Cruise ship guru Gary Bembridge has issued a stark warning to travellers, urging them not to pack certain items that could result in a ban for life from cruising. Bembridge emphasised that numerous cruise operators enforce strict prohibitions on specific items, typically for safety reasons, which passengers need to consider when preparing for their journey at sea.
As we rely heavily on our tech gadgets today, we often need to charge devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and beauty appliances. However, Bembridge alerts holidaymakers that bringing personal mains adaptors for charging several devices simultaneously is a serious faux pas on board. He said: “All cruise lines ban any extension cord with a surge protector feature.”
The expert noted the significant fire hazard they represent due to conflict with the vessel’s electrical grid.
“Basically, anything allowing multiple plugs is no longer allowed, certainly on Royal Caribbean,” he explained, while acknowledging that adaptors exclusively for USB are typically acceptable.
A staunch enthusiast of cruise holidays, Gary recently disclosed that Carnival Cruise Line has implemented a no-tolerance policy for Bluetooth speakers across its ships, citing pivotal security justifications.
He said: “They have said that if any passenger tries to bring them on board at embarkation or at a port, they’ll be confiscated, and if cruisers buy a Bluetooth speaker in the on-board shops, they will be held until the end of the cruise.”
It has been previously reported by the Express that Carnival’s action is driven by the necessity to guarantee all safety broadcasts are heard without interference.
Gary, however, holds a different view: “I am sure it has really been done as it is annoying and intrusive having people playing loud music at the pools, around the deck, on their balconies and in their cabins.”
He shared his disappointment over the ban, having previously used his Bluetooth speaker on cruises to play white noise to aid his sleep.
Additionally, Gary warned that bringing Wi-Fi hotspot devices and Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite dishes could lead to being barred from boarding the ship.
He recounted an incident: “Carnival Miracle guest and YouTuber called Richard Shillington brought his own Starlink mini-dish on board his cruise. He made a video showing how he used it on the ship and posted it using it. But as soon as the cruise line saw the video and that he had his own Starlink dish on board, they confiscated it.”
Travellers are also being advised that they may be refused entry if they attempt to embark with a wheelchair without prior reservation of an appropriately adapted cabin.
“In the past, people using wheelchairs on these lines could often book a regular cabin, particularly if they used a foldable one and only used infrequently,” Gary added.
However, strict safety regulations established in 1974 now prevent such individuals from boarding, as crews are restricted in the number of wheelchair users they can assist during an emergency evacuation.
He explained: “If people arrive without having declared that they use a wheelchair and haven’t booked an accessible room, they could be denied boarding at their own cost at check-in.”
In another unexpected twist, CBD oil is also on the list of banned items for some cruise lines.
Melinda Erin Van Veldhuizen learned this the hard way when she was barred from joining a Carnival cruise in Port Miami, Florida, where she planned to celebrate her wedding anniversary.
After discovering CBD gummies in her luggage, she was not only stopped from boarding without a refund but also received a lifetime ban from Carnival cruises.
Gary also revealed that one of the more peculiar items to be prohibited is, surprisingly, a cardboard pineapple. Apparently, when this innocuous-looking decoration is placed upside-down on a cabin door, it acts as a secret signal to other passengers that the occupants are open to participating in swinging activities.
“I’ve never quite understood the hit-and-miss nature of advertising using that on regular cruises, when there are entire ship charters dedicated to swingers run by groups like such as Bliss Cruises which seems a surer thing.”
He warned that these prohibited items lists differ from one cruise line to another and are subject to change without warning, urging travellers to check the most up-to-date list by searching their specific cruise line’s name along with “prohibited items” prior to embarking on their voyage.