Is a US to EU/UK power converter allowed?

[DebInAntigua]

This spring we will be taking a TA over to Amsterdam, then saying a week on land, then taking a second British Isles cruise and departing back home from London. For the land part of our vacation, we want to be sure we have all of the EU and UK power options we need. I just ordered two of these on Amazon but now I'm wondering if that was a mistake. They are not surge suppressors - will they be allowed or confiscated?

 

[markeb]

They “may” be confiscated. They should be returned at the end of the cruise. 
 

What are you using them for? Do you need voltage conversion? Are you just charging electronics?
 

 

[blackshirt]

You cant use that on the ship, if that’s what you are asking but you don’t need it on the ship. It shouldn’t be confiscated but held and given back to you when you disembark. Unless you are traveling with something that only takes 110v, you probably don’t need that voltage converter. All of my electronic chargers take 220v and 110, when I travel all I need are plug adapters.

Edited November 5, 2022 by blackshirt

[Charles4515]

As others mentioned for electronics you don’t need a voltage converter. Some hair dryers and curling irons might need voltage converters. You do need plug adapters. You need a Euro plug adapter and a UK plug adapter. 

[Lena11033]

I had a convertor with me no problem because I was going to the UK but it looked nothing like that.

[Arizona Wildcat]

I would put it in my luggage and declare it as you might need it when in Europe.  For example my wife's nebulizer operates only on 110V. What devices do you have that only operate on 110V?  For me only my beard trimmer.  Will use a battery operated toothbrush and my waterpick uses a USB.  Phones and other electronic devices as said you only need a plug adaptor.  The unit you have is definitely not allowed to be used on board.  No reason either as there are already 110V outlets.

[DebInAntigua]

15 hours ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

I would put it in my luggage and declare it as you might need it when in Europe.  For example my wife's nebulizer operates only on 110V. What devices do you have that only operate on 110V?  For me only my beard trimmer.  Will use a battery operated toothbrush and my waterpick uses a USB.  Phones and other electronic devices as said you only need a plug adaptor.  The unit you have is definitely not allowed to be used on board.  No reason either as there are already 110V outlets.

We expect to need it for our CPAPs while in Amsterdam. As long as they return it at the end of a transatlantic, that's fine.

[NantahalaCruiser]

17 minutes ago, DebInAntigua said:

We expect to need it for our CPAPs while in Amsterdam. As long as they return it at the end of a transatlantic, that's fine.

Like most current electrical devices many CPAP power supplies can use 110 or 220 volts. Check the fine print on your CPAP's power supply to determine the allowed range of input voltage.  My ResMed CPAP's power supply has an allowed input voltage of from 100 to 240 volts.  If yours is similar, you may only need a plug adapter - not a power supply transformer.

[SFCAcruiser]

2 hours ago, DebInAntigua said:

We expect to need it for our CPAPs while in Amsterdam. As long as they return it at the end of a transatlantic, that's fine.

I used my Resmed CPAP in Amsterdam last month. I suspect other major brands operate in a similar way. All I needed was a European plug adapter, which costs just  a couple of dollars at my local hardware store. As you know, UK will require a different plug adapter, which is a little more expensive. No need for an electric current converter for most travelers - the machines use 220 or 110v automatically - CPAP,  phone, iPad and camera (who remembers those? 😜) 

[Jim_Iain]

20 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

As others mentioned for electronics you don’t need a voltage converter. Some hair dryers and curling irons might need voltage converters. You do need plug adapters. You need a Euro plug adapter and a UK plug adapter. 

Only suggestion is to look at the power on the device you are plugging in and make sure it says 110/220 V. Most electrical devices are now dual voltage but I did find an older Roku I had only had a 110 V adapter and if I had plugged it in would have fried my device.

 

I usually just buy plug adapters for different countries I visit.    These are my favorites

 

 

[Turtles06]

2 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

I usually just buy plug adapters for different countries I visit.    These are my favorites

 

 

 

I just used that same US to UK adapter on our land trip last month in the UK.  Worked very well!  I have the same brand US to European adapter and will be taking it on its first cruise in a week, to use in the European outlet in our cabin (giving us another outlet). 

[Turtles06]

2 hours ago, NantahalaCruiser said:

Like most current electrical devices many CPAP power supplies can use 110 or 220 volts. Check the fine print on your CPAP's power supply to determine the allowed range of input voltage.  My ResMed CPAP's power supply has an allowed input voltage of from 100 to 240 volts.  If yours is similar, you may only need a plug adapter - not a power supply transformer.

 

@DebInAntiguaI strongly second the advice to check your CPAP's power supply.  Just about every electrical device that folks might travel with now, or that is internationally marketed, is dual voltage, in which case you would only need an adapter for the foreign outlets, not an actual power converter.  Your CPAP power supply may be in two parts and you may have to look at the small writing on the power block to see the range of voltage.

 

There are not that many manufacturers of CPAP machines, and I suspect you are not likely to have one made only for use in the USA/Guatemala. 

 

So now that we're all intrigued, I hope you'll come back and tell us about the voltage range of your CPAP machine.  🙂 

 

And your trips sound awesome!

[Guindalf]

Not needed as ships have both 110 and 220/240 in each room.

 

converter plugs are fine but I suspect you’d have a power inverter confiscated as even in a home, they’re a fire risk. 

[Charles4515]

22 minutes ago, Guindalf said:

Not needed as ships have both 110 and 220/240 in each room.

 

converter plugs are fine but I suspect you’d have a power inverter confiscated as even in a home, they’re a fire risk. 

They want use them on land in Amsterdam and London not onboard. I had one item that only used 110, an Oral B electric tooth brush and i solved that by using a manual brush. When the Oral died I replaced it with a Phillips which had dual voltage chargers. I won't buy anything now that requires a voltage converter if it is something I plan to travel with.  

Edited November 6, 2022 by Charles4515

[Jim_Iain]

6 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

They want use them on land in Amsterdam and London not onboard. I had one item that only used 110, an Oral B electric tooth brush and i solved that by using a manual brush. When the Oral died I replaced it with a Phillips which had dual voltage chargers. I won't buy anything now that requires a voltage converter if it is something I plan to travel with.  

If your using the Phillips Sonic Care -  I have a travel charger but found recently that when I was away in August - September for 6 weeks it held the charge and never had to charge it even using 2x a day.     I was amazed the battery lasted so long.