Details please, Free Elite laundry

[TAMU Dad]

Next week will be my first Elite status free laundry privileges.  How does it work out, as have not used Princess laundry since 30 years ago long before self service machines?  Then we put our cabin # somewhere on each piece, how do they do it today and tips on making the experience positive?  Can you even select cold or hot water washes, are shirts returned on hangers, wash/dry your laundry separately from anybody else, etc?

[RDC1]

1 minute ago, TAMU Dad said:

Next week will be my first Elite status free laundry privileges.  How does it work out, as have not used Princess laundry since 30 years ago long before self service machines?  Then we put our cabin # somewhere on each piece, how do they do it today and tips on making the experience positive?  Can you even select cold or hot water washes, are shirts returned on hangers, wash/dry your laundry separately from anybody else, etc?

You put your laundry in the paper bag provided in your cabin.  Fill out the supplied form.  Leave the bag and form for the room steward.  Shirts and pants are provided on hangers, rest folded in bag.

 

Assume hot water, no selection for temperature.  

[Colo Cruiser]

As stated just fill the bag and mark the items you are sending on the laundry form.

It will be charged to your account then credited back.

Little tags are placed on your clothing by the laundry.

They manage to keep it separate. Just keep track of what you send and what you get back.

 

We stopped using it.

Because of the massive amount of passengers with this perk along with suites and paying passangers the laundry is overwhelmed.

Turnaround times on our last 8 plus cruises has been 72 hours plus.

Use caution.....

We have sustained damaged items due to the high heat used.

No way to select temps.

IMO and FWIW........I would warn to not send out anything expensive.

[voljeep]

5 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

As stated just fill the bag and mark the items you are sending on the laundry form.

It will be charged to your account then credited back.

Little tags are placed on your clothing by the laundry.

They manage to keep it separate. Just keep track of what you send and what you get back.

 

We stopped using it.

Because of the massive amount of passengers with this perk along with suites and paying passangers the laundry is overwhelmed.

Turnaround times on our last 8 plus cruises has been 72 hours plus.

Use caution.....

We have sustained damaged items due to the high heat used.

No way to select temps.

IMO and FWIW........I would warn to not send out anything expensive.

is there any priority order such as suites, elites, then other paying ? - it will be our first time available also, but if same day / next day is available ...

 

will laundry even be available on a 4 day? - not to be expecting to use it ... but ...

[suekel]

Suites get it back sooner.  On my last cruise, we put it out for our steward when we went to dinner and had it back the next afternoon.  Before that, it took a couple days being elite.  There is an option to pay for it faster but I don't know how much it is.  I only use it on cruises 10 days or longer.  

[Geoffa30]

We had our first Elite cruise on the Majestic this past couple of weeks. Having already been in Australia for nine days when we boarded, we had some shirts, trousers and shorts to be washed. Sent them out as soon as we got on the ship and got them back the next day. There were 400 or so Elite passengers onboard. That’s the good bit. The shirts came back very badly  ‘ironed’ in that they had wrinkles all over, the chinos had been ‘pressed’ with creases down the front (not how we would do them ourselves - I hadn’t realised washing would be ironed), one pair had shrunk in length and the colour of a pair of shorts had faded a lot. Needless to say, I’m not sure we’ll be using the laundry again.

[memoak]

Just don't send out anything delicate

[partybarbie]

Laundry can be hit or miss.  I send out DH's underwear, socks, jeans, t-shirts.  They usually come back pretty good.  Sometimes I write on the bag "cold wash, dry low".  I wouldn't send out anything expensive, that I couldn't easily replace.  We've had socks come back so badly shrunken that they were no longer wearable. 

 

[skynight]

Turn around depends on how many Elite passengers are on board. Last cruise we received laundry back sometimes in 3 days, most times 2 days, a few times 1 day. We were on board for 37 days. It's a great benefit.

[JF - retired RRT]

1 hour ago, voljeep said:

is there any priority order such as suites, elites, then other paying ? - it will be our first time available also, but if same day / next day is available ...

 

will laundry even be available on a 4 day? - not to be expecting to use it ... but ...

How many clothes would you pack for a 4 day cruise?

IMHO - I don't think using the laundry would be worthwhile for that cruise.

[voljeep]

4 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said:

How many clothes would you pack for a 4 day cruise?

enough for 6 days - same as for a 7, 10, 14 etc ... our 'warm weather cruise clothes' ... and no flying involved

on this cruise

 

hey, if it's 'free' - why not take home clean clothes? ... except for all the problems posters mentioned above ...

Edited March 27, 2019 by voljeep
'free'

[Colo Cruiser]

1 hour ago, voljeep said:

is there any priority order such as suites, elites, then other paying ? - it will be our first time available also, but if same day / next day is available ...

 

will laundry even be available on a 4 day? - not to be expecting to use it ... but ...

There is supposed to be for suites.

However we have been unable to get better than the 72 hour turnaround time on the last several cruises in suites.

 

Mid cruise one time we were told we would need to book the next cruise to get our laundry back.  🙄

[antsp]

Laundry takes forever on Transatlantics, on our recent Caribbean cruise we had it back next day if it went out in the morning. Out AM day 1 back PM day 2. 

[Elevatorman]

2 hours ago, TAMU Dad said:

Next week will be my first Elite status free laundry privileges.  How does it work out, as have not used Princess laundry since 30 years ago long before self service machines?  Then we put our cabin # somewhere on each piece, how do they do it today and tips on making the experience positive?  Can you even select cold or hot water washes, are shirts returned on hangers, wash/dry your laundry separately from anybody else, etc?

I always take a picture of the items, I just place them on the bed and so I have a record of what’s going to laundry

[exgman]

16 minutes ago, Elevatorman said:

I always take a picture of the items, I just place them on the bed and so I have a record of what’s going to laundry

 

That a great idea.

[Kartgv]

We had no problems our last 10 day cruise - sent a bag out on Day 5, got it back in 48 hours.    Underwear was neatly folded - no itchy tags this time!    Pants, shirts, and even cotton knit PJ's were pressed and on hangars!   I wouldn't send out anything very delicate or that might shrink, but we don't even own much of that type of clothing anymore, so no problem.   

[memoak]

47 minutes ago, antsp said:

Laundry takes forever on Transatlantics, on our recent Caribbean cruise we had it back next day if it went out in the morning. Out AM day 1 back PM day 2. 

That is due to the large number of elites on Trans Atlantic cruises - sometimes over 1,000

[sterling2]

Turnaround for laundry on the 49 day SA Cruise with 1000 elites was 5 days. You just plan for it.

[TAMU Dad]

Thanks all for the laundry details.   Do the ships have dry cleaning option and possibly included free with Elite status?

[Colo Cruiser]

1 hour ago, TAMU Dad said:

Thanks all for the laundry details.   Do the ships have dry cleaning option and possibly included free with Elite status?

There is no dry cleaning anymore. 

Done away with years ago due to environmental issues.

[skynight]

2 hours ago, TAMU Dad said:

Thanks all for the laundry details.   Do the ships have dry cleaning option and possibly included free with Elite status?

Dry cleaning with chemicals, no. They do have a waterless cleaning and it is included with the Elite benefit.

[Gimer]

FYI on our Majestic Princess Ultimate Ships Tour in the Laundry Room.  There are two kinds of 
Washing Machines on board.  The Tunnel Washers will do 150 kilos of soiled laundry and are automatically transferred to dryers, sheets and linens.  The second kind is called "Aqua Tex Ultra" Washing machine.  It uses a high temp water wash doing 450 pounds per load.  This system replaces the Old Solvent Dry Cleaning units.  Dry cleaning solvents can and are used in a small amounts for very heavy oily soiled items and are applied by hand only.  Items from these machines  are steamed/pressed to it's original size.  

[Adventures ahead]

43 minutes ago, skynight said:

Dry cleaning with chemicals, no. They do have a waterless cleaning and it is included with the Elite benefit.

We've used 'cleaning' instead of regular laundry washing and the clothes were ok when returned.

 

We used to use the self-serve laundry... will never take a red polo shirt again. Even when we set the wash on cold, the water on the ship was warm so the cotton shirt bled. Weird, because it wasn't a new shirt and had been washed at home before without incident.

 

Laundry was good for men's underwear, lol, but could go in as 'briefs' and come back as 'speedos'. Actually, DH's were ok.

Edited March 28, 2019 by Adventures ahead

[jsiegel]

Just to make sure the charges are credited back, I always make a note on the slip that I'm Elite.  Also, the numbers that are placed on the items so they can identify them as yours are ironed on.  It's been kind of a game to find where they placed the number, there are still some clothes I know still have the ironed tag but I can't find them.  Most times it's inside the collar on shirts and dresses. 

 

Jackie

[phabric]

I will be bringing linen pants.  I want them to be just pressed.

 

Will they just press and not wash?