Laundry/Dry Cleaning Turnaround Time and Quality?

[notjaded]

We are taking our first Viking (Ocean) Cruise, and are in a Penthouse Suite with complimentary laundry and dry cleaning. I would appreciate it if someone could inform about what the typical turnaround time is to receive back one's laundry and dry cleaning.

 

Also, how would you characterize the quality of these services? (i.e., do you trust your clothes with Viking's laundry/dry cleaning?)

 

Many thanks.

[CILCIANRQTS]

1 hour ago, notjaded said:

We are taking our first Viking (Ocean) Cruise, and are in a Penthouse Suite with complimentary laundry and dry cleaning. I would appreciate it if someone could inform about what the typical turnaround time is to receive back one's laundry and dry cleaning.

 

Also, how would you characterize the quality of these services? (i.e., do you trust your clothes with Viking's laundry/dry cleaning?)

 

Many thanks.

24-48 hours.

Good quality of service. You request folded or on hangers.

Never had a problem.

[Peregrina651]

I can't say anything about dry cleaning but my packing plan is based 100% on letting Viking handle my laundry (I'm on vacation!). I have lost count of how many bags of laundry I have handed over since I first cruised with Viking Oceans in 2016 and I have never had a problem. Nothing lost. Nothing shrunk. Nothing mangled. No complaints.

 

 

[KBs mum]

24 hours, industrial hot wash, don't trust them with anything delicate or expensive. We hand wash delicate things, and have a 'holiday' wardrobe of inexpensive sturdy clothes that can withstand a hotel laundry

[SWFLAOK]

6 minutes ago, KBs mum said:

24 hours, industrial hot wash, don't trust them with anything delicate or expensive. We hand wash delicate things, and have a 'holiday' wardrobe of inexpensive sturdy clothes that can withstand a hotel laundry

We were in an Explorer Suite. Our laundry would be picked up while we at breakfast, and returned to us during dinner on the following day. Based on our experience on Viking River, we trusted Viking Ocean with much of our laundry,  and they did not shrink anything.

[2cruisecats]

I'm on vacation so we have used the laundry services many times. Turnaround time is 24 hours though you can, for a fee, get faster service.  There is a spot on the laundry form for special instructions and  I have made a specific request for some items -- cold/cool wash, hang/cool dry -- and believe the request was followed as nothing came back smaller or mangled. (A few of my tops shrink at the hint of heat).

 

We just got back from a cruise and I noticed that dry cleaning is no longer available. It has been replaced by another method, no chemicals (sorry, can't remember the details).  I did send out a pair of DH's pants for this cleaning & all was fine.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

 

[Peregrina651]

38 minutes ago, 2cruisecats said:

I noticed that dry cleaning is no longer available. It has been replaced by another method, no chemicals (sorry, can't remember the details).

 

Interesting.

[Mich3554]

Quite excellent.  i have sent lots of delicate stuff with ‘cold wash only air dry’ and it comes back perfect.  This includes cashmere sweaters, dressy linen knits, lace tops and lined wool dress slacks (which were dry cleaned…..or Viking’s equivalent of it).

 

They are also fabulous at getting out stains, especially grease.  I have gotten such that I automatically send stuff to laundry if I wind up wearing part of a meal.  

Edited December 24, 2023 by Mich3554

[-Lew-]

14 hours ago, 2cruisecats said:

We just got back from a cruise and I noticed that dry cleaning is no longer available.

 

We disembarked the Sky on November 30th.  Below is the laundry form we used onboard which shows dry cleaning as available.

 

Chemicals are still used but are not as harsh to people and environment as those previously employed.

 

[2cruisecats]

4 hours ago, -Lew- said:

 

We disembarked the Sky on November 30th.  Below is the laundry form we used onboard which shows dry cleaning as available.

 

Chemicals are still used but are not as harsh to people and environment as those previously employed.

 

 

We got off the Orion on Dec 19th.  Wish I had a copy of the laundry request to show, but do remember seeing -- minimal moisture and minimal ???.  Our room genie explained the new process and then told me  that the brand new ship wouldn't have chemical cleaning (he was most excited about the new ship, not the cleaning process LOL) .  I'll see if I can dig up the cleaning info. I wonder if this is a change that is slowly being introduced to the fleet or if it depends on the local environmental standards.  (We were in NZ & Australia with their tough bio-security rules) 

Edited December 24, 2023 by 2cruisecats

[CurlerRob]

Star, Dec. 24/2023. Got a chuckle out of the description. 🍺🥌

 

[notjaded]

OP here. Thanks to all who responded to my initial query.

 

I have an OT followup, courtesy of Ms Cruise: Does anyone find the provided shower gel/shampoo/conditioner to have an objectionable fragrance?

 

Thanks again.

[OneSixtyToOne]

1 hour ago, notjaded said:

OP here. Thanks to all who responded to my initial query.

 

I have an OT followup, courtesy of Ms Cruise: Does anyone find the provided shower gel/shampoo/conditioner to have an objectionable fragrance?

 

Thanks again.

 Not at all. In fact DW wanted to buy some but we found out it’s private label manufactured for Viking.

[Peregrina651]

2 hours ago, notjaded said:

OP here. Thanks to all who responded to my initial query.

 

I have an OT followup, courtesy of Ms Cruise: Does anyone find the provided shower gel/shampoo/conditioner to have an objectionable fragrance?

 

Thanks again.

 

There are certain flower-y fragrances used in manufacturing soaps, shampoos, cleaning products, laundry detergent, etc. that I react to with physical symptoms (nothing anaphylactic). I'm the lady in the shampoo aisle opening bottles to sniff them.  You may love the smell of your Irish Spring soap or Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific shampoo but I have quite the opposite reaction and I can't get away from it fast enough. Nothing personal -- and nothing that I have any control over.  Add to that instructions from the dermatologist not to use products with any sort of fragrance in them.

 

My creds established, please let Ms. Cruise that I personally do not have any trouble with the fragrance of any of the personal care products or the laundry detergent used on the ship. In spite of the doctor's instructions, I can't be bothered packing my own shampoo, etc. and I used the Viking products. I can tolerate the smell and they don't cause any flare ups to my skin problem. Still, I am bothered by the fact that the detergent fragrance lingers in my clothing  and takes multiple washings to get rid of ocne I get home.

 

The only fragrance on board I do have a problem with was used by the gift shop, sprayed inside a travel bag that I bought. Two years later and in spite of the fact that I store the the bag with an activated charcoal odor eater inside it, it still smells.

 

Hope this helps.

Edited December 25, 2023 by Peregrina651

[GerryL13]

I did a tour this week on Star of galley and laundry. Very interesting. They use different machines for different types of fabric, so your items are not all washed together. Dry cleaning is a non-chemical process. ID labels are applied thermally, so they advised to use heat to remove the labels.

[LindaS272]

55 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

There are certain flower-y fragrances used in manufacturing soaps, shampoos, cleaning products, laundry detergent, etc. that I react to with physical symptoms (nothing anaphylactic). I'm the lady in the shampoo aisle opening bottles to sniff them.  You may love the smell of your Irish Spring soap or Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific shampoo but I have quite the opposite reaction and I can't get away from it fast enough. Nothing personal -- and nothing that I have any control over.  Add to that instructions from the dermatologist not to use products with any sort of fragrance in them.

 

My creds established, please let Ms. Cruise that I personally do not have any trouble with the fragrance of any of the personal care products or the laundry detergent used on the ship. In spite of the doctor's instructions, I can't be bothered packing my own shampoo, etc. and I used the Viking products. I can tolerate the smell and they don't cause any flare ups to my skin problem. Still, I am bothered by the fact that the detergent fragrance lingers in my clothing  and takes multiple washings to get rid of ocne I get home.

 

The only fragrance on board I do have a problem with was used by the gift shop, sprayed inside a travel bag that I bought. Two years later and in spite of the fact that I store the the bag with an activated charcoal odor eater inside it, it still smells.

 

Hope this helps.

I have similar issues, @Peregrina651, but I don’t notice any scent on Viking’s laundry detergent. I don’t mind the Freya shampoo/conditioner, but always bring my own, using Freya if I run out, or on disembarkation day when my cosmetics have been transported dockside in my luggage. My issues are not skin related, but chemical sensitivity due to “migraine brain.” 🤕

[Jet2727]

I found the service excellent, I listed cold wash, delicate etc in instructions. Still finding room number stickers stuck to labels on my clothes 3 months later! 

[CILCIANRQTS]

3 hours ago, Jet2727 said:

I found the service excellent, I listed cold wash, delicate etc in instructions. Still finding room number stickers stuck to labels on my clothes 3 months later! 

And all this while I thought they used crazy glue on those laundry tags!!
They are a nice reminder of cruises past.

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

On 12/24/2023 at 9:34 PM, GerryL13 said:

I did a tour this week on Star of galley and laundry. Very interesting. They use different machines for different types of fabric, so your items are not all washed together. Dry cleaning is a non-chemical process. ID labels are applied thermally, so they advised to use heat to remove the labels.

I'm really interested since you actually saw what goes on in the laundry area, how things are done. You mention they sort into different fabric types, and I'm sure temps and colors, but then what happens? Do they put your clothes into an individual bag and throw it in with everyone else's bags in large washers and dryers? Can you tell us more.....thanks! 

[2cruisecats]

On 12/24/2023 at 7:36 PM, notjaded said:

OP here. Thanks to all who responded to my initial query.

 

I have an OT followup, courtesy of Ms Cruise: Does anyone find the provided shower gel/shampoo/conditioner to have an objectionable fragrance?

 

Thanks again.

Me again ... I am scent sensitive. I love the Viking Freya shampoo/conditioner/body lotion and do not feel the need to pack my own products.  Made the mistake on this last cruise of using the products in the Spa.  The LIV products do have a strong scent and I ended up back in the cabin washing my hair (twice) to get the smell out.  (One of the reasons I like the ship's laundry service -- no detergent smell. I found the self laundry detergent to have a faint scent.) 

[Peregrina651]

3 hours ago, 2cruisecats said:

(One of the reasons I like the ship's laundry service -- no detergent smell. I found the self laundry detergent to have a faint scent.) 

 

You have me wondering if there has been some change in the laundry product used. The last time we were on board (end of 2021), I had a lot of trouble with the fragrance of the laundry detergent (service and laundrette) and was bothered that it lingered for for multiple washings after we got home. But as I said some place, two people can smell the same product and have very different reactions to it.

[fudgbug]

On 12/23/2023 at 2:34 PM, Peregrina651 said:

 

Interesting.

On board Viking Star now.  The new process for dry cleaning is wet cleaning.  Haven't tried it.  Laundry is returned in 24 to 48 hours and beautifully done.  No complaints here.

[GerryL13]

11 hours ago, Sunflower & The Scientist said:

I'm really interested since you actually saw what goes on in the laundry area, how things are done. You mention they sort into different fabric types, and I'm sure temps and colors, but then what happens? Do they put your clothes into an individual bag and throw it in with everyone else's bags in large washers and dryers? Can you tell us more.....thanks! 

Every item is tagged with your cabin number. There are three checks to make sure the number of items matches the number of items on your list. Tip: since the tags are applied thermally, you can remove them using heat. No mention was made of bags.

[janetcbl]

13 hours ago, GerryL13 said:

Every item is tagged with your cabin number. There are three checks to make sure the number of items matches the number of items on your list. Tip: since the tags are applied thermally, you can remove them using heat. No mention was made of bags.

You can remove them as GerryL 13 suggests, but I don’t…I kind of like to remember cruises when I see the cabin number tag. They do fall off eventually.