Loads of newbie questions #4 - all about laundry. (Alaska Northbound)

[PongosMum]

Before I get to the most important questions – anyone got any idea why none of the subject lines on my threads are in Bold type – everyone else’s seem to be, I thought it was automatic........ obviously not!!! :confused:

 

On to the questions

 

Island Princess

 

Ironing

Are the irons in the laundry area available on the first afternoon – I’d like to press a few items ASAP because our clothes will have been squashed to bits by the time we get on board.

 

Washing Machines

To my absolute horror, I’ve read that they stop guests using the washing machines on certain days :eek:. Does anyone who’s travelled northbound recently know what days they are? We have quite a bit of travelling to do after the cruise so I’d like to wash & dry as much as I can. Also, if they stop you using the machines do they stop you using the irons, I’ll do a load of ironing in one go if that’s the case!!

 

Dry Cleaning/Laundry Packages

I did have a couple of questions on ‘laundry packages’ (eg all you can fit in a flimsy bag for a set price) but there are various threads/posts with a variety of laundry scenarios so I’m not too sure what to ask now.

 

Can recent travellers throw any light on any of these assorted points???

 

a) Princess have discontinued the service fleet wide, or

b) Princess only have the offer on cruises longer than 7 days, or

c) Princess sometimes has the offer on for $20 or

d) All of the above/None of the above

 

Confused :confused::confused::confused: ........ you will be!!

 

Thanks to anyone who can help :)

[paul929207]

Subject lines are bold for threads that have comments added since you last checked Cruie Critic.

 

Yes, irons in all passenger laundry room. No charge for iron.

[PunkiC]

Many years ago I discovered Chicos and gave up ironing. Smartest move of my life--well second smartest after choosing my DH. ;)

 

Seriously I love Chicos and can manage a trip of almost any length with just two pair of black Chicos Travelers pants and a bunch of wrinkle-free tops. The fussy stuff that needs ironing, what little of it I have, can stay at home.

 

I don't know where you live but if they don't have Chicos there, buy them on ebay. I wear them everywhere, from working in the garden (when they get old) to the office, to formal dinners and I always look and feel perfectly turned out. As a matter of fact for our next cruise I am taking two pair of Chicos Travelers black pants and that's it for the bottom of my body--no skirts, no dresses, no jeans. Sometimes on a longer cruise or if we are traveling with friends and want to dress especially fancy, I will take a skirt but my next cruise is only 7 days and we will be traveling alone.

 

If it's cold out I will wear them with silk long underwear or panty hose for warmth. You can even wash these pants our in your sink in your room at night, roll them in a towel to press our the excess water, and they will be dry in the morning.

 

Try them, I guaranty you will be hooked and save yourself a lot of fuss and bother.

[pmjnh]

PunkieC, that's a great idea. I just looked up those Chico traveler pants and they almost look like yoga pants and look very comfy!

[PongosMum]

Many years ago I discovered Chicos and gave up ironing. Smartest move of my life--well second smartest after choosing my DH. ;)

 

Seriously I love Chicos and can manage a trip of almost any length with just two pair of black Chicos Travelers pants and a bunch of wrinkle-free tops. The fussy stuff that needs ironing, what little of it I have, can stay at home.

 

I don't know where you live but if they don't have Chicos there, buy them on ebay. I wear them everywhere, from working in the garden (when they get old) to the office, to formal dinners and I always look and feel perfectly turned out. As a matter of fact for our next cruise I am taking two pair of Chicos Travelers black pants and that's it for the bottom of my body--no skirts, no dresses, no jeans. Sometimes on a longer cruise or if we are traveling with friends and want to dress especially fancy, I will take a skirt but my next cruise is only 7 days and we will be traveling alone.

 

If it's cold out I will wear them with silk long underwear or panty hose for warmth. You can even wash these pants our in your sink in your room at night, roll them in a towel to press our the excess water, and they will be dry in the morning.

 

Try them, I guaranty you will be hooked and save yourself a lot of fuss and bother.

 

I'm guna look those up (we're not from USA so will have to scout round for them), good idea, if I can get them they'll do for 3 of the 5 places we're visiting :)

[cruisedreamer17]

Hello, I will have the opposite problem. We will be traveling around Scotland for 4 days before the cruise, hiking around muddy hills etc, SO I better do a few loads or you will know who we are real quick. Hoping though since we are in a WS that I can give them a bag of laundry day one. I teased my mom who is on the Plaza deck near the laundry room, she can do ours--she loves to wash. Well in a week I should be on board--staggered boarding time and all.

Laurie

[paul929207]

Yes, you get free laundry in the suite, so don't even put away the dirty stuff. Straight to the laundry bag and on to the steward.

[caribill]

Before I get to the most important questions – anyone got any idea why none of the subject lines on my threads are in Bold type – everyone else’s seem to be, I thought it was automatic........ obviously not!!! :confused:

 

On to the questions

 

Island Princess

 

Ironing

Are the irons in the laundry area available on the first afternoon – I’d like to press a few items ASAP because our clothes will have been squashed to bits by the time we get on board. Yes, they will be available then.

 

Washing Machines

To my absolute horror, I’ve read that they stop guests using the washing machines on certain days :eek:. Does anyone who’s travelled northbound recently know what days they are? We have quite a bit of travelling to do after the cruise so I’d like to wash & dry as much as I can. Also, if they stop you using the machines do they stop you using the irons, I’ll do a load of ironing in one go if that’s the case!! It seems to vary by ship and who knows what else. In other words, what has already happened may or may not happen on your cruise.

 

Dry Cleaning/Laundry Packages

I did have a couple of questions on ‘laundry packages’ (eg all you can fit in a flimsy bag for a set price) but there are various threads/posts with a variety of laundry scenarios so I’m not too sure what to ask now.

 

Can recent travellers throw any light on any of these assorted points???

 

a) Princess have discontinued the service fleet wide, or

b) Princess only have the offer on cruises longer than 7 days, or

c) Princess sometimes has the offer on for $20 or somestimes yes, sometimes no, no way to predict which. However, it there are days that even Princess cannot do laundry due to environmental regs, it is unlike this special would be offered on your cruise.

d) All of the above/None of the above

 

Confused :confused::confused::confused: ........ you will be!!

 

Thanks to anyone who can help :)

 

see above in red

[Pam in CA]

First, a suggestion. For the clothing that wrinkles easily, use tissue paper or lightweight dry cleaning bags. What I do is use packing cubes which I pack carefully so the clothes don't wrinkle. That said, some do. Downy Wrinkle Release is your friend. It comes in travel sizes; just spray, tug and dry, and the wrinkle is gone. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_11?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=downy+wrinkle+release&sprefix=downy+wrink%2Caps%2C295

 

The reason why the laundries are closed in Alaska is due to environmental reasons, which I'm sure you can understand. Alaska has very tough regulations for cruise ships and impose steep fines if violated. Or, they could revoke the cruise line's right to sail in certain areas so it's taken very seriously. Whether they're closed or not depends on the ship's route so there is no hard and fast rule. When that's the case, neither the ship's nor self-serve laundries are open.

[kitcrazy]

I can't believe I haven't read this yet on the CC boards with so many frequent travelers!

 

I travel about 150 days a year (for work) and I have not used an iron "on the road" for at least the last five years .... well, okay one time ... but that's it. I travel with an empty laundry spray bottle. When I get to my destination, I hang up my suits and blouses and whatever else may be wrinkled and just lightly spray it down with a fine water mist. Let it hang a few hours (usually overnight) and voila! If the clothes are particularly wrinkled, I might smooth it down with my hand immediately after I spray it. I've even used this on suede clothing, no water stains because the mist is fine.

 

I'm not kidding about this ... never iron again!! All my work colleagues do this now; so does my husband when he travels for work. BTW, this works WAAAY better than the hang up your clothes in a steamy bathroom trick (which actually doesn't work at all IMO)

 

Try it! And ... you're welcome! :D

 

P.S. Just read an earlier comment about Downy Wrinkle Release. Same concept ... but it's water from your bathroom tap ... so free!

[missymerv]

Many years ago I discovered Chicos and gave up ironing. Smartest move of my life--well second smartest after choosing my DH. ;)

 

Seriously I love Chicos and can manage a trip of almost any length with just two pair of black Chicos Travelers pants and a bunch of wrinkle-free tops. The fussy stuff that needs ironing, what little of it I have, can stay at home.

 

I don't know where you live but if they don't have Chicos there, buy them on ebay. I wear them everywhere, from working in the garden (when they get old) to the office, to formal dinners and I always look and feel perfectly turned out. As a matter of fact for our next cruise I am taking two pair of Chicos Travelers black pants and that's it for the bottom of my body--no skirts, no dresses, no jeans. Sometimes on a longer cruise or if we are traveling with friends and want to dress especially fancy, I will take a skirt but my next cruise is only 7 days and we will be traveling alone.

 

If it's cold out I will wear them with silk long underwear or panty hose for warmth. You can even wash these pants our in your sink in your room at night, roll them in a towel to press our the excess water, and they will be dry in the morning.

 

Try them, I guaranty you will be hooked and save yourself a lot of fuss and bother.

Chicos traveler stuff is awesome. Wash and wear no wrinkles. I buy it online, on sale. Dress it up or down. Doesn't get any easier.

[JoRoy218]

Pongosmum: we were on Coral Princess last Sept. I too was concerned about laundry details. There was a laundry room on each passanger deck -- ours had 8 washers & 8 dryers. I did try to time when I did laundry to avoid crowds. I believe they close the room at 10pm. Bring lots of quarters. I also pack a small travel iron and I iron at my convenience. As mentioned above, I also keep in mind "wrinkle factor" when packing for longer trips. Have a wonderful trip!

[caribill]

I also pack a small travel iron and I iron at my convenience.

 

Which by the contract you agreed to and the rules on board is not supposed to be used.

[CarnPrinRoyHollNor]

Pongosmum: we were on Coral Princess last Sept. I too was concerned about laundry details. There was a laundry room on each passanger deck -- ours had 8 washers & 8 dryers. I did try to time when I did laundry to avoid crowds. I believe they close the room at 10pm. Bring lots of quarters. I also pack a small travel iron and I iron at my convenience. As mentioned above, I also keep in mind "wrinkle factor" when packing for longer trips. Have a wonderful trip!

 

 

-Quarters are available at guest services or the casino.

 

-Unless I am mistaken, Princess still prohibits bringing an iron onboard.

[JoRoy218]

Yes, irons (and other things) are prohibited, thanks for pointing that out! Don't we all bend the rules a bit? Always safety conscious anyway.

I mentioned taking along lots of quarters for two reasons: convenience and it's very time consuming waiting on line at guest services (which always

seemed to have a line whenever we passed) and the casino is only open limited hours.

[Pam in CA]

Bringing a roll of quarters is unnecessary and adds weight to your carry-on or suitcase. I just go to the Passenger Services Desk when it's convenient for me and get quarters there. So much easier and I don't have to lug change onboard.

[LetzCruze]

Yes, irons (and other things) are prohibited, thanks for pointing that out! Don't we all bend the rules a bit? Always safety conscious anyway.

I mentioned taking along lots of quarters for two reasons: convenience and it's very time consuming waiting on line at guest services (which always

seemed to have a line whenever we passed) and the casino is only open limited hours.

 

Bending rules like smuggling alcohol affects Princesses bottom line and MAY result in higher cruise fares.

 

Bending rules like sneaking on a travel iron can possibly burn down the ship and kill 3-4000 people.

[PongosMum]

Hello, I will have the opposite problem. We will be traveling around Scotland for 4 days before the cruise, hiking around muddy hills etc, SO I better do a few loads or you will know who we are real quick. Hoping though since we are in a WS that I can give them a bag of laundry day one. I teased my mom who is on the Plaza deck near the laundry room, she can do ours--she loves to wash. Well in a week I should be on board--staggered boarding time and all.

Laurie

 

Lol, yr poor mum ;). Have a fab cruise

[PongosMum]

First, a suggestion. For the clothing that wrinkles easily, use tissue paper or lightweight dry cleaning bags. What I do is use packing cubes which I pack carefully so the clothes don't wrinkle. That said, some do. Downy Wrinkle Release is your friend. It comes in travel sizes; just spray, tug and dry, and the wrinkle is gone. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_11?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=downy+wrinkle+release&sprefix=downy+wrink%2Caps%2C295

 

That stuff sounds great – I’m not from the US so looked it up & we have something similar here so I might give it a go. Thanks

[PongosMum]

I can't believe I haven't read this yet on the CC boards with so many frequent travelers!

 

I travel about 150 days a year (for work) and I have not used an iron "on the road" for at least the last five years .... well, okay one time ... but that's it. I travel with an empty laundry spray bottle. When I get to my destination, I hang up my suits and blouses and whatever else may be wrinkled and just lightly spray it down with a fine water mist. Let it hang a few hours (usually overnight) and voila! If the clothes are particularly wrinkled, I might smooth it down with my hand immediately after I spray it. I've even used this on suede clothing, no water stains because the mist is fine.

 

I'm not kidding about this ... never iron again!! All my work colleagues do this now; so does my husband when he travels for work. BTW, this works WAAAY better than the hang up your clothes in a steamy bathroom trick (which actually doesn't work at all IMO)

 

Try it! And ... you're welcome! :D

 

P.S. Just read an earlier comment about Downy Wrinkle Release. Same concept ... but it's water from your bathroom tap ... so free!

 

Thanks, I’m going to practice before we go away – sounds great (& cheap lol)

[PongosMum]

Pongosmum: we were on Coral Princess last Sept. I too was concerned about laundry details. There was a laundry room on each passanger deck -- ours had 8 washers & 8 dryers. I did try to time when I did laundry to avoid crowds. I believe they close the room at 10pm. Bring lots of quarters. I also pack a small travel iron and I iron at my convenience. As mentioned above, I also keep in mind "wrinkle factor" when packing for longer trips. Have a wonderful trip!

 

Thanks - I was imagining queueing for ages to use 1 or 2 washing machines. :o

[PongosMum]

-Quarters are available at guest services or the casino.

 

-Unless I am mistaken, Princess still prohibits bringing an iron onboard.

 

Oh gawd!!!!!

We’ll be taking an iron on board because we’ll be using it in the other places we visit both before & after the cruise (well that’s if the great advice from Pam & Kitcrazy doesn’t work). Will it get taken off us for the duration & returned at the end of the cruise????

[Iamcruzin]

Thanks - I was imagining queueing for ages to use 1 or 2 washing machines. :o

I have found the best time to do laundry is around the time of first traditional seating for dinner starts. If one laundry room is full try the one a deck above or below you. Also the closest laundry room may not be on the same deck you are staying on. Check the deck plans on the Princess site before you leave. If you are lucky enough to be able to grab two dryers separate the heavy cottons from the light weight synthetics. Synthetics dry a lot faster than cotton and you can have them folded while you wait for the rest to dry.

[paul929207]

Oh gawd!!!!!

We’ll be taking an iron on board because we’ll be using it in the other places we visit both before & after the cruise (well that’s if the great advice from Pam & Kitcrazy doesn’t work). Will it get taken off us for the duration & returned at the end of the cruise????

If the detect the iron, they will take it and hold it till the last night. Then it will be returned to you.

[portiemom]

I can't believe I haven't read this yet on the CC boards with so many frequent travelers!

 

I travel about 150 days a year (for work) and I have not used an iron "on the road" for at least the last five years .... well, okay one time ... but that's it. I travel with an empty laundry spray bottle. When I get to my destination, I hang up my suits and blouses and whatever else may be wrinkled and just lightly spray it down with a fine water mist. Let it hang a few hours (usually overnight) and voila! If the clothes are particularly wrinkled, I might smooth it down with my hand immediately after I spray it. I've even used this on suede clothing, no water stains because the mist is fine.

 

I'm not kidding about this ... never iron again!! All my work colleagues do this now; so does my husband when he travels for work. BTW, this works WAAAY better than the hang up your clothes in a steamy bathroom trick (which actually doesn't work at all IMO)

 

Try it! And ... you're welcome! :D

 

P.S. Just read an earlier comment about Downy Wrinkle Release. Same concept ... but it's water from your bathroom tap ... so free!

 

I've been doing this for years. Even at home. So simple and it really works. And you're right, no one ever talks about it. I thought I invented it! :D