Warning to cruise ship passengers to avoid bringing one popular item onboard

Avid passengers will know that at sea are an entirely different world from those on land. 

While there are many obvious rules and regulations while onboard, there are still some that not everyone are aware of. 

Cruises are often a thanks to their wide range of activities for all ages, supervised kids clubs and family-friendly shore excursions.

They can provide quality time for the whole family to bond and make memories to last a lifetime. 

However, there is one key item that many parents will want to take on board to make looking after the little ones easier, but they have been warned that this is actually banned for safety reasons. 

There are many obvious objects that have been banned, such as weapons, drugs or even certain amounts of . 

Baby monitors are a staple for many parents with young children as they allow them to remotely observe their kids’ activity and provide peace of mind by enabling them to quickly respond to any needs, even when not physically in the room. 

This can help alleviate anxiety and allow parents to enjoy their evenings.

However, many cruise companies have now banned baby monitors from being brought aboard their ships. 

Baby monitors can disrupt the ship’s navigation or radio systems, the latter of which is known to have occurred at least once on an plane. In 2003, a baby monitor caused radio interference at , which blocked landing instructions from reaching pilots

Security tends to seize prohibited items, so it is best to leave the monitor at home to avoid being left out of pocket. 

stands out as the major exception to the industry standard rule. It permits these items, though with one key caveat: the ship’s chief electrician must examine any monitors you bring on board. Therefore, its best to pack these items in your hand luggage. 

If they pass the inspection, you can use them during your trip. If they don’t, security will keep the monitors until disembarkation. 

Even then, if a line does allow the devices on board, they may not work correctly as the signals from the monitors may not be strong enough to reach you, especially if you are far from your cabin. 

Nevertheless, legacy cruisers often have terrific advice and have come up with some genius alternatives. 

For cruisers with good Wi-Fi packages, some suggest using two mobile phones to communicate with each other. You would need to set up one phone to act as a monitor and keep the other one with you. Using calls or apps such as Facetime, as long as the signal stays strong you should be able to hear or see your little one. 

Other cruisers suggest using regular walkie-talkies with the button taped down so it stays on, but this is an issue on some cruises such as Norwegian, which have also banned these devices. 

One tech-savvy traveller even suggested bringing their . 

Alternatively, you can forgo all technology and rely on the babysitting services on board which are readily available on most cruise lines.