Any news of RCCL going back to in person muster drills?

[ballarinamom]

And fire is one of the most dangerous issues at sea. And when people throw their lit cigarette off their balcony, it can very easily come back into anothe balcony and start a fire. Yet people continue to do it because they "paid a lot of money for this balcony and they can do what they want". There are lots of things that technology cant fix.

[MPalermo]

We requested that someone develop a more modern muster drill for years.  Long before Covid I thought it was a way of infecting as many people as possible with colds, flu, Norovirus etc. at the start of the trip, especially when you are shoulder to shoulder with people against you in front and back.  Been on 40 cruises and have seen people pass out and people vomit.  Nice way to start a trip.  

[SherriZ366]

Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings -- all brands-NCL, Regent and Oceana -- are going back to  in- person muster.  These changes will take place immediately for each ship's next sailing.  

 

Carnival has publicly stated that e-muster drills will remain in effect for the time being.  

 

It's good that Carnival is sticking with e-muster -- I hope this influences Royal Caribbean even though Norwegian and Disney are going back to in-person muster.  

 

Does anyone know if one of the Agencies that regulates cruising is pressuring the Cruise Lines to go back to In-Person Muster -- the Coast Guard possibly.   I don't think the CDC would have anything to do with this except to declare that the COVID pandemic has subsided and large gatherings are once again ok.  

[SherriZ366]

5 hours ago, MPalermo said:

We requested that someone develop a more modern muster drill for years.  Long before Covid I thought it was a way of infecting as many people as possible with colds, flu, Norovirus etc. at the start of the trip, especially when you are shoulder to shoulder with people against you in front and back.  Been on 40 cruises and have seen people pass out and people vomit.  Nice way to start a trip.  

Good observation about colds, flu and noro -- this eliminates less COVID cases as an excuse to go back to in-person muster.  Colds, flu and noro will always be with us.  

 

I think one good idea would be for the check-in employees in the terminal and the RCI staff that greet you as you board to emphasize the need to complete the e-muster.  There are so many announcements about people not finishing their e-muster.  With the Norwegian and Disney returns to traditional muster, I think it is imperative that cruisers complete the e-muster and support the simplified process.   

[t18c97]

How about your stateroom keys will be handed out at the checkin for your muster station?

[QuickGold]

Royal says they aren't going back

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2023/01/26/royal-caribbean-we-have-no-intention-of-moving-back-old-muster-drill

[Ret MP]

We were on the Ovation in May, last year.  It was about sail  away time and the CD had been announcing that there were several people that hadn't been to check-in at their muster stations, yet and asking that if you haven't, please do as the ship wasn't going to leave until they do.  We were in an elevator and there was a couple in there with us and they were totally drunk already.  The wife, I assume, asked what was the announcement about.  I said that there are still some idiots that haven't got to they muster stations and check-in yet.  She looked at her husband and told him that they had better find out where their muster station is and check-in.  She looked at me with a s#^%ing eating smile and said, "I guess they are looking for us".  I looked at my wife and said, "we are surrounded by idiots".  Boy O Boy did they scoot off of the elevator when they got to the correct deck.  

 

 

[aubreyc1988]

17 hours ago, Ret MP said:

We were on the Ovation in May, last year.  It was about sail  away time and the CD had been announcing that there were several people that hadn't been to check-in at their muster stations, yet and asking that if you haven't, please do as the ship wasn't going to leave until they do.  We were in an elevator and there was a couple in there with us and they were totally drunk already.  The wife, I assume, asked what was the announcement about.  I said that there are still some idiots that haven't got to they muster stations and check-in yet.  She looked at her husband and told him that they had better find out where their muster station is and check-in.  She looked at me with a s#^%ing eating smile and said, "I guess they are looking for us".  I looked at my wife and said, "we are surrounded by idiots".  Boy O Boy did they scoot off of the elevator when they got to the correct deck.  

 

 

too funny, but honestly, they need to make it so that you can't purchase anything on the ship or get into your room until you do e-muster. 

[nelblu]

20 hours ago, t18c97 said:

How about your stateroom keys will be handed out at the checkin for your muster station?

You don't need the key as you can use your boarding pass to check in for Muster or as some will say Mustard (French's or Gulden).🤣🛳️

[Ret MP]

11 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

too funny, but honestly, they need to make it so that you can't purchase anything on the ship or get into your room until you do e-muster. 

That would be a quick fix, for sure.  But, it would be punishing all the non-idiots that do have other things they'd like to do prior to going the muster station but still do it in a timely manner, you know, act like adults.  

[map92]

RCI response to this question was they were not.

 

[SherriZ366]

On 1/27/2023 at 10:28 AM, aubreyc1988 said:

too funny, but honestly, they need to make it so that you can't purchase anything on the ship or get into your room until you do e-muster. 

good idea.   I don't want to go back to in-person muster and these idiots who will not complete a very simple process could spoil it for the rest of us.  

[SherriZ366]

On 1/26/2023 at 3:18 PM, QuickGold said:

Royal says they aren't going back

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2023/01/26/royal-caribbean-we-have-no-intention-of-moving-back-old-muster-drill

I was really happy to read this 
Royal Caribbean Blog post!!!  in-person muster is hard for us as we usually have a stateroom on a higher deck and we need to go to our muster station while the elevators are still working.  Often, this is when the Stateroom Attendant visits our cabin and takes our requests.  I might be a tad obscessive about his but I hope RCI keeps e-muster forever -- it is a goo dsign that Carnival and its many brands are not going back to in-person muster.  

[Ocean Boy]

People are acting as if RCI didn't give this any thought before implementing it. 🙄

[Scotico]

Thank goodness they are not going back.  Those of us with small kids have a hard time keeping them still in one place while they go over all the safety drills.

 

[barbeyg]

On 1/27/2023 at 10:28 AM, aubreyc1988 said:

too funny, but honestly, they need to make it so that you can't purchase anything on the ship or get into your room until you do e-muster. 

I agree.  Especially since you can check in immediately.  

[S.A.M.J.R.]

All those who say "throw off the people who don't attend muster" or "they can't purchase anything until after muster", you're ignoring a huge issue... Royal IT.  

 

Someone posted a similar story earlier in the thread, but here's ours... on our second cruise, we were travelling with our kids, a total of five of us.  This was the "old style" muster, but that's not important.  We got to our muster station, scanned all of our sea passes, listened to the spiel, then went on our way when dismissed.

 

Later that night we (I) had a letter in our cabin... "Since you didn't attend muster, please report at x time to y location."  I went to GS and explained I was at muster and yes, my seapass had gotten scanned.  "OK, we'll mark you off."  The next morning I woke up to a message light on our cabin phone.  Hit button for messages and heard a recording... "Since you didn't attend muster, please report at x time to y location."  Back to GS.  

 

I would have been EXTREMELY pissed if I couldn't purchase anything or if they attempted to throw me off simply because of THEIR mistake.  Not once, but twice. 

[SherriZ366]

3 hours ago, Scotico said:

Thank goodness they are not going back.  Those of us with small kids have a hard time keeping them still in one place while they go over all the safety drills.

 

Or even medium size kids -- sailing with our 11 year old grandsons in August and it will be good for their parents to have them scanned and marked off early in the day.  

As I posted earlier, e-muster is beneficial to older people who have some mobility issues (even minor ones) as taking steps from a high deck to the muster station deck is really hard.  Prior to e-muster, we often uses the elevators a half hour before muster and wait at our muster station.  

[Mum2Mercury]

On 1/26/2023 at 2:09 PM, t18c97 said:

How about your stateroom keys will be handed out at the checkin for your muster station?

That makes sense.  

[jencruzin]

On 11/12/2022 at 3:15 PM, chengkp75 said:

It was not the USCG, it was the IMO that allowed the change, and I've been hoping that it would change back.  Just the fact that the poster in your link mentioned that only one member of the party had to go find the muster station is one of the major flaws in this system.

DH stated it's a great idea because of the nature of the highly flawed new method. He also said there would be major clusterf's if a cruise ship started sinking using the temporary method, and mass panic, loss of lives would result. We will be so very happy if RCL goes back to the in-person muster drills. He sailed on many Navy ships 1980-2000.

[jencruzin]

On 11/12/2022 at 3:06 PM, mets123 said:

Why would anyone want to go back to the in person muster drills?

It's not a case of want. It's a case of maritime law.

[jencruzin]

On 11/12/2022 at 3:24 PM, smokeybandit said:

That will be a very, very unpopular change if that happens.

 

Safety usually is very unpopular.

[jencruzin]

On 11/12/2022 at 7:29 PM, SherriZ366 said:

 

 

Dumb idea to bring back in-person muster!!  

Explain that to the tragically obese man who showed up for the old, tried and true muster on an earlier sailing - who told the muster recorder that his lifejacket doesn't fit?

[Ocean Boy]

7 hours ago, jencruzin said:

DH stated it's a great idea because of the nature of the highly flawed new method. He also said there would be major clusterf's if a cruise ship started sinking using the temporary method, and mass panic, loss of lives would result. We will be so very happy if RCL goes back to the in-person muster drills. He sailed on many Navy ships 1980-2000.

You don't think there will be mass panic if a ship is going down no matter what kind of muster was done? If Lady O started going down you really think people are going to head to the Comedy Club? 

[DallasGuy75219]

On 1/26/2023 at 1:09 PM, t18c97 said:

How about your stateroom keys will be handed out at the checkin for your muster station?

Then the muster drill will be a 15-30 minute line for them to find everyone's keys.