The traditional mock drill will take on a new look when passengers on multiple cruise lines participate in the boarding day ritual.
Royal Caribbean Group announced that they will replace the conventional security drill, which involved many people gathered in generally closed locations, with a new interactive eMuster.
(Photo via Royal Caribbean)
The move marks the first major change in safety drills in more than a decade. The last major change Royal Caribbean made to its safety protocols was when the life jackets were removed from the staterooms to be kept at the gathering stations on board. Oasis of the seas.
How Muster 2.0 Works
Guests will review the safety drill information on their smartphone device or their stateroom TV before setting sail, eliminating the need for large meetings.
After the guest reviews the security information, they will go to the assigned assembly station where a crew member will verify that each step has been completed and answer any questions the guest may have.
As required by maritime law, each of the steps must be completed before the ship departs.
“The health and safety of our guests and our team are our number one priority, and developing this new meeting process is an elegant solution to an outdated and unpopular process,” said Richard Fain, President and CEO of the Royal Caribbean Group. . “The fact that this will also save guests time and allow the ship to operate without pause means that we can increase guest health, safety and satisfaction simultaneously.”
Royal Caribbean will not be the only line that uses the new Muster Drill
For months, cruise lines have talked about working together to solve the problems they face as an industry. With this, the first major change that occurred as a result of the current crisis, that is definitely proving true: in addition to the lines operating under the umbrella of the Royal Caribbean Group (Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara), the La The company is offering to license the patented technology to interested cruise operators, waiving the patent fees.
Licenses have already been granted to the company’s joint venture, TUI Cruises, as well as Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., the parent company of Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. This makes sense, given that earlier this month the Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings announced the joint creation of the Healthy Sail Panel led by medical industry experts.
In April, the Royal Caribbean Blog reported that the Royal Caribbean Group applied for an eMuster patent.
A first version of Muster 2.0 was first tested at Royal Caribbean Symphony of the seas in January 2020 and received a positive response for passengers and crew alike.
