Avoiding a shocking revelation!

[teeoc79]

First time cruiser on Ruby Princess. Want to know if I need a european electrical converter to plug in USA electrical items. I know some ships have plugs that can accomodate both flat prongs and round prongs, does the Ruby have those kind of plugs in staterooms? Will I need a voltage converter?:confused:

[newport dave]

All Princess ships not permanently based in Australia, have US sockets operating on 110V. They also have one European socket operating on 220V. Most electrical chargers i.e. laptop,iPad, mobile phone are actually dual voltage will say on plug somewhere, so they can be used in either.

[trikeman]

Someone on another thread mentioned that you should take a Surge Protector. They had an Ipad and something else ruined by a power surge on their cruise. I personally never had a problem but it's cheap insurance.

[chengkp75]

Someone on another thread mentioned that you should take a Surge Protector. They had an Ipad and something else ruined by a power surge on their cruise. I personally never had a problem but it's cheap insurance.

 

Actually, on most lines security will confiscate surge protectors, as they don't work the same on ship as they do on shore, and will produce ground fault indications in the engine room. Given the wide voltage variation on most electronic chargers these days, I don't see an Iphone getting ruined by a voltage fluctuation.

[-Lew-]

 

Actually, on most lines security will confiscate surge protectors, as they don't work the same on ship as they do on shore, and will produce ground fault indications in the engine room. Given the wide voltage variation on most electronic chargers these days, I don't see an Iphone getting ruined by a voltage fluctuation.

I always bring a surge protector in my carryon rated for European voltages whenever I cruise. I've never been questioned about it when going through cruise security.

 

Surely there would be a warning somewhere on the Princess site if using surge protectors onboard could cause problems.

 

Lew

[chengkp75]

I always bring a surge protector in my carryon rated for European voltages whenever I cruise. I've never been questioned about it when going through cruise security.

 

Surely there would be a warning somewhere on the Princess site if using surge protectors onboard could cause problems.

 

Lew

 

The problem is that ship's wiring is not the same as shore wiring. In your home, there is a "hot" wire, a "neutral" wire, and a "ground" wire. The neutral and ground wires are joined together at your circuit breaker box, so they are at the same potential, and the hot wire is 120v above that. Ships, due to the steel hull and electrolytic nature of sea water, do not tolerate electrical current flowing through the hull, it accelerates corrosion of the hull. Therefore, the two current carrying conductors are not connected to the ground (for shock protection, the ground is connected to the hull), and are at 60v each above ground potential. This is called a "floating" ground, and is true for all ship voltages 120, 220, 480, 10,000.

 

In order to monitor the condition of electrical equipment onboard, there is a single connection between the current carrying conductors and ground (hull), which has a fixed resistance on it, and a meter. Any accidental ground anywhere on the ship will change this resistance to ground, and show up on the meter as a low insulation resistance. Most surge protectors divert voltage surges to the ground wire, so these will show up as alarms in the engine room as low insulation resistance. Only surge protectors that use the "series circuit", which stores current and then slowly lets it to the current carrying conductors will not bleed current to the ground wire.

 

Also, should someone be holding a bare ground wire (extremely unlikely, but then this is cruising) near where a surge protecter diverted voltage to the ground system, that person could get a nasty shock.

 

There are lots of electrical items that don't work on ships, that work fine on shore, (UPS power supplies for instance), because they are looking for the neutral and ground voltages to be the same, and when they are not, the UPS says there is no power, and switches to battery.

 

I haven't worked for Princess, nor sailed on their ships (I tend to look in those lockers between cabins at the plumbing and electrical when I cruise), so I can't say for sure how they are wired, but I'm surprised that they allow the surge protector.

[nagingmom]

Just got off the Ruby on June 29th. You do not need any converters. The one item we also take is a power strip to allow us to plug in more than one charger at a time. There is never enough plugs to help us charge ipads, camera batteries and phone chargers. Enjoy your cruise.

[Pam in CA]

All Princess ships not permanently based in Australia, have US sockets operating on 110V. They also have one European socket operating on 220V. Most electrical chargers i.e. laptop,iPad, mobile phone are actually dual voltage will say on plug somewhere, so they can be used in either.

To clarify, each cabin has two 110V outlets. The 230V outlet is in the bathroom and is rated for shavers only. Anything drawing more power will blow the circuits. There is one in the cabin but it's under the bed and difficult to get to.

 

In the bathroom:

 

 

In the cabin by the desk:

 

[AKman2495]

The problem is that ship's wiring is not the same as shore wiring. In your home, there is a "hot" wire, a "neutral" wire, and a "ground" wire. The neutral and ground wires are joined together at your circuit breaker box, so they are at the same potential, and the hot wire is 120v above that. Ships, due to the steel hull and electrolytic nature of sea water, do not tolerate electrical current flowing through the hull, it accelerates corrosion of the hull. Therefore, the two current carrying conductors are not connected to the ground (for shock protection, the ground is connected to the hull), and are at 60v each above ground potential. This is called a "floating" ground, and is true for all ship voltages 120, 220, 480, 10,000.

 

In order to monitor the condition of electrical equipment onboard, there is a single connection between the current carrying conductors and ground (hull), which has a fixed resistance on it, and a meter. Any accidental ground anywhere on the ship will change this resistance to ground, and show up on the meter as a low insulation resistance. Most surge protectors divert voltage surges to the ground wire, so these will show up as alarms in the engine room as low insulation resistance. Only surge protectors that use the "series circuit", which stores current and then slowly lets it to the current carrying conductors will not bleed current to the ground wire.

 

Also, should someone be holding a bare ground wire (extremely unlikely, but then this is cruising) near where a surge protecter diverted voltage to the ground system, that person could get a nasty shock.

 

Think about what you just said and I thing you will see your errors. First, the hull is isolated from the electrical system as you say. BUT, if, as you say, there is a single connection between the current carrying conductors and ground (hull), then how is it possible to be holding a bear ground wire?

 

In addition, how can a surge protector divert voltage to the ground wire if there is only one "ground wire".

 

Inan isolated hull, there had better not be any voltage between the electrical system and the hull-otherise, the potential difference would cause a current to flow. So the idea that there is 60 v from the hull to each of the power conductors makes no sense at all.

 

As you say, you can't say for sure how they are wired...Let's leave it that.

[pablo222]

Actually, on most lines security will confiscate surge protectors, as they don't work the same on ship as they do on shore, and will produce ground fault indications in the engine room. Given the wide voltage variation on most electronic chargers these days, I don't see an Iphone getting ruined by a voltage fluctuation.

 

I've only been on six or so cruise lines, but none of

them have ever confiscated a power strip or a surge protector.

 

However, unplugging the cabin phone they didn't like...

[beg3yrs]

What power forms and sockets will I find on the Dawn Princess???

 

I was waiting until our cruise gets closer but this thread seems appropriate!

[chengkp75]

Think about what you just said and I thing you will see your errors. First, the hull is isolated from the electrical system as you say. BUT, if, as you say, there is a single connection between the current carrying conductors and ground (hull), then how is it possible to be holding a bear ground wire?

 

In addition, how can a surge protector divert voltage to the ground wire if there is only one "ground wire".

 

Inan isolated hull, there had better not be any voltage between the electrical system and the hull-otherise, the potential difference would cause a current to flow. So the idea that there is 60 v from the hull to each of the power conductors makes no sense at all.

 

As you say, you can't say for sure how they are wired...Let's leave it that.

 

Believe me, after 37 years as a ship's engineer, I know how the electrical system works.

 

In shore power, the neutral and ground wires are connected to the earth (hence the "ground"), so that when you grab a worn appliance, the current flows through the ground wire rather than you (since the wire is a better path for current than your body).

 

In ship power, only the ground wire is connected to the hull. Since neither of the current conductors is connected to ground, they will each be 60v above the hull potential.

 

The ground detection system, which is what I said was the single connection between the conductors and ground is a very high resistance, and since there is only a connection from one conductor to the hull (ground), no current flows between the conductor and ground, as there is no return to the other conductor. If the insulation on a piece of electrical equipment onboard fails, then there will be current from this piece of equipment to hull, and then from hull to the conductors through the ground detection system, and the ammeter on the ground detection system will show this current to warn the engineers of the failure of insulation.

 

In the outlet, the small flat hole is the "hot" conductor, the large flat hole is the "neutral", and the semi-circular hole is the "ground". Again, ashore, the large flat and the semi-circular are at the same potential (use a voltmeter between the two, and there will be no voltage), while the hot to neutral or ground will show 120v. Shipside, the semi-circular is connected to the hull, but neither of the two flat holes are connected to the hull.

 

Now, here is the experiment you should not do: Shore side, stick a bare copper wire into the large flat hole and one in the ground hole, hold one in each hand and you will not be shocked, since the two wires are at the same potential. Do the same thing onboard ship, and you will get a 60v shock, since they are not connected, and you are the connection.

 

A surge protector uses a semi-conductor that only conducts when the voltage is more than a design value. These semi-conductors will conduct between the "hot" wire and the "ground" wire (talking shore side) when voltage increases over 140v, and will not conduct when the voltage returns to 120v. So, to protect your electronics, the surge protector will allow current to flow to the ground wire rather than allow high voltage to reach your electronics.

 

So your surge protector will act just like failed insulation by conducting current to the ground wire, which will show on the ground detection system as failed insulation.

 

You say " Inan isolated hull, there had better not be any voltage between the electrical system and the hull-otherise, the potential difference would cause a current to flow." Potential difference (voltage difference) will not cause current to flow if there is no current path. Between the two flat holes in a household outlet there will be 120v, but unless you plug something in, there will be no current flow. Since all wiring on ship is insulated from the hull, there will be no current flow, unless you connect one of the conductors to ground.

 

When I say that I am not sure how the ship is wired, I mean that some cruise ships, due to the large amount of 120v (which is not usual on commercial ships built in Europe), may use isolation transformers to isolate the 120v system from the rest of the ship's electrical system and allow the neutral and ground wires be at the same potential. This eliminates the "failed insulation" alarms caused by surge protectors and US appliances plugged into ship's electrical systems.

[Red Hat Cruise Cat]

Actually, on most lines security will confiscate surge protectors, as they don't work the same on ship as they do on shore, and will produce ground fault indications in the engine room. Given the wide voltage variation on most electronic chargers these days, I don't see an Iphone getting ruined by a voltage fluctuation.

 

I always bring a surge protector and never had a problem with Security.

 

I leave it in plain sight on the desk and the Steward has never said anything.

[Red Hat Cruise Cat]

What power forms and sockets will I find on the Dawn Princess???

 

I was waiting until our cruise gets closer but this thread seems appropriate!

 

The Dawn Princess is permanently located in Australia and the electrical has changed. I had to use a convertor on my cruises on both the Dawn and Sun

[trbarton]

Earlier this year their was a post from someone in a suite on the Grand and it appears that their was a power spike in the circuit and when he took his laptop to have it checked out he was told that his mother board was fried. He also mentioned that they were working on the stateroom next to his. Because of this I now take a surge protector power strip. I unplug it during the day and put it away in a drawer. I have never had any comments from having a power strip.

 

Based on the pervious post is a surge protector power strip a good item to have on a cruise? Perhaps chengkp75 will post his opinion on bringing a power strip.

 

I am curious if anyone has had their power strip removed.

 

Tom:)

[beg3yrs]

The Dawn Princess is permanently located in Australia and the electrical has changed. I had to use a convertor on my cruises on both the Dawn and Sun

 

Thank you Red Hat! Most our our travel gadgets work from 120V to 220V and with 50 or 60Hz as the frequency. So, what remains is what form of socket is in use on the Dawn Princess so we can bring the correct adapters?

 

Is it the two slanted blades used in Australia( / \ - maybe with an earth pin set below ), the massive UK three gargantuan prong thingamabob , the nice and tidy European two pin socket or something else?

[chengkp75]

Earlier this year their was a post from someone in a suite on the Grand and it appears that their was a power spike in the circuit and when he took his laptop to have it checked out he was told that his mother board was fried. He also mentioned that they were working on the stateroom next to his. Because of this I now take a surge protector power strip. I unplug it during the day and put it away in a drawer. I have never had any comments from having a power strip.

 

Based on the pervious post is a surge protector power strip a good item to have on a cruise? Perhaps chengkp75 will post his opinion on bringing a power strip.

 

I am curious if anyone has had their power strip removed.

 

Tom:)

 

I always recommend taking a power strip, both to passengers and crew. I don't recommend the type of extension cord that accepts 3-5 plugs at one end. The power strip is the type with a plastic box that has a row of 5-6 outlets on it, and the preferred type has the on/off switch, which acts like a circuit breaker, as these will have some current interrupting feature.

 

Having stated that surge protectors are generally frowned on, let me say that the real need for surge protectors at home is against lightning strikes, which are hundreds of thousands of volts. Home surge protectors vary widely in their "protection" which is measured in their "clamping voltage" or the voltage where their semi-conductors will divert the voltage to ground. Belkin makes a lot of home surge protectors, including a compact 3 outlet one, that has a clamping voltage of 1200v. Therefore, until the power reaches 1200v, the surge protector will not divert power, and will not show up as a problem to the engineers. This surge protector will protect against lightning strikes, but will not trigger during smaller voltage swings that happen aboard ship (sometimes the voltage will vary 1-5% (maybe 5 volts max on a 120v circuit). So the protector is really not needed. Commercial surge protectors, designed for sensitive equipment will have clamping voltages much less, and these can cause the problems.

 

Further, as the varistors, or semi-conductors in surge protectors age (one or two high voltage surges, or many low voltage surges), they break down, and act like short circuits to ground, which causes problems onboard. If your surge protector tends to be warm or hot while in normal use, it is failing, and should be replaced.

 

I have never seen a voltage "spike" in a 120 or 220 volt system onboard that would cause a computer to burn up the mother board. However, some power strips and surge protectors may have their ground and neutral wires connected internally, and due to a high voltage ground elsewhere in the ship, this makes the second connection to ground, and unexpected current flows the "wrong way" from ground to the conductors, and into the electronics.

[Stevesan]

Someone on another thread mentioned that you should take a Surge Protector. They had an Ipad and something else ruined by a power surge on their cruise. I personally never had a problem but it's cheap insurance.

 

A good suggestion. I, and probably many of y'all, use surge protectors at home. If you don't, you should. When power is restored after a black out there is a brief voltage surge high enough to damage your electronic equipment. I learned that working at Texas Instruments. All of our production machines had cut out relays that had to be restored manually to avoid damage to computers, etc.

[Bentley5700]

To clarify, each cabin has two 110V outlets. The 230V outlet is in the bathroom and is rated for shavers only. Anything drawing more power will blow the circuits. There is one in the cabin but it's under the bed and difficult to get to.

 

Pam do you (or anyone) know about the placement of outlets in the suites (full suites)? Thanks.

[CCFC]

Earlier this year their was a post from someone in a suite on the Grand and it appears that their was a power spike in the circuit and when he took his laptop to have it checked out he was told that his mother board was fried. He also mentioned that they were working on the stateroom next to his. Because of this I now take a surge protector power strip. I unplug it during the day and put it away in a drawer. I have never had any comments from having a power strip.

 

Based on the pervious post is a surge protector power strip a good item to have on a cruise? Perhaps chengkp75 will post his opinion on bringing a power strip.

 

I am curious if anyone has had their power strip removed.

 

Tom:)

 

Further on in that thread someone else also posted that surge protectors were not meant to be used.

[teeoc79]

Thanks for all your input everyone! Are there any outlets by the bed on the Ruby? Most cruise ships I have been on in the past had the few outlets in the vanity/desktop area.

[coiran]

This thread has turned into a technical nightmare - back to the OP's question as to what kind of electrical sockets are on the Ruby the correct answer is standard 110v grounded outlets - two at the desk in the inside rooms. Suites may have more (I can get 3-4 cruises in an inside as opposed to one in a suite).

 

I would also advise to bring a 3 or 4 outlet power cord, especially if you have a lot of electronics to keep charged.

[coiran]

Thanks for all your input everyone! Are there any outlets by the bed on the Ruby? Most cruise ships I have been on in the past had the few outlets in the vanity/desktop area.

 

 

Some posters have said that there is an outlet under the bed - I have looked for it on the Ruby and Emerald and have never found it.

[skynight]

While ship's have 110 and 220v outlets, I heard that the amperage on ships is less than in the home which makes things like hair dryers run slower. Is this correct?

[bhopal21]

Pam do you (or anyone) know about the placement of outlets in the suites (full suites)? Thanks.

 

In addition to the outlets (two) by the desk there are two more on the desk in the sleeping area as well as two under the countertop (above the top shelf) in the wet bar.

 

Mike:)