Unlimited laundry, only one bag per day???

[kevingastreich]

It still makes me smile now when I pull on a pair of leggings or t-shirt that still has the ship's laundry tag ironed onto it. Just don't send anything fragile. Not everything comes back the same size it went!!

Very true! They use very hot water and dry at a high temp. I never send anything too delicate or fragile. Dry cleaning and pressing is a different story.

[edgee]

I have not sailed on HAL for ten years so forgive my ignorance. Is unlimited laundry something you purchase at start of cruise as some sort of package? What is the cost? We are going on the Zuiderdam for a 10 day cruise in September. Thanks.

[ithaca gal]

I used to wash my dainties and hang them to dry but then decided that I didn’t want my young room stewards accosted by the sight of my undies hanging in the bath. I know, it’s something they see every day but not in my cabin any more! There’s nothing wrong with hanging up your panties and over the shoulder boulder holders ... It’s just something I gave up a few years ago.

[cruisemom42]

DW has this crazy idea that she is also on vacation and she has no desire to spend her time in a laundramat :).

 

Hank

 

Mrs. Hank is a wise woman.

 

I hand wash some things, but if I can't hand wash it I'll let someone else do it. No way I'm getting into the scrum that is so often found in the ship laundromats.

 

However, I'd never get unlimited laundry. Too few of my things I'd send to the commercial laundromat on a ship, even for free. Maybe I'd change my tune on a longer cruise...:cool:

 

I don't really get the issue so many seem to have about coming home with a suitcase full of dirty clothes. I like my clothes and I'd rather take them home and wash them in my own washer and dryer where I can control the temperature, detergent, amount of time in the dryer, etc.

[Scrapnana]

 

The last thing I would want to do on vacation is laundry. HAL's unlimited laundry is the best thing ever.

 

My thoughts exactly! And now that I am 4-star I don't have to pay extra for it!:D

[Crew News]

I have not sailed on HAL for ten years so forgive my ignorance. Is unlimited laundry something you purchase at start of cruise as some sort of package? What is the cost? We are going on the Zuiderdam for a 10 day cruise in September. Thanks.

 

You can purchase before boarding or after boarding by completing a laundry list by checking the appropriate boxes. Unlimited laundry is $7/day purchased as a package. A single bag costs $20.

[Tricia724]

We use ships' laundry services often, and I have been happiest with HAL's. That is not to say it's perfect. I learned the hard way to be selective about the items I send to the laundry.

 

On one HAL cruise before we were 4* and were paying for laundry, I decided to include some underwear I would normally hand wash. Like many women, I save the "new" stuff to use on vacation, and I was dismayed to unwrap the beautifully wrapped package HAL returned to me only to find that my brand new, bright white garments were a dismal shade of gray. Seriously gray. In fact, no amount of special washing or bleaching ever made them anywhere near white again...ever. I mentally kicked myself in the backside for sending them to the laundry but didn't complain. To HAL's credit, I never did get charged anything for that bag.

 

Maybe this will explain why some of us don't mind spending an hour or so doing laundry on vacation. When you do it yourself, you can better control the outcome.

[bUU]

I'd prefer to proactively buy grey clothing than do laundry on vacation. :)

 

This message may have been drafted using voice recognition. Please forgive any typos.

[Cruising-along]

...only to find that my brand new, bright white garments were a dismal shade of gray. Seriously gray. In fact, no amount of special washing or bleaching ever made them anywhere near white again...ever. I mentally kicked myself in the backside for sending them to the laundry but didn't complain. To HAL's credit, I never did get charged anything for that bag.

...

 

LOL after many cruises this happened to me for the first time on our last cruise. "dismal shade of gray" describes it perfectly. At least mine wasn't brand new so I just laughed it off. Being 4-star I wasn't charged anyway, but they (and I) never said anything about it.

[sail7seas]

Those bags are very common. I've used mine for about 15 years for laundry at home but not on the ships.

Bed Bath and Beyond sells them in their stores and I would guess on line, T hey are called laundry wash bags. One is s wishing in my washer right now :)

Edited May 16, 2018 by sail7seas

[OlsSalt]

Bed Bath and Beyond sells them in their stores and I would guess on line, T hey are called laundry wash bags. One is s wishing in my washer right n :)

 

Good idea to try out the mesh laundry bags at home to make sure they have secure zippers and even better if the zipper pull fits into a protective flap - like the ones I got at a Japanese brand "dollar store" in Singapore. The best. I also use them for general packing to keep smaller like items together - scarves, socks, etc. Keeps drawers tidier too when I unpack them in the cabin.

[Robin7]

We had a question about laundry while on our recent Volendam cruise (Trans-Pacific). We each managed to make five pairs of pants last for the 19 days, but we discussed sending them out. But one time I sent pants out to the laundry, they came back with a middle crease on the legs. For future cruises, is there a "best practice" for not getting those creases? They lasted FOREVER. When we donated the pants last year, they STILL had the crease marks in them.

 

~Robin

[sail7seas]

I used to wash my dainties and hang them to dry but then decided that I didn’t want my young room stewards accosted by the sight of my undies hanging in the bath. I know, it’s something they see every day but not in my cabin any more! There’s nothing wrong with hanging up your panties and over the shoulder boulder holders ... It’s just something I gave up a few years ago.

 

 

I wash and hang them after we return to our cabin for the night. They are dry by morning (I roll in a towel to remove excess water, before I ha ng them ) They are folded and put away before we leave the cabin in the morning. well, maybe a few times they may not have yet dried. :) :eek: Many of those young men are married with families at home. :)

[sail7seas]

We had a question about laundry while on our recent Volendam cruise (Trans-Pacific). We each managed to make five pairs of pants last for the 19 days, but we discussed sending them out. But one time I sent pants out to the laundry, they came back with a middle crease on the legs. For future cruises, is there a "best practice" for not getting those creases? They lasted FOREVER. When we donated the pants last year, they STILL had the crease marks in them.

 

~Robin

 

 

 

When you send out pants, put a note ont ghe laundry slip do NOT IRON A FRONT CREASE ON THE pants. They will come back nicely pressed and no front of the leg crease. If you don't tell them what you want, how do they know? I earned how to handle about the crease from my dry cleaner at home.

 

Whenever I brought in dh's or my trousers, they always ask,,,,,,,,,,, "crease' or no crease? :)

 

On some of dh's pants, he wanted the crease, and some not.

[FloridaTourist]

We always send out the laundry with specific instructions. “Cold wash”. “Dry on very low”. Have only had one issue when they lost a new pair of pants. Credit was applied to my account for the value I stated no questions asked. Great service!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Robin7]

When you send out pants, put a note ont ghe laundry slip do NOT IRON A FRONT CREASE ON THE pants. They will come back nicely pressed and no front of the leg crease. If you don't tell them what you want, how do they know? I earned how to handle about the crease from my dry cleaner at home.

 

Whenever I brought in dh's or my trousers, they always ask,,,,,,,,,,, "crease' or no crease? :)

 

On some of dh's pants, he wanted the crease, and some not.

 

I did write that on the invoice the last time we sent pants out on HAL, but they still ironed in the creases. So we erred on the side of caution this time, especially since two of DH's pants were new, and didn't send them to the laundry.

 

We have never sent our pants to the cleaners here at home, and his suits are all creased (thank goodness).

 

All of the laundry they did do for us was beautifully pressed and folded and perfect. Best $20 we spent on the ship!

 

~Robin

[sail7seas]

I did write that on the invoice the last time we sent pants out on HAL, but they still ironed in the creases. So we erred on the side of caution this time, especially since two of DH's pants were new, and didn't send them to the laundry.

 

We have never sent our pants to the cleaners here at home, and his suits are all creased (thank goodness).

 

All of the laundry they did do for us was beautifully pressed and folded and perfect. Best $20 we spent on the ship!

 

 

 

 

 

~Robin

 

 

Sorry for the creases.:loudcry:

 

 

Other than that, how was your cruise ?

[Robin7]

Sorry for the creases.:loudcry:

 

 

Other than that, how was your cruise ?

 

It was great! I am working on a review. We started in Japan and ended in Vancouver. Kushiro, Japan, wins for favorite cruise port ever. We hadn't been on HAL since 2010 so it was nice to be back.

~Robin

[sail7seas]

May I ask what is so special about Kushiro from a tourist's perspective?

 

Welcome b ack

[Lady Chew]

All of Mr Chew's items go to the ship laundry. So far (and I'm knocking on my wooden desk chair right now) we've never had an issue. I have no problem sending my undies to the laundry, or my socks or casual tees, shorts, jeans, workout clothes, etc. More delicate items, nice tops, bras, etc, get hand washed using the body wash or shampoo supplied by the ship and hung to dry. If there is a passenger self-serve laundry, I'll wash those items in the most delicate cycle and bring them back to the cabin and hang to dry. I should mention that we take long cruises, so being able to have laundry done on the ship, one way or the other, is a must. And we are 4-star so we have unlimited laundry ...

[sail7seas]

I am five star and in a Neptune, so I never pay extra for washing, pressing or dry cleaning.''

[Robin7]

May I ask what is so special about Kushiro from a tourist's perspective?

 

Welcome b ack

 

Thank you!

 

Cruise ships don't stop there very often--just when repositioning, I guess. We took a HAL excursion called "Japanese Cultural Experience" which they added at the last minute. We visited a Shinto Shrine and a Buddhist Temple. They dressed us in traditional kimonos. And they had a whole classroom prepared where we were taught how to paint a Kanjii. We also went to a tea ceremony.

 

There were about 12-15 of us on the tour, and the operator assigned us helpers. Whenever I had a question, there was a girl at my elbow to help/explain. (And she was adorable and her English was perfect.)

 

Kushiro is a working port, not a tourist port. But there were things to see within walking distance if you were so inclined.

 

Besides the wonderful excursion, the reason it topped our list for favorite port was the people. A hundred or so showed up at the pier to see us off, including an adorable duo called, "The Kushiro Boys." They had a platform, guitars, mics, plus a sound system and gave a concert. They had written a song just for the ship. It was called something like, "See You Later." Those poor boys! They ended up singing it about six times in a row when the Volendam was delayed leaving due to four missing passengers. But all of the passengers on their balconies and those of us lining the Lower Promenade kept applauding and cheering and whistling so their mother/manager kept having them play it again. :')

 

 

People brought their dogs and their children. They would all wave, and everyone standing outside would wave back. They were just so friendly and seemed excited to have the ship there. It was nice to be welcomed.

 

~Robin

[sail7seas]

Thanks for your wonderful response. Very interesting.