Laundry on Vista Class Ships

[mhshapiro]

:) We are booked on the Ft. Lauderdale to Rome cruise on Westerdam next April. I read in one of the other threads that the Vista Class ships do not have the self-service laundry facilities that other HAL ships have. Is this correct?

If it is, what are the charges and turn-around time for laundry done by the ship's staff?

[dakrewser]

:) We are booked on the Ft. Lauderdale to Rome cruise on Westerdam next April. I read in one of the other threads that the Vista Class ships do not have the self-service laundry facilities that other HAL ships have. Is this correct?

If it is, what are the charges and turn-around time for laundry done by the ship's staff?
There's regular per item pricing (which I can't recall), $12-per-bag specials (2 day turn-around) or all the laundry you care to have cleaned for a flat charge per cabin (it was $140 for a 10 day cruise last fall, if I remember correctly) approx. 30 hour turn-around. S class and above suites get free laundry.

-dave

[anjan]

We are going to be on the Oosterdam Sept. 29 and I emailed Holland America about the laundry service. Here is their response to my email. Hope this helps.


Thank you for your recent correspondence with Holland America Line regarding our laundry facilities onboard. For your convenience, we offer full laundry and dry cleaning service on board all of our vessels. You will find laundry bags and price lists in your closet. Unlimited "laundry and pressing" packages are available for $45 per person on 7-day itineraries and $70 per person on 10-day itineraries. There is also an unlimited "pressing only" package for $30 per person for any itinerary. Also note that for passengers in full Suites (category "S") and the Penthouse Suite, full-service laundry is complementary on all ships.

A new laundry service is now being offered onboard all of our ships as well. For $12 per bag, we will wash and dry your clothes. This package, however, does not include pressing. There is a 48-hour turnaround time for this service and it can only be purchased onboard.

Self-service launderettes are situated in various locations onboard our ships, with the exception of our Vista-Class ships [ms Zuiderdam, ms Oosterdam, ms Westerdam]. The facility consists of washers, dryers, irons and ironing boards. There is a charge for the use of the laundry facilities; irons and ironing boards are provided at no cost. For safety reasons, we ask you to refrain from ironing clothes in your stateroom.

Please feel free to contact us if we may be of additional assistance. We are confident our "Tradition of Excellence" will surpass your expectations. For over 130 years Holland America has upheld a reputation for five-star service and unequaled cruise itineraries. Our award-winning fleet sails to Alaska, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, Hawaii, the Pacific Northwest, Mexico, Europe, Canada & New England, South America, and Around the World. We look forward to welcoming you onboard in the near future.

Kind Regards,

James,
Internet Department
Holland America Line, Inc.
(877) SAIL-HAL

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for the information from HAL's website.

[mhshapiro]

Thanks for the information. I'm a little puzzled as to why HAL decided not to include self-service laundry facilities on the Vista Class ships.

[Krazy Kruizers]

The Vista class were originally designed for 7 day cruises - on and off the ship - not much clothing, etc.

But they forgot about re-positioning cruises and that the Westerdam and Noordam would be replacing older ships in the Med and people would be the ship longer than 7 days. HAL also didn't take into consideration that some of us do back-to-back cruises and are on the ships for 14 days.

[mhshapiro]

Now that they are using the Vista Class ships for longer cruises, I wonder if they can be convinced to install a few self-service laundry rooms.

While I don't mind having the ship's crew do the laundry, it sure is convenient to have the self-service machines available.

[jplewis]

Thanks for sharing the e-mail from HAL. I do still have an question that maybe someone who has been on the Westerdam recently might answer. When we were on the Noordam last year the $30 unlimited pressing service was for the cabin not per person. Has anybody used this service lately? Also, I think I remember that was if you sign up first day so that may be the difference.
Patsy