Doing laundry on a river cruise?

Does anyone do this? We're doing our second two week cruise coming up in October. We do it with a carry on size bag each. Yes, even my bride. But this time, I was thinking about maybe doing a wee bit of laundry so I could pack a little less. Like not having to take two weeks worth of socks and underwear. Maybe a few fewer shirts. It's going to be cool to cold so I should be able to rotate shirts to wear them each three times but might want to wash one or two out.

I live in khakis and can go several days on one pair, especially in cool weather and those little Tide Spot cleaner pens do a good job for minor spills. Three pairs of Khaki pants will do for me.

I suppose you can wash out a few things at night in the sink or even the shower and hang them to dry. I'd rather not have underwear hanging out when the steward cleans the room each morning but I'm sure he/she has seen it all before.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

We sent out quite a few things for laundry last week and I thought the prices were really reasonable. I think we spent about $47 in total and it was well worth it. In our experience, they aren't the best about getting out small stains, so I used my Stain Stick and then sent DH's shirt out and it was fine.

What line & ship are you on? Some do have laundry. We were on Avalon Vista and it does not have a self-laundry. We did fine using the sink & hanging to try in the shower/bathroom.

(recognize the username from FT as well - didn't you just post about luggage? :p)

Does anyone do this? We're doing our second two week cruise coming up in October. We do it with a carry on size bag each. Yes, even my bride. But this time, I was thinking about maybe doing a wee bit of laundry so I could pack a little less. Like not having to take two weeks worth of socks and underwear. Maybe a few fewer shirts. It's going to be cool to cold so I should be able to rotate shirts to wear them each three times but might want to wash one or two out.

I live in khakis and can go several days on one pair, especially in cool weather and those little Tide Spot cleaner pens do a good job for minor spills. Three pairs of Khaki pants will do for me.

 

I suppose you can wash out a few things at night in the sink or even the shower and hang them to dry. I'd rather not have underwear hanging out when the steward cleans the room each morning but I'm sure he/she has seen it all before.

 

Thoughts?

 

Thanks!

I don't know what line you're on so I can only answer for ones I know. Most of them do not have a self-service laundry, although I think either Franski or Caviargal travel on one that does.....and I'm sure they'll see your post and respond. As for Vantage they provide laundry service for you and charge per item..about 2E for underwear, 1E for socks and hankies...and I think 3E for pajamas. That's about all I send out unless one of us has a dinner catastrophe! There will be a sheet in your cabin with a list of prices per item and a plastic bag. Usually I leave it on the bed before I go to breakfast and it will be done and folded (and they even iron the socks!) while I'm at dinner. They will tell you it will be returned the next day, but the only time I had to wait till next day was when I put it out while I was having dinner and then I got it back after breakfast.

Thank you for your replies. We will be on the Avalon Illumination.

Maybe sending out laundry is the way to go. Convenient and time saving.

Last trip (Rhine and Moselle 11 days) we didn't do, or send out, laundry and still managed it with carry ons. Two days longer this trip. Leaving clothes at home will leave room for a jacket, which we may need on a late October through early November Vienna to Amsterdam cruise.

Does anyone do this? We're doing our second two week cruise coming up in October. We do it with a carry on size bag each. Yes, even my bride. But this time, I was thinking about maybe doing a wee bit of laundry so I could pack a little less. Like not having to take two weeks worth of socks and underwear. Maybe a few fewer shirts. It's going to be cool to cold so I should be able to rotate shirts to wear them each three times but might want to wash one or two out.

I live in khakis and can go several days on one pair, especially in cool weather and those little Tide Spot cleaner pens do a good job for minor spills. Three pairs of Khaki pants will do for me.

 

I suppose you can wash out a few things at night in the sink or even the shower and hang them to dry. I'd rather not have underwear hanging out when the steward cleans the room each morning but I'm sure he/she has seen it all before.

 

Thoughts?

 

Thanks!

Well, not knowing what line you're using, I'll just toss in our experience.

We used Vantage, and there are not self-serve laundry services. There are laundry (not dry-cleaning) services for a fee.

Every other day, I washed out undies/socks and a blouse/shirt or nightgown and hung them in the shower. Usually after the steward had made up the room in the morning. Believe me, they've seen it before. We sent out pants and hubby's shirts twice during our 24 days onboard.

Uniworld has free self service laundries. On the River Empress and the River Princess (sister ships; I don't know about their new ships) there were 2 washers and dryers. Uniworld also provided the detergent. It was a godsend on our 14 night cruise that included 11 days of 95 to 100 temperatures!

Thank you for your replies. We will be on the Avalon Illumination.

 

Maybe sending out laundry is the way to go. Convenient and time saving.

 

Last trip (Rhine and Moselle 11 days) we didn't do, or send out, laundry and still managed it with carry ons. Two days longer this trip. Leaving clothes at home will leave room for a jacket, which we may need on a late October through early November Vienna to Amsterdam cruise.

Avalon might be one of the ones with self-service, but to be honest I would still send laundry out...with one laundry and 120+ people on board you could spend a lot of time waiting and watching the machines. I would ask your lovely bride how SHE feels about doing laundry! 3 things I refuse to do on vacation: cook, clean and laundry....just sayn' :D

We travel a lot in October and I bring a hoodie, a light down or fleece vest and a lined, hooded rain jacket. Since you're limited to a carry on, I would take the lined rain jacket....you can wear it on the plane and it will substitute for the hoodie and vest. Any reason why you limit yourselves to one carry on? Most airlines will allow everybody 1 checked bag free on international flights, no?

Avalon might be one of the ones with self-service,

Nope, Avalon does not have self-laundry. (which I said in my last post, and I double checked to see if Illumination is the same style as Vista, which I was on, and it is:p) Just triple checked the deck plans - no laundry room.

(and I'm one who doesn't mind laundry on vacation, and I LOVE to cook ;-) Which is why we tend to go for apt rentals ....)

I buy a couple of packs of inexpensive underwear and keep old ones between trips and toss as we go. Also if it a warm cruise usually pack old T shirts that maybe used around the pool or on sundeck and toss those as well...

We have the rest done ( and yes pre-treat with stain stick) and empty our suitcases as we go along! I think Uniworld has self serve laundry and that would be great.

I was thinking about maybe doing a wee bit of laundry so I could pack a little less.

Thoughts?

 

Thanks!

Why not do your laundry in the river, I don't understand why the cruise lines do not make a shore excursion trip with an offical laundry guide.;)

See attached:

Laundry.pdf

Any reason why you limit yourselves to one carry on? Most airlines will allow everybody 1 checked bag free on international flights, no?

We get free checked bags as part of my "status" with the airline so cost is not the issue.

It's more about convenience, and not having to worry about your bag getting lost on the way to Europe.

On connecting flights returning to the states you have to claim your luggage, go through Customs, thenrecheck your luggage. With carry ons, you go right through customs and off to your next gate. Really helpful if you arrived late and your connection is tight.

Also, we have Global Entry which allows us to skip the lines at Immigration. There is a special line for GE to exit Customs instead of standing in the, possibly, very long queue just to get out of Customs. There was at least a one hour long queue to get through customs in Houston recently. It took me about two minutes to get out.

The problems these days at US customs is that, with many airports going to the kiosk system upon arrival they are clearing Immigration very quickly, which means they wait longer for their bags. More people pile up at the carousel instead of just trickling down. This means that tons of people can be hitting Customs at the same time when lots of Jumbo jets arrive together. Not having Global Entry will require that you get into that long queue but with carryons, you'll be getting into it maybe 30 minutes earlier than if you were waiting for you checked bags at the carousel.

And, doing a carry on prevents you from taking a lot of unneeded junk.

So, there you have it. I don't think we've ever checked a bag on any of our trips to Europe but this is one of the longest ones.

 

And, doing a carry on prevents you from taking a lot of unneeded junk.

 

So, there you have it. I don't think we've ever checked a bag on any of our trips to Europe but this is one of the longest ones.

But where do you put all the NEW stuff you buy in Europe??? :D:D

Nope, Avalon does not have self-laundry. (which I said in my last post, and I double checked to see if Illumination is the same style as Vista, which I was on, and it is:p) Just triple checked the deck plans - no laundry room.

 

(and I'm one who doesn't mind laundry on vacation, and I LOVE to cook ;-) Which is why we tend to go for apt rentals ....)

Oh, I LOVE to cook too....only in my own kitchen where I know where everything is and I know what I have in the pantry and on the spice rack...I've also done what DEEC does.....buy cheap stuff at K-Mart and throw them out as we go along....only problem I had with that was I was wearing my last pair and Lufthansa went on strike! Thank goodness the hotel they put us up in had a really good blow dryer!

But where do you put all the NEW stuff you buy in Europe??? :D:D

Not a problem. We just are not shoppers. We hardly ever buy knickknacks when traveling.

I would buy my Bride anything she wants, but she rarely wants anything. She says she has everything she needs. Just wants to enjoy the trip and not lose time shopping.

I buy a scarf or two on each trip to enjoy at home. They don't take up any room!

Oh, I LOVE to cook too....only in my own kitchen where I know where everything is and I know what I have in the pantry and on the spice rack...

I love to visit foreign markets! And I have been known to travel with my own chef's knife :p I can deal without spices (just buy salt & garlic...) but I hate hate hate trying to cut with a dull knife. (obviously that sort of trip requires checked luggage) Sorry to go off topic:o

And actually, buying spices in markets (or other food items, as allowed by US Customs) is my favorite souvenir to shop for. Easy to pack, don't take up much space, certain to be used once I get home and I won't need to dust ;-)

Not a problem. We just are not shoppers. We hardly ever buy knickknacks when traveling.

 

I would buy my Bride anything she wants, but she rarely wants anything. She says she has everything she needs. Just wants to enjoy the trip and not lose time shopping.

I believe it is my duty as a citizen of the world to purchase as much as I can in order to keep the world economy afloat! DH thinks I should have MY face on the $10 bill, because I spend so many of them!! :D Problem is, I don't buy knickknacks either, I buy things like Murano glass, Delft, Limoges, a hand painted ostrich egg, meissen....stuff like that.

I love to visit foreign markets! And I have been known to travel with my own chef's knife :p I can deal without spices (just buy salt & garlic...) but I hate hate hate trying to cut with a dull knife. (obviously that sort of trip requires checked luggage) Sorry to go off topic:o

 

And actually, buying spices in markets (or other food items, as allowed by US Customs) is my favorite souvenir to shop for. Easy to pack, don't take up much space, certain to be used once I get home and I won't need to dust ;-)

Oh rats!! I was going to ask how you got a chef's knife through TSA and/or customs....but I think I've been guilty of too many "off topic wanderings" of late! I love buying spices in Europe as well. I think last time I was in Budapest I bought 4 kinds of paprika!! I got stung on the rose oil though, I wanted to buy rose oil for cooking and the salesclerk assured me in English that what I was paying $40 for was 1 ounce of cooking grade rose oil. When I got home I discovered that she was mistaken and not only was it NOT cooking grade, it would be poisonous if eaten. Thank you Cap One for getting my money back (I bought 3 of them)

I got a travel clothes line with built in clips and plan to do a little washing on the trip. I'll pick up some laundry detergent when we arrive. Thankfully our apartment in Prague has a washer so after a week in CZ we will start the cruise with clean skivvies.

I got a travel clothes line with built in clips and plan to do a little washing on the trip. I'll pick up some laundry detergent when we arrive. Thankfully our apartment in Prague has a washer so after a week in CZ we will start the cruise with clean skivvies.

I have an absolutely great travel clothesline. It's 3 braided rubber tubes (like the kind they tie around your arm before drawing blood). No need for clothespins/clips. Just push a corner of the item to be hung through one of the loops in the braid. And it stretches really long.

I love to cook but am not so fond of doing so on vacation. I like having my own things available when I prepare food and always seem to have to run to the store a few times to get what I need, even when I cook when staying with friends.

Markets are our #1 places to visit when we travel anywhere (followed very closely by apothecaries). I bring home spices, preserves, mustards, soaps, note cards, linens, etc. In France last year we purchased several cryo vac pouches of the most amazing olives I have ever tasted at a local street market as well as black truffle salt when we visited the farm.

I am not a souvenir shopper but do buy the occasional fabulous pair of gloves or item of clothing. Eyeglass frames are a frequent purchase when I am in Italy or Germany as they have so many more unique frames.

 

Markets are our #1 places to visit when we travel anywhere (followed very closely by apothecaries). I bring home spices, preserves, mustards, soaps, note cards, linens, etc. In France last year we purchased several cryo vac pouches of the most amazing olives I have ever tasted at a local street market as well as black truffle salt when we visited the farm.

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I thought I was the only one who crawls through foreign supermarkets for things to bring home. I've gotten some fantastic preserves, spices are cheaper, mustards are delicious, some cookies in Italy that were to die for....no olives or soaps, but I did purchase a can of cat food that wasn't available in the US....I don't remember what it was, cat wouldn't eat it anyway... I remember years ago when we would take car trips with the kids, I would always go to the local supermarket to see what items were available that weren't at home. One time we were coming back from Canada and I had a case of canned pie filling that I had to explain to the border guard, who just laughed. It's no fun now because every store in the US has the same stuff.

I thought I was the only one who crawls through foreign supermarkets for things to bring home. I've gotten some fantastic preserves, spices are cheaper, mustards are delicious, some cookies in Italy that were to die for..

Grocery markets are a great place to find bargains. There is a special seasoning packet I get in Germany that is used for cucumber salad. A friend from Germany introduced me to it a few years ago. Now I buy up every packet they have and my friends here at home all wait for me to share.

Uniworld has free self service laundries. On the River Empress and the River Princess (sister ships; I don't know about their new ships) there were 2 washers and dryers. Uniworld also provided the detergent. It was a godsend on our 14 night cruise that included 11 days of 95 to 100 temperatures!

The River Queen also has washers/dryers - but, as past passengers, we get a certain amount of laundry done free of charge.

We almost always do some hand washing of "smalls" (as my friend calls them....). Most companies have retractable lines in the showers, so we make use of those. Also, as we usually travel Aquarium class, we usually have a window sill where we can lay our things out to dry.

Fran

Does anyone do this? We're doing our second two week cruise coming up in October. We do it with a carry on size bag each. Yes, even my bride. But this time, I was thinking about maybe doing a wee bit of laundry so I could pack a little less. Like not having to take two weeks worth of socks and underwear. Maybe a few fewer shirts. It's going to be cool to cold so I should be able to rotate shirts to wear them each three times but might want to wash one or two out.

I live in khakis and can go several days on one pair, especially in cool weather and those little Tide Spot cleaner pens do a good job for minor spills. Three pairs of Khaki pants will do for me.

 

I suppose you can wash out a few things at night in the sink or even the shower and hang them to dry. I'd rather not have underwear hanging out when the steward cleans the room each morning but I'm sure he/she has seen it all before.

 

Thoughts?

 

Thanks!

We have done the "carry on" in Europe (everywhere else also) for 15 years. Our kids convinced us the only way to go was the backpack route while traveling by train around the UK. They were correct and we have been converts ever sense. It just takes a bit more planning and few special purchases.

We generally wash a few things every 3 days. I travel with the Latex braided clothesline, a few inflatable hangers, soap ( dry soap sheets or small bottle of concentrate) a few hooks and a large microfiber towel. The secret is the fiber of your clothing. Quick dry (no wrinkle) Nylon or Poly Travel Shirts, underwear and coolmax socks are key. Wash the garment, lay it on the towel and roll up - squeeze out and then hang on the Line or on the Hanger. The hanger will allow air through the shirt, shorts, pants and it will all dry overnight. I do all my laundry in the evenings and it's ready by morning. Doesn't matter about the length of the trip - 4 pair socks and 4 pair underwear is plenty and allows washing every 3-4 days.

Hubby does his own socks and underwear and I usually do any shirts (because I'm more careful with them) - the Towel is key - I have a waffle weave Aqua towel and have had it, the hangers & Latex line for 15 years.

Send me a PM if you have any questions.