Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!

While docked in Georgetown, Grand Cayman on our last cruise, we were taking our time and eating a leisurely breakfast before heading out. The ship was mostly empty as it was near 11:00 and most people had gone to the shore. Suddenly we heard over the loudspeakers “Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! Emergency teams report to deck one” or something like that. (I remember the “Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!” part really well, but the rest is just a best guess.)

Needless to say, this was a little disconcerting. We asked one of the crew members what was going on, and they told us that it was for the crew and not to worry. They did not seem to care at all that it was happening, so we were pretty calm too. We asked around a little more, but no one would give us any more information.

It wasn’t until we got back home and watched a documentary on the Travel Channel that we learned what the deal was. It turns out that many of the people that wait your tables, work the stores and dance on stage have other jobs too. Some are specialized firemen; others are trained in crowd control and still more are trained in leading in case the ship needs to be abandoned (you learn that during your Muster Drill the first day). These specialized jobs require constant training which is done regularly and sometimes require yelling “Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!” over the loud speakers.