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This is the first cruise ship that I can remember ever being on where ALL of the electric outlets are the 120 volt 60 Hz United States Type B. The only exception I could find was the outlet in the bathroom for shavers which has both a 120 volt U.S. Type A outlet (no grounding plug) and a 220 volt European Type F outlet with a switch to select either 120 or 220 volts. Even all the outlets everywhere on the ship that I could see were the 120 volts U.S. Type A for staff to plug in vacuum cleaners, power tools, lighting, displays, amplifiers, etc.
Every prior ship that I have ever been on has the European 220 volts Type F outlets throughout the ship for lighting, vacuum cleaners, power tools, amplifiers, and all other equipment used by the crew of the ship. Even if the ship has been built to primarily serve the U.S. and Canadian markets, it still uses the 220 volts European Type F outlets, even for the bedside lamps on night stands on each side of beds. They always also include some U.S. Type B 110 volt outlets at the desk and sometimes on the nightstand lamps themselves. But the primary outlets througout the entire ship are the European 220 volt Type F outlets. The one exception that I found to this was the Queen Mary 2 which was specifically built for Cunard, registered in the United Kingdom, and primarily used for Transatlantic trips. Being United Kingdom based, the main outlets throughout the ship were the United Kingdom 230 volt 50 Hz Type G outlets. Though again they do provide the U.S. Type B 110 volt outlets at the cabin desks.
Knowing that almost every cruise ship has the European Type F outlets under the bed for the nightstand lamps as well as some Type F outlets at the desk, I ALWAYS bring along Type F to Type B outlet adapters. These adapters don't change the voltage, but they do allow me to plug my computer and other electronics that I bring on cruises into any outlet. When I go on cruises or travel outside the U.S., I ONLY bring electronics that will operate on any voltage from 100 volts to 250 volts and on either 50 Hz or 60 Hz. These save me the trouble of having to bring along a heavy, noisy, bulky voltage converter. Fortunately, a lot of electronics can opererate from or be charge by plugging them into a simple 5 volt USB outlet which is a very common standard and available worldwide.
One thing I've found extremely useful is a 220 volt Type F to Type B adapter T-tap that I purchased at Amazon. I can unplug the lamp under the bed, plug in my T-Tap, plug the lamp back into it, and it creates an extra U.S. Type B outlet that is within reach of each side of the bed. This is especially convenient on older cruise ships that don't have an outlet on the nightstand lamps. Type F to Type B adapters can also create additional U.S. type outlets at the desk if I need more than the ship provides without resorting to multiple outlet power strips.
But on this cruise I didn't need any of my plug adapters at all as every outlet was the 110 Volt U.S. Type B outlet. I suspect the reason for them going with this standard is that this ship is over 20 years old and was built in Japan rather than in Europe. The outlet type in Japan is the same as it is in the U.S. and Canada, Type A and Type B. A little odd thing in Japan is that the voltage is 100 volts instead of 110 or 120 volts. I guess in Japan they prefer to go with nice round numbers like 100 rather than 110 or 120. They also often use 50 HZ instead of 60 Hz, which is more common with 220-240 volt electric power than with 110-120 volt electric power. Most devices designed for 110-120 volts can operate on 100 volts without any damage.
An interesting door that I noticed in the buffet area. It didn't say "Staff Only, No Admittance." I was almost tempted to go exploring but I really didn't want to get down on my hands and knees to crawl through this hatch.
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