Unlimited Laundry on European Sailings...I just called HAL

Called today - twice - with long hold times.

 

Shaun was very aware of the difference in cost and that people were posting on Cruise Critic to call ahead. he wouldn't do it. When asked to be transferred he hung up on me. He says the ships are complaining that they have to go to the stateroom and add the $2 per day surcharge. This is clearly a hot button for them, and frankly now for me. Like someone else said on the forums the pre-cruise customer service is a good indication of what you will get on-board. I hope this frustrating experience doesn't taint my perception on board. I just want to get these details/hassles out of the way now, and have a good time on vacation.

 

On hold for a 2nd try.

Wow! Things have sure changed then :(

Did you talk to Shaun twice or did another person tell you the same thing?

2nd try, no problem. We'll see if there's an issue on the ship

2nd try, no problem. We'll see if there's an issue on the ship

Great. There should be no problem. Be sure to bring written proof though. ;)

After reading about the experiences you are having with Ships Services, I think it's a good time to be 4-star mariners and have free laundry. We just reached that level on our last cruise, so our next one will be the first with the laundry benefit. I'm looking forward to it!

Best regards,

Priscilla

Doing the 16 day TA Rome to Ft. Lauderdale on Koningsdam. Trying to wrap my head around that much time with no washer.

 

Please estimate how much goes in the bag -- like 2 pants, 4 tee shirts, underwear for 6 days -- what is your experiences?

 

Thanks!

It truly depends. If you have jeans or thick sweatshirts (think cool weather cruising) then not very much! On the other hand, warm weather cruising with thin shirts and lots of shorts or thin dress slacks, you can fit quite a bit.

That said, we get the unlimited package and send laundry out every day (sometimes twice a day).

I did call ships services today and was quoted $144 for our 16 night Koningsdam cruise. That comes out to $9/day the same price as buying onboard. Therefore I will wait until onboard and use some of the OBC towards this.

Arie

Take care of it once you're onboard.

It truly depends. If you have jeans or thick sweatshirts (think cool weather cruising) then not very much! On the other hand, warm weather cruising with thin shirts and lots of shorts or thin dress slacks, you can fit quite a bit.

 

That said, we get the unlimited package and send laundry out every day (sometimes twice a day).

 

I did call ships services today and was quoted $144 for our 16 night Koningsdam cruise. That comes out to $9/day the same price as buying onboard. Therefore I will wait until onboard and use some of the OBC towards this.

 

Arie

Does the unlimited laundry include pressing cotton slacks?

Does the unlimited laundry include pressing cotton slacks?

Laundry, under all the plans, includes pressing for those things sent to be laundered; it does not include pressing only.

You can also send things for pressing only for a per piece price, or purchase a separate package for that.

We had prepaid for unlimited laundry on the 7/10/16 Koningsdam sailing. We then ended up upgrading to Neptune suite which includes unlimited laundry and dry cleaning so we ended up cancelling it.

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(

 

Welllll............one this particular cruise which was our 24th, we (giving my wife equal credit) made ONE little error in packing.

When we got to Rome after our flight, I wanted to change my pants................THEN we discovered that the only other pants that had been packed for me was my suit pants...........you can imagine the effort to look through all of our bags again.......but no, none, nada.

What I had on was what I had for the trip!!! Not quite as bad as losing a passport but still not a great finding at the start of your trip. In Naples several days later, I asked the owner of the restaurant we were eating at where I could buy some pants and he took me next door where I got a great "family" discount. Italian wool pants for 20E vs. 40 on tag..........but no tailoring to shorten the pant legs which were about 12 inches too long!!!!.

Wife is a good seamstress and fortunately we had those little mending kits for travel that had just enough..... and she stressed that last word several times.....dark thread for both legs.

 

There's a few more bits to the continuing pants story but I save those additional details for dinner stories on slow sea days....and the experience never fails to get many chuckles.

 

So you see I did a lot to reduce laundry load as I only had 1 pair of pants to cycle into the bags which on further recollection may have totaled 4 bags rather than 3 I stated.......

 

PS: rolling your clothes helps get EVEN MORE stuff into that bag than you would imagine. I also wonder if HAL laundry separates clothes by color as you do...............some posts I have read indicate that they got back interesting pink(ish) underwear that started out white.

I bring color catchers to use so we don't have to separate darks / lights unless really new clothes.

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We have no problem with paying for on board laundry. It is a very small price to pay for the convenience of packing light. We do not go with unlimited. Pay as you go or by bag is perfect for us.

We usually visit a Laundromat prior to boarding and shortly after (our cruises are usually book ended with land travel). We used to think it was a bit of a hassle but we have met so many interesting people, got many good travel tips, and even traded a few books that it is not a chore. Besides, usually it involves sitting at an outdoor café enjoying lunch or a drink whilst the clothes go round and round.

I bring color catchers to use so we don't have to separate darks / lights unless really new clothes.

 

 

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What are "color catchers?"

What are "color catchers?"

It's never failed us on a cruise.

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We have no problem with paying for on board laundry. It is a very small price to pay for the convenience of packing light. We do not go with unlimited. Pay as you go or by bag is perfect for us.

 

We usually visit a Laundromat prior to boarding and shortly after (our cruises are usually book ended with land travel). We used to think it was a bit of a hassle but we have met so many interesting people, got many good travel tips, and even traded a few books that it is not a chore. Besides, usually it involves sitting at an outdoor café enjoying lunch or a drink whilst the clothes go round and round.

I too have had some very unique experiences in public laundromats. VERY. :D

I just finished speaking with a HAL rep and booked the unlimited laundry package for our November trans-Atlantic cruise at a cost of $7 per day. The rep emailed the confirmation and stayed on the phone to make certain I had received it.

Smooth Sailing ! :) :) :)

It took a couple of phone calls to get the right person to book it for me, but I just purchased unlimited for our 14 day Baltic cruise for $7 a day.

I just finished speaking with a HAL rep and booked the unlimited laundry package for our November trans-Atlantic cruise at a cost of $7 per day. The rep emailed the confirmation and stayed on the phone to make certain I had received it.

 

Smooth Sailing ! :) :) :)

How many days is your TA? I nrrd to purchase my laundry package for our TA in october!

 

It's never failed us on a cruise.

 

 

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But this is to be used if you hand wash, right? Or do you give it to your room steward for the laundry?

How many days is your TA? I nrrd to purchase my laundry package for our TA in october!

Ours is 15 days, leaving November 4th. Enjoy your cruise!

Smooth Sailing ! :) :) :)

We get the unlimited package and send laundry out every day (sometimes twice a day).

 

I did call ships services today and was quoted $144 for our 16 night Koningsdam cruise. That comes out to $9/day the same price as buying onboard. Therefore I will wait until onboard and use some of the OBC towards this.

I called them back today as I had a question on the thermal suite and thought I would ask again about the laundry. Sure enough, this (very nice) representative quoted me $7/day or $112 for the 16 night cruise. Bought it on the spot and received an e-mail confirmation.

The thermal suite is $599 for a couple. Ouch. Not sure about that.

Arie

Only in Europe does HAL charge more for the laundry, both per day and by the bag. Someone explained it was a VAT thing. Definitely buy your laundry package ahead of time as you will pay the non-EU price and as recommended, email Ships Services.

Sorry to say but have seen too many conflicting or incorrect answers when people call HAL but have always gotten the correct answer from Ships Services when contacted via email or thru the Contact Us section of the HAL website - plus you have a record.

What are "color catchers?"

 

It's never failed us on a cruise.

 

 

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Color Catchers?? Wow..Had never heard of them.. Just googled it & found out what they were..

http://www.shoutitout.com/en-US/Products/Pages/shout-color-catcher.aspx?cid=SEM_B_%2Bcolor%20%2Bcatcher#WatchVideo

I'm amazed! Thank you so much for this tip !!!

Do you give the color catcher to your steward or just open it up & put it into the laundry with your other clothes..

This is a great thread as we are now hooked on unlimited laundry service after upgrading to a Neptune on a recent K'dam cruise, but didn't know you could get it cheaper if you booked it in advance. Does anyone know if you can have your HAL PCC book it in advance for you or do you have to call the services department directly. We'll be 4 star after another couple of cruises, but until then we're definitely happy to pay for it as it is a great service of which we have yet to see made available on any other line we cruise with.

This is a great thread as we are now hooked on unlimited laundry service after upgrading to a Neptune on a recent K'dam cruise, but didn't know you could get it cheaper if you booked it in advance. Does anyone know if you can have your HAL PCC book it in advance for you or do you have to call the services department directly. We'll be 4 star after another couple of cruises, but until then we're definitely happy to pay for it as it is a great service of which we have yet to see made available on any other line we cruise with.

Your PCC can probably do it - but..... I think I'd rather call myself and be sure of the price before it was booked ;). There is already a report on this thread about contradicotry info so best to make sure you are getting it for the right price ;). And, I like to have my confirming email to bring with me for anything I order. I agree on it being a great deal.

I just talked with Shawn regarding our upcoming Hawaiian and Caribbean cruises, as we are finished with Europe for a while, and he said the cost is the same whether we prepay or pay for it onboard. So we're just going to use some of our OBC and book it onboard.