My power strip was taken at check in :-(

[Texasopa]

I just got back Sunday, and had no problem with the Belkin strip. If they are NOT allowed then they need to revise the forbidden list as they aren't on it. Extension cords are, but not surge protectors.

I guess it could fall under

" any other item that may create a fire hazard. "

[chengkp75]

I just got back Sunday, and had no problem with the Belkin strip. If they are NOT allowed then they need to revise the forbidden list as they aren't on it. Extension cords are, but not surge protectors.

I guess it could fall under

" any other item that may create a fire hazard. "

 

Regardless of whether or not the cruise line specifically prohibits an item, if you know they constitute a hazard, why would you bring one?

[later]

Regardless of whether or not the cruise line specifically prohibits an item, if you know they constitute a hazard, why would you bring one?

 

totally agree

[Texasopa]

Regardless of whether or not the cruise line specifically prohibits an item, if you know they constitute a hazard, why would you bring one?

 

OK, I respect your experience and intelligence, but I'm going to throw this right back at you.

Why did RCI let me on the ship with it, why is it NOT on their forbidden list. I called before I left and asked about surge suppressors, and was asked if it had a cord of any type, nope it doesn't, was then told it is OK.

MY Cabin Attendant saw that dangerous thing every day at least 2 times a day, nothing was said. Can you imagine the class action lawsuit if a fire occurred and RCI would have known about the danger and told people they are OK and not confiscate them??

 

I speed sometimes and I know there is a hazard to that and is against the law. If RCI doesn't say it is forbidden and confiscate them then I'll continue to bring mine.

[chengkp75]

OK, I respect your experience and intelligence, but I'm going to throw this right back at you.

Why did RCI let me on the ship with it, why is it NOT on their forbidden list. I called before I left and asked about surge suppressors, and was asked if it had a cord of any type, nope it doesn't, was then told it is OK.

MY Cabin Attendant saw that dangerous thing every day at least 2 times a day, nothing was said. Can you imagine the class action lawsuit if a fire occurred and RCI would have known about the danger and told people they are OK and not confiscate them??

 

I speed sometimes and I know there is a hazard to that and is against the law. If RCI doesn't say it is forbidden and confiscate them then I'll continue to bring mine.

 

And again, you are dealing with either a customer service representative, who generally cannot get bookings right, let alone determine over the phone whether or not something is prohibited or not, or a crew member in the service sector, who is not technically trained, and does not particularly annoy the guests he/she services. Secondly, you do sign a class action waiver in the ticket contract, and for the most part this is found to be enforceable in the venues (Miami/Dade County) where suits can be brought against the line.

 

Just so long as you realize that the surge protector can fail at any time, even with nothing plugged into it, should there be a ground anywhere else on the ship and the MOV's in your surge suppressor are subjected to the reverse voltage. Right up until the moment they fail, there can be no warning.

 

Just in case you've missed it being posted before here on CC, here is a USCG Safety Notice regarding the fire hazards of surge protectors.

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwju7Zv0-cPPAhWE6oMKHVA3DpYQFggcMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.uscg.mil%2Ftvncoe%2FDocuments%2Fsafetyalerts%2FSurgeProtectiveDevices.pdf&usg=AFQjCNEPXVHLCc4iP8x_ha6tGKkxy6aCQw&bvm=bv.134495766,d.amc

 

This notice comes from the USCG Cruise Ship Centers of Expertise (and others of the USCG's Centers of Expertise), where USCG and industry experts, including the cruise lines, come together to make recommendations on best industry practices. I tend to believe, trust, and follow what they have to say.

 

I harp on this issue because I, among the very few on CC, have fought shipboard fires, and have trained crews in fire prevention, including not allowing surge protectors in crew areas, and would just like to make sure the passengers are as safety minded as the crew. After all, the most important person in your personal safety is the one looking back in the mirror.

Edited October 5, 2016 by chengkp75

[Texasopa]

And again, you are dealing with either a customer service representative, who generally cannot get bookings right, let alone determine over the phone whether or not something is prohibited or not, or a crew member in the service sector, who is not technically trained, and does not particularly annoy the guests he/she services. Secondly, you do sign a class action waiver in the ticket contract, and for the most part this is found to be enforceable in the venues (Miami/Dade County) where suits can be brought against the line.

 

Just so long as you realize that the surge protector can fail at any time, even with nothing plugged into it, should there be a ground anywhere else on the ship and the MOV's in your surge suppressor are subjected to the reverse voltage. Right up until the moment they fail, there can be no warning.

 

Just in case you've missed it being posted before here on CC, here is a USCG Safety Notice regarding the fire hazards of surge protectors.

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwju7Zv0-cPPAhWE6oMKHVA3DpYQFggcMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.uscg.mil%2Ftvncoe%2FDocuments%2Fsafetyalerts%2FSurgeProtectiveDevices.pdf&usg=AFQjCNEPXVHLCc4iP8x_ha6tGKkxy6aCQw&bvm=bv.134495766,d.amc

 

This notice comes from the USCG Cruise Ship Centers of Expertise (and others of the USCG's Centers of Expertise), where USCG and industry experts, including the cruise lines, come together to make recommendations on best industry practices. I tend to believe, trust, and follow what they have to say.

 

I harp on this issue because I, among the very few on CC, have fought shipboard fires, and have trained crews in fire prevention, including not allowing surge protectors in crew areas, and would just like to make sure the passengers are as safety minded as the crew. After all, the most important person in your personal safety is the one looking back in the mirror.

 

"This notice comes from the USCG Cruise Ship Centers of Expertise (and others of the USCG's Centers of Expertise), where USCG and industry experts, including the cruise lines, come together to make recommendations on best industry practices. I tend to believe, trust, and follow what they have to say."

 

Too bad none of them will enforce it.

[chengkp75]

"This notice comes from the USCG Cruise Ship Centers of Expertise (and others of the USCG's Centers of Expertise), where USCG and industry experts, including the cruise lines, come together to make recommendations on best industry practices. I tend to believe, trust, and follow what they have to say."

 

Too bad none of them will enforce it.

 

Too bad they can't enforce it, since 99% of cruise ships calling in the US are foreign flag. If you want the USCG to enforce things that they believe make shipping safer than the rest of the world, you have to have US flag ships.

[poncho1973]

"This notice comes from the USCG Cruise Ship Centers of Expertise (and others of the USCG's Centers of Expertise), where USCG and industry experts, including the cruise lines, come together to make recommendations on best industry practices. I tend to believe, trust, and follow what they have to say."

 

Too bad none of them will enforce it.

 

Our resident former Chief Engineer is being awfully polite with you... especially since your main point seems to be "If they can't bother catching me, I don't care."

 

It isn't whether you can sneak it past them, it's a matter of whether you should actually care enough for your family & the thousands of other passengers/crew on the ship to actually do the right thing.

 

This world is chock full of ME FIRST people who seem to feel that, since they are more important than everyone else, it's ok for them to do what they want to do.

Edited October 5, 2016 by poncho1973

[Pickels]

Last year I brought a power-strip that was a surge protector. I figured this was a very good safety equipment; but no, they confiscated it. And it was in my checked luggage. I can see clothing irons, travel irons, long extension chords, etc. but a surge protector? Oh well, want to play in the game, have to follow the rules. :(

[Texasopa]

Our resident former Chief Engineer is being awfully polite with you... especially since your main point seems to be "If they can't bother catching me, I don't care."

 

It isn't whether you can sneak it past them, it's a matter of whether you should actually care enough for your family & the thousands of other passengers/crew on the ship to actually do the right thing.

 

This world is chock full of ME FIRST people who seem to feel that, since they are more important than everyone else, it's ok for them to do what they want to do.

 

Hey I have NO problem with chengkp75, hopefully he has no problem with me? I have a problem with the cruise lines that were included in writing the USCG Safety notice not enforcing it.

I said I respected his knowledge and experience and his opinion.

 

Evidently the cruise lines don't care enough for your family & the thousands of other passengers/crew on the ship to actually do the right thing.

 

I know there are at least one small travel agent that hand out recommended cruise accessory list , that include the Belkin by Amazon item number.

 

BTW, I was a USCG Federal Boarding Officer in the early 70's.

[Clarea]

Our resident former Chief Engineer ...

I may be mistaken, but I believe he is currently a Chief Engineer, just not on a cruise ship.

[dr.evil]

Fire on any ship is a very bad thing.

 

Chris :(

[chengkp75]

Last year I brought a power-strip that was a surge protector. I figured this was a very good safety equipment; but no, they confiscated it. And it was in my checked luggage. I can see clothing irons, travel irons, long extension chords, etc. but a surge protector? Oh well, want to play in the game, have to follow the rules. :(

 

Did you read the link to the USCG Safety Notice?

 

First off, surge protectors are not required on ships. You won't see voltage spikes on ships like you do on land, caused by faulty pole transformers or lightning strikes. Due to the specific grounding requirements of ships' electrical systems, lightning striking the ship does not affect electronics plugged into or wired into the ship's electrical system. Ever wonder how many computers there are onboard a cruise ship? Hundreds of "official" ones that the crew use for everything from e-mail home, to running the stage lighting, to the POS registers in shops and bars, to the navigation equipment, fire fighting systems, and the system that manages the engine room to keep the lights on and the propellers turning. Ever wonder how many surge protectors protect all of this, including systems deemed by SOLAS to be critical to ship's safety? NONE. That's right, none, because they are not needed. I've been on ships actually struck by lightning many times, and the only things affected tend to be radios, since the antennas attract the voltage. No computer on any ship I've been on in the last 40 years has failed due to a voltage spike.

 

Surge protectors are designed for shoreside, residential use, and the peculiarities of the ship's electrical system will subject the surge protector to low level voltages (even 20-40 volts can do harm) in the reverse direction between ground and power (and your electronics, unless they have already failed to ground will never see this voltage) in the reverse direction than the semi-conductors are designed to handle.

[chengkp75]

Hey I have NO problem with chengkp75, hopefully he has no problem with me? I have a problem with the cruise lines that were included in writing the USCG Safety notice not enforcing it.

I said I respected his knowledge and experience and his opinion.

 

I have no problem with the debate, but I don't understand why if you accept that there is a problem, you continue to add to the problem. From your handle, I guess you are a grandparent. If you want to risk yourself, that's fine, but think of your grandkids going through life without you.

 

Evidently the cruise lines don't care enough for your family & the thousands of other passengers/crew on the ship to actually do the right thing.

 

This is true, but it is more of a training issue, and in many cases, like with the baggage screeners at embarkation, it involves employees of other companies. This is why they have banned extension cords completely, as they don't want to invest in training and retraining personnel to distinguish between surge protectors and non-protected power strips.

 

I know there are at least one small travel agent that hand out recommended cruise accessory list , that include the Belkin by Amazon item number.

 

And what, pray tell, gives this travel agent any more technical knowledge than the RCI customer service reps, or the cabin stewards? So, because this company puts out incorrect information, it makes it okay?

 

BTW, I was a USCG Federal Boarding Officer in the early 70's.

 

I get that there is an issue of "personal liberty" involved in "if its not specifically prohibited it must be okay", but I feel that the greater good of the many outweigh some of my personal liberty.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

This is just the latest in threads debating this topic.

 

While I can empathize with those who think surge protectors onboard simply shouldn't be a problem or "regulated"...and in fact stood on that side of the case...over time I have "evolved" to appreciate the fact that this is:

 

1) A legitimate issue on any cruise ship

2) An actual technology issue/problem because of the grounding infrastructure on these ships

3) Something that is getting increasingly enforced (and correct in doing so), and

4) A dated practice that needs updating within the thought process of passengers

 

That said, this is a "problem" caused by the cruise ship industry itself:

 

A) There are simply not enough outlets in cruise ship cabins and those in place are poorly-placed locations

 

B) While actively promoting support & services for purchase for WIFI devices, onboard apps, and the like...the technology to support something as basic as charging devices onboard cruise ships in 2016 is highly under-supported, and

 

C) The fact that even some of the newest ships lack passenger device outlets in any form of convenience and capacity is a lack of poor planning

 

So my position is that the cruising industry has failed miserably in providing a reasonable means to charge devices while simultaneously promoting the same devices to be used by their (for an added fee) services.

 

That said, compliance to adapt to the current limitations is prudent to assure the safety of the fellow passengers.

 

Those who feel strongly enough to debate the topic might find the effort to write a good-old-fashioned letter to Mr. Bagley or other Royal Caribbean executive would render more attention to the cause than posting to complain here about it. (Yes, I did that earlier this year after a cruise)

 

Just sayin'...

[Texasopa]

I get that there is an issue of "personal liberty" involved in "if its not specifically prohibited it must be okay", but I feel that the greater good of the many outweigh some of my personal liberty.

 

OK, this will be my last rebuttal. The point I was making about the travel agent and the cruise line lack of enforcement, was until that changes, the few of us on Cruise Critic aren't going to make a lot of difference. But I'm sure every little bit will help.

 

You convinced me, I'm going to find something different for our Alaska cruise in June. I will tear this one open to see what's in it.

 

As far as my grandkids going thru life without me, I think I need to worry about my cross country motorcycle trips than this.:eek:

 

Thanks for your effort, and all you give to Cruise Critic.

[chengkp75]

OK, this will be my last rebuttal. The point I was making about the travel agent and the cruise line lack of enforcement, was until that changes, the few of us on Cruise Critic aren't going to make a lot of difference. But I'm sure every little bit will help.

 

You convinced me, I'm going to find something different for our Alaska cruise in June. I will tear this one open to see what's in it.

 

As far as my grandkids going thru life without me, I think I need to worry about my cross country motorcycle trips than this.:eek:

 

Thanks for your effort, and all you give to Cruise Critic.

 

Bob (clarea) has already tried this, and found that the components don't survive the surgery. But if you do, if you see a, typically, blue flat circular item (similar to some capacitors), that is an MOV, which does not take well to reverse voltages.

 

And while the CC audience may be small, they can be evangelical and spread the word to friends who cruise, and so one. I will continue to tilt at this windmill.

[poncho1973]

I may be mistaken, but I believe he is currently a Chief Engineer, just not on a cruise ship.

 

Then that's an error on my part! I don't really read a ton of threads and somewhere I picked up that he was a former chief engineer on a cruise ship and must have mentally assumed he was now retired from the field altogether.

 

Assuming... you know the rest.

[agargoyle]

Sorry this happened. ...just curious though. I can think of at least 4 outlets in the cabin. How many things do you need plugged in at any one given time? :confused:

 

Hi, it is not necessarily the number of items but my husband needs the extension cord for his CPAP machine. Most of the ships we have been on, the outlets are across the room and the cord on his machine will not reach.

 

On the Summit in May, our cord was confiscated and we had to ask the room steward for one along with the distilled water.

 

Interesting that they take them from checked luggage now also.

 

I couple that I know that have started cruising -- both people need CPAPs.

[kontraxed]

My wife and I each use a CPAP and typically, there are no outlets on either side of the bed; just one across the room. In January we are going to be in a junior suite on the Liberty of the Seas. I haven't been on this ship before but I'll bet there are still no outlets by the head of the bed. BTW, I HAVE asked for a ship extension chord and I received a fifty foot long orange single outlet extension chord that was a tripping hazard at night. So, until the cruise ships start having outlets by the beds, I will selfishly continue to bring my power strip on the ship.

[ThirstyCruiser]

I will selfishly continue to bring my power strip on the ship.

 

Dennis Leary wrote a song about people like you. The very definition of....

[terry&mike]

I will offer a possible explanation for the odd items (waffle iron, cooking pots, etc) that people try to bring on the ship.

 

From 2008 to early 2016 we owned a beach house in Chelem, Yucatan, Mexico. Over the years we brought down many, many items to our house as these items were either not available in the area, or the quality of these items was not very good.

 

Most times we flew into the airport in Merida, about 40 minutes drive away; our flight costing about $520-$600 usd pp round trip. We'd have to pack strategically for the items we were bringing in and focus on weight, how many bags, etc.

 

As we live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, we quickly figured out that we could cruise from New Orleans on a 5 day cruise that stopped in Progreso, only 12 minutes from our beach house, for about $250-$320 usd pp, having a few days of relaxation and bringing in loads of stuff. Over the years we brought in pool lounge chairs, sets of drinking glasses, all manner of bed linens and towels, pots and pans, and TV electronic equipment - and yes, we got many stares and several questions.

 

We were fortunate, as we never had anything taken from us by the cruise line. There was one close call, when a friend was traveling with me, and I had given her one of my bags of stuff to mule on with her things and she got pulled aside for a lot of questions. She told them she had never been on a cruise before and didn't know if they provided things like sheets and towels and DVD players onboard, and they let her through with it all.

 

We'd always just get off in the port of Progreso with our large bags of stuff, if someone questioned it tell them we were germaphobes or having a beach picnic, and take it to our home.

[Pickels]

Did you read the link to the USCG Safety Notice?

 

First off, surge protectors are not required on ships. You won't see voltage spikes on ships like you do on land, caused by faulty pole transformers or lightning strikes. Due to the specific grounding requirements of ships' electrical systems, lightning striking the ship does not affect electronics plugged into or wired into the ship's electrical system. Ever wonder how many computers there are onboard a cruise ship? Hundreds of "official" ones that the crew use for everything from e-mail home, to running the stage lighting, to the POS registers in shops and bars, to the navigation equipment, fire fighting systems, and the system that manages the engine room to keep the lights on and the propellers turning. Ever wonder how many surge protectors protect all of this, including systems deemed by SOLAS to be critical to ship's safety? NONE. That's right, none, because they are not needed. I've been on ships actually struck by lightning many times, and the only things affected tend to be radios, since the antennas attract the voltage. No computer on any ship I've been on in the last 40 years has failed due to a voltage spike.

 

Surge protectors are designed for shoreside, residential use, and the peculiarities of the ship's electrical system will subject the surge protector to low level voltages (even 20-40 volts can do harm) in the reverse direction between ground and power (and your electronics, unless they have already failed to ground will never see this voltage) in the reverse direction than the semi-conductors are designed to handle.

 

Whew! :eek:

[dreadpirate3]

The Belkin power strips with multiple outlets and USB ports will be taken or cause your checked bag to be held for you to go and pick up. Happened to my DH on Monday. I didn't know he had packed it.

 

I used the two outlet, three USB port Maketech power strip with no issues, since it doesn't have a surge suppressor.

[Casey2]

Does anyone know if there is an outlet by the bed on the Jewel. I need a heating pad for my back and I usually bring an extension cord so it will reach the bed. Have never had problems before with it.