The USB Situation on Older Ships Is Not a Rumor
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1847 Underway, DISNEY MAGIC, North Pacific Ocean. Sea state 3. Skies partly cloudy.
1849 Conducted survey of USB charging availability, Stateroom 7567.
1851 Survey concluded. Results are not encouraging.
J.J., Captain, TMN
The Disney Magic is a great ship. She’s also been sailing since 1998, and the stateroom outlets reflect that era. Standard US outlets are there, and there’s typically one or two USB ports worked into the setup near the vanity or nightstand. On a sailing between three people, we’re managing phones, smart watches, MagicBands, a gimbal, camera batteries, a USB powered fan, and a battery bank, one or two USB port is not a charging strategy. It’s a starting point for an argument.
The fix is simple and costs almost nothing before you leave home. A USB charging hub with four or five ports handles everything. Note that power strips are not allowed on the ship and will be confiscated.
Newer ships like the Wish and the Treasure are better equipped. The Magic and the Wonder are doing their best. Come prepared and you won’t notice the difference. Show up empty-handed and you’ll be rationing charge like it’s a wartime resource.
Pack the hub. Log it under essentials.
Captain J.J. — Chief Officer
I have reviewed the charging infrastructure and found it consistent with the ship’s commission date. I do not fault the Magic for this. I do fault guests who read this dispatch and still arrive without a hub. That is a failure of preparation, not of the vessel
⚓⚓ — Fine for the era. Not fine if you didn’t pack a hub.