A Cruise Passenger Details Their ‘Walk of Shame’ After This Commonly Packed Item Got Confiscated
Pro tip: always check the prohibited items list before packing for a trip.
Credit: Pressmaster/Getty Images
Beci Mahnken, CEO of travel agency MEI-Travel & Mouse Fan Travel , was in for a surprise after boarding the new Disney Destiny cruise ship last fall. Sailing out of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Mahnken opened her luggage to find a note in place of her hair dryer.
"For your information, one item of yours could not make it onboard for safety & security reasons," read the note, from the Guest Services Team. "Please retain this card as your receipt to retrieve your item at the Confiscated item Desk of our Cruise Terminal in Port Everglades at the end of the cruise."
On Nov. 18, Mahnken posted an Instagram photo of the note and a receipt for the hair dryer. "My trusty blow dryer, the one I've used for years—it probably has Pearl status on its own—got itself confiscated on the Disney Destiny, " she wrote in the caption, referencing the highest tier of Disney Cruise Line's loyalty program, Castaway Club .
Turns out the hair dryer exceeded the electrical limit. According to Disney Cruise Line , hair dryers must be 220V/2,000 watts max, or 110V/1,500 watts max. For the Disney Adventure ship, all dryers should be 230V/2,000 watts max.
A Former TSA Agent Reveals the 9 Most Confiscated Items at Airport Security
Mahnken took the confiscation in stride, and turned it into a learning moment for her more than 23,000 followers at the time of publication, writing, "Cruise Tip You Didn't Know You Needed: before you set sail… check your blow dryer and hair styling tools!" She also wrote that she ended up using the cruise-provided hair dryer during her trip, even though blow drying was a slower process with her hair type.
She really found the humor in the situation when she disembarked and went to retrieve her original dryer. "Cue the walk of shame to the confiscated items desk in the port, aka Hair Jail, where my dryer was lounging with at least 30 Dysons—all sitting there like they were on a luxury spa retreat, probably swapping blow-dryer gossip and judging the multiple steamers hanging out too," she wrote in the caption.
Among other common items that aren't allowed on board are electric irons, steamers, extension cords, power strips, heating pads, and streaming devices, like Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, and Roku. Other items like blenders, coffee makers, diffusers, electric blankets, rice cookers, lightbulb strands, and remote-controlled planes, drones, toy vehicles, and Star Wars droids (yes, specifically) are also off-limits.
The biggest takeaway from Mahnken's experience? "Check your tools before you cruise," she wrote. "Avoid the embarrassment, the drama, and the awkward reunion with your overachieving hair gear."
Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
