How does the ship do laundry?

[racnwdow]

I just wonder how the ship does laundry and keeps everyone's laundry separate or at least returned to the correct rooms?  Do they do your different colors separately or all together?  Do they wash your clothes with others?  Inquiring minds want to know.  TIA

[3rdGenCunarder]

In Really BIG machines. (Sorry, couldn't resist)

 

When your laundry bag arrives at the laundry, they assign a number, which includes your cabin number. Every item gets a tag on it with that number. They stick on well--I've discovered tags months later at home. Underwear and socks do not get tagged, so I think they go into mesh bags which will be tagged. Then it goes into a load with other people's laundry. I don't know about sorting for color. You can write a note asking them to do that when you fill out the laundry form.

 

Edited September 17, 2019 by 3rdGenCunarder

[Cruise_More_Often]

I will add that we have never had an item returned shrunken or discolored. Shirts/blouses, dresses, slacks/jeans are returned on hangers, pressed, and underwear and similar items are  returned folded. I cannot say enough good things about HAL's laundry service.

 

Every time I find one of those little stuck-on laundry labels, it makes me smile just remembering our cruise.

[Sir PMP]

They put a sticker with a number  on your shirts and pants, so if you feel itchy in the back of your pants, you forgot to take sticker off..

[asebastian]

Really big machines! I've posted some photos from our recent trip on the NS taken during the Behind The Scenes tour of the lower decks.

• Tagging machine. Tags are color coded to show wash temperatures.
• Big washing machines (in blue). Multiple machines running all the time. Separate smaller machines for laundry from the medical center as well as quarantined passengers. Ship's laundry (linen from staterooms and all dining areas are also washed separately).
• Washed clothes are basically steamed dried in seconds individually, and ironed if necessary.
• Sheets etc all come out dry and folded by the machine!
• Pre-delivery check on racks.

The temperature in the laundry room was really high, warm and humid like a sauna. The boys working there get frequent breaks and lots of water. They run on 24x7 shifts.

[BJzink]

1 hour ago, Cruise_More_Often said:

I will add that we have never had an item returned shrunken or discolored. Shirts/blouses, dresses, slacks/jeans are returned on hangers, pressed, and underwear and similar items are  returned folded. I cannot say enough good things about HAL's laundry service.

 

Every time I find one of those little stuck-on laundry labels, it makes me smile just remembering our cruise.

I found one of the little tags a couple of days ago - last cruise ended in January, 2019

[BJzink]

1 hour ago, Cruise_More_Often said:

I will add that we have never had an item returned shrunken or discolored. Shirts/blouses, dresses, slacks/jeans are returned on hangers, pressed, and underwear and similar items are  returned folded. I cannot say enough good things about HAL's laundry service.

 

Every time I find one of those little stuck-on laundry labels, it makes me smile just remembering our cruise.

And the folded items are wrapped in tissue & delivered in a wicker basket...….just lovely!

 

[oceanmom]

I send out light colors in one bag and dark colors the next day or in a separate bag after getting some dingy looking whites after mixing colors in the same bag. Solved the problem --- which was the first cruise out of six that I had the dingy problem show up..

[sansterre]

I avoid sending my most delicate things to the ship's laundry.  

But I must agree that overall HAL laundry does a better job with the laundry than I do at home.  (I don't underwear and put it in a basket with tissue paper.)