Laundry

[catbe]

We are excited to be on the December 16 - January 6 cruise on the Konsingdam. Is the laundry detergent fragrence free or can you request fragerence free?

[FlaMariner]

Our laundry comes back smelling clean....I've never recognized a particular fragrance/smell....but it is a fantastic service. 

[57redbird]

I've not noticed any fragrance either.

 

[LLRS11]

I didn't notice any fragrance either, and I am extremely sensitive to, and get headaches from, many common fragrances.  The laundry service is wonderful.

[kazu]

I use unscented at home and think I can say safely that the laundry you send out to be cleaned is unscented.  they use a special environmental soap so I’m not sure of the options.

 

But, the laundry is well done and I never noticed one iota of scent on mine.

[catbe]

Thank you very much for your prompt responses.

[cbr663]

We got off the Koningsdam and sent laundry out nearly every day.  I didn't notice any fragrance whatsoever on the returned clean clothes.  

 

I will caution you though that if you are sensitive to fragrance the ship is not a scent free environment.  The Elmes products supplied in the washrooms are very fragrant and more than once I was left in a fit of coughing due to the strong scent of these products from crew and other passengers.  There were some areas of the ship that were so fragrant I wonder if it is pumped into the air.  Keep in mind also that HAL does sell fragrances on board and all of them are readily available for passengers to sample.  We found the amount of fragrance on the ship quite overwhelming at times.

[Crew News]

2 hours ago, cbr663 said:

We got off the Koningsdam and sent laundry out nearly every day.  I didn't notice any fragrance whatsoever on the returned clean clothes.  

 

I will caution you though that if you are sensitive to fragrance the ship is not a scent free environment.  The Elmes products supplied in the washrooms are very fragrant and more than once I was left in a fit of coughing due to the strong scent of these products from crew and other passengers.  There were some areas of the ship that were so fragrant I wonder if it is pumped into the air.  Keep in mind also that HAL does sell fragrances on board and all of them are readily available for passengers to sample.  We found the amount of fragrance on the ship quite overwhelming at times.

HAL ships are still being sanitized on a weekly basis and the scent of the sanitizer can be overwhelming for awhile.  On the Nieuw Amsterdam last month, even the interior of my minibar was wiped down under my watchful eye, as was every non-porous furniture surface in my stateroom.  My Ziploc bag protected my sauce of sliced cheese from the scent.

 

This COVID-era sensitization did not happen simultaneously on board but took place at different times in the week.  Alternating sides of the Lido Market Buffet were also closed one day and all surfaces were sanitized with the scented liquid.

 

It was difficult to escape the sanitizer scent while aboard.

[SargassoPirate]

Still wiping down every surface in sight?

Edited November 29, 2023 by SargassoPirate

[chengkp75]

The ship's laundry uses commercial EcoLab detergents and chemicals in the machines.  Fragrance is a consumer idea for laundry products, not commercial users.  Not sure that this is any "environmentally" special product.

[cbr663]

2 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

Still wiping down every surface in sight?

Not that I saw on our May Alaska cruise or our recent California cruise.

 

Prior to the pandemic it was quite common to see crew all over the ship cleaning and wiping things down.  Crew could be easily seen in hallways and stairwells wiping down handrails.  I didn't see that on either of my 2 cruises this year.

 

For our most recent cruise we did sanitize our cabin upon entering it.  There were noticeable stains and grime in some areas of the cabin so we are glad that we did.

[SargassoPirate]

3 hours ago, cbr663 said:

Not that I saw on our May Alaska cruise or our recent California cruise.

 

Prior to the pandemic it was quite common to see crew all over the ship cleaning and wiping things down.  Crew could be easily seen in hallways and stairwells wiping down handrails.  I didn't see that on either of my 2 cruises this year.

 

For our most recent cruise we did sanitize our cabin upon entering it.  There were noticeable stains and grime in some areas of the cabin so we are glad that we did.

For years we have wiped down certain surfaces on airplanes, hotels, and cruise ships.  Mostly to remove bad juju and the yuck factor.

 

Commercial establishments wiping down every surface in sight nowadays is just theater.

 

 

[KC from California]

Can you purchase the "unlimited" laundry package on embarkation day so we can use it right away? Who do we purchase the package from?

[Sea42]

37 minutes ago, KC from California said:

Can you purchase the "unlimited" laundry package on embarkation day so we can use it right away? Who do we purchase the package from?

There will be a bag in the closet of your cabin with an order sheet that you send in with your first batch of laundry. It can go out the first evening and will probably be returned the next afternoon or evening.

[Crew News]

Here is the laundry list to be completed.  If you have special instructions (wash cold/dry low), add them.  Remember to remove the pink copy as a receipt before tying the laundry bag.  Your Room Steward will collect laundry during the morning cleaning and in the evening while you are at dinner. Discuss this when you meet your Room Steward on Embarkation Day.  Dry Cleaning is not included in the unlimited laundry package.

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by Crew News

[crystalspin]

2 hours ago, KC from California said:

Can you purchase the "unlimited" laundry package on embarkation day so we can use it right away? Who do we purchase the package from?

Note the solid box on Roger's laundry form. You simply check the Unlimited Package. No matter when you first turn it in you are charged for the entire voyage days, so using it right away is a great idea! Also, you do have to check off the clothing items/numbers even though you're not paying individually, for their records and to get it all back!

[KC from California]

Thank you all for the information. How will I know how much is the unlimited package? Will it be posted somewhere? We are on a 11 night Caribbean cruise on the Nieuw Statendam next month.

[Crew News]

36 minutes ago, KC from California said:

Thank you all for the information. How will I know how much is the unlimited package? Will it be posted somewhere? We are on a 11 night Caribbean cruise on the Nieuw Statendam next month.

The price can be seen on the HAL website for your cruise under the "Packages"  tab.  The price is $8.50/day/stateroom or $93.50 indicated under the "Packages" tab.  You can purchase on the HAL website or wait until your first laundry turn-in that will be charged to your stateroom account (OBC).

[Torquer]

4 hours ago, crystalspin said:

Also, you do have to check off the clothing items/numbers even though you're not paying individually, for their records and to get it all back!

Make sure you save your copy, and when it comes back, check to make sure all items are returned correctly.  About every other HAL cruise we take with unlimited laundry, an item doesn't come back, or someone else's garment comes back instead.  This has always been corrected within hours as soon as we tell our room steward.  The laundry crew really does do a fantastic job, considering how much laundry they have to handle every day.

[Gunther1]

I’m guilty of steering this thread even further from  the original question, but I wonder if anybody actually pays for the individual items  ( $2 for a pair of socks, for example) ?

 

it would VERY quickly add up to much more than  the cost of  the “by the bag” price.

[DE Solo]

I take a photo on my cell phone of the items before I stuff them in the laundry bag. That way if there is an item that is misplaced, I can show the steward exactly what I am missing.

[SargassoPirate]

6 hours ago, Gunther1 said:

I’m guilty of steering this thread even further from  the original question, but I wonder if anybody actually pays for the individual items  ( $2 for a pair of socks, for example) ?

 

it would VERY quickly add up to much more than  the cost of  the “by the bag” price.

I use the guest laundry when cruising on Princess, but when I'm on lines without guest laundromats - most all nowadays - I travel with a lot of quick dry clothes that I can wash out in my cabin.  Also wear a day, air a day works for outer garments.  

 

I take the ship laundry charges and apply them to a wee dram in the evening.

 

 

[Toofarfromthesea]

On 11/30/2023 at 10:18 AM, KC from California said:

Can you purchase the "unlimited" laundry package on embarkation day so we can use it right away? Who do we purchase the package from?

 

FWIW, you can buy it ahead of time, albeit not with OBC.  I alreadyy have it for an upcoming 1/13/24 cruise.