Muster on Liberty today

Muster drill on any ship lower than a Dream class is absolute torture. Why they don't move it to the lounges and MDRs fleet wide baffles my mind. Witnessed many people getting sick/passing out at Muster while being packed in like sardines in the heat. We're fairly young, and this plays a major part in what class of ship we book.

Odd...did a cruise on the Pride last month....outside...under lifeboats...no toruture...no one passed out or got sick no sardine feeling....odd how that was....

This is a major reason we keep going back to NCL. Show up on time and you get tortured twice as long as the latecomers. Standing packed in literally touching arm to arm in stifling heat. No sitting allowed. 15 to 30 minutes. I would not book a ship that still does this.

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We were just on the Pride last week and they still do Muster outside on deck. We had two elderly people - stuck way in the back - just about passed out. The entire group was waving frantically to get the attention of the staff. There at least needs to be concessions for the elderly. It was ridiculous.

When we were on the Pride at the end of 2015 the staff stopped me as I went out to the deck because my 1 1/2 year old was in a Tula sleeping and they said I didn't have to take him outside. Although it was December in Baltimore so maybe that's the difference. They led me to a hallways outside some of the formalities shops and there were quite a few people with babies, in wheelchairs, older folks, etc. and most had at least one person sitting with them. They had staff members do the muster drill right there. It's amazing how different things are depending on the which crew members you happen to encounter. I don't understand why they don't have something like this all the time.

Our next cruise I will be using the muster station where I can sit down. My PVP said all I needed to do was tell GS when I boarded I needed to sit down and would be accommodated. My back is messed up and it's effecting my sciatic nerve and it's near impossible for me to stand long. It will be the first time I've ever done this, I hope they don't give me any grief over it. Then again, I'd love to of had back surgery by then and get this fixed.

The whole muster drill process needs to be rethought. I contact my representatives in Washington every time I get off a cruise about it because it is ridiculous and inhumane. I did enough campaign work for President Trump that I hope he can help too! I think the cruiselines would benefit by having everyone start their cruise off happier instead of dealing with inhumane conditions that cause bad moods at the start of journeys.

In today's day and age, there is no excuse to not have something online for a passenger to watch. If the passenger hasn't done so by boarding, the cruise line could force the passenger to view whatever training is needed in the relative comfort of the cruise terminal.

The whole muster drill process needs to be rethought. I contact my representatives in Washington every time I get off a cruise about it because it is ridiculous and inhumane. I did enough campaign work for President Trump that I hope he can help too! I think the cruiselines would benefit by having everyone start their cruise off happier instead of dealing with inhumane conditions that cause bad moods at the start of journeys.

 

In today's day and age, there is no excuse to not have something online for a passenger to watch. If the passenger hasn't done so by boarding, the cruise line could force the passenger to view whatever training is needed in the relative comfort of the cruise terminal.

This might be an area where even the US Government can't intervene, since maritime rules and safety guidelines are established by international regulations, not federal.

Still, thanks for looking into it. Who knows? Maybe some changes can be made.

We just returned from Liberty and the muster drill was a nightmare. We have now been on 26 cruises and this was the worst muster ever. For those who say the cruise line has nothing to do with it are incorrect. We have been on 22 Royal Caribbean cruises and they do a much better job with the muster drill.

Well, not always, in my experience. The last muster drill I did on the Indy was long as all get-out and we were packed in like crazy (ship was at max berth capacity, too), but at least it was on the shaded side of the ship. For the second-to-last drill, we weren't so lucky; blazing heat and sunlight. The announcements were made in English, Spanish and German due to the prevalent origins of the passengers. And no, this wasn't in Europe, this was at Port Everglades.

It was torture.

The whole muster drill process needs to be rethought. I contact my representatives in Washington every time I get off a cruise about it because it is ridiculous and inhumane. I did enough campaign work for President Trump that I hope he can help too! I think the cruiselines would benefit by having everyone start their cruise off happier instead of dealing with inhumane conditions that cause bad moods at the start of journeys.

 

In today's day and age, there is no excuse to not have something online for a passenger to watch. If the passenger hasn't done so by boarding, the cruise line could force the passenger to view whatever training is needed in the relative comfort of the cruise terminal.

I hope that the first paragraph is being humorous, as no US Congressman or even President Trump has any jurisdiction over what is required for a muster drill on a ship that does not fly the US flag.

While I agree that the cruise lines do try to pass on information that is irrelevant to the muster drill, the simple fact of physically going to your muster station and standing quietly awaiting instructions is training your mind to do this automatically when things go sideways in the wee hours and you are sound asleep. How would you feel if the crew were trained in fire fighting and lifesaving equipment by watching something online? Remember also, that the passenger muster is the only time the crew gets a chance to train with real, argumentative and recalcitrant passengers, what we refer to as "herding cats". I have done more muster drills and fire and boat drills than nearly everyone on this board, and I have yet to experience "inhuman conditions".

As noted by many posters here, there is a special needs muster station for those who cannot stand for long periods or who cannot cope with crowds, or heat.

And, as noted by many who complain that the muster is useless, the information is unintelligible because of people talking, and those people talking or showing up late are what makes the drill longer. If everyone would follow the simple rule of: show up promptly, stand where shown, and shut up, then the 0.3% of your cruise time spent on muster would be much more bearable.

While it certainly is not the highlight of any cruise (and totally necessary), I have never seen anybody get sick or pass out in a muster drill on our 39 cruises, the fact that you have seen many is amazing.

 

 

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I understand the necessity for muster drills and my family is usually one of the first ones there. However, I can attest that people do get sick.

My daughter is one that has vomited during the muster drill on at least two cruises. She was a teen at the time. I have no idea how it happened. We finished the inside portion of the drill and were taking part in the sardine can reenactment of the outside deck.

Both cruises were the same.. One moment she seemed fine... Then she tugged my arm while covering her mouth with the other hand, needing to get to the rest room. The first time she made it, the second time she left her mark on the deck as she ran toward the restroom. Poor kid!

I don’t remember a whole lot of the muster drill with Philippe on the Valor in San Juan, but I remember the one with Paul on the Fantasy. I was in group F and our muster spot was in the Comedy Club for most of the announcements and then we went to the lifeboats by the rear stairs, we were only outside for about 5 minutes and got to see dolphins in Charleston Harbour.

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Just got off the Liberty. The oily smell was found on several places around the ship. Noticed it more earlier in the 3-day cruise and then it went away. It was foul smelling and close to nauseating

We were on the ship just before you and noticed a smell ever so often. The last night, or sink bubbled and gurgled for a few hours. I really expected to see some smelly residue in the sink but it never went that far

Just got off the Liberty. The oily smell was found on several places around the ship. Noticed it more earlier in the 3-day cruise and then it went away. It was foul smelling and close to nauseating

We were on the ship just before you and noticed a smell ever so often. The last night, or sink bubbled and gurgled for a few hours. I really expected to see some smelly residue in the sink but it never went that far

The smell the OP is referring to is due to the ship bunkering fuel during the muster drill, and the barges typically have the tank covers open allowing vapors to float around the ship.

Those odors you smell are caused when the AC dries out the water in floor drain traps (just like the trap under your sink at home), and when the crew smell it, they will pour water down the drain to reseal it. In your cabin, it is mostly the bathroom floor drain (not the shower, there is another drain outside the shower) that doesn't see water regularly, and so dries out. A glass of water down this drain daily will keep odors at bay.

25 cruises the last 13 years and we've seen a bunch of people passing out or with some medical condition at muster. We had three bright star calls before muster a few weeks ago. Then a guy was on the ground next to our life boat at the end of the drill. Most of our incidents have probably been on HAL. One medical deviation, two medical helicopter airlifts, and one pilot had to join the boat by helicopter.

Muster on Costa pre Concordia: On a 7 day cruise where everyday is a port day. Passengers can embark/debark at any port. Muster was only once during the 7 days. Some people didn't have the drill until the night before the cruise ended. They had about 12 languages and it was outside for well over an hour. Thankfully is wasn't that hot. Not my favorite cruise experience but the ports rocked.

Those odors you smell are caused when the AC dries out the water in floor drain traps (just like the trap under your sink at home), and when the crew smell it, they will pour water down the drain to reseal it. In your cabin, it is mostly the bathroom floor drain (not the shower, there is another drain outside the shower) that doesn't see water regularly, and so dries out. A glass of water down this drain daily will keep odors at bay.

Interesting, I will have to remember that. Thanks!

Well, not always, in my experience. The last muster drill I did on the Indy was long as all get-out and we were packed in like crazy (ship was at max berth capacity, too), but at least it was on the shaded side of the ship. For the second-to-last drill, we weren't so lucky; blazing heat and sunlight. The announcements were made in English, Spanish and German due to the prevalent origins of the passengers. And no, this wasn't in Europe, this was at Port Everglades.

It was torture.

Point taken. I made a generalization which is not fair since it is based on my relatively small sample. I do remember years ago on RCI when we had to wear the life vests and stand in the sun while the instructions were given in multiple languages. It was super hot and frustrating. My comments were based upon the last several years since the life vests were left in the cabin and we often had inside musters - not everyone did. It does seem to me that recent RCI musters tend to be shorter and more to the point compared to our three Carnival cruises. It has been a while since we have heard the multiple language drills but apparently that still happens sometimes. In any case, it would seem that the cruise lines could streamline the process so that it gets the important information communicated as quickly and efficiently as possible. People lose their attention span and I am not sure how effective it all is when they are forced to endure uncomfortable conditions for more than a few minutes. The major hold up with Carnival seems to be waiting around for no shows that were not scanned yet. We were talking among ourselves at the last drill and several had the same idea. Make one announcement for the no shows to report, then deactivate the S&S cards of those who did not report to muster. Proceed with the drill and afterwards make a general announcement that those who were not at muster would not be able to use their cards to purchase or enter their cabins until they reported to guest services for muster instructions.

Royal's Harmony muster drill video they played in the cabin and during the drill is very cool. Like a mini James Bond movie.

And if those who are 'special' don't show up for the rescheduled safety briefing, cut off their S&S card- no charging privileges, room key won't work... the whole 9 yards! Grab 'em where it hurts and their hearts and minds will follow!

LOVE this idea!

My daughter is one that has vomited during the muster drill on at least two cruises. She was a teen at the time. I have no idea how it happened.

More than likely was hormones. When I was a teen I was prone to issues like that as well. Mine generally involved getting very light headed and/or fainting. Went to the doctor and was told it was hormones. It went away as I got older. Similar issues came back once I got closer to menopause.