Jump to content

Westerdam laundry question


PEB
 Share

Recommended Posts

I know the Westerdam does not have self serve laundry. We will be on her for 36 days and possibly longer because we are looking at adding on an Alaskan cruise. Obviously we are not going to pack enough clothes for that long so does anyone know the price of having laundry done on the ship?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had absolutely no trouble with laundry done on the Westerdam last fall. Everything came back beautifully. The 100% cottons I sent out would have shrunk if they had been washed and dried in hot water/heat and they did not shrink. I don't take delicate clothing on a cruise and I handwash certain undergarments in the sink--which I would do at home anyway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On a Behind the Scenes Tour of the Oosterdam, I posed the laundry washing temperature and was told that clothes were washed in warm water unless requested otherwise. Delicate items that require cold wash and cool dry can be noted on your laundry slip.

 

In my years of cruising on HAL and using the ships daily laundry on all but one cruise, I have never had a damaged item. This includes many shirts and pants that require cold water washing and cool dry.

 

Accidents happen but I have yet to experience one. I strongly recommend the HAL laundry option.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are five star and that means we get free laundry on HAL ships. We never send out anything of value to the ship's laundry. Maybe socks, pajamas and my husband's underwear. I wash the rest by hand and hang it on the line in the bathroom. That should tell you what I think of the laundry services.

if you use the ship's laundry your whites will be returned a dingy grey colour and coloured clothing will be "off". They must have a machine that removes gimp because some items look like they have been beaten to death. I sent a fairly new pair of walking shorts to the laundry last year on the Westerdam and had to throw them out when they were returned. They had been washed several times successfully at home but one trip to a HAL laundry puckered the hems up beyond repair.

 

If you use a colour brightener when you get home you can get your whites bright again.

 

We take four suitcases with us on cruises to avoid much need for having laundry done.

On one cruise the wine steward spilled wine down the front of my husband's suit and he was given a voucher for dry cleaning. The suit waited until we got home to be cleaned as I had read a few reports here on CC of suits being washed and dried.

 

The only ship I have been on that seemed to get the laundry thing right was the Prinsendam.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

First of all, clothes are not just washed in hot water.

 

I mark with a circle those I want done in cold and if they weren't, trust me, they wouldn't fit or be ruined.

 

There are certain personal things I don't send of course, but the rest go.

 

Overall, it is pretty good service (including dry cleaning) but, some stuff could be a tad greyed, some sock may seem to have last their elastic (who knows if they were on their last legs?)

 

That being said, the best laundry service I have ever seen was on the Prinsendam - like sapper1. Smaller ship perhaps? But nothing was grey, everything (including dryclenaing) was done well.

 

My second best ship was the Maasdam.

 

My assumption having been on Vista and Signature ships is that the smaller the ship, the more personalized service and perhaps the appropriate care?

 

Not sure, just a best guess.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Becareful what you send out -- everything is washed in out water and dried on high heat.

If you have something that you think will shrink or is delicate -- hand wash it in your bathroom.

 

Never happened to us. We were on Westerdam in February for 18'days. The $20 per bag deal worked well for us. Three times was enough - you can get a lot in those bags, and everything comes back in good shape: shirts and khakis ironed and on hangers, everything else neatly folded. The alternative is $7 per day for unlimited - but that struck us as unnecessary - $126 vs the $60 we did pay

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Never happened to us. We were on Westerdam in February for 18'days. The $20 per bag deal worked well for us. Three times was enough - you can get a lot in those bags, and everything comes back in good shape: shirts and khakis ironed and on hangers, everything else neatly folded. The alternative is $7 per day for unlimited - but that struck us as unnecessary - $126 vs the $60 we did pay

Agreed---everything is ironed beautifully and neatly hung or folded----after they are done beating it to death. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...