A written plan for river cruise emergencies
Know what to do before the alarm ever sounds.
The River Cruise Emergency Handbook puts the things to check before a river cruise and the things to do in an emergency in one place. So you’re not relying on memory in a dark hallway at two in the morning.
$59 $27 one time · PDF sent to your email · 7-day refund
- pages, in large type
- 69pages, in large type
- named sources
- 58named sources
- cards to print and keep
- 6cards to print and keep
- to ask for a refund
- 7 daysto ask for a refund
Why write it down
In an emergency, the first instinct is often the trap.
Six moments from the channel, and what the rules and the investigators say to do instead. You want to know these before you board, not work them out at the rail.
- 01
Going back to the cabin for your things.
Whether you stop at your cabin first depends on your own ship’s instructions, and lines differ. On ocean ships, some send you to the cabin first and others straight to the muster station. Ask on day one, and follow yours.
Your ship’s own instructions; the cruise lines’ own pages
- 02
Inflating the life jacket the second the alarm goes.
Put it on when told. If it’s the inflating kind, don’t pull the cord until you’re out in the open. Under a roof or in a tight space, an inflated jacket can trap you.
Accident investigators, on other kinds of passenger boats
- 03
Taking the alarm as the order to leave the ship.
On ocean ships the general alarm calls you to your muster station, and passengers should be told it isn’t the signal to abandon ship. River ships use their own signals, so learn yours from the notice. The alarm says gather, not go.
British guidance for ocean-going ships
- 04
Going to bed with hearing aids out and shoes put away.
Both are normal at home. But the alarm only works if it reaches you, so tell the cruise line what it takes to reach you before you sail.
From the channel’s video on bedtime habits
- 05
Splitting up to look for each other.
Agree before you sail: if the alarm sounds while you’re apart, neither of you goes looking. Each follows the crew to the muster station and off the ship, and you meet there or ashore.
One conversation over dinner, on day one
- 06
Swimming for the riverbank.
The water is the last resort, and only when the crew directs you. Cold shock is worst in roughly the first 30 seconds and hits hardest below about 59 °F (15 °C). Stay still and float until your breathing is yours again.
International Maritime Organization and UK water safety bodies
Your own ship’s notice and your own crew outrank anything I say here.
What’s inside
What to check before you sail, and what to do if it counts.
Every rule in it names where it comes from: the international rules, the river-ship standards, and what accident investigators found. All 58 sources are listed at the back. Written for Americans, on European and American rivers.
69 pages · large type · print at home
- Part 1
Before you sail
The things to check before a river cruise.
- At home, before you sail
- Your first afternoon aboard
- Every night, before lights out
- Part 2
When something goes wrong
The things to do in an emergency, in the order you’d need them.
- Early signs, and raising the alarm
- When the alarm sounds
- Your life jacket
- At the muster station
- Leaving the ship
- If you end up in the water
- Rescue, and after
- Part 3
Cards and checklists
Six cards to print, fill in and keep.
- Before you sail: a checklist
- Questions for your cruise line
- Our ship: fill it in on day one
- Our agreement: for couples to sign
- When the alarm sounds: for the bedside
- In the water, and after: pocket cards
Who wrote it
Reed Clear
My name is Reed. I’m a safety officer on cruise ships, and I’ve worked on both kinds, the big ocean ships and the river ships.
I don’t ask you to take my word for anything. Every rule in this handbook names where it comes from, so you can check it, and your own ship’s crew always has the last word.
Get your copy
One handbook. One payment. Yours to keep.
A PDF you can read on any screen or print at home, sent to your email right after you pay.
Digital handbook
The River Cruise Emergency Handbook
$59$27one time
- The handbook as a 69-page PDF, with six printable cards
- Sent to your email right after you pay
- Nothing to sign up for, no subscription
- Read it on any screen, or print it for your bag
- 7-day refund, no questions asked
Orders open soon. The handbook is being finished.
Questions
Before you buy
Is this a printed book?
No. It’s a digital PDF, sent to your email right after you pay. Nothing is mailed to you. You can read it on your phone, tablet or computer, or print it at home and keep it in your bag.
How do I get it?
Right after you pay, you land on a page with a download button. An email with your download link follows within a few minutes. If it isn’t in your inbox, check your spam folder. [[TBD: sender name on the email]]
Do I have to sign up for anything?
No. You pay with your card and the handbook comes to your email. There’s no app to install, no subscription, and no password to remember.
Is it only for river cruises?
It’s written for river cruises. Where ocean ships do things differently (the alarm signal, the muster before sailing, where life jackets are kept), each section says so. A separate handbook for ocean cruises, The Ocean Cruise Emergency Handbook, is in the works.
Does it cover river cruises in America?
Yes. It’s written for Americans on European and American rivers. Where U.S. river ships follow different rules (the safety talk, the drill from your cabin on smaller ships, where life jackets are kept, what’s carried to get you off), each section says so.
Does it replace my ship’s safety briefing?
No. Your own ship’s notice and your own crew outrank anything in this handbook, every time. It gets you ready to follow them, and tells you what to look for on day one.
What if it isn’t for me?
You have 7 days to ask for a full refund, no questions asked. [[TBD: how to ask: reply address or support email]]
Who takes the payment?
The checkout is run by Whop, a payments company, and your card details never touch this site. Your card statement will show [[TBD: statement text, seen after the first purchase]].
Reed Clear
The Ocean Cruise Emergency Handbook
In the worksComing soon
The Ocean Cruise Emergency Handbook
Reed’s next handbook is for ocean cruises, and it’s in the works. It isn’t available yet.
Sailing on a big ship before it’s out? The River Cruise Emergency Handbook already points out where ocean ships do things differently.
Before you sail
Read it once at home. Have it with you on board.
$27 one time · PDF sent to your email · 7-day refund