Laundry and Transatlantic

[Bigcruisingfan]

First time poster.  I am taking a cruise in May 2025 on RC Voyager of the Seas from Spain to Italy.  Was thinking for taking a transatlantic  fromOrlando to Spain before that.  I would be sailing for 13 days and would like to do laundry before starting the second 10 day leg.  Any advice/experience/suggestions of where to do laundry at any of these ports?

·  Ponta Delgada, Azores

·  Málaga, Spain

·  Cartagena, Spain

·  Palma De Mallorca, Spain

·  Barcelona, Spain

[leaveitallbehind]

First of all, welcome to Cruise Critic.  Not criticizing your idea, and JMO, while it may be more costly, the option to have the ship take care of it on board would outweigh any cost benefit in consideration of the time in having to locate a facility, get to it with laundry in tow, wait while the laundry is being done, and return to the ship with the laundry during a port of call day.

 

We have had the ship do our laundry on long cruises in the past and will be doing so again with our 14-day TA in October '25.  Again, JMO.

 

But to your question, while waiting for others to respond, maybe google could provide some direction.

[SbbquilterUT]

We did that one time and hated wasting time at the laundromat.  We pack light for all our trips and have laundry done for us on the ship - the cost is part of our planning.  We have also stayed in Europe between cruises and used a drop off laundry spot which worked well.  Next trip is 12 night to Europe. One night on land then starting a 22 night return to the US (that ship has laundry room so we will see how that works as well).  

[navybankerteacher]

39 minutes ago, Bigcruisingfan said:

First time poster.  I am taking a cruise in May 2025 on RC Voyager of the Seas from Spain to Italy.  Was thinking for taking a transatlantic  fromOrlando to Spain before that.  I would be sailing for 13 days and would like to do laundry before starting the second 10 day leg.  Any advice/experience/suggestions of where to do laundry at any of these ports?

·  Ponta Delgada, Azores

·  Málaga, Spain

·  Cartagena, Spain

·  Palma De Mallorca, Spain

·  Barcelona, Spain

I assume you will have left your first ship with a fair amount of clean laundry - which will largely get used up before sailing from Spain (probably Barcelona)  - but do you really want to waste port call  time hunting laundromats?  The concierge (or front desk) at one of the places where you will stay while in Spain will be a much more reliable source of information than folks on CC.  Of course if you are sailing from Spain the same day you arrive (a shame to miss a chance to see a bit of the country) you will have to use ship’s laundry - that is what it is there for - and surly affordable for a serial cruiser.

[CruiserBruce]

I "fourth" the idea of just having the ship take care of your laundry. Look on the RCI board, here:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/51-royal-caribbean-international/

 

for any deals or packages.

[Host Kat]

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[Bigcruisingfan]

Thx for the feedback. The second leg of the cruise starts the same day we arrive to the port on the same ship so there will not be the ability to spend the night f at one where.  I had noticed on research that many people were not overly impressed w the laundry service on the ship so I figured a couple of hours on land might be better.  I was also under the impression that clothes washed on the ship were mixed w others although is separate mesh bags.  Is that not the case?  

[crystalspin]

11 hours ago, Bigcruisingfan said:

I am taking a cruise in May 2025 on RC Voyager of the Seas from Spain to Italy.  Was thinking for taking a transatlantic  fromOrlando to Spain before that.  I would be sailing for 13 days and would like to do laundry before starting the second 10 day leg.

I side with those above who say, let the ship do your laundry. Take easy-care fabrics (those that will not shrink). Please whatever you do, do not spend your few hours in Barcelona searching out a launderette! Even if one existed, you need to experience something of the city -- walk Las Ramblas, find a Gaudi building, have a glass of sangria and some tapas.

 

I have sailed with RCCL one cruise only. At about the half-way point, they offered a "buy-the-bag" special. The bag was pretty small and tear-able paper, and the contents were restricted to underclothes incl. socks and nightwear. Maybe tee-shirts, but nothing that would need pressing or hanging. That doesn't mean I wouldn't send individual items out, marked "Warm wash & dry", having chosen my garments well.

[leaveitallbehind]

Our experience with RCCL has been favorable, and when needed, we have combined the standard wash and dry laundry with dry cleaning.  We have been able to have polo shirts and shorts included with the laundry. Just note the options on the laundry tag for how it is processed. Not sure the procedure of how they manage keeping it separate from others, but what we have given them has come back to us without issue.  My guess is they must do each bag separately, but with all clothing in the bag combined.

[Hlitner]

We are no longer fans of HAL, but have always found their laundry service (and quality) to be quite good.  The "by the bag" deals will generally make the service affordable and a better option then spending part of a vacation day sitting at a laundromat.

 

Hank