HAL Prohibited Items now includes multi-plug outlets

[Fubie]

Yesterday I watched a video titled Royal Caribbean Just BANNED This On Their Ships by the MidShips YouTube channel and was surprised to find out that Royal Caribbean is now banning multi-outlet plug adapters.  I know I have looked at the HAL prohibited items list in the past but I decided to check now and see if any changes had been made.  I was disappointed but not surprised to find, almost at the bottom of the list:

 

Electrical devices such as small fans, multi plug box outlets/adaptors, power strips/extension cords with surge protectors.

 

Has anyone experienced these adapters being confiscated?  

[Shmoo here]

4 minutes ago, Fubie said:

Yesterday I watched a video titled Royal Caribbean Just BANNED This On Their Ships by the MidShips YouTube channel and was surprised to find out that Royal Caribbean is now banning multi-outlet plug adapters.  I know I have looked at the HAL prohibited items list in the past but I decided to check now and see if any changes had been made.  I was disappointed but not surprised to find, almost at the bottom of the list:

 

Electrical devices such as small fans, multi plug box outlets/adaptors, power strips/extension cords with surge protectors.

 

Has anyone experienced these adapters being confiscated?  

I think the wording is unclear.  Are they talking about the basic "change one outlet to 3 or 4 outlets" plug-in?  Or just ones that also contain surge protection, like surge protected strips/power cords?

[Lido deck main]

22 minutes ago, Fubie said:

Yesterday I watched a video titled Royal Caribbean Just BANNED This On Their Ships by the MidShips YouTube channel and was surprised to find out that Royal Caribbean is now banning multi-outlet plug adapters.  I know I have looked at the HAL prohibited items list in the past but I decided to check now and see if any changes had been made.  I was disappointed but not surprised to find, almost at the bottom of the list:

 

Electrical devices such as small fans, multi plug box outlets/adaptors, power strips/extension cords with surge protectors.

 

Has anyone experienced these adapters being confiscated?  

No one should ever bring an adapter with surge protection, fights the ships electrical system, if something is shorted can be dangerous.

[Tampa Girl]

20 minutes ago, Shmoo here said:

I think the wording is unclear.  Are they talking about the basic "change one outlet to 3 or 4 outlets" plug-in?  Or just ones that also contain surge protection, like surge protected strips/power cords?

I think a phone call to HAL is in order.  Surge protectors have been taboo for many years, but that sentence seems to say that it could include non-surge multi prong adapters.  OTOH, the adapter are small and would be worth traveling with, provided that once aboard the ship their legitimate use is confirmed.

[Torquer]

Although the wording is not clear, as happens a lot with HAL, I read that as multi-plug outlets that also contain surge protectors.  I also believe this wording has not changed since I read this HAL wording last time this topic was discussed on CC.  We always have a 1-to-3 plug adapter plus an extension cord that has 3 plugs on the end, and it has never been confiscated; we leave these out so the room stewards can clearly see them.  I will continue to do this until HAL clarifies the wording or I hear of actual confiscations.

[C 2 C]

The room steward has always provided us one upon request.

It looks exactly like the ones they would confiscate.

[highscar]

What is the wattage not allowed for travel appliances.  My little  travel coffee  maker was allowed years ago.  

[Sharon in AZ]

I have this type of plug in outlet and have taken it on at least 3 cruises in the past year, most recently on the the Zuiderdam for two weeks. I always keep it out and unplugged it when not in use. 
 

 

[Junebug Jeffery]

I have a CPAP and HAL always supplies me with an extension cord and power bar where needed. 

[Mary229]

I will soon find out as I am boarding next week. I always carry my international adapter to use at hotels and with the bonus of being able to use that extra outlet on the ship.

 

Some of the older ships have minimal outlets

Edited Thursday at 07:13 PM by Mary229

[Fouremco]

2 hours ago, Sharon in AZ said:

I have this type of plug in outlet and have taken it on at least 3 cruises in the past year, most recently on the the Zuiderdam for two weeks. I always keep it out and unplugged it when not in use. 
 

 

Unfortunately, this is just the type of power strip that has a surge protector and presents a potential fire risk aboard a ship. It's important to read the details for any adapter, and the description provided by Amazon is very clear:

 

Power Strip with USB, SUPERDANNY Mini Surge Protector with 2 Wide-Spaced Outlets, 3 USB-A 1 USB-C, 5 Ft Extension Cord, Flat Plug, Compact Size Desktop Charging Station Travel, Home, Office, Black

 

and from the superdanny website:

 

• 【7-Fold Protection】Made of fire-resistant PC (1382℉) material, rating: UL94 V-0, the highest fire resistance level. To protect you and your valuable electronic devices, this power adaptor offers all-round protection: overload/short-circuit/ USB over-voltage/ USB over-current/ USB over-heat/surge protection.

 

Unfortunately, the fact that your power strip hasn't been confiscated does not mean that it ok to have aboard. Many such units look very similar, including ones that have no surge protection and are perfectly safe. You should replace it with a unit such as the following:

 

 

 

 

 

[FlaMariner]

I always thought extension cords and octopus outlets were always off limits on HAL.....no need to pack that stuff, just ask once onboard.

 

 

[Foggy Bay]

5 hours ago, Sharon in AZ said:

I have this type of plug in outlet and have taken it on at least 3 cruises in the past year, most recently on the the Zuiderdam for two weeks. I always keep it out and unplugged it when not in use. 
 

 

I have a very similar item and have taken it on several HAL cruises.  I'm glad to hear yours was a recent trip.  I'm reading it as nothing with surge protectors.

[Mary229]

20 minutes ago, Foggy Bay said:

I have a very similar item and have taken it on several HAL cruises.  I'm glad to hear yours was a recent trip.  I'm reading it as nothing with surge protectors.

RCCL’s new rule is for everything not just surge protector devices. I assume it is because they don’t want the crew having to figure out what is what. 

[Wehwalt]

6 hours ago, Mary229 said:

I will soon find out as I am boarding next week. I always carry my international adapter to use at hotels and with the bonus of being able to use that extra outlet on the ship.

 

Some of the older ships have minimal outlets

We also bring a little black adapter that fills that slot and that my laptop cord can plug into without fear of being fried.

[MaxThrusters]

I'm glad I read through that list, as I had thought about bringing a drone to take some aerial photos while ashore! That being said, am appalled that small fans are prohibited? I bought a small hand held/table-top USB powered fan recently. Why in the world would that be prohibited? Because of the battery? My laptop and camera have bigger batteries of the same type lol

Edited 20 hours ago by MaxThrusters

[POA1]

I'm pretty sure it's the surge protector part that's prohibited. I have a 2:1 short 3 prong, plain splitter that I have been carrying for decades.

 

I also have a 6 USB charging block and some European adapters

 

Unless you are on the Volendam or the Zaandam, you're probably going to be fine outlet-wise.

 

The ship's USB outlets are type A, so you'll want device cords that have the original flat plug on one end and whatever your device needs on the other.

[POA1]

As always, I am delighted to see everyone up in arms, in a lather, panties in a bunch, for no apparent reason. 😁

 

From Know Before You Go:

 

Electrical devices such as small fans, power strips, multi plug box outlets/ adaptors, and extension cords without surge protectors are allowed onboard when used with proper caution.

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/plan-a-cruise/get-ready-for-your-cruise/faq/know-before-you-go

 

 

Edited 19 hours ago by POA1

[Fubie]

1 hour ago, POA1 said:

As always, I am delighted to see everyone up in arms, in a lather, panties in a bunch, for no apparent reason. 😁

 

From Know Before You Go:

 

Electrical devices such as small fans, power strips, multi plug box outlets/ adaptors, and extension cords without surge protectors are allowed onboard when used with proper caution.

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/plan-a-cruise/get-ready-for-your-cruise/faq/know-before-you-go

 

 

And of course I'm delighted to see those that always call out everyone who is worried.  🤣 

 

So as usual we have competing, partially contradictory statements from the cruise line:  

 

What items are prohibited on board Holland America Line cruises?  "Electrical devices such as small fans, multi plug box outlets/adaptors, power strips/extension cords with surge protectors."

 

Know Before You Go > Electrical Appliances >  "...Electrical devices such as small fans, power strips, multi plug box outlets/ adaptors, and extension cords without surge protectors are allowed onboard when used with proper caution."

 

I guess only time, and cruisers reporting back, will tell the story.

[POA1]

13 minutes ago, Fubie said:

And of course I'm delighted to see those that always call out everyone who is worried.  🤣 

 

So as usual we have competing, partially contradictory statements from the cruise line:  

 

What items are prohibited on board Holland America Line cruises?  "Electrical devices such as small fans, multi plug box outlets/adaptors, power strips/extension cords with surge protectors."

 

Know Before You Go > Electrical Appliances ppliances ctrical devices such as small fans, power strips, multi plug box outlets/ adaptors, and extension cords without surge protectors are allowed onboard when used with proper caution."

 

I guess only time, and cruisers reporting back, will tell the story.

 

The prohibited items match what I posted about the surge protection.

 

URL:  https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/faq/cruise-planning/packaging-and-luggage/prohibited-items

 

Electrical devices such as small fans, multi plug box outlets/adaptors, power strips/extension cords with surge protectors

 

The with surge protectors modifies all the list items that proceed it. (I paid attention in English class. I can even spell!)

 

For example, if I wrote, "We enjoy traveling, dining and drinking with friends," you would not assume that we did did not like the first two things with friends, would you? (If you said, "Why yes, POA1 only likes to drink with friends. He prefers travel and eating alone." You would be misreading the sentence. Also, your elementary school teachers who tried to teach you grammar would be sad.)

 

 

Edited 18 hours ago by POA1

[Sdbulla]

19 hours ago, Fubie said:

Yesterday I watched a video titled Royal Caribbean Just BANNED This On Their Ships by the MidShips YouTube channel and was surprised to find out that Royal Caribbean is now banning multi-outlet plug adapters.  I know I have looked at the HAL prohibited items list in the past but I decided to check now and see if any changes had been made.  I was disappointed but not surprised to find, almost at the bottom of the list:

 

Electrical devices such as small fans, multi plug box outlets/adaptors, power strips/extension cords with surge protectors.

 

Has anyone experienced these adapters being confiscated?  

This is not new. They will provide you with a ship approved power strip extension cord if you ask your cabin steward.

[srsurman]

5 minutes ago, POA1 said:

For example, if I wrote, "We enjoy traveling, dining and drinking with friends," you would not assume that we did did not like the first two things with friends, would you?

You had me until you forgot your Oxford comma.🤔

[syesmar]

34 minutes ago, Fubie said:

…So as usual we have competing, partially contradictory statements from the cruise line:  

What items are prohibited on board Holland America Line cruises?  "Electrical devices such as small fans, multi plug box outlets/adaptors, power strips/extension cords with surge protectors."

Know Before You Go > Electrical Appliances >  "...Electrical devices such as small fans, power strips, multi plug box outlets/ adaptors, and extension cords without surge protectors are allowed onboard when used with proper caution."

Perhaps they should re-word these sentences to be abundantly clear, to something like the following:

 

“What items are prohibited on board Holland America Line cruises?  "Electrical devices with surge protectors such as small fans, multi plug box outlets/adaptors, power strips/extension cords."

 

Know Before You Go > Electrical Appliances >  "...Electrical devices without surge protectors such as small fans, power strips, multi plug box outlets/ adaptors, and extension cords are allowed onboard when used with proper caution."

 

If there’s a HAL rep reading, could you request to get the wording adjusted for clarity?

Edited 18 hours ago by syesmar

[3rdGenCunarder]

16 hours ago, Fouremco said:

Unfortunately, this is just the type of power strip that has a surge protector and presents a potential fire risk aboard a ship. It's important to read the details for any adapter, and the description provided by Amazon is very clear:

 

Power Strip with USB, SUPERDANNY Mini Surge Protector with 2 Wide-Spaced Outlets, 3 USB-A 1 USB-C, 5 Ft Extension Cord, Flat Plug, Compact Size Desktop Charging Station Travel, Home, Office, Black

 

and from the superdanny website:

 

 

• 【7-Fold Protection】Made of fire-resistant PC (1382℉) material, rating: UL94 V-0, the highest fire resistance level. To protect you and your valuable electronic devices, this power adaptor offers all-round protection: overload/short-circuit/ USB over-voltage/ USB over-current/ USB over-heat/surge protection.

 

Unfortunately, the fact that your power strip hasn't been confiscated does not mean that it ok to have aboard. Many such units look very similar, including ones that have no surge protection and are perfectly safe. You should replace it with a unit such as the following:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I recently bought something "cruise friendly" like this. I hope they let me use it on Eurodam this winter, because last time I was on that ship, the USB ports in the room were so loose that I couldn't get a good connection to charge my phone with them. 

 

Edited 17 hours ago by 3rdGenCunarder

[mcrcruiser]

16 hours ago, Fouremco said:

Unfortunately, this is just the type of power strip that has a surge protector and presents a potential fire risk aboard a ship. It's important to read the details for any adapter, and the description provided by Amazon is very clear:

 

Power Strip with USB, SUPERDANNY Mini Surge Protector with 2 Wide-Spaced Outlets, 3 USB-A 1 USB-C, 5 Ft Extension Cord, Flat Plug, Compact Size Desktop Charging Station Travel, Home, Office, Black

 

and from the superdanny website:

 

 

• 【7-Fold Protection】Made of fire-resistant PC (1382℉) material, rating: UL94 V-0, the highest fire resistance level. To protect you and your valuable electronic devices, this power adaptor offers all-round protection: overload/short-circuit/ USB over-voltage/ USB over-current/ USB over-heat/surge protection.

 

Unfortunately, the fact that your power strip hasn't been confiscated does not mean that it ok to have aboard. Many such units look very similar, including ones that have no surge protection and are perfectly safe. You should replace it with a unit such as the following:

 

 

 

 

 

We take some thing very similar on board & have had no problems ever