Probably our Last Royal Caribbean Cruise - Laundry & Wine

[MrPete]

I've gotten through 59 answers, and none seem to address the real issue, or offer anything other then to tell the OP to take a hike. Some of you sure must not own a business, or at least be helpful in the travel industry.

WHY doesn't RCCL have laundry facilities?

WHY doesn't RCCL allow wine on board?

While I'm at it....

WHY doesn't RCCL have broadcast TV?

[Older Party]

[quote name='MrPete']I've gotten through 59 answers, and none seem to address the real issue, or offer anything other then to tell the OP to take a hike. Some of you sure must not own a business, or at least be helpful in the travel industry.

WHY doesn't RCCL have laundry facilities?

WHY doesn't RCCL allow wine on board?

While I'm at it....

WHY doesn't RCCL have broadcast TV?[/quote]

Seriously, would people really want to watch television on a cruise? I would have never 'thunk it. Seriously?

[MrPete]

[quote name='Older Party']Seriously, would people really want to watch television on a cruise? I would have never 'thunk it. Seriously?[/quote]

Seriously, yes.

[brett08]

[quote name='MrPete']I've gotten through 59 answers, and none seem to address the real issue, or offer anything other then to tell the OP to take a hike. Some of you sure must not own a business, or at least be helpful in the travel industry.

WHY doesn't RCCL have laundry facilities?

WHY doesn't RCCL allow wine on board?

While I'm at it....

WHY doesn't RCCL have broadcast TV?[/quote]

They're cheap? Kidding. We all know why. I'm not holding the profit motive against them. I'll probably like their ship. It's my first cruise with them. I really didn't care about the not bringing your own wine. I can adopt. But not having laundry facilites on a longer cruise? That's sort of crazy. Hey, I roll with the punches.:)

[madforcruising]

[quote name='MrPete']I've gotten through 59 answers, and none seem to address the real issue, or offer anything other then to tell the OP to take a hike. Some of you sure must not own a business, or at least be helpful in the travel industry.

WHY doesn't RCCL have laundry facilities?

WHY doesn't RCCL allow wine on board?

While I'm at it....

WHY doesn't RCCL have broadcast TV?[/quote]

Yep you are right I don´t own a business and as I guess none of us posters here are participating in the executive meetings of RCI none of us will know the answer to the questions you bring up, but I will answer them with what my reasons would be for these decisions.

Why no laundry?
Probably because they think they can rather put cabins in those spaces of the laundry facilities and sell those cabins to paying customers and make the most money of the limited onboard space. In addition I think it costs money to run and maintain those laundry facilities and they want your money from letting them do your laundry. Afterall they are a business and while many people might want the service, only few of them will base their choice of ship / line on the laundry facilities. So they´d rather loose out on that handful customers and make more money on the bottom line.

Why no wine?

Pretty easy as well to me. They had a number of missing people and it seemed there was alcohol involved in a lot of cases. They banned bringing alcohol onboard (maybe being forced by insurance companies and lawyers) and look at the statistics, the number of missing persons decreased to one in 2007 and zero in 2008 and 2009 so far.

Why no broadcast TV?

Because aside from difficult to often not available satellite reception on a ship out at sea in the middle of nowhere, such a service would cost them big big $$$$$$$. They are a business and broadcasting on their ships isn´t free like reception for you at home is. Again not enough people will make their choice on this matter to make it worth.

[olemissreb]

Seriously, would people really want to watch television on a cruise? I would have never 'thunk it. Seriously?

 

 

Only if I were sailing during college football season - or during the college baseball playoffs.

[mustangjoe]

Watching television on a cruise is like uh, uh... doing your laundry. I'll do both at home, but on a cruise I want to enjoy every second and not have anything remind me of home. No cell phones and computers as well.

[madforcruising]

I´ve been mostly on cruises of 10+ nights, my longest so far on RCI was 16 nights and I didn´t miss laundry facilities a bit. I´ve sailed on three different ships / lines so far that offered laundry facilities and didn´t even think of using them. My next cruise will be 18 nights on Princess with pre and post nights and I´m not going to do laundry on that one either.
I have to fly to the ports and am an overpacker and not a small guy, however I don´t have a problem to pack enough to last 3 or 4 weeks without having to do laundry.

[MrPete]

[quote name='brett08']But not having laundry facilites on a longer cruise? That's sort of crazy.[/quote]

Exactly! I went on a 12 day cruise once, with one day on both sides for travelling, and could not imagine having to carry that much luggage! :)

[temple1]

[quote name='MrPete']I've gotten through 59 answers, and none seem to address the real issue, or offer anything other then to tell the OP to take a hike. Some of you sure must not own a business, or at least be helpful in the travel industry.

WHY doesn't RCCL have laundry facilities?

WHY doesn't RCCL allow wine on board?

While I'm at it....

WHY doesn't RCCL have broadcast TV?[/quote]

From the responses on here - it seems just a select few have any desire at all to do laundry on a cruise. Those who do need laundry don't seem to have a problem with the system as it is. Those who find doing laundry on vacation important - seem to be in a distinct minority on this board. So, if we are a small representation of the average cruiser, why would they want to waste the space on washers and dryers?

The wine is an old issue and with luck will be reconsidered. That is worth griping about. Really doesn't affect me because I don't drink that much wine.

Shoot, I don't watch broadcast television at home and I'm going to sit in my cabin and watch Survivor or American Idol?

[MrPete]

[quote name='olemissreb']Only if I were sailing during college football season - or during the college baseball playoffs.[/quote]

How about a Survivor finale!

Never forget sitting on my balcony, partitions opened to the next room, where FIL and I enjoyed a nice wine watching Colby blow it. :)

[Aquahound]

[quote name='brett08'] But not having laundry facilites on a longer cruise? [B][I]That's sort of crazy[/I][/B]. [/quote]

Why is that crazy?

You are talking as though you can not get your clothes laundered on the ship. RCI does have laundry facilities....it just isn't self serve.

[madforcruising]

To the OP, should s/he ever come back, I just have to repeat what everybody else said. If this is a dealbreaker for you, nobody is forcing you to take the cruise in 2010, you can easily cancel without penalty and look for a cruiseline fitting your needs.

[MrPete]

[quote name='temple1']From the responses on here - it seems just a select few have any desire at all to do laundry on a cruise. Those who do need laundry don't seem to have a problem with the system as it is. Those who find doing laundry on vacation important - seem to be in a distinct minority on this board. So, if we are a small representation of the average cruiser, why would they want to waste the space on washers and dryers?

The wine is an old issue and with luck will be reconsidered. That is worth griping about. Really doesn't affect me because I don't drink that much wine.
[/quote]

It's simply options. I'm not worried about only the things that could affect me. :confused:

It's been years since we've used the launderette on a ship that has it, especially since getting free laundry service as a platinum member, but on the ships that do have it, they are always active.

These LARGE ships, and there's no room for a launderette. OK. :rolleyes:

[Papa T]

My theory on the Laundry is that, in general, RCL focuses on shorter cruises and not the extended itineraries like Princess or HAL. Hey . . . 14 days of undies doesn't take up much space . . . and recycle, recycle, recycle . . . as they say . . . you will never see these people again. As a frequent RCL cruiser, I do feel that not permitting a bottle of wine on board (per port) is simply being cheap - and that from a guy with 38 RCL cruises who only drinks diet coke.

[brett08]

[quote name='BecciBoo'][SIZE=3]Now here's the meatier discussion. RCCL has a broad wine list, but nothing tooo high brow. They can hardly get people to pay their prices for the lower quality stuff not to mention the higher quality stuff. However, wine, like food is so highly subjective, it is hardly worth debating. Every palette is different. I am no wine snob...right now we are on quest for 2004 vintages, which I am told is because of a wet year world wide. Expressly $13-$15 a bottle Chateau St. Michelle Indian Wells Merlot from the Columbia Valley in Washington state and Sebastiani Merlot same year. 2004 was a great year for any merlots in the states. Smoother than silk going down...but alas, RCCL did not include. That being said, we also like Oak Leaf Cab from Wal-Mart that is only $4 a bottle as well as RCCL house wine La Terre, a decent cab also. So from the afore mentioned somewhere in the $15 vacinity to the $4 Oak Leaf....there can be no snobbery if you really like wine. It's all good baby...whatever floats your boat:cool: or tickles your tongue. We have never found it worth the coin to purchase anything above $15 to $20 a bottle at home so why on the ship.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]But to put others down because they don't consider $45 a bottle a good investment is just pure nastiness dude. Lighten up wine snobs:rolleyes: BTW, Mondavi wines are great!:D[/SIZE][/quote]

You know your wines. Chateau St Michelle, Indian Wells, Columbia Valley and Sebastiani are all good vinyards and good buys for their price. We have them at home. I don't know about Oak Leaf. You get some wonderfully tasting wines from between $10 to $20 at a good wine store. There are other wines, more expensive, that can be very fantastic for the meal. But, when I looked at the list of the "packaged wines" I could only find Pinot Grigio, Danzante, Sauvignon Blanc, Caliterra and Merlot, Calitterra that I would try and I don't know them. I know some people are going to come on this thread and tell me to never cruise NCCL if I don't like what their doing. I'm just communicating and getting a "feel" for NCCL.:)

[mjldvlks]

[quote name='MrPete']How about a Survivor finale![/quote]

Couldn't care less. Absolutely detest "reality" TV. I usually leave the room when I cannot persuade DW to watch something else. Main reason we have multiple TVs at home.

[MrPete]

[quote name='mjldvlks']Couldn't care less. Absolutely detest "reality" TV. I usually leave the room when I cannot persuade DW to watch something else. Main reason we have multiple TVs at home.[/quote],

Sounds more like your way, or no way.

[negc]

[quote name='MrPete']It's simply options. I'm not worried about only the things that could affect me. :confused:

It's been years since we've used the launderette on a ship that has it, especially since getting free laundry service as a platinum member, but on the ships that do have it, they are always active.

These LARGE ships, and there's no room for a launderette. OK. :rolleyes:[/quote]

NCL just removed the self-service laundries from their fleet of ships, so perhaps they don't believe the demand justifies the lost space. Having observed some less than pleasant confrontations between passengers when one didn't return to the laundry room "on time" to remove their finished laundry from the washers or driers, I can understand why some lines prefer to offer their laundry services to their guests so that guests can enjoy more vacation time and less "work" time. There are alternatives available and frequently the lines offer laundry specials. I suspect that the laundry is not a significant revenue source for any of the lines and that the cost of operating and maintaining self-service laundries may be an expense that they would rather do without.
Just ask any bar or restaurant owner about what they have to pay to carry network broadcasts, especially sports programming and that is under conditions less susceptible to outages than a ship in the middle of the ocean, and you may have the answer to your question. As it is they seem to provide a more than adequate variety of programming to satisfy those who are cabin bound or looking to watch while relaxing or getting ready for their next meal or some other shipboard activity.:)

[mjldvlks]

[quote name='MrPete'],

Sounds more like your way, or no way.[/quote]
So what, I am somehow obligated to like and watch reality TV? Now who is insisting on whose way?

[madforcruising]

[quote name='MrPete']
These LARGE ships, and there's no room for a launderette. OK. :rolleyes:[/quote]

The question isn´t so much if there´s room or not, but how to use the available space. Those laundry rooms take at least the space of 1 cabin each and you would need a number of those rooms on the ship. So they can rather sell cabins than putting in those.

[MrPete]

[quote name='mjldvlks']So what, I am somehow obligated to like and watch reality TV? Now who is insisting on whose way?[/quote]


As you succinctly said, COULD CARE LESS.

[MrPete]

[quote name='madforcruising']The question isn´t so much if there´s room or not, but how to use the available space. Those laundry rooms take at least the space of 1 cabin each and you would need a number of those rooms on the ship. So they can rather sell cabins than putting in those.[/quote]

Find out what your customer wants, and......

They can also put cabins where the Ocean Lab on the ExOS, the conference center, etc. There is SO much available space, I find that arguement hard to believe.

[temple1]

[quote name='MrPete']It's simply options. I'm not worried about only the things that could affect me. :confused:

It's been years since we've used the launderette on a ship that has it, especially since getting free laundry service as a platinum member, but on the ships that do have it, they are always active.

These LARGE ships, and there's no room for a launderette. OK. :rolleyes:[/quote]

So, if they put a laundromat on Oasis the new argument will be - why isn't there a laundromat on Majesty.

But it goes further - in this day of waste not, want not - what could be more wasteful on a cruise ship than washing 3 t-shirts and 5 pairs of underwear? What people wouldn't normally do at home......

I'm not dissing ya'll on the wine - I agree it is a foolish rule written by suits who have no concept of reality. Even if the rules change - I won't be bring a bottle of wine on board - now, if they will allow me to bring my Special Comfort brand ;) and I will have it packed in no time flat.

[mjldvlks]

[quote name='MrPete']As you succinctly said, COULD CARE LESS.[/quote]
[By the way I said I [I]couldn't[/I] care less]