AC converter for hair dryer pre and post cruise

[BeeSkip]

Hello...I am wondering what type of ac converter I should get in order to use our 1800Watt Revlon blow dryer in the Hotels pre and post cruise.  I am assuming the viking river ship has no issue with this.   I have adapters for the plugs but worried about damaging the blow dryer...If anyone has any information and what to buy I would be so thankful.  It is amazon prime day today and tomorrow so I may be able to get a deal if I know what to buy...

 

Thank you

 

Bee

[CastleCritic]

Quite the opposite, any "heat generating" device (other than say a curling iron) is prohibited by viking and most cruise lines.  They will supply you with one that has a europlug.

 

Ive seen hair dryers at most if not all the hotels Ive been in in Europe.

[Canal archive]

Save weight and space your cruise company is bound to have a hair dryer and I’ve yet to stay at any hotel in Europe that does not supply a hair dryer. It may be a keep your finger on the go button type but it will work well.

[pontac]

16 hours ago, BeeSkip said:

I am wondering what type of ac converter I should get in order to use our 1800Watt Revlon blow dryer in the Hotels pre and post cruise.  I am assuming the viking river ship has no issue with this.

 

Viking supplies hair dryers in every cabin;  as others have said European hotel rooms also have hair dryers.

 

See Viking FAQs on the website under My Ship

 

Is my stateroom furnished with amenities that I do not need to pack?

All stateroom bathrooms are equipped with premium bath toiletries. A hair dryer is also provided, and laundry and pressing services are available.

 

 

Also in FAQs is link to a prohibited on board list which includes

Any electrical device that produces heat 

 

You may want to bring face cloths (not sure what they are called in the USA). Though supplied in your cabin, many Euro hotels don't have them.

Edited July 13, 2022 by pontac

[duquephart]

How 'bout the same question in regard to electric toothbrush. What does one need to make it work in a euro plub-in?

[CastleCritic]

20 minutes ago, duquephart said:

How 'bout the same question in regard to electric toothbrush. What does one need to make it work in a euro plub-in?

What voltage does your toothbrush accept

 

if it accepts 220v then you just need an adapter plug.  most US things WILL take it, you can buy adapters in a box of 3 off amazon or even in the airports.

 

if it will only run on 110v then you need some kind of step down transformer/adapter (you can get this on amazon, I carry one with me) or wherever you are already. having 110v outlets I believe Viking for one has 110V outlets.

[duquephart]

4 minutes ago, CastleCritic said:

What voltage does your toothbrush accept

 

if it accepts 220v then you just need an adapter plug.  most US things WILL take it, you can buy adapters in a box of 3 off amazon or even in the airports.

 

if it will only run on 110v then you need some kind of step down transformer/adapter (you can get this on amazon, I carry one with me) or wherever you are already. having 110v outlets I believe Viking for one has 110V outlets.

 

Mine says "110 - 130" but worked with just an adapter. Go figure.

[sharkster77]

We have two sets of adapters, one for UK and one for rest of Europe.  Each adapter is only $1 each, from ricksteves.com.  They all worked fine.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Back to the original question:  my experience is that trying to run 1800 watts through a voltage converter will cause the converter to heat up quite dramatically.  If I were determined to have a hair dryer of my choice on a European trip, I would just buy a 220 volt appliance in Europe.

[Canal archive]

Myself two daughters all with long hair plus a husband with almost none then two weeks exploring the USA Pacific coast. We purchased a hair dryer and gave it to the pool man at our last hotel in San Francisco. Not that much cost and no extra flight weight.

On the other hand the Scenic hairdryer on our first trip with them was so good I bought one when we returned home. 

[gnome12]

10 hours ago, duquephart said:

How 'bout the same question in regard to electric toothbrush. What does one need to make it work in a euro plub-in?

Can you not make do with a manual toothbrush for the length of your trip? I use an electric one at home but would never consider travelling with it. 

Edited July 14, 2022 by gnome12

[duquephart]

14 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

Can you not make do with a manual toothbrush for the length of your trip? I use an electric one at home but would never consider travelling with it. 

 

Good for you but has nothing to do with the question.

[Canal archive]

Just take your electric toothbrush plug it into the shaver socket when it starts running down ours have worked all over Europe and the USA. 

 

 

[pontac]

11 hours ago, duquephart said:

How 'bout the same question in regard to electric toothbrush. What does one need to make it work in a euro plub-in?

 

The OP is cruising with Viking. Viking has American sockets in cabins.

 

My electric toothbrush is charged via a USB plug. There are USB sockets in the cabins.

 

If you're not cruising with Viking, please say with whom you are cruising with, and what plug/power need you brush has.

[duquephart]

1 hour ago, pontac said:

 

The OP is cruising with Viking. Viking has American sockets in cabins.

 

My electric toothbrush is charged via a USB plug. There are USB sockets in the cabins.

 

If you're not cruising with Viking, please say with whom you are cruising with, and what plug/power need you brush has.

 

The question is about hotels.

[Canal archive]

Wooo get back to the start and it’s re hairdryers eg heat generating devices and no particular cruise company mentioned. 

[gnome12]

I wouldn’t recommend it, but note that a power converter is wattage specific. You need a pretty powerful one to deal with an 1800w hairdryer. As noted, even if the plugs and voltage are there, they aren’t allowed  on Viking or most any other cruise line.

 

My suggestion, as someone who never uses a hair dryer, so take it with a grain of salt), is to avoid carrying your own hair dryer and make use of whatever is provided on board and in the hotel. 

[chengkp75]

On 7/13/2022 at 11:45 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

Back to the original question:  my experience is that trying to run 1800 watts through a voltage converter will cause the converter to heat up quite dramatically.  If I were determined to have a hair dryer of my choice on a European trip, I would just buy a 220 volt appliance in Europe.

There are typically two types of voltage converters/transformers.  Some are designed for electronics, and are relatively low wattage units.  These are usually rated in the 200-500 watt range.  Others are made specifically for the resistive loads of heat generating appliances.  For the hair dryer in question, you need one that is rated for 2000 watts.  This will not heat up more than becoming warm to the touch.

 

This is all assuming that the hair dryer in question is not dual voltage.  Those with a "brick" in the cord are typically dual voltage and don't need a converter.

Edited July 17, 2022 by chengkp75

[sharkster77]

Wife uses a curling iron.  We bought a dual-voltage model at Target for around $10.  No need for an adapter.

 

Any decent hotel will provide hair dryers.  3 trips to Europe, NEVER came across a hotel room that didn't have one.

[pavementends]

Another hair drier of the right voltage will be cheaper and far lighter than a converter.

 

 

[chengkp75]

52 minutes ago, pavementends said:

Another hair drier of the right voltage will be cheaper and far lighter than a converter.

 

 

I don't know, I found a 2000w converter on Amazon that is $32, and weighs 5oz, while a comparable dual voltage dryers (1800w) are about the same price, and weigh twice as much.

[CPT Trips]

A converter weighing only 5 oz is difficult for me to imagine. Of course the last time I used a voltage converter rather than a dual voltage device was 50 years ago in our apartments in Germany. We had a couple of “brick” step down transformers at least 6”x8”x12” and heavy . . . 10 lbs or more. 

[chengkp75]

31 minutes ago, CPT Trips said:

A converter weighing only 5 oz is difficult for me to imagine. Of course the last time I used a voltage converter rather than a dual voltage device was 50 years ago in our apartments in Germany. We had a couple of “brick” step down transformers at least 6”x8”x12” and heavy . . . 10 lbs or more. 

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwiqt5aRxIP5AhWPjcgKHT5iDWwYABAOGgJxdQ&ae=2&sig=AOD64_2TIK0Wf9f2DteH_qMigecFgRKZ_Q&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwjZq4qRxIP5AhUKk4kEHbEbAa0Qww8oAnoECAEQPg&adurl=

 

We've come a long way.  But this uses electronics to convert voltage, not a transformer, which is why it is not for electronics, as the wave form is altered by the electronics in the converter.  Yeah, a 2000w transformer is still around 10 lbs.

[CPT Trips]

Does it mess up floating ground?

[CPT Trips]

1 hour ago, CPT Trips said:

Does it mess up floating ground?

Oops! Forgot the 😉