Carnival Schedules In-Person Muster Drills on Five Ships
During the drill, food and beverage service will pause, crew will demonstrate lifejacket use and the emergency signal of seven short blasts and one long blast will sound.
Carnival Cruise Line will conduct full, in-person muster drills on five ships departing September 26-28, 2026, involving more than 18,700 passengers. The line has notified booked guests ahead of the affected sailings, which depart from four homeports.
Passengers will gather together at their assigned muster stations, a change for those accustomed to Carnival’s shorter e-muster process. Participation is mandatory for everyone onboard, and each ship must complete the exercise before sailing.
“This is something that every single ship needs to do twice a year,” Carnival Cruise Line brand ambassador John Heald said in October 2025, citing requirements from the U.S. Coast Guard, other government agencies and the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, or SOLAS.
Affected sailings and departure times
Long Beach will have two departures with full drills. Carnival Panorama’s September 26 sailing is an eight-night Mexican Riviera cruise calling at Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, La Paz and Cabo San Lucas. Carnival Firenze follows on September 28 with a three-night voyage to Ensenada.
In Florida, Carnival Horizon departs Miami on September 26 for an eight-night Southern Caribbean itinerary visiting Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. Carnival Vista leaves Port Canaveral on September 27 for a six-night Eastern Caribbean cruise with calls at Amber Cove; RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay; and Celebration Key.
Carnival Sunshine’s September 27 departure from Norfolk, Virginia, is an eight-night Canada sailing visiting Saint John, Halifax and Sydney.
Scheduled sailaway is 3:30 p.m. for all of the affected departures except the Norfolk sailing, which is scheduled to leave at 4 p.m.
What passengers can expect onboard
Carnival’s guest notification advises passengers to listen for shipwide announcements explaining when to report and how the gathering process will work. Full drills typically begin shortly before sailaway, and food and beverage service is suspended just before the exercise starts.
Staterooms are generally available by about 1:30 p.m., ahead of the briefing. Passengers do not need to bring their luggage to the muster stations.
Once guests have assembled, crew members will demonstrate lifejacket use and explain procedures for boarding lifeboats. Instructions will also cover how children attending youth activities would be reunited with their parents during an emergency.
The ship’s emergency signal, seven short blasts followed by one long blast, will sound during the drill. Guests will be dismissed after the demonstrations and instructions are finished, and onboard activities will then resume.
Recurring exercises and safety requirements
The five sailings follow other full-drill dates scheduled earlier in the month: Carnival Magic’s September 13 departure and Carnival Paradise’s September 14 departure. Passenger-inclusive exercises give crew members practice carrying out safety procedures with hundreds of guests assembled at individual muster stations.
SOLAS requires newly embarked passengers on voyages lasting more than 24 hours to muster before or immediately upon departure, with instruction covering lifejacket use and emergency actions. Separately, crew members must participate in at least one abandon-ship drill and one fire drill each month.
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