Category Archives: News

New Updates… Royal Caribbean Bans Multi-Plug Adapters and Extension Cords – Royal has provided additional clarification

Original Publication: September 23, 2024

Updated: October 7, 2024

With their most reason banned items list Royal Caribbean has added multi-plug adapters and extension cords to the items you cannot bring on board. Full list link below.

As a frequent Royal Caribbean cruiser this… rocks my world. I regularly bring one or more multi plug adapters when I cruise.

I’ve been a big advocate of using the 220 European Type C adapter on board this change makes that even more important. It allows you to squeeze out another adapter. This used to be more important on older ships and less important on newer ships but… This changes all that. With multi-plug adapters being banned a Type C adapter makes more sense than ever.

A few other thoughts…

  • The way I read it multi USB outlet blocks are NOT banned. Since a lot of the gear we take on board is USB this could be a good work around.
  • As stated previously using the 220 European style outlet is more important than ever.
  • A USB charging bank is another potential way to decrease the impact of this change. Charge during the day, unplug at night to free up an outlet and use the battery bank to charge USB devices.

Update 9/30/2024:

@NiceCarFather reached out to Royal Caribbean on X (connect to cruise packing list on x) to ask if a plug + USB outlets would be allowed. It looks like he references this Anker Travel Plug in the back and forth. The Royal Caribbean rep surprisingly (at least to me!) says that this would not be allowed because it has an outlet and additional USB ports. Earlier in the conversation he says a multi USB block is allowed.

So, at this point my understanding is that if an adapter has an AC outlet, that’s all that’s allowed. One single AC outlet. An adapter can have multiple USB ports as long as no AC outlet is present.

Update 10/7/2024:

Royal has updated their prohibited items policy to include some additional clarification. As of today this section reads:

Electrical Extension Cords – including power strips/surge protected strips and multi-plug outlets.
We do allow consumer type power conversion device USB charger (multi-plug blocks on which the outputs are for USB cables). Note: Devices must be stamped with US/Europe recognized Conformance Marking to demonstrate compliance with Electrical Safety standards.

So, there previous communication on social media seems to be correct. If it has an AC outlet, that’s all it can have a single AC outlet. Multi outlet USB only charger blocks are allowed.

Some options to consider:

These are affiliate links, note that multiple variations of these products may be available, as such a different version may appear at these links

Also: What items are prohibited onboard a Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship?

For lots more about what you should pack for your next cruise check out our complete packing list.

Related: Hands on Review: European Type C Fast USB Charger by LiFiYiRc… Use the 220 Outlet on Your Next Cruise!

Related… Hands on Review: TESSAN International Power Plug with USB

Cruise Ship Power Solutions – Making Use of the 220 Volt Cabin Outlet On Your Next Cruise

This post may contain affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Cruise Packing List!

All information provided is deemed accurate at time of publishing, but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. 9.23.24 top:rcmultiplug tag:tpru

New Updates… Royal Caribbean Bans Multi-Plug Adapters and Extension Cords!

September 23, 2024

With their most reason banned items list Royal Caribbean has added multi-plug adapters and extension cords to the items you cannot bring on board. Full list link below.

As a frequent Royal Caribbean cruiser this… rocks my world. I regularly bring one or more multi plug adapters when I cruise.

I’ve been a big advocate of using the 220 European Type C adapter on board this change makes that even more important. It allows you to squeeze out another adapter. This used to be more important on older ships and less important on newer ships but… This changes all that. With multi-plug adapters being banned a Type C adapter makes more sense than ever.

A few other thoughts…

  • The way I read it multi USB outlet blocks are NOT banned. Since a lot of the gear we take on board is USB this could be a good work around.
  • As stated previously using the 220 European style outlet is more important than ever.
  • A USB charging bank is another potential way to decrease the impact of this change. Charge during the day, unplug at night to free up an outlet and use the battery bank to charge USB devices.

Update 9/30/2024:

@NiceCarFather reached out to Royal Caribbean on X (connect to cruise packing list on x) to ask if a plug + USB outlets would be allowed. It looks like he references this Anker Travel Plug in the back and forth. The Royal Caribbean rep surprisingly (at least to me!) says that this would not be allowed because it has an outlet and additional USB ports. Earlier in the conversation he says a multi USB block is allowed.

So, at this point my understanding is that if an adapter has an AC outlet, that’s all that’s allowed. One single AC outlet. An adapter can have multiple USB ports as long as no AC outlet is present.

Consider:

These are affiliate links, note that multiple variations of these products may be available, as such a different version may appear at these links

Also: What items are prohibited onboard a Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship?

For lots more about what you should pack for your next cruise check out our complete packing list.

Related: Hands on Review: European Type C Fast USB Charger by LiFiYiRc… Use the 220 Outlet on Your Next Cruise!

Related… Hands on Review: TESSAN International Power Plug with USB

Cruise Ship Power Solutions – Making Use of the 220 Volt Cabin Outlet On Your Next Cruise

This post may contain affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Cruise Packing List!

All information provided is deemed accurate at time of publishing, but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. 9.23.24 top:rcmultiplug tag:tpru

Royal Caribbean Bans Multi-Plug Adapters and Extension Cords!

Original Publication: September 23, 2024

Updated: October 7, 2024

With their most reason banned items list Royal Caribbean has added multi-plug adapters and extension cords to the items you cannot bring on board. Full list link below.

As a frequent Royal Caribbean cruiser this… rocks my world. I regularly bring one or more multi plug adapters when I cruise.

I’ve been a big advocate of using the 220 European Type C adapter on board this change makes that even more important. It allows you to squeeze out another adapter. This used to be more important on older ships and less important on newer ships but… This changes all that. With multi-plug adapters being banned a Type C adapter makes more sense than ever.

A few other thoughts…

  • The way I read it multi USB outlet blocks are NOT banned. Since a lot of the gear we take on board is USB this could be a good work around.
  • As stated previously using the 220 European style outlet is more important than ever.
  • A USB charging bank is another potential way to decrease the impact of this change. Charge during the day, unplug at night to free up an outlet and use the battery bank to charge USB devices.

Update 9/30/2024:

@NiceCarFather reached out to Royal Caribbean on X (connect to cruise packing list on x) to ask if a plug + USB outlets would be allowed. It looks like he references this Anker Travel Plug in the back and forth. The Royal Caribbean rep surprisingly (at least to me!) says that this would not be allowed because it has an outlet and additional USB ports. Earlier in the conversation he says a multi USB block is allowed.

So, at this point my understanding is that if an adapter has an AC outlet, that’s all that’s allowed. One single AC outlet. An adapter can have multiple USB ports as long as no AC outlet is present.

Update 10/7/2024:

Royal has updated their prohibited items policy to include some additional clarification. As of today this section reads:

Electrical Extension Cords – including power strips/surge protected strips and multi-plug outlets.
We do allow consumer type power conversion device USB charger (multi-plug blocks on which the outputs are for USB cables). Note: Devices must be stamped with US/Europe recognized Conformance Marking to demonstrate compliance with Electrical Safety standards.

So, there previous communication on social media seems to be correct. If it has an AC outlet, that’s all it can have a single AC outlet. Multi outlet USB only charger blocks are allowed.

Some options to consider:

These are affiliate links, note that multiple variations of these products may be available, as such a different version may appear at these links

Also: What items are prohibited onboard a Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship?

For lots more about what you should pack for your next cruise check out our complete packing list.

Related: Hands on Review: European Type C Fast USB Charger by LiFiYiRc… Use the 220 Outlet on Your Next Cruise!

Related… Hands on Review: TESSAN International Power Plug with USB

Cruise Ship Power Solutions – Making Use of the 220 Volt Cabin Outlet On Your Next Cruise

This post may contain affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Cruise Packing List!

All information provided is deemed accurate at time of publishing, but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. 9.23.24 top:rcmultiplug tag:tpr

News: Uber Service Finally Available at Port of Galveston + Opinion… New Royal Caribbean Terminal is a Mess

We recently (March 2023) sailed on Allure out of the new terminal 10 at the Port of Galveston.

We love Allure, it’s one of our favorite Royal Caribbean ships and overall we had a fantastic vacation.

Royal Caribbean’s terminal #10 is located at 1402 Harborside Drive Galveston, TX 77550. It opened in late 2022 and is setup to for Oasis class vessels. More about Pier 10 from Royal Caribbean

We did struggle with the port itself. Here’s a brief rundown including some tips…

Logistics related to getting to and from the port were a real issue. I can easily say that this was the worst embarkation/debarkation experience that we’ve ever had.

Beyond hearing complaints from fellow passengers, one of our Lyft drivers issued some scathing criticism of the port and port staff. That to say, I don’t think this is a case of a couple people complaining.

In retrospect, knowing a few key things would have helped us…

  • At the time of our sailing there was one rental car company with a location on the island. Enterprise car rental. If you’re looking for a one way rental from one of the Houston area airports this is your only option. At the time it was not open on Sundays. Hopefully Galveston will add more rental car options as more and more cruisers come to the area.
  • As with many ports traffic is slow coming in. This is compounded by the fact that semi trucks take up one entry lane.
  • There are several areas that look like drop off areas on the way in, but they are not. We saw multiple people getting out at these areas, only to have to walk the rest of the way.
  • Signage is scarce and poorly placed. For example, the suites entry sign is located in a spot where you can’t actually see it when you’re close to the building. The door is guarded by stanchions and a person. So we had to ask around to figure out where the suites entrance was.
  • There seems to be a holding pen for the entry line and a luggage drop off together. We thought the line was for luggage drop off. Fortunately someone verbally told us we could just walk up and drop off our luggage without standing in the line. Again, no visible signage to explain this.

Debarkation was worse. It took us well over an hour to get out of the port area. Taxis were extremely sparse. There is no organized place for a line and no signage. Maybe every 10 minutes a taxi would show up and the crowd would be left to figure out who gets it.

Uber drivers were also very scarce and very expensive. I continued to get cancellations after waiting and waiting.

There’s a good reason why I kept having Uber drivers cancel on me… The port of Galveston won’t let them in! (SEE UPDATE BELOW) Apparently it’s a hefty fine for an Uber driver to enter the port area to pick someone up. Lyft is authorized. So, when I fired up Lyft and requested a ride, I had one fairly quickly. Again… this isn’t communicated anywhere. Our Lyft driver said the numbered pink signs are pink to indicate Lyft, but no actual explanation or signage indicating any of this and our driver couldn’t actually get to the official area, we had to hoof it with all of our luggage to the other side of the building. Surge pricing or whatever Lyft calls it was full in play as it cost us around $80 to go about 15 miles

The biggest hassle with embarking and debarking from this beautiful terminal was getting to and from the terminal. This probably makes a good case for purchasing a transfer directly from the cruise line.

Have you sailed from the Port of Galveston?  Leave a comment if you have tips to share with your fellow cruisers.

One improvement was just announced by the Port of Galveston…

Uber Service Now Available at Port of Galveston Cruise Terminals

Galveston, TX (May 18, 2023) – Uber is now available to provide passenger drop-off and pick-up at the Port of Galveston’s three cruise terminals. The Galveston Wharves and Uber recently signed an agreement to formalize the ride-hailing company’s service at the port.

“We are excited to announce that we’re partnering with Uber to give our passengers another convenient ground transportation option,” said Port Director and CEO Rodger Rees.

In addition to ride-hailing services, the port’s ground transportation options include taxi companies, private shuttles, limousines and other passenger transportation companies to provide services to cruise travelers on port property.

Port Mobility Director Julio DeLeon said, “More than 1 million passengers pass through our cruise terminals each year. This partnership with Uber will help move cruise passengers in a safer and more efficient manner to the terminals and make their travel experience more enjoyable.”

Passengers can look for signage to direct them to designated pick-up/drop-off curbside areas at each of the cruise terminals.

About the Port of Galveston

The Port of Galveston is the fourth most popular cruise homeport in the U.S. and only cruise port in Texas. Located at the entrance to Galveston Bay and the Houston Ship Channel, the port has been a thriving maritime commercial center since 1825. Just 45 minutes from open seas, the 840-acre port has infrastructure and assets to serve growing cruise, cargo and commercial businesses.

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This post may contain affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Cruise Packing List!

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Norwegian Cruise Line Free Cruises for Educators Promotion!

Norwegian Cruise Line is celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week by “Giving Joy” to educators across the U.S. and Canada. In recognition of the unwavering dedication teachers showcase to their students and for their commitment to bringing joy to the classroom, NCL will be awarding 20 teachers with a seven-day cruise vacation. The top three Grand Prize winners will also be awarded with an exclusive voyage aboard Norwegian Viva – the soon-to-debut ship from NCL’s all-new Prima Class.

Now through June 9, 2023, nominate an inspiring educator (or nominate yourself if you’re a teacher) by telling NCL how they demonstrate their passion for their students, and dedicate their time to motivate, engage and influence the future leaders of the world each and every day. Then, cast your vote and share your submission on social media to encourage others to participate in giving joy.

Full Details – Nominate and Vote

Let’s be friends! Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | RSS

This post may contain affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Cruise Packing List!

Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability.