Power Strips Confisgated - Veendam, San Diego March 9

Our family of three cruised out of San Diego, on the Veendam to Mexico, March 9. Holland America confisgated our two power strips from our checked luggage. Since when are power strips not allowed on Holland America? :confused: We each brought a computer to do work for our jobs and for school. Not having a power strip meant my daughter could not use her computer due to her plug configuration. It interfered with the desk top.

When Holland Anerica took the power strips they told us they would provide one for use in the cabin. Unfortunately they could not find one. Three days later Holland Anerica finally found a powerstrip and delivered it to our cabin.

My daughter was not a happy cruiser. Spring break was ruined. She said she wouldn't cruise Holland America again. :(

Has anyone else experienced this on Holland America?

The following has been in the Know Before You Go for many years:

Electrical Appliances: All staterooms are equipped with

standard 110 AC and 220 AC outlets. Guests with pre- or postcruise

hotel packages may want to bring converters

and/or adapters for their hotel stay. All staterooms are equipped

with hair dryers. If more outlet space is necessary, only Holland

America Line provided power bars are to be used. Please

contact the Front Office for more information.

This has been argued about many times on this forum. If you try to bring one of your own again make sure it is one without a surge protector. Those are bad on a ship because they shunt surges into the ship metal structure. I believe if yours did not have surge protectors they would not have been taken.

Or if you're in the situation again, have your daughter go to the Explorations Cafe and look for power outlets down near the floor where the stewards plug in their vacuum cleaners. Or ask one of them where an outlet is.

I bring "3 way cube taps" rather than a power strip ever since the notice first appeared in KBYG.

This discussion was brought up a few years ago when HAL announced that you were not bring your own power strip and they would provide you one upon asking.

I have never taken a power strip -- not even when I did take a laptop.

I know that some people said how they took them and said that they asked their cabin stewards if the power strips they brought were okay -- and they were told yes.

Guess more and more people will be having them confiscated.

They were confiscating power strips with surge protectors in San Diego a year ago. We also bring a three way plug adapter and one or two extension cords. We've never had a problem with bringing these on board.

Sorry your daughter felt her cruise was ruined. Hopefully, she will give HAL another try, and will bring a different adapter, so a future cruise will not be ruined.

The following has been in the Know Before You Go for many years:

 

If more outlet space is necessary, only Holland

America Line provided power bars are to be used. Please

contact the Front Office for more information.

 

This would not have been a problem for us if Holland America had been able to provide us the "power bar" at the start of the cruise. :( Three trips to the front desk and three days later was all it took to get that Holland America provided "power bar".

 

We also searched the ship for other power outlets. All we found were at floor level, so if you have one of the Dell computer plugs that has a big lump off the side of the plug then these outlets would not work for you.

This would not have been a problem for us if Holland America had been able to provide us the "power bar" at the start of the cruise.

... so if you have one of the Dell computer plugs that has a big lump off the side of the plug then these outlets would not work for you.

John, thanks for the visual. I need to get one while it is on my mind.

Would I find the converter thingies (not very technical!) in the same part of the store? Say home depot

I take a Belkin 3-Outlet Mini Travel Swivel Charger Surge Protector with Dual USB Ports, 5 Charging Outlets Total (1 AMP / 5 Watt) that I bought on Amazon. It is around $17. Works great!

Her cruise was ruined ?

She should think herself lucky that her parents took her to see some wonderful places in the world

I'm on vacation when I'm on a cruise. If I can't stay 'unplugged' for 7 days, then I shouldn't be going anywhere, imo. There are maybe a handful of careers out there that are truly that important, but in this day and age, society makes us all think we have to have our laptop, our phone, our tablets, etc, with us every step of the way. The fact that some parents even have their 6yoa kids on their phone plan, with their very own phone, (under the guise of "I need to know where they are and they need to be able to reach me), is depressing to me.

(Not aimed at the OP, just an overall comment about how we chain ourselves to technology and 'cant live a day without it').

I take a Belkin 3-Outlet Mini Travel Swivel Charger Surge Protector with Dual USB Ports, 5 Charging Outlets Total (1 AMP / 5 Watt) that I bought on Amazon. It is around $17. Works great!

I know, that's what we've used on many past cruises. However, I'll just point out, that it is described as a "surge protector". That's what some cruiselines have started enforcing as prohibited.

I'm going to have buy a couple of those cube taps.

I wonder if there's been some sort of new policy affecting all cruiselines about the surge protectors? I know DCL has recently started confiscating them also.

I take a Belkin 3-Outlet Mini Travel Swivel Charger Surge Protector with Dual USB Ports, 5 Charging Outlets Total (1 AMP / 5 Watt) that I bought on Amazon. It is around $17. Works great!

But that has a surge protector? Is that o.k. What does it look like?

After on cruise, I came home an discovered almost 100 spurious charges on one of our charge cards. since that time I have always checked alll my accounts when on board. This is how I work things out -- you can do it your way.

If HAL feels any electrical equipment may pose a fire danger they have every right to confiscate it.

We've personally seen an electrical fire in a cabin several years ago caused by equipment left plugged in while the passengers were at dinner.

But that has a surge protector? Is that o.k. What does it look like?

I take a Belkin 3-Outlet Mini Travel Swivel Charger Surge Protector with Dual USB Ports, 5 Charging Outlets Total (1 AMP / 5 Watt) that I bought on Amazon. It is around $17. Works great!

That's what we have. We have brought two of these on every cruise in the past five years, without any problem.

Her cruise was ruined ?

 

She should think herself lucky that her parents took her to see some wonderful places in the world

That's exactly what I was thinking. How in the world will she handle true disappointments in her adult life if lack of a power strip ruined her spring break?

cruise was ruined because HAL took away her surge protecter. well my cruise would be ruined if there was a fire in her cabin. All you have to do is go down to front desk and ask for one.

mary

thank you, now I know what it looks like when I go to buy it.

thank you, now I know what it looks like when I go to buy it.

On land, surge protectors shunt (dump) surges (excess voltage and current) to ground, and that's fine. On a ship, dumping excess power into the steel superstructure can damage distribution panels, knocking out power to many cabins or even starting fires.

Those that have used power bars with surge protectors "for years without any problems" have been lucky ... so far.

If you already have a power strip and don't know if it has a surge protector, take it to the front desk to check. They will approve strips without surge protectors.

.

I'm on vacation when I'm on a cruise. If I can't stay 'unplugged' for 7 days, then I shouldn't be going anywhere, imo.

(Not aimed at the OP, just an overall comment about how we chain ourselves to technology and 'cant live a day without it').

That is quite the generalization!

Our problem is the cameras. We travel with 2 teenagers and we each have our cameras and underwater cameras. Those chargers are HUGE. We have found that we need a power bar each night just for the camera chargers and that is with trading about and scheduling who is charging when.

Taking travel photos I would think is part or a great vacation and great vacation memories. I also use my ipad to process the photos. Don't go anywhere near the internet on the ship.

When we were on our Danube River Cruise, there were outlets everywhere...one on each side of the bed, doubles on each end of the desk, one near the floor , and one in the bathroom. Wonder why that is not the case on the big ships.:confused:

Anyway, we always pack a small power bar and it has not been taken away yet....just lucky I guess (or maybe it was a small cheapy that didn't have a surge protector)

 

My daughter was not a happy cruiser. Spring break was ruined. She said she wouldn't cruise Holland America again. :(

 

That's all it takes for her not to go on HAL again ? :confused:

I am glad to hear that HAL personnel are so vigilant. I applaud them.

There are so many inferior products out there, even some with surge protectors. HAL will provide you one that has been checked and certified as safe by their engineers.

HAL's challenge is the amount of cheap imported and unsafe products that reach NA and often carry a false UL or CAA label. They are a fire hazard-at home or on a ship.

If one did cause a fire, people would no doubt complain that HAL was negligent in not banning this product.

That is quite the generalization!

Not so much, all one has to do is look outside on their day-to-day commute, or in the office, even in the restroom. People are glued to their cellphones, camera-phones, ipads, etc. We, (society), got along just fine before all of this cr*p that everyone just has to have. There is hardly a thing as 'family time' anymore, unless it involves the kid wearing their earbuds so they can tone out the parents, or huddled around the tv, making sure no one talks to each other. Or if you're lucky, an occasional grunt, while the other person is busy texting away.

I accept that these devices are part of our lives now. What I don't accept is how attached people think they have to be to these devices. I have a cell. It is turned OFF when I'm driving. Not buzz, not silent, not bluetooth, OFF. I have a work laptop like many. The only time it leaves my house or office is for a conference/work related. I am on vacation for vacation. I have my digicams for those magical moments. I bring spare batteries and SD cards, and worry about downloading them later when my vacation is over.

"We" make too much on and depend too much on all of this mundane cr*p, and it affects us, our families, and those around us. (See recent discussions about allowing cell phone voice calls on planes. For Pete's sake, you are not that special that you have to blab in someone's ear for a 4-hour flight somewhere).

Not so much, all one has to do is look outside on their day-to-day commute, or in the office, even in the restroom. People are glued to their cellphones, camera-phones, ipads, etc. We, (society), got along just fine before all of this cr*p that everyone just has to have. There is hardly a thing as 'family time' anymore, unless it involves the kid wearing their earbuds so they can tone out the parents, or huddled around the tv, making sure no one talks to each other. Or if you're lucky, an occasional grunt, while the other person is busy texting away.

 

I accept that these devices are part of our lives now. What I don't accept is how attached people think they have to be to these devices. I have a cell. It is turned OFF when I'm driving. Not buzz, not silent, not bluetooth, OFF. I have a work laptop like many. The only time it leaves my house or office is for a conference/work related. I am on vacation for vacation. I have my digicams for those magical moments. I bring spare batteries and SD cards, and worry about downloading them later when my vacation is over.

 

"We" make too much on and depend too much on all of this mundane cr*p, and it affects us, our families, and those around us. (See recent discussions about allowing cell phone voice calls on planes. For Pete's sake, you are not that special that you have to blab in someone's ear for a 4-hour flight somewhere).

I sooooooooooo agree. I just can't understand how people can't go without their beloved cell phone for 2 seconds. It's really quite pathetic. Really tired of people posting selfies on Facebook too. A persons cell phone s/b confiscated for that alone.