Top Tips for Doing Laundry on a Cruise Ship

In this post I’ll run through my top tips for doing laundry while sailing the high seas. One of the last things you’ll actively choose to do on your cruise is laundry, but unfortunately, sometimes it’s an essential task – especially if you’re travelling with kids. Many cruise ships offer laundry facilities and laundry services. In the worst cases might even be to tackle an emergency stain disaster.

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There are various reasons you might need to do laundry on your cruise holiday – you might like to return home with a case full of clean clothes, keep your clothes fresh on an extended voyage, or you might have decided to pack light as space may be at a premium in your cabin.

Read on for my top tips and bookmark this article for future reference.

Check out your cruise line’s laundry options

If laundry service is important to you, before packing and heading on board, it’s always useful to check what laundry services are available on your cruise ship. Laundry facilities and services do vary by cruise line – and even sometime by ship, so it’s best to check out what’s available in advance. Your cruise lines website may have this information – or you can check this post for the most up to date Cruise Ship Laundry Services

🧺 Laundry Prices for Cunard
🧺 Laundry Prices for Holland America Line 
🧺 Laundry Prices for Virgin Voyages 
🧺 Laundry Prices for P&O Cruises (coming soon)
🧺 Laundry Prices for Ambassador Cruise Line (coming soon)
🧺 Laundry Prices for Celebrity Cruises (coming soon)
🧺 Laundry Prices for Princess Cruises (coming soon)
🧺 Laundry Prices for Fred.Olsen Cruises (coming soon)
🧺 Laundry Prices for MSC Cruises (coming soon)
🧺 Laundry Prices for Royal Caribbean (coming soon)

What laundry facilities and services are available on a cruise ship?

Cruise lines will usually offer one or a combination of the following laundry services on board:

• Self-service laundry rooms: There may be several laundry rooms dotted around the accommodation decks of your ship. with washing machines, dryers, ironing boards, and detergent dispensers. They can be token operated, or you can pay with your cruise card – or even better some ships and cruise lines offer this for free.
• Laundry services: In your cabin you will find a laundry bag with a price list. For a fee, you can have your laundry picked up, washed, ironed, and returned to your cabin – usually within 48 hours. Some cruise lines offer a premium service with a shorter turnaround. There are also pressing services available, if you just need a short or formal attire pressed ready for a gala evening.
• Laundry packages: Some cruise lines offer packages where, for a one-off fee, you can send in a bag of clothes for washing during the cruise, or even have unlimited laundry or unlimited pressing for your whole cruise. This is great if you are on a longer cruise and need to pack light. You might also get free laundry as one of the perks of your loyalty level or grade of cabin with a cruise line.

Pack some laundry essentials for your trip

Even if your ship has laundry services, it’s always good to pack some laundry few essentials just in case. Sometimes you might not have time to get to the laundry to get things washed on board in time. Doing laundry yourself can also save you some money.

Here are the essential laundry items I take on my cruises:

Laundry sheets: they don’t leak, they can be pack flat so don’t take up much weight or space in my case and come in a handy travel pack. Some cruise lines charge (a premium) for washing detergent or don’t sell it at all so it’s always best to take some with you just in case.

Stain remover pen: this is a great, quick and portable way to manage stains as they happen

Collapsible laundry bag: this is so useful for keeping my dirty clothes organised and it makes trips to the laundry so much easier. I usually sore it in the bottom of one of the wardrobes so it’s easy to chuck things in there once I’ve worn them or finished with them.

Travel hangers: These are really useful when I need extra space to hang washing to try in my cabin. Not all cabins have ‘normal’ coat hangers, so it can sometimes be difficult to hand larger items from the clothesline in the bathroom. These are great as they pack flat and take up minimal space and weight.

Crease release spray: Wrinkles happen. While some ships provide irons in self-service laundry rooms, or a pressing service, sometimes this isn’t always convenient. Travel irons and steamers are often banned on cruise lines for health and safety reasons. You could hang up the item in the bathroom and run a hot shower for a few minutes to help release the worst creases and wrinkles fall out, but this isn’t always good for the environment. So, it’s often a good idea to pack a bottle of crease release spray to handle any last-minute touch-ups.

Time your trip to the laundry

If your cruise ship has self-service laundry rooms, then timing is everything if you don’t want to waste too much of your precious holiday time doing laundry.

You’ll usually find the laundry rooms on board are always crowded on sea days and towards the middle of the trip when everyone’s supply of clean clothes starts to run low, or on the last days before disembarkation when everyone takes advantage of using the ships facilities (and energy) to get holiday laundry done before packing the suitcase for the journey home.

My top tips for how to avoid long waits in the laundry room: 

Visit at less popular times: Early morning or late evening is usually the best time to find machines available. Check the laundry room opening times as some laundry rooms close overnight as they are often adjacent to guest cabins.

Port Days: Consider doing laundry while many guests are off the ship during time ashore. Get a cabin near the laundry room: for ultimate convenience, a cabin near the laundry means you can quickly check when the next machines might be free. But this comes with the potential downside of a potentially noisy cabin.

Some laundry rooms are more popular than others: it is worth checking out on the deck plan where the laundry rooms are on ship. Some laundry rooms might serve only a few cabins on a deck. So while it might be a bit more of a trek, you might find there’s less of a queue for machines in laundry rooms a little more out of the way.

Set a timer: If you don’t want to wait in the laundry room for your washing to finish, then use a timer or set and alarm on your phone so you don’t forget about your clothes and run the risk of being a machine-hog by leaving your laundry in the washer or dryer for too long.

Take advantage of laundry packages

Some cruise lines offer special promotions for laundry services during the voyage. For example, Holland America Line offer an unlimited package for your cruise which often works out much cheaper.

These might include discounted rates for laundry packages on longer cruises or “fill-a-bag” promotions where you pay a flat rate to fill a laundry bag, no matter how much is in it. You may also want to check whether your cabin grade or loyalty status gives you any free laundry services on board.

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Hand-wash delicate or smaller items in your cabin

For small or delicate items like underwear, swimsuits, or quick-dry clothing, handwashing in your cabin might be the easiest option. Many cruise cabins have washing lines in the shower/over the bath specifically for drying clothes.

I always take the Scrubba on board with me – again this packs flat and take up almost no space and weight in my case. When combined with the travel sheets this is great combo for doing a quick wash in the cabin with minimal effort.

Don’t Overpack

One of the easiest ways to minimize laundry stress is to pack smarter. Yes, I know this is easier said than done. By adopting a ‘capsule wardrobe’ type approach, and by choosing versatile items that can be mixed and matched together easily you can re-wear certain outfits.

You can then and refresh some items throughout your cruise when needed so you can pack lighter and not have a huge laundry pile on your last day or when you get home. Think about opting for clothes in wrinkle-resistant fabrics too. This way your clothes will still look presentable, even after being packed tightly in your suitcase or after air-drying.

Final thoughts – doing laundry on a cruise ship

While laundry might not be the most fun or glam part of your cruise holiday, by planning ahead and using my tips, you can make this a stress-free way to manage your wardrobe throughout your cruise.

💡If you find this article useful – please bookmark 🔖 this page or share this post with someone you think might find it useful too. Follow me on Facebook and YouTube for more helpful advice and cruise tips. Bon Voyage!

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