Acquiring starch for shirt on board?

[Ditchcrawler]

Hi,

 

I'm personally a staunch shirt starcher when things start to get a little formal. For me it's a nice little ritual, up there with putting a nice finish on your shoes before stepping into them. 

 

Is spray starch something one needs to bring aboard themselves? Or, might one expect to find it in the laundry room or via one's room attendant?

Edited April 10 by Ditchcrawler

[TowandaUK]

I plan to take a spray starch that I use often. Would be concerned using a different one for the first time on a special garment. 

[Ditchcrawler]

41 minutes ago, TowandaUK said:

I plan to take a spray starch that I use often. Would be concerned using a different one for the first time on a special garment. 

To be honest, I'll make any starch work with a bit of testing on the bottom rear of the shirt. I'm picking the shirt/s up in Rome from a low cost place that just happens to fit me well off the peg.so I'm not precious about them.

 

Still, I suppose it just makes sense to bring something you consider essential.

[TheOldBear]

I bring two formal shirts - and use the ship's laundry service to clean and press when necessary. 

[Victoria2]

10 hours ago, Ditchcrawler said:

Hi,

 

I'm personally a staunch shirt starcher when things start to get a little formal. For me it's a nice little ritual, up there with putting a nice finish on your shoes before stepping into them. 

 

Is spray starch something one needs to bring aboard themselves? Or, might one expect to find it in the laundry room or via one's room attendant?

What's starch?😁

 

No, you definitely won't find that in passenger laundry. I'm with The Old Bear. Shirts go to ship's laundry, as do most things to be honest. Silks have to stay the course and get laundered once home.

[Solent Richard]

11 hours ago, Ditchcrawler said:

Hi,

 

I'm personally a staunch shirt starcher when things start to get a little formal. For me it's a nice little ritual, up there with putting a nice finish on your shoes before stepping into them. 

 

Is spray starch something one needs to bring aboard themselves? Or, might one expect to find it in the laundry room or via one's room attendant?

Good morning @Ditchcrawler Being ex Royal Navy I, like you,  too take a certain pride in my appearance and often on white and formal shirts use a spray starch: bringing my own.

 

I have never seen any starch spray for sale onboard any of Cunard's ships.

 

Frankly I'd never trust my better evening shirts to the ship's laundry. 

[Bell Boy]

12 hours ago, Ditchcrawler said:

Hi,

 

I'm personally a staunch shirt starcher when things start to get a little formal. For me it's a nice little ritual, up there with putting a nice finish on your shoes before stepping into them. 

 

Is spray starch something one needs to bring aboard themselves? Or, might one expect to find it in the laundry room or via one's room attendant?

It's the first thing that goes into my luggage - I never travelled Cunard without a tin of Spray Starch. It's interesting how some folk in the laundry room often make a favourable comment on my ironing skills.  

[david63]

Out of interest I wonder how many people would notice whether a shirt, when worn under a jacket and waistcoat, was starched or not.

 

Having worn starched shirts in my younger days there is no way I am going back and certainly not when I am on holiday.

Edited April 11 by david63

[exlondoner]

36 minutes ago, Bell Boy said:

It's the first thing that goes into my luggage - I never travelled Cunard without a tin of Spray Starch. It's interesting how some folk in the laundry room often make a favourable comment on my ironing skills.  

What is ironing? 😀

[Victoria2]

26 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

What is ironing? 😀

Dunno. Must be in the same category as starch! 🙂

 

My husband's formal shirts endure the ship's laundry and just get replaced regularly when needed. Keeps them fresh and keeps me happy on holiday.

Sorted. 👍

Edited April 11 by Victoria2

[Bell Boy]

40 minutes ago, david63 said:

Out of interest I wonder how many people would notice whether a shirt, when worn under a jacket and waistcoat, was starched or not.

 

Having worn starched shirts in my younger days there is no way I am going back and certainly not when I am on holiday.

Very important to those of us guys who have some sense of Sartorial Style, especially if the shirt has double cuffs & links, equally important too for the front of an Evening formal shirt worn with shirt dress studs (as apposed to buttons)  

 

Waistcoats ? didn't they go out with the Ark 😉  

[Pushpit]

45 minutes ago, david63 said:

Out of interest I wonder how many people would notice whether a shirt, when worn under a jacket and waistcoat, was starched or not.

 

Having worn starched shirts in my younger days there is no way I am going back and certainly not when I am on holiday.

I also take starch with me (I decant it into a small spray bottle).  I actually think it takes less time to iron with starch than without it. And if you keep using starch on a shirt it gets better over time, sharper and faster to do. Maybe there was a time when a quick starch spritz - and no ironing - would fool some in the chain of command, but I'm not recommending it.

[Victoria2]

3 minutes ago, Bell Boy said:

Very important to those of us guys who have some sense of Sartorial Style, especially if the shirt has double cuffs & links, equally important too for the front of an Evening formal shirt worn with shirt dress studs (as apposed to buttons)  

 

Waistcoats ? didn't they go out with the Ark 😉  

Now forgive me, but I don't make a habit of getting that close up and personal with chaps I don't know [or most chaps these days 🙃] in order to inspect their starched shirt fronts  and calibre of shirt studs. I do however, make sure my chap is gussied up and presentable and that includes studs on his pleated shirt front and the double cuffs have my favourite cuff links.

 

Those who wish to iron and starch on holiday, go ahead but this refusenik leaves it to 'staff' and will continue to do so too. 😃

 

Bottom line, pack your own, and don't forget to take it with you when you've finished as the starchers who forgot theirs might find a freebie.  🙂

[BigMac1953]

White shirts, formal shirts and polos all go to the laundry 3 or 4 at a time.

 

Occasionally trousers/chinos get sent as well but only if her indoors has spilt something on them.

 

The "smalls" get chucked into a wash machine on way to breakfast and get picked up on the way back.

 

No way she's going to wash and iron on holiday.

[Ditchcrawler]

15 hours ago, Solent Richard said:

Good morning @Ditchcrawler Being ex Royal Navy I, like you,  too take a certain pride in my appearance and often on white and formal shirts use a spray starch: bringing my own.

 

I have never seen any starch spray for sale onboard any of Cunard's ships.

 

Frankly I'd never trust my better evening shirts to the ship's laundry. 

Good Evening @Solent Richard 

Thank you very much. 

 

 

Edited April 11 by Ditchcrawler

[Solent Richard]

22 hours ago, david63 said:

Out of interest I wonder how many people would notice whether a shirt, when worn under a jacket and waistcoat, was starched or not.

 

Having worn starched shirts in my younger days there is no way I am going back and certainly not when I am on holiday.

 

21 hours ago, Bell Boy said:

Very important to those of us guys who have some sense of Sartorial Style, especially if the shirt has double cuffs & links, equally important too for the front of an Evening formal shirt worn with shirt dress studs (as apposed to buttons)  

 

Waistcoats ? didn't they go out with the Ark 😉  

 

@david63 My recollection over many Cunard and P&O sailings is that in the main not many chaps actually button up their jackets and, as @Bell Boy says, waistcoats went out with the Ark.

 

 

Still, it's good to have a debate and maybe soon we will be treated to some photographs of pristine laundered shirts arriving back from the Laundry.  Maybe even being enlightened on how much a dress shirt costs to be laundered. 😉😉

[TowandaUK]

I love a waistcoat. 

[david63]

48 minutes ago, Solent Richard said:

waistcoats went out with the Ark.

I beg to differ. A waistcoat should be worn at a black tie event if a cummerbund is not being worn.

[exlondoner]

There are very, very few areas in which I feel this applies, but in the context of formal night dress, it really does seem so much easier being a woman. 

[Victoria2]

57 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

There are very, very few areas in which I feel this applies, but in the context of formal night dress, it really does seem so much easier being a woman. 

I tend to agree although once the fact the realisation a Gala night on a cruise ship isn't the equivalent of a shoreside black tie ball whatever Cunard blurb might infer, a dinner suit with cummerbund/waistcoat or neither is easy to source/wear, as is the dark suit recommendation.

[Solent Richard]

6 hours ago, exlondoner said:

There are very, very few areas in which I feel this applies, but in the context of formal night dress, it really does seem so much easier being a woman. 

Oh I don't know @exlondoner , us chaps have many decisions to make, often in order to assist the spotlight to shine on our good ladies.

 

Single or double breasted, white or black? Heavy decisions....

 

********

 

Dare I go on  😁😄....