How the heck do you handle the laundry situation???

[cs]

Okay, I'm booked on a 9 night/10 day cruise. I know that RCCL does not have self service laundry. I'm not sure how to pack - considering:

 

I will need 10 days worth of casual clothes.

I will need 9 nights worth of formal/semi-formal clothes.

I will need 9 nights worth of sleep clothes.

And a couple of bathing suits too.

 

So, do you all pack a full 9 nights/10 days worth of outfits? Or do you pack half of that and have laundry service somewhere mid trip?

 

One day worth of laundry for me could be -

 

Morning - shorts, shirt, panties, bra, socks

Mid morning swim - bathing suit

Afternoon - back into casual clothes from morning - fresh panties, bra, socks

Evening - Slacks, dress shirt, dress socks

Night - PJs

 

So how much would one day of laundry cost me onboard?

 

Would it be better to just pack, pack, and pack some more? Or should I suck it up and wear some of the clothes on another day without having them washed in between? I might be able to do that with my clothes but not my undergarments - I'd have to wash them. Should I wash them in the sink and hang them in the shower to dry?

 

Help - what do you do????

[serene56]

a lot of clothes for dinner can be worn interchangably..

a skirt or pants goes nicely with a few tops. the tops can be interchanged with differnt pants/skirts.

 

No- i take half the clothes I really do need--

remember if you are flying you are limited to a weight limit per bag.. 50 pounds for most airlines-- plus only 2 bags-- thats a limit of 100 pounds per person. (i ws surprised to see what shoes weigh.

[Host Kewlguy]

Okay, I'm booked on a 9 night/10 day cruise. I know that RCCL does not have self service laundry. I'm not sure how to pack - considering:

 

I will need 10 days worth of casual clothes.

I will need 9 nights worth of formal/semi-formal clothes.

I will need 9 nights worth of sleep clothes.

And a couple of bathing suits too.

 

So, do you all pack a full 9 nights/10 days worth of outfits? Or do you pack half of that and have laundry service somewhere mid trip?

 

One day worth of laundry for me could be -

 

Morning - shorts, shirt, panties, bra, socks Mid morning swim - bathing suit

Afternoon - back into casual clothes from morning - fresh panties, bra, socks

Evening - Slacks, dress shirt, dress socks

Night - PJs

 

So how much would one day of laundry cost me onboard?

 

Would it be better to just pack, pack, and pack some more? Or should I suck it up and wear some of the clothes on another day without having them washed in between? I might be able to do that with my clothes but not my undergarments - I'd have to wash them. Should I wash them in the sink and hang them in the shower to dry?

 

Help - what do you do????

 

Do NOT over pack. That's very important. I would say use the laundry facilities at least once during the cruise and wear some of the same clothes more than once. No one will notice and if they do, who cares anyway? ;)

[DrivesLikeMario]

We always make sure we have enough new under things :D and clothes for that many days and if need be, we'll send out a pair of shorts (or whatever we run out of) that we need. I always budget money for dry cleaning/laundry, no matter how long the cruise.

[nrh322]

I've only cruised once before...for a week... on a ship with self service laundry, so I can't give you cruise specific advice. I CAN tell you what I do when I travel land-based. I don't like paying for laundering services. They are expensive. I always pack enough undergarments for the whole trip and then some. I usually bring 2 pairs of panties for every day. When traveling in warmer climates, I hate wearing socks, so I usually don't bring any... just a lot of sandals. :) I bring lots of mix and match clothes. Yes, I rewear things... especially pants. I'll bring one top per day with a few extras, but less pants/skirts. I like to have at least three swimsuits so one is always dry. I don't pack jammies because I don't wear them... I sleep in a ribbed tank top and panties. I shower before bed and in the morning, so the same tank will last all week. Last but not least, I bring a travel size bottle of Woolite in a ziplock and a Tide stain stick... along with a couple clothespins. If I need to handwash something, I can do it AND hang it up to dry. :) Chico's and Travelsmith both have tons of stuff that packs really well. You can roll it up into a teensy tiny ball w/o any wrinkles or anything and it all mixes and matches. I hope that helps.

[frudutx]

I usually wear a couple of my shorts twice with clean t-shirts, I wear my casual evening wear twice and only my formal stuff gets worn once. I try to pack the same color of evening clothes so that I only have to pack 1 or 2 pair of shoes for the evening. Sometimes I'll pack older t-shirts (the ones that I get for doing races, walks, and donating blood) and I'll wear those and then just toss them. Then I'll buy a new souvenir t-shirt and wear it. After our first cruise when I overpacked I learned how to cut corners.

 

Also, remember during those days at sea you'll probably spend the day in your bathing suit.

 

d

[NJBill]

Self-Service Laundry facilities are not provided onboard any Royal Caribbean International ships; however, full laundry and dry cleaning services are provided as follows:

 

SHIPBOARD LAUNDRY SERVICE

* All prices are in US. Dollars and are subject to change without notice.

 

Men Women

Shirt/T-Shirt: $ 2.50 Blouse: $3.50

Shirt (dress): $3.00 Dress (wash): $5.00

Underwear: $1.20 Skirt: $3.50

Jeans: $3.00 Nightgown: $3.00

Pajamas: $4.00 Swimsuit: $2.00

Handkerchief: $0 .75 Slip: $2.50

Shorts: $2.50 Housecoat: $3.50

Bathrobe: $3.50 Hosiery: $1.00

Pants (wash): $3.50 Slacks: $3.50

Sweatshirt: $3.00

Socks: $1.00

 

PRESS ONLY - 50% of cleaning prices

 

SHIPBOARD DRY CLEANING SERVICES

* All prices are in US. Dollars and are subject to change without notice.

 

Men Women

Suit: $ 7.00 Evening Gown: $8.00

Pants: $4.25 Dress: $7.00

Jacket: $4.50 Silk Blouse: $5.00

Sweater: $4.00 Silk Dress: $8.00

Coat: $7.00 Skirt: $4.50

Tie: $2.00 Suit: $7.50

Shirt: $3.50 Blouse: $4.00

Shorts: $3.00 Scarf: $2.50

Vest: $2.50

Silk Pajamas: $4.50

 

PRESS ONLY - 50% of cleaning prices

[saltsandknit]

Tide sink packs are fantastic. its a small detergent pack that will wash a sink full of clothes. I usually pack enough clothing for 5 days except undies and I can wash out a few items every day in the sink. I pick clothes that mix and match and my dinner wear only gets worn a few hours a day so it can usually be worn twice. I travel a lot and this is pretty standard. Even with laundry facilities its a pain to go and do wash when I should be playing. :D

[packedandready]

All good suggestions. Something I do is if I wear shorts and T-shirt one day then I'll wear them over my bathing suit on one of the sea days. I'm just wearing it to the pool and taking it off so why waste something clean:D .

[cs]

Wow, according to my list above of what I could wear on a given day, and according the the prices, one day of laundry could be over $20! That's a lot of money!

[isujim]

Wow, according to my list above of what I could wear on a given day, and according the the prices, one day of laundry could be over $20! That's a lot of money!

 

that's true.........but............you aren't going to take just one day of clothes are you??:) I agree with Kewlguy.......don't overpack........use the laundry for just 2 or 3 days of clothes........I've been on a 15 day Panama Canal cruise and used the laundry for 3 days (well sent stuff for 3 days) and my cleaning bill for over 2 weeks was less than $30........my back thanked me when I picked up the suitcase. LOL........

[cs]

So would anyone object to me handwashing everything and hanging it on my balcony to dry? JK :)

[Mysticks1]

I normally pack more shirts and re-use the shorts more than once especially while just on the ship. I usually buy at least one t-shirt so I plan on wearing that also. Depending upon our shore excursions I might pack clothes specifically for that activity that I wouldn't use elsewhere. For example an ATV adventure in Cozumel last year left very muddy clothes. (I pack a couple of plastic grocery bags for repacking these)

I also over pack underwear but will reuse a black skirt or black pair of dress pants for dinner with a couple of different tops and the same pair of shoes.

[AAAMom]

When we arrive, I send out whatever formal stuff that didn't travel well for a pressing.

 

If we arrive a day or two early, I will send out laundry on day two of the cruise and day 5. We've been Disney Vacation Club owners for many years and I've gotten spoiled by having a washer and dryer in my room and having no laundry when I get home. To me any cost is better than a ton of laundry when I get back!

[Lightsluvr]

So would anyone object to me handwashing everything and hanging it on my balcony to dry? JK :)

 

Ya hangs your dainties on the balcony and they're liable to blow away. I suggest using the clothes line in the shower...;)

 

You can always pack lots and lots of underwear - helps cushion the booze you smuggle onboard... (that's a joke.)

 

LL

[Natmar]

We just got home for a 9night Canada/NE cruise in which we left the day before and came home the day after. We only had to send out one pair of our sons jeans to be cleaned because he spilled chocolate on them - our suggestion is to bring enough under clothes so you don't need to do laundry and to bring things that can be worn two or three times each and if you mix and match tops to bottoms that helps because you won't feel like you are wearing the same outfit over again. Bring formal outfits that can be both worn with the same pair of shoes also - remember if you bring one nice black skirt or slacks you can change the look with matching it with two different nice tops and no one will know you are wearing the same bottom. Anyways, who cares if you wear the same outfit more then once - personally I don't look that hard at what someone is wearing every day. For our family of four we brought four med/large suitcases and one garmet bag between the four of us an it worked out just fine.

[vickiw0318]

You'll find that you don't need as many clothes as you think you will. My first cruise - the one I really overpacked for - was a seven day out of San Juan. I thought I'd need a shorts outfit for everyday of the week. However, I found that I only wore these items in bits and pieces. Maybe for an hour to breakfast on one day and then I'd change into my bathing suit. Alot of our excursions were in bathing suits and coverups. I have no problem at all wearing an outfit that I've had on for just a short period of time over again. I now too take shorts and slacks that I can wear with different tops. I don't skimp on the undies, but these can be rinsed out easily and hung up to dry in the shower if they have to be. I have even (gasp) worn the same outfit for both formal nights. (That probably means I had it on for a total of four hours. I don't like dressing up so it's on just before dinner and off before I go to the theater for the after dinner show. My tablemates still loved me. We were at a table for eight - one couple skipped the first formal night, another skipped the second and one wore casual clothes to the second night.)

 

Anyway, things aren't as rigid as they may seem. Since my first cruise, I have joked that I lay out everything I think I am going to need and then take half of it.

[Vancouple]

I was a little shocked to see that RCI doesn't have washing machines. Every other ship that I've been on has had them and I've used them on each cruise. Mostly it is for socks, underwear, and t-shirts though. These should be easy enough to do in the sink.

 

I would find something other than Tide for washing in the sink though as it doesn't rinse out very easily. Something like Woolite or other "women's delicates" soap should work better. And be careful of putting things on your balcony to dry. I could just imagine the wind taking it away. Don't know if it would be worse to have your delicates landing on a neighbour's balcony or lost at sea.

[Murphy]

1) I have a reversible dress, so one dress covers 2 evenings and no one is the wiser.

 

2) We rent a tux for DH so there is more room in the suitcase for me!

 

3) After years of cruising, I realized that I wore mostly my swimsuits during sea days and even for a lot of the port days because we usually book a water sport excursion. So now I pack one more swimsuit and 2 less pairs of shorts and everything is just fine

 

4) We usually buy a souvenier t-shirt or 2, so these get added to the clothes mix by mid week.

 

5) The rest of the evenings I try to pick one color scheme and mix and match around that. Pants for sure are worn twice if not 3 times. I mean really, what do you have them on about 4 hours max? Well, if you have late dinner anyway!

 

6) And yes, I usually end up sending out an outfit or 2 to be cleaned. Usually my travel to ship outfit gets cleaned for travel home and 1st day outfit gets re-worn by the end of the trip!

 

You think you have it bad... my next trip is a 14 night Alaska (aka I need warm clothes too!) trip with 2 nights pre-cruise in Vancouver. YIKES, this trip I am fretting over!

[AFT_LOVER]

so we get a better bang for the buck with airfare. First of all get a $15 steamer at WalMart, I think it is Proctor Silex. That freshens clothes as the steam kills any quooties they may have gotten, so you can rewear clothes as often as you want. 2nd; get a small bottle of a lquid detergent like Tide or Wisk and you can rinse out undies, shirts, whatever in the sink & rinse in the shower & hang to dry overnight on the line in there leaving the door open so it dries. Then hang in the closet. Do not put on balcony as wind will send them seaward!!!!

 

We pack 2 suitcase (one for each) with bathing suits, paseo to coverup with & sandals. Then shorts & slacks with T-Shirts, halters, and nice tops some that sparkle for semi formal nights, We also have a suit bag that has zipper areas for shoes but husband's suits with shirts & accessories with my 3 gowns & jewelry. Seems to be that I bring too many items that I don't wear it all. ALSO a sweatshirt for chilly nights after a storm. I used in 3 times in the W Carib and none S Carib.

 

Don't worry about souveniors, as that can be a carry on bag to go home.

[dc-snoopy]

I pack enough underwear for the week plus some, and about half as many socks as I think I'll need. I end up in flip flops or my LL Bean walking sandals most of the days and don't really need socks except for dinner. For daytimes, I have some lycra shirts that are good for water wear (they dry in minutes and are good insulators in case you might get cold while wet) and polyester (LL Bean brand CoolMax) which are perfect for non-water activity. I sweat *A LOT* and the CoolMax wicks the sweat away and doesn't leave me constantly drenched in a sopping wet shirt. 3-4 shirts can be worn and washed in the sink for use again at the end of the week. After 4 days, no one will remember that you are wearing the same thing! Evening wear, I bring 2 slacks that handle all of my casual nights and just bring different shirts. One suit, two shirts or sometimes one suit/one tux. For woman, three pairs of slacks/skirts of neutral colors can be interchanged with several tops to create a wide variety of casual dining attire. DW went with one black skirt, one black slacks and five different tops and it worked out fine. But she did splurge on space and bring two formal outfits.

 

I generally plan to do one load mid-week in the sink. I hang them to dry on the line in the shower. In the morning when we reach port, I put anything that hasn't dried out on our balcony table (we bring our own camping roll-up table--so much better than what the cruise lines give you) while I shower. In the Caribbean, by the time I have showered, the clothes are definitely dry. We use E-cover for delicates. Not only is it better environmentally, it also doesn't suds as much for washing in the sink. If you want to do this on sea days with the wind blowing, binder clips work very well to clip your clothes to chairs or tables and keep them from blowing away.

[DC2OC]

We always over pack anyway plus I'm not wasting my cruise doing laundry.Too much like work-Frank

[cs]

You think you have it bad... my next trip is a 14 night Alaska (aka I need warm clothes too!) trip with 2 nights pre-cruise in Vancouver. YIKES, this trip I am fretting over!

 

I'm sort of in the same boat as you. We're leaving out of Bayonne, NJ in late October and returning early November (going to Caribbean). So we'll need clothes for both warm and cool weather.

 

I'm fretting right along with you ;)

[cs]

And, lol, I was just kidding (JK) about hanging the laundry on the balcony. My sister suggested we do that and I gasped and said could you imagine if everybody did that?

 

Here's a visual for you - RCCL ship pulling in to port with full clothes lines hanging from every balcony - lol. I'm not sure that would be the picture RCCL wanted to use in their advertisements....

[cruisinnorth]

Rule of Thumb...

 

HALF the clothes... and TWICE the money

 

Dave