I Never Have The Wrong Adapters For a Cruise – Here’s How!

If you are taking a cruise, you might be wondering what plug adapters you need. Most cruise ships have American and/or European sockets in the cabins but keeping up with how many of each there are can be confusing.

I did spend a couple of weeks putting together a searchable table which you can find here, but there is an easier way:

Complete Cruise Ship Plug Socket Guide: Search by Ship

What I Used to Do – Requires Effort

What I used to do when taking a cruise was to see which sockets were on a ship, I’d have a look at past cabin reviews and videos, trying to pause at the right moment to work see the plugs.

I’d see which sockets were onboard and buy matching plugs.

I’d only ever buy the cheap plugs from Poundland or somewhere similar. These were just 1 to 1 sockets and didn’t have any USB C’s or A’s.

If I wanted USB’s I’d have to bring another plug to put on top that had these.

Some ships do have UK plug sockets although this is rare. The below picture was taken on the Ambassador Ambience and they did have one.

I always had the sockets I needed but sometimes I’d find bonus ones that I hadn’t accounted for and couldn’t use because I only had certain adapters.

For example, I’d bring US adapters and find a European socket.

This approach did work, but it was annoying and there was always a risk I’d get it wrong.

What I Do Now – No Effort Required!

Instead of buying adapters to suit each situation what I do now is I have a couple of universal adapters that can go from American, European, Australian or UK to any of those.

This means that all I do is pack one thing and I don’t have to think about the sockets. Whatever I find on the ship, these will fit!

The one that I use has a regular plug and also 3 USB C’s and 2 USB A’s meaning in theory I can charge 6 things at a time. I usually have 2 or 3 and it’s worked well for that.

Universal adapters are more expensive than regular adapters of course, but for me, the piece of mind is well worth it.

If you are from somewhere like the US and you find a surprise UK plug socket in the cabin, it’s unlikely you’ll have bought an adapter for that but with one like the above, you can make use of it.

Some cabins only have a couple of sockets so it’s important not to waste them.

If you do forget to bring adapters on a cruise ship they’ll often have some for sale, but they’ll be very expensive.

When I sailed on P&O’s oldest ship, Aurora, there was only one usable plug socket in the whole cabin!

Although the ship was old, and may appear outdated to some, I actually really like her. Find out how I got on on my short European Aurora cruise here:

Before You Go

Aurora made headlines when a cruise was cancelled last minute, as her time in dry dock overran. Find out why ships go into dry dock here:

What are Dry Docks and Why do Cruise Ships Need Them?

Find out about ship stabilisers and why they are important here:

How Cruise Ship Stabilisers Actually Work (And Why They Are Important To Me!)