Doing your own laundry on Sea Princess, ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE.

[karatemom2]

Oh ya, pump your dirty laundry water into British Columbia waters!;)

 

Well since we can't wave at you this year...:D

[erber]

We were on the Island Princess for the Voyage of the Glaciers cruise June 14-June 21st and we did laundry twice (both times in Alaskan waters). As far as we know the laundry was never shut down for any reason.

 

We travel with two children and need to do laundry when we are out of town for ten days (we were in Vancouver for two days prior to our cruise). It is very easy and economical to do laundry on the ship.

 

One of the machines we used did not work properly. It did not do the spin cycle so the clothes were really wet at the end of the cycle. We called the purser's desk from the laundry room and someone came within 5 minutes, and they fixed the dryer it so we could use it for free for a 60 minute cycle of drying due to the problem with the washer not spinning the clothes partially dry. Other than that, it went smoothly.

 

We were on the Island Princess for a ten day cruise last March and did laundry without incident.

 

We are going on a cruise in December and plan to do a load of laundry as well.

[Whoo]

I was on the Sea Princess on the cruise before the OP. There were lots of complaints about the machines in the laundry rooms - we discovered the driers didn't work on our deck AFTER we had done a load of wash. People were waiting in lines on the other decks to use the driers there. We had our laundry taken to the ship's laundry to be dried, as we had a small inside cabin and no place to dry the clothes (and complained to the purser's office and got the charges removed from our final bill).

 

It's possible the ship was performing maintenance or replacing the old, dilapidated machines on OP's cruise. I heard nothing about the laundry rooms being shut down on our cruise - and we were in Alaska when we were doing laundry.

 

As for some people saying it's not necessary to do laundry on a 10 day cruise, there are several reasons passengers may wish to do laundry:

1. They have children who seem to go thru several outfits per day

2. Packed lightly, assuming they could do laundry on the ship

3. Passengers having extended their vacation prior to or after the cruise

4. Passengers preferring to do their own laundry

 

There are probably lots of other reasons why someone might want to do laundry on a cruise, and I can certainly understand passengers being upset about not having the laundry rooms available and in operating order.

[Woobstr112G]

Hi All

 

A small price to pay to see Alaska wear the same socks for two days.

 

yours Shogun

 

OMG, The horror.....:D:):D

 

Bob

[lilacbirman]

But honestly, what's wrong with the op wanting to do some laundry on vacation? Sending clothes out for cleaning is an expensive and sometimes inconvenient option, and not everyone enjoys having wet underwear hanging all over the cabin. DW and I find it easier to pop over to the laundry room for a few quick visits, and this is one of the reasons we choose princess. We have done laundry on every Alaskan cruise so far

 

I agree. Just because some of you don't want to do laundry on your vacation doesn't mean it's wrong for anyone else. :cool:

 

We did laundry on our last cruise because we didn't want to pack 11 days worth of clothes, shoes, etc. And not everyone can afford to or even want to sent their clothes out for laundering. To each their own. :)

[poolwoman]

This is good to know because I've heard it was no problem to do laundry on the ship. I did read that they weren't too strict about what you wear in the dining room. I'm getting ready to go to Alaska the end of Aug so I think I'll take enough so I don't have to do laundry. Glad I read a few things on this site. Thanks to all.

[compozer]

I agree. Just because some of you don't want to do laundry on your vacation doesn't mean it's wrong for anyone else. :cool:

 

We did laundry on our last cruise because we didn't want to pack 11 days worth of clothes, shoes, etc. And not everyone can afford to or even want to sent their clothes out for laundering. To each their own. :)

 

 

well said!

[Benita]

At least Princess has laundry rooms - Royal Caribbean does not have any and they do not allow irons -oh well, I rather be on a cruise with no washing machine, than home with one.

[ldubs]

That is 12 washers and 12 driers for 2,300 guests. .

 

 

Make that 2298. Last thing we want to do on a 10 day cruise is laundry.

[san diego sue]

We have done over 50 cruises and until our last one, never did laundry. Princess ships were the only ones that had laundry facilities. Well, a 28 day cruise and flying involved, you have to pack light. We have always hand washed underware, Well after the first rainstorm we got stuck in , returning to the ship soaking wet, changed clothes and headed right to the laundry. What a pleasure to wash everything. Before we left the ship, I washed everything as well. It was so nice having clean clothes to pack and no laundry when we got home. On the larger ships there are four washers and dryers

on each deck. You have to pick a time when it is not busy and the best for us was late in the evening.

[pris993]

Laundry is not something I would ever consider doing on a cruise. Just turn you underwear inside out :)>

 

We have been traveling for 30+ years, I have never done laundry on any kind of trip, other than to wash something out in a bathroom sink and dry it over night. Can't understand why folks need a laundry mat????

[LARGIN]

Touch up ironing is what we use the laundry room for...

[DMRick]

We have been traveling for 30+ years, I have never done laundry on any kind of trip, other than to wash something out in a bathroom sink and dry it over night. Can't understand why folks need a laundry mat????

 

I guess you don't sweat. I do, and because of that, and my love of smelling fresh, and not wanting to be a pack mule with luggage, I do laundry on longer cruises. I have no interest in washing out underwear in a sink, and having them hang over the shower. I like my bathroom to be a bathroom, and not a drying room.

[Putterdude]

I have no interest in washing out underwear in a sink, and having them hang over the shower. I like my bathroom to be a bathroom, and not a drying room.

 

I tend to agree with you but often I have found that DW has other ideas.:)

[CrusinAgain]

I guess you don't sweat. I do, and because of that, and my love of smelling fresh, and not wanting to be a pack mule with luggage, I do laundry on longer cruises. I have no interest in washing out underwear in a sink, and having them hang over the shower. I like my bathroom to be a bathroom, and not a drying room.

 

Totally agreed! In fact we even throw a load in on a 7 day cruise. It doesn't take long and we are done in 90 minutes from start to finish and watch a movie in our cabin while it is being done.

[ITMan]

Well firstly thank you to the OP, it is this kind of information (Maybe not as a complaint) that is what this board is about - sharing expereinces.

 

I am travelling with DW and DD from the UK for 3 weeks in US/Alaska next month. We are doing a week road trip round CA with brief overnight stops (So not much chance to do Laundry) and then the cruise.

 

We are limited to 1 x 20KG bag each on the flight so we will be limited in what we carry.

 

I asked several months ago (on this board) about laundry facilities on the Sea Princess and was assuured there were facilities that would allow us to do a couple of loads to "catch up" once we were on board.

 

I have found NOTHING anywhere else to suggest that the laundry would be closed. Thus this post has been very useful and has allowed us to change our plans slightly before the event and not to become annoyed when we get hit by it head on.

 

Congratulations to anyone who posts positive or negative it is ALL useful information.

[cathatgirl]

@ITMan I don't think you'll have problems doing your laundry onboard early in the cruise. The first few days at sea, the laundry room was getting zero use whenever I walked by. It's not until after the first port when it started getting used and then gets busier and busier as the cruise progressed.

 

In Ketchikan, the first port, self service laundry facilities is unavailable until after sailing from Juneau. The notice is on the front page of the patter. So it's really just unavailable for 2 days out of a 10 day trip, with nearly nobody using it the first two/three days out of SF. So I think they are correct in that you will be able to do a couple loads to catch up upon boarding. Just don't wait until mid way through your cruise to catch up on your laundry and you'll be fine!

[Toto2Kansas]

We found (back when we did our own laundry onboard) that any ship that offers self service laundry rooms during peak times are a madhouse. The trick is to plan your visits during off peak times.

 

It is widely known that some laundry rooms are not open during certain voyages (especially those in parts of Alaska), so you can't take their availability each day for granted. ;)

[Cruisin' Chick]

Whether or not the OP is one of these chronic complainers, he/she brought up a problem that is relevant to some of us. Princess has self-service laundries onboard and many of us intend to do a laundry load on our cruise. So if that isn't available on a specific cruise, the passengers on that sailing should be made aware of that.

 

I can't remember if we actually did some washing on our 7-day Alaskan cruise, but I think we did, and here's why:

1. Hubby likes to keep down the amount of luggage we bring.

2. Amtrak (how we got from Southern California to Seattle) had a limit on luggage, including a weight limit.

3. Our train trip was 40 hours long, plus a short stay in Seattle pre-cruise (we arrived just before midnight on a Friday) for a Sunday cruise. At that point, we had some dirty laundry, but not enough to wash yet. And certainly in Seattle, didn't want to wash out our unmentionables in the sink and not have them dry before heading to the pier.

4. We can't send our laundry to the ship's laundry as one member of our family is allergic to most detergents (I use allergen-free detergent at home and pack some for any cruises).

5. We usually get an inside cabin and that's not too conducive to quick drying if you hand wash. And I rather use the dryers than use a hair blower to dry clothes.

 

We also did some laundry in our post-cruise hotel. We certainly did wear jeans and slacks more than once, but there are other clothes that you would want to wash between wearings. At least I do.

 

On our Hawaiian cruise, we did at least a couple of washes too. As someone said, it just takes a little time and you can go back to your cabin and watch tv or read a book in the meantime. Other members of your family can do whatever they want.

 

To us, self-service laundries would definitely be a deal-breaker for any cruise that's longer than 7 days. And if we have some traveling to do before the cruise, a deal-breaker for a shorter cruise.

[RickEk]

I think the problem here is the Sea Princess herself. Since it's an older and smaller ship, there are probably older and smaller facilities to hold grey water (I think someone mentioned that above). It certainly doesn't seem to be a problem with the newer ships.

[silvercruiser]

Before we were Elite I used laundry rooms on longer cruises, some as long as 5 weeks. Most of the Princess ships have roomy laundry rooms with large washers and dryers and even ironing boards. The one exception was the SEA PRINCESS, which had tiny laundry rooms where people crowded in and got into arguments. A year ago we took a 28-day cruise on the PACIFIC PRINCESS and I noticed that there was only one laundry room on the whole ship, just like the other two small ships. Lacking only 11 days to become Elite, we took a 14-day Caribbean cruise earlier in the year. I really liked a 10-day cruise that was available, but needed that 11th day, as there was no way I was going to sail for 28 days without the free laundry. Now I don't have to try and book cabins near the laundry rooms and it's heaven!

[Putter]

If you are Elite, does this issue apply to them (no laundry done in Alaska). Or do Elite people just turn in there laundry, anytime at any port and do they get their laundry back in a timely manner?

 

Same topic, when Elite turn in their laundry, when can you expect it back? Is it next day? or is same day service if turned in the morning?

[caribill]

If you are Elite, does this issue apply to them (no laundry done in Alaska). Or do Elite people just turn in there laundry, anytime at any port and do they get their laundry back in a timely manner? When it comes to not being allowed to do laundry, the rules also apply to elite.

 

Same topic, when Elite turn in their laundry, when can you expect it back? Is it next day? or is same day service if turned in the morning? Used to be you could get free presto service (back same day if in by 9 AM), but they recently changed it so the same day service is extra cost for Elite. So with the change and wanting it free, you will be lucky to get it back that day. Otherwise, the next day.

 

See above in red

[pablo222]

Used to be you could get free presto service (back same day if in by 9 AM), but they recently changed it so the same day service is extra cost for Elite. So with the change and wanting it free, you will be lucky to get it back that day. Otherwise, the next day.

 

I had read this on cruise critic, too.

 

Three weeks ago, I was on emerald princess. I didn't check any

box -- presto, nor next day, just hoping for the best.

 

My steward asked me about it, and assured me presto was complimentary,

and checked presto for me.

 

Presto was still free.

[caribill]

I had read this on cruise critic, too.

 

Three weeks ago, I was on emerald princess. I didn't check any

box -- presto, nor next day, just hoping for the best.

 

My steward asked me about it, and assured me presto was complimentary,

and checked presto for me.

 

Presto was still free.

 

Others have posted that on their cruise the letter in your cabin explaining Elite benefits would indicate if the presto was not included.