A recent social media storm has thrown Carnival Cruise Line passengers into a frenzy, sparked by a viral post featuring an authentic letter sent to a guest. The letter outlined that their upcoming cruise would revert to a traditional muster drill, requiring passengers to visit their muster stations, check in, and watch a crew-led demonstration on donning life jackets—a process reminiscent of pre-COVID cruising. This announcement reignited memories of the cumbersome old system, leading many to fear that Carnival was abandoning the quick-and-easy electronic muster (e-muster) system introduced post-pandemic. However, Carnival has since clarified that this is not a policy overhaul but a routine crew training exercise. The e-muster remains the standard, and rumors of its demise are greatly exaggerated. Let’s break down the situation and set the record straight.
The Traditional Muster Drill: A Relic of the Past
Before the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped the cruise industry, the muster drill was a mandatory, if somewhat tedious, embarkation ritual. Passengers were instructed to retrieve their life jackets from their cabins—those bulky, orange contraptions that never quite fit right—and report to their designated muster stations, typically located on the ship’s open decks or in large indoor venues. There, crew members conducted a roll call or scanned keycards to verify attendance, followed by a live demonstration of how to secure a life jacket in an emergency. The process could stretch to 45 minutes or more, depending on the ship’s size and the pace of the crowd.
These drills, while essential for safety, often tested passengers’ patience. Life jacket straps tangled underfoot, people were crammed into tiny spaces made to stand shoulder to shoulder, and stragglers delayed the whole process. It was a horrible way to start a vacation. The inefficiencies were tolerable in the pre-pandemic era, but the pandemic forced cruise lines to come up with another way to avoid crowds and large gatherings in the age of social distancing.
E-Muster: A Post-Pandemic Improvement
When cruising resumed after the pandemic, strict health protocols demanded a reduction in group gatherings, giving birth to the e-muster system. This streamlined process requires passengers to visit their muster stations before departure, have their keycards scanned to confirm attendance, and later watch a safety video in the comfort of their staterooms. Gone are the crowded assemblies, the physical handling of life jackets, and the prolonged time commitment. The entire experience is reduced to a brief, hassle-free check-in, freeing passengers to begin their vacations without any delay.
Major cruise lines, including Carnival, Royal Caribbean, MSC, and Norwegian, have universally adopted this system. The shift from traditional muster drills to e-muster stands as one of the few good things to come from the pandemic!
The Letter That Sparked the Controversy
The current uproar traces back to a letter received by a Carnival passenger, which detailed a return to the traditional muster drill for their specific sailing. The letter, confirmed as genuine by Carnival, described a process where guests would need to report to their muster stations, check in, and watch a life jacket demonstration—echoing the pre-COVID routine. When this letter made its rounds online, it ignited a firestorm of speculation. Social media erupted with claims that Carnival was scrapping the e-muster entirely.
Carnival quickly stepped in to clarify the situation. The full muster drill mentioned in the letter is not a sign of a policy shift but part of a scheduled training exercise conducted roughly every six months on randomly selected sailings. These drills are designed to ensure that crew members remain proficient in the traditional mustering process. The e-muster, Carnival emphasized, continues to be the default procedure for the vast majority of cruises. Only a small subset of passengers—those on the these random, occasional training sailings—will encounter the old-school drill, while the e-muster prevails for everyone else.