Is self serve laundry ever coming to NCL?

[pokerpro5]

I don't get it.

 

The #1 complaint about NCL is the laundry situation.

 

Almost every other line has self-serve machines, even high-end Crystal.

 

So why does't NCL install some laundry rooms in the dry docked ships?

 

Do they not realize that the laundry situation is irritating enough to where some people probably go on comparable lines instead?

 

I told my parents about the laundry situation, for example, and their answer was, "Well, I guess we will never be cruising Norwegian!"

 

That "stuff all you can into a bag for $27" promotion isn't a good solution. It's infuriating in a few ways:

 

1) You need to do laundry on their schedule, not yours.

 

2) The bag is flimsy and rips very easily.

 

3) The clothes simply aren't cleaned very well. It was honestly the worst load of laundry that I've ever seen done. Nothing looked or smelled clean. I thought that maybe I was just crazy, but then I read on here that people reported THE EXACT SAME THING, meaning they are probably overstuffing the machines and things aren't getting clean.

 

The whole situation is just awful.

 

There are many things that are good about NCL compared to other lines. Most notably, their customer service is better and the buffet quality is surprisingly good (and I'm NOT usually a guy who likes buffets!) They have a wide variety of specialty restaurants. They also make more of an effort than the other lines to pressure people into keeping their hands sanitized, which is important for obvious reasons.

 

I left my first NCL cruise last year with a lot of positive thoughts, but that laundry situation really got my goat.

 

Also, how hard would it be to put in a pizzeria that is open from like 11am-midnight? Again, other lines have this, and it would be wildly popular if it were on NCL ships. Instead we are stuck with this $5 room service pizza that few people bother ordering.

 

I just don't get it. Is anyone at NCL listening to the will of the people here?

 

Hello?

 

Hello?

 

Bueller?

 

Bueller?

 

[KateQ22003]

Personally, this is the last thing I look for when researching cruises. I am on vacation; there is no way I am going to do laundry. That is part of my unpacking/reminiscing process when I get home.

[Dawn1004]

I agree it would be handy to have self do laundry options onboard, but it's not what I make my decision to cruise on.

 

I wish that one of their suite perks was free laundry.

 

Am looking forward to my 10 day cruise to Alaska next yr on NCL...self laundry or not!

[Froggitt]

Im sure they removed self serve laundry from the Jewel class ships a few years ago.

[TravelJoe]

Personally, this is the last thing I look for when researching cruises. I am on vacation; there is no way I am going to do laundry. That is part of my unpacking/reminiscing process when I get home.

 

Ditto -- laundry on vacation??? NFW. I'll bring an extra bag with extra clothes and worry about it when I return.

 

Have you ever been to a Laundromat? I can't imagine the chaos that would erupt when clothes are left in a washer or dryer -- as you KNOW people won't sit there for an hour and a half watching their clothes wash and dry.

 

And that's why there are options. NCL has The Haven... maybe the other lines could have "The Hazel" class for those that want to do lots of laundry while "on vacation" :D

[All-ready2cruise]

We just need to get to Platinum status faster and if staying in suites, all or most cruises, it doesn't take long before you get there. Laundry bag then becomes free regardless of cabin category and it's pp not per cabin. :p

 

There's no way I want to do laundry on my cruise and any little things that get a bit soiled... the sink in the BR or a little Tide stick works just fine, tyvm. :D

[VickiD59]

I don't mind doing laundry on vacation - not piles of it, but a small load. I tend to underpack, and usually need to wash shirts, or if something got unexpectedly stained. I also find it handy to be able to touch something up with an iron from time to time. I don't think I would utilize sending it out to have washed; seldom do I put my clothes in the dryer and I wouldn't believe that would be an option.

No worries.. I'll plan accordingly and toss in a few more tops this time.

But I am bringing my Joy Mangano mini steamer ;)

[sjbdtz]

They USED to have self-serve laundry, and removed them.

 

I believe it was due to fire risk with the irons.

 

 

 

As for the pizzeria, you can be sure that if nobody were ordering the $5 pizzas, they'd stop the program.

 

 

But you're right...a $5 rake on a simple pizza, where the cost of flour & water & tomatoes are only about $.30 that's a 1600% rake. Everything in the world should be free.

 

 

 

 

.

[2Cruise4Ever]

They had self service on The Jewel class ships and it was a disaster!! People leaving their clothes in the machines for hours on end...passengers absolutely trashing the rooms... If they wanted it to be a success the would have had to place a staff member in the room to keep order.

 

But I'm also like others...unless I'm on a cruise for 14 days or longer I'm not even thinking about laundry!!... I do enough of that at home. :)

[smeyer418]

The laundries were a big nuisance for them. The CG gave them a real hard time around them. The chances they will be back is NIL.(actually probably NIML-not in my lifetime). Not all cruise lines have them anyway.

[ColinIllinois]

My, my, my. The trials and tribulations we go through. How do we survive this brutal life? ;)

[sparks1093]

I bring duct tape to tape the bag if it rips. Never had a problem with the clothes coming back unclean (but as with any operation involving humans mistakes can and do happen). I don't insist that every cruise line be like every other cruise line so the way NCL does pizza doesn't bother me.

[roger001]

I shall not do laundry on a cruise. And...when we have used the bag of laundry offer, the clothes have always come back nice and clean, neatly folded...at least we thought so. Use a double bag if you need so it doesn't rip.

[Va. Plumber]

Frankly, a self-service laundry is about the last thing I look for in booking a cruise.

I question the blanket statement that most other lines offer this.

 

As to the pizza thing, can you imagine the number of half eaten pizzas if there was no $5.00 charge. The charge is there to dissuade people from frivolously

ordering them.

 

Let's see, "Why don't we order once of each. They are free."

[negc]

The laundries were a big nuisance for them. The CG gave them a real hard time around them. The chances they will be back is NIL.(actually probably NIML-not in my lifetime). Not all cruise lines have them anyway.

 

NCL removed them some time ago and joined several other lines which don't offer self-service laundries. Assign whatever reason you want for their action - cost effectiveness of ss laundries as opposed to using the space for more revenue producing cabins, increased revenue from their onboard laundry service, elimination of noise and traffic in the areas surrounding the facilities,elimination of fire hazards, elimination of costly maintenance of the facilities, problems among passengers unhappy with the laundry practices of others (failure to return in a timely fashion, taking others clothes out of the washers and dryers to make room for their own clothes, etc. but it seems pretty unlikely that self-service laundries will return anytime soon.

There is an element among cruisers who wish that the laundries would be available but an equally large (or perhaps larger) group who are satisfied with the current arrangement or feel that they have better uses for their time. It isn't possible to satisfy both groups but NCL, RCI and others seem to be surviving quite well without the laundries

[Barb Nahoumi]

When I sent my laundry out on bag day, it was returned to me fresh, clean, and nicely folded in a cute little basket. All I sent was underwear, and some older tees. Good clothes which need special care, I took home to wash.

 

Royal Caribbean no longer has laundry rooms either, and they charged $30.00 per bag. They returned the clothes folded in paper without a basket.

 

As an NCL platinum member, I'll use the laundry service for free on bag day. If I'm on another line, I'll only use it when on long cruises.

[azappraiser]

I'd rather see a FedEx drop box on board... that way I can box up the dirty clothes and send them home instead of packing them. ;)

[bluesea777]

The only time I ever used the ship's laundrette was on the Pearl when we were doing a B2B. Never again! Not surprised at all that NCL made the decision to remove laundrettes from all ships.

 

It was so dirty, messy and a real fire hazard. People did not treat the machines like they do to their own machines back home. They did not take care. There was SAND in the filters - and the filters themselves never were cleaned by pax between cycles.

 

I wasted *several* in the laundrette ... never again. We now use the Laundry bag special or none at all (if we take enough clothes to last entire cruise).

 

Enjoy your cruise and forget about doing the laundry!!

[Beaver1975]

The #1 complaint?

 

Really?

[mjkacmom]

Love the laundry bag special - a lot more than the old laundry rooms they used to have on NCL's ships.

[mypleasure]

Laundry when on a cruise? No way. I cruise to rest, relax and enjoy. I either bring enough clothes, buy more clothes (especially T-shirts) or get it laundered on board with the bag special. We are both platinum now so 2 free bags.

 

If NCL ever decide to bring it back then fine for those who want it but I doubt I would ever be using it.

[Inuvikcouple]

I am just wondering where the statistic that laundry is the #1 complaint about NCL. I am pretty sure that I have read many more complaints about other things such as the steward didn't bow or curtsy when we passed them in the hall, the Captain did not escort us to our table at dinner, security did not help carry our boxes of wine and beer to our cabin and the list goes on and on but rarely is it a complaint about laundry.

 

We actually did do laundry on a Pearl B2B a few years ago and although the laundry room was relatively clean, spending 2 hours washing and drying clothes on a cruise was a total waste of valuable relaxation time. We have used the bag service on every cruise since and it has always come back clean and folded. The only complaint I have ever had was the way they pressed some pants on our last cruise and that was corrected immediately when we showed our cabin steward.

 

Now I am off to find another NCL deficiency to complain about after the cruise is over. (no point in trying to deal with it while on board when one can wait until they get home in order to yell and holler at the computer screen)

[awilliams98]

I was just on the Breeze in May and they have a ss laundry facility. I didn't care to use that. But I liked that they had ironing rooms on every other stateroom deck (lucky me, I was on a floor with one). There were 2 boards and 2 irons that were set to a timer as to avoid any fire hazards. This was very helpful for the elegant night in which I had to iron my husband dress shirt. Since there were only 2 there were a couple of people waiting but no one rushed anyone and we all were for helping each other out. One lady needed a lint brush, which i happened to have and while i walked to my cabin to get it, she was kind enough to iron my husband's shirt. Now I'm going on the Getaway with no option for an iron...I'll just have to invest in a handheld steamer.

 

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Forums mobile app

Edited June 29, 2014 by awilliams98

[Quincella]

I was just on the Breeze in May and they have a ss laundry facility. I didn't care to use that. But I liked that they had ironing rooms on every other stateroom deck (lucky me, I was on a floor with one). There were 2 boards and 2 irons that were set to a timer as to avoid any fire hazards. This was very helpful for the elegant night in which I had to iron my husband dress shirt. Since there were only 2 there were a couple of people waiting but no one rushed anyone and we all were for helping each other out. One lady needed a lint brush, which i happened to have and while i walked to my cabin to get it, she was kind enough to iron my husband's shirt. Now I'm going on the Getaway with no option for an iron...I'll just have to invest in a handheld steamer.

 

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Forums mobile app

 

You do have an iron option. Just call Guest Services and they'll have an iron and ironing board brought to your room, then pick it up when you're finished.

 

I believe there's a time limit of two hours or so, but it was incredibly convenient. They came within 15 or so minutes of my calling to bring it and to pick it up.

[NMLady]

I don't get it.

 

The #1 complaint about NCL is the laundry situation.

 

Almost every other line has self-serve machines, even high-end Crystal.

 

So why does't NCL install some laundry rooms in the dry docked ships?

 

Do they not realize that the laundry situation is irritating enough to where some people probably go on comparable lines instead?

 

I told my parents about the laundry situation, for example, and their answer was, "Well, I guess we will never be cruising Norwegian!"

 

That "stuff all you can into a bag for $27" promotion isn't a good solution. It's infuriating in a few ways:

 

1) You need to do laundry on their schedule, not yours.

 

2) The bag is flimsy and rips very easily.

 

3) The clothes simply aren't cleaned very well. It was honestly the worst load of laundry that I've ever seen done. Nothing looked or smelled clean. I thought that maybe I was just crazy, but then I read on here that people reported THE EXACT SAME THING, meaning they are probably overstuffing the machines and things aren't getting clean.

 

The whole situation is just awful.

 

There are many things that are good about NCL compared to other lines. Most notably, their customer service is better and the buffet quality is surprisingly good (and I'm NOT usually a guy who likes buffets!) They have a wide variety of specialty restaurants. They also make more of an effort than the other lines to pressure people into keeping their hands sanitized, which is important for obvious reasons.

 

I left my first NCL cruise last year with a lot of positive thoughts, but that laundry situation really got my goat. ... ]

 

Some of the NCL ships used to have laundry rooms but because of so many problems they were finally all removed.

So, no, NCL will not be installing them when ships are dry docked or built.

 

We never had a problem doing the bag special on NCL's weekly scheduling.

We bring a small amount of duct tape with us to reinforce the bag seams.

Easier than waiting for inconsiderate people to come back and remove their laundry from washers when cycle is done.

 

Do you know that fights used to break out in laundry rooms because people removed other peoples finished laundry from machines?

And that heavily used machines kept breaking down? Headache for NCL.

 

Do you know their are ships on other lines that also do not have laundry facilities?

Some HAL ships and some Celebrity ships do not have laundry rooms.

 

In 8 NCL cruises, using the weekly bag special, our clothes have always been clean when returned.

 

If you must have a self-serve laundry room, I am afraid that NCL is not the cruise line for you.

Edited June 29, 2014 by NMLady