Tech Tip: USB Ports (Quest/Odyssey/Sojourn)

These days we tend to travel with a range of devices all needing charging - and often via a simple USB cable - such as Kindles, Phones, Tablets, ...

While I love the Seabourn ships - they are a bit dated when it comes to including USB charging sockets in the rooms (as many good hotels/river cruise ships now do).

The solution is simple! There are at least 4 unused USB ports on the mini-PC behind the in-room TVs.

The tray below my TV is now my charging station.

See images attached.

;)

Good catch!

Thank you.

Good tip, thanks!

Nice!

Roy

Use a computer of unknown provenance to attach your devices to:rolleyes:

That aside the USB ports on that PC aren't pushing that much juice so don't expect devices (especially those w/supercharge or the like) to charge as quickly as if you were using a wall-wart. A safer bet would be a travel size power-strip with normal plugs and usb built in, also has a surge protector that the PC is probably lacking.

+1 Can't agree more. Anyone plugging a USB cable into a random "available" USB port is inviting a potential disaster, and it doesn't what OS or security software you are running.

well - anything is possible - so please do what's in your comfort zone - but -

Seabourn is at far more risk from you plugging your stuff in than vice-versa. If you're (very) paranoid about your personal info, then please don't do it. But - if these four ports are dedicated to charging (not data), then the data lines aren't connected to anything anyway - there is, quite literally, zero data risk.

The charge time may or may not be slower, depending on your Usual Set-Up, but slower is better for charging these things in nearly every case. Your battery will thank you for it by keeping a fuller charge longer, and needing replaced altogether less frequently.

Surge suppression is not really a problem - you would be very unfortunate indeed to get a voltage surge thru a USB port that somehow damaged your device. It would, in all likelihood, have destroyed your TV computer too. (Meantime, and not on a boat, I've seen the "surge protected strips" absolutely burst into flame to stop the "surge." That energy has to go somewhere! If you're going to use these, don't skimp on power or cost - they'll save your iPhone and burn your house down.)

But the real point of doing this is to NOT transport yet another useless item in an already full suitcase!