Tips for doing hand washing on board Solstice

We are on Solstice on March and I've heard that they charge about $50 US for a laundry bag - and some have said it's not that big.

We've bought a small stretch clothesline and are wondering if we are able to hook it up in the shower or something? - just so we can wash and dry our knickers / bras every couple of days.

I've read that drying clothes out on the balcony is a no-no, so I'm after any tips from other cruisers on how you managed to do any washing on board.

if we still have any OBC left near the end of the cruise, then we may buy a laundry bag then, but I don't plan on bringing 12 of knickers.... I don't think I even own 12 pairs!

We will be in the same situation, doing Auckland to Fremantle on 17 February. Previous cruises have been with HAL and their laundry bags were, from memory (last cruise in February last year) $20. The bags look small, but it was amazing how much you could fit into them, and everything came back beautifully pressed, either folded up or on a hangar.

On one of our trips around Europe we purchased a great little portable clothesline that hangs over a door. It's just narrower than a standard door and has about four lines on it. We still have that, so I'm tempted to throw it into our suitcase as it folds flat and fits easily into a case. It might be worth your while checking out places like IKEA or Howards Storage (not sure if you have them in NZ) to see if they have something similar.

We use stretch clothesline but also have hung clothes over balcony chairs & table when not in port.It’s never been a problem.Just used laundry for shirts & the like usually using obc.

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I’m going to have the same issue on a 5 week trip at the end of the year, where only during the first week will we have access to a self-service laundry.

I always carry 2 types of travel hangers with me.

For smalls, I take a round plastic hanger which are often for sale at supermarkets or $2 shops here in NZ, or alternatively, they’re easy to buy online.

Google ‘Round plastic hanging clip’

I find these take up the least space in the bathroom and are easy to hang in the shower. Plus they’re light in the suitcase.

For t-shirts etc, I take a travel line. I have both one of those twisted elastic ones with plastic suction ends, and a line with metal pegs along it and hooks at the end. I like the twisted elastic over the pegs, but the hooks over the suction ends as I find the suction never lasts and I return to my room to find one end of my line popped off the wall.

I got a tip on Cruise Critic to take a couple of strong magnet hooks to attach your line to since cruise ship walls are metal. I ordered some hooks online, but are yet to see if it works.

Also, another tip is to take one of those small micro-fibre travel towels and wrap your washing tightly in it before hanging it up. It absorbs excess water so the washing drys faster.

Anyway, I hope something there helps.

We are E + now and generally cruise in suites with unlimited laundry but there are still items on a longer cruise I may want to refresh but not send to the laundry.

Before our luxury cruising days without free laundry I did budget a mid cruise bag for items that may take longer to dry out (shorts, non fancy T shirts....).

Whilst we never leave clothes unattended on the balcony I will securely drape a couple of items over a chair whilst sitting on another....after washing I do use a towel to mop up excess water. Once they are part dry they seem to finish off really quickly just on a hanger in the cabin. I tend to rinse things through just before I am planning a quiet hour on the balcony to avoid items ever being really dripping wet in the cabin.

Re undies....I think the art is to only have one or two pairs drying at a time....wash too many out and leave them dripping in the shower and they will all take ages to dry. One friend recently was cruising on another line and when she found out the cost of washing her undies on board bought 12 pairs from a cheap UK outlet with the clear intention of wearing and binning! Not a solution I had ever considered but possibly viable!

I think we, like many cruisers, also choose our cruise clothes wisely in terms of light weight fabrics that don’t need ironing....helps with the packing too!

Hope you have a great cruise!

She Who Must Be Obeyed and I often do extended land tours and cruises. When we can't find a convenient laundromat on land or if we are not cruising with Princess (on-board laundromats for guests) we hand wash and dry. We wear a lot of quick dry clothes when traveling.

We carry a few plastic hangers and some clothes pins. We also carry some laundry soap powder in an old Kraft parmesan cheese container - which makes shaking out a small amount convenient. On a ship, we wash and rinse in the sink, tub, or even a clean trashcan. After rinse, we wring out the items and roll them tightly in a pool towel, them stand on the roll to squeeze out as much water at possible. They then go on a hanger and we use a small travel fan to blow air on the clothes so that they'll dry faster. We always carry a small travel fan on cruises since the thermostat in the cabin seems to be a placebo.

Pool towels for laundry? We never bother to check out a pool towel. There's always an ample supply of unattended towels, flip flops, and old paperbacks or magazines on the pool deck for the taking. When we have a couple of wet ones, we just exchange them at a convenient chair hog nest. I spot the likely nest on my early morning walk and if it's still untouched a couple of hours later, I make an exchange. (I often wonder what the chair hog thinks when they finally get around to using their "reserved" lounger and find a wet towel:eek:)

For soap, we use travel laundry sheets that come in a small plastic container. Very compact, and made by numerous companies:

As mentioned in another post, we wring the wet items, roll them tightly in a towel and then walk on the towel. We can then hang them up with no dripping. We bring magnetic hooks with us and hand the clothes from the ceiling next to the AC outlet. Much better air circulation than in the bathroom and generally less humid than on the balcony.

I have learned that they dry more quickly if I hang them from a magnetic hook hung on the ceiling next to the AC vent. Personal items and sport shirts are dry overnight. Love the new sweat wicking fabrics, comfortable, light to pack and wash well.

We purchased very strong magnetic hooks from Amazon and tie a piece of twine between them and hang it in the shower high up and out of the way. It's very easy to pack (fits in a shoe with plenty of room to spare and works really well. We've used it on every cruise on S-class ships which have no pull across clothes line. If you have a lot of stuff to wash/dry you can hook up another set just as easily.

Just returned from a three week land trip switching hotels every two or three nights (which really made me look forward to our cruise next summer!). I used our twisty clothes line with suction cups (which sometimes ended up falling) and always wrapped items tightly in a towel to soak up as much moisture as possible. On cruises I use the same line but also will use clothespins to hang items on the back of our balcony chairs. I am a huge fan of the newer "tech" fabrics (especially in hot and humid climates) as they dry so quickly.

For laundry I have hand washed a few shirts at a time and put them on a hanger, button them up and hang them from a back of a chair. The stateroom attendants have never removed them. Never have had a problem with them falling off. Usually do this in port but have also left them outside overnight. For undies I wash a few at a time and roll them in a towel to get out excess water and hang them with clips on a hanger and place them in the closet. They do not drip on the floor and it’s more discreet than hanging them from the back of s chair. By doing a few pieces of laundry at a time it’s easier. Have never sent laundry to be cleaned. I’m one of those who do not want my laundry in large washers with everyone else’s dirty things nor want my stateroom attendant folding my undies!!

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There are already many responses...but this subject has been on other threads recently. Suggest you use the search feature to locate then for more info and opinions

We are on Solstice on March and I've heard that they charge about $50 US for a laundry bag - and some have said it's not that big.

We've bought a small stretch clothesline and are wondering if we are able to hook it up in the shower or something? - just so we can wash and dry our knickers / bras every couple of days.

I've read that drying clothes out on the balcony is a no-no, so I'm after any tips from other cruisers on how you managed to do any washing on board.

if we still have any OBC left near the end of the cruise, then we may buy a laundry bag then, but I don't plan on bringing 12 of knickers.... I don't think I even own 12 pairs!

Based on the title I thought you were looking for places to wash your hands. ;p

We used this braided elastic line with hooks on both our Millennium and Reflection cruises (along with land stays): https://www.amazon.com/McNett-Tactical-Gruntline-Elastic-Clothesline/dp/B004LDZO9E

The hooks allow you to hook it around or to pretty much anything in the bathroom. We only pack a carry-on per person, and try to hand-wash every 3-4 days. This summer we managed to do a week pre-cruise in Rome/Italy and a 11 night cruise with 5 days worth of clothes each (with some additional dressy wear for the cruise). We also make sure that we use quick-dry material as much as possible so that we can wash everything and it's still mostly dry overnight.

Get most of the water our before you hang it...roll in a towel and stand on it....then hang them from a hanger from the AIR VENT in your cabin...things will dry pretty fast.

they are not asking for tips now after one has washed their hands are they?;)

they are not asking for tips now after one has washed their hands are they?;)

Good one.LOL

We take clips and clip items to balcony chairs and they are dry by morning.

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We purchased very strong magnetic hooks from Amazon and tie a piece of twine between them and hang it in the shower high up and out of the way. It's very easy to pack (fits in a shoe with plenty of room to spare and works really well. We've used it on every cruise on S-class ships which have no pull across clothes line. If you have a lot of stuff to wash/dry you can hook up another set just as easily.

Can you provide more info on the hooks? Thanks.

Can you provide more info on the hooks? Thanks.

I can't comment on hooks available from Amazon, but we always bring a number of 3/4" Lee Valley Tools' hooks:

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=73796&cat=1,43326

We were on a 14 day round the Horn cruise on Norwegian and I found I could hang things in the shower and rig the hairdrier to hang inside the shower curtain blowing hot air, and things dried quite quickly. Once in a while the drier shut off so I let it cool down and then turned it on again.

We are on Solstice on March and I've heard that they charge about $50 US for a laundry bag - and some have said it's not that big. We've bought a small stretch clothesline and are wondering if we are able to hook it up in the shower or something? - just so we can wash and dry our knickers / bras every couple of days. I've read that drying clothes out on the balcony is a no-no, so I'm after any tips from other cruisers on how you managed to do any washing on board. if we still have any OBC left near the end of the cruise, then we may buy a laundry bag then, but I don't plan on bringing 12 of knickers.... I don't think I even own 12 pairs!

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Do not laugh, but after I have taken my shower and washed my hair, I put the dirty laundry in the shower with me, squeeze on some shampoo (hey! it is soap), aim the nozzle to the clothes and stomp on them with my feet. (Think grapes.) Then I wring them gently, hang them up in the shower to drain. After I am all dressed, I roll them in pool towels I have brought to the room for this purpose and stomp on them again. Boom.

We use J R Liggetts shampoo bar. We buy it on Amazon. All natural shampoo soap and works well for washing clothes, and in the shower. Comes in three varieties. It takes the place of a bigger shampoo bottle and comes in handy in European hotels where the bar soap leaves something to be desired.

I buy All concentrated liquid detergent which requires 1/2 as much to use and pour in a small disposable plastic bottle.