Laundry on Noordam

[littledylansmom]

Hi,

Just wanted to know how much it is to get your laundry done? Is it per bag? or per item? It looks to me like the Noordam doesn't have self laundry facilities...not like I would want to do laundry on my vacation...Thanks! :)

[Ernie G]

I read that they offer regular laundry for $12 per bag, which is what they offered on the Zuiderdam when we sailed on her. Drycleaning is a different price, but was reasonable the last time we used it while cruising. Hope this helps. Have fun and let us know how the Noordam is. We sail on 3/21. Can't wait.

[ESLO]

Hi,

Just wanted to know how much it is to get your laundry done? Is it per bag? or per item? It looks to me like the Noordam doesn't have self laundry facilities...not like I would want to do laundry on my vacation...Thanks! :)

 

Hi littledylansmom,

 

We were on the Oct 14th cruise for the 11 day Caribbean Cruise.

 

Yes, the Noordam is Laundry Room Free! The only service for laundry is thru your Room Steward. Last that I know, $12 dollars per bag - all you can stuff into it. Also on our cruise there was a cruisewide price of $70 dollars. From the second day out to the day before you disembark they will service you all you give them.

 

We always do this on our cruises and find we beat the system and it is cheater than per bag. You have to register at the Front Desk onboard and when you call the Room Steward you have to inform him this is cruisewide pricing. The turn around is much faster than per bag.

 

If we placed our bag on the bed before we left for breakfast (8-830) and called our Steward that we have laundry, we actually got it back the same day by 5PM.

[We2Cruzers]

Hi there,

We were on the Noordam for theNew Years cruise. The price was $25.00 per bag (all you could stuff into it); $70.00 for the entire cruise as much laundry as you wanted to do. We chose the $70.00 for the cruise and no regrets. They did a great job. Laundry came back either neatly folded in tissue lined wicker basket, or they hung shirts on hangers. We usually do our own laundry - but this was a terrific service and I'd be hard pressed not to use it on any future cruise when it is available.

[littledylansmom]

Thank you everyone for your replys! I think I'm going to "downsize" now. $70 for the length of the cruise is great...My husband will be happy! He is usually the one stuck doing the laundry! :) I will let everyone know how the cruise went...I'm hoping for calm seas out of NY!!! My son who is 4 is getting very excited...this will be his 3rd cruise. Thanks again!

[HamOp]

I didn't use the $25 / bag deal, but found it on my bill anyhow!

 

It did get removed, but the front desk girl asked several questions that led me to think she didn't believe me.

 

Just a word to the wise, make sure to check your bill.......

[TravelAddiction]

Hi All. My husband and myself are going on a 3 week Panama Canal cruise out of NYC in April, which is bound to be hot, and involve lots of clothing changes. Am not impressed that there are no self serve laundry facilities on board:mad: Was wondering if anyone has cruised for longer than 10 days on the Noordam? The prices quoted in replies to this thread indicate $70.00 for cruise long laundry service, but how long were those cruises, and do you feel you got your monies worth? My husband looked really shocked when I told him the price for unlimited laundry, and asked how much laundry I intended to have:D Thanks very much.

[St. Louis Sal]

Good question TravelAddiction. I wondered the same thing; if a 7 day cruise is $70 for unlimited laundry would a 21 day cruise be $210? Yikes!! We have $200 in shipboard credits but I don't want to spend it on laundry. I'm not fond of doing wash on vacation but I wish the Noordam had self-service laundry.

 

I believe we will be cruising together, my DH and I are doing the Noordam out of NYC on April 21. We have a roll call going right now. It's fun to talk with everyone. Looking forward to meeting you and your husband.

 

St. Louis Sal

[Denn33]

Good question TravelAddiction. I wondered the same thing; if a 7 day cruise is $70 for unlimited laundry would a 21 day cruise be $210? Yikes!! We have $200 in shipboard credits but I don't want to spend it on laundry. I'm not fond of doing wash on vacation but I wish the Noordam had self-service laundry.

 

I believe we will be cruising together, my DH and I are doing the Noordam out of NYC on April 21. We have a roll call going right now. It's fun to talk with everyone. Looking forward to meeting you and your husband.

 

St. Louis Sal

 

I have a similar question. I'm on a cruise that's 20 nights, that I booked from Holland as a 20-night cruise, but can also be booked as 2 individual back-to-back 10-night cruises. For these kind of charges, would I have to pay twice, or only once because I booked it from them as one long cruise?

[We2Cruzers]

The cruise we were on was 10 days and the charge of $70 applied to any laundry during the cruise. HOpe this helps.

Have a nice cruise.

[TravelAddiction]

This is the info I received when I emailed HAL to get specific prices for a three week cruise.....

"There are no self service laundry facilities onboard the ms Noordam. We offer an unlimited laundry and pressing package. A 21-day itinerary with no limit the cost is $120 per person. We also offer laundry by the bag. For a flat fee of $12.00, guests can launder as many items as they can fit inside one Holland America laundry bag. This offer does not include dry cleaning. This requires 48 hours for the processing and the return. This offer is valid until 2 days before the end of the cruise."

[starysacz]

Unlimited laundry was $70 for the 11 day cruise on the Noordam last month. The other rate was $25 each time you sent a bag of laundry in. We opted for the unlimited plan and sent in 6 bags. Otherwise, it would have cost $150 had we opted for the $25 bag each time. The price was $12 a bag last April for a 10 day cruise on the Noordam. Not sure what the unlimited plan was. Have a good cruise.:)

[seasideny]

I don't plan on doing laundry on my vacation. :p I'll be sending it out and enjoying my time in other ways. Truthfully, I would rather bring home dirty clothes than spend my time doing the chore I hate the most, especially when I have kids with me.

 

I think I'd rather wash my own dishes after every meal.;)

 

Enjoy!

[GulfShoresCruiser]

I find nothing about the $70 per cruise laundy offer on the HAL website. Is this a standard offer on all HAL ships?

 

On the Westerdam out of Rome 5/30 and this is a major bonus when it comes to hauling clothes across half the world.

[innlady1]

I find nothing about the $70 per cruise laundy offer on the HAL website. Is this a standard offer on all HAL ships?

 

On the Westerdam out of Rome 5/30 and this is a major bonus when it comes to hauling clothes across half the world.

 

On the Noordam in February, the cruise long laundry service was $70 per cruise or $25 per bag. We were given that info once we boarded. I would assume it's the same or similar on other cruises....you'll get the info once you board, I suspect.

[cprofits]

as I'm packing for my 3/21 Noordam cruise and we are in an SB so will have access to free laundry. DH thinks this will be the saving grace to allow the four of us to travel light (think 4 bags instead of 7) but I'm afraid to give them most of our laundry. I don't put half of our stuff in the dryer and don't want to take the chance of what they might look like having HAL launder them.

 

My question is, have you ever wondered how they separate the clothes? I wouldnt' think they would wash different passengers clothes together for both sanitary reasons and also for fear of mixing things up/losing things. But they certainly don't just put a few things in their big washers and wash them separately, do they? For example, if I send 6 items, 3 light and 3 dark, I'd hope they wouldn't wash my lights and my darks together but I can't imagine them only washing 3 items at once.

 

Not earth shattering or critical, I know, but something I've been thinking about.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

as I'm packing for my 3/21 Noordam cruise and we are in an SB so will have access to free laundry. DH thinks this will be the saving grace to allow the four of us to travel light (think 4 bags instead of 7) but I'm afraid to give them most of our laundry. I don't put half of our stuff in the dryer and don't want to take the chance of what they might look like having HAL launder them.

 

My question is, have you ever wondered how they separate the clothes? I wouldnt' think they would wash different passengers clothes together for both sanitary reasons and also for fear of mixing things up/losing things. But they certainly don't just put a few things in their big washers and wash them separately, do they? For example, if I send 6 items, 3 light and 3 dark, I'd hope they wouldn't wash my lights and my darks together but I can't imagine them only washing 3 items at once.

 

Not earth shattering or critical, I know, but something I've been thinking about.

 

cprofits:

 

Not been on the Noordam (yet), but have sent out our laundry on other ships, and everything came back fine. I wouldn't give them fine delicates, though. There is a clothesline provided above the bathtub in your bathroom for drying clothing/bathingsuits. And yes, they wash everybody's clothing together in huge industrial washing machines. On Noordam, they have almost two thousand passengers and more than eight hundred crew members to do laundry for! They put little sticky tags inside each item to keep track of what belongs to whom. The laundry is returned either on hangers or is folded exquisitely in tissue paper in a wicker basket. We have never had any clothing shrink or get lost during our 21 days on HAL, but it's your cruise, and your call.:)

[innlady1]

as I'm packing for my 3/21 Noordam cruise and we are in an SB so will have access to free laundry. DH thinks this will be the saving grace to allow the four of us to travel light (think 4 bags instead of 7) but I'm afraid to give them most of our laundry. I don't put half of our stuff in the dryer and don't want to take the chance of what they might look like having HAL launder them.

 

My question is, have you ever wondered how they separate the clothes? I wouldnt' think they would wash different passengers clothes together for both sanitary reasons and also for fear of mixing things up/losing things. But they certainly don't just put a few things in their big washers and wash them separately, do they? For example, if I send 6 items, 3 light and 3 dark, I'd hope they wouldn't wash my lights and my darks together but I can't imagine them only washing 3 items at once.

 

Not earth shattering or critical, I know, but something I've been thinking about.

 

 

We washed anything delicate by hand and hung it in the bathroom on the clothesline provided. I brought along packets of liquid laundry soap. I only sent clothes out that I would normally put in the dryer (on a high temperature).

 

They put tags with your name and a number on all the clothes, so there's no need to worry that anything will get lost.

 

But if you're concerned, I would launder by hand as I did.

 

The downside of the Vista class ships: No self-service laundromat.

[schmolex]

Unless the system has changed, they put lables inside your clothes with an identifing number. That way they can sort your stuff from everyone elses stuff when it comes out of the dryer. They fill those big machines up with everyones cloths. I am sure the detergent takes care of the germs so you don't need to worry about getting cooties or anything. Thats the same way its done on land based laundries, and always has been. You didn't think they do a separate load for each customer when you take things in to be dry cleaned or laundered, did you?

Those lables are stilled glued into my undies from my cruise on the old Noordam in February of 2004. Its kind of a nice reminder of the trip when I get dressed in the mornong now in this cold winter weather

[RetiredMustang]

Good question TravelAddiction. I wondered the same thing; if a 7 day cruise is $70 for unlimited laundry would a 21 day cruise be $210? Yikes!! We have $200 in shipboard credits but I don't want to spend it on laundry.

 

St. Louis Sal,

I think the $70 was for a 10 or 11-day cruise out of NYC. We just did back-to-back seven-day cruises on Westerdam, and got the unlimited laundry (no drycleaning), for $45 per cruise. The "all you can fill bag" deal I think was $16. Both you had to pay for at the front office. If you take $45 a week for 3 weeks you can probably figure that's (mumble, mumble, count fingers) $135 for a 3-week cruise.

 

I'm interested in particular about Noordam, because as you can see from my signature box, we're booked on the fall Panama Canal. St. Louis Sal and TravelAddiction and anyone esle doing the spring one -- Any words you could share on laundry would be much appreciated.

 

We think we got good value from the service on Westerdam, and saved even over the by-bag deal. You get generally 2-day turnaround, but that was fine with us. Even if it worked out that it was about the same as the by-bag rate, we probably would still have done it -- sure cut down on "packing the 14 shirts plus one if I spill wine" routine that we used to do....

[St. Louis Sal]

RetiredMustang, I will be glad to fill you in on the laundry issue as well as anything else that comes up on our Panama Canal voyage this spring.

 

St. Louis Sal

[RetiredMustang]

St. Louis Sal,

 

Yay! I look forward to it. In fact, I would read the whole of a long member review if you do one. Take notes if you can (but there won't be a quiz at the end)! :p

 

... just a multi-page statement/bill, if you are anything like us. :rolleyes:

[St. Louis Sal]

Dear RetiredMustang,

 

A "long" member review . . . oh my. I've been on 6 cruises and I've never written a review. Maybe I will take notes and try writing one. But 22 days will be a lot of notes.

 

Talking about a multi page bill; I looked up a spa bill for someone recently and in going through my bills from the Ryndam last summer I was amazed at the number of bar bills my husband and I accumulated. We are not big drinkers-I like a glass of wine with dinner and we each had an Alaskan beer at lunch but boy did those bills add up. I can't imagine what kind of bill some people end up with.

 

By the way, where is Noordam cruising in October 2008?

 

St. Louis Sal

[RetiredMustang]

St. Louis Sal,

 

Yep, our bar tabs run to multi pages, too! But, even a diet Coke will show up as a bar tab (not that they were all Cokes, of course).:p

 

Noordam is doing a re-position from Rome to New York in Oct 2008. We will fly to Rome a few days before, and then catch the ship home.