Laundry in stateroom

[nancruising]

No flames please about doing laundry on board but I wonder if anyone can answer a couple of questions as this will be my first time on Celebrity.

 

I know that irons generally will be confiscated, but are steamers allowed on board?

 

Also can anyone confirm that there is a clothesline in the bathroom of the CC balcony cabins on Constellation?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Denny01]

I just bring a carry on bag with a few changes of clothes.......

 

I travel a good deal and use roll-ons even when gone a week. How??? Because I'm a 'guy'. I can get by with a lot less than my wife requires. I know there are some women who can get by with a carry-on for a 7-day cruise. At least I guess it's possible -- seen it said on the threads -- but with a wife and three grown daughters I have difficulty really believing it.

 

So yes, I could hack it quite easily, including a good suit for Formal night, using a carry-on and another small bag, but my wife? Forget it. It's not that she couldn't survive, it's because she enjoys the flexibility. She does the mix/match staying with one color combination and all that, the Chico Chick and so on, but she just needs to feel she is ready for any occasion and wants to rethink what she's going to wear some day or night. Life in my all-female world. Which includes one check-in piece.

 

Denny

[Denny01]

No flames please about doing laundry on board but I wonder if anyone can answer a couple of questions as this will be my first time on Celebrity.

 

I know that irons generally will be confiscated, but are steamers allowed on board?

 

Also can anyone confirm that there is a clothesline in the bathroom of the CC balcony cabins on Constellation?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Steamers are also listed as prohibited. Some posts have mentioned some spray-ons that work great to reduce wrinkles. And yes, there is a clothesline in the M-Class (Constellation) shower. Use it all the time. Very handy.

 

Denny

[Cruise Junky]

No flames please about doing laundry on board but I wonder if anyone can answer a couple of questions as this will be my first time on Celebrity.

 

I know that irons generally will be confiscated, but are steamers allowed on board?

 

Also can anyone confirm that there is a clothesline in the bathroom of the CC balcony cabins on Constellation?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Try Downey Wrinkle Release, it worked like a charm for our week in Tuscany with no iron.

[goldencruiser]

Another good way is to hang clothes in the bathroom while the shower is on to steam the clothes. That has worked for us as well. I have heard good things about the Downey Wrinkle Release. I have seen it in the small travel size at Target with the other travel size goodies.

[TravelerThom]

I am not of the opinion that "many" passengers is a correct statement. On the few posts of this nature that appear here occasionally, only a mere handful of people are disappointed about Celebrity not having laundry facilities. My belief is that the vast majority are content with the situation as it is today, and find no fault with it. We are, as many have indicated, on vacation and that is what most are content with. Because you prefer to do your laundry is not an indication of the preferences of most people.

And I am not of the opinion that only "a mere handful" would not like more options. I happen to have a green Celebrity logo polo shirt that still bleeds after numerous washings. Is it your suggestion that 1) I send it to Celebrity's laundry so that numerous items can be green, 2) continue to wear it without washing it or 3) leave it home [i'm unlikely to wear it anywhere but on a Celebrity cruise]?

 

But then again I wonder who was the genius at Celebrity who decided that no one on a Caribbean cruise would ever have a wet bathing suit, so no need for a clothes line on S class ships. And then they wonder why bathing suits end up as a fire hazard on the balcony.

 

Thom

[Guest maddycat]

I have a mental picture of everyone hanging their laundry out on the balcony.:eek:

 

Not a pretty picture.

 

I'm another one of those that just doesn't get it. If you can afford the price of a cruise then pay the airline fee and take a full sized suitcase or pay to have your laundry done on the ship.

[goldencruiser]

Not a pretty picture.

 

I'm another one of those that just doesn't get it. If you can afford the price of a cruise then pay the airline fee and take a full sized suitcase or pay to have your laundry done on the ship.

 

You don't have to "get it". Some of us don't care to check baggage at any cost and some of us like to do things differently. We all spend our money in different ways.

[labeachcomber]

I agree that the OP was asking about how to laundry, not whether or not she should do it. Interesting to see so many opinions about something as mundane as laundry.

 

goldencruiser, I bring a small bottle of liquid detergent, less than the 3 oz limit. And I have no qualms about washing my swimming trunks (is somebody really going to bring 14 swimsuits?!), my Dri-Fit workout top (who wants to pack 10+ tops?!), or even some socks.

 

I generally however will wash things that won't look too wrinkled when they air dry. Washing a dress shirt is out for me. I'll either wear it again dirty, or send it out if I must. I've tried doing the hang the shirt in the bathroom, crank the hot water in the shower for an hour, and shut the bathroom door. It wastes water and never really gives my shirt that "just steamed" look.

 

I'm even thinking of investing in some of those quick drying underwear that frequent travellers/backpackers use. Wear one, wash one and it'll be dry by the morning.

[jaybird from SC]

Have you ever used that? The 20 items came back all smashed together. Yes they were folded, but they were packed so tightly in the bags that they might as well not have been. I did turn around and send my linen pants out to be pressed and kind of grinned and bore it with the rest. Also, all my tops that had stains still had the stains, so I really wasn't too impressed. I've had much better results when sending things out by the piece, but that can get expensive.

Our laundry wasn't like that at all. We crammed everything we could into our bag and received it all back in perfect condition. Even dh's shirts were very neatly folded and required no dressing. I am very particular about my clothes being wrinkled and that was certainly not the case this time. We had no stains on our clothes so that wasn't a problem for us. We were very surprised and will use this service everytime we sail.

[jaybird from SC]

I plan on taking only carryons for a 10 day cruise. We will send out some articles of clothing to be cleaned, but also plan to do some laundry in the stateroom. What is the best way to dry our clothing? We are in a CC on the Equinox. Is there anywhere in the bathroom to hang clothes to dry? Has anyone used a "travel clothesline" and where have you hung it in the stateroom? Where did you buy your "travel clothesline"? We are leaving in less than 3 weeks - so if i need to order one online I need to do that soon.

 

Thanks for your help.

Don't know what airline you're using but baggage charges were only $20 so why not take the extra suitcase?

[Cruise Junky]

Don't know what airline you're using but baggage charges were only $20 so why not take the extra suitcase?

 

Not sure how up to date this is, I know a lot of them went up Jan 1.

 

http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/blog/3801089/airline-baggage-fees-chart-updated/

[labeachcomber]

Don't know what airline you're using but baggage charges were only $20 so why not take the extra suitcase?

 

Everyone travels differently. I know for us, going on a 10 day Med cruise with some precruise days spent in Rome, I want to travel as light as possible. It's not about the $20. Heck, I get free baggage due to my airline status and I still hate bringing lots of luggage. If we need to take a train in Italy or just getting to the airport, the less I have to carry, the better. One medium sized suitcase for each of us and that's it.

[goldencruiser]

We also prefer to travel with carry-ons only. I find it saves us a lot of time at the airport and if we need or want to change flights - we have no checked baggage to worry about. I pride myself on being a very efficient packer.

[margipoo]

I agree that laundry charges on the ships are cost-prohibitive...a luxury, really. I appreciate it when cruiselines have self-laundry areas for guests. That being said (and the fact that my next cruise, Celebrity Eclipse, will not have that service), laundering -by-hand some items in cabin are not so bad. I believe thinking ahead about fabrics of every day clothing can help as some are better suited to hand-laundering than others. Anyway, closets are good drying areas (provided you don't drip on the floor) as are chairs on balconies if you have one (and if it is a sea day - port days tend to be dirty.) My big dilemna is usually an iron when there isn't a laundry room...it's nice to have one handy whenever you need it rather than making 'special' arrangements for one. (...and for those who say pay for the extra luggage starting off? I'd rather pay the additional charge coming home with gifts in an extra piece!) :-)

[Random Acts]

Earlier in this thread there was a question about the hooks in the bathroom on the Equinox. The hooks are in the shower stall and are on the same wall of the shower, about a foot apart. About all you could hang on each hook was a wet swimsuit, which really didn't dry overnight, hence the discreet use of clothespins on the chairs on the balcony. In order to wash a few small items which we wanted to wear again, we bought a bottle of Camp Suds in the camping section of Wal-Mart. It comes in a 4 oz bottle and is similiar to Woolite- low suds and easy to rinse out. We purchased a thin parachute cord, also available in the camping section and tied the cord between the balcony railing and the chairs in order to hang a few small items. We only did this at night and removed everything before docking at a port so it wouldn't be seen by others. We also successfully used Downy Wrinkle release spray to smooth out wrinkles in dress shirts and other garments that came out of our luggage wrinkled beyond embarassment. Taking care of a few laundry items was not a time consuming activity, and is also a cost saving measure. After funding our cruise and the airfare and excursions, we needed to be conservative with our funds and chose not to spend funds on laundry. Had I thought of it sooner, I would have also packed a large ShamWow to soak up excess water out of each wet item prior to hanging. It works better than a towel and is very lightweight and easy to wring out.

[cruiseinfoseeker]

Earlier in this thread there was a question about the hooks in the bathroom on the Equinox. The hooks are in the shower stall and are on the same wall of the shower, about a foot apart. About all you could hang on each hook was a wet swimsuit, which really didn't dry overnight, hence the discreet use of clothespins on the chairs on the balcony. In order to wash a few small items which we wanted to wear again, we bought a bottle of Camp Suds in the camping section of Wal-Mart. It comes in a 4 oz bottle and is similiar to Woolite- low suds and easy to rinse out. We purchased a thin parachute cord, also available in the camping section and tied the cord between the balcony railing and the chairs in order to hang a few small items. We only did this at night and removed everything before docking at a port so it wouldn't be seen by others. We also successfully used Downy Wrinkle release spray to smooth out wrinkles in dress shirts and other garments that came out of our luggage wrinkled beyond embarassment. Taking care of a few laundry items was not a time consuming activity, and is also a cost saving measure. After funding our cruise and the airfare and excursions, we needed to be conservative with our funds and chose not to spend funds on laundry. Had I thought of it sooner, I would have also packed a large ShamWow to soak up excess water out of each wet item prior to hanging. It works better than a towel and is very lightweight and easy to wring out.

 

 

Very good ideas here. I just find that when I dry stuff on the balcony while the ship is moving it gets a pretty icky odor. Also the salt in the air tends to cling to the garments which doesn't feel too good against the skin and I have found it often stiffens the material and dulls the color.

 

For some items it may not matter. But for others it does.

 

I reviewed the laundry service list and will be using the service for certain items. I was glad that bathing suits are only $1.75.

In addition I will be able to use the elite wash bag free and one discounted so the costs shouldn't add up too much on that. But without the elite benefits I don't think I would be using the service as much as I plan to.

 

I will still be bringing my travel detergent/fabric softener for delicate items I may not want to risk at the laundry.

 

Happy sails!

[goldencruiser]

Thanks for the great helpful hints. The parachut cord sounds like a good idea. I am hoping to buy a small woolite in Ft. Lauderdale before we get on the ship. The shamwow should also shorten the drying time and is easy to pack.

[gracecarmo]

goldencruiser: I packed the shamwow, but never used it. I found that it was too small to be effective. Instead, I used the large terry cloth towel and rolled it with the laundered item (tightly), and pressed on it. It really works better, IMO.

[goldencruiser]

Thanks, thats one less thing to pack!!

[coldweathergirl]

I've often washed underwear and bathing suits in the sink. If you pack a plastic hangar you can hang the wet items on it and it should dry overnight.

 

I will sometimes use shampoo in a pinch to hand launder clothes; just make sure it doesn't have the conditioner in the shampoo.

 

A bungee cord might also come in handy as a clothesline but not sure if the dye would bleed into your clothes.

[cantw8togo]

I travel a good deal and use roll-ons even when gone a week. How??? Because I'm a 'guy'. I can get by with a lot less than my wife requires. I know there are some women who can get by with a carry-on for a 7-day cruise. At least I guess it's possible -- seen it said on the threads -- but with a wife and three grown daughters I have difficulty really believing it.

 

So yes, I could hack it quite easily, including a good suit for Formal night, using a carry-on and another small bag, but my wife? Forget it. It's not that she couldn't survive, it's because she enjoys the flexibility. She does the mix/match staying with one color combination and all that, the Chico Chick and so on, but she just needs to feel she is ready for any occasion and wants to rethink what she's going to wear some day or night. Life in my all-female world. Which includes one check-in piece.

 

Denny

 

 

I'm with you on the packing light front. It took several trips and some nagging from my husband to see that I really didn't need to take all of the 'just in case' stuff. Being able to avoid the luggage carousel, the 'did our luggage make it unscathed' and the 'was our suitcase taken by mistake' anxiety, not to mention the relaxing self disembarkation on RCI makes it all worth while. Even our 2 DS's age 5 & 8 managed their own luggage with minimal help.

 

I'm on of those that doesn't mind throwing in a load of laundry while on vacation. I would rather have the option of being able to do it myself. And if it wasn't for the laundry, it is a lot less likely that I would have met the delightful couple from New Zealand on HAL in Alaska. :p

[kb4683]

Won't travel without these. They fold flat so take up very little suitcase room and when inflated they spread out your clothing so the air can circulate up, down, in and out. We found lots of places to hang them around our Solstice stateroom where the air could circulate. (On the back of the balcony chairs, open the overhead storage and hang on the door mechanism (spring?). Also use the bath towels to wring as much as possible out before hanging.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=151287&stc=1&d=1269862898

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010XGKFK/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B001CZL11E&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=05CGHJJB00F7RA76K5HH

[FritzG]

Is it really worth all that mess in the cabin or bathroom to do laundry? Why not just send it out or take another suitcase with enough clothes to last? Just curious.

 

I'd love to do that, but I have very sensitive skin and must use fragrance free laundry products. I'm afraid that if I send my things out to the laundry I'd spend the rest of the cruise with an itchy rash. We usually take an extra suitcase, but when we sail on a longer cruise with Princess we do laundry.

[OhioDogLover]

For years, I refused to do laundry on vacation. The result was many suitcases of dirty laundry when we got home and way too many bags at the airport. Since I am one of those compulsive early risers, I can get our laundry done on Princess in the middle of the cruise, which makes my vacation easier for me and everyone else. However, I know a lot of people don't like that option, and that's OK with me. This summer, we are going on X for the first time in a few years, and are having the do it in the sink, send it out, or battle the bags discussion. I don't know how it will come out, yet.

Ohiodoglover