Cruise ship: Why you should never skip the muster drill on cruises or risk being kicked off (Image: Getty Images)
Cruise ship holidays allow travellers to relax and enjoy themselves away from home. It can be enjoyable to be looked after by staff and feel the weight of responsibility drain away. However, it’s vital that holidaymakers do one thing in particular on a cruise ship, no matter how lazy they're feeling. Shirking the muster drill could result in serious trouble for cruise passengers.
Cruise ship: Why you should never skip the muster drill on cruises or risk being kicked off
The muster drill is “a mandatory safety exercise with the objective to familiarise all guests and crew with the location (muster station) where they are to assemble in the unlikely event of an emergency,” explained cruise line Royal Caribbean’s website.
Safety information including how to put on a life jacket is also presented.
It’s absolutely obligatory that guests attend the drill, no matter how many times they have been on a cruise or which cruise line they are sailing with.
“The pre-departure assembly muster drill is a coast guard regulatory requirement and all guests must attend even if they have sailed previously,” said Royal Caribbean.
The drill will be held shortly after the cruise ship sets sail.
“The International Convention of Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulatory guidelines require that a muster drill be held within 24 hours of a ship's departure from its embarkation port,” Royal Caribbean explained.
Cruise ship: The muster drill is “a mandatory safety exercise" where passenger key safety facts (Image: Getty Images)
“The muster drill for guests on all ships across our fleet is to be held 30 to 60 minutes prior to departure on the day of turnaround, or embarkation.”
Crew will take attendance of who is present at the muster drill - so they’ll know is someone isn’t there.
The consequences of not attending the
