Cabin Facilities

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tonyl1956
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Cabin Facilities

#1

Post by tonyl1956 »

A question for Aurora regulars, if you don't mind. Could anyone tell me how many and what type of electrial outlets there are in a 'standard' cabin? We're in an inside for our cruise in May but I expect most outsides will have the same arrangement. I've been racking my brains to remember what there was on Oriana, because I'd guess it would be more or less the same. Is it 1 UK, plus a few continental? Looking at a cabin 360 on the P&O website, I can see a UK one on what might be called the dressing table. Ideally, though, I'd like to know whether there's a spare outlet on the TV shelf, as that's a convenient place to tuck stuff away to charge - 'phones, iPads, etc.

Thanks

Tony

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towny44
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Re: Cabin Facilities

#2

Post by towny44 »

Tony, You can get this type of info from P&O's website, see attached link

https://ask.pocruises.com/help/PO/fleet/Voltage_onboard
John

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Topic author
tonyl1956
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Re: Cabin Facilities

#3

Post by tonyl1956 »

Thanks, that tells me that any available are UK type. It must have been Oceana which just had a single UK one. However, it doesn't tell me whether the only socket available for use is the one on the dressing table or whether there is a spare behind the TV. At least one ship we were on (can't remember which) had a spare socket under the dressing table.

Another question, answerable only by someone who's experienced the revamped cabins (assuming they did change the TVs). Do the new ones have a spare HDMI input, or perhaps a USB? Even really basic units have these nowadays, so unless P&O have paid money to have them removed, they should. It would be handy for viewing pictures/videos taken on one's camera.

Tony


barr0ld
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Re: Cabin Facilities

#4

Post by barr0ld »

Tony - I was on Aurora in November, but didn't check out the HDMI inputs. I can't imagine P&O would remove them, but they may be "locked down" in that it is rare for ships / hotels to use the standard remote that would normally be provided with the TV. You may find there is no way to select any spare HDMI as the input source.

Regarding electrical outlets, since our first cruise on Oceana when I was staggered to find only one UK socket, I always take a 1m four gang extension lead. I know it's frowned upon, but I also know it's completely safe as we only ever use it for chargers for the phone / iPad / camera, so there is no chance we're going to overload the ship!


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tonyl1956
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Re: Cabin Facilities

#5

Post by tonyl1956 »

Thanks barr0ld. I normally take an extension lead as well, but wasn't going to mention it in case the elfnsafety members of the board had a go. I'm sure we all use them and leave them plugged in at home, with much higher loads, so I'm not worried about the safety side either. The short lead I take has got a continental plug on at the moment from a previous cruise, so I'll swap it for a UK one.

You're probably right about the TV. I'd forgotten that hotels, etc, buy a dedicated remote lacking in a lot of the functionality we expect now. We hardly ever watch TV on cruises, apart from the bridge camera to give us our inside cabin view of the world!

Tony

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oldbluefox
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Re: Cabin Facilities

#6

Post by oldbluefox »

I always take an extension lead. Some of the sockets onboard are so close to the dressing table tops that it's impossible to put some chargers in them. I got mine from Poundland (or some other bargain store) and it is ideal because the lead is very short, only about 50cms if my memory serves me correctly. It is ideal for packing as it takes up so little space.
However, just to be on the safe side, we don't leave it plugged in when we are not in the cabin.

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Meg 50
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Re: Cabin Facilities

#7

Post by Meg 50 »

there's a comment come up on FB that "the sockets on Britannia bathrooms are the cause of much controversy at the moment. Apparently they aren't the correct socket for UK appliances. Passengers are having to charge shavers and tooth Brushes etc at reception. Make sure you bring manual appliances or have the correct adaptor with you!"
Meg
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Ray B
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Re: Cabin Facilities

#8

Post by Ray B »

If Meg50 is correct. The largest cruise ship built exclusively for Britain, just that some one got the plug sockets wrong.

Ray
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Meg 50
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Re: Cabin Facilities

#9

Post by Meg 50 »

Ray B wrote:
If Meg50 is correct. The largest cruise ship built exclusively for Britain, just that some one got the plug sockets wrong.

Ray
whaddya mean 'if' ?????????????? :crazy: :crazy: :crazy:

There's 2 bits about it on FB now - one from our travel agent.

I wonder how long it'll take to sort that one out?
Meg
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Barb44
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Re: Cabin Facilities

#10

Post by Barb44 »

Tony - there is a socket under the dressing table on Oriana but I don't know whether there is one on Aurora.

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Raybosailor
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Re: Cabin Facilities

#11

Post by Raybosailor »

Apparently although British 17th. Edition electricity standards are safer and more reliable than any other European country you are not allowed to install them on the other side of the channel. A friend of mine is a fully qualified electrician but when he bought a run down farm house in France he was not allowed to install to British standards.


barr0ld
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Re: Cabin Facilities

#12

Post by barr0ld »

I can understand the comment on the sockets being wrong in Britannia's bathrooms (though I can't understand how it's happened). I'm pretty sure when I was working in Italy that the twin shaver sockets in all the hotel bathrooms wouldn't take the plug on my electric razor, no matter how much I tried to force them :roll:


barr0ld
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Re: Cabin Facilities

#13

Post by barr0ld »

Raybosailor wrote:
Apparently although British 17th. Edition electricity standards are safer and more reliable than any other European country you are not allowed to install them on the other side of the channel. A friend of mine is a fully qualified electrician but when he bought a run down farm house in France he was not allowed to install to British standards.
I was at a British Standards meeting about six years ago when it was announced that the UK might go the same way as Europe, with twin rather than three pin plugs, unfused, with the over-current protection device being in the circuit rather than in the plug. There were general cries of despair and disbelief!

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Raybosailor
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Re: Cabin Facilities

#14

Post by Raybosailor »

At our sons apartment in Casares, Spain there was a problem with the combined oven and hob unit and I had to withdraw the whole unit to fix it. I was horrified to see that the unit was just plugged in to a normal socket on the wall. In Britain a high power cooker unit like that has to be on its own fused circuit.
But getting back to the post regarding Euro style two pin plugs in all cabins on Britannia, the interior of the ship was designed by Richmond in the U.K. was it not ?. Surely they would not have included those electrics in the design without good reason and if they were installed by error who was responsible for overseeing the work ?.
I have not read the posts on facebook but have P&O responded to the complaints ?.
Just a thought!, I remember a post on the old P&O Community forum about the safety issue regarding people using extension leads loaded with hairdryers,straighteners and even irons. Do you think this is P&O's way of discouraging this practice ?.

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towny44
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Re: Cabin Facilities

#15

Post by towny44 »

Over the years I have found that many hotel bathroom shaver sockets do not take the thicker prong type UK style shaver plugs even in the UK, so it does not surprise me that this problem has occurred on Britannia.
However since I always take adaptors on holiday this has never caused me problems, if I needed to use the bathroom socket I simply plugged my adaptor into the US part, but as I use a battery shaver I normally re-charge it using a socket in the cabin, again with an adaptor.
John

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Raybosailor
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Re: 3 Pin Sockets

#16

Post by Raybosailor »

I have been watching videos of all grades of cabin on Britannia and each one showed at least one British 3 pin power point.
Perhaps the facebook post is relating to the bathroom razor points as mentioned by towny above and not the 3 pin that is on the wall above the table.
If anyone has the old style razor or toothbrush leads they can get an adaptor from Maplins.
Hope this helps.

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