Well IMHO Carnival seems to have lost the plot here.

Firstly, power strips have been banned, except where needed for medical devices.

Now they are confiscating/banning curling/flat irons and hairdryers.

So now I can't charge my cameras, at the same time and the wife cannot fix her hair, needless to say this went down well, we are now giving second thoughts to our two cruises we have booked with Carnival.

I really can't think of any other reason, and surely they are not trying to inconvenience passengers unless there is a reason behind it.

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Originally posted by jetwet1:
I originally placed this in a different forum, half asleep, sorry.

Well IMHO Carnival seems to have lost the plot here.

Firstly, power strips have been banned, except where needed for medical devices.

Now they are confiscating/banning curling/flat irons and hairdryers.

So now I can't charge my cameras, at the same time and the wife cannot fix her hair, needless to say this went down well, we are now giving second thoughts to our two cruises we have booked with Carnival.

I have no issues with Carnival confiscating wine/booze, but come on, curling irons, hair dryers, do they not want women on their ships ?

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Curling irons and flat irons are the same as clothing irons, they are prohibited as they can easily start fires.

An unattened curling iron can scorch a stateroom in pretty quick fashion and cause a lot of damage very quickly.

The power strips and hair dryers can cause electrical overloads. You would be amazed at what and the number of things people will plug into a 6 or 8 socket strip.

Unfortunately, many people are just plain ignorant and ruin it for those people who are not careless and senseless.

99.9% of all policies, related to anything and everything in this world, are purely reactionary and usually spurred on by thoughtless or careless behavior.

The current slate of liqour confiscation policies is the perfect example. Lines used to turn a blind eye to the occasional bottle for a nip in your stateroom while you were relaxing before dinner. But then a bunch of bozos started brining cases of beer, coolers, even blenders and consuming the drinks in public areas.

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Originally posted by Tim in 'Lauderdale:

Curling irons and flat irons are the same as clothing irons, they are prohibited as they can easily start fires.

An unattened curling iron can scorch a stateroom in pretty quick fashion and cause a lot of damage very quickly.

The power strips and hair dryers can cause electrical overloads. You would be amazed at what and the number of things people will plug into a 6 or 8 socket strip.

Unfortunately, many people are just plain ignorant and ruin it for those people who are not careless and senseless.

99.9% of all policies, related to anything and everything in this world, are purely reactionary and usually spurred on by thoughtless or careless behavior.

The current slate of liqour confiscation policies is the perfect example. Lines used to turn a blind eye to the occasional bottle for a nip in your stateroom while you were relaxing before dinner. But then a bunch of bozos started brining cases of beer, coolers, even blenders and consuming the drinks in public areas.

Tim

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MMMM interesting, can you back that up with facts ? Not doubting you, I have never heard of a fire being started on a ship by curling tongs. As it is every set of them sold now has to have an auto shut off to stop just this...Trust me, I have been hearing the wife explain in great detail how CCL can shove a pair somewhere if they think she/we are going on a cruise and she can't do her hair.

In 2008 in the US there were 403,000 house fires resulting in 2,780 deaths.

Total number caused by "electrical appliances' 0.6% ....
by smoking 2.1%
by heating 11.4%

I am trying to hunt down a figure that will show a total number of fires caused by electrical grooming tools on ships, i'm pretty sure the number will be 0.0% at least in the last 10-15 years.

A power strip is a requirement in my luggage as the outlets in the majority of cabins are such that my camera battery chargers will not plug in, due to the plastic surrounds or being too the near the desk. I nearly always have to use the strip just to charge the batteries, so overloading does not come into the equation.

If they are going to ban curling tongs then electric shavers must be banned too. I have never come across a fire started by tongs, they are not like flat irons and do not get that hot either, yet on a QM2 trip a fire was started in a crew cabin as an electric shaver had been left on and fallen into a sink of water causing a short.

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Off to dinner with wet flat hair, as the hairdryer in the cabin only blows cold air and I got wrist pain from holding in the button to keep the thing running.

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Which are examples of why my wife always takes her hairdryer with her if she possibly can!

A power strip stays plugged in for a long time, but a curling iron does not. Are they considered fire hazards or do they draw too much power? What is the official issue Carnival has?

Curling irons do shut off by themselves, which is a great feature, but especially on a cruise ship, I unplug mine. I would not want to give up curling my hair on a cruise, however this might sound.

See below regarding power bars,

This is from HAL's "Know Before you Cruise" booklet

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Originally posted by jetwet1:
As I am kind of engrossed in this whole thing I did a quick search around the net to find statistics on fires caused by curling irons/ tongs/ hairdryers.

In 2008 in the US there were 403,000 house fires resulting in 2,780 deaths.

Total number caused by "electrical appliances' 0.6% ....
by smoking 2.1%
by heating 11.4%

I am trying to hunt down a figure that will show a total number of fires caused by electrical grooming tools on ships, i'm pretty sure the number will be 0.0% at least in the last 10-15 years.

Anyways, the reason for this whole post, I just can not see a reason as to why Carnival would do this, if you look at it from a safety point of view then smoking should be banned from all ships now.

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0.2 % sounds a bit low. Of course, you can not compare a residence ashore to a cabin on a cruise ship. Cooking being a major cause of fires is hardly happening in cruise ship cabins. If you want to base your judgment on statistics 'from ashore' you at least have to clean the data from such entries.

I totally understand that cruise lines are concerned about this topic especially since the above mentioned idiots are amongst us. However, confiscating equipment is maybe going a bit too far.

Ernie

RESTRICTED ITEMS – SAFETY AND SECURITY POLICY

In order to maintain a safe and secure environment, Carnival prohibits bringing certain items onboard. Additionally, we reserve the right to confiscate (and destroy) any articles that in our discretion are considered dangerous or pose a risk or inconvenience to the safety and security of the ship, or our guests, and no compensation will be provided.

Confiscated Items

• Alcohol (hard liquor)/sealed, unopened bottles
• Beer/sealed, unopened bottles/cans
• Wine or champagne/sealed, unopened bottles - beyond the allowable limit of one bottle per adult 21 years of age (brought on at embarkation time only)
• Clothing irons and steamers (all Carnival ships offer laundry facilities with irons and ironing boards. Fleet-wide valet laundry service is also available for a nominal fee.)
• Electrical and household appliances (i.e. coffee makers, hot plates, toasters, etc.)
• Candles
• Heating Pads
• Incense

Prohibited Items – will be disposed of prior to boarding

• Large coolers
• Alcohol in unsealed containers
• Firearms (i.e., non-firing weapons and starter pistols)
• Ammunition (i.e., bullets, shot or missile that can be fired using a propellant)
• Imitation or replica weapons (i.e., de-commissioned weapons or those not capable of being fired, toy weapons, or any other item made, intended or adapted to be used as a weapon)
• Explosives or explosive component parts, (i.e., detonators)
• Fireworks or pyrotechnics (except those previously approved in connection with a company stage production which have been properly manifested)
• Taser or electronic stun guns
• Pepper or mace sprays
• Telescopic or regular batons
• Martial arts equipment (i.e., flails, throwing stars, belt buckle knives, etc.)
• Handcuffs, brass knuckles
• Compressed gas bottles/cylinders
• Knives with blades longer than four (4) inches ( Recreational dive knives are allowed but must be held in the custody of the Guest Services Manager or Chief Security Officer and must be checked out/in by the owner for dive excursions during the cruise.)
• Dive tanks (empty or full), diver spears/slings
• Household goods or tools of trade
• Volatile and highly flammable liquids such as cigarette lighter fluid
• Scissors with blades longer than four (4) inches (Large scissors of the type used by scrapbook and quilting enthusiasts are at times permitted with prior notification from the Security Services Department, but are held onboard in the same manner as dive knives.)
• Metal detectors
• Medical Marijuana
• Bicycles
• Surfboards
• Scooters (only permitted if used for mobility – must be stored in guest’s stateroom)
• Boats/canoes
• Segways
• Any footwear with wheels, i.e. Heely’s type shoes

Miscellaneous Concerns:

• Personal grooming devices such as hair dryers, flat and curling irons, shavers, etc., are allowed on board when used with proper caution. These devices should not exceed 700 watts and should not be used when other electrical appliances are plugged in. However, if such devices are determined to pose a hazard, they will be removed and returned the last day of the cruise prior to debark.

• Electronics such as laptops, cameras, cellular phones, etc. are allowed on board when used with proper caution.

• Electrical devices such as fans, power strips, multi plug box outlets/adaptors, and extension cords will be removed if determined to pose a hazard and returned the last day of the cruise prior to debark.

• Medical gas bottles/oxygen cylinders: Allowed in connection with a certified medical condition but cannot be packed in baggage. Oxygen cylinders must be delivered to guest services and stored in a designated safe area.

• Coolers: Small, personal-sized coolers no larger than 12” x 12” x 12” for the purpose of housing small quantities of non-alcoholic beverages and/or medications are permitted as carry-on luggage.

• Live Animals: Only qualified service animals once approved by Guest Access Services at time of booking.

• Flowers and Plants: May be brought on board in the port of embarkation but are not permitted to be taken off the ship in the United States, per the U.S Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) Agricultural Division.

• Musical Instruments: Only if the guest is participating in a pre-approved ship performance.

• Radios/Boom Boxes: For the comfort of all our guests, radios and boom boxes can be used with headphones or earpieces when used in public areas.

• Floatation Devices: For the comfort of all our guests, rafts, tubes and floatation devices other than those used as life preservers (water wings) cannot be used in the swimming pools on board.

• Wrapped Gifts: Guests may bring wrapped gifts on board; however, due to heightened security, the gift may have to be unwrapped, upon request.

• DVDs/VCRs/Nintendo/Play Units: Due to compatibility issues with stateroom televisions, these items can only be utilized in suites and guests must provide their own RCA cables.

• Fish Caught on Fishing Expeditions: The fish cannot be brought on board; it must be shipped home.

• Items for In Port Use only: Snorkel gear, skateboards, golf clubs, fishing rods (packed), tennis rackets, kites (packed), roller blades/skates

[ 05-14-2010: Message edited by: joe at travelpage ]

I read on another site not be mentioned that this all started with Carnival confiscating an extension cord and a fan. Whether that is true, who knows? It took on a life of its own, though.