Laundrette on Braemar

Is there a self service laundrette on Braemar and, if so, can anyone give me a quick assessment of the facility - quality of wash and rinse, availability of machines etc? Also, do you need to take your own powder or detergent sachets?

We are booked on a back to back cruise so could probably use it at the end of the first cruise of early in the second.

There are two, one on a lower deck and one on an upper deck. For £2 you get a washer, drier and powder thrown in. The wash quality is excellent. Pick your times to do your washing as the laundrettes can get busy on sea days. But that back to back will allow you one day when you will have the machines to yourself. But beware, 90% of fights on board start in the laundry rooms, and if you are involved you will get thrown off even if the other person started it. :D

Fights:eek: I though FO had an older customer base, what on earth are they fighting about?

Thanks for the reply Coravel. I understand entirely what you mean about 'fights' as I have previously used P&O launderettes in my braver moments.

To answer nb125 - I have heard a few stories about P&O laundrettes. Like the time a man took a ladies washing out of a machine as the owner was not there to remove the washing when it was finished - the lady took great exception because he had touched her underwear! Taking someone elses washing out of a drier before the cycle is finished is another common way to start tension and I have had that done to me, so I now try to stay for the duration of the cycle if poss. I even heard a story of chocolate being put in a dryer - but do not know if that one was true.

Also, we once had a P&O steward, (with 20 years experience and a very placid person), who I casually mentioned to one day that I was wondering if I was brave enough to do some laundry!! His face fell and he said he was once working in an area by a laundrette and every day something would kick off, so he would run one way or other along the corridor as he knew each participant would ask him to support their version of what was said, (or more accurately shouted), and any response from him in favour of one passenger would leave another with a vengeance for him.

On a lighter note I can recollect no tales I have heard about Fred Olsen ships and, until this year, we did consider their passengers a more peaceful bunch than P&O clientelle. However, an experience with an aggressive personality on our table for a 2 week cruise in July this year did leave a very nasty feel about mealtimes on that cruise.

Given the number of people onboard a cruise ship, it is not difficult to have one trouble maker amongst them.

Part of the problem is that there are only around eight washing machines and eight dryers in each laundrette. The machines have a quick wash cycle which is perfectly adequate for most purposes but the majority of users will put their clothes on a long cycle which ties the machine up for hours. The same applies to the dryers and the majority of people walk away to do something else. Many find this annoying and some will remove the washing into a basket as Tring has described. But I've seen others just tip the washing onto the floor in sheer frustration. That happened on my last long cruise and it resulted in a fight between the two women involved. This was subsequently transferred to their husbands who had fisticuffs on the deck. The result was that all four were unceremoniously dumped at the quayside of the next port of call which happened to be El Salvador. A chilling prospect if ever there was one! :D

Yes, getting dumped in the med sounds bad enough, but in that case It sounds as though both couples deserved it. A ship is far too small and enclosed a space to let agression get out of hand and I think Fred definately did the right thing to protect other passengers.

I would not use a short wash as I have a sensitive skin so need my washing to be well rinsed. Eight washing machines and eight dryers sound quite a lot to me compared to P&O where there are only a couple of each in each laundrette and there are not that many laundrettes, so I suspect there are probably less machines for the equivalent number of passengers. The real problem I see, (and has often been commented on by other passengers), is that some people will just get a few items and put them in a machine, rather than wait until they have a proper wash load. I also find that certain times of day are often much less used, so have found being flexible on time of use is better. It is a shame cruise companies lock their laundrettes so early at night, as they would not annoy others as long as they are closed by say 9.30pm. I can see why they do not open them until about 8.00am the next day though, but we once had a cabin near a laundrette and were woken early everyday by people queuing for the laundrette before it opened and using that time for loud conversations! We have made sure we avoid the laundrette vicinity for cabins since then.

I've never seen the point of locking the laundrettes so early in the evening and

Fred is no exception. But we once had a cabin next door to the laundrette and were not bothered by noise at all. In fact it was incredibly convenient! :)