Power Strips on Cruise Ships?

[Insomniacs]

Hi, we are first time cruisers and was planning on taking a Bestek travel power converter with us on the cruise.  We have been using this travel convertor on all our trips world wide for close to 10 years.  I was recently told by a friend that we cannot take power strips on cruise ships.  I did some googling and others have said the restriction is you cannot bring power strips with surge protection.   I looked at our convertor and although it looks like a power strip it does not mention having surge protection.  Will this item be allowed on board or will they confiscate it? If it is not allowed does anyone have some suggestions for what is allow on board?

 

 

[david63]

Having read the specification for this device it is unclear whether it has "surge" protection but it does have overload protection.

 

I would suggest a quick email to the manufacturer to clarify.

[cr8tiv1]

Unfortunately, it is what security perceives as a power strip.  I have had a non-surge protection power strip confiscated (and returned at the end).  All my arguing did not matter.  Now, I travel with documentation.  

[UT-Volsfan]

We got this from Amazon and have used it on several cruises. 

 

Power Strip with USB C, AUOPRO Flat Extension Cord 4 Outlets Strips and 3 USB Ports, 5ft Long Braided Power Cord, Compact Charging Station for Computer Travel Cruise Home Office-ETL Listed

 

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[BamaVol]

Unless you can prove it does not have surge protection, it may be confiscated.  Even if you can, it may be confiscated.  I printed the Amazon description page from my purchase and taped it to the box.  So far, it’s made it on board. 

[Grayce]

Amazon sells some power strips that have a  logo on them that indicates they are " cruise safe", so it is very clear that they are not surge protected. May be easier to get something like that through security. 

[Insomniacs]

Thanks for all of the replies everyone.  I took @david63 advice and emailed the manufacturer.  I will wait to hear back from them.

 

Based on what others have said I may just purchase a newer travel power bar on Amazon that has a "cruise safe" logo @Grayce or has "no surge" protector on the description and print it as @BamaVol suggested.

 

I really can't risk having my power bar confiscated since we take a lot of electronics on board when we travel. Cameras, phones, laptop, kindles, etc...

[LACruiser88]

Here is the one we always bring onboard.

 

 

[richla]

7 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

Here is the one we always bring onboard.

 

 

We used that same one on our last Princess cruises. Worked great.

[Steelers36]

And don't forget to pack this handy item in case the internet goes down and you want to talk to shipmates:

 

[donaldsc]

11 hours ago, Insomniacs said:

Thanks for all of the replies everyone.  I took @david63 advice and emailed the manufacturer.  I will wait to hear back from them.

 

Based on what others have said I may just purchase a newer travel power bar on Amazon that has a "cruise safe" logo @Grayce or has "no surge" protector on the description and print it as @BamaVol suggested.

 

I really can't risk having my power bar confiscated since we take a lot of electronics on board when we travel. Cameras, phones, laptop, kindles, etc...

 

Power strips are not expensive.  Hardly worth the bother of contacting the manufacturer especially for a 10 year old strip.  Just buy a new one.

 

DON

[Camberley]

I was getting worried for a mo. Our last cabin steward was called Power and the thought of him stripping…..

[chengkp75]

On 7/17/2023 at 3:22 AM, Insomniacs said:

 I looked at our convertor and although it looks like a power strip it does not mention having surge protection.

Look at the writing on either the tag, or engraved on the back of the device.  If it mentions "VPN" or "VPR", and gives a voltage for that (like 300v), then the device is surge protected.  The 200w ones that Bestek sells currently are surge protected.

Edited July 18, 2023 by chengkp75

[kywildcatfanone]

I buy just a plain cord like they provide, and something to plug into it, like these:  Accomplishes the same thing, and no question from security about it being surge.

 

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Extension-Cord-feet-Black/dp/B075BMVZ2N/ref=sr_1_1_ffob_sspa?crid=22X2Z4VDBYG4Q&keywords=extension+cord&qid=1689357521&sprefix=extension+cord%2Caps%2C141&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

 

https://www.amazon.com/Splitter-TROND-Extender-Charging-Accessories/dp/B07QV13WLN/ref=sr_1_5?crid=MMKEMGPZ39HF&keywords=multi+plug+outlet+extender&qid=1689676867&sprefix=multi+plug+outlet+extender%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-5

 

[GoHuskies!]

On 7/17/2023 at 2:18 AM, UT-Volsfan said:

We got this from Amazon and have used it on several cruises. 

 

Power Strip with USB C, AUOPRO Flat Extension Cord 4 Outlets Strips and 3 USB Ports, 5ft Long Braided Power Cord, Compact Charging Station for Computer Travel Cruise Home Office-ETL Listed

 

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That particular item has this as the first line of information on the Amazon site:  "Multiple Surge Protector Power Strip:"

[UT-Volsfan]

17 minutes ago, GoHuskies! said:

That particular item has this as the first line of information on the Amazon site:  "Multiple Surge Protector Power Strip:"

In their description it shows it does not have surge protection. "Non surge protection feature makes the extension cord strip a necessary for cruise ship trip as carnival cruise line(and many others) ban surge protectors from their ships due to safety concerns."

Have cruised with this for over 4 months at sea and never had an issue getting it onboard.

[Insomniacs]

5 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Look at the writing on either the tag, or engraved on the back of the device.  If it mentions "VPN" or "VPR", and gives a voltage for that (like 300v), then the device is surge protected.  The 200w ones that Bestek sells currently are surge protected.

 

I received an email back from Bestek and they replied their voltage converters do not have surge protection. I doubled checked and looked on the bottom of the converter and it does not mention "VPN" or "VPR".  The strage thing is the description on Amazon mentions "Surge protection, short circuit protection and more advanced safety features keep you and your devices safe."

 

Just to be safe I purchased a new power strip on Amazon that advertises NO surge protection and cruise ship safe.  Since it is a cruise ship I really do not need the voltage converter.

 

https://www.amazon.com/BESTEK-Universal-Converter-Charging-Worldwide/dp/B01E140XWA/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=PNXXHE1KZXJ6&keywords=bestek%2Btravel%2Bconverter&qid=1689697467&sprefix=bestek%2Btravel%2Bconverter%2Caps%2C130&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

[Insomniacs]

10 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

Power strips are not expensive.  Hardly worth the bother of contacting the manufacturer especially for a 10 year old strip.  Just buy a new one.

 

DON

 

That is exactly what I ended up doing.  Bestek emailed me back and said there is no surge protection on their converters but I noticed the Amazon page mentions having surge protection.   I didn't want to take the risk so I ordered one on Amazon.  A converter is not necessary on a cruise ship so all I need is the power strip part.

[GoHuskies!]

1 hour ago, Insomniacs said:

 

That is exactly what I ended up doing.  Bestek emailed me back and said there is no surge protection on their converters but I noticed the Amazon page mentions having surge protection.   I didn't want to take the risk so I ordered one on Amazon.  A converter is not necessary on a cruise ship so all I need is the power strip part.

Right.

 

[GoHuskies!]

2 hours ago, UT-Volsfan said:

In their description it shows it does not have surge protection. "Non surge protection feature makes the extension cord strip a necessary for cruise ship trip as carnival cruise line(and many others) ban surge protectors from their ships due to safety concerns."

Have cruised with this for over 4 months at sea and never had an issue getting it onboard.

You and I are looking at two different power strips.  I copied the poster's URL for Amazon, pasted it in to Amazon, then copied the description from Amazon and put it into my post.  You are looking at a different one.

[Teechur]

I go to the dollar store and buy a 3-socket splitter for $1.25. (Sometimes two.) I do this before every cruise and abandon them when we fly home. I carry my cell phone, laptop, Water Pik, and a couple of throwaway night lights. My cell phone and Water Pik use the same power block, so I charge the phone overnight and the Water Pik during the day. Often, the cabin steward can supply 3-way splitters if you ask. No doubt they have been left behind by people like me. 😉

Edited July 18, 2023 by Teechur
punctuation repair

[Rick&Jeannie]

@Insomniacs...you keep making reference to a "power converter".  Perhaps this is just terminology getting in the way of a full understanding.  You DO NOT want/need a "power converter".  What you want is a power plug *adapter*...which simply changes the type of socket available for use.  Many cabins have 1 outlet that provides standard (for US) 110 volts.  I'll take a stab and guess that you don't want to "convert" any voltages here...just provide extra outlets to plug multiple items into.  A standard multi-headed extension cord/adapter provides this function.

 

If, on the other hand...your are plugging an *adapter* into a 220 volt outlet just keep in mind that even though your sockets "look" like standard US-style sockets...they are in fact connected to 220 volts!  Now, most power bricks/chargers these days are actually dual voltage devices, meaning that they can operate off of *either* 110 or 220 volts.  You have to look on the individual power brick to confirm this.

 

I carry a CPAP when I travel.  There is almost always a "hidden" 220 volt socket behind one of the beds.  I plug in an adapter that has both a 220 volt socket as well as a 110 volt style socket.  Doing so let's me plug in whatever *was* plugged into that socket (probably one of the nightstand lamps) while also providing a socket for my CPAP.  My CPAP operates with a dual voltage power brick.

 

 

Edited July 18, 2023 by Rick&Jeannie

[Insomniacs]

@Rick&Jeannie Hi, thanks for the reply.  Yes, I understand that I do not need a converter while on a cruise ship.  I stated that point a few times in previous post on this thread.  If you go back to the op I said I have a travel power converter that we use for many years in the past when we travel to Europe, Asia, Africa etc...  That Bestek power converter is also a power strip with 3 plugs and 4 USB ports. (See original post).  Even when I travel in North America I take this travel converter not because I need to convert the voltage but simply because it is small, compact and convenient.  This is our first cruise and my plan was to bring it along but a friend said I could not bring a power bar onto a cruise ship.  I googled this and found out he was only partially right.  It says you cannot bring power bars with surge protection.  This thread was to verify that fact.  I have since found out my converter does not have surge protection but I didn't want to risk arguing with security and purchased a new power strip on Amazon that advertised being cruise safe with no surge protection.  It was also recommended by many on this thread.   If I was cruising to Europe or the middle east and spending extra nights I would bring the travel convertor and print my email conversation with Bestek stating the converter has no surge protection. 

[trbarton]

Here’s a great adapter that I bought thru Facebook a few years ago. I’ve did a search but couldn’t come up with anything. It’s small & compact & has a long cord that pulls out with several plugs that plugs into everything that I use & is what I use the most. I have other cables as a backup. 
 

Perhaps someone can find this but I couldn’t find anything. 
 

Tom😀

 

Edited July 19, 2023 by trbarton

[Rick&Jeannie]

If your main concern is in regards to just "keeping everything charged" then all you really need is a multiport USB adapter such as this:

 

 

 

This way, you just need one US style plug to handle all your devices.  This one is made by Anker (from Amazon).  They make some good stuff.

 

Edited July 19, 2023 by Rick&Jeannie