Blue Holland America Laundry Bags

When did HAL start charging for those blue bags(the one's with Holland America written on them)? Since one was sitting on our bed one evening, I started using it to carry my book and water around the ship. Almost threw it out when we were packing because we had used it, but decided to stick it in my backpack instead. We had paid our account in full with cash, even leaving a little credit on it, so we were quite surprised to see a charge on our Visa a few days later. It was an odd amount, $5.76 or something and my husband was curious. So he phoned HAL, and an embarrassed employee told us that we had been charged for a laundry bag! It's not a problem, just curious why I didn't see anywhere(not that I thought of looking)that there was a charge for the bag. We do have one from a previous cruise, but that's a few years ago and I'm positive it was complimentary.

We got charged $15.00 for a laundry bag in December on the Rotterdam. A call to HAL got the charge reversed but it took about a month for the credit to show up on my statement. This is a different bag from the ones they put on your bed. They continue to be free.

The blue laundry bags have never been free, only the totes they leave on the bed which used to be beige with HAL logos then blue with HAL logos and now ??.

I have never assumed that the laundry bag was there for me to take home any more than I assume the towels are there for the taking.

There is a note on the laundry form that is used to itemize items you send out to be washed. It states there is a charge for the laundry bag if you wish to take it home. When you arrive in your cabin, the laundry bag and the form are clipped to a hanger in the closet. Same is true about charges for the striped beach towels and the robes. The current bag being left on the bed is really a disappointment. The nice canvas sacks we got years ago were so much better. Cutbacks, sigh...

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We have always known that you were never to take home the blue laundry bag. And personally I wouldn't want to even use it on the ship let alone take it home as some of them were torn and pretty ratty looking.

These are the newest tote bags HAL gives you and there is no charge:

We have always known that you were never to take home the blue laundry bag. And personally I wouldn't want to even use it on the ship let alone take it home as some of them were torn and pretty ratty looking.

These are the newest tote bags HAL gives you and there is no charge:

That's the previous one. There's a new design. Essentially the same blue bag (maybe a smidge bigger?) with the new logo and under it:

Holland America Line

SAVOR THE JOURNEY

I suspect the rollout of the new bags depends on how many of the old bags are left. Pillow chocolates had the new logo, too.

We were given our bags on the first full day of the cruise (Half Moon Cay stop). No need to carry the ship's laundry bag around.

Thanks for your replies. It was the HAL rep who called it a "laundry bag" and not a "tote" bag. Since the bag was placed on our bed by the attendant , I had assumed it was for our use! As it turned out it came in really handy on our trip home as the zipper on our backpack broke, so we managed to stuff a few things in the "laundry bag", so all worked out well. Worth the few dollars they charged.

Yes, 3rdGen, the bag looks like the one you pictured!

Anyway, lesson learned....

That's the previous one. There's a new design. Essentially the same blue bag (maybe a smidge bigger?) with the new logo and under it:

Holland America Line

SAVOR THE JOURNEY

 

I suspect the rollout of the new bags depends on how many of the old bags are left. Pillow chocolates had the new logo, too.

 

We were given our bags on the first full day of the cruise (Half Moon Cay stop). No need to carry the ship's laundry bag around.

Do you know when the newer bag was put into use? The one in the picture was what we got on our last cruise.

Thanks for your replies. It was the HAL rep who called it a "laundry bag" and not a "tote" bag. Since the bag was placed on our bed by the attendant , I had assumed it was for our use! As it turned out it came in really handy on our trip home as the zipper on our backpack broke, so we managed to stuff a few things in the "laundry bag", so all worked out well. Worth the few dollars they charged.

 

Yes, 3rdGen, the bag looks like the one you pictured!

 

Anyway, lesson learned....

Many times after we have used the laundry bag, our cabin stewards have put a new one on the bed so that we could send out more laundry.

Do you know when the newer bag was put into use? The one in the picture was what we got on our last cruise.

We had it in December.

That's the previous one. There's a new design. Essentially the same blue bag (maybe a smidge bigger?) with the new logo and under it:

Holland America Line

SAVOR THE JOURNEY

 

I suspect the rollout of the new bags depends on how many of the old bags are left. Pillow chocolates had the new logo, too.

 

We were given our bags on the first full day of the cruise (Half Moon Cay stop). No need to carry the ship's laundry bag around.

What is pictured is definitely not the laundry bag. I think you got charged eroniously.

The blue laundry bags have a white draw string to close them off at the top, no handles, and are not to be taken "home sweet home" unless you want a post-cruise charge to appear. The blue tote bags can not be closed, come with two handles, and can be taken to the homestead free of charge, if so desired

The bag we paid for does not have a drawstring, just handles, and I can't remember ever seeing one with drawstrings, but we never sent out any laundry so wouldn't have noticed. I'm thinking that the "laundry bag"was never in our cabin in the first place, otherwise we would have come across it at some point on the 1 week cruise.

Anyway, water under the bridge, the tote did come in useful on the trip home.

Thanks everyone for your input.

The bag we paid for does not have a drawstring, just handles, and I can't remember ever seeing one with drawstrings, but we never sent out any laundry so wouldn't have noticed. I'm thinking that the "laundry bag"was never in our cabin in the first place, otherwise we would have come across it at some point on the 1 week cruise.

Anyway, water under the bridge, the tote did come in useful on the trip home.

 

Thanks everyone for your input.

You were charged erroneously. I'd call to get the charge credited back if you think it's worth your time fir a small amount.

But you were charged incorrectly.

Do you know when the newer bag was put into use? The one in the picture was what we got on our last cruise.

We got ours in February on Zuiderdam.

AT leasr it has the good, trdsitional l HAL Logo. which makes me like it more. :)

No, the one in the picture is Krazy Kruizers' bag. That's the previous design. The new bag has the new logo, the one without the Half Moon in front of the ship.

What will we think of next?

The blue "draw string" laundry bags are, at times (not universally), placed on the bed along with the triplicate laundry order form on embarkation day by the room stewards.

If that's not the case, they are usually "clipped" along with that same form, to a clothes hanger inside one of the garment closets in the cabin

I agree with others, if you took a complimentary tote home, never saw a laundry bag inside your cabin, and then got charged post cruise, I would bring that to HAL's attention, perhaps include a pic of the bag, and ask them "what's up with that? Why did I get charged"

What will we think of next?

I agree! First the cabin stewards apparently forgot to put the laundry bag in the cabin closet, but they have time to inventory the cabin on turnaround day and report a missing laundry bag, which was their fault, and have the occupants who have just vacated the room charged after the fact. Stunning.

They usually take the robes out the night before, and maybe the beach towels too now... how does one prove that they didn't take them home if they get charged for those items? So beneath HAL or so I thought.

I had Carnival charge us for a large water bottle the last night, showed up on our final print out in the morning, but we got it corrected before we got off the ship only because I raised holy heck with the front desk after they had refused to adjust it at my husband's request... they weren't getting away with that kind of stunt with me.

Now we often hear of erroneous HAL charges that mysteriously appear on people's credit cards after they have left the ship, not even on their bills. Seems to be getting worse not better.

Thanks to the OP for the warning. So sad that this happened to you... and I'm sure others too. If we vigilantly report these issues there might be hope of them coming to an end, but if we let them go I trust this activity will continue. Reporting them is our only hope, IMHO. m--

The bag we paid for does not have a drawstring, just handles, and I can't remember ever seeing one with drawstrings, but we never sent out any laundry so wouldn't have noticed. I'm thinking that the "laundry bag"was never in our cabin in the first place, otherwise we would have come across it at some point on the 1 week cruise.

Anyway, water under the bridge, the tote did come in useful on the trip home. worth the small bill then :)

 

 

Inthe Neptuune Suites which are along port and starboard sides, you will find the laundryy bag hung form a hanger with clips in the hall closeton gthe left just as you enter your suite. We have always found it in that closet with a launry form with it.

Thanks everyone for your input.

In defence of the cabin stewards during turnaround, our cruise started March 5th on Niew Amsterdam and from reports on CC, a large group of appox. 1200 were on the previous cruise and created a lot of misery for crew and other passengers alike. I can understand why something so insignificant could be missed....just thank goodness we weren't on the previous week's cruise!

The bag we paid for does not have a drawstring, just handles, and I can't remember ever seeing one with drawstrings, but we never sent out any laundry so wouldn't have noticed. I'm thinking that the "laundry bag"was never in our cabin in the first place, otherwise we would have come across it at some point on the 1 week cruise.

Anyway, water under the bridge, the tote did come in useful on the trip home.

 

Thanks everyone for your input.

On the ocean view and inside cabins the Laundry Bag and paper are clipped to a hanger in the bottom of the closet under the shelf with the safe. The Laundry bag is made of a canvas/cotton type material with a draw string where the Tote bag is a thin paper like material.

There was a problem on DCL where passengers would go into cabins open for cleaning and take a decorative bed pillow when heading home. The folks who had left the cabin would be charged for it.

I don't think anyone went in and took a laundry pouch though.

We just got off the zuiderdam yesterday and this is the bag we got.

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