THE "SIMPLIFIED" MUSTER DRILL IS TOO MUCH EFFORT....SOOO

Simply make those who do not comply, walk the plank. Excessive? Perhaps. But I bet everyone will comply after that cruise.

I do seem to vaguely remember actually going thru the changes on cruises, and CK has it exactly right. Sure its easier, and quicker, and so on and so forth, but it became virtually useless along the way. In a full blown emergency, you go into total survival mode. The folks who have a better chance to survive in case of a major fire, or potential sinking are probably ex-military...it would be ugly, thats for sure.

I was in the Navy and when we muster, we go to our area assigned to us and then jump ship when abandon ship is called, our lifeboats are inflatable rafts fired off ship. A cruse ship muster is a laugh. Costa Concordia is an example. The cruise lines gives you sense of the ship will sink in a straight line where all lifeoats are loaded in a leisurely manner. The ship will loose half or all the lifeboats when sinking, called listing. so the scooter people are gonners. Told my wife we got to abandon ship follow me, go the opposite way ship is listing then jump and swim fast as you can. The cruise ship just tells you to put jacket on and go to your station. They dont tell you the proper way to jump off ship. The wrong way you can break your neck. They say women and children to boats first. I ask how do you know who is male or female nowdays, they dont answer. I assure you it will be a mess. The way Carnival does muster is a laugh. We get scanned then go out the back way as it is generally in the dining room, OR we get in the last minute of the presentation and leave with the small group. Seems to me all they care is you get your card scanned. We were on Breeze March 5 and had muster in dining room and they were cleaning the sewer tanks, in the bowels of the ship gagging us.(ships ventilation system picking fumes up) Give me the main deck muster any day.

After having my mind refreshed by my dearly beloved (seems to be happening more and more lately hehehe)...she reminded me the cards ARE in the slots by the cabin doors on CCL...NCL you get them at check in..and they swipe em as you step off the gangway and step onboard. A few cruises back we were one of the first onboard...somehow, they managed to miss swiping my card...can't explain it, didn't notice.. A few hours later Security knocked...wanted to know if I was me...or something to that effect, etc etc.....hmmmmmm...........

Currently on Carnival, your S&S card is in your mailbox outside your cabin. Technically, you can't get them until the rooms are available (about 1:30). This has been the norm for a while now. Many people slip back to the cabins and pick up the cards and drop off the carry-on luggage. It's supposed to be a perk for Platinum and Diamond tiers, but it seems universal. So, getting them at the Muster Station wouldn't be a problem. Not sure how other lines would handle this, but since it was Carnival considering the return of the "old way", that's where the solution needs to be. The common question when you see someone with their card early is, "how did you get your card?" The answer could be at the "muster station when I did my muster drill".

I agree with OldGreyWolf, "You can't fix stupid .. no matter what changes are made there will always be some smug entitled jerk screwing it up."

You can't fix stupid .. no matter what changes are made there will always be some smug entitled jerk screwing it up.

Some real great suggestions. I also like the one about no key cards till you do.

Not sure, because I'm doing this from memory about some functions that I completely took so for granted I paid no attention...but..don't you need that card to finally step onboard...isn't there a security "reader" at the end of the gangway? Could be wrong...mebbe thinking about NCL...either way, then you distribute cards to each muster station? or have them all at guest services? so you could have all these people wandering everywhere to get them? ...I like the idea that the muster station personel 'liven up" the card you already have...gawd I need a cruise.....

I've been thinking about this almost non-stop this morning. After careful consideration, the option to get your room key upon completing the muster drill, is a good one. Also, no alcohol purchases after 1:30 with the boarding pass (cabins are open and you should have your room key by then). I am loath to add duties to the crew manning the muster stations, but this sounds like a reasonable solution (at least on paper).

Amen!

Sadly, there are people who think they don’t have to follow the rules. They are the ones that made us wait in the sun and crowds while they took their time to reach the muster station. They are probably the same ones not reporting to the muster stations now. I like several of the options listed. Shutting down bard and food for an hour is a bit extreme and punishes everyone. I especially like not having the card work, can’t even get into the cabin. If that’s possible, it gets my vote. Giving credit to those who complete it within 30 minutes of boarding, could be a nice gesture. I wouldn’t mind an extra coffee or drink for doing what I plan to do anyway.
Okay! I’ll stop now. It just makes me riled up when someone ruins a good thing.