Royal Caribbean announced a new way for guests to conduct the cruise ship safety drill by digital app, which will help with promoting social distancing onboard.

Known as Muster 2.0, the cruise line revealed its plans on Friday to implement a new way to conduct the mandatory guests safety drill, known as the muster drill. 

The rollout of these reimagined safety drills will debut in Germany this week on board Royal Caribbean Group’s joint venture, TUI Cruises GmbH, and continue in Royal Caribbean Group’s return to service. 

In order to comply with maritime law, passengers on an ocean-going vessel must be aware of what to do for a response to an emergency condition onboard.

How it works

With Muster 2.0, the new tech will be used to help provide the information to guests via their mobile devices and interactive stateroom TVs.

Travelers will be able to review the information at their own time prior to setting sail, eliminating the need for the traditional large group assemblies. 

After reviewing safety information individually, guests will complete the drill by visiting their assigned assembly station, where a crew member will verify that all steps have been completed and answer questions. Each of the steps will need to be completed prior to the ship’s departure, as required by international maritime law.

One on the cruise ship, guests have a set time (indicated by a timer in the app) during which muster drill must be completed by all of the passengers and, in response, a message is transmitted to each mobile device that the muster drill has commenced.

As well, subsequent to a lapsing of the timer, a listing is displayed of any passenger not recorded as having completed the muster drill.

Muster 2.0 was first tested on Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas in January 2020. Guests who took part in the mock process indicated a strong preference for the new approach and also reported better comprehension and retention of the safety information.

Solving a problem

For many cruise passengers, the muster drill is viewed as a necessary annoyance.

Traditionally, in the context of a passenger cruise ship, a muster drill is performed at the beginning of the cruise before the cruise ship departs or shortly thereafter. During the muster drill, each individual passenger reports to an assigned muster station—a specific location on the vessel. A crew member then confirms the presence of each passenger expected to be present at the specific location during the muster drill so that all passengers may be accounted for in the event of an actual emergency and a resultant actual muster.

Further, the muster drill can be confusing for some—particularly the elderly and children—both of whom often require additional assistance locating and moving towards assigned muster stations.

For crew members, trying to perform the drill with thousands of guests may create unnecessary confusion or missed opportunities to educate and inform, in light of the ultimate goal.

Moreover, an electronic muster drill would potentially allow guests to conduct the safety drill at their leisure during the first day, and while maintaining proper social distancing. 

The inventor of Muster 2.0 is Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President of Entertainment, Nick Weir, who is listed as the inventor on the patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Royal Caribbean applied for a patent on the concept in September 2019, and the application was granted on March 3, 2020.

An innovation for everyone

Despite Muster 2.0 being a proprietary invention of Royal Caribbean is offering to license the patented technology to interested cruise operators and will waive patent license fees during the time the world and industry battle the global pandemic.

Patent licenses have already been granted to the company’s joint venture, TUI Cruises GmbH, as well as Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., the parent company of Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

Could this be one aspect of Royal Caribbean's rumored eMuster functionality?

Royal Caribbean has added a new feature on its app, "Learn about safety at sea" that lists the safety information for guests that is usually given during a traditional safety muster drill.

The app includes a video for watching how to put on a life jacket, what to do and what not to do during an emergency, youth evacuation instructions and assembly station information.

The new feature comes a few months after Royal Caribbean filed a trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for "EMUSTER". This lead many to speculate that Royal Caribbean might be considering a change to the required safety drill at the beginning of every sailing.

Royal Caribbean has not commented publicly on the trademark, nor on if they have any plans to change the safety drill.

In its traditional form, the muster drill involves all guests reporting to their assembly stations and being lined up closely together to hear and see the safety demonstration of what to do in casy of an emergency.

An electronic muster drill would potentially allow guests to conduct the safety drill at their leisure during the first day, and while maintaining proper social distancing. 

Thanks to RoyalCaribbeanBlog readers FionaMG and CGTLH for spotting this change.

Royal Caribbean offers an app for free to its guests that is available from the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.

Royal Caribbean has filed a trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for "EMUSTER".

The trademark potentially indicates a move by the cruise like to moving towards electronic muster drills.

It is important to note that trademark applications do not necessarily correlate with actual policy or procedural changes.

No other information was included with the trademark beyond the name, but it certainly fosters a certain level of intrigue.

The muster drill is a compulsory drill required of all guests to gather in designated areas around the ship in order to understand where to go and what to do in the case of a real emergency.

Currently, the muster drill involves large groups of guests lining up in close proximity to each other while being counted and briefed on what to expect in the case of an emergency.

Much like Royal Caribbean's recent trademark filing for "SEAFACE" mask, this could be another change the cruise line is preparing for resuming cruise service once the voluntary global cruise suspension ends.

In the last week, Royal Caribbean has filed trademarks for "SEAFACE", "TOUCHLESS", "CRUISE SAFE", "EMUSTER", and "ROYAL PROMISE".

Guests aboard Royal Caribbean ships can look forward to seeing a new film during muster drill.

Cruise Critic spotted a new safety film that evokes a secret agent vibe that guests can watch in their stateroom prior to the mandatory safety drill that takes place before the ship can sail away.

The film is named "Operation: Little Bear," and will roll out to Royal Caribbean's fleet in June.

Guests aboard Oasis of the Seas reported seeing the film already as recently as last week.

Royal Caribbean will add lifeguards to all of its cruise ships in an effort to improve onboard water safety.

Cruise Critic reported the change, which will see Royal Caribbean add licensed lifeguards that are trained through a partner company, StarGuard Elite. At least one lifeguard will be stationed at every pool (including the Solarium) during all open hours, and will be noticeably visible in bright red and white uniforms. All have been hired specifically as lifeguards and will not serve in any other role onboard.

In addition, Royal Caribbean will present a 15-minute water safety presentation during the Adventure Ocean open house session on embarkation day. 

The lifeguards and water safety program will be deployed to all of Royal Caribbean's cruise ships over the next four months. The program debuted on Oasis of the Seas this week, and will be added to 14 ships by mid-April.  All remaining cruise shops will have lifeguards added by June 15.

• Oasis of the Seas: February 26-March 5
• Harmony of the Seas: March 7-11
• Independence of the Seas: March 11-16
• Anthem of the Seas: March 11-14
• Liberty of the Seas: March 12-19
• Freedom of the Seas: March 22-29
• Allure of the Seas: March 23-26
• Brilliance of the Seas: March 24-30
• Quantum of the Seas: March 26-31
• Ovation of the Seas: March 29-April 3
• Navigator of the Seas: March 31-April 5
• Serenade of the Seas: March 31-April 7
• Jewel of the Seas: March 31-April 4
• Rhapsody of the Seas: April 5-8
• Majesty of the Seas: April 21-24
• Empress of the Seas: April 24-29
• Adventure of the Seas: April 26-29
• Enchantment of the Seas: May 8-12
• Grandeur of the Seas: May 13-18
• Explorer of the Seas: May 15-26
• Mariner of the Seas: May 26-June 4
• Radiance of the Seas: May 28-June 6
• Voyager of the Seas: June 5-12
• Vision of the Seas: June 15-27

Royal Caribbean began offering guests the option to use life jackets for children to use in the pool in late 2015, but adding lifeguards and water safety programs is a big step forward.

Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas was kept in port through Tuesday morning, after U.S. Coast Guard inspectors forced the ship to remain in port until an issue with the lifeguards was resolved.

Cruise Critic reports a spokesman from the U.S. Coast Guard cited the delay stems from the ship's older life jackets, "generally speaking, problems with older life jackets can include fraying straps that could break when a person was in the water or disintegrating foam that will not float in the water."

Royal Caribbean sent messages via Twitter to convey the company is working around the clock to fix the issues.

@rockytopinfl We're currently working around the clock to get all issues resolved. All future sailing will not be impacted by this.

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) February 14, 2017

There has not been any indication yet when Majesty of the Seas will be able to set sail on her 4-night Bahamas cruise, nor what impact the delay will have on the ship's itinerary.

9:30am Update: Royal Caribbean is offering guests a 25% refundable onboard credit, and a 25% Future Cruise Certificate.

@eric_thebruce The comp offer is a 25% refundable onboard credit, and a 25% Future Cruise Certificate.

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) February 14, 2017

​Royal Caribbean sends its more than 11,000 Filipino crew through safety training at its facility in Marongondong, Cavite, Philippines.

Friend of the blog, John Roberts, sent us these photos from his recent tour of the facility. The campus offers courses on Basic Safety Training, Advanced Firefighting, Survival Craft Operations, Water Rescue and other related courses designed to help build the competencies of cruise staff in a wide range of maritime skill sets.

The conditions created during the exercises simulate actual shipboard scenarios.

John Roberts writes about cruise and fitness-based travel on his website InTheLoopTravel.com.

It appears Royal Caribbean is providing life jackets for children to use in the pools on Oasis of the Seas.

Leigh Cormack from the Oasis of the Seas Cruisers...Past, Present, Future Facebook group took these photos of the new life jackets.

The sign reads, "Children's Swimming Pool Life Jackets are available for the safety all children.  They are to be used on the Oasis Pool Deck."

We have not spotted life jackets for pool use like this previously.

The life jackets for children could be a response to recent pool accidents involving drownings.

Do you think Royal Caribbean offering life jackets for kids in the pool is a good idea? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Royal Caribbean has provided a look at its Simulation Training Center at Resolve Maritime Academy in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

The 7,000 square foot training center launched in 2012 and cost $6.5 million, where the bridge facilities have been replicated for a safe place to train Royal Caribbean junior officers on how the real thing works.

The computer simulations displayed on high-definition screens include some 200 ports visited by Royal Caribbean ships, with all their landmarks, buildings and seaside facilities. As various conditions and perils are brought to bear, trainees respond using controls just as they exist on their actual ship’s bridge.

Officers here can practice and refine their skills onshore to handle any situation that may occur at sea.

“Most simulators in the world are generic,” says Captain Patrik Dahlgren, Royal Caribbean vice president for marine operations. “This simulator is made up to look and feel and work the same as a real bridge on board our specific vessels. You actually have the physical consoles and all the equipment looks exactly the same as it does on board the vessel.”

Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas was chosen by the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) to be the recipient of the Maritime Safety Award.

Quantum of the Seas is the first cruise ship to ever win the award in the 155-year history of the RINA.

The annual award, recognizing “an individual, company or organization which has made a significant technological contribution to improving maritime safety,” was presented to Royal Caribbean for the design and implementation of an integrated Safety Command Centre (SCC) onboard Quantum of the Seas

The Safety Command Centre breaks down incident response, physically and functionally, into a collection of “pods,” each with its own specialty, which can act separately or as part of an integrated response as each incident requires.

Professors Dracos Vassalos and Tom Allan, who are RINA fellows and sit on Royal Caribbean's Maritime Safety Advisory Board, say Quantum of the Seas' Safety Command Centre addresses a need for cruise ship safety.