When you board a cruise ship your luggage is scanned for banned items.
The list varies slightly by cruise line, but they're looking for obviously outlawed items like guns, knives and other weapons.
New cruisers, however, may see items get confiscated that they did not realize were banned. That includes things like small appliances (coffee makers or kettles), candles and irons.
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It's often irons and steamers that surprise people the most since those seem harmless and packed clothes tend to get wrinkled. But anything that poses a fire risk can't be brought on board.
There are exceptions: You can bring matches or a lighter to smoke cigarettes or a cigar on board. Enforcement can also be a bit spotty.
On a recent Royal Caribbean cruise, for example, when I ran my carry-on bag through the security scanner, I was asked whether I had a cigar cutter. I did, I pulled it out, and was allowed to bring it on board.
The scanner saw the blade part and the person viewing it needed to know that it was an allowed exception to the no-blades rule. That same cigar cutter has been packed in the same place in my carry-on for at least a dozen cruises after that and it has never been flagged again.
Royal Caribbean also has very specific rules when it comes to power strips, extension cords and outlet extenders. It recently changed its wording on those rules, and that has set social media abuzz.
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Royal Caribbean appears to ban a new item
Royal Caribbean has always banned extension cords, as well as any power strip or device that has surge protection. There's a fire risk with the way ship power works with that type of power strip.
Passengers have always been allowed to use multiplug devices. Countless versions of those are sold on Amazon when you search "cruise-safe power outlets."
These are power devices that plug into a single port, which creates more outlets. Many also have USB ports.
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Most experienced passengers bring some sort of multiplug device with them. That's because many cruise ships have one American-style outlet and one European outlet in the entire cabin and some may not offer USB ports.
That has changed on newer ships, but for a family needing to keep its devices charged, multiplug outlets have been a very valuable piece of cruise gear. Now, it appears that Royal Caribbean has banned them.
The cruise line changed the language on its website to show that multiplug outlets are now banned. More specifically, the banned list now names "Extension Cords and Multi-Plug Outlets/Power Strips."
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Enforcement on multiplug devices an open question
It's unclear whether the cruise line has been enforcing the new rule given that many passengers on every ship would have these devices.
Many people on social media have pointed out the language change, but there have been few or no reports of people having their once-approved-now-banned multiplug outlet confiscated.
Royal Caribbean has not answered a request for clarification sent on Wednesday, Sept. 18, after the close of business. Nor has the cruise line sent any communication to passengers about this change.
Related: Carnival Cruise Line adds an item to banned list
Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean's sister brand, currently does not list multiplug outlets as being banned. Its prohibited-items list bans "Electrical Extension Cords" and does not mention "surge protectors," which it does confiscate.
On both cruise lines, most confiscated items are returned via a table in the cruise terminal at the end of the trip.
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