D.H. wrote:sptrout wrote:I have been on 23 cruises, four or five since starting on CPAP including Princess. First you will not have any issues with power compatibility. Cruise ships see many CPAP machines on probably every cruise since most cruisers, especially on longer or out of the country cruises, are older and more likely on CPAP. Not to mention that they sail all over the world so they have seen it all.
Most, if not all, cruise lines will supply distilled water and an extension cord if asked. Princess and other lines, have a form on their website that is for passengers with disabilities including SA. The section for CPAP requests is usually hard to find since it is no problem for the cruise lines when compared to people with more severe disabilities so it is usually just one check box on the form.
Extension cords. Many cruise lines flat prohibit them and will confiscate them if found. Celebrity for one is very strict on this. Princess, not so strict, but prefer that you just submit the Disability Form and let them supply the cord and distilled water. The only reason that you may want to take your own extension cord is for pre or post cruise hotels. But, do not be surprised if Princess decides to keep it.
One item that is absolute, no surge protectors of any kind. The USCG has a strong recommendation prohibiting them, in writing, that standard surge protectors are a high fire risk, and because of the way ships are powered, a surge protector is useless anyway. Some cruise lines prohibit them (Celebrity and Carnival for two) and all should. This is one reason that Celebrity is so strict on extension cords, which is a method of grabbing surge protectors that are part of many extension cords/power strips. Why all cruise lines have not cracked down on surge protectors is beyond me. They will when there is major fire, or when people die. That day is coming.....
Isn't the power either 110 or 220 volts and 50 or 60 hz? These are the standard almost every where in the world. Why would a surge suppressor be any different than it is at home? BTW, some of the better universal adapters now contain surge suppressors and also USB charging ports.
In a word "no." Ships have a different power system that is incompatible with standard surge protectors. At home your AC outlet has three wires, hot, neutral, and ground (which is not used most of the time). If you use a voltmeter you will measure 120VAC between the hot and neutral terminals. If you measure between hot and ground you will also measure/read 120VAC. If you measure between neutral and ground you will measure zero,
On ships, there is no neutral, each of the two main outlets each have 60VAC +/-, but are out of phase by 180 degrees resulting in 120VAC between the two. Anything that you plug in will not know the difference, it is still 120VAC between the two main outlets. When measuring between either of the main two outlets and the third outlet (or what is connected to ground at home) you will measure 60VAC +/-.
Standard surge protectors are designed to only trip (or open) the hot side of the line and will not open the other side which at home is fine (neutral is zero), but on a ship the other side is still hot at 60VAC. This system compatibility is why standard surge protectors will not work and can (and has) caused fires on ships even a person has reported a fire in their cabin caused by a sugre protector.
This subject has been discussed/cussed at length (very long length) on a cruise only form called "Cruise Critic" (see link to the main page below). You are welcome to search for surge protectors and you will find many many posts. One of the posters (I forget his ID at the moment) was a high level USCG Electrical Engineer that wrote the first USCG warning memo. Since leaving the USCG he has been the Chief Electrical Engineer for multiple cruise lines and ships (I believe that he has worked multiple ships, but for sure he has been, or is, the Chief Engineer for at least one cruise ship that he has never named). He supplies considerable detailed information about deep details of ships, very interesting writer. I have a draft copy of his original warning memo (that includes a picture of a burned out cabin due to a surge protector), but I do not know how to attach a pdf file. If anyone expresses an interest, I can supply a link to my "cloud" storage site that has his warning.
Therefore, if going on a cruise, it is very important to everyone's safety including your own, that no electrical device that you bring onboard contains a surge protector. This can be very difficult to do these days since so many devices, especially USB chargers, contain a surge protector. It takes some digging sometimes to make sure that your USB charger does not contain a surge protector, but the life you save may be yours or one of your family members.
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/