Spirit veterans: talk with me about electronics please

[SunniLicious]

I know the history of the Spirit, and have read that it carries different electricity than American appliances use - or, at least used to at one point.

 

Since, however, I'm not very savvy when it comes to electronic doo-dads, can anyone put in plain language which American items will and won't work onboard and what, if any, converter I will need?

 

I plan to use the hairdryer in the cabin, but would like to recharge our digital camera and portable DVD player batteries and my husband has a CPAP machine he needs to plug in.

[Toyz711]

pictures are worth a thousand words.

in the bathroom, the plug is for a shaver only...a hairdryer would blow the system. by the vanity, there is a plug that has what watts you can use...check your hair dryer or curling iron for it's watts/voltage.

get a outlet strip, i had my 2 camera batteries charging at night and my laptop plugged in...worked great with the strip.

[kcwingwalker]

Toyz711 has got it right! But, here's something I think will help you. We were at the main desk in the lobby and a gentleman came along and needed help setting up his CPAP machine. It was amazing how quickly the NCL staff came up with just the right adapters, etc. to make everything run smoothly and an offer to set everything up. So, it might be worth a stop at the lobby desk and not take any chances!

 

Enjoy your cruise................we did!

[electricron]

pictures are worth a thousand words.

in the bathroom, the plug is for a shaver only...a hairdryer would blow the system. by the vanity, there is a plug that has what watts you can use...check your hair dryer or curling iron for it's watts/voltage.

get a outlet strip, i had my 2 camera batteries charging at night and my laptop plugged in...worked great with the strip.

 

An excellent photo, showing all three kinds of receptacles in the cabins at the desk on the Spirit.

Note: Only the American 110 Volt receptacle has the 500 Watt restriction.

[dottyparka]

There's a converter set that's available at Wal-Mart, near the luggage, that has the adapters to plug into those other types outlets. I think it cost around $20. That's pretty cheap, considering the peace of mind that it will give.

[sonadom]

And bring a small 3 outlet power strip to plug in to the 'regular' plug above the desk. That way if you have camera, phone, and dvd player, they can all be recharged at once.

 

PS - our cabin did not have the 'max 500 watts / no hair dryers' above it. I used my steam inhaler (nowhere near 500 watts) successfully in the plug.

 

And there is a dual voltage hair dryer at Walmart that comes with both plugs (american and other). I believe it is a revlon brand. Sister in law used this successfully on the Spirit.

 

BTW - you can connect your dvd player to the tv - there are RCA inputs (only one audio and one video). Try out the cables at home with your tv first to make sure. On our tv, the inputs were labeled aux 2, but it really connected to the DVD as aux 1.

[SunniLicious]

Thanks for the input! I should clarify that I meant I planned to use the hairdryer provided on-ship to avoid blowing the fuse for my whole hallway. We have a balcony cabin - I assume every cabin provides a hairdryer, can anyone confirm that?

[kcwingwalker]

Yes, you will have a hair dryer. But the dryer really isn't great and handle/hose gets too hot while you are trying to dry your hair. My hair is thick and almost to my shoulders. I tried the bathroom dryer and quickly gave up......I think my hair would have dried faster by itself with the wind on the balcony. Good thing I brought my own....no problems once DH set up the adapter.

 

Best of luck to you!

[simple girl]

OK, I'm confused. Toyz711 says "by the vanity, there is a plug that has what watts you can use." (I can see the one in the bathroom has a 500 watt limit). So if my blowdryer is 1875 watts, I still don't know if the vanity plug can handle that. What do I need to bring to make sure I can use my hairdryer? Sorry if I am being dense!

[Toyz711]

you need the adapter everyone is talking about, go to walmart and ask.

if you have a balcony, the pictures is from the area at the vanity, which is near the balcony doors.

[simple girl]

And bring a small 3 outlet power strip to plug in to the 'regular' plug above the desk. That way if you have camera, phone, and dvd player, they can all be recharged at once.

 

And there is a dual voltage hair dryer at Walmart that comes with both plugs (american and other). I believe it is a revlon brand. Sister in law used this successfully on the Spirit.

quote]

 

Does the "regular" plug above the desk have a place for a ground? Or is it just a 2 prong plug? (our power strip has 3 prongs since it has a ground) I'm assuming it is like a standard wall outlet with 3 holes, but you never know...

 

Thanks for the tip on the hairdryer - I found it at Walmart!

[jp2001]

OK, I'm confused. Toyz711 says "by the vanity, there is a plug that has what watts you can use." (I can see the one in the bathroom has a 500 watt limit). So if my blowdryer is 1875 watts, I still don't know if the vanity plug can handle that. What do I need to bring to make sure I can use my hairdryer? Sorry if I am being dense!

 

You can't use your hair dryer in the American (regular for us) outlet but you can buy an adapter that will fit in the European (bigger) outlet and THEN plug your hair dryer in the adapter.

 

Do I make sense?

 

But 1875 watts does seem high to me, anyone else knows if it is OK?

[simple girl]

You can't use your hair dryer in the American (regular for us) outlet but you can buy an adapter that will fit in the European (bigger) outlet and THEN plug your hair dryer in the adapter.

 

Do I make sense?

 

But 1875 watts does seem high to me, anyone else knows if it is OK?

 

 

Thanks for your help, but I did figure out the hair dryer question (bought an international hair dryer with the appropriate adapter).

 

My follow up question was about the outlet that is by the desk. Just want to make sure it is a 3 prong.

[electricron]

You can't use your hair dryer in the American (regular for us) outlet but you can buy an adapter that will fit in the European (bigger) outlet and THEN plug your hair dryer in the adapter.

 

Do I make sense?

 

But 1875 watts does seem high to me, anyone else knows if it is OK?

 

Here's some basic Ohms Law at work to answer your question.

Power in Watts (P) = Current in Amps (I) x Volts (E)

Therefore I = P / E

I = 1875 W / 120 V

I = 15.6 Amps.

 

Most electrical circuits in the USA feeding living rooms, dens, bedrooms and bathrooms receptacles have 15 Amp circuit breakers. The rating of the circuit breaker is based upon the size wire used to wire the receptacle. 15 Amps for 14 awg (gauge) wire. Since the hair dryer isn't on continuously (all the time) you don't trip the circuit breaker.

 

Let's look at the Amps required for European 240 volts.

 

1875 / 240 = 7.8 Amps. Half the amps means you can use half the gauge wire, probably 18 awg or less.

 

The Spirit, being designed for the Asian market using 240 Volts, with no intention to ever sail in North America, was wired with smaller gauge wires to every cabin. That's why there is a 500 Watt limitiation in every cabin.

 

To rewire the entire ship will take weeks, possibly months. There must be hundreds of miles of wiring aboard it. It would cost a small fortune to rewire the ship.

 

The 1875 Watt hair dryer is okay to use with the 240 Volt Asian or European receptacles. But it's not okay to use with the American 110 Volt receptacles.

 

The more Amps you have, more heat is generated in the wires. The purpose of the circuit breakers is to prevent the wiring from over heating caused by too much current, which can cause shorts and electrical fires.

[b7440]

I have been on the Spirt 2 times last year. I also use a CPAP, we bought a 8 foot extenison cord with a power strip attached, it worked great, used it @ night for my machine, used during the day to power computer camera etc.

 

Yes it is a 3 prong plug

[CorvetteLady]

you need the adapter everyone is talking about, go to walmart and ask.

if you have a balcony, the pictures is from the area at the vanity, which is near the balcony doors.

 

The adapter will only give you different types of plugs. You need a converter, which will convert the 220 to 110. I got one at Sharper Image for $40, unfortunately mine didn't work, it fit into the outlets but the only thing it would power was my nightlight. I got lucky and my curling iron was less than 500 watts so I was okay. I used the hairdryer in the bathroom and it worked okay, it got a little hot to hold but it was better than any hotel hairdryer I've ever tried.

 

Someone on another thread said they have converters at the reception desk.

[shark&minnow]

Thank you for posting the question and for all the answers. I too was concerned about my hair! I think I will get the converter thing at Walmart.

[maryln]

Toyz711 has got it right! But, here's something I think will help you. We were at the main desk in the lobby and a gentleman came along and needed help setting up his CPAP machine. It was amazing how quickly the NCL staff came up with just the right adapters, etc. to make everything run smoothly and an offer to set everything up. So, it might be worth a stop at the lobby desk and not take any chances!

 

Enjoy your cruise................we did!

I emailed the ship coordinator & asked if they could have the adapter or whatever is needed sent to our PH suite & she said "Unfortunately we do not have an extra plug for this machine. You need to bring whatever is necessary.". I just don't want to take a chance so I'll buy whatever is needed. I've read quite a few posts on this subject, but I'm still confused about what to buy. An adapter & converter or a powerstrip? Does anyone know if there is an American outlet next to the bed in PH suite 10502? Thanks for your help.

[heatherandfred]

Since the Spirit is going into drydock this fall, wouldn't it make sense to overhaul the electrical system? Is that something that is done during a dry dock?

 

I'm trying to make some sense of all of this. I can use any wattage dryer/straightner IF I bring an adapter and plug it into the "European" plug? Is that right? If so, I'll go buy an adapter.

[heatherandfred]

Come to think of it Electricon, with the small fortune that they are charging us for the cabins, they should rewire the Spirit. I'm sure they can afford it.

 

How long is a ship in drydock for usually?

 

Can somebody post what the adaptor thing looks like from Walmart?

[Toyz711]

i would doubt it they can rewire the whole ship...it's the same for the frigs, the cabins aren't wired for that. can't help you any more then the photos i posted in the early discussion on this thread. i cut my hair really, really short so i didn't have to worry about all of this.

[nasvhillecruise]

I know the history of the Spirit, and have read that it carries different electricity than American appliances use - or, at least used to at one point.

 

Since, however, I'm not very savvy when it comes to electronic doo-dads, can anyone put in plain language which American items will and won't work onboard and what, if any, converter I will need?

 

I plan to use the hairdryer in the cabin, but would like to recharge our digital camera and portable DVD player batteries and my husband has a CPAP machine he needs to plug in.

 

I may get flamed for this, but here goes. I was really worried when I went, but went ahead & took my 1875 watt hair dryer. I had a power strip for hair straightener, curling iron, camera, etc. I plugged all into the "American" outlet & had NO problems. Whether that's unusual, I don't know. I just know it worked for me.

[garycarla]

first off, the Spirit is not special in this regard. In most of the cruise we have taken in the past few years, the setup was pretty much the same.

 

And, they are not about to rewire the ship to conform to American standards. Not gonna happen. Even the new ships are build to NON- US standards.

 

For anything other than a high wattage hair dryer, you have the one plug in the room. No problem. If you will need something by your bed, bring an extension cord. If you want to plug more than one thing in at a time, bring a power strip.

 

Again, no problems.

 

The plug in the bathroom is for very low wattage like a razer. You could also do your cell phone in there too.

 

As to the hairdryer. Easiest way is to just use what they provide. But, if you insist, your high wattage from home MIGHT work, even though they say it will blow a fuse. You can buy a converter and special plug to plug it into the other system. You have to handle the different voltage/wattage type AND have a different type plug. Is it worth all that?

[maryln]

first off, the Spirit is not special in this regard. In most of the cruise we have taken in the past few years, the setup was pretty much the same.

 

And, they are not about to rewire the ship to conform to American standards. Not gonna happen. Even the new ships are build to NON- US standards.

 

For anything other than a high wattage hair dryer, you have the one plug in the room. No problem. If you will need something by your bed, bring an extension cord. If you want to plug more than one thing in at a time, bring a power strip.

 

Again, no problems.

 

The plug in the bathroom is for very low wattage like a razer. You could also do your cell phone in there too.

 

As to the hairdryer. Easiest way is to just use what they provide. But, if you insist, your high wattage from home MIGHT work, even though they say it will blow a fuse. You can buy a converter and special plug to plug it into the other system. You have to handle the different voltage/wattage type AND have a different type plug. Is it worth all that?

If anyone doesn't want to use the hair dryer that is supplied on board you can buy the following one at Wal-Mart: Revlon Stylix International Travel Dryer (1875 Watt) model #RV603PK1.

I'm just wondering about plugging in the CPAP machine since there are actually 2 separate rooms in our suite, a living room and a bedroom. An extension cord might have to be way too long if the 110 volt outlet is only in the living room. I see on the machine that it is dual voltage (100-240) so we don't need a converter. Do you think if I bring a power strip & an adapter/surge protector we'll have all bases covered?

[Toyz711]

i would bring the power surge protector, which can to the power strip, also. most of the outlets are near a vanity or desk. if you can see a vanity in the photo of your style cabin, that is where the outlets should be. i would pack the right extension cord, just to be able to have the machine near the bed.