How do you handle laundry on a long, hot cruise without spending a fortune?

[Suskies]

We are on the March 2 Millennium Southeast Asia cruise, which lasts about 15 days. Add in getting there and back from the US East Coast and some extra time in Singapore and Hong Kong, and we'll be gone about 3 1/2 weeks. Much of the cruise will be in hot and humid locations, which means we'll be generating a lot of laundry. We are not elite members so will have to pay by the piece for any items Celebrity launders or irons.

 

Do any of you have any tips on how we can minimize what could easily be an enormous laundry bill? Thanks!

[floridatravelersforlife]

Over twenty years, we have tried a lot of options including off ship laundering, but the most convenient has been to invest in hand washable hi tech fabrics and wash in your stateroom.  You can search for these articles on line - start with "travel underwear " and go from there.  One can find all sorts of clothes.  They are expensive, but look at it as an investment which pays you back many times over. 

 

On our land trips,  we still use some to cut back on baggage when our itinerary brings us weather that ranges from 0 F to 90 F.

[NCHPcruiser]

On our Asia trip last year we also packed a lot of quick drying tech fabric shirts.  I washed them in the sink (Woolite packets), rolled them in a towel then hung to dry.  I brought strong magnets with hooks that I put on the ceiling and clips for undergarments that I attached to hangers.   I also had several several quick drying fabric sundresses which were great to have.  

[gold1953]

yes .. quick dry wardrobe ..and it weighs less too. Don't let it build up . Some will start their evening shower in shirt and undies , then strip to finish shower and rinse clothes. Shampoo is good to wash the clothes

[MJSailors]

Also, Downy Wrinkle Free works great as an alternative to ironing if you have wrinkles from hand washing clothing items.

[micheleata]

Polyester shirts!   Light weight, easy to wash in the sink and no wrinkles!   I agree with the sundresses to wash out in the sink also.

[orchestrapal]

3 hours ago, gold1953 said:

yes .. quick dry wardrobe ..and it weighs less too. Don't let it build up . Some will start their evening shower in shirt and undies , then strip to finish shower and rinse clothes. Shampoo is good to wash the clothes

 

8 minutes ago, micheleata said:

Polyester shirts!   Light weight, easy to wash in the sink and no wrinkles!   I agree with the sundresses to wash out in the sink also.

 

My DH wears only cotton no-iron shirts and chinos. My entire wardrobe

can be washed and hung to dry. We have spent 7weeks away from home and

never used any laundry services. 

We do however frequently have free laundry and dry cleaning on ships.

[Diamond lover]

We travel with these - a "portable washing machine" and "Soak" which requires no rinsing!

 

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00BUI7HFC/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00KF4HYPK/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Edited February 17, 2019 by Diamond lover

[Buckeye94]

I found laundry detergent sheets that dissolve, so you don't have to carry liquid and lighter than powder. I spent a few days in Sydney before a 12-night cruise. My hotel had a self-service laundry room, so I used that to start the cruise with clean clothes.

[mom says]

The laundry detergent sheets mentioned by Buckeye really made things easier on our last cruise. We were gone for 5 weeks, so I did several laundry days (on sea days) during the B2B. The heavy duty magnets plus string worked well as a drying line, and even DHs cotton underwear and socks were dry by the next day. I used pool towels to help soak up the excess moisture before hanging things up - they're bigger than the bathroom towels, and seemed more absorbent.

[Baron Barracuda]

If your laundry bills do tend to be "enormous" , and you're not eligible for Elite freebie laundry, maybe take a look at lines such as Viking who include free self-serve laundry (including the soap).

[GlennaRoseGoes]

We do Greece for 2-3 weeks every summer; talk about hot and muggy!!! Each trip, I perfect my sink laundry skills a little more. 

 

Tiny packets of Tide take up no space in the suitcase: https://www.amazon.com/Tide-Travel-Sink-Packets-2/dp/B015EHBG06/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1550436029&sr=8-3&keywords=tide+packets+travel

 

And as many have mentioned, modern travel fabrics are a must! I have spent a lot of money in this area, and these are my faves. I have each of these. 

 

This particular fabric (not all their stuff is made from this fabric) is amazing....so silky, packs down to the size of a washcloth. I had the dress tailored a bit so it was more flattering https://www.amazon.com/Coolibar-Womens-Cannes-Tunic-Dress/dp/B07CB2HFGB/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1550436209&sr=8-12&keywords=coolibar%2Bdress&th=1

 

Again, silky soft so it doesn’t seem like standard travel wear https://www.amazon.com/ExOfficio-Womens-Kizmet-Casual-X-Large/dp/B0748V1ZCR/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1550436342&sr=8-1&keywords=exofficio+kizmet

 

Similar concept fabric, but in a good old-fashioned tee shirt style https://ministryofsupply.com/products/luxe-touch-tee-white

 

Athleta has many fabulous styles of pants that I think are prefect for sink laundry life. Here is just one example https://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=594971082&cid=1105218&pcid=1059471 

 

And these were the only pants I took to Greece last summer; very easy to dress up at night. https://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=376009002&cid=1105218&pcid=1059471

[Iamthesea]

5 hours ago, Diamond lover said:

We travel with these - a "portable washing machine" and "Soak" which requires no rinsing!

 

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00BUI7HFC/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00KF4HYPK/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

4 hours ago, Buckeye94 said:

I found laundry detergent sheets that dissolve, so you don't have to carry liquid and lighter than powder. I spent a few days in Sydney before a 12-night cruise. My hotel had a self-service laundry room, so I used that to start the cruise with clean clothes.

So very helpful!  Thanks to the both of you.  

Where do you find the laundry detergent sheets?  Using washing powder can now be tricky with the new powder rules when flying.  I use to carry a bit of detergent in a baggie, but was nervous I would get flagged for suspicion of a controlled substance.YIKES!  

[OCruisers]

When we are cruising on lines other than Princess where we get free cleaning/laundry, we factor in the cost of having it done for us by the ship as the total price of the cruise. 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

A few suggestions. First, go to Walmart and buy enough underwear to last 16 days. That takes care of having to wash those garments. Second, cycle your shirts and pants so that they have a couple days to air before you wear them a second time. Third, since you are on a 15 day cruise, you should get a special laundry offer for about $50 a bag. Usually it's a paper bag which we can usually get about 6 days worth of clothes into if we tightly fold then before putting them in the bag. Take the deal and load up the bag with as many items as you can and then tape the bag closed (with packing tape you put into your suitcase just for this particular reason). This is what we do and it works for us as we dont like to do laundry when we're on a cruise.

[paulh84]

If it were me, I would budget some extra money for laundry. They usually have the $50 bag on the ship to get you by. In a pinch, it's not that unreasonable, especially if your other option is to purchase more clothes. I know in Hong Kong there are 'laundry shops' all over the place. They almost all offer self-service or same day service and are often combined with a coffee shop or something similar. It's very inexpensive too. 

[Buckeye94]

2 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

 

So very helpful!  Thanks to the both of you.  

Where do you find the laundry detergent sheets?  Using washing powder can now be tricky with the new powder rules when flying.  I use to carry a bit of detergent in a baggie, but was nervous I would get flagged for suspicion of a controlled substance.YIKES!  

I got mine at a local luggage store in the section where they sell toiletry bags/containers, RFID sleeves for credit cards and passports, etc. The brand is Travelon. It's an orange plastic case.

[Fogfog]

12 hours ago, NCHPcruiser said:

On our Asia trip last year we also packed a lot of quick drying tech fabric shirts.  I washed them in the sink (Woolite packets), rolled them in a towel then hung to dry.  I brought strong magnets with hooks that I put on the ceiling and clips for undergarments that I attached to hangers.   I also had several several quick drying fabric sundresses which were great to have.  

Several here on Cc have mentioned magnets/hooks. Can you share what you are describing? What I should look for on Amazon?

TYIA

[NCHPcruiser]

2 minutes ago, Fogfog said:

Several here on Cc have mentioned magnets/hooks. Can you share what you are describing? What I should look for on Amazon?

TYIA

Just search Amazon for "strong magnets with hooks" and several options will come up.     The ones I have are 40lb heavy duty.  In additional to hanging clothes to dry from them, we use them on the walls to keep track of papers (Celebrity Todays, tour confirmations, etc.).  

[Lolabunny488]

We were in the Dubai and India cruise 15 nights in December. We also stayed longer pre and post cruise. 

We get a reduced rate due to our tier status so like someone else has mentioned just tightly roll and fold your clothes into the paper bag and seal with tape.

we have done those on many occasions and no one has ever said we aren’t eligible for the offer. 

[chemmo]

Over many cruises and land stays we use most of the strategies already suggested including...

 

buying suitable lightweight non iron fabric clothes.

washing little and often in the sink.

we now get free on board laundry but used to budget to get some items laundered.

choosing hotels either end of the cruise with self laundry.

 

 

[jkgourmet]

I thought somebody on CC reported that X changed its policy.  Now allows only 30 items in their stuff the bag days.  Can anybody confirm that?  

[raudacruise]

I always travel with Bounce dryer sheets. Tuck one in each dress "armpit", hang in closet and will be refreshed for one more time. Just remember to remove before wearing. 

 

Downy Wrinkle Release is great, especially for t-shirts.  I let the shirt air out overnight.

[Cruise a holic]

On ‎2‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 7:38 AM, Suskies said:

We are on the March 2 Millennium Southeast Asia cruise, which lasts about 15 days. Add in getting there and back from the US East Coast and some extra time in Singapore and Hong Kong, and we'll be gone about 3 1/2 weeks. Much of the cruise will be in hot and humid locations, which means we'll be generating a lot of laundry. We are not elite members so will have to pay by the piece for any items Celebrity launders or irons.

 

Do any of you have any tips on how we can minimize what could easily be an enormous laundry bill? Thanks!

 

On ‎2‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 7:38 AM, Suskies said:

We are on the March 2 Millennium Southeast Asia cruise, which lasts about 15 days. Add in getting there and back from the US East Coast and some extra time in Singapore and Hong Kong, and we'll be gone about 3 1/2 weeks. Much of the cruise will be in hot and humid locations, which means we'll be generating a lot of laundry. We are not elite members so will have to pay by the piece for any items Celebrity launders or irons.

 

Do any of you have any tips on how we can minimize what could easily be an enormous laundry bill? Thanks!

You can handwash some items- but you have two realistic choices without wearing "smelly clothes",(have actually unfortunately sat next to people whose clothes looked clean, but did smell), bring more clothes or bite the bullet and allocate  money for laundry.  If you are Elite plus, you will get some free laundry each week.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[thepoint]

When I buy something new, I try to take something similar out of the closet.   I put those items in a travel pile.   They are still good and worthy of wear.  Just not brand new.   So, when we vacation I go to my travel pile and see what I can take from there first.  I start the trip with a very full suitcase.  We recently sent three weeks in Cambodia and Vietnam.  I left behind two pairs of blue jeans, four polo shirts and numerous socks and undergarments.   I’ve got my husband doing the same thing, but on a smaller scale!   

This leaves plenty of room for items you purchase while on vacation.  This is a good way to pack, especially if you need heavier items for Alaska, for example.   

 

It is easier to wash out small items on a cruise ship if you don’t want to use the laundry service.   Using the pool towels to wring out excess water helps with the drying process.    River cruises charge much less for laundry and we will usually pack with the plan of using their services.  

 

Enjoy your trip.