The OP asked a fair question because other cruise lines (not Royal) sell the laundry pre-cruise in their Cruise Planner at a discount to what they charge onboard. So,,,, if you know you will do at least one bag of laundry onboard (we do laundry on every cruise), it is to your benefit to pre-buy it. Don't think that every cruise line operates the same as Royal. In fact, Royal has some of the most restrictive, almost absurd, policies on what you can put in your laundry bag compared to other cruise line.