Cruise travelers are generally eager to board their ship and settle in, getting their vacation started right away. A critical part of starting that vacation, however, is completing the mandatory safety briefing – the muster drill.
But is the muster drill cruisers know and love today – a quick stop at their muster station rather than the longer, mass drill of years past – really the safest option? Does a faster drill provide adequate information for travelers in the event of a real at-sea emergency?
The issue has been raised to John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, with concerns about how prepared cruise passengers may really be if the drill becomes a real-life situation.
“I hate to be a buzz kill… I feel the old way was more detailed and informative. Going to get life jackets in your cabin and actually putting them on, and proceeding to your muster station and standing at your boat number is what really would happen if there was a true emergency,” one guest explained.
“Hearing the actual warning from the ships horn and everyone going thru the process at the same time is the feeling of what will actually go on during a true emergency.”
The guest goes on to suggest that even bringing down a lifeboat and having guests practice boarding could be a prudent step in the safety drill, noting that in a true emergency guests may not know what to do.
“Where is [the] ‘safety first’ concept?” the guest asked. “‘Getting it over with and starting my cruise’ could be the worst thought you ever had.”
It may seem like the updated, e-muster is only an abbreviated safety drill that doesn’t properly convey enough information in case of an emergency. Heald explains, however, that there is more safety preparation behind the scenes that guests aren’t aware of.
“The most important thing you need to know is this, while the actual guest lifeboat drill is shorter and more precise, the training for the crew has only increased,” he said.
“Every week there are crew drills. Each and every week there are specific areas such as firefighting, guest abandon ship practices, and so much more that the crew undertake each and every week, multiple times a week.”
Heald himself has been serving at sea for nearly 39 years and is personally experienced with just how safety procedures have been updated and refined throughout the years.
Yes, this means that individual travelers spend less time as part of a mass muster drill, but the overall attention to safety onboard has increased over the decades.
When Should Guests Complete the E-Muster?
Another guest chimes in on the other side of the discussion, believing that being “forced” to visit one’s muster station first detracts from that initial excitement of getting onboard.
“I do not get excited [to board the ship],” the guest said. “That is because of the enforced change you have made sending us to the muster station first!”
To be clear, Carnival Cruise Line does not “force” guests to their muster station as soon as they board.
While doing the safety briefing right away is strongly encouraged and crew members are available to help guests find their muster stations, guests can still choose to have lunch first, drop their luggage in their stateroom if they have those privileges, take a spa tour, or enjoy a welcome aboard drink.
“Standing in line, and then waiting around for a lifejacket demonstration is not an exciting way to start any cruise,” the guest continued. “Then you find out that if you don’t follow these rules your card gets suspended so that you cannot get any cocktail service.”
Carnival Cruise Line’s policy is that a guest can only order two drinks before their onboard account will be “suspended” until they have completed their safety drill. This guest, however, would prefer a return to mass drill that was often scheduled for 3:30 or 4 p.m., just before the ship would set sail.
“Return to the previous way of doing the muster station drill. Yes it was longer but everybody was relaxed and we can do what we want as soon as we get on the ship [before the drill],” the guest requested.
Heald noted that Carnival Cruise Line is in no way considering a return to the old-style, in-person muster drill, but found the discussion a curious one on his Facebook page.
Different commenters noted that the in-person drills take longer for everyone and could be very stressful, especially on hot days when guests were standing in the sun during the entire drill.
Read Also: What to Expect During a Cruise Ship Muster Drill
Other travelers note that during the in-person drill, it could be difficult to get a large crowd to fully quiet down as directed. This could make the drill take longer or else meant other guests couldn’t hear the safety instructions anyway.
With more than 4,000 comments on the guest’s post, very few (I couldn’t find a single one!) agree with the idea that the old muster drill is preferable.
Having experienced both myself, on multiple cruise lines, I have to say the new drill feels equally safe and informative, and it’s much nicer to get it finished in just a few minutes and say Bon Voyage!
