Most people are aware, at least somewhat, that different cruise brands fulfill different niches. Disney Cruise Line, of course, is well known to be for families and Disney fans in general. Virgin Voyages is adult-only. Carnival tends to be known as the “party ship.” Holland America tends to cater to senior citizens. Royal Caribbean has adventurous activities on board, such as iFly, go-karts and Flowriders. And the list goes on and on.
However another difference between cruise lines is what type of outlets they have (Psst! Just to get the wording right…the thing in the wall is the outlet. The thing attached to your electrical device is a plug. Thank-you for coming to my TED Talk). And in this day and age where people want to charge their devices and use their curling and flat irons, etc., making sure you’re prepared for the outlets in your cabin is important, because they’re all different.
How different are they?
Some ships have US outlets, some have UK versions, some have European outlets, some have the Australian type, and some have some other version of the 15 outlets used around the world.
Type O – used exclusively in Thailand – is not pictured
Some ships have only one type of outlet. Some have more than one. And if your electrical equipment has one type of plug and the ship only has a different type of outlet, you better know it beforehand so you can buy an adapter and possibly a converter, or you may not be able to charge anything while you’re onboard.
Oh, and THEN there are USB outlets. Some ships have those, and some don’t, which is something else to consider.
I would list all of the plugs found on the various cruise lines (and individual ships of each) but with nearly 50 cruise lines owning over 450 ships (note: it’s guesstimated that only about 300 are operational any given time), it would be one LLLOOONNNGGG list. Besides, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel since a cruise-centric website, Emma Cruises, has developed a great interactive site that can tell you how many of what type of outlets are on each cruise ship that’s out there.
Click here to see the site
That’s not a whole lot of outlets per cabin!
Nope, it’s not. Many only have one or two, although some have three or four. And that’s probably done purposely. Every available outlet is an opportunity for something to be plugged in and draw power. A cruise ship has a whole lot of power, but not as much as, say, your local electricity provider. The fewer outlets there are, the less things can be plugged in at any given time.
Can I just bring a power strip?
Generally speaking, no. Each cruise line has its list of prohibited items, like these. Power strips are typically prohibited because (A) they increase the risk of an electric spark, which, in turn, increases the risk of fire, and (B) the cruise ship doesn’t want to overwhelm their electrical system.
Maybe I could just sneak it on?
Doubt it. All bags, carry-on and checked, are put through scanners before they go on a cruise ship and if they see you have a power strip, chances are excellent that they’ll remove it from your bag. Then, since it’s considered contraband, they’ll hold it for you until you disembark from the ship. Here’s an example of the notification Virgin Voyages puts in your bag if they find something in it that’s on the Prohibited Items list:
What’s that converter you were talking about?
Current in the U.S. is 110 volts, and so the plugs in electric items in the U.S. are made to handle about that much.
You can get an adapter so your U.S. plug (say, type A or B) will fit into a European outlet/socket.
But there will be 220 volts in that outlet, so you could fry your hair dryer, curling iron, etc. (some computers – Apple, for example – allow 110 or 220. But more simple items or plugs might not). Therefore, you’d also need a converter to convert the 220 to 110 volts.
I’m in the U.S. and am going on a ship with only Euro outlets. Can I bring a converter on my cruise?
Again, it depends on the cruise line. See what’s on their list of prohibited items. You might want to call their customer service department and see what they say if it’s not listed. Or bring it and cross your fingers that it’s not considered contraband.
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