The cruise ship safety drill is a mandatory briefing that all passengers must complete on embarkation day. But what happens if you skip it?
If you've been on a Royal Caribbean cruise before, you have likely heard numerous announcements asking all guests to complete the muster drill.
Years ago, the safety drill was a ship-wide event, with all cruisers required to visit their assigned assembly station at the same time.
Now, however, passengers can complete the e-muster on their own time, rather than sit in crowded lounges or bake in the warm Florida heat while listening to the important safety information.
Emergencies at sea are rare, but all passengers are required to complete the muster drill to become familiar with their assigned assembly station and other protocols. It's mandatory for all guests, even those who are part of the line's top-tier loyalty tiers, because the assigned assembly station will likely be different on each voyage.
Although muster drills look different today than ten years ago, they are still required according to maritime law. Still, you may find yourself wondering just what happens if you forget to complete it?
Read more: What to expect with Royal Caribbean's new virtual safety drill
Muster drills are for everyone's safety and well-being
(Credit: MarellaDePalma / Reddit)
One Royal Caribbean passenger shared what happened when they did not complete the muster drill aboard Navigator of the Seas.
MarellaDePalma was sailing on a back-to-back cruise and received a letter in their stateroom at the beginning of the second half of their vacation.
"Our record shows that you missed the mandatory Guest Muster Drill that was carried out today before departure. The guest muster drill is compulsory and is conducted in compliance with the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea," the letter reads.
"This drill is for your safety, and you are required to attend, even if you have cruised with us before. Since there is important safety information that must be brought to your attention, you are kindly requested to attend a Muster Drill today at 6:00 p.m. at the Conference Room located on deck 2 forward."
Continuing, the letter goes over standard cruise safety information, discussing the emergency signal (seven short blasts followed by one long blast) and what to do should this signal be broadcast.
The letter also mentions that throwing cigarettes or other smoking materials overboard is forbidden, as well as smoking in undesignated areas.
MarellaDePalma added that they did not intentionally skip the muster drill. Rather, since they were on a back-to-back sailing, the ship's safety officer told them that they would be manually marked as present after departure.
"[I]t makes me sick people don’t take this stuff serious[ly]"
Completing your Royal Caribbean muster drill takes all of five or ten minutes. The mandatory videos on the app are short, and they do not ask much of guests beyond briefly visiting their assigned assembly station.
On the same Reddit thread, multiple cruisers talked about how frustrating it is that some passengers do not take the safety drill and informational videos seriously.
"[I]n a real emergency you are taking your safety and someone else’s in your hands. [Do your part] and go spend 30 minutes of your trip doing what you’re supposed to," damonlebeouf wrote.
sirdrumalot added, "Watch the [safety] videos on the way to the port, walk on [the] ship, grab [a] drink and drop off bags in [the] room. Check in at muster, grab another drink and go unpack. So much easier than the past when we had to put on life vests from the room and all line up on [the] deck."
"Should turn off their sea pass card until their muster is complete. If you have time to get a drink at the bar, you have time to do your muster drill," ExpressionPerfect515 suggested.
In fact, multiple lines implement a similar policy, cutting off bar service while the final safety announcements are being broadcast.
Some cruise lines go even further and limit the number of drinks passengers can order until they complete the safety briefing.
"You are cut off after two drinks until you do the muster drill with Carnival. I honestly thought this was the case across other lines as well," said vikingstomp.
Urban_Polar_Bear commented, "MSC [also does] this. I think they even shut the bars until a certain percent[age] of people have completed. This was my experience on MSC Euribia a few years ago."
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Muster drills weren't always mandatory on embarkation day
It wasn't until 2012 that cruise ships had to complete the safety drill before sailaway. This was because 600-plus people hadn't been briefed on important safety information when the Costa Concordia cruise ship capsized off the coast of Italy shortly after departing from Civitavecchia.
At that time, the safety drill could be held at any point within 24 hours of departure. However, most cruise lines chose to conduct it before leaving the embarkation port. Following February 2012, it became an international requirement for all cruise ships to complete the drill before sailing.
Then, cruise lines began implementing virtual muster drills after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the industry, including Royal Caribbean. These e-drills allow passengers to watch the safety briefings from their smartphones or stateroom television before briefly checking into their assigned muster station in person.
