Some of the newest ships and recently remodeled ships now have USB charging ports on or near the night stands. This is a really great feature, but many ships still lack this convenience. These USB charging ports are also generally limited to 1.0A output- OK for most smart phones, but inadequate for tablets.
There is generally one or two accessible AC power outlets near the desk. Princess, Viking and Norwegian provide 110v North American type B outlets. You may also find 220v European type C, E or F outlets, either near the desk or hidden behind the bed. Many ships also have a limited duty 110v shaver outlet in the bathroom, frequently activated by a switch on the faceplate that provides power only when a type A two blade plug is inserted.
Most cruise ships will provide a hair dryer hardwired into the room, so there is no need to pack a hair dryer.
Most cruise ships prohibit any heating appliances such as curling irons, tea pots and irons for safety reasons. Another oddity is that because cruise ship AC power may be grounded differently from shore power sources, power strips and power distribution devices with built in surge suppressors are also prohibited.
So with these provisos in mind, I have a couple of hacks that can make the most of your trip and maximize your convenience.
The first hack is to bring a small power strip that does not have built in surge suppression. A simple cube splitter could fit the bill, but most ship outlets are in very confined spaces where a cube splitter will obstruct access to power switches or adjacent outlets. I found a very handy one made by Monster Power that can be found at Ace Hardware and Home Depot stores. It is called the Monster Power Outlets to Go 4, model OTG 400. It has a flat plug and cord that is just long enough to extend the outlets to where they can be accessed in most situations. Another feature of this power strip is that the outlets are rotatable, so that power bricks can be arranged so they don't obstruct the other outlets. There are also two outlets on each side of the strip, making it even more difficult to obstruct all 4 outlets no matter what you plug into it. This also makes it very compact and easy to pack. Another plus is there is a LED in the plug head that acts like a night light. It tends to be very bright, so I put a small piece of electrical tape over it to dim it considerably.
The next essential is a multiple outlet USB power source that can power all your USB devices. Anker makes one that has two 2.0A USB ports for recharging tablets and quick charge rate phones, and three standard 1.0A USB ports for other smaller devices. This saves you the space of five different charging bricks, and is also universal voltage, so it can safely be used in any country without fear of burning it, or an outlet out.
If you use an electric tooth brush, like a Sonicare, then a 3 way pivoting tap for type A two prong outlets is handy for using in the bathroom, along with a compact LED nightlight. Cruise ship staterooms can be extremely dark, so stumbling around in the dark to use the bathroom at night can be an misadventure in the making.
A small roll of gaffer's tape is also very handy for keeping things organized because space is always at a premium. Gaffer's tape is sticky enough to do the job, but is also easily removable without leaving residue, and tough enough to work with electrical cords.
So those are my Frequent Cruise Hacker tips for dealing with Power Outlets.
