Self serve laundry on Princess

[elliair]

What if you don't have a cell phone?

 

You don't need a cell phone, do you have a watch? Don't leave your clothes in the washer if they're done. Someone who needs the washer will probably remove them, and if the dryers are all in use it will take you longer to do your laundry. Even though we have free laundry, we do our own laundry.

[Funkat]

When you go to do laundry, take your cell phone with you. Set the timer on the phone to let you know when you need to be back to remover your clothes from the machine as soon as it stops. No one wants to wait to use a machine that has finished but not been emptied because the owner is too inconsiderate of others to be there when it finishes.

 

So, I'm assuming there's no rule that you have to stay with your clothes? That would be great news. I have no problem keeping track of the time to be back when my load finishes, but I hate to sit and wait. I plan to pack lighter and wash a couple of times on our Sept cruise. Although we'll be gone 19 days (14 days cruising & another 5 days pre-cruise), I have a goal to pack less & less each trip. Somehow I know that I'll never get down to only a carry-on like some, but I'm striving to leave the ranks of the "overpackers".

[caribill]

So, I'm assuming there's no rule that you have to stay with your clothes?

 

Correct.

[neverbeenhere]

We always bring a washboard and deer tallow soap, but we are kind of old fashion.

[neverbeenhere]

For some reason the dogs in port always follow us on excursions.

[Cuizer2]

You don't need a cell phone, do you have a watch? Don't leave your clothes in the washer if they're done. Someone who needs the washer will probably remove them, and if the dryers are all in use it will take you longer to do your laundry. Even though we have free laundry, we do our own laundry.

 

I attempted to do laundry on a ship once. I walked into the laundry room and there were three people waiting to use the machines. I went back to my cabin and sent the laundry to the ship to do. I am not going to spend two hours doing laundry just to save $30. My vacation time is worth more than that. So you are not going to find me tying up a washing machine or dryer on any ship (some of the ships I sail on don't have self service laundry).

 

As to a watch, what good would that do? I don't know how long the washing machine cycle is.

[Cuizer2]

For some reason the dogs in port always follow us on excursions.

 

The last two excursions I was on, the dogs were pulling us.

[WAMarathoner]

When you go to do laundry, take your cell phone with you. Set the timer on the phone to let you know when you need to be back to remover your clothes from the machine as soon as it stops. No one wants to wait to use a machine that has finished but not been emptied because the owner is too inconsiderate of others to be there when it finishes.

^^ This ^^

 

Had a lady get nasty last time as I waited 15+ minutes after her dryer stopped and she was a no-show. I removed the clothes and placed them neatly on a table. She was livid that someone would touch her stuff, yet she did not consider that she was wasting other people's time.

[Tara Jane]

Yes laundry hogs can be as bad a chair hogs

[gatour]

I employ "dorm laundry room etiquite". I will wait a couple of minutes. If no one shows up I remove the clothes and leave them in a neat pile. I am also a guy that does the laundry. My wife likes to do some of the organized activities on board ship, while i normally like to read while having a drink. So start the laundry, go get drink and relax and the return when the load is almost done. Sometimes when I have ran late, I would find my clothes out of the washer/dryer. I had no problem with this.

 

When you go to do laundry, take your cell phone with you. Set the timer on the phone to let you know when you need to be back to remover your clothes from the machine as soon as it stops. No one wants to wait to use a machine that has finished but not been emptied because the owner is too inconsiderate of others to be there when it finishes.

[tip]

... I am not going to spend two hours doing laundry just to save $30. My vacation time is worth more than that...

 

I don't see it as really taking up valuable vacation time. I am an early riser. Me darling wife likes to sleep in so every day I vacate the cabin early one way or another. On sea days I put in a load or two of laundry into the wash as soon as the laundry room is open and then head down to the International Café for a coffee and a muffin. When I return the wash is almost complete. I then transfer it to the dryer and read a book or watch CNN in the laundry room. As far as I am concerned, it is time well-spent. I then use the $60 or more that I have saved from sending out small bags of socks and underwear to buy a specialty dinner for me darling wife and me. The time spent with her at dinner is certainly valuable!:D

[Cuizer2]

I don't see it as really taking up valuable vacation time. I am an early riser. Me darling wife likes to sleep in so every day I vacate the cabin early one way or another. On sea days I put in a load or two of laundry into the wash as soon as the laundry room is open and then head down to the International Café for a coffee and a muffin. When I return the wash is almost complete. I then transfer it to the dryer and read a book or watch CNN in the laundry room. As far as I am concerned, it is time well-spent. I then use the $60 or more that I have saved from sending out small bags of socks and underwear to buy a specialty dinner for me darling wife and me. The time spent with her at dinner is certainly valuable!:D

 

I do ten night cruises w/o doing any laundry and do eleven night to fourteen night cruises doing $30 worth of laundry (except for the last cruise, which was twelve nights and left from my home port - no flying and no laundry). If I do a round the world cruise I'll have the maid do the laundry. I don't currently have a maid, but if I am on a round the world cruise then obviously I'll will have it made, so I'll have a maid to do my laundry.

[2BSailin]

There is a cold water setting, but no tap water on the ship is ever truly cold. It's tepid at best and sometimes lukewarm.

 

Thank you, Plant!

[elliair]

^^ This ^^

 

Had a lady get nasty last time as I waited 15+ minutes after her dryer stopped and she was a no-show. I removed the clothes and placed them neatly on a table. She was livid that someone would touch her stuff, yet she did not consider that she was wasting other people's time.

 

I had a woman mad at DH and me because we refused to turn the channel on the TV. We were there first and was watching a program that she didn't like. We didn't budge and she left.:halo:

[BritinSoCal]

On the basis that we're a strong believers in the "if it doesn't fit into carry-on" it doesn't come on vacation with us, spending a few dollars in self-service laundry and finding something to do while it washes and then spins isn't a huge chore... Same goes for staying at an apartment hotel over a master bedroom and suite. Plus that $30 buck (not to mention any baggage fees saved) can be spent on something far more pleasant...

[caribill]

What can $30 buy if you send it out for Princess to do?

 

Using a two year old price list, $30.75 will cover:

4 pair socks

4 pair underwear

2 shirts/blouses

2 Tee-shirts

1 pair of pants

1 pair of shorts

[Funkat]

We had a suite on the Sun a couple of months ago. We would have spent over $400 for the 2 of us on laundry if we had paid for the laundry we sent out (and that doesn't include underwear, as I hand washed it). They charged it to our account and then credited it back as a "suite perk" so that amount is not a guess.

 

We are sailing again in September on the Royal Princess for 15 days in a Deluxe Balcony. So, YES, I will spend a couple of hours on a sea day dealing with doing laundry. I can think of many ways that I would prefer to spend that money. Besides the $$$$, doing the laundry myself will save the abuse from the Princess laundry on our clothes.

[Cuizer2]

If you really want to save on laundry, try one of the clothing optional cruises.

[moki'smommy]

^^ This ^^

 

Had a lady get nasty last time as I waited 15+ minutes after her dryer stopped and she was a no-show. I removed the clothes and placed them neatly on a table. She was livid that someone would touch her stuff, yet she did not consider that she was wasting other people's time.

Tough noogies. You are renting the washer and dryer for the length of the cycle. Your clothes have not taken up permanent residence there. If you aren't back within 5 minutes of your cycle ending, someone else has every right to "touch" your clothing and place it on a clean table. It is very easy to return in 30 minutes to check on your stuff. The only problem is that the Princess machines do not feature a timer that tells you exactly when your load will be done. I ballpark it at 30 minutes for wash and 45 for dry. That usually gets me back a few minutes before the machine stops.

 

As to what $30 will buy in sent out laundry--not much. We had a window suite on our last cruise and I sent out a bag. The amount charged and credited was $65...and I did a self service load of delicates as I'd heard horrible things that were not true in our case about the ship's laundry. All our stuff came back in decent shape without shrinkage.

[gatour]

I agree, tough noogies. See my prior post that references dorm laundry room etiquate. After a few minute leeway, your clothes are deemed ready to be removed from machine and place on a clean table etc.

 

Tough noogies. You are renting the washer and dryer for the length of the cycle. Your clothes have not taken up permanent residence there. If you aren't back within 5 minutes of your cycle ending' date=' someone else has every right to "touch" your clothing and place it on a clean table. It is very easy to return in 30 minutes to check on your stuff. The only problem is that the Princess machines do not feature a timer that tells you exactly when your load will be done. I ballpark it at 30 minutes for wash and 45 for dry. That usually gets me back a few minutes before the machine stops.

 

As to what $30 will buy in sent out laundry--not much. We had a window suite on our last cruise and I sent out a bag. The amount charged and credited was $65...and I did a self service load of delicates as I'd heard horrible things that were not true in our case about the ship's laundry. All our stuff came back in decent shape without shrinkage.[/quote']

[MTNestr]

So, I'm assuming there's no rule that you have to stay with your clothes?.

 

I once saw the Princess Staff who services the laundry rooms and asked them what their policy was on this. They said that they do not require you to stay with your laundry but they also said if the laundry is done and the owner of the laundry is not there to just place the laundry on one of the shelves nearby. Then they proceeded to discuss how dirty some passengers leave the inside of the machines. We like to take laundry wipes and clean the inside of machine prior to using them. It only takes 10 seconds.

[Cuizer2]

Then they proceeded to discuss how dirty some passengers leave the inside of the machines. We like to take laundry wipes and clean the inside of machine prior to using them. It only takes 10 seconds.

 

These are machines that are supposed to clear things. They can't clean themselves?

[Tucker in Texas]

Sometimes it is not a bad idea to "babysit" your laundry. It has been known that machines have been "hijacked' if there is no one there or they don't want to wait until one becomes available.. A person will see you load the machine and leave and then take your things out and put their things in. I don't know what I would do if I was there doing my wash and saw it happen to someone else's laundry other than report it to the front desk.. I'd be a little afraid to confront them

[moki'smommy]

Sometimes it is not a bad idea to "babysit" your laundry. It has been known that machines have been "hijacked' if there is no one there or they don't want to wait until one becomes available.. A person will see you load the machine and leave and then take your things out and put their things in. I don't know what I would do if I was there doing my wash and saw it happen to someone else's laundry other than report it to the front desk.. I'd be a little afraid to confront them

The washers on the Caribbean Princess had a "lock" feature on them. You could not open the washer after you started the machine--thus, you needed to be sure that you didn't forget something before you started it. This is totally different than my machine at home where if I forget something in the first few minutes after starting it, I can lift the lid and toss in the item. This inability to open is a safety feature.

 

The dryer can be opened at any time, so yes, someone could hijack your dryer.

[Funkat]

I once saw the Princess Staff who services the laundry rooms and asked them what their policy was on this. They said that they do not require you to stay with your laundry but they also said if the laundry is done and the owner of the laundry is not there to just place the laundry on one of the shelves nearby. Then they proceeded to discuss how dirty some passengers leave the inside of the machines. We like to take laundry wipes and clean the inside of machine prior to using them. It only takes 10 seconds.

 

Thanks for the info. The wipes are a good idea. I'm not thrilled with using public laundry facilities.