Muster stations!!

The word “muster” means the act of assembling, which is what passengers and crew do during the mandatory safety briefing on every cruise and this is referred to as a muster drill or lifeboat drill.

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea requires by law that all passenger ships must have a cruise muster drill during the first 24 hours of the trip. The drill allows passengers to familiarize themselves with the sound of the alarm and to learn all of the information they’ll need to know in order to stay safe in the event of a real emergency at sea.

Every ship has designated muster stations, which are meeting points for passengers during an emergency, typically on the open decks at the lifeboats. They are usually organized by proximity to cabin location, and the crew keeps a record of all names assigned to that muster station so they can take a roll call and make sure everyone is accounted for.  Every guest has a muster station location printed on their ship card.  The location is typically a letter followed by a number; example: B12

Children under the age of 12 usually have an extra tag on their wrists which supply the relevant muster station information.

During the muster drill, the emergency siren is sounded, so passengers can familiarize themselves with the sound. The ship captain and crew will go over safety procedures, including pointing out where life jackets are and demonstrating how to put them on. (Passengers often need to bring their life jackets to the muster drill and put them on once there.) Crew members will also explain the best escape routes in case people need to leave the ship in an emergency situation.

Everyone — even children — must attend the muster drill, even if you’ve sailed on the same ship or cruise line previously. Passengers should also stay quiet and follow instructions during the drill, so everyone can hear the safety briefing.