blog post

Todays early morning fire in an aft engine room on Carnival Cruise Line’s CARNIVAL SPLENDOR, serves to remind us of the seriousness of the mandatory safety drill. The fire which broke out in the aft engine room around 6:00 a.m. (PST) was extinguished and according to a news release by Carnival, no passengers or crew were injured.

However, due to the fire, the ship has been operating on auxiliary generators and the crew has been unable to restore additional power. For this reason the current voyage is being terminated. The cruise ship which left Long Beach, CA yesterday was on the first leg of a seven night Mexican Riviera cruise.

The traditional “life boat drill” or safety drill in which it is often referred, instructs guests to where they should assemble in the case of an emergency. Every cabin has a designated area which is clearly marked on the back of every stateroom door. Those who have cruised before can most likely testify to the fact that there are people around them who make fun of the drill, joke and laugh while instructions are being given. For those who take these seriously, it can be quite annoying and in some cases, it can be dangerous.

Initially, in this instance, guests were asked to move from their cabins to the ship’s upper open deck areas. Had it been more serious, they would most likely have been ordered to their muster stations and await further directions from the crew. 

The next time you or someone you know are on a cruise, you might want to think twice about how important the drill actually is. Chances are you will never need to be called to the lifeboats, but in case you are, you certainly want to know where to go.