MS Royal Star - Indian Ocean

[JK2]

Has anyone been on this ship please? I'm off to Madagascar and other islands on it on Friday for 2 weeks and, reading about the cabin electricity, I've come to the conclusion that my hairdryer & my hairstraighteners are not going to work!!! Help!!

Voltage is 110 AC 60Hz and in the brochure it says it is suitable for a hairdryer and other small appliances but then goes on to say that you should check with reception before using any appliance with a power consumption of more than 300 watts. That seems a very low wattage to me - my travel hairdryer is dual voltage & 650 watts and has 2 speeds - is my hairdryer likely to work on the lowest speed?

My GHD straighteners are not dual voltage but I have some US straighteners that are 120V - are they likely to work?

[Buenchico]

(2-part post):

Firstly, a general bit about AC electrical systems:
The voltages are only 'nominal'. e.g. the UK has nominally has a 230V system. However, the actual voltage at the socket in your wall can vary by about plus or minus 10V. In practice, it doesn't matter whether the voltage marked on an appliance is 220V, 230V or 240V; it will still work in the UK. Similarly, supplies of 110V, 115V and 120V are all effectively the same. So (subject to not exceeding the maximum permitted wattage) your 120V hair straightener will work perfectly well on a system which is labelled as 110V.

Next, a bit about frequencies. The UK, and most of the world, uses 50Hz. The USA, and a few other countries, use 60Hz. However, very few electrical devices rely on a specific frequency in order to work properly. As long as you're not using a very old electric clock, or a TV, you can ignore the frequency.

[Buenchico]

Now to practicalities:
As stated, your 120V straighteners will work (as long as they don't exceed the maximum permitted power rating). Several people have posted on AB to state that their UK (240V) hair straighteners work on 110-120V systems, but that they take ages to heat up. (If you're taking your mobile phone, people have also reported that they've managed to get a very small charge on their phones on a 110-120V supply).

Most of the power that goes into a hairdryer goes into the heating element. The fan uses relatively little power. So simply switching to a lower speed won't drop the power consumption down very much. (e.g. it might go down from 650W to 600W but it certainly won't get close to the 300W limit).

You need to check on board the ship to find out exactly what the rules are. If the circuit in your cabin is set to trip out at a very low current, you won't be able to use your hairdryer. However, it might just be that the circuit supplying a block of cabins has a maximum power rating. It might be possible to use your hairdryer as long as you don't do so when all the other occupants are also using theirs. That could be why you need to check with reception first.

The MS Royal Star is over 50 years old. It's electrical circuits weren't designed for the multitude of todays appliances. However, I'm sure you'll have a great time:
http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/travel/revie ws/s/156/156610_cruise_ms_royal_stars_indian_o cean_odyssey.html

Chris

[JK2]

Thanks Chris. I think it is going to be one of those "suck it & see" situations! I had a similar situation on a Yangtze boat in the Autumn. My hairdryer & straighteners worked but wasn't supposed to use kettle (although I did sometimes) and you couldn't charge your camera battery in the cabin - could only charge it in reception area, which was a bit of a pain.

Your comment about the cabin circuit makes sense - I think that was the situation with the kettle in China.

I read that review - along with many others that were not so positive- before I booked. Very mixed reviews in general but I'll take my chances. It is a very reasonably priced way of seeing Madagascar and I've wanted to go for ages.

Jean

[divegirl]

Bragging again!!!!! :O}

Have a fantastic time hun! 10 more days yet for me....

Lisa x

[JK2]

I'm almost as excited about your trip Lisa as you are!!!
Can't wait to hear from you when you get back. I don't get back until 5th April and you'll have gone by then so hope you and your daughter have a fantastic time.

Jean x