A surprising amount of cruise ship passengers bring banned items to their cruise, only to have it confiscated.
Similar to how there are certain items you cannot bring on an airplane, cruise ships prohibit a list of items for security and safety reasons.
The list of prohibited items is posted on the cruise line website, but plenty of people still arrive on every cruise with things that they're not allowed to bring.
If someone brings a banned item, Royal Caribbean will confiscate it and return it after the cruise is over. Guests can collect these banned items at a table in the cruise terminal.
On a recent cruise, I walked by the confiscated items table to see what people were bringing onboard. Not only was there a wide variety of items collected by the cruise line, but it's clear there are a handful of prohibited items a lot of people still bring on their cruise.
Not only will it be confiscated, but you're wasting your own precious luggage space by taking it with you from home. In some cases, I'm certain people spent extra money to buy it specifically for their cruise.
Before you pack for your cruise, here are 4 banned items to leave at home.
Read more: 115 item Ultimate Cruise Packing List
Handheld steamers
Without a doubt, the most commonly confiscated item I saw on the table were handheld steamers.
Getting rid of wrinkles in clothing is a top concern for anyone that has nice clothing they want to look their best during the cruise.
Unfortunately, steamers are not allowed because of the fire risk they pose. Steamers fall under the prohibited small home appliances clause of your cruise contract because they constitute a fire hazard. In fact, all cruise lines ban them, not just Royal Caribbean.
Read more: 15 things cruise lines really do not want you to bring on ships
Instead of a handheld steamer, consider packing Downy Wrinkle Release spray, which can work quite well at eliminating wrinkles. (Link contains affiliate link, which costs you nothing extra to use).
Irons
Just like the handheld steamers, irons aren't allowed either on cruise ships.
Essentially, anything with a heating element is a fire hazard. Irons left unattended could pose that risk, and since they're a home appliance, not allowed on cruise ships.
Fire on a cruise ship is arguably the number one concern because of how quickly it could potentially spread.
You should also know there are no irons provided by the cruise line in your stateroom either. There's no self-service laundry either, so if you want your clothes pressed, you'll need to have them sent out via the extra-cost service offered by Royal Caribbean.
Read more: Does Royal Caribbean have irons? How laundry works on a cruise ship
In addition to the wrinkle release spray mentioned earlier in this article, you could turn on the cabin shower to hot and steam the wrinkles away.
Power strips
Older cruise ships are notorious for not having enough power outlets. Considering how many electronic devices people have these days, it's a concern for not having enough outlets.
I observed quite a few power strips on the confiscated items table, and power strips are a fire risk if they overload. It's my experience the security team can't determine which power strips have a surge protector or not, so they all get confiscated.
It seems if the power strip has an electrical outlet on it, there's a good chance it will be confiscated. Don't be fooled by an item advertised as "cruise safe" because ultimately it's at the discretion of the bag screener to make a judgement call.
What you should pack instead of a power strip is a USB hub, such as this 6 port charger. (Link contains affiliate link, which costs you nothing extra to use).
Phones, watches, and even laptops can all be charged by USB, and there's little risk of it being confiscated.
Kettle
You might be tempted to bring a hot water kettle with you so that you can enjoy tea in your stateroom, but these too are not allowed.
Just like other home appliances, Royal Caribbean does not allow these.
The good news is it's unnecessary because there are good alternatives onboard.
You can get hot water anytime from Cafe Promenade, as well as on request from other dining venues.
If you stay in a suite, there's a coffee maker provided in Junior Suite and higher cabins. Royal Caribbean ships sailing from Europe actually include a safe to use hot water kettle in all cabins by default.
