Welcome to Byte Size Cruises! If this is your first time here, we are glad to have you join us. We are a travel agency out of Philadelphia, PA and we specialize in all things cruising! If you enjoy cruises or are looking to learn more about cruise vacations, you're in the right place. Our goal here is to give you the best and most up to date information so you can plan and go on an amazing cruise! If you'd like to check out this post on our YouTube channel, click here.
We all know there is a list of items that are not allowed to be brought on cruises for obvious safety reasons. Royal Caribbean has updated this list and we are going to break all the rules down in this post that you need to know for your next cruise. Let's get started!
The cruise industry is in a bit of an uproar since Royal Caribbean has recently banned multi-outlet plug adaptors on its ships. Let's break this down. First off, as a general rule, you are not supposed to leave items plugged in when you leave your room on a cruise ship (fire hazards!) The staff is instructed to unplug items if you forget. In the past, travel advisors often recommended people bringing multi-plug adaptors on ships so you can charge many items at once.
Here are our thoughts:
- We have NEVER been on a ship where there weren't already at least two plugs in a cabin (and we have been on some old ships.)
- Plug adaptors can be big and bulky (and take up a lot of packing space.)
- Most of our things that need to be charged are USB based, not outlet based.
- Lastly - even when we have brought them, we've never relied on them to charge our items (and as a travel company, we bring a lot of tech when we cruise.)
Things like surge protectors have never been allowed on cruises and this is an extension of that ban. Instead of fretting about having enough outlets, we recommend brining something like this:
A device like this gives you tons of USB and USBC ports to charge all sorts of different items and is still allowed on Royal Caribbean. Right now, Royal is the only cruise line enacting this new ban so we will see if other cruise lines follow suit.
To make this a bit of a fun post, let's talk about some other things you are not allowed to bring on cruise ships.
- No weapons or disassembled parts of weapons. This includes BB guns, gun replicas, airsoft guns, paintball guns, flair guns, pellet guns, and spear guns.
- Ammunition of any kind.
- Explosives of any kind (including fireworks).
- Candles or other similar items (incense, etc.)
- Clothing irons and steamers.
- Hot plates.
- Any kind of fuel, gasoline, torches, etc.
- Turpentine or paint thinner.
- Hookah.
- Knives, swords, razor blades (with the exception of shaving ones in the cartridge), box cutters, sabers, or scissors with a blade longer than 4 inches.
- Axes or hatchets.
- Hammers, drills, drill bits, saws (or other tools).
- Brass knuckles, billy clubs, or other martial arts weapons.
- Pepper spray.
- Bows or arrows.
- Fire extinguishers.
- Chlorine, bleach, spray paint (or pretty much any other dangerous chemical.)
- Car batteries.
- Drugs, including CBD and THC (with the exception of prescription drugs and they must be IN the prescription bottle.)
- Hover boards.
- Extension cords.
Okay... We had to laugh at reading that list. Has someone tried to bring a spear gun on a cruise ship before? For medical devices, exceptions are made. If you need to use a CPAP machine or other device for medical reasons, contact the cruise line and everything will be set up for your vacation.
Don't bring things on cruises that you aren't supposed to bring! If you are caught trying to sneak items on board, most likely you will be banned from your vacation, if not banned from that cruise line for life. Cruise lines take this practice very seriously for safety reasons and, even though it's silly to think of someone bringing a car battery on a cruise, it's important we all stay aware and follow the rules.
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