Amazon River

[FlaMariner]

So if I cruise up the Amazon on Holland America Line, will I still be able to pack lite and have HAL wash my clothes?

[Mary229]

15 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

So if I cruise up the Amazon on Holland America Line, will I still be able to pack lite and have HAL wash my clothes?

For the period you are on the Amazon you will be asked to withhold doing laundry.  Check the itinerary, as I recall it was 5 or 6 days. 

Edited December 13, 2023 by Mary229

[Bill B]

I knew about the self-serve laundromats for passengers on some ships (I've used them), but didn't realise there was a separate (to the ship's) laundry for passenger's clothes. How are crew uniforms and their 'private' clothes handled? 

[FlaMariner]

4 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Check the itinerary, as I recall it was 5 or 6 day. 

 

It looks like 10 days on the Amazon?  I'm looking at the 2/2025 Zaandam cruise.  

 

(I'm only wishing I was booked on that cruise but if we did not know this, I'd be in big trouble (or I'd be the one with the washboard fighting the piranhas as I do my laundry in the Amazon) as I only travel w/4 underwear...LOL)

 

Another reason to love cruise critic!

 

 

[chengkp75]

8 minutes ago, Bill B said:

I knew about the self-serve laundromats for passengers on some ships (I've used them), but didn't realise there was a separate (to the ship's) laundry for passenger's clothes. How are crew uniforms and their 'private' clothes handled? 

There is typically a "uniform laundry" that does the crew uniforms and passenger paid for laundry.  Uniforms are considered essential to service, so they are not part of the "laundry ban" on the Amazon, just like tablecloths and towels.  Crew civilian clothing is their own responsibility, they have laundromats like the passengers, but in water restriction zones like the Amazon, these will be shut off.

[Bill B]

Thanks chengkp75. You're a wealth of knowledge! 🔧

[Torquer]

@chengkp75Thanks for all the information here, but now I am confused.  What do you mean by "passenger laundry facilities" versus "ship's main laundry"?  Everyone knows there are no longer do-it-yourself laundry rooms on HAL ships.  And I have been in the, what I thought was, the only laundry facilities on HAL ships many times on behind-the-scenes ship tours (pre-covid).  The laundry facility does passenger laundry, sheets, table cloths, bathrobes, etc.  I don't explicitly remember crew uniforms being washed here but it is likely I never noticed. 

 

Are you saying some of these washing machines in this room use different water supplies than others?  Or are you referring to something else?  Perhaps they all do use the same water supply, but HAL needs to conserve water while in the Amazon so it prohibits washing passenger laundry?

[Mary229]

20 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

 

It looks like 10 days on the Amazon?  I'm looking at the 2/2025 Zaandam cruise.  

 

(I'm only wishing I was booked on that cruise but if we did not know this, I'd be in big trouble (or I'd be the one with the washboard fighting the piranhas as I do my laundry in the Amazon) as I only travel w/4 underwear...LOL)

 

Another reason to love cruise critic!

 

 

For us laundry was available earlier as they were able to get a full load of fresh water at Manaus 

[FlaMariner]

Just now, Mary229 said:

For us laundry was available earlier as they were able to get a full load of fresh water at Manaus 

 

gotcha....so only a few days then...I might can handle that.

[Mary229]

27 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

 

gotcha....so only a few days then...I might can handle that.

maybe get another pair or so.  It won't hurt you to spring for 2 more pair🤩

[Bill B]

26 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

maybe get another pair or so.  It won't hurt you to spring for 2 more pair🤩

 

 Naw... it'll be hot & humid, so just 'go commando'.

Edited December 13, 2023 by Bill B
Forgot a word!

[chengkp75]

53 minutes ago, Torquer said:

Everyone knows there are no longer do-it-yourself laundry rooms on HAL ships.

Many of my comments are about "generic" cruise ships, and I wasn't aware that HAL had removed self-serve laundry facilities, sorry.

 

55 minutes ago, Torquer said:

And I have been in the, what I thought was, the only laundry facilities on HAL ships many times on behind-the-scenes ship tours (pre-covid).  The laundry facility does passenger laundry, sheets, table cloths, bathrobes, etc.  I don't explicitly remember crew uniforms being washed here but it is likely I never noticed. 

The uniforms and passenger laundry is either a side part of, or a room adjacent to, the main ship's laundry.  These typically have smaller "laundromat" style washers and dryers, as the uniforms and passenger laundry does not lend itself to the huge washers that the linens go in, from an efficiency standpoint, but I could be mistaken regarding HAL.

 

57 minutes ago, Torquer said:

Are you saying some of these washing machines in this room use different water supplies than others?  Or are you referring to something else?  Perhaps they all do use the same water supply, but HAL needs to conserve water while in the Amazon so it prohibits washing passenger laundry?

It's possible that HAL does not use HVAC condensate in their main laundry (linens) machines, but it would be silly not to, since this can account for up to 200 tons of water a day for a smaller 2400 pax sized ship.  Even in the smaller machines in the ship's laundry (uniforms and pax laundry), if they were thinking of conserving water, they would be thinking of drinking water, or if they were doing pax laundry in the big machines, it would only amount to 1-2 loads a day, whereas the linens keep the machines running 16 hours a day.

 

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

For us laundry was available earlier as they were able to get a full load of fresh water at Manaus 

While you got some water, I doubt it was a "full load".  The fire hoses that are used to load water will load about 30 tons/hr, so with even a 24 hour stay, that would be about 750 tons, which is about 1 day's water consumption for HAL sized ships.  And, this water must be segregated from the other water in the tanks, and not used until a coliform bacteria test comes back negative, which takes 24 hours.

[Mary229]

21 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

While you got some water, I doubt it was a "full load".  The fire hoses that are used to load water will load about 30 tons/hr, so with even a 24 hour stay, that would be about 750 tons, which is about 1 day's water consumption for HAL sized ships.  And, this water must be segregated from the other water in the tanks, and not used until a coliform bacteria test comes back negative, which takes 24 hours.

It was full enough to get laundry service as detailed in a letter by the Captain.  It was welcome news as one can get pretty ripe in the tropics.

[Banditswife]

Thank you chengkp75: this info helps a great deal when considering an Amazon or similar cruise.  It helps to be informed.