What Is a Muster Drill?

A muster drill is the passenger safety briefing and check that explains what to do in an emergency. You must complete your ship's required steps, including reporting to the assigned station when instructed. Watching a video alone is not enough if the process also requires a crew check.

What you need to learn

Find your assigned muster station, understand how to reach it and learn the ship's lifejacket and emergency instructions. Your station is an assigned meeting place; it is not automatically the nearest lifeboat or a place to choose yourself.

International passenger muster requirements call for newly embarked passengers to be mustered before departure or immediately upon departure. Follow the deadline and process the crew gives you.

The format depends on the ship

A ship may use a safety video plus a station check, or an organized group briefing. Follow its instructions about whether to bring a lifejacket. Do not copy another line's process or assume the drill always takes a fixed number of minutes.

Recent passenger discussions include both app based checks and group drills. Those reports help explain why you should check the actual ship's instructions rather than expecting one universal format.

Ask for help early

If you need help with mobility, hearing, vision, language or understanding the instructions, tell the crew. Ask how the safety process and emergency assistance work for you. Keep the station information available even after the briefing is complete.