What is your position on self-service laundries on cruise ships

This is the second of two posts inspired by this thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2226551 , which started out about irons, but veered into discussion of laundry.

I am curious about whether there are people out there who choose ships (and possibly lines) on whether they have self-service laundries or not. We'll see.

Thanks for your replies.

I voted on your poll. For me it would depend on the ship (and how port intensive it was), how long I will be away and what baggage allowance the airline allows for me to get there. When I go to the "Mouse trap" in Florida I always do laundry at least once - I don't mind.

As I said on the other thread, we get free laundry from Princess. Therefore I don't care if the ship has a self-service laundry or not.

Sadly, my position is usually third in line for a dryer.

I have no dog in this fight. Have them, don't have them. I do not do laundry on vacation, but if someone else wants to, why should I care? I have and will continue to sail on multiple cruise lines, some with self-service laundry and some without. I have sent a few items in the past to be laundered and/or pressed, but you won't catch me doing it myself.

Well, cruising exclusively on RC/X for the last decade and a half, I've just gotten used to not having laundry rooms available. If I ever do sail on a line that has laundry rooms on each passenger floor, that will be one more thing I'll have to study the deck plans for. I don't want to be right by the laundry room on a ship, any more than I would in a hotel.

Doesn't matter to me - I'm happy to do my casual stuff myself (undies, t-shirts, jeans, etc), but I'd also be happy to send them out if that was the only way to get them done. I would not consider a ship that didn't offer either - my trips are too long to take that much and keep them clean.

I'd prefer a self-service option, but have also washed some things out in my cabin as well as taken advantage of the "Bag-O-Laundry for One Price" offer.

I don't consider it below my station in life to wash my own clothes, if I can spend the extra couple of bucks saved for souvenirs for my friends.

I had one small problem with a S.S. laundry on board NCL Dawn; the washer I was using stopped in mid wash cycle. :confused: Ooops. Luckily maintenance came and liberated my clothes within a reasonable time.

Here's a handy hint: best time to shove your stuff in a laundromat is late at night when everybody else is partying or sleeping. I usually take a book along and read in the laundry room while the clothes process. Take your own detergent ("pods" do well) and a few dryer sheets. If you don't have enough fresh dryer sheets, a re-used one will at least cut down on the static cling, even if it doesn't make your clothes smell "springtime fresh". I'm happy if the clothes are clean and no longer smell like "Essence of Me".:eek:

After about a week of having no domestic duties, my DW get a little anxious. Self Service laundries and even ironing give her a needed "chore" fix that lasts for the rest of the cruise.....

I am on vacation. I take vacations to get away from doing chores. While on vacation I don't cook my own meals, or clean my own living quarters. I certainly am not going to waste my time in a laundry room washing my clothes. Vacation time is too rare to waste it in any way. A laundry room on a cruise ship will NEVER be something that helps me decide what cruise to take.

I personally like having self serve laundry on the ship. It is nice coming home with clean clothes and not spending the day after the cruise doing laundry.

This is the second of two posts inspired by this thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2226551 , which started out about irons, but veered into discussion of laundry.

 

I am curious about whether there are people out there who choose ships (and possibly lines) on whether they have self-service laundries or not. We'll see.

 

Thanks for your replies.

Not a concern for us, we do enough laundry at home so I always make sure to budget to get laundry done on the ship.

I like to pack enough (I can manage a 16 day trip with a larger than average suitcase) but husband likes to go and do laundry on cruises for a lighter bag.

We are sailing with Celebrity this time so he will have to pack more or pay for the service. I have a guess at which one he will choose!

No way I'm going to use it ... BUT, I certainly don't mind the ship having self service laundry rooms for those to wish to use them. :)

LuLu

While it is most certainly not a deal breaker, I would prefer to have a self-serve laundry especially on longer cruises since we also spend several days pre and post cruise and have dirty laundry. I refuse to pay sky high prices to send socks and underwear out. To those who wish to do so, that is your choice. To those of us who wish to use a self serve laundry, please give us the choice!

Any travel over a week and we do laundry. Many of my things I hang to dry. Won't do DH's clothes by hand.

On Carnival we now have free laundry so most gets sent out. On Princess and HAL we will do one or two loads.

We've been across the hall from the laundry on the Elation and Paradise. Never heard a thing.

As long as the machine does the work, I'll wash clothes! It's not like I'm beating them on a rock or something! I like being able to do some clothes on vacation!

While it's not a make or break issue for me, I do find it convenient to have self-serve laundry on board, even if it's only to do a quick pressing touch-up. If I know the ship has self-serve laundry, and I'm on a longer cruise (or have extended my vacation by a few days pre or post-cruise, I will plan on probably doing a load of wash at some point and be able to pack lighter.

I am curious about whether there are people out there who choose ships (and possibly lines) on whether they have self-service laundries or not. We'll see.

The only thing I find useful in a self-serve laundry facility is the irons. Never on a cruise will I use a laundry machine. I don't care if they exist and my cruise reservations have absolutely nothing to do with whether or not they exist, but I am certain I'll never use them....except for the irons.

But I gotta say...I'm curious about that 1 vote for not considering a ship that has them. I wonder why. :confused:

We sail on exclusively on Celebrity and they don't have laundry rooms so I wouldn't consider a ship with a laundry room. We get 4 free 30 piece bags plus pressing & dry cleaning so have no need of a laundry.

won't use one so it makes no never mind to us. I'll send it out for thew ship do all the work if I need to( which so far has been once)

I have an 18 month old so having a ship with a self-servive laundry means I can be more frugal with her packing as I can wash her clothes and/or sleeping bags if needed. It wouldn't be a deal breaker for me but I appreciate having the option where possible.

It is clear that based on the results of the two virtually identical polls started by the OP, the majority of people can do just fine without self service laundry facilities. I am sure that those cruise lines who don't provide such facilities know these results quite well, and prefer to make better use of what would otherwise be under-utilized spaces. As a business decision, they seem to have made the better choice.

Thanks everyone.

But I gotta say...I'm curious about that 1 vote for not considering a ship that has them. I wonder why. :confused:

I was curious too (there are three votes now). I think at least one explanation is in the post directly below yours. Another is safety, which was mentioned in the iron thread. Hot dryers + irons + flammable clothing + lint = potential fire hazard. Some people may want to avoid that risk.

I don't do laundry on a ship but certainly don't care if anyone else wishes to.

Makes no difference to me if there is or is not a self-service laundry available. I get free laundry from HAL as I have a great many days with them. Because I'm always in a high category, it includes dry cleaning as well as laundry. :) One of the better amenities I enjoy the most.