Cruise ship Power Strip

[canderson]

37 minutes ago, markeb said:

If it's for a high wattage item like a hair dryer or straightener, you probably shouldn't be using a standard power strip anyway without checking the rating of the power strip and the draw of the equipment.

Even the cheapest of power strips spec at 15A, same as the standard grounded outlets they're designed to be plugged into. 

Wire gauge can vary per length, but for typical short ones, will always be 14ga.

It's the only way they get CE, ETL, UL or whatever rating they sport on their cases, and no retailer here would want the product liability hassle of anything not carrying one of those marks.

 

As you say, they don't explicitly rule out power strips while still explicitly calling out "Electrical Extension Cords" in their prohibitions.  I think they worry over the condition of pax extension cords, and design of the power strips, and do tend to lump them together without notice, even though they're rather different things.  Any time one brings either to a ship, be prepared for a conversation, at a minimum.  As noted above, if in need of extension cord(s) aboard, just ask the cabin steward / butler for one.  It's a more common request these days due to the proliferation of CPAP devices and other medical gadgets.

[markeb]

14 minutes ago, canderson said:

Even the cheapest of power strips spec at 15A, same as the standard grounded outlets they're designed to be plugged into. 

Probably worded that poorly...

 

A power strip lets you plug a hair dryer that can draw the full 15A and a straightener that can draw another 3A or so into a 15A outlet. It should throw the breaker before creating a fire hazard, and hopefully would! (Not an electrician, and I don't know how that whole maritime floating ground would impact that.) That would be another reason to not allow power strips or any other form of outlet multipliers onboard. 

[Moonarino]

28 minutes ago, markeb said:

Probably worded that poorly...

 

A power strip lets you plug a hair dryer that can draw the full 15A and a straightener that can draw another 3A or so into a 15A outlet. It should throw the breaker before creating a fire hazard, and hopefully would! (Not an electrician, and I don't know how that whole maritime floating ground would impact that.) That would be another reason to not allow power strips or any other form of outlet multipliers onboard. 

Hair dryers generally use a bit less than15A (maybe close to that only at startup), curling irons typically 1/2-1 amp, which is why the fuse doesn't get tripped. Hair dryers are by far the highest-wattage device we're allowed to bring onboard.

 

@canderson, a few years ago I stopped bringing my "extension cord" for fear it would automatically be ruled out (per the climate at the time). But since then I've had problems getting those little three-outlet plugs plugged in snugly on some ships, which itself becomes a sort of hazard because of lousy connection that might cause surges.

 

Better a good quality straight-through extension cord (a short one) that plugs in securely. Hopefully I'll be able to get the one shown on page 1 of this thread through security on my November cruise. It's compact and includes USB, which is usually our biggest need (but not the only one).

Edited August 8, 2022 by Moonarino

[kywildcatfanone]

Slightly off topic question, but I figured I would ask it here instead of a new thread.

 

We are going on our first Celebrity cruise in October, Celebrity Infinity.  We will be in an inside cabin on deck 9.  Does anyone know where the outlets are in that room?  I tried to look at some images, and it appears the desk is on the opposite wall of the bed.  Are there outlets on the bed side area to use?  I really don't want to have cords going across the room.  I'm assuming there are lights on either side of the bed, so they must plug into an outlet.  I have one of those European to US converter plugs, can I use those outlets?

[markeb]

The outlets are generally opposite the bed. The lights are wall mounted and hard wired. 
 

I believe the Edge class has outlets near the bed. No outlets on Reflection or Equinox and I assume no outlets for Infinity. 

Edited August 9, 2022 by markeb

[Moonarino]

21 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Slightly off topic question, but I figured I would ask it here instead of a new thread.

 

We are going on our first Celebrity cruise in October, Celebrity Infinity.  We will be in an inside cabin on deck 9.  Does anyone know where the outlets are in that room?  I tried to look at some images, and it appears the desk is on the opposite wall of the bed.  Are there outlets on the bed side area to use?  I really don't want to have cords going across the room.  I'm assuming there are lights on either side of the bed, so they must plug into an outlet.  I have one of those European to US converter plugs, can I use those outlets?

Not a definitive answer (sorry) but I've read reports of "renovated" X ships getting an additional outlet on one of the bedside nightstands. Infinity's full renovation was delayed due to covid but I did read that "some" work was done during her downtime. So maybe just maybe . . .

[cruisestitch]

32 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Slightly off topic question, but I figured I would ask it here instead of a new thread.

 

We are going on our first Celebrity cruise in October, Celebrity Infinity.  We will be in an inside cabin on deck 9.  Does anyone know where the outlets are in that room?  I tried to look at some images, and it appears the desk is on the opposite wall of the bed.  Are there outlets on the bed side area to use?  I really don't want to have cords going across the room.  I'm assuming there are lights on either side of the bed, so they must plug into an outlet.  I have one of those European to US converter plugs, can I use those outlets?

Resign yourself to having a cord going across the room as that is the most likely scenario. The room steward can tape the cord down for safety.

[tanzania2015]

Power strips are extension cords by definition (male plug end and female receptacle end.)  If you look at the confiscated table when you disembark, you will see multiple power strips and extension cords that have been confiscated.  Depending on the screening person and the position of the power strip or extension cord in your luggage, they may slip by.  Be prepared to have them confiscated.  We bring an adaptor for the 220 V European outlet, plug our multiple USB port adapter into the European plug adaptor and then plug all of our USB charged items into multiport USB adapter which leaves the 110 V outlet for other uses.

[Moonarino]

(Added) With this comment I'm assuming those European outlets are 240V. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong . . .

 

Adapter versus converter. Has it been mentioned here (or in any conversation on this subject) that using a 110V adapter in the European outlets does NOT convert 240V to 110V?

 

My HP laptop charger accepts 100-240V input, as some other electrical devices do. Cellphone chargers are also typically 100-240V. But many American devices must be used only with 110V.

 

This pic shows a European and American cellphone charger (both made by Samsung) and both allow 100-240V input. This shows what to look for on electrical appliances or their chargers. (Click on image to magnify it.)

 

Edited August 9, 2022 by Moonarino

[markeb]

3 hours ago, Moonarino said:

(Added) With this comment I'm assuming those European outlets are 240V. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong .

Yes. You are correct. Most of us are assuming people understand that, but it never hurts. Almost all (but not all) electronics will accept 110-240V 50-60 Hz input. Most appliances are single voltage (hair dryers, etc.). So those of us suggesting using the European outlet are assuming, hopefully correctly, that people understand the difference. 

[stuckoncruising]

On 8/6/2022 at 11:40 AM, doktor71 said:

I have been reading in reviews that the non surge charging strip like the photo below has been confiscated by cruise lines.  It has also been stated that the only charging adapters permitted are ones with USB ports only. Does anyone have knowledge on what is permitted? I need to purchase as we have “Many” devices that need to be charged, and do not want to have it confiscated on embarkation.

 

Took this on the Reflection and it was confiscated. Also, my EU power adapters and another one that had a cord. Basically, all my adapters were confiscated. I was very upset. They were all in one bag in my suitcase and they just branded everything as confiscated because one of them had a power cord. Ridiculous. My sister had one identical adapter and it was not confiscated. The rules are not applied consistently. 

[Jim_Iain]

On 8/7/2022 at 11:39 AM, Denny01 said:

Celebrity ships have their plugs depressed with a lip around them in many SRs and I don’t believe that would fit. 
 

to increase plug availability I bring EU adapters to use the EU plugs Celebrity has i believe in all SRs. 
 

den
 

den

 

I use a couple of those orange ones stacked to b able to use something like the OP's option.  On revoloutionized ships with the power box really limits direct access

[cruisestitch]

6 hours ago, stuckoncruising said:

Took this on the Reflection and it was confiscated. Also, my EU power adapters and another one that had a cord. Basically, all my adapters were confiscated. I was very upset. They were all in one bag in my suitcase and they just branded everything as confiscated because one of them had a power cord. Ridiculous. My sister had one identical adapter and it was not confiscated. The rules are not applied consistently. 

If this happened on the ship, did they give you an opportunity to retrieve the non-offending adapters?

[Jim_Iain]

1 minute ago, cruisestitch said:

If this happened on the ship, did they give you an opportunity to retrieve the non-offending adapters?

 

I have had them give me a power stip as well as an extension cord.    I'm sure there are limited power strips available.

[stuckoncruising]

50 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

If this happened on the ship, did they give you an opportunity to retrieve the non-offending adapters?

Nope. I tried. Spoke to 2 different people in guest relations and no matter how many times I told them there were non-corded adapters there, they were adamant that they were even though nobody bothered to look at them. Then they told me they would have the ship electrician look at them and they left me a voicemail claiming my adapters were "extension cords" (they were not and I did not bring a power strip). I'm assuming the electrician never looked at them and they just said that to appease me. My stateroom attendant was kind enough to let me borrow a cell phone charger so I could plug in my phone cord and my sister let me borrow an extra adapter. Thankfully, I had also brought some power banks. Seriously, they went overboard on this. I was perfectly willing to leave anything that was not allowed (even though they had been ok on other ships). However, they just bundled every single thing I had without checking it just because ONE of them had a cord. Just one. Lesson learned: do not bring anything that has a cord and do not bundle them all together; pack them separately.  

Edited May 24 by stuckoncruising

[Rick&Jeannie]

On 8/8/2022 at 12:51 PM, markeb said:

I asked this earlier of the OP, but what are people charging? For most electronics, there are multiple, arguably better, options that don't require a power strip. Almost all newer electronics charge with a USB cable, and a USB charging hub, usually a USB C/A hub, is going to take up much less space, use less power, present a negligible overload/fire risk, and charge your items as fast if not faster than plugging into a power strip. And the power strips people have shown are generations old on their USB slots. There's no way on earth you'd want to try to charge a newer iPhone, for instance, on those first generation USB A slots. It would take forever! And if you're plugging your iPhone or Galaxy adapter into the 120V plugs, you've added an unnecessary link in your charging chain. And weight and cube to your packing.

 

There are dozens of USB A/C charging stations on Amazon. Get one with a detachable cord, set the block on the desk/counter top, and plug your devices in using USB C cables (USB C to USB C, USB C to Lightning, or USB C to Micro USB). You can get USB C chargers for almost all phone batteries, usually with spare batteries, for $20 bucks or so. It takes up much less space and leaves the outlets for things that can't use a USB C connection, like hairdryers.

 

This is on Amazon for $69 and will charge almost anything I can think of.

 

Agreed...this is what we use: