Royal Caribbean has revised its list of forbidden items to ban a useful travel tool that many cruisers pack as an essential item.
Even though the change “was not communicated to passengers, and the cruise line has not clarified the matter through the media,” reports TheStreet.com, the cruise line’s newly republished list of prohibited items was recently revised to include “Extension Cords and Multi-Plug Outlets/ Power Strips.”
Bad news to anyone whose smartphone and laptop batteries have ever run low at the same time: Now power strips are listed right alongside gasoline and candles as one of the most dangerous objects passengers can bring on a cruise.
As the devices in travelers’ suitcases have multiplied, the availability of power plugs in staterooms has remained low. As regular cruisers know, electrical outlets in cabins can be scarce. Some newer cruise ships have added USB-style power ports to the standard design of some cabins, but on countless older ships, there may be as few as a single American-style plug and one European-style pin outlet in each cabin’s common area.
Many cruisers solve the dearth of outlets by simply packing a small surge suppressor, like this one, that turns a single outlet into several.
But now items like the one we linked to above are explicitly banned on Royal Caribbean.
The rule is so new there are not yet many reports of multi-plug outlets being confiscated on Royal Caribbean ships. The same rule has not yet been imposed upon Royal Caribbean’s sister brand Celebrity Cruises, but technically, Royal Caribbean passengers have now been warned, and its security inspectors may now seize these items.
More than a decade ago, the Coast Guard issued a Marine Safety Alert warning about surge protective devices, the common type of plug system passengers use to expand outlet availability in cabins. The advisory warned that such multi-outlet power strips are only effective with land-based electrical systems. “While these devices may provide protection in our homes and offices, these same devices may be a fire risk onboard vessels,” the Coast Guard statement said.
Questions remain. Royal Caribbean’s new rule doesn’t explicitly mention surge protectors, so does that mean any device that creates additional electrical outlets is banned, even if it lacks a surge suppression feature? Does the change also mean that devices that turn a single outlet into multiple USB-style ports, which carry much less voltage than traditional electrical outlets, are also banned?
Media outlets contacted Royal Caribbean with requests for clarification last week, but so far, no clarifying statements have been issued.
Source: Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s prohibited items list
If you intend to pack a power strip of any kind on your upcoming cruise, make sure you double-check the line’s list of forbidden items—even if you have brought a multi-plug outlet on previous cruises.
And if you’re headed onto a Royal Caribbean cruise soon and need to find additional ways to charge your items, try these:
• Pack a single-plug adapter so that you can also use your cabin’s European-style pin outlet.
• Pack a solar panel (like this one) and use your balcony or window as an energy source.
• Pack a few portable batteries, keep one charging on your cabin outlet, and swap them as needed.
Update, September 26, 2024: A member of Royal Caribbean’s social media team clarified in a post that devices that create electrical outlets will not be permitted, but ones that only create additional USB ports will be. “Electrical Extension Cords – including power strips/surge protected strips and multi-plug outlets are NOT allowed. We do allow the multi-plug blocks on which the outputs are for USB cables.”
