hair appliances

[rmbarber]

Will the Ruby Princess have outlets for American appliances or will I need to take a converter?

[paul929207]

There will be US style outlets in the cabin.

[aohkay]

If you are going to be in Europe pre or post stay, check with your hotel. I completely forgot about this and couldn't use my flat iron at our hotel in Zakynthos.

[SadieN]

If you are going to be in Europe pre or post stay, check with your hotel. I completely forgot about this and couldn't use my flat iron at our hotel in Zakynthos.

 

Many appliances are dual voltage 110v-240v these days. It's written somewhere on the appliance or plug. For the dual voltage appliances you only need a plug adapter.

HINT- Most ship have both American 110v and European 220v outlets. Bring a plug adapter and use your dual voltage appliances.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

[flamomo]

While this not what you asked about, I am offering you an FYI ...... Princess' hair dryers are not very powerful, so if you have long or thick hair, you may want to bring you own.

[luv2cruisin]

We just bought a multiple travel converter plug from Walmart. The one we bought is kinda the same idea as a "swiss army knife". A little bulky at about 2"x2", but will fit Asia plugs, South American plugs, European, etc

 

Hope this helps :)

[gaynell]

of course they power american appliances. it's an american line.

[BobTroll]

All Princess ships cater for North American passengers. Consequently, your cabin will have at least one power socket, with two flat pins and a round earth pin (110 volts, 60 Hz).

 

Princess ships vary. Many of them have additional sockets, which deliver 220 volts, 60 Hz (suitable for passengers from the UK, Europe and Australasia). The 220 volt power sockets on Princess ships are usually the European type, with round pins and earthing strips on each side. Consequently, Brits, Australians and New Zealanders should pack an adaptor.

 

I vaguely recall that Sea Princess (which used to sail as a P&O ship) has British three pin sockets (in addition to the standard 110 volt American sockets). I don't know whether Princess Cruises have added British sockets to the cabins of Grand Princess, which is based at Southampton in the UK, and has just returned from a major refit.

 

The flat pin shaver socket in your bathroom is suitable for North American shaver plugs (flat pins - 110 volts). Most shaver sockets have a second set of round holes, which accept continental European shaver plugs (220 volts). UK shaver plugs have slightly fatter pins than the continental European type, so British passengers may require an adapter.

 

There will be a hairdryer on the wall of your bathroom. My wife always complains that the fitted hairdryer is either too hot - or not hot enough. You must use one of the power sockets in your cabin, if you bring your own hairdryer, because the shaver socket is NOT suitable for hairdryers.

 

I have a tip for passengers who require a 220 volt supply. If there is no 220 volt socket next to the telephone in your cabin, pull the bed or bedside cabinet away from the wall. The bedside lights are usually 220 volts, so you will probably find a european type socket behind your bed.

[flamomo]

I believe Bob has one thing partially wrong in the post above this one .......

 

In my experience, the only Princess ships that have the hairdryer on the wall in the bathroom are the "small ships". ie. the Pacific and the Ocean. And, yes, those dryers put out a lot of heat!!

 

Regular handheld hairdryers on the other Princess ships are set up for use at the desk, which is where the readily accessible electrical outlets are. These dryers are,IMO, the ones that are only lukewarm and don't have much airflow.

[BobTroll]

I believe Bob has one thing partially wrong in the post above this one .......

 

In my experience, the only Princess ships that have the hairdryer on the wall in the bathroom are the "small ships". ie. the Pacific and the Ocean. And, yes, those dryers put out a lot of heat!!

 

Regular handheld hairdryers on the other Princess ships are set up for use at the desk, which is where the readily accessible electrical outlets are. These dryers are,IMO, the ones that are only lukewarm and don't have much airflow.

 

Thank you for the correction.

 

I have insufficient hair to require an electric hairdryer. Consequently, I have never needed to test the ship's equipment.

 

However, my wife did complain about the dryers in the small ships (too hot) and I know she was equally unhappy with some of the dryers on other Princess ships. Consequently, it is a good idea to pack your own dryer.

[Fighter Pilot]

Will the Ruby Princess have outlets for American appliances or will I need to take a converter?

 

We sailed on the Ruby this spring and all outlets are American style and voltage. Ruby is an "okay" ship, but not up to the usual standard vis-a-vis their suites and amenities. We had the largest suite on the ship (owners) and the furnishings were no better than an inside cabin....just bigger. Same with linens, etc.. Seemed to be a large number of cost cutting measures compared to previous Princess cruises.

 

Just as an aside, we were told that Oceania's Marina was the same as per American outlets, but there was only one plug near the dressing table bar counter that was American-style. The two next to the mirror had the British style round holes. The dryer that came with the suite did not stay in those holes - fell right out. Fortunately, I had a dual voltage dryer and conversion plugs so I was fine. This was the ONLY anomaly in an otherwise PERFECT penthouse suite.

[CraftyEC]

The two next to the mirror had the British style round holes..

Not sure about what sockets were on board, but British plugs are all three SQUARE pin type, much wider based than either European or US plugs. So, no round holes at all!

[BobTroll]

Not sure about what sockets were on board, but British plugs are all three SQUARE pin type, much wider based than either European or US plugs. So, no round holes at all!

 

There are many types of plug, which you may encounter in your worldwide travels. The web page at www.adaptelec.com/index.php?main_page=document_general_info&products_id=237 has pictures of the various sockets.

 

You will also find hybrid versions of these sockets in some countries. For instance, some sockets in Thailand will accept US two-pin plugs, European two-pin plugs and Australian two-pin plugs.

 

The most important aspect to consider is the voltage. The standard voltage in many parts of the world is 220-240 volts, so if you come from North America and want to use a 110 volt appliance, you MUST buy a transformer, which reduces the voltage to 110 volts.

 

Your cabin on a cruise ship will have North American electrical sockets, which supply 110 volts at 60 Hz.

 

The cabin may also have Continental European electrical sockets, which supply 220 volts at 60 Hz. And if the ship caters (or has catered) for the British market, it will probably have UK power sockets in addition to, or instead of, the Continental European type.

 

Incidentally, North American electrical appliances are designed to operate at 60 Hz. European appliances (and appliances from many other countries) are designed to operate at 50 Hz.

 

The power supply on cruise ships usually operates at 60 Hz (for 110 volt and 220 volt sockets). The frequency is not critical, and the difference should not damage European electrical appliances. A hairdryer or shaver won't even notice the difference.

[Happy ks]

We just bought a multiple travel converter plug from Walmart. The one we bought is kinda the same idea as a "swiss army knife". A little bulky at about 2"x2", but will fit Asia plugs, South American plugs, European, etc

 

Hope this helps :)

 

Make sure it is a convertor and not just an adaptor, there is a huge difference in the two. If your appliance is dual voltage, no problem, but if not and your new gizmo is merely an adaptor, you will ruin the electrical items you plug in.

 

It can be confusing. I work in a luggage/travel store part time and we go over this with customers a lot. We sell both of these multi plug units, some are adaptors, some are convertors.

[sassy12]

My husband has a CPAP machine so we took a converter/adaptor with us to Prague for our pre-cruise hotel stay. We used it for his machine the first night with no problems. The next day I plugged my curling iron in the same converter/adaptor and after it was hot I started to curl the top back of my hair and couldn't get the curling iron out - I finally tugged and about four inches of my hair came with it and was melted onto the curling iron. At this time the iron bent in the middle. What a mess.

 

That night my husband used it for his CPAP machine and it worked fine again.

 

However, I had used a different wall outlet which was above the refrigerator so I could look in the mirror as I curled my hair. Don't know if that outlet was somehow stronger than the other one or not.

 

So, I was off to find another curling iron. Guess what? Evidently they aren't used much in Prague - only very large barrels or flat irons - neither of which I need. After walking about two miles and asking in countless salons and electronic stores, someone directed me to a beauty supply store where I found what I could use.

 

So - beware. Strange things can happen.