Carnival Requires In-Person Muster Drills on Six October Sailings
Crew will verify attendance using Sail and Sign cards, demonstrate lifejackets and issue young passengers wristbands identifying their assigned muster stations.
Carnival Cruise Line has notified passengers on six sailings departing October 8–12, 2026, that they must attend full, in-person muster drills before departure. The affected voyages range from seven to 16 nights, with embarkation ports in North America, Europe and Asia.
The sailings are scheduled exceptions to Carnival’s standard electronic muster procedure, which remains in place for other departures.
“This is something that every single ship needs to do twice a year,” Carnival Cruise Line brand ambassador John Heald said in October 2025. He cited government and international safety requirements, including SOLAS, and said the rule applies regardless of a vessel’s homeport.
Passengers on the designated departures will gather at their assigned muster stations for the exercise. Food and beverage service will be temporarily suspended while the drill takes place.
Affected sailings across five homeports
Two of the notified sailings depart from Long Beach. The other four leave from Galveston, Seattle, Civitavecchia and Tokyo:
- Carnival Radiance leaves Long Beach on October 11 for a 14-night roundtrip Hawaii cruise. Its Hawaiian calls include Honolulu, Hilo, Kahului and Nawiliwili, alongside a stop in Ensenada.
- Carnival Firenze sails from Long Beach on October 12 on a seven-night, adults-only SEA cruise to the Mexican Riviera. Calls include Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Ensenada.
- Carnival Miracle departs Galveston on October 12 for a 10-night Western Caribbean roundtrip. The itinerary includes Grand Cayman and Cozumel, plus stops in Jamaica, Honduras and Belize.
- Carnival Spirit leaves Seattle on October 8 for a 16-night voyage ending in Mobile. The sailing transits the Panama Canal and includes calls at Cartagena, Puntarenas and Cabo San Lucas.
- Carnival Legend departs Civitavecchia (Rome) on October 11 for a 12-night Eastern Mediterranean roundtrip, visiting ports in Italy, Greece and Turkey.
- Carnival Luminosa sails from Tokyo to Singapore on October 9. The 14-night voyage includes stops in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China and Vietnam.
Attendance checks and emergency instructions
Public-address announcements will guide passengers through the drill. Crew members will check Sail and Sign cards to verify attendance, demonstrate how to put on a lifejacket and issue young passengers wristbands identifying their muster stations.
The exercise also familiarizes guests with the ship’s emergency signal: seven short blasts and one long blast.
Before the ship sails
SOLAS Chapter III, Regulations 19 and 30, require newly embarked passengers staying aboard for more than 24 hours to complete their muster before departure or immediately as the vessel departs. That timing replaced the earlier allowance to conduct the muster within 24 hours of embarkation.
Carnival notifies passengers shortly before embarkation when a full drill is scheduled, though disruptions can change the plan.
A nor’easter delayed Carnival Sunshine’s return to Norfolk and pushed its scheduled September 27, 2026 departure to September 28. Carnival canceled the full drill planned for that sailing. It used self-mustering so the shortened voyage could get underway sooner.
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