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Power Strip

martyap

By martyap,
in Royal Caribbean International

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chengkp75

chengkp75

Posted
Posted
Got it. Please share with us where it states RCI has banned all power strips and extension cords.

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/prohibited-items-onboard-policy

 

You can argue that it does not mention power strips, but power strips are simply fancy extension cords. It has also been widely reported here on CC that power strips, regardless of surge protection, have been confiscated on RCI ships lately.

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Cuizer2

Cuizer2

Posted
Posted
This is exactly why RCI has banned all power strips and extension cords. The security screening staff are not technically trained to determine if a power strip is surge protected or not, so they went with an outright ban. Other line's risk acceptance has allowed non-surge protected strips to be used, and rely on somewhat shaky training to make the determinaton.

 

I understand the issue with power strips. But it is easy to tell if an extension cord is not surge protected.

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Toofarfromthesea

Toofarfromthesea

Posted
Posted
I'm sorry, but this is one of the examples where third party sites like Amazon, or the seller "surge pro store" have made a false claim. If you go to the NTON site (the manufacturer), and look for this model number, and look at the specifications, it mentions "300 joules" of protection. This is a measure of surge protection, so this unit is surge protected, and should not be used on cruise ships, regardless of the advertising copy on Amazon.

 

I have found, while researching many, many of these devices for people here on CC, that the only truly effective way to find out if a device is surge protected or not, is to read the specification on the device itself, or to contact the manufacturer directly.

 

A couple of questions:

 

1) is it correct that a charger/strip with a US style plug that only has 2 prongs cannot be surge protected?

 

2) is it correct that a charger/strip with a euro-style plug that only has 2 prongs cannot be surge protected?

 

Thanks for these answers and all of the other info and insights you bring here.

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ditmar2007

ditmar2007

Posted
Posted (edited)
is it correct that a charger/strip with a euro-style plug that only has 2 prongs cannot be surge protected?

 

At least in my country (Denmark) i believe the surge protection is placed centrally - where the power enters the unit. (HFI Relays).

 

Consequently, power strips normally does not have any type of surge protection. I sincerely hope I can bring one, as the state rooms often only has one outlet for my stuff.

Edited by ditmar2007
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chengkp75

chengkp75

Posted
Posted
A couple of questions:

 

1) is it correct that a charger/strip with a US style plug that only has 2 prongs cannot be surge protected?

 

2) is it correct that a charger/strip with a euro-style plug that only has 2 prongs cannot be surge protected?

 

Thanks for these answers and all of the other info and insights you bring here.

 

Any plug configuration that does not use the ground connection cannot be surge protected, since surge protection by definition shunts high voltages to ground. Now, having said that, be wary of thinking that a Schuko (European plug with two round pins) does not have a ground connection. It may, or it may not. There are Schuko plugs that are sort of flat, with the familiar two round pins, and these do not have a ground connection. Then there are the round plugs that fit into the round recess of a Schuko outlet. Some of these are just round plastic versions of the above mentioned flat Schuko plugs. But, some will have two metal strips on the circumference of the plug (in addition to the two round pins), and these are the ground connection. They match the two metal "spring strips" that may or may not be present in the outlet. So, judging whether a device with a Schuko plug is surge protected or not is more complicated than simply looking at a US plug.

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SRF

SRF

Posted
Posted
So, judging whether a device with a Schuko plug is surge protected or not is more complicated than simply looking at a US plug.

 

It is not that difficult. If it has two pins and NO other exposed metal on the plug, there is no ground connection.

 

ANY other exposed metal on the plug, is probably a ground connection.

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chengkp75

chengkp75

Posted
Posted
It is not that difficult. If it has two pins and NO other exposed metal on the plug, there is no ground connection.

 

ANY other exposed metal on the plug, is probably a ground connection.

 

If you understand that ground connections come in other forms than the typical US u-shaped prong, then yes, it isn't difficult. If you understand that the spring clips in the outlet are the ground connection, and not just a retaining device (which is the secondary reason for that design), then yes it isn't difficult. I would bet that if you asked 70% of US residents whether any US style plug was grounded or not, they wouldn't have any idea, and if you gave them a Schuko plug, that number would jump to 90% or more.

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teaysvalley

teaysvalley

Posted
Posted

 

...I have a Scooter and a CPAP. The scooter can charge in either 110 or 240, but I still need the $0.89 adapter. (I have a bag of them). I always travel with an extension cord in the CPAP bag. No one has ever taken it. ...

.

 

I use a CPAP device and was wondering if there is an outlet near the bed that the regular power cord could reach to on Allure class ships? Or, do I need to bring a discreet extension cord?;)

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gatour

gatour

Posted
Posted

Harmony does have an outlet next to the bed that is close enought for no need for power cord. I can't recall Oasis and Allure as my wife wasn't using a CPAP at that time.

 

Having said that. Send an email to special_needs@rccl.com about use of CPAP. They will provide free distilled water and an extension cord if needed. For example on Harmony there was only distilled water in the cabin upon arrival. But on our upcoming Enchanment cruise they replied back that there will be distilled water and an extension cord in the cabin.

 

I provide my reservation number and name of ship.

 

I use a CPAP device and was wondering if there is an outlet near the bed that the regular power cord could reach to on Allure class ships? Or, do I need to bring a discreet extension cord?;)
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Cuizer2

Cuizer2

Posted
Posted
That may be, but apparently RCI is not taking any chance with their crew making that decision.

 

I've removed my long extension and I'm going to bring a short (six inch) extension and a surge protector that I'm not going to use. I'll be that they are so busy looking for the extension cord that they will miss the surge protector.

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chengkp75

chengkp75

Posted
Posted
I've removed my long extension and I'm going to bring a short (six inch) extension and a surge protector that I'm not going to use. I'll be that they are so busy looking for the extension cord that they will miss the surge protector.

 

You have a very warped sense of humor. ;p

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Cuizer2

Cuizer2

Posted
Posted
You have a very warped sense of humor. ;p

 

But you and I already knew that.

 

The point is, that by proper training, it would make things really safer.

 

On the Liberty of the Seas in April 2016 they found a knife I had with a 1.25 inch blade. After they stopped laughing, they let me keep it. Later I received a knife from room service with a six inch blade. How does it help safety to look for pocket knives when they provide full sized knifes to the guest without the guest even asking (I did not order room service - it was given to me because I was in a suite). Here are the pictures I took ...

 

i-r5btSQc-L.jpg

 

 

i-r2g3ZT8-L.jpg

 

From my review ...

 

I decide to go look for my luggage. It is not lost and found (there is a lot of luggage with no cabin numbers in lost and found). I ask if there is a “naughty room?” Yes, on deck one. Well despite what everyone says, it is not a room, it is a hallway. I give them my cabin number, but nobody says anything. I start looking around for my luggage. Just when I have given up hope, I find it. They send it through the x-ray machine. Do I have anything electrical? No. They send it through the x-ray machine a second time. Do I have anything electrical? No! I do in my carry-on, but not in my checked luggage. They send it through the x-ray machine a third time. By now my luggage is glowing a nice shade of yellow, orange, and red. Do I have a knife? Yes, a very small one. The security guard asks me a question. I ask her to repeat it. She wants to check the knife. Okay (I thought she had asked me about a machete - this knife is barely big enough to be a knife). I show it to security. They laugh (no, I am not kidding, they are laughing at my “knife”). The blade is about 1 ¼ inches long.

 

Why do I have it? I’m not sure if this is a real question or if they are just curious (once they laughed at it I knew I would get to keep it). I treat it as a real question, but the answer (which is the truth) is going to sound strange. I am on an excursion where I get to feed some monkeys and we get to stop at the store to pick up some apples, grapes and bananas and I need the knife to cut the fruit. Okay.

Now remember I mentioned the knife that came with the food. That blade is about six inches long. That is okay, but my little one and one-quarter inch knife it going to have me on the terrorist list? Something is wrong here (okay, they are not putting me on the terrorist list, but you get the idea). Now I’m not upset that they flagged the luggage for the knife. They are just doing their job. I’m not upset that they laughed at my knife, a bigger one would work better on an apple, but they might object at the sight of a four-inch blade. What I am unhappy about is that after asking three people about my missing luggage, nobody told me where it was. Sometime after 8:00pm they finally called me (I was at dinner at the time and I already had the luggage, including the miniature machete, in the cabin). I found out around 10:00pm by which time I would have been pretty upset thinking that my luggage was lost.

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Toofarfromthesea

Toofarfromthesea

Posted
Posted
Any plug configuration that does not use the ground connection cannot be surge protected, since surge protection by definition shunts high voltages to ground. Now, having said that, be wary of thinking that a Schuko (European plug with two round pins) does not have a ground connection. It may, or it may not. There are Schuko plugs that are sort of flat, with the familiar two round pins, and these do not have a ground connection. Then there are the round plugs that fit into the round recess of a Schuko outlet. Some of these are just round plastic versions of the above mentioned flat Schuko plugs. But, some will have two metal strips on the circumference of the plug (in addition to the two round pins), and these are the ground connection. They match the two metal "spring strips" that may or may not be present in the outlet. So, judging whether a device with a Schuko plug is surge protected or not is more complicated than simply looking at a US plug.

 

I did not know that, about euro (which I now know are called Schuko) plugs, but now I do. Thanks. You are a gem.

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chengkp75

chengkp75

Posted
Posted

cruizer2;

 

Don't want to lengthen the thread by quoting your whole post. I know for the most part you are being humorous, and to a degree I will agree with you regarding training, but remember that the original screening is done on shore by security who are not cruise line employees, so who pays for their training, and who is responsible for their mistakes. It gets complicated.

 

As for the difference between your "mini-machete" and a table knife, you know that you could easily slit someone's throat with your knife, even with the short blade, but you would have to do some sawing to accomplish this with a table knife even though it has a longer blade.

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teaysvalley

teaysvalley

Posted
Posted
Harmony does have an outlet next to the bed that is close enought for no need for power cord. I can't recall Oasis and Allure as my wife wasn't using a CPAP at that time.

 

Having said that. Send an email to special_needs@rccl.com about use of CPAP. They will provide free distilled water and an extension cord if needed. For example on Harmony there was only distilled water in the cabin upon arrival. But on our upcoming Enchanment cruise they replied back that there will be distilled water and an extension cord in the cabin.

 

I provide my reservation number and name of ship.

 

Great! Thank you for the suggestion. I will do that.

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Cuizer2

Cuizer2

Posted
Posted
cruizer2;

 

Don't want to lengthen the thread by quoting your whole post. I know for the most part you are being humorous, and to a degree I will agree with you regarding training, but remember that the original screening is done on shore by security who are not cruise line employees, so who pays for their training, and who is responsible for their mistakes. It gets complicated.

 

As for the difference between your "mini-machete" and a table knife, you know that you could easily slit someone's throat with your knife, even with the short blade, but you would have to do some sawing to accomplish this with a table knife even though it has a longer blade.

 

If I was after someone, and had to choose between a knife that is less then three inches (including the blade and handle) and a knife that at least three times that size, I would take the bigger knife and stab the person. And believe it or not, no one on a cruise has yet got me made enough to stab them.

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Toofarfromthesea

Toofarfromthesea

Posted
Posted
If I was after someone, and had to choose between a knife that is less then three inches (including the blade and handle) and a knife that at least three times that size, I would take the bigger knife and stab the person. And believe it or not, no one on a cruise has yet got me made enough to stab them.

 

Stabbing someone with a dull dinner knife is a lot harder than you'd think.

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