I can’t help but feel that some of this is just petty.
In the last few months, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (RCCL) and Celebrity Cruises banned popular travel items. The customer response has been, mixed, as far as I can tell, and our personal experience at Far Far Away Travels was, in the politest terms possible, irritating. Which leaves me baffled about why both Celebrity and Royal Caribbean would also ban “multi-plug outlets” and travel routers.
Every cruise line prohibits certain items. RCCL and Celebrity, owned by Royal Caribbean, are no exception. Many items on the lists make sense for obvious safety reasons. Things like like firearms and ammunition. Then some items are banned for legal reasons, such as illegal drugs, including marijuana, even if it is legal where you live. Most of the list of banned items makes sense, so why are travelers, myself included, irritated and perplexed by these recent bans?
Celebrity Cruises banned items: Legitimate Safety Concerns?
I’m not a cyber security expert, but I’ve been doing my own networking since routers first became a consumer item. That’s why when I saw the travel router ban I could understand it, which seems to go against what other travel bloggers have been saying.
If you’re not familiar, a travel router is a small, portable Wi-Fi hotspot device that comes with its own SIM card and connects to cellular networks. Some of these devices also have the ability to rebroadcast an existing Wi-Fi signal. That signal could be from your phone’s mobile hotspot or, in this case, the cruise line’s Wi-Fi. This allows you create your own network that you can connect multiple devices to.
This is a popular travel router:
You can see why it causes a bit of a fuss when companies like RCCL and Celebrity ban popular travel items. This devices fits in your palm, so it’s easy to travel with and it was a viable way of circumventing data plans on the cruise.
Right away, the travel hack is clear. Connect the router to the ship’s Wi-Fi on a single device plan. Then connect all your devices to that router. It’s a clever way to cheat the expensive Wi-Fi packages. But there’s an even bigger hack that spurred all this on.
Earlier this year, a travel blogger demonstrated that his Starlink connected travel router got faster speeds than Carnival’s onboard Wi-Fi. He also broke down how it could be cheaper over time to use this Starlink router than buy Wi-Fi packages. The video went viral, and it seemingly spurred Carnival to act by banning all travel routers. That action was copied by Royal Caribbean a couple months later.
Money Grab or Legitimate Security Issue?
At first blush, the cynical point of view is that the cruise lines are simply mad that people are finding ways to save some money. I certainly can’t rule that motivation out, but I can say that there’s some real reasons to be concerned about cyber security.
These travel routers are capable of making their own Wi-Fi networks. That means that an unscrupulous, one might even say criminal, user could create a duplicate of the onboard Wi-Fi network and unknowing sailors could connect to it and open themselves up to attacks and their information being stolen. Their passwords could easily be compromised and any pages they view while connected would all be at risk of being intercepted. Malware could be injected onto devices that connect, wrecking even more havoc in the long run.
I absolutely understand why people are frustrated. These devices offer legitimate security while traveling. I often discourage people from using Hotel Wi-Fi for security purposes, so this is a great thing to have with you on a trip. However, despite what some others are saying, this struck me as a legitimate security decision by the cruise lines. Again, I can’t and won’t rule out the possibility of a profit driven motive, but I’m not ready to call this pure greed.
“Multi-Plug Outlets”
In contrast to the above legitimate concerns, I really do not understand the new Celebrity Cruises banned items, the “multi-plug outlets.” When this policy was quietly announced, in September 2024, passengers were quickly riled up, at least online. The RCCL and Celebrity Cruises subreddits were filled with cruise goers complaining. It’s easy to understand why.
Most cruise lines forbid outlets that are surge-protected as they believe it constitutes a fire hazard. But cruise lines have long accepted non-surge protected outlets or extension cords. So far it appears that only RCCL and Celebrity Cruises have taken the step to ban even non-surge protected outlets.
Travelers, especially from the US and Europe, take loads of electronics with them. We’ve got phones, laptops, tablets, just to name a few. Travelers carry small bedside fans, electric toothbrushes and razors, as well as power banks so we can charge on the go. And when you think about the phones, it’s common for each traveler to have one, so there’s likely more than one in a cabin.
Celebrity Has Not Banned CPAPS But they Have Made Them Harder to Use
Then there is the CPAP. Millions of people have one. It’s now one of the most common medical devices in the world. And most people who use one, travel with one. These devices all need a power outlet.
Now, compare the number of items above to the number of outlets in a cruise cabin. Newer ships often have multiple outlets placed throughout the room, but older ships, even ones that entered service in the 2010s, may have just a single outlet in the room. That means competition for charging, which is always fun, but for CPAP users, it’s a bigger problem.
Ask any CPAP user how long the machine’s cord is and the answer will likely be, “not long enough.” When the device is designed to be placed on a nightstand and the nearest outlet is 10’ across the room, that won’t work. CPAP users, almost as a rule, carry an extension cord with them to overcome this design issue. Under these new rules, though, they can’t as RCCL and Celebrity Cruise banned these items.
What, then, are CPAP users expected to do? The answer, to my mind, is asinine.
Questions Abound About Celebrity Cruises Banned Items
When RCCL rolled this policy out, I was expecting that they would provide a reason for it. As of writing, however, no such rationale has arrived. At first the policy itself was murky and both customers and, according to online posters, port staff, were confused about definitions. Royal Caribbean has since clarified that “multi-plug outlets” means any device that adds an extra receptacle or length to a power outlet. This includes power converters, those devices that convert European power outlets to US and vice versa. Additionally, RCCL has further clarified that USB Hubs are fine to use, so that will likely be the avenue many cruisers take.
The culprit. A “Multi-Plug Outlet”. To be clear, it’s not the USB elements that cause this device to run afoul of the cruise line.
Some have speculated that this could be due to potentially overloading the power systems on the ship. After all, we already ban surge protector outlets for a similar reason. Those devices are a fire hazard and the cruise lines have all banned them and explained why in no uncertain terms. Surge protectors have long been banned, so it isn’t a new development. Many multi-plug outlets are marketed as “cruise approved” because they have no surge protector. Indeed, the pictured power strip is marketed by Anker as “Cruise Ship Approved”. I own several of these and I’ve even written about it here because of that exact aspect.
Yet, if safety for the power system was the concern, then why not say that? What makes this possible reason less likely is that other cruise lines have not done so. Indeed, when asked if Carnival cruise lines would follow suit, brand ambassador John Heald wrote on Facebook, “I read about this and we have no plans to do the same. Thank you, just remember no power strips with a surge protector are allowed.” Unless Carnival brands cruise goers, as well as every other brand, just use less power than RCCL brands, than Royal Caribbean and Celebrity seem out of step.
CPAP Users Be Ready
Some of us at Far Far Away Travels use a CPAP and travel with it. As expected, Celebrity confiscated their “multi-plug outlet”. Once they arrived at their Aqua class cabin, they alerted the steward to the issue. They were told that there would be a solution to the problem by the time dinner was concluded. Indeed, there was a solution, and this is what I found completely asinine. Celebrity put the exact same model of “multi-plug outlet” in the cabin and taped it badly to the floor.
Now, taping a power cord down to the ground does make it safer than a loose one. But, and this is a big but, it must be completely taped down. Every inch of it must be covered so that there’s nothing to snag your foot on and catch a loop of the cord itself.
This happens often enough that I don’t understand why the cruise line would not provide cord protection channels that adhere fully to the floor. Using a cord protection channel protects the cord from the wear and tear of being stepped on and reducing tripping.
This means that if tripping is the real concern, then the “solution” the cruise line provided is nearly as bad as the original problem. If they really wanted a solution to tripping hazards, they would tell guests that when cabin stewards check on the cabin during the day, the cabin would not be cleaned if loose extension cords were on the floor. That seems like a reasonable measure that can accommodate everyone’s needs in this regard.
I have seen no reasons given for this change. Not for safety, not for ship power systems, not even because of poor customer behavior. This just baffles me and it makes taking a cruise with either Royal Caribbean or Celebrity sound less appealing. It just sounds like more of a hassle to deal with than other lines.
I had a great time on Virgin and on Princess in the last year, and neither hassled me about “multi-plug outlets.”
What to do about Celebrity Cruises banned items?
As I said above, the banning of travel routers does have a legitimate safety and security interest. I recognize that there may be ulterior motives with that ban, but I stand by my assessment of reasonable concern. It’s the ban on “multi-plug outlets” that is a waste of time.
That doesn’t mean you don’t have to follow it, though. You do. If you bring these items onboard they will be confiscated. You will be givin a receipt to get them returned to you at the end of the cruise. Maybe. I say maybe because on a recent Celebrity cruise, even with the item could not be found.
What can you do then? If you are a customer, especially a repeat customer, and you don’t like the policy you can let them know how you feel. If enough people chime in, it might make a difference. Another way you can voice your displeasure is trying a different line. Some cruise lines have status match programs to others, so you might not have to lose your benefits either. Virgin even offers free Wi-Fi, so you won’t need a router to connect and save money.
Ultimately though, this decision is with the corporate offices at Royal Caribbean. I truly can’t speculate on what their thought process with the “multi-plug outlets” was, but it’s made a lot of folks irritated – including us. I held off on writing about the change until we could experience it ourselves because of the CPAP issue. There’s a lot that people like about both these brands, but this is going to bug a lot of us too. Celebrity cruises banned items
