Key Aspects:
- Carnival Conquest’s February 20, 2026, sailing will begin with an in-person muster drill.
- While E-Muster drills are preferred, in-person drills must be completed at least twice a year to comply with safety policies.
- This is only a temporary change, and the E-Muster process is not going away anytime soon.
Future guests of Carnival Conquest will start their cruise with a blast from the past – at least when it comes to safety briefings.
Instead of the now-standard E-Muster process, where guests complete the mandatory safety briefing from the HUB App, the Conquest-class flagship’s next sailing will complete a traditional muster drill on embarkation day.
To be clear, this is the 4-night Bahamas sailing embarking in Miami, Florida, on February 20, 2026.
Read Also: What to Expect During a Cruise Ship Muster Drill
“Shortly before departure, a full safety drill will take place on your upcoming sailing,” Carnival told impacted guests in advance.
“This is a mandatory procedure, and all guests will be required to participate in this brief but essential exercise,” the cruise line continued.
This means that guests will need to assemble at their assigned muster stations, where attendance will be taken. They will then watch life jacket demonstrations and receive any other relevant safety information.
The ship’s emergency signal, which consists of seven or more short blasts followed by one long blast, will also be sounded.
Why Has the Muster Drill Changed?
This isn’t the first time that Carnival Conquest has temporarily reverted back to the old mustering format, and it likely won’t be the last time the 2,980-guest ship does so.
Cruise Hive also reported on a switch to the former mustering process for Carnival Conquest in March of 2025, which took place onboard another Bahamas-bound sailing.
In October 2025, Carnival confirmed that the in-person muster drill must be completed at least twice a year for safety reasons.
However, this change is only temporary, and there are no plans to revert to traditional muster drills full-time.
“The safety of everyone on board is always our priority, and we are dedicated to maintaining responsible and secure operations,” Carnival stated in the letter to guests.
Even though the E-Muster drills are strongly preferred these days, it’s still important to go through this exercise occasionally to make sure that all crew members are properly trained on what to do if an emergency did occur.
This is in addition to other routine drills and training that the approximately 1,150 crew members go through regularly to ensure they are ready to respond in essentially any emergency situation.
This exercise is also necessary to remain in good standing with the regulations established by Carnival Corporation’s Health, Environmental, Safety & Security Committee (HESS).
The purpose of these standards is to supervise and monitor health and safety programs onboard all Carnival ships and to ensure the vessels comply with the regulations set forth by the different regions where the cruise line operates.
Will My Cruise Have a Traditional Muster Drill?
Carnival Cruise Line randomly selects ships and sailings to go through the old muster process to make sure important safety standards are met.
There is no way to tell if your sailing will be selected for this process at the time of booking, but Cruise Hive typically sees Carnival notify guests in advance if their voyage has been selected for this exercise.
The only other time guests might have to revert to the old ways without advance notice is if there is a technical difficulty that hinders the E-Muster process.
But when all is said and done, traditional muster drills only take around 30 minutes to complete from start to finish. In the grand scheme of things, this isn’t a lot of time to take out of your vacation to ensure everyone stays safe.
