Laundry on board - as self-service, and as a service

[Steerpike58]

I see that there are laundry facilities on board Viking Ocean ships.  Are they typically over-subscribed, or can you generally find a machine to use without too much trouble?  Are passengers generally courteous / reasonable, and don't dump your laundry in a pile if you don't pick up IMMEDIATELY?   We have three 'sailing days' on an upcoming cruise, so presumably we'll have time to do such mundane tasks. 

 

Are "accessories" - soap, softeners, dryer sheets, etc - available for purchase in a vending machine or similar?  Are there ironing boards and irons available? 

 

And what about laundry service - how much does it cost, for example, to have a men's long-sleeve shirt laundered and pressed, and what is the turn-around time for such service?  Thanks! 

[janetcbl]

5 minutes ago, Steerpike58 said:

I see that there are laundry facilities on board Viking Ocean ships.  Are they typically over-subscribed, or can you generally find a machine to use without too much trouble?  Are passengers generally courteous / reasonable, and don't dump your laundry in a pile if you don't pick up IMMEDIATELY?   We have three 'sailing days' on an upcoming cruise, so presumably we'll have time to do such mundane tasks. 

 

Are "accessories" - soap, softeners, dryer sheets, etc - available for purchase in a vending machine or similar?  Are there ironing boards and irons available? 

 

And what about laundry service - how much does it cost, for example, to have a men's long-sleeve shirt laundered and pressed, and what is the turn-around time for such service?  Thanks! 

No charge to do your own laundry. Detergent is automatically added by pressing a button. Dryer sheets are discouraged due to some people’s allergies. My husband does our laundry on vacation and never had a problem getting a machine early in the morning, Laundry service is wonderful! Returned quickly, beautifully wrapped like a present or on hangers. A real included perk for PJS and above; extra charge (reasonable, IMO) for everyone else.

[Steerpike58]

I found this price list posted by a helpful user in this thread here on CC; apparently 2023 pricing: 

 

 

I posted this question over in that thread, which I'll post here as well while I'm at it! 

 

May sound like an obscure question - I find most local cleaners will press a long-sleeve shirt with the neck 'closed', while they will press a short sleeve shirt with the neck 'open'. By this, I mean, the top button is pressed folded open.  Snagging an image from the web at random to illustrate: 

 

 

(I don't care about shirts being buttoned or not, it's just the treatment of the top button area that I'm interested in). 

 

Anyway - I hate it when my short sleeved shirts are pressed 'open', and I always have to tell my local laundry service to press them 'closed'.   Do you know how they handle this on board, and, is there a clear way to express this preference? At my local place, I just show them when I turn in my shirts. 

[duquephart]

Note the "special instructions" area om yjr form.

[pavementends]

We had no difficulty finding available laundry machines. The only complication was understanding how to add detergent. Now if you choose times likely to be popular (middle of the say on sea days, say) there might be an issue. The laundry machines near the more expensive cabins are more likely to be free.

 

Personally I go with wrinkled permanent press shirts, whoever does the laundry.

[miami mama]

Realize during times that the laundry facilities are busy, people generally don't immediately take out someone's laundry when the machine stops, but may do so it is sitting there for more than a few minutes. The machines show how much time they will take so it is easy to make sure you are back in time to retrieve it. 

[millybess]

1 hour ago, Steerpike58 said:

I found this price list posted by a helpful user in this thread here on CC; apparently 2023 pricing: 

 

 

I posted this question over in that thread, which I'll post here as well while I'm at it! 

 

May sound like an obscure question - I find most local cleaners will press a long-sleeve shirt with the neck 'closed', while they will press a short sleeve shirt with the neck 'open'. By this, I mean, the top button is pressed folded open.  Snagging an image from the web at random to illustrate: 

 

 

(I don't care about shirts being buttoned or not, it's just the treatment of the top button area that I'm interested in). 

 

Anyway - I hate it when my short sleeved shirts are pressed 'open', and I always have to tell my local laundry service to press them 'closed'.   Do you know how they handle this on board, and, is there a clear way to express this preference? At my local place, I just show them when I turn in my shirts. 

My special instruction is always "Please wash cold and hang to dry.  Thank you!"  Yours might be "Please press collar closed.  Thank you!"  That's what I would do.  If it comes back and it isn't how you like it, then show your steward how you would like it pressed.  

[FetaCheese]

Irons and board available in Launderette.  Most pax will set a wash/dry  -- timer/alarm on phone for alert for when done.  Have always found V pax to be courteous and respectful of others using Launderette.  No softener or dryer sheets.  Usage of your own discouraged.

[Clay Clayton]

Current price list from Sky-March 9, 2024

(excuse the wrinkles-pretty obvious we don’t use the laundry, it was buried in the closet!😳)

 

Prices appear to be unchanged from the previous posted form but also included dry cleaning and pressing prices. 

 

[DrKoob]

On 3/7/2024 at 3:45 PM, miami mama said:

The machines show how much time they will take so it is easy to make sure you are back in time to retrieve it. 

I never understand those people who don't come back on time. As soon as you start it, is says how much time it will take. Set an alarm on your phone or watch (or ask Siri to do it) and come back five minutes before to check it. I don't get inconsiderate people, but I have used washers and dryers they have left clothes in for 20 or 30 minutes. 

[Hanoj]

I (the DH) did self service laundry once, relieving DW of this chore she does when home. It was enough to decide not to again while cruising as it is not how I want to spend my time. I did two loads, one delicate and one normal, and was careful to avoid leaving unattended when the cycles were done. I caught a break when the wash was over as all three dryers were unoccupied. Thus I split my laundry between the three dryers to speed things up. There was unattended complete wash in one machine, so I stayed in the laundry room with my Kindle in case the other guest showed up, in which case I would make one of the dryers available, though the other guest did not arrive before our laundry was finished. Overall, this was not a poor experience, but I suspect the dryers may not have completely dried the clothes in one cycle. This was aboard the Star in 2018.

 

We have only sailed in PV staterooms. We considered moving up to PS for the extra space and included laundry service but decided the PV is very adequate and that the retractable room divider in the PS was not practical for our purposes. My wife goes to sleep much earlier than I and I’m a night owl, using my Kindle, a book light, or my iPad with earbuds (no tv on) without any cabin lights on. Trips to the bathroom we felt would be quieter than using the retractable room divider. Plus, the perceived (the mind makes it real) savings of the PV fare compared to PS makes paying for laundry service an easy decision for us. We would pay for laundry service (and perhaps pack lighter) if we decided to use a DV stateroom.

 

 

[Baron Barracuda]

Sometimes it pays to watch.  On the deck 5 laundry on the Star last November the three washers worked fine as did dryer #3.  Dryer #2 however didn't heat up leaving clothes damp and while the timer on dryer #1 read 50 minutes when started it would always turn off after just 10 minutes.  Need to bring a book and keep pushing the button. 

Edited March 11 by Baron Barracuda

[molymoo]

A lot depends on the cruise.  We have been on 10 VO cruises and three were in PJS's (upgrades courtesy of Viking) and generally use their laundry service for everything except "personal" items.  We have often had difficulty getting washers/dryers ... especially on sea days.  Generally folks are polite and patient but there are always a few that will "dump" your stuff if you aren't back immediately.  On one cruise we witnessed a "gentleman" go on a tirade about how the washers/dryers were to be used.  He insisted that if you are using washer #1 then Dryer #1 was "yours" and no one had any business using it.  A woman who had washed her load in washer #4 placed her load in dryer #1 which according to him was "his".  When his wash was done he opened dryer #1, dumped her wet clothes on the floor and stated that "that should teach her to follow the rules".  Takes all kinds!

[Hobson1754]

50 minutes ago, molymoo said:

A lot depends on the cruise.  We have been on 10 VO cruises and three were in PJS's (upgrades courtesy of Viking) and generally use their laundry service for everything except "personal" items.  We have often had difficulty getting washers/dryers ... especially on sea days.  Generally folks are polite and patient but there are always a few that will "dump" your stuff if you aren't back immediately.  On one cruise we witnessed a "gentleman" go on a tirade about how the washers/dryers were to be used.  He insisted that if you are using washer #1 then Dryer #1 was "yours" and no one had any business using it.  A woman who had washed her load in washer #4 placed her load in dryer #1 which according to him was "his".  When his wash was done he opened dryer #1, dumped her wet clothes on the floor and stated that "that should teach her to follow the rules".  Takes all kinds!

Shocking - obviously his rules!! I personally wouldn’t have a problem with someone removing clothes from the washer/driers and placing them in the provided baskets if the cycle is finished & machine is needed - but definitely would if they’d been thrown on the floor!!!😤

[bookbabe]

A good self-service laundry thread can be found here:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2535604-laundry-washer-and-dryer-directions/