My fiance and I have read several online cruise reviews saying that certain cruise companies (Carnival, Royal Carribean, Holland American, Noreweigan) still practice "women and children first" in lifeboat drills and evacuations. We clearly don't want to sail with a line that does this.
I some other postings on here, people have insisted that this isn't true. Does anyone else have information on this?! Honeymoon time is fast approaching. We know there are plenty of boats for everyone, but we don't want to support that kind of policy.
Please respond if you know if this is true on the particular line/ship that you sailed. Thanks!!!
My fiance and I have read several online cruise reviews saying that certain cruise companies (Carnival, Royal Carribean, Holland American, Noreweigan) still practice "women and children first" in lifeboat drills and evacuations. We clearly don't want to sail with a line that does this.
I some other postings on here, people have insisted that this isn't true. Does anyone else have information on this?! Honeymoon time is fast approaching. We know there are plenty of boats for everyone, but we don't want to support that kind of policy.
Please respond if you know if this is true on the particular line/ship that you sailed. Thanks!!!
there's plenty of space in the lifeboats or liferafts for everybody onboard. This applies to every single ocean-going cruise ship.
The "rumor" that it's still "women and children first" on some lines is highly misleading. You are assigned to a lifeboat through the location of your cabin.
In case of an emergency, all passengers and crew assigned to that lifeboat have guaranteed space onboard. However, when it comes to actually entering the lifeboat some cruise lines ask that women, children and elderly people shall be the first to do so, immediately followed by everybody else. This doesn't put anybody at any additional risk, but it allows the crew members assigned to the lifeboat to ask some "strong guys" for assistance, e.g. in case some injured or disabled persons require help to get into the lifeboat.
Again, this is by no means comparable with the old "women and children first", and in an emergency situation, everybody is treated equally! You really needn't worry about this.
That is a form of discrimination. That is still so old-fashioned, and my finace and I will not be separated in the lifeboat in the event of an emergency, and if we had kids, we certainly wouldn't want him to be separated from us. Making men stand back and letting everyone else get in, including their families, is not what we call "equal treatment." Would it be equal treatment if it were "whites first"?
Here are quotes cut and pasted from cruise reviews:
"I was almost surprised to learn that it's still women and children first."
"Men were told to stand back against the ship until all others were safely boarded, and then they could board."
Can you tell me exactly what cruise lines practice this policy? This is important to us, and everyone keeps brushing off our concerns, and our wedding is coming up.
it is merely just a form of consideration. ie: Ladies first when going thru a door.
you don't have to worry no one will be seperated. and as the moderator said, there are enough lifeboats/rafts for all. in actuality the total occupency of both lifeboats and rafts together must exceed the total amount of passengers and crew aboard the ship. that is a regulation. so no need to worry, if anything happend that you did get seperated you can rest assured that your husband will not be left on the ship.
with all due respect, but I really think you misinterpret this. It's not about being separated, and nobody is separated, if everything works as planned. We are not talking about a procedure where "women and children" are put into the lifeboats and then the crew waits for some time for the men to follow. Jon has raised a good point. It's out of consideration and for practical reasons. In a real emergency (I'm not talking about boat drills) think about elderly, infirm people assisting the crew because all the "healthy men" are already onboard their lifeboats.
Also, from my personal experience, this policy is not typical for some particular cruise lines, but it is treated differently on different ships within a line.
Again, I think you are grossly overrating this policy. Relax and enjoy your honeymoon. It is praiseworthy that you pay this much attention to your safety (I wished more people would do so!), but don't let it spoil some of the most wonderful days in your life.
Hmm... I kind of have to agree with Kim. That they even make a distinction and make the guys "stand back" seems wrong to me. Can "courtesy" be enforced by a company? If someone wants to do something that they see as "courteous" (and people's definitions may differ), it should be by choice.
It isn't that way in any other transportation medium - just cruise boats (and I wasn't aware that this was happening.)
If Kim is still on here, I would recommend Disney cruise lines. They are the only line I've sailed with (I've been twice) and they never said anything about "women and children first" getting into the boats. In fact, they said something about making sure parents and kids stuck together.
I think it's not so much a safety concern (we know there's enough room for all), as it is a matter of principle, that may bother some.
Just my thoughts. I highly recommend Disney cruises for anyone interested in a great time and cool non-discrimination policies!
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