Over packing vs washing clothes

[dillonsmimi]

Over the years, I have learned how to pack just what I need.

Now belong to the "If I didn't pack it, I don't need/will purchase if I can't live without it.

Been awhile since I have cruised, BUT I notice the laundry rooms have become more plentiful on the majority of ships.

Thoughts about the washing of clothes on vacation?

How crowded are the laundry facilities?

Best time to beat the crowd?

Are there crowds?

[mytime53]

Since we often do extended trips of 4 weeks or more, including a cruise, somewhere along the line we need to do laundry. The ship is a pretty pleasant place to do it. Some of my travel clothes are so comfortable to wear and quick to dry that I just wash them out in the sink frequently. Others (like the clothes we left home in), it's nice to wash in the machines. We've been fortunate in not experiencing long waits whenever we've gone in, so I'm not too helpful about when the best time is. We're doing a b2b this January, so I'm sure I'll do laundry on the turn-around day.

 

I do try to pack things that can all go in the washing machine together...no bright reds, no new jeans.

[paul929207]

Usually, the best time for the laundry is mornings while the ship is in port.

[konatyme]

On a 31-day cruise from SF to Sydney, we washed clothes twice. Yes, it was fairly crowded, although we did choose to do it on at-sea days because we always had plans for port days. (And perhaps it was crowded simply because it was such a long cruise & lots of people were using the laundry facilities.) It helped to get there early, but we had to stand in line at least once in order to get a washing machine and/or dryer. If you didn't stand right there, you wouldn't get one because more people kept coming in. And you either had to stay right there to watch, or you had to be absolutely sure to be there before your washer or dryer stopped, because we noticed that people would remove clothes from either one so that they could put theirs in. We chose to take turns (there were 4 of us--2 couples) staying close to add more money or take clothes out as necessary. It was a little bit of a "pain", but was such a long cruise (and we stayed in Australia for about 2 weeks after, which was why we did laundry the 2nd time shortly before we disembarked) that we really had to do it. (And we weren't willing to pay the high price to have the ship's laundry do the clothes.)

[Woobstr112G]

Port days or maybe as soon as they open on sea days.....

 

Bob

[The Wilkies]

Afraid I am a washer. Find that fairly early mornings are best whilst most people are still in bed or having breakfast. Before I retired I always did most of the laundry in the last couple of days of the cruise which only left the "difficult" things to do at home. Did the same thing on our retirement cruise last September.

[cb at sea]

I've never minded washing clothes on vacation...I mean, the machine does the work! I LOVE facilities that offer guest laundries! Makes packing so much eaiser, and not having a suitcase full of dirty clothes to take home is nice!

[Putterdude]

For the first time ever we did a couple of small loads of whites last month on a 14 day b/b. Actually I did the laundry...a lady had to tell me that I had put the clothes and soap in the dryer:o... so much for being "the leader of the Laundromat". I didn't find one best time and never had a problem finding a machine.

[uppitycats]

I'm on vacation. I don't do laundry on vacation. If the cruise line has a laundry, I will sometimes send off clothes. We're light packers, but still can manage to pack enough interchangeable clothes (and clean underwear) for up to 21 days into one suitcase each (and a carry-on) and not need to wash anything, so I just don't bother. Yes, it means when I get home that we have suitcases full of dirty stuff..but we're home, and I can do it here at my convenience, in my own machines.

[caber]

Our cabin was directly opposite the laundry room on Grand Princess recently. I only once saw anybody coming our or going in.

[KarenBond]

Always always pack light, and do laundry when needed. If its really bothering you, you can send your laundry out to be washed. Its better than overpacking!

[Pam in CA]

Always always pack light, and do laundry when needed. If its really bothering you, you can send your laundry out to be washed. Its better than overpacking!

I agree. No one knows or cares that you're wearing the same thing twice.

 

I'm not a morning person and when I did laundry on cruises, I found that 4pm was a good time. I'd be done before 5:30 and never, ever had to wait for a washer or dryer.

[onthelake]

We have a teen-age son and like longer cruises so Yes, I do laundry and really don't mind. I appreciate that both the washers and dryers have timers so you know exactly when you need to be back. I have seen quite the crowd but a great time is on a morning when arriving in port will be a little later or if you get back on the ship before the crowd. It is also 'something to do' on an afternoon when you just feel like staying in the cabin and watching a movie. It is both inexpensive and efficient. In addition to the cost, I don't want to wait for things to come back from the ship's laundry, hope that nothing is lost or pray that nothing is ruined.

If all I do on a cruise is a couple of loads of laundry, it is certainly easier than dealing with stacks of luggage.

[Passin Thru]

I hate being inline behind people getting on a plane with 25 suitcases. As a longtime traveler with literally millions of miles, all 50 states, pack light, get boarding passes printed ahead, do laundry and carry your own soap. I dont like going to a laundromat and finding someone has left loads of clothes in all the machines either so my feeling is you should remove them ASAP. It's only an hr job Thank you.

[EAGLESLOVER]

For the first time ever we did a couple of small loads of whites last month on a 14 day b/b. Actually I did the laundry...a lady had to tell me that I had put the clothes and soap in the dryer:o... so much for being "the leader of the Laundromat". I didn't find one best time and never had a problem finding a machine.

 

 

very funny

[Kinkacruiser]

I choose a cabin fairly close to the laundry. I'm waiting 10mins before opening time and always wear a watch onboard. My tip is to pack for a week , wash and wear the same sets of clothes for the following week/weeks (this isn't always possible if you are cruising from cold to warm climates).

Apart from being the early bird, bingo time, port days and during the early dinner sitting are all good times to visit the laundry.

Enjoy your cruise.

[rdsqrl]

I agree. No one knows or cares that you're wearing the same thing twice.

 

I'm not a morning person and when I did laundry on cruises, I found that 4pm was a good time. I'd be done before 5:30 and never, ever had to wait for a washer or dryer.

I found that working it around trivia was perfect. Put it in before I went downstairs, come up to switch it to the dryer after trivia on my way to get my post-trivia mocha, then go back to fetch it on the way to shower and change for dinner. This system worked beautifully and didn't feel like I was wasting vacation time sitting around doing laundry. I just wish the machines had a little hook or something so you could hang your laundry bag there. I wouldn't mind someone taking my stuff out if I hadn't gotten back quickly enough if the bag was right there for them to dump it into. Not that anyone did take my stuff out -- there really wasn't much of a crowd in the late afternoon -- but I'm just making an observation. . . .

[jnc411]

I would rather not do laundry on the ship , but have done it on a few cruises. On the Grand there were only two washers and two dryers in the laundry room on our deck, and it was busy, it was a two week cruise . My preference is not to do laundry but I guess it beats airline fees for xtra luggage.

Cori

[Va_Cruizer]

We always do laundry onboard and rarely encounter a crowd. The only hold up is the dryers, they take twice the time as the washer so you will ocasionally see people waiting for a dryer.

the DW & I rotate, one puts the loads in, the other goes to rotate the load to the dryer and then we sometimes both walk down to do the folding and carring back partial loads (jeans always take longer to dry).

 

Kevin

[Go-Bucks!]

I do laundry if I'm on a cruise that's longer than 10 days. One time I found a crowded laundry room, but usually they're empty. I've found that dinnertime is good.

 

On my last cruise (on the Crown), the laundry room was about 6 rooms down the hall and had 2 washers and 2 dryers. I never saw anyone in there and it was very clean and new looking. I did laundry once about the middle of the 14 day cruise while we were doing scenic cruising around Greenland. I was out on the balcony most of the day anyway, so I just popped over and got the laundry done.

 

BTW, I used those new wash/dry sheets made by Purex. You throw the sheet in the washer and it releases the soap, then throw it into the dryer with the wet clothes and it releases fabric softener. It smells good and is so easy to pack; I just took a couple sheets in a baggie.

[Putterdude]

This is what the laundromat looked like on the Diamond early in September...I was kind of lonely.

[Katie333]

I hate doing laundry on a cruise, but I also hate having to pack more than one suitcase (for 2 of us!) so I have done so on 9+ day cruises. The bags they give you in the room to send it off are so tiny, but they do occasionally offer the $20 a bag laundry special on longer cruises.

 

I'm just counting down the days (years!) until when I'm elite and have it done for me.

 

We've found port days are definitely much less busy.

[Mrs.Right]

is in the evening after entertainment while waiting for Miss Right to finish with whatever activity the teens club has going on. I have to be up anyway, right? :cool:

 

Two thumbs up for Purex sheets!!! I sent them to college with my laundry challenged son until he could figure out what worked for him...

 

Barbara

[CFD130]

We do seven day cruises. I always bring a couple travel size detergant packs, a couple of dryer sheets and some quarters. Then on Thursday afternoon I take our dirty clothes to the laundry-go back and relax on the balcony. Takes about an hour- then we pack our clean clothes and when we get home we can just put them away-works for us. No smelly clothes in the luggage. I also bring one of those dry cleaner sheets- when we unpack-if our formal things are a little wrinkled I through them in the dryer for a few minutes and they come out great.

[Bopster]

I always bring extra hangers in my suitcase (They can be posted in a variety of places in the cabin for drying) and clothespins for the little line in the bathroom. When I rinse things in the sink I do have those two options for drying.

On a one week cruise we don't need to use the laundry, but for a longer cruise we do. Early mornings seem to be better than late at night.