Muster drill strategy

[panda123]

Looking for advice/suggestions on what others do to get through the muster drill in the least stressful way.
I've been on the Disney Fantasy twice so far DH, DD3, and DS7 and have an upcoming cruise at the beginning of December.
The first time we went down early, thinking to avoid the rush of people.
It was pretty miserable because we were in full sun the whole time and hadn't thought to bring a hat/jacket/sun block and the kids really didn't like staying still and everyone was hot and sweaty.
The second time, we went down from our room on the 9th deck when the horns blew and it was pretty crowded and a little pushy. Thankfully this time our muster station wasn't in the sun so the kids held up a little better but were still grouchy.

 

[GPaLarry]

Having gone through eight of these drills, we usually go rather late (before your room is called) and put up with the crowds and the shuffling around, and being arranged by height. It is for your own good to get this info and is the least desirable experience you will have on the ship for 3-13 days. However, on the plus side, we found that a number of the cast members from the shows are part of the safety crew running the drill. They also serve as handlers for many of the characters & princesses, pirates, etc. Also, sometimes they will have a lifeboat open up so you can see what it looks like inside. This is a fun, and perhaps needed, bit of knowledge that is good to know. On the Magic last year one of our drill crew took the time to show us the lifeboat and was genuinely friendly and outgoing. Turns out, later, he was in TANGLED as the thug with the hook for a hand that sang "I've got a dream." Our WBTA was long enough so that we saw him a number of times in the hallways and with meet/greets, etc. This was an added bonus for us during the cruise. Also, at the drill, while we were lined up and noses were being counted, we met some folks on either side that we met later in the cruise and had fun recounting some our experiences.
As far as the sun issue, earlier in the afternoon of the first day, check on the back of your stateroom door to see where your muster station is located (which side of the ship) and plan accordingly. Sometimes they meet in the theater or inside (perhaps only on the bigger ships), so that weather is not a problem.
Perhaps this is like making lemonade out of a lemon or getting a flu shot from a happy nurse.

 

[cgolf]

I am not sure there is a good way to go through these. I guess if you get there early you could try to be in the back which would minimize the sun exposure. Just be thankful that you no longer need to wear the life vest during the drill, that got very crowded quickly.

You could also figure out which rooms muster inside. Some rooms in the front muster in the theater and some in the back muster in animators palete. Or depending on the port, Canaveral and Miami always dock facing the same way, you could book a room on the side of the ship that the sun will not impact you during the drill.

best advice is to not rush and go with the flow, and maybe make a game out of it to make it more fun for the kids. Oh yeh and avoid the elavators going back up, craziness. We always hang around a few minutes after to allow everyone to rush up the stairs ahead of us.

 

[MarBee]

I’m sorry to hijack this post, but I’ve never been on a cruise before and am looking into an upcoming Alaska cruise.

I’m assuming a muster drill is like a fire/safety drill?

But when it says you’re arranged by height order, are you separated from your children?

Thanks!

 

[cgolf]

I’m sorry to hijack this post, but I’ve never been on a cruise before and am looking into an upcoming Alaska cruise.

I’m assuming a muster drill is like a fire/safety drill?

But when it says you’re arranged by height order, are you separated from your children?

Thanks!

I have never seen them split up a family, but they do pack you in pretty close to each other. Generally the tallest family member in the back. The muster drill is a safety drill so you know where to go if the call to abandon ship is given.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I’m sorry to hijack this post, but I’ve never been on a cruise before and am looking into an upcoming Alaska cruise.

I’m assuming a muster drill is like a fire/safety drill?

But when it says you’re arranged by height order, are you separated from your children?

Thanks!

They lined us up side be side with each room or room grouping in a column, but the column was tallest to shortest, presumably so everyone could see what was happening and make it easier to count.

 

[Neptune's Fork]

I guess I have been lucky with these in my two cruises because both times my muster station was the main theater, so we just went there, had a seat, watched the life preserver demo and left. No big deal.

 

[GPaLarry]

Families are not split up. As mentioned before, the tallest member of the family is in back (next to the bulkhead down to the shortest (near the railing. The family next to you, on either side, does the same, so it does get a bit tight out there. Also, be sure you take your KTTW card as they will scan it to make sure everyone, everyone is there. We take our time when it is done and take the stairs to get back to our stateroom, it's faster than the elevators.

 

[Shanti]

The best scenario for muster drills is when you are indoors, sitting down. When your muster station is on deck, you might have to stand in the sun...We arrived early & the CM in charge wouldn't let me move to the back of the group (which was just starting to form) to avoid the sun, so I baked.

Next time if I'm on deck, I'm waiting inside until the last minute to go out. Not until they call our cabin or anything, but I'll be sure we're at the back of the crowd that's headed outside. I don't care where I have to stand as long as it's only for a couple of minutes. But 10 or 15 full minutes standing in direct sun, which can happen if you arrive asap, is misery.

 

[jdb in AZ]

I’m sorry to hijack this post, but I’ve never been on a cruise before and am looking into an upcoming Alaska cruise.

I’m assuming a muster drill is like a fire/safety drill?

But when it says you’re arranged by height order, are you separated from your children?

Thanks!

Yes, they show you how to put on your life jacket and you go to your assigned station so you're familiar with safety information in the very unlikely chance you'll need to abandon ship and go to the life boats.

 

[hcox31]

They stand you tallest to shortest in your cabin, and we had a particularly cranky cast member snark at us for ours. My 2 year old daughter was particularly cranky that afternoon, in the full sun no less, and they made us put her at the front of the line to be counted rather than my husband holding her so I had to practically hug my older son who was between us to hold her hand so she wouldn't take off running.

Whatever you do, come first or come last, just be on time for the drill. Everyone has to wait for you if you're not. And that's not fair to the other passengers.

 

[lanejudy]

But when it says you’re arranged by height order, are you separated from your children?

If you and your children are booked into the same stateroom, you'll be together. Each stateroom lines up single-file with tallest person in back and shortest in front. If your children are booked into a different stateroom (like with grandparents, aunt/uncle, etc.) -- you may be a different muster station. Each person must attend muster for the stateroom in which you are booked, regardless of other family members onboard.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[panda123]

Thanks everyone for the tips.
I did find an old thread that called out muster station assignments that Princess Shmoo has been keeping up to date with what people have reported.
Thanks Shmoo!
Looks like my stateroom on our upcoming cruise, 9588, might be in Buena Vista Theatre, (was reported for Dream but not for Fantasy) and that will be a relief if so.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/dream-fantasy-muster-stations.2639344/

 

[SteveMP]

I think they should just show the last part of Titanic for muster, as that would be closer to what would really happen in an emergency, rather than people calmly walking to their prearranged station to form lines neatly arranged by height.

 

[mousefan73]

Worst case scenario if we are on the deck how long are we standing. Are there places to sit? My mom can't stand still for a long time. Should we show up then one min before?

 

[jdb in AZ]

Worst case scenario if we are on the deck how long are we standing. Are there places to sit? My mom can't stand still for a long time. Should we show up then one min before?

No places to sit. The drill is maybe 15 mins but it seems much longer.

 

[ivanp91]

No places to sit. The drill is maybe 15 mins but it seems much longer.

There are a couple places on each side of Deck 4, visible in the photo here (you can see the couple of benches/boxes amongst the deckchairs). In our muster on the Dream in August there were a few older guests that had difficulty standing for long periods, and the CMs allowed them to sit on those as long as their families/roommates stayed nearby.

 

[CinderellaDreamer]

We got one of our favorite pictures from our muster drill! A selfie my daughter took as we were all lined up according to height! We were hot and in the sun, but just super happy to be on our first cruise. (I’m sure the charm must wear off if you are fortunate enough to go often!). Bring your sunglasses!

 

[mab2012]

In three trips on DCL, we've been fortunate never to muster on deck. We've sailed category 5E on Fantasy twice (muster station O in The Tube), and deck 2 forward on Magic once (musters in the Walt Theatre). It is so much more civilized than the deck stations. You go in, sit comfortably for awhile, listen to their short demonstration, and leave. I have mustered on deck on other cruise lines, so I can fully appreciate the difference!

If you're not in an indoor muster station, I agree with previous posters. Be on time, but don't rush to be early. They start warning about muster at least 15 minutes (maybe half an hour?) in advance of the actual muster time. I'd plan to arrive about 5 minutes in advance. That's enough time to get organized before the actual drill, and standing around for an extra 10+ minutes (especially with small kids!) benefits nobody.

 

[cgolf]

Another thought just hit me, since this isn't much different from hanging out on the top deck during the day which I know most of us do. Just dress like you would if you were going to walk around on the top deck and maybe play some mini golf (Dream Class) and make sure to have sunscreen on. The only real difference here is the crush of people, but I have generally found that everyone tries there best to honor each others Minnie bubble. The worst part of this, especially for veteran cruisers is we are somewhere we don't want to be, and could probably give the talk ourselves