What type of detergents should I bring for the onboard self serve laundry?

[candycaramel]

Hello,

I am sailing on a 21 day Mediterranean cruise in April 2023 on board the Enchanted Princess.

Does anyone know what type of detergent the washers utilize in the onboard self-serve washers?

Liquid, powder, pods?

I want to bring a small amount to freshen up some clothes during the voyage.

Thanks.

Pam

 

[JoRoy218]

Hi there, I always take detergent pods and a few dryer sheets. Makes for easier packing.  Those laundry rooms can get crazy busy at times. I would avoid sea days at all cost! I usually try to do a load late afternoon in between getting ready for dinner. Seems to be a less busy time as most are doing other things. Also when it first opens, usually around 8am. There are signs stating the hours.  Don’t know how much it differs from ship to ship, but on the several Princess ships I’ve been on, there are usually four washers and four dryers.  And several irons and ironing boards. 

[wrongwaywatson]

I always do laundry on the cruise, even a short 7 day one, so that I take clean laundry home.  I did it twice on our 10 day cruise.   once midway thru and once on day 9.   I pack Tide Pods and Dryer sheets.

[Shelly97060]

There are dispensers that sell powdered laundry soap and dryer sheets if you forget to bring your own or run out.  I typically bring tide pods and they work fine.

[pompeii]

I bought some laundry detergent sheets on my last cruise.  They are very lightweight and are flat like fabric softener sheets, so they pack a little easier than pods.  I couldn't find them in the stores so I ordered from Amazon.  I think the products from the dispensers are too expensive, so I always bring enough.  

[Arizona Wildcat]

Bring whatever you would use at-home and are happy packing.  Pods are our choice.  

[marden1970]

I pack several pods in a plastic travel soap dish,  no mess if one breaks.  Also several dryer sheets in a small zip lock bag.

[sirclean]

Pods seem to be the choice of all!

I have Elite status, so laundry is not an issue, but when I was traveling for a work assignment, I packed tide pods myself!

Very handy, no risk (or minimal anyway)  that they will break or make a mess.  Very light and compact.

[Outerdog]

The last time I did laundry, the laundry room sold the little single pack cardboard Tide detergent (and others) like you'd buy in the vending machines at a laundromat.

 

Any household detergent you'd bring will be fine. There is nothing special about the washers.

 

[Bwana Tom]

One other side note - if your laundry room is occupied there is generally one on each deck. My wife frequently goes to another deck if she has too. Like the others have mentioned, she also brings her own pods and dryer sheets. 

[christraveller]

If there is a laundry on a deck with lots of expensive suites, it will be less busy. Those guests may have laundry included. 
 

It is almost 2023, fellas. Husbands can do laundry, too, finally!

Edited December 4, 2022 by christraveller

[sirclean]

1 hour ago, christraveller said:

If there is a laundry on a deck with lots of expensive suites, it will be less busy. Those guests may have laundry included. 
 

It is almost 2023, fellas. Husbands can do laundry, too, finally!

 

We CAN, but it seems that we can not do it well!

"Separate the laundry" seems to mean something other than "his" and "hers".  

When I was a feral, single fella, I found that I bought mostly similar colors and over time, they just merged into one color.  Now Im told that I am not doing many things correctly (and my bride fears leaving me home alone too long as I tend to revert to my feral ways, and needs weeks of retraining!)

 

(OH, and I am told that I dont miss her enough and seem to enjoy myself too much when she is gone.... I am no longer permitted any 'unauthorized fun').

 

SO," IF you want it done right, do it yourself"

Similarly, My Bride has tried to mow the yard a time or 2, but I had to go back and redo the 'hard spots'. 

[avonlady6390]

I also bring color clings by shout so I can put all colors in one wash.

[donswife]

We were on the Discovery last month,  and there were baskets of little laundry soap boxes and dry sheets for free.

[Outerdog]

29 minutes ago, donswife said:

We were on the Discovery last month,  and there were baskets of little laundry soap boxes and dry sheets for free.

 

That's probably because the vending machines are on backorder!

[iamaqt2]

I like to pack washer and dryer sheets.  Super lightweight and takes no room.  Another pro tip after having done this quite a few times.. throw all your dirty laundry into your carry on and just roll it to the laundry room instead of trying to schlep a mesh bag.  Then fold it, pack it in the bag and roll it back.  Works like a charm.

[JoRoy218]

Great idea! 

[MTNest93]

I plan to bring detergent sheets (not pods) and dryer sheets.  They're flat and easy to pack!

[moodyb1]

I love detergent sheets. You can find them on Amazon. I think you can also use them as dryer sheets as well. Take very little room in the luggage!

 

Arlene

[phoebe2m]

I too bring the detergent sheets. Bought on Amazon and just keep them in or suitcase all the time. Very lightweight and do a good job but I use 2 instead of 1 for each load. 

[thehowlingroad]

We prefer pods sealed in a Ziploc bag and put inside a harder container, but you can buy liquid Tide in travel packets as well (I think Harmon sells them and I've seen them at Target twice), if you're worried about the pods bursting or anything like that. I've never used the detergent sheets but wouldn't mind trying them. The washers are top-loading, the dryers are front-loading.

 

We did three loads of laundry on the Enchanted over the summer-- two were planned, one was not after we got caught in a significant rainstorm in Norway.

[gottagocit]

Not sure if it needs to be mentioned or not but they do use ‘HE’ type detergent unless it’s changed recently. 

[VibeGuy]

6 hours ago, gottagocit said:

Not sure if it needs to be mentioned or not but they do use ‘HE’ type detergent unless it’s changed recently. 

Depends on the ship.  Some have old-school top loaders with agitators (Ruby, for sure), others have HE machines (Neptunes on Sapphire and Diamond). 
 

I personally bring liquid so I can pre-treat the evidence of my pizza consumption.  

[one.new.island.a.year]

Is there a charge to use the machines? Do I need to bring coins or can we use our medallion?

[VibeGuy]

It depends.  Some ships are in free-run mode, some have complimentary tokens and detergent, others are back to full price.   The tokens can be charged to your account with the medallion - there are venders in every launderette.