Why is DCL the last line doing the old fashioned Muster Drills?

[xiphoid76]

I loved during Covid they went to more of a virtual Muster Drill. I don't know why Disney went back to the in-person mass chaos that is their Muster Drill. The assembly stations are a mess, you can't hear much of the announcements and then there is a mass stampede once it is done. They tell people to be off their phones but many are still on them during the exercise. It just makes no sense.

It would be much better to change this up as every other cruise line has done. Watch a safety video before hand, then each member in your party has to go to the assigned muster station to check in and confirm you watched the video and get 1-2 minute safety instructions from the crew. This would be allow for a smoother experience, enhance the vacation instead of interrupting it with the muster drill and provide for more safety ask there is one-on-one instructions given to each member as they need to check in at the station some time before the ship sets sail. Safety and comfort wise this makes so much sense. I don't understand why DCL does not change.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Simple, the passengers.

I cant remember the exact report, but the reason Disney switched back to the in person Muster was because of the large % of non compliance of passengers doing the E Muster on embarkation day. The Muster is a legal requirement and the coastguards reports showed that too many people were not doing the E Muster. So Disney had no choice, they had to switch back to in person Muster, to make sure they hit the legal requirement.

 

[OKW Lover]

I don't know why Disney went back to the in-person mass chaos that is their Muster Drill. The assembly stations are a mess, you can't hear much of the announcements and then there is a mass stampede once it is done.

Imagine what it would be like in an actual emergency

 

[Skippyboo]

I think everyone should have to show up at the muster station to at least know where it is. Do you have to listen to the safety instructions as a big mass then try to all go up to deck 11 for sail away party? I would be ok watching it in the stateroom and having a window where you all have to check in at physical location but not stay there.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

I think everyone should have to show up at the muster station to at least know where it is. Do you have to listen to the safety instructions as a big mass then try to all go up to deck 11 for sail away party? I would be ok watching it in the stateroom and having a window where you all have to check in at physical location but not stay there.

Thats what Disney were doing in 2022 and 2023. But people could not even do that. My first cruise was in September 2022 on The Magic from Dover, England. After the Welcome On Board Announcement, everyone was supposed to go straight to the Muster Station and get their PAT form scanned by the CM and THEN go for food. But what ended up happening was all the repeat cruisers didnt bother, as "we have cruised before, we know where our Muster Station is"

The safety video was played in the stateroom and on Funnel Vision and on The APP.

 

[Flossbolna]

Most people don’t even know that you are supposed to go from your cabin to your muster station in order to find out how to get there in an emergency. The instructions for emergency are to go to cabin, get warm clothes, medication and your life jacket and then head to muster from there, often through some non public staircase. It makes sense to test out that route at the muster drill. And if you listen to the video on the TV, they tell you that this is what you should do, but it’s easy to miss, so loads of people actually go from wherever they are to the muster drill.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Seabourn uses a virtual one. You watch the video in your room and your assigned muster station is listed on your keycard. By X time you are to then check in at your muster station. They just tell you you have to complete the video and check in by the certain time. It leaves it up to the passenger to go get food, get a welcome from their suite host, get their luggage delivered (depending on how busy embarkation is), etc before or after checking in at their assigned muster station.

Both times on our cruise our room host that came by to introduce themselves would verbally remind us make sure to do the video and go check in at your station.

There's pros and cons to no matter what method you do.

As far as the coast guard directive that seems to be something that was regurgitated a lot for long time but never seemed to be proven that was the cause much less that the coast guard required a return to physical muster for Disney. Disney themselves may have seen a pattern of non-compliance but it's never been documented that it was the coast guard who made them.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

you can't hear much of the announcements

That's part of the con there. Safety goes both ways, if there can be inattentiveness in watching a video in your stateroom there can also be one in person and most especially if there are too many people, kids talking/crying, etc and you can't hear what is supposed to be critical safety information.