Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has decided to drop e-muster drills for guests and return to traditional safety gatherings before ships depart.

The change in policy will apply to NCL, as well as the group’s sister cruise brands Regent Seven Seas and Oceania Cruises, with immediate effect.

E-muster drills were introduced by all cruise lines as part of COVID protocols to prevent passengers from having to gather together in large groups.

Though the online method is popular with guests, there have been suggestions people did not pay proper attention to the instructions and simply clicked through the system to register their attendance.

NCL’s decision to reintroduce synchronised muster drills follows a similar move by Disney back in November. It said it was worried about security and non-compliance, though NCL has not given an official reason for its change.

In a statement, NCL said: “The safety of our guests and crew members is our number one priority. We are continuously evaluating our procedures for providing detailed instructions on safety and security measures to our guests, and as such we have made the decision to reinstate synchronized boarding day collection exercises on all vessels within the fleet.”