Hair dryers in bathrooms

[hmorrow]

Hi

Can anyone tell me "how good"the hair dryers are on the Volendam ?

I'd rather not bring one, if they do a decent job on short hair.

Thanks

Helaine

[cruz chic]

I've found them to be of poor quality. I hate them so I brought my own last time even though I don't like to do that. You'll find that people will say they are fine. When you have to hold the button on that is not a good one. I buy the cheapie specials at home so it's not like I'm expecting a lot.

[feathersandnananose]

Hmmm. I don't remember having to hold a button down throughout blow-drying....

 

But, ... whatever ...., I have short fine hair and have never had a problem with the supplied hair dryers. They are, by the way, NOT in the bathroom, but in a desk drawer. There's no plug for them in the bathroom.

 

Barb

[PathfinderEss]

I always bring my own hair dryer and my hair is short. I'm just saying.

[BlueRiband]

I always bring my own hair dryer and my hair is short. I'm just saying.

 

You risk blacking out your cabin and those of your neighbors. An insider outlined why bringing your own hair dry is a bad idea:

 

It may help a bit if you understand how ships electrical systems work.

 

Nearly all cruise ships are built in Europe, where the standard voltage is 220v.

Nearly all the tools used by the construction workers who build the ships are 220v.

Nearly all the electrical machines installed onboard are purchased in Europe, so they are 220v.

 

Cruise Lines know that around 50% or more of their passengers are from North America, where the standard voltage is 110v. They also know that many North Americans are electrically challenged and often have machines and toys that are 110v ONLY. So the cruise lines install step down transformers in accommodations areas, reducing the 220 volt power to 110 volts. That allows them to install a LIMITED number of 110 volt receptacles in passenger cabins. That word LIMITED is very important.

Step down transformers for ships are very large, very expensive, and they create quite a bit of heat. The more power they handle, the hotter they get - and the more noise they make.

They are usually installed in the void spaces between passenger cabins - not far from the pillow you sleep on at night.

Passenger cabins are pre-fabricated on land, and then slid aboard on tracks after the ship is built. Wiring and plumbing are already installed in the cabins before they arrive at the ship. Once the cabins are placed, the wiring and plumbing are connected to the ship's systems.

The cabins are grouped electrically into 3's and 4's to allow them to share the step down generators.

 

Each group of 3 or 4 cabins shares the same electrical circuits. This is a very important concept to understand.

 

Under most conditions, this sharing of the electrical system is not a problem. But occasionally the occupants of all 3 or 4 cabins decide to use their own high wattage electric hair dryers at the same time. If the hair dryers happen to be 220v machines, the system is overloaded and (hopefully) the breaker switch trips to cut the power and avoid a fire. When this breaker switch is tripped, all power to all 3 or 4 cabins goes off. An electrician must be called to re-set the breakers.

But sometimes those passengers have high wattage 110 volt machines in use at the same time. This not only overloads the wiring, but it also overloads the step down generator supplying the power. If the breaker switches do not cut the power before the generator overheats, there could be a fire starting in the space between your cabins.

 

So we have several challenges happening here.

 

1. Passengers who bring high wattage equipment onboard and potentially start fires in the cabin when they forget to turn them off.

2. Passengers who bring high wattage equipment onboard and black out their cabin - and their neighbors' cabins - when the electrical system is overloaded.

3. Passengers who bring high wattage electrical equipment onboard and inadvertently start fires by overloading the step down generators for their cabins.

 

...And that is why the cruise lines do not want you bringing high wattage heat producing machines onboard our ships.

[ozcruizer]

Very interesting information, Blue Riband. I had no idea that 3-4 cabins could be sharing the same circuit! Just off the Oosterdam this morning and coming from Australia, our electrical appliances are 240v which do work on the 220v power.

 

However, I have found the hairdryers on the Volendam to be unsatisfactory as they just get hotter and hotter and are difficult to hold. There are other dryers on such ships as the Oosterdam and Noordam but I've always elected to use my own. I always use a hair straightener too (you would not want to see my hair without using it) so this is cause for thought.

 

Ozcruizer

[take us away]

Have never had any problem with the provided hair dryers - some may take a bit longer to get the hair dry but it is no big deal - at least to me.

[cruz chic]

Hmmm. I don't remember having to hold a button down throughout blow-drying....

 

But, ... whatever ...., I have short fine hair and have never had a problem with the supplied hair dryers. They are, by the way, NOT in the bathroom, but in a desk drawer. There's no plug for them in the bathroom.

 

Barb

 

I don't know if they are all like that but it was in the neptune suite I had on the Westy in April. You'd think for the price of those rooms they would be better. I'm not confused because I've mentioned it before. I know some people like them but I find the hairdryers are about as good as the shampoo.

[cruz chic]

You risk blacking out your cabin and those of your neighbors. An insider outlined why bringing your own hair dry is a bad idea:

 

Don't believe everything people post. There are others that have come along and proved some of these theories to be untrue. And yes, they are people that work on ships.

 

Take a look at post 11 on this thread

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2096456&highlight=steamer

Edited February 13, 2015 by cruz chic

[cb at sea]

I wouldn't cruise if I couldn't bring my own dryer, and electric curlers......the provided dryers get hot, but they don't BLOW worth a damn...and that's the whole point of "blow drying"....

[cruz chic]

I wouldn't cruise if I couldn't bring my own dryer, and electric curlers......the provided dryers get hot, but they don't BLOW worth a damn...and that's the whole point of "blow drying"....

 

You are correct. That is the issue. It's not like it costs a lot to get a decent one.

[hmorrow]

Well,I'm definetly bringing my curling iron and if I have room, I'll probably bring my own blower.

Thanks for all the input.

Helaine

[BlueRiband]

It's true that many hair driers can be set between 110V and 220V. When in Europe there's no choice but to switch over or cook the thing. If however an American-type 110V outlet is handy most Americans will plug into that and not bother with an adapter plug or switching over voltage. And that was precisely the point - 110V high wattage machines severely tax the step down transformers.

 

I did a little research and picked a popular brand of compact hair dryer. It's rated 1875 watts by the maker. At 220V it draws 8.5 amps of current - high but not too bad unless others on the circuit are doing the same thing. But at 110V the draw is over 17 amps. (In many older homes a breaker would trip at 15 amps.) Now add the other woman who also brings her own dryer, the person trying to charge their scooter, and the next person charging their gadgets...

 

The "screw it I'll bring whatever I want" attitude is just ignoring inconvenient facts. Nobody has any reason to lie about how ship electrical systems work.

[Danni3ll3]

Thanks for the info. I have dual voltage appliances so I will be sure to use the 220 v with an adapter. Blowing the circuit is a huge pain.

Edited February 13, 2015 by Danni3ll3

[BlueRiband]

Don't believe everything people post. There are others that have come along and proved some of these theories to be untrue. And yes, they are people that work on ships...

 

The member who described how ship electrical systems work in post #5 is Brucemuzz who has over 30 years experience in managing ships. I value his posts because he brings the industry insider perspective to this board.

 

The working of ship electrical systems is not a "threory". It's governed by the laws of physics and electricity. On formal night you have 2-3 women on the same circuit using 1875 watt hair driers on 110V and something is going to give. At best it will just be a blackout and nobody has power for her dryer until a crew member resets the breaker.

Edited February 14, 2015 by BlueRiband

[1of4]

I never bring my hair dryer on cruises. We have 4 of us in the cabin and I am the only one that uses it so I am out numbered. :) :p

 

But I have never had an issue with any hairdryer on HAL. The hairdryer on the Disney Magic had a red light to tell you it was on (like the noise wasn not enough) and it would shine in my eyes when I used it.

[bakcd]

Okay, I just purchased a travel size dryer with dual voltage. When I switch to 220, do I need to use the European plug with an adaptor or does it matter?

[cruz chic]

Okay, I just purchased a travel size dryer with dual voltage. When I switch to 220, do I need to use the European plug with an adaptor or does it matter?

 

No you won't need an adaptor.

[cruz chic]

The member who described how ship electrical systems work in post #5 is Brucemuzz who has over 30 years experience in managing ships. I value his posts because he brings the industry insider perspective to this board.

 

The working of ship electrical systems is not a "threory". It's governed by the laws of physics and electricity. On formal night you have 2-3 women on the same circuit using 1875 watt hair driers on 110V and something is going to give. At best it will just be a blackout and nobody has power for her dryer until a crew member resets the breaker.

 

Perhaps you should read the thread I quoted in post 9. That poster is a credible source.

[Browser495]

FYI, travel blow dryers with dual voltage are generally around 1,000 watts. None if the travel blow dryers are anywhere near the 1875 watts mentioned (and I just checked at a Trade Secrets retailer which specializes in such products and hair styling services). The 1875 watt driers are usually the bigger non-travel variety dryers you see in salons or buy for home use. I have both, and there's a big difference the power levels and blow drying speed. However, I read all these comments with interest, and have decided to take my dual voltage travel blow dryer and an adapter to use the 220v plug. I certainly don't want to cause an outrage or fire! I figure that between the lower wattage of a travel blower and adapting to the 220 volt plug should be ok. Good info!

[Yodalicious]

I have super thick, coarse hair. The provided dryers were just fine.