Following reports that traditional musters drills are returning to some ships — including those of Disney Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.’s brands (Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises) — we reached out to the advisor community to gauge its overall reaction.
When cruise travel restarted after the pandemic, most lines implemented an app-based version of the muster drill — the process of gathering in a public space in case of an onboard emergency. Rather than the tradition of standing out on a crowded promenade deck (or onboard venue) to wait for a long announcement from the captain, with guests sometimes wearing life jackets, the digital alternative usually consisted of visiting your muster station at leisure to register and conveniently watching a safety video on smartphones or cabin televisions.
Asked why companies are returning to the traditional muster drills, a spokesperson from Norwegian (NCL) issued the following statement:
We recently reinstated synchronized, in-person muster drills on embarkation day across all vessels within the NCL fleet to provide detailed instructions on safety and security measures.
“The safety of our guests and crew members is our No. 1 priority. We recently reinstated synchronized, in-person muster drills on embarkation day across all vessels within the NCL fleet to provide detailed instructions on safety and security measures. We are committed to delivering an exceptional and safe experience onboard and, as such, will continue to actively evaluate and modify our processes for best practices and to identify opportunities to enhance the guest experience.”
Disney Cruise Line similarly cited the regular review of its processes, having made the decision to return to in-person assembly drills in November 2022 in an effort to ensure all guests and crew are fully aware of the line’s safety procedures.
Travel Agents Respond
In response, Lorrie Ortega, a Cruise Planners agent based in Texas, told us that none of her clients have complained about the reversal, but she personally prefers the digital version of the drill.
"In terms of how important these different options are to our clients, they can vary depending on individual preferences and priorities,” Ortega said. “Some clients may value the convenience of a digital drill, while others may prefer the peace of mind that comes from participating in an in-person drill.”
Arkansas-based Kyle Kiper, a travel advisor at Dream Vacations, works with a large portion of blind clients, as well as those who use guide dogs or are living with other disabilities, and believes the traditional approach is better for his demographic.
Lots of my blind folks do not feel like they got the appropriate level of training through the app.
“Lots of my blind folks do not feel like they got the appropriate level of training through the app,” he said. “They like the interaction with the uniformed crew telling them what to do and how to do it. Plus, the apps are not very accessible usually, Carnival [Cruise Line] right now having the best one.”
Kiper added that he has not heard many comments from clients about the change in drill procedures and would not steer them in either direction. Instead, he encourages them to know that a traditional drill is a great opportunity to meet people and make new friends.
“I explain to them how the Coast Guard works, and that this is very important, the most serious part of their journey,” he said. “I’ve always been a big advocate for safety, as we try to get those first-time cruisers to take that step.”
Ortega, on the other hand, would like to see some sort of hybrid approach to muster drills, favoring traditional ones for first-time cruisers and those who have not sailed for awhile, and digital for everyone else.
"We should be able to select our preference pre-cruise,” she said. “The cruise line could easily keep track of this on the clients’ cruise loyalty program.”
