For many people on cruises, their vacations start when they're sitting at the pool deck or at one of the many onboard bars having their first drinks.
It's a symbolic move that represents the break from a normal day, where you probably don't have a big, fruity tropical adult beverage before 2 p.m.
But even when you're on a cruise, you have responsibilities.
On the first day of a cruise passengers have things they should do, including making specialty dining reservations, checking their internet package, and making sure they're grouped properly with any traveling companions in the main dining room.
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Not doing those things may impair their vacation, but it won't get them in trouble with the cruise line. Cruisers, however, do have one thing they absolutely have to do within their first few hours onboard: participate in the muster drill.
Muster drills vary a bit by cruise line. Royal Caribbean, for example, allows passengers to watch safety videos on their phones and then check in at their physical muster station. This is the place on the ship to which passengers are supposed to report in the unlikely event of an emergency.
This virtual muster system replaced the pre-Covid way of doing the same drill where every passenger had to gather at their station for a safety presentation. That often led to long waits as inconsiderate passengers showed up late, leaving people standing in the sun waiting for them.
Under that old system, all services on the ship shut down at muster time. This forced people to stop eating, drinking, and having fun to get to their muster station.
The virtual muster does not require a shipwide shutdown, but Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) does have a way to force some passengers to stop what they're doing and go to their muster station.
Image source: Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival can shut you off at its bars
Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald recently posted on his Facebook page a note about how the cruise line's muster drill works.
"Yesterday on the posts I was answering there were 40-plus comments about the E-Muster. Before I discuss a few points please allow me to recap what every guest needs to do with regard to your safety and the current procedures," he wrote.
- Your muster station is written on your boarding pass and on your sail and sign card.
- I really do recommend that before you graze on Lido or grab a Fun Ship Special that you go directly to your muster station
- Once there you present your boarding pass or sail and sign card to the crew member. They will explain that the place you are at now is your muster station and in a real emergency or whenever the emergency signal is given that this is the place you must come to.
- Once you have checked at the muster station on embarkation day there will be a brief but very important demonstration on how to wear the life jacket
Heald said that most passengers follow the rules and do the muster drill, but he also said the cruise line has a method to force people to complete the drill if they decide to put the fun first.
"And it is brilliant to see that 99% of people know to go to their Muster Station as soon as possible and that after the purchase of two drinks a third will not be possible as your account will be locked until you have checked in," he wrote.
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That policy will likely surprise many passengers when they get shut off, but it's a logical rule as people should be relatively sober when completing the safety drill.
Carnival comments on potential muster changes
While most passengers prefer the new muster drill because it's much faster than the old system and does not put you at the mercy of other passengers, some want the old system back.
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"I noticed in the posts yesterday that there were a few people who think we should return to the old system of the safety briefing with guests in the lounges or in front of the lifeboats," he said. "I think possibly that the majority of these people wanted this so we could return a smoking area in the casino while it is closed and used as a muster station on embarkation day. I understand why but this is not something that I think will ever happen."
Under the old system, the casino was used for the muster drill only during the allotted time, leaving it as a place people could smoke most of the day. Heald's post got more than 2,400 comments and nearly all supported the new version of the muster drill.
"Yes, we like the current process. Under the more traditional system of standing outside near a lifeboat, on a different cruise line, we saw a passenger pass out in the heat while waiting for our briefing. The only thing that kept them from face-planting on the deck was the crush of people around them," posted Doug Ryan.
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People passing out in the heat under the old system was a common theme.
"Best thing that came out of the pandemic. Love it. Old way was a horrible way to start your vacation. Many times I had seen people faint due to heat and the amount of people crammed together," added Nancy W. Ryan.
