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Well this is disappointing for many of us Frequent Floaters. We have learned today that Norwegian Cruise Lines is bringing back the old style muster drills that you have to attend in person and is one of the worst parts of the first day of your cruise.
NCL has sent out an e-mail blast to all their affiliated travel agents and are telling them the following:
“The safety of our guests and crew members is our number one priority. We continuously evaluate our procedures for providing detailed instructions on safety and security measures to our guests, and as such, have made the decision to reinstate synchronized muster drills on embarkation day across all vessels in the fleet” – NCL e-mail sent to travel agents
If you are unfamiliar with this process you have to, when announced and before the ship can leave port, go to your room and get your life jacket (that any number of other guests have had on) and take it to your assigned station. In the recent years before COVID NCL did end this small part of the process but you still had to go in person to your assigned area and sit and wait for every single person on the ship to get to where they were to go.
As part of the resumption after COVID lock downs, NCL instituted an e-Muster drill, that is, you had to simply watch a safety video before you came aboard during electronic check-in and then once onboard you had to within an assigned time check in at your muster station and you were done and could enjoy the day!
While I understand the need for safety I do not see how sitting in person for a long-ish period of time and watching crew put on a life jacket vs. watching the drill on video will help anything. It seems that other cruise lines are also either bringing back in-person drills or are considering doing so.
What do you think. Is this a wise safety move or just more time lost during the first day of your voyage? – René
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Interesting. I am under the impression that cruise lines were trying to find a way to this solution pre COVID. It works marvelously. I wouldn’t mess with it. I wonder if USCG or some other entity is driving this decision. If NCL arrived at this on their own, I think it’s a competitive disadvantage.
@MJ – My guess it is a money move in some aspect. Paying crew for many many hours to stand around vs. a short-ish time to muster everyone?
Ridiculous…3000 to 6,000 people crammed on decks for a lengthy time…all it takes is one person not to show uo. Unnecessary, and I won’t be booking on NCL.
@Cheryl -Let them know please!
EMuster is my speed. If a similar cruise is available without the anxiety provoking in person drill, count me in,
Buh bye NCL