drill because they cannot stand or are ill, let them know before the drill. The cruise lines have to be tough. I have been on a lot of cruises and have always attended. Some are in the lounges and some are on the deck near the life boats. Some cruise lines have begun to keep the life jackets on deck instead of the cabins of the guests. Follow the rules; they are for your safety as well as other guests.Leona)) Travel News Seabourn Takes Firm Stand on Lifeboat Safety Drill By Theresa Norton Masek May 18, 2012 1:33 PM . If you thought cruise lines were just paying lip service to strict new safety procedures, think again. Luxury line Seabourn is stressing that it will not make any exceptions to the rule that all passengers must attend lifeboat drills at the beginning of every cruise. Seabourn held firm even though it caught some flak for disembarking a couple from Seabourn Sojourn when an 84-year-old woman refused to participate, saying she was ill. The woman and her 90-year-old husband were removed from the ship in Lisbon, Portugal, on May 12. The guests were met at the cruise terminal. Seabourn provided transfers to a hotel as part of the onward reservations the line made for them, including local accommodations and flights home. Seabourn said the couple was disembarked “after one of them refused to attend the mandatory passenger emergency drill despite multiple explicit warnings and personal communication by ship’s officers. The safety and security of all guests and personnel on board must remain our first priority. Mandatory attendance at the emergency drill conducted prior to every voyage is a strict company policy to ensure the safety of everyone onboard. No exceptions are permitted.” Seabourn’s statement continued: “A guest who is too ill to attend may attend a make-up drill when their health permits. We sincerely regret this unfortunate situation on the Sojourn but strict compliance with this policy is necessary to ensure the safety of all guests and crew.” CruiseCritic.com posted a story on the Seabourn incident after a fellow passenger wrote the consumer website about the incident. Most of the reader comments that follow the story on CruiseCritic agreed with Seabourn’s stance although a few expressed sympathy for the couple. More typical was this comment from Valerie Fox Ringman of Beaufort, S.C.: “The captain’s word is law! I am glad that the lines are taking this stance -- all should do it.” In another comment, Ruth Best Leeper wrote: “I definitely side with the ship. Even if the wife did not feel well, she should have participated. Incidents like this will make people realize how important the drill is.”