Cloth Diapers on RCI?

[sarahtar]

We'll be cruising on Adventure of the Seas, it looks like they do NOT have a coin-op laundry. We use cloth diapers, and do not necessarily anticipate the 2YO (will be 2 at the time of the cruise, anyway) to be completely out of diapers. We use cloth diapers exclusively and strongly prefer not to switch to disposables.

 

However, I'm having a hard time coming up with a way to make that work. I'm doubting their laundry service would want to wash our diapers, and even if they did, I'm doubting I'd want them to. (diapers aren't hard to wash, but they are kind of particular.) Short of somehow finding a laundromat when we're in port and spending my cruise washing diapers in exotic locales, do I have any options here?

 

This cruise was NOT my idea, I would have chosen a cruise ship with coin-op washers. And family pools. :)

[boulders]

Here's the link to a recent thread. Family Board - cloth diapers

 

BTW, I don't think any ship has "pools" where swim diapers are allowed.

[sarahtar]

Wow, Joey, thanks for the incredibly helpful response. The grandparents are coming along on the cruise with us, so leaving kids behind is not an option. They are the ones who booked it.

 

Cloth diapers actually smell less than disposables, so switching to disposables would actually increase the chances of our room smelling like "crap."

 

boulders - thanks for the link, but I just came from there. That poster had the luxury of being able to choose her own cruise line and chose one with coin-op machines, which would obviously be ideal. Other cruise lines (and, in fact, other RCI ships) allow babies with swim dipes in baby pools.

 

I was, however, just thinking that I could simply make us some flats and hand-wash every night. Flats, covers, snappis, clothesline, and clothespins will still take up less room than disposable diapers for a week plus. (at least I think. I guess I have no real gauge on how much room disposable diapers take up, or how much I'd need for that length of time.)

[spencercoop]

Wow, Joey, thanks for the incredibly helpful response. The grandparents are coming along on the cruise with us, so leaving kids behind is not an option. They are the ones who booked it.

 

Cloth diapers actually smell less than disposables, so switching to disposables would actually increase the chances of our room smelling like "crap."

 

boulders - thanks for the link, but I just came from there. That poster had the luxury of being able to choose her own cruise line and chose one with coin-op machines, which would obviously be ideal. Other cruise lines (and, in fact, other RCI ships) allow babies with swim dipes in baby pools.

 

I was, however, just thinking that I could simply make us some flats and hand-wash every night. Flats, covers, snappis, clothesline, and clothespins will still take up less room than disposable diapers for a week plus. (at least I think. I guess I have no real gauge on how much room disposable diapers take up, or how much I'd need for that length of time.)

 

Even if it will take less room than disposable diapers, think of all the time you will be waisting cleaning diapers. I would just bring disposable diapers, so you don't have to worry about cleaning the diapers.

[mek]

Please forgive me asking but there is a reason - why do you object to disposable diapers? Environmental reasons? I have no idea how much cloth diapers cost, but would it be possible to take a weeks supply and just throw them away - cotton is biodegradable, unlike the plastic in disposables. Even if cloth is expensive, in the grand scheme of things would the cost be significant? I used cloth diapers on my son (37 years ago), and honestly I can't imagine doing them without a washer and dryer handy and I certainly wouldn't want to drag them off the ship to a laundry either.

[sarahtar]

Please forgive me asking but there is a reason - why do you object to disposable diapers?

they're expensive. they're full of nasty chemicals. they're uncomfortable and hot. they cause allergic rashes. and I just plain don't want to.

 

would it be possible to take a weeks supply and just throw them away - cotton is biodegradable, unlike the plastic in disposables. Even if cloth is expensive, in the grand scheme of things would the cost be significant?

not an entirely bad idea. Prefolds are $36 per dozen, figure a half dozen every day. 7 day cruise, plus 1 day travel each way, 9 days. 54 diapers, or 4.5 dozen. Round up to 5 dozen. That's just under $200.

But, Yes, in the grand scheme of things, $200 is quite a bit of money for us. Not much in relation to the cruise, but considering that we're a single income family with not much extra cash each month, we'll be scrimping just to afford incidentals on board. (we are not paying for the cruise itself.)

 

I think I solved this one myself, I'll just do it by hand. I can do it during her nap. No, not my ideal way to spend time, but it won't kill me, either. I can't imagine we wont' also have other clothes that need to be washed (like shirts with spilled food all over them), as well.

[Host Jacquelyn]

The OP has the answer to her question, and this thread is now closed.