How to Do Laundry on a Cruise

Doing laundry while you're enjoying a cruise vacation may not sound like a fun activity. After all, you're there to relax. But, if the ship you're sailing on does have self-service laundry rooms, then there's an advantage to doing your laundry--you can pack less luggage. And, you won't have to bring home a suitcase full of smelly, dirty clothing.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Pack a lightweight, mesh bag to put your dirty clothes in to transport them from your cabin to the ship's laundry room.

2. Don't worry about packing rolls of quarters in your luggage because you can get plenty of change on board the ship. Typically, washing machines on a cruise ship cost $1.00 a load, while the clothes dryers are $1.50 per hour.

3. Soap and the other items you need to do your laundry can also be purchased on the cruise ship.

4. To make sure you can find an empty washer and dryer to use, plan to do your laundry very early in the morning or late in the evening. Or, wait for a day when the cruise ship is in port.

5. Make sure that you retrieve all your clean clothing out of the washer and the dryer before you leave the laundry room. You don't want your laundry to end up in the Lost and Found.

Tips & Warnings

• If the laundry room on your floor is in use, then try going up to the next highest deck.
• Since the washers and dryers are timed, you can take a walk or find a short activity to do while you're waiting on your laundry. Just remember to keep an eye on the time!
• You can pay the ship's laundry staff to wash and dry your dirty clothes, but the prices can be pretty hefty. If you need dry cleaning services, those are available on most ships, but the costs can be high.
• Instead of paying for dry cleaning services, take along a dry cleaning kit, for which you only need a clothes dryer.