NCL to return to E Muster Drills April 1

[tvguy]

In a statement sent to TPG in January, Carnival suggested that lines that were doing away with e-mustering on ships were doing it not for safety reasons but to cut costs. The line noted that offering e-muster safety drills instead of in-person safety drills requires more staffing.
https://thepointsguy.com/news/norwegian-cruise-line-muster-drill-change/

So, tvguy, your comments directly contradict what Carnival Cruise Lines says about the e-muster process…. No offense, but is it fair to assume they know more about staffing cruise ships than you do?

Okay, who are The Points Guys? And why didn't they publish the statement? Yes, I can see where more of the staff that are already on the ship may be needed to do a different style life boat drill. But I'm sorry, I don't think they added a single person to the staff to handle something for a few hours on the first day of the cruise. That makes no sense. Just like the in person lifeboat drill, they utilize the salaried entertainment staff at no additional expense.

 

[tvguy]

Actually they probably lose money with in person, because all the bars shut down.

That, I can see.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Okay, who are The Points Guys?

The Points Guy is a well known highly recognizable travel-based go to for advice place in addition to discussing various credit cards for benefits and other rewards programs. It's pretty hard to not have run across an article of theirs in the travel world for anyone who has done even some brief research.

 

[tvguy]

The Points Guy is a well known highly recognizable travel-based go to for advice place in addition to discussing various credit cards for benefits and other rewards programs. It's pretty hard to not have run across an article of theirs in the travel world for anyone who has done even some brief research.

Not familiar with them.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Not familiar with them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Points_Guy

 

[Kwami]

Actually they probably lose money with in person, because all the bars shut down.

The bars shut down for the same amount of time with the virtual drills, too. The whole ship still shuts down for about 30 minutes while they play a video on every screen, make announcements over the PA, and sound the alarms. So, everyone misses out on the same half hour of vacation, regardless of which drill Disney does.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Not familiar with them.

I gathered that when you asked who they were

 

[Kwami]

The Points Guy is a well known highly recognizable travel-based go to for advice place in addition to discussing various credit cards for benefits and other rewards programs. It's pretty hard to not have run across an article of theirs in the travel world for anyone who has done even some brief research.

In other words, a group of people who get paid to hawk credit cards and other products while pretending to be objective. I don't much care what they have to say about anything.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

In other words, a group of people who get paid to hawk credit cards and other products while pretending to be objective. I don't much care what they have to say about anything.

If you've never actually looked into them I don't think coming at them like that is appropriate. I'd say that about any topic, if you're unfamiliar with them it's like don't knock them just because of that.

No one here is saying they are THE only people to listen to. They are however a well established well balanced place to go to and cover a ton of topics. You don't have to like them no one does and you can like how they cover one topic but not another. They cover thousands of different things so if you personally don't like CC advice simple don't go to them. But they cover cruising, and other travel advice. Typically they have updates on airlines and changes in policies far faster than other people.

All I was doing was explaining who they were not asking people whether they like them or not

 

[Kwami]

If you've never actually looked into them I don't think coming at them like that is appropriate. I'd say that about any topic, if you're unfamiliar with them it's like don't knock them just because of that.

I've looked into them enough to know that they're a company owned by a bigger marketing company and that they make almost all of their money with sponsored stories and marketing fees from credit card companies. Essentially, they "review" credit cards, including credit cards that earn airline miles and the like, then get paid whenever someone signs up for those cards. They pretend to be objective, but they aren't. They're really just trying to sell you credit cards. And if they're lying about that, then why should I trust anything else that they write? No, thanks.

Ultimately, only Disney knows why they're doing in-person drills. The media is free to speculate, but nobody else actually knows. Not TPG, not some guy from Carnival, and not anybody else. And, honestly, the staffing argument doesn't make any sense, anyway. Neither does the money argument.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I've looked into them enough to know that they're a company owned by a bigger marketing company and that they make almost all of their money with sponsored stories and marketing fees from credit card companies. Essentially, they "review" credit cards, including credit cards that earn airline miles and the like, then get paid whenever someone signs up for those cards. They pretend to be objective, but they aren't. They're really just trying to sell you credit cards. And if they're lying about that, then why should I trust anything else that they write? No, thanks.

Ultimately, only Disney knows why they're doing in-person drills. The media is free to speculate, but nobody else actually knows. Not TPG, not some guy from Carnival, and not anybody else. And, honestly, the staffing argument doesn't make any sense, anyway. Neither does the money argument.

Okay I feel like you're trying to rationalize to me why you don't like them or go to them for advice. I just told you I didn't say anything about them to actually ask people whether they like them or not. It never crossed my mind to actually care. A poster asked who they were, I explained and then another poster gave a wiki link. That's really the end of it

 

[Kwami]

Okay I feel like you're trying to rationalize to me why you don't like them or go to them for advice. I just told you I didn't say anything about them to actually ask people whether they like them or not. It never crossed my mind to actually care. A poster asked who they were, I explained and then another poster gave a wiki link. That's really the end of it

I'm not attacking you. Please don't feel that way! I'm just dismissing TPG as a legitimate source to explain why Disney uses in-person muster drills. Essentially, what TPG says doesn't matter at all.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I'm not attacking you. Please don't feel that way! I'm just dismissing TPG as a legitimate source to explain why Disney uses in-person muster drills. Essentially, what TPG says doesn't matter at all.

I understand that is your opinion to which you are absolutely entitled to but all I was doing was explaining who they are. Whether you actually agree with them or not on any given topic does not invalidate their established history in the travel industry, I don't believe this is a point that is opinion-based or not as they actually are a well-known established place to go to for travel related topics. This applies to many different companies, DIS included.

I'm going to back away now

 

[tvguy]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Points_Guy

Okay, started in 2010. So in the ever expanding cruise media world, not brand new but kind of new compared to the DIS, Cruise Critic, Travel and Cruise Magazine, cruises.com and the now defunct Cruise Travel Magazine that I started subscribing too in 1983.

 

[ILoveMyKellen]

Zero expense. Most of the muster drill folks are entertainment staff (dancers etc) already on the ship. Their salary is a fixed cost with or without them doing the drills.
Cruising is a business where there are huge fixed costs, and few things they can do to cut costs.

First let me say that I don’t care one way or another about e-muster or in-person muster. To me, it is what it is and I would do either one as it’s not that much time out of my day. I am not on either side of this argument.

However, as this being a zero expense is not entirely accurate. When your staff is tied up all day with one thing where before they were doing something that took 30 minutes (give or take the late people coming in), this causes a domino effect.

1. E-muster (hours first day) - You have a staff doing more than what they were hired to do (there is a job description) OR there is not enough staff to do the job, regardless of a fixed salary or contract. You should know that NOTHING is fixed. Result- Disney has to hire more staff and costs more money.

2. Things get behind and/or passengers start to complain when the cast members could be doing other things but are stuck on e-muster drills. Things are not running efficiently. Either way, time is money. Disney has to hire more staff but they don’t want to do that because of cost so, they go back to in person muster.

Disney now has to figure out what costs less and still be safe.

There are many more examples and scenarios that could be listed but the bottom line is it takes more cast members to run the e-muster drills than do ONE drill. Just using this as an example.

 

[Sykes]

The bars shut down for the same amount of time with the virtual drills, too. The whole ship still shuts down for about 30 minutes while they play a video on every screen, make announcements over the PA, and sound the alarms. So, everyone misses out on the same half hour of vacation, regardless of which drill Disney does.

Not really. I can order a Mai Tai before the 30 minutes starts (every bar reliably does a Last Call before temporarily shutting down, so it's easy to get a last minute order in), and then I can read a book on the pool deck for that 30 minutes rather than being crammed together with 50 people on the Promenade Deck while waiting for that one straggling stateroom to finally arrive.

Honestly, most of the time I spend on my vacation doesn't require any staff so the ship "shutting down" is pretty minimally impactful to me (as long as it isn't for an extended period of time).

 

[Uncwmark]

I understand that is your opinion to which you are absolutely entitled to but all I was doing was explaining who they are. Whether you actually agree with them or not on any given topic does not invalidate their established history in the travel industry, I don't believe this is a point that is opinion-based or not as they actually are a well-known established place to go to for travel related topics. This applies to many different companies, DIS included.

I'm going to back away now

It’s a very defensive crowd, @Mackenzie Click-Mickelson . Don’t dare say anything that might insinuate that their beloved Disney isn’t acting in the most altruistic way possible.

It’s actually rather laughable to see the extent some will go to discredit anybody with ideas or opinions contrary to theirs!

I genuinely appreciate your input and found it valid and relevant. Thank you!

 

[Uncwmark]

First let me say that I don’t care one way or another about e-muster or in-person muster. To me, it is what it is and I would do either one as it’s not that much time out of my day. I am not on either side of this argument.

However, as this being a zero expense is not entirely accurate. When your staff is tied up all day with one thing where before they were doing something that took 30 minutes (give or take the late people coming in), this causes a domino effect.

1. E-muster (hours first day) - You have a staff doing more than what they were hired to do (there is a job description) OR there is not enough staff to do the job, regardless of a fixed salary or contract. You should know that NOTHING is fixed. Result- Disney has to hire more staff and costs more money.

2. Things get behind and/or passengers start to complain when the cast members could be doing other things but are stuck on e-muster drills. Things are not running efficiently. Either way, time is money. Disney has to hire more staff but they don’t want to do that because of cost so, they go back to in person muster.

Disney now has to figure out what costs less and still be safe.

There are many more examples and scenarios that could be listed but the bottom line is it takes more cast members to run the e-muster drills than do ONE drill. Just using this as an example.

Thank you, @ILoveMyKellen. You’re 100% correct it requires more staffing to conduct an e-muster process. Looks like you were able to convince some of the “resistance”. That’s an impressive feat. Bravo!!

 

[shananigans]

I’ll admit, I complained about the in-person drill on my survey when we sailed for spring break. Gave it the lowest rating possible.

It was literally shoulder to shoulder, people arriving late, which caused us having to stand there even longer, people standing in front of our 11 yo, who wasn’t able to see anything anyway! What’s the point? We were legitimately touching everyone on the side and in front of us. I felt like I needed a Xanax and I haven’t ever taken one!

I’d much rather do it virtually vs in person. We sail again in September and I’ll be tempted to grab a drink in the concierge lounge and hide out on our verandah. We have sailed twice already this year with three more trips coming up. I think if you sail more than twice a year you should be able to watch the video in your room and scan the sign to check in.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

I’ll admit, I complained about the in-person drill on my survey when we sailed for spring break. Gave it the lowest rating possible.

It was literally shoulder to shoulder, people arriving late, which caused us having to stand there even longer, people standing in front of our 11 yo, who wasn’t able to see anything anyway! What’s the point? We were legitimately touching everyone on the side and in front of us. I felt like I needed a Xanax and I haven’t ever taken one!

I’d much rather do it virtually vs in person. We sail again in September and I’ll be tempted to grab a drink in the concierge lounge and hide out on our verandah. We have sailed twice already this year with three more trips coming up. I think if you sail more than twice a year you should be able to watch the video in your room and scan the sign to check in.

It just is not necessary anymore. There is still Covid on board cruise ships, Disney is no exception. Why purposefully cluster people together? There was such an outcry from NCL cruisers to change back to the online muster drill, it happened, and fairly quickly.