Doing your own laundry

[fsa1155]

Hello everyone,

I'm thinking about packing less on this cruise and possibly taking one night to do some laundry. Has anyone had any experience with this. I'm wondering if there will be lines for the washers and dryers. I hate to spend an entire evening waiting. Also wondered what the laundry rooms were like. Do they have multiple machines or just one or two and are the seats to sit and wait. I would hate to walk off and leave my clothes fearing theft. ( not that anyone would steal: just that they could ).

 

Please let me know your experiences and thoughts on doing a couple of loads of laundry.

 

Thanks so much! :)

[emelvee]

I'm guessing it would be busier on "Cruise Elegant" days as it gets closer to dinner - I avoid those times.

 

We do laundry when on Carnival, probably a couple of loads during the week.

 

They'll have a couple of washers and a couple of dryers. It'll be a fairly small room - don't recall any seats to wait.

[sunny delight]

I did do 2 loads of laundry for DS and DH on the Valor. $3 to wash, $3 to dry. Wash cycle was 24 min and 1 hour for dryer. I did it on a long port day around 11 or so, had lunch, finished laundry and then went to the beach. I think there were 4 washers and 4 dryers, no lines.

[erinpdx]

We always end up doing a load or 2 mid week. It does allow you to pack a little lighter. We haven't had a big problem getting a washer/dryer when we have gone midday. I highly recommend bringing the Purex 3 in 1 sheets. They look like a thick fabric softener sheet. You just throw it in the wash (it has detergent in it). Then when you transfer your load to the dryer it acts as a fabric softener sheet. Very handy!

[emelvee]

Another recommendation for the Purex 3 in 1 sheets.

[Paul Bogle]

We have used the laundry facilities a few times. Wash loads cost $3, likewise for dryer but we have found the dryer time is usually sufficient to dry two loads. A vending machine sells soap but we bring our own along with dry sheets.

 

The laundry is usually very busy on sea day afternoons, especially if it's an elegant night so you will want to avoid those times. Likewise they are usually quiet on port days. If you are an early riser like I am, any morning before 7:00 am will find the laundry empty.

 

You can get rolls of quarters from the casino or the information desk so no need to bring them from home.

[wdazew]

You might want to be careful about port days washing I can't remember which sailing but there was one where they had locked the room because that port would not allow the machines to be ran in port

 

No seats 3 or 4 per room. Elegant afternoons are a zoo earlier in the day the easier it is. Some things do take longer to dry. I usually have 1 or 2 items that i have to leave out on our sofa to be truly dry

[glorialagos]

I always thought it was a rule of every port that you cannot do laundry while in port? You can check the website to find that answer but I always do laundry and I always thought I could not do laundry while in any port.

 

I went around 8 - 9 in the evening - no lines, no one there. Dryers are great and you can get two loads in a dryer.

 

I do love that about Carnival. We run and work out and sweaty clothes in a tiny cabin is not a good thing.

[sunny delight]

We were in port in Antigua when I did laundry last week. No problems. Maybe different rules for different ports. Just ask the cabin steward.

[goofycruiser]

On the Breeze, you could use your Sign and Sail card to do laundry. It was much easier than quarters. There are launderettes in several locations, they are noted on your ship map. I try to go after dinner when it is a bit quieter. There is no place to sit but I never had a problem leaving and going back later. We have a 15 day cruise through the Panama Canal booked for March and I am definitely going to have to do laundry!

[bbohbbneedacruise]

Apparently the machines prices have gone up.:confused:

https://www.goccl.com/irman/bookccl/shipboard_knowledge/laundry.htm

Self-Service Launderettes

Each ship has self-service launderettes located on the stateroom decks. There are 2 or 3 washers, 2 or 3 dryers, and 1 iron and ironing board in each launderette. The cost is $3.25 per washer load and $3.25 per dryer load. Vending machines dispense small boxes of detergent and water softener at $1.50 per box.

 

Note: Due to local environmental requirements, the washing machines in the guest launderette will be closed in port, per each port specific requirements; the dryers and irons will be available for guest use.

[homeofthedogs]

I did use the laundry facility on my 7 day Lengend cruise a few weeks ago. $3 for wash and $3 for dry. Machines use quarters and I purchased them from guest services. The washer took 30 minutes and the dryer was very good and dried all my things before the cycle ended (30 minutes). No chair was available so I just left and came back in 25 minutes and waited. There is also a tub sink and iron and ironing board too. Small table was available for folding. Sure helps with making my packing lighter.

Lu

[Ositabear]

I would hate to walk off and leave my clothes fearing theft. ( not that anyone would steal: just that they could )

 

The one and only time I did the self laundry all my undergarments were stolen from the first load. It probably doesn't happen often, just depends on the people cruising on your ship. So for the second load I parked my behind right on the floor in the laundry room for the entire cycles because I didn't want the rest of my undergarments taken. It was a pain to give up my precious vacation time, but I had to!

 

So now when I need to have some laundry done I just send it out in the $15 bags. But I don't send anything I would care if it got ruined.

 

Just wanted to let you know that it did happen to me! =(

[ShakyBeef]

I have only done laundry on a cruise once - on our first cruise (Inspiration 2005). The reason I had to do it was because I was pregnant and had a limited maternity 'cruisewear' wardrobe.:o I did my load late at night and there was only one other person doing laundry at the same time, a crew member. I had to go down to the purser's desk to get a roll of quarters for the machines.

 

It was nice to be able to do so, but I would not choose to do my own laundry on a cruise again. It just seemed to take so much time out of my all-too-short cruise.:) But I understand it is a good option for others concerned with packing light, or like me at that time, with a limited wardrobe.

 

Question for those in the know: Why is the laundryroom so busy on Cruise Elegant nights?:confused: It may be obvious, but I can't figure it out.:o

[LornaT]

I do laundry every time I cruise especially when we do B2B's. Usually at least 2 washing machines and 4 dryers in each laundry room. LOVE the Purex 3 in 1 sheets, they are getting hard to find around here, so last time I saw some I cleaned the shelf and now have the boxes in large ziplock bags to keep them fresh for all future cruising :D.

 

The laundry rooms get busy on Formal night because of folks wanting to use the ironing board and iron.

[marshabear]

ironing formal wear on elegant nights???? just a guess....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marsha

[TheGirlsNY]

I can't post the link right now but if you go to flickr.com and search for "Carnival Magic laundry" you will see a few pictures I took of the laundry room on the Magic last September. We did laundry multiple times and only once was it really crowded. During dinner or late night seemed less crowded. We also used the Purex sheets.

[Froufie]

ironing formal wear on elegant nights???? just a guess....

 

 

 

Marsha

 

Good guess - and most likely the right answer - I alway see lineups out the laundry room door as everyone wants to iron their fancy duds.

 

If you want to do this you may wish to plan to do this earlier in the day or even the day before and hang up your stuff - hate standing in line to IRON!:p

[ShakyBeef]

Oh, right - the iron! Of course.:o I figured there was an obvious explanation that I was missing. Thanks!:D

[jules815]

I haven't been able to find the Purex sheets here in the Chicago suburbs for a while now. I plan on bringing a some of those little detergent pods in a ziplock baggie and some dryer sheets. I did a few loads of laundry midweek on our last Dream cruise, and I don't remember having any trouble getting a machine.

[TheGirlsNY]

I recently ordered the Purex sheets from Amazon for my son (who's in college) and they were cheaper than Target. Free shipping too, if you have Prime.

[fsa1155]

We always end up doing a load or 2 mid week. It does allow you to pack a little lighter. We haven't had a big problem getting a washer/dryer when we have gone midday. I highly recommend bringing the Purex 3 in 1 sheets. They look like a thick fabric softener sheet. You just throw it in the wash (it has detergent in it). Then when you transfer your load to the dryer it acts as a fabric softener sheet. Very handy!

 

 

Thanks for the information. I have never heard of the Purex 3 in 1 sheets. I'll have to try that.

[jules815]

I recently ordered the Purex sheets from Amazon for my son (who's in college) and they were cheaper than Target. Free shipping too, if you have Prime.

 

Thanks!! I guess I never thought about ordering laundry detergent from Amazon; and I do have Prime! :)

[fsa1155]

Thanks for all the info. It helps a bunch in planning my packing. I think I will try to do a load of laundry mid week as suggested.

 

thanks again. :)

[T. Advisor King]

Here's another big "thumbs up" for Carnival's laundry machines. I want to say that it's the best thing on the ship, but that might sound like a backhanded compliment, which isn't my intent. Of all the things Carnival sells (goods and services), the laundry machines are the only one I can think of where the price on board is not substantially overpriced compared to the cost on land. It is very fair. And on the Conquest a couple years ago, the detergent vending machine wasn't working properly. I reported this to a crew member, and when I went back later, found that he had extracted a box from the machine and left it for me.

 

I almost always do laundry on board, because it is so convenient. Most of our cruise vacations are a lot longer than just a cruise (if I'm going to travel that far to get to a departure port, I'm going to see other things while I'm there), so a week-long cruise is probably part of a two-week vacation. I find it is best if you avoid the middle of a cruise (Wednesday or Thursday for a Sunday departure). That's when those who planned to do laundry (i.e., half way through) or are starting to run out of things are doing theirs. So Tuesday is great. We usually get early seating at dinner (if we don't have YTD), so that we're eating around the same time as we do at home. I find that if I do laundry after dinner, the early dinner people are at shows or doing other things and the late seating people are busy having dinner. I usually have the laundry room to myself -- not that I stay there. I just drop it off and go watch TV or something and then come back. I've never had my undergarments stolen, but that probably wouldn't surprise anyone!