Spirit - Important Wifey type question!

[Delbankin]

Hi,

We are due to cruise on Spirit shortly. We are inside cabin cheapskates. My wife would like me to ask a couple of really important questions:

 

What are the in-cabin hair dryers like? Needs to be high powered for my Mrs!

 

If no good, what are the cabin sockets like for using her own? Are there UK and US or European outlets and are they 110v or (less likely) 240v?

 

We are from UK so would appreciate feedback from anyone who has experienced what the Spirit has to offer in the hair dryer department.

 

This will be our second cruise this year with NCL having cruised earlier on Jade which we quite enjoyed. Looking forward to see what the Spirit has to offer. By recent accounts she seems to get positive reviews despite not being one of the younger ships and despite being somewhat different from the more traditionally designed ships.

 

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Del.

[philip_eunice1]

Hi,

We are due to cruise on Spirit shortly. We are inside cabin cheapskates. My wife would like me to ask a couple of really important questions:

 

What are the in-cabin hair dryers like? Needs to be high powered for my Mrs!

 

If no good, what are the cabin sockets like for using her own? Are there UK and US or European outlets and are they 110v or (less likely) 240v?

 

We are from UK so would appreciate feedback from anyone who has experienced what the Spirit has to offer in the hair dryer department.

 

This will be our second cruise this year with NCL having cruised earlier on Jade which we quite enjoyed. Looking forward to see what the Spirit has to offer. By recent accounts she seems to get positive reviews despite not being one of the younger ships and despite being somewhat different from the more traditionally designed ships.

 

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Del.

 

not sure about voltage but guess there all 110v but u will need an adaptor as

there all US style plugs

only thing we ever used them for was to charge or UK phones and ipads

never a problem not sure about hair dryers never heard a complaint about them so assumed they must be ok

[Cubechick]

The hair dryers on the Spirit are awful. However, the electrical system isn't that great either and they tell you to use low wattage dryers.

 

If bringing a powerful hair dryer, I would bring a surge protector as well.

[garycarla]

Dryers are same in inside cabins - somewhat weak. There is one US type plug, and one other. Not sure what that is.

 

By the way, in the future, you might want to be more speciic in your title. Like " Hair dryer situation on Spirit" or something along those lines.

 

As said, the Spirit does have reduced power supply - okay, but less than other ships. The Spirit is a good ship.

[luddite]

The hair dryers aren't real strong.

The amperage available in the rooms isn't sufficient to power a super-galactic hair dryer. It's just a fact on the Spirit (my favorite ship).

[chengkp75]

The hair dryers on the Spirit are awful. However, the electrical system isn't that great either and they tell you to use low wattage dryers.

 

If bringing a powerful hair dryer, I would bring a surge protector as well.

 

Not sure about the Spirit, but my belief is that all NCL ships have at least one 110v, and one 220v outlet. They are European round pin.

 

Not sure why bringing a high wattage dryer would require a surge protector. Surge protectors protect against high voltage inputs to your appliance, like a lightning strike. It does not have anything to do with your dryer overloading and popping the cabin circuit breaker.

 

UK motors (the fan in the dryer) are designed to run at 50 Hz, while shipboard power is 60 Hz. So the fan will normally run faster, pushing more air, which may produce cooler air. Plugging a 220v dryer into a 110v outlet will also produce poor heat, and a motor that turns slowly, if at all. Now, if there is not a 220v outlet in the cabin, you will need a step up transformer, but beware of the type of travel transformer you get. Some are designed for light loads like razors and not for heating loads, and will burn up if used with a hair dryer. Other transformers are designed for high wattage heat (resistance) loads. On the other hand, plugging a 110v high wattage dryer into a 220v outlet generally results in a handful of molten plastic in a real hurry.:eek:

[Cubechick]

Not sure about the Spirit, but my belief is that all NCL ships have at least one 110v, and one 220v outlet. They are European round pin.

 

Not sure why bringing a high wattage dryer would require a surge protector. Surge protectors protect against high voltage inputs to your appliance, like a lightning strike. It does not have anything to do with your dryer overloading and popping the cabin circuit breaker.

 

UK motors (the fan in the dryer) are designed to run at 50 Hz, while shipboard power is 60 Hz. So the fan will normally run faster, pushing more air, which may produce cooler air. Plugging a 220v dryer into a 110v outlet will also produce poor heat, and a motor that turns slowly, if at all. Now, if there is not a 220v outlet in the cabin, you will need a step up transformer, but beware of the type of travel transformer you get. Some are designed for light loads like razors and not for heating loads, and will burn up if used with a hair dryer. Other transformers are designed for high wattage heat (resistance) loads. On the other hand, plugging a 110v high wattage dryer into a 220v outlet generally results in a handful of molten plastic in a real hurry.:eek:

 

The surge protector suggestion was due to several posts I've read on the subject. Myself, I bring a travel hair dryer on the Spirit and just deal with the longer drying time.

[mypleasure]

Here is an answer from a fellow Brit. This si the answer you need:

 

I don't use a hairdryer but I hear that the hairdryers on board are crap.

 

The cabins have a standard 240v UK style 3 pin plug socket. They also have a 110v US stlyle socket but you don't need to worry about that as you have what you need in the UK socket.

 

Check my cruise history below and you will see I know what I am talking about. I am not guessing nor am I assuming all ships are the same. The Spirit is different, it was built for the Asian market and they use the same 240v 3 square pin socket that we do which is why this ship has them and no other NCL ship incl Jade does.

 

The Spirit is a lovely ship and the crew are lovely too. They are what makes your cruise special.

 

I am sailing on 6th Jan when are you sailing?

[time2cruise1]

Here is an answer from a fellow Brit. This si the answer you need:

 

I don't use a hairdryer but I hear that the hairdryers on board are crap.

 

The cabins have a standard 240v UK style 3 pin plug socket. They also have a 110v US stlyle socket but you don't need to worry about that as you have what you need in the UK socket.

 

Check my cruise history below and you will see I know what I am talking about. I am not guessing nor am I assuming all ships are the same. The Spirit is different, it was built for the Asian market and they use the same 240v 3 square pin socket that we do which is why this ship has them and no other NCL ship incl Jade does.

 

The Spirit is a lovely ship and the crew are lovely too. They are what makes your cruise special.

 

I am sailing on 6th Jan when are you sailing?

 

Exactly and the 240V outlet will support the most powerful hair dryer you can bring. The 110 limited to 600 watts.

[mitsugirly]

Here is a picture of the hairdryer used on the Spirit. It's kind of like a reverse vacuum cleaner.

 

 

 

Although everyone complains about the hairdryer not being strong enough, I did not have any problems with it. I have super long hair (although it is thin), but it definitely did the job for me.

 

 

Although the Spirit is an older ship, it is our second favorite (behind the Epic) ship of the fleet so far. It's totally different than the rest of the ships in the fleet and we loved her Asian flare. I would sail her again in a heartbeat.

 

I have a review of the ship in my signature line with pictures if you are interested. :)

[Delbankin]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

Looks like mypleasure has got it nailed - much appreciated, seems like my wife will be happy that her own hair drier can be accommodated.

 

Quite surprised by the photo posted by mitsugirly. The hair drier shown is like the ones in budget hotel bathrooms. Don't know why they bother with those as they are hardly good enough to dry my hair never mind my wife's.

 

I'm sure that we had a hair drier in the drawer of the dresser on Jade which was quite powerful.

 

Mypleasure, we are actually on the cruise after yours departing from Barcelona, so hoping for some decent weather (and seas) along the cruise. Hope you enjoy yours and leave the ship in good shape for us!

Del

[sammythedog]

I took my salon type hair dryer with me and didn't have any problem with the power. I also took a European adapter plug do I could plug in my ghds and they also worked perfectly.

 

Repeat this to wifey she will understand

[Delbankin]

Now there is confusion!. Mypleasure suggested there was a UK outlet in the cabin on Spirit. We thought we were sorted.

 

Now Sammythedog suggests a European adaptor was used for (what was presumably) a UK set of ghd's - I know what they are by the way! Why would you use such a set up if there was a UK Outlet available?. Did you have both plugged in at the same time?

Del

[kcwingwalker]

Here is a picture of the hairdryer used on the Spirit. It's kind of like a reverse vacuum cleaner.

 

 

 

Although everyone complains about the hairdryer not being strong enough, I did not have any problems with it. I have super long hair (although it is thin), but it definitely did the job for me.

 

 

Although the Spirit is an older ship, it is our second favorite (behind the Epic) ship of the fleet so far. It's totally different than the rest of the ships in the fleet and we loved her Asian flare. I would sail her again in a heartbeat.

I have a review of the ship in my signature line with pictures if you are interested. :)

 

We love the Spirit too.

 

Unfortunately it took forever to dry my hair which is long and thick. Also found that the nozzle and tubing get uncomfortably hot to hold. I always brought my own dryer and used the plug at the desk/vanity and had no problems.

[Froggitt]

Spirit defo has UK plug sockets (as of earlier this month!!!). It also has other sockets.....cannot remember what they are.

[Big Chippy]

Just to add to the post by my pleasure I can confirm that there is most certainly a UK plug above the dressing table on the Spirit.

[sailingnut]

The Spirit was my first cruise and it was wonderful~~but the hair dryer was something else!:) Please bring your own~~happy sailing!

[mypleasure]

Now there is confusion!. Mypleasure suggested there was a UK outlet in the cabin on Spirit. We thought we were sorted.

 

Now Sammythedog suggests a European adaptor was used for (what was presumably) a UK set of ghd's - I know what they are by the way! Why would you use such a set up if there was a UK Outlet available?. Did you have both plugged in at the same time?

Del

 

The only reason to use an adaptor and a European socket is if both are needed at the same time.

 

You are sorted there is definately a UK 240V socket. I have electrical items to plug in (not hairdryers and curling tongs) and never bother packing an adaptor for the Spirit since my first time on her when I found I didn't need one.

[sammythedog]

There is a uk socket but if you take the adapter you can use two sockets so that you don't have to keep swapping them over if you need two hair items!

[Big Chippy]

On my next cruise on the Spirit, late March, I intended to take a UK multi plug adaptor for my Ipad, my wife's Kindle, our phones and a hairdryer. Bit overkill I know but very handy.;)

 

O'h should you come back to this thread Jean have a wonderful cruise, if my memory serves me well you leave on the 6th.

look forward to hearing how you get on.

Stuart

Edited December 29, 2013 by Big Chippy
addition

[mypleasure]

Thanks for the good wishes Stuart. Doing final preparations and this time next week (late Sunday afternoon) I will be at Heathrow to meet my sister off her bus from South Wales. We will keep the ship safe for you and will let you know the details when I get home.

[insidecabin]

always take a power strip and a set of adaptors.

 

the real trick with the spirit is getting one of the oversized cabins.

 

it has i think the biggest inside cabins at sea(non access).

[Sir_Randy]

I may be all wet, but I thought I remembered reading some place that you should NOT use your personal hairdryers on the boat. The electrical system is not made to handle the power drain from the higher wattage home hairdryers, and you will blow circuit breakers that will kill all the power to all the cabins on that circuit.

Put on a hat and go have fun!

[time2cruise1]

I may be all wet, but I thought I remembered reading some place that you should NOT use your personal hairdryers on the boat. The electrical system is not made to handle the power drain from the higher wattage home hairdryers, and you will blow circuit breakers that will kill all the power to all the cabins on that circuit.

 

Put on a hat and go have fun!

 

 

You did but that is for the 110V US plug that was never designed as the primary power source for the cabins.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - Jim

[mcdermott]

Hi,

We are due to cruise on Spirit shortly. We are inside cabin cheapskates. My wife would like me to ask a couple of really important questions:

 

What are the in-cabin hair dryers like? Needs to be high powered for my Mrs!

 

If no good, what are the cabin sockets like for using her own? Are there UK and US or European outlets and are they 110v or (less likely) 240v?

 

We are from UK so would appreciate feedback from anyone who has experienced what the Spirit has to offer in the hair dryer department.

 

This will be our second cruise this year with NCL having cruised earlier on Jade which we quite enjoyed. Looking forward to see what the Spirit has to offer. By recent accounts she seems to get positive reviews despite not being one of the younger ships and despite being somewhat different from the more traditionally designed ships.

 

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Del.

 

Hi The hair dryers are not good and I have taken my good dryer and used it in an outside cabin

There are three plugs in an ourside cabin I European(Spanish)1British (3pin) and 1 American which should suit most pèople but maybe not the chinese