Laundry question

[AlaskaBoundCA]

Hi All -

First HAL cruise coming up in 11 days! We're on the Oosterdam, northbound from Vancouver in a Neptune Suite.

 

I have an event where I'm wearing my Tux the night before we depart. Once we board, when I can I ask for my tux (and, likely more importantly my shirt) to be cleaned? Would it be ready for the first Gala night? Or, should I invest in an additional shirt?

 

As always, thanks for your excellent advice!

Edited August 5, 2015 by AlaskaBoundCA
(Adding Neptune Suite).

[CowPrincess]

We've gotten formal items cleaned and returned to us before the first Gala Night, on several different ships. We usually hand it to the steward and mention that it is our formal wear for the next evening.

[RuthC]

You can send it out as soon as you have your suitcase and see the cabin steward.

 

There's an excellent chance you will have it returned by the second night, especially if you put a rush on it.

However, there is always a chance, especially with dry cleaning, that something will go wrong with the cleaning machine and it will be delayed. Laundering the shirt should not be a problem, but a second shirt is always a good idea.

[AlaskaBoundCA]

RuthC & CowPrincess, thanks for your answers.

[Krazy Kruizers]

DH had to do that one time.

As soon as we got the suitcases, we asked our cabin steward to take his tuxedo to the dry cleaners and the shirt to the laundry.

Got everything back the next afternoon.

[2ptu/000]

I always take my husbands dress shirt, not a tux shirt, laundered and send it out to be pressed as soon as I get it unpacked. Always have had it back for formal night.

[DeeniEncinitas]

Ditto!

Once our cabin steward introduces himself out goes the tux for pressing!

On our last cruise in March on The Nieuw Amsterdam we got it back believe it or not that evening!

Denise :)

[Karen13]

Does anyone know if HAL offer an unlimited laundry package (as some cruise lines do) or just item by item? An idea of prices would also be helpful to decide whether to go for this or just pack more clothes for our Rockies/Alaska trip next year.

 

Many thanks for any help.

[RuthC]

Does anyone know if HAL offer an unlimited laundry package (as some cruise lines do) or just item by item? An idea of prices would also be helpful to decide whether to go for this or just pack more clothes for our Rockies/Alaska trip next year.

You have three choices in how to pay to send laundry out:

First, and most expensive, is to pay by the piece.

Second, is to stuff a bag as full as you can for $20 (higher in Europe).

The last way is to pay for an "unlimited" plan. That costs $7 times the number of days in your cruise (again, slightly higher in Europe). The bag need not be full, so this is great for a single person (since it takes so long to fill a bag), or in hot climates, where day clothes really need to be laundered after one wearing.

[Karen13]

That's great. Thanks for the information Ruth. I think we will go for the unlimited. I assume that's $7 per cabin?

[take us away]

That's great. Thanks for the information Ruth. I think we will go for the unlimited. I assume that's $7 per cabin?

 

Correct, so for 2 people it is a good deal!

[blizzardboy]

Neptune Suites offer unlimited Laundry, dry cleaning and pressing. You also can wait until early morning of departure to set your luggage out instead of the night before.

[Krazy Kruizers]

One thing I learned many years ago -- take pictures of everything you send out to the laundry.

When our laundry was delivered back to the cabin, one of DH's golf shirt was missing. I was asked to describe it. I couldn't as he has so many different colors, stripes, etc. He was fortunate that they did find it before the end of the cruise.

[croydonCruiser]

Correct, so for 2 people it is a good deal!

 

Even better for 4! :D

[qsuzi]

You have three choices in how to pay to send laundry out:

First, and most expensive, is to pay by the piece.

Second, is to stuff a bag as full as you can for $20 (higher in Europe).

The last way is to pay for an "unlimited" plan. That costs $7 times the number of days in your cruise (again, slightly higher in Europe). The bag need not be full, so this is great for a single person (since it takes so long to fill a bag), or in hot climates, where day clothes really need to be laundered after one wearing.

Ruth, will you confirm that the "unlimited" plan is 7 per day per cabin please. What is the standard turnaround time for the stuff a bag and the "unlimited"?

Edited August 7, 2015 by qsuzi

[Alberta Quilter]

Ruth, will you confirm that the "unlimited" plan is 7 per day per cabin please. What is the standard turnaround time for the stuff a bag and the "unlimited"?

 

Not Ruth, but, yes, it is per cabin. HAL indicates turnaround time to be 48 hours but it is often less. On my last cruise, it was less than 24 hours. I recently read of someone's laundry taking longer than 48 hours. I'm guessing it depends on how many pax take advantage of the laundry service onboard.

 

You might also want to note that HAL will not accept laundry in the last 48 hours of the cruise so that all laundry will be returned to pax by the time they have to pack.

Edited August 7, 2015 by Alberta Quilter

[qsuzi]

not ruth, but, yes, it is per cabin. Hal indicates turnaround time to be 48 hours but it is often less. On my last cruise, it was less than 24 hours. I recently read of someone's laundry taking longer than 48 hours. I'm guessing it depends on how many pax take advantage of the laundry service onboard.

 

You might also want to note that hal will not accept laundry in the last 48 hours of the cruise so that all laundry will be returned to pax by the time they have to pack.

 

thank you!

[dakrewser]

Ruth, will you confirm that the "unlimited" plan is 7 per day per cabin please. What is the standard turnaround time for the stuff a bag and the "unlimited"?

 

 

And while it averages $7 per day, you pay by the cruise. So a 7 day cruise is $49, a 10 day is $70, etc.

[Danni3ll3]

One thing I learned many years ago -- take pictures of everything you send out to the laundry.

When our laundry was delivered back to the cabin, one of DH's golf shirt was missing. I was asked to describe it. I couldn't as he has so many different colors, stripes, etc. He was fortunate that they did find it before the end of the cruise.

 

Good idea but that is if they are willing to work with you. I lost a top and although my stewart bent over backwards trying to find it, the service desk seemed totally disinterested. I never did get the top back, nor did they offer replacement value as indicated on the laundry sheet. I filled out a lost form and never heard a thing back so I have no idea on how to even go about putting in a claim. The top was not an expensive one so it isn't a big deal to me, however, I just wanted to note that taking a picture is no guarantee that it will turn up, nor that you will be offered replacement value.

[qsuzi]

And while it averages $7 per day, you pay by the cruise. So a 7 day cruise is $49, a 10 day is $70, etc.

 

We do understand that the "unlimited plan" would be $7 per day per cabin for each day on our cruise, i.e., for our 7 day cruise we would pay $49. As 1 star Mariner's (no discount), we would do the $20 bag if we decide to purchase laundry.

Edited August 7, 2015 by qsuzi

[kazu]

Good idea but that is if they are willing to work with you. I lost a top and although my stewart bent over backwards trying to find it, the service desk seemed totally disinterested. I never did get the top back, nor did they offer replacement value as indicated on the laundry sheet. I filled out a lost form and never heard a thing back so I have no idea on how to even go about putting in a claim. The top was not an expensive one so it isn't a big deal to me, however, I just wanted to note that taking a picture is no guarantee that it will turn up, nor that you will be offered replacement value.

 

I don't take pics, but I write a description on the laundry sheet so I don't forget. I did lose one piece a long, long time ago. They turned everything trying to find it and they did. It was part of a formal attire so it WAS important.

 

If they didn't find your top, it is not going to sit on the ship forever. Unless it went to the wrong cabin and they "chose" to keep it, then once you do the lost form on board, if it doesn't turn up before your cruise ends, you need to go to HAL's website and fill out the lost and found email that is available there. You might be surprised at the results. The lost and found form ends when you get off the ship.

[Danni3ll3]

I don't take pics, but I write a description on the laundry sheet so I don't forget. I did lose one piece a long, long time ago. They turned everything trying to find it and they did. It was part of a formal attire so it WAS important.

 

 

 

If they didn't find your top, it is not going to sit on the ship forever. Unless it went to the wrong cabin and they "chose" to keep it, then once you do the lost form on board, if it doesn't turn up before your cruise ends, you need to go to HAL's website and fill out the lost and found email that is available there. You might be surprised at the results. The lost and found form ends when you get off the ship.

 

 

I believe that it did go to a wrong cabin since I got an empty hanger back among my other clothes. Thank you for letting me know about the lost and found email. I really did not know how to address this and will give it a shot.

[cp556]

One thing I never knew until last year was to KEEP the last page of the laundry sheet (the pink copy, I think?). That way you can check off what's returned to make sure it's all there. And if something is missing, you have the sheet to help recall what the item is.

 

Last year an entire load of our laundry went missing ... about 10 items. Our cabin steward turned himself inside out looking for it, and it was eventually found in a nook or cranny in the laundry. We were fortunate because I could describe some of the articles, including bright polka-dot pajamas :)

[scopewest]

$7/day vs. one bag for $20, no brainer, go with $7/day. You can fit quite a lot in the bag, but I found it wonderful to be able to send out each day's dirty laundry (and since DH likes to put on a fresh shirt twice a day, one bag one time won't work for us).

 

Oh, there's nothing like the sound of the polite knock on the door and the steward handing you your clean laundry!

[qsuzi]

$7/day vs. one bag for $20, no brainer, go with $7/day. You can fit quite a lot in the bag, but I found it wonderful to be able to send out each day's dirty laundry (and since DH likes to put on a fresh shirt twice a day, one bag one time won't work for us).

 

Oh, there's nothing like the sound of the polite knock on the door and the steward handing you your clean laundry!

 

It is great to get clean clothes back so I hear you on liking it when your steward brings clean laundry. For the $29 difference (between the one time $20 bag and the $49 price for a 7 day cruise) you also would get to bring clean clothes back home except for the last day/few days.

 

For us we bring plenty of clothes for at least daily changes plus formal clothes. I just prefer to do my own laundry but we will purchase stuff a bag if we have a need or want to do so.

Edited August 8, 2015 by qsuzi