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Charge for what used to be self service


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We are so disappointed with RC; We were just told that there is no washer/dryer/ironing self service.  You have to pay to have someone do what used to be a self service option.  We are going on back to back cruises, and we are going to have clothes that need to be ironed and cleaned.  What a rip-off all in the name of taking more money out of my pocket and into RC hands.  I had been a royal RC person, but I am now thinking of jumping lines.....

 

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11 minutes ago, Stan the Man 2 said:

We are so disappointed with RC; We were just told that there is no washer/dryer/ironing self service.  You have to pay to have someone do what used to be a self service option.  We are going on back to back cruises, and we are going to have clothes that need to be ironed and cleaned.  What a rip-off all in the name of taking more money out of my pocket and into RC hands.  I had been a royal RC person, but I am now thinking of jumping lines.....

 

You must be confused with your cruise lines, Royal has never had self service laundromats (at least not in the 20 years I have been using their ships)

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I feel like there are always ways around anything. On our 5 day cruise for the Nile river in Egypt we washed all our clothes and hung them on the balcony. Of course it was at least 105 degrees each day and most of our clothes were linen and light cotton. So this was easy. I also wouldn't necessarily say its a rip-off because RC hasn't had self serve laundry in years. I always check irons, laundry facilities, etc before I book.

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Really?! Aren't you on vacation? Stuff as much as the plastic laundry bag will hold for a flat rate price and it all comes back clean and folded for you. That's a deal in my book.  I'm not bring laundry detergent...sitting with my clothes....guarding then against walking away...etc.  Get the picture? It's a Win Win in my book! I love this service and use it every cruise. :79_smiley_cat:

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I worked for a long time at the ground level in hospitality and retail;  I’m now in management and these kind of complaints are so tiresome.  No one wants to hear you rant and rave about one thing (which is why I agree with Matt’s analysis of most short amateur reviews of anything online-they’re useless).  If you’re a loyal customer who has a valid point and if you bring it up in an email or in person on the cruise in a respectable way I’m 1000% sure management would find a way to comp you something, literally anything, some kind of credit, a drink or specialty dining coupon, a discount on the laundry service, anything to stop the complaining and try to send you away happy.

Cruise ships have huge commercial laundry facilities that they’re already paying to operate everyday that run at a scale much more efficiently than any set of personal household size machines on upper decks that obviously weren’t getting used enough to justify taking up space that could be used to sell cabins and/or compensate for the headache of people complaining that they weren’t on the right floor, complaints about other guests hogging the machines and leaving their laundry about, theft, messes, breakdown/repairs...and on and on.  Most hotels don’t have self laundry anymore for the same reasons.

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@Stan the Man 2 welcome to the message boards!

I think you might have your cruise lines mixed up.  We all would like to pick the best features that appeal to us from various cruise lines and have one cruise line offer them all but unfortunately it doesn't work that way.  

When I switched to Royal a few years back I accepted that Royal doesn't have self service laundry.  I've managed through it just fine including some 12, 13 and 16 night cruises.  As I've climbed higher in the Crown and Anchor Society loyalty program I've received discounted and even some free laundry services.  

Hopefully you can work past this difference and still enjoy your cruise.

Cheers!

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My favorite go-to for anything is...."its just a way for corporations to make money." It always makes me laugh because...duh the bottom line is to always be black. Cruises are often the most cost efficient way to vacation. A home that takes you places full of cheerful, mostly, neighbors. No one like dirty clothes, especially if it sours the awesome job your steward does multiple time to your room by funking it up. I plan a discretionary budget into my spending for vacations no matter what I choose. That way if I have to shell out $35 to clean my unmentionables I am not breaking the bank. It is a vacation so you shouldn't be doing what you regularly do..like laundry...boo.

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My opinion is this: I'm on vacation! I have absolutely no desire to do laundry!

That said, I knew that I needed to do a little during our 7-night sailing. I just put the clothes in a gallon bag with a little detergent, washed it in the shower, and hung it to dry in the stateroom. (Utilizing the clip hooks from the dollar store, on the magnetic walls.) Quick and easy and basically free.

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As many others have mentioned, if it's items I feel like I'll wear again, I do laundry in the stateroom.  Quick, easy and does a fairly decent job.  If it's things like workout clothes that I just can't get cleaned in the sink or a shirt that needs pressing I'll send it out.  Again, in the whole cost of a cruise a few dollars for laundry/dry cleaning is minor.  I agree OP must have cruise lines mixed up because I never recall seeing self-service facilities anywhere onboard.

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Before I started cruising with RC i did some Carnival cruises.  On one of the ships I used the  laundry room.  Standing there watching my clothes I said to myself " what in the hell am i doing?"  Here i am saving a few bucks doing my own laundry.  Like most people,  I dont like doing laundry at home.  So that ended that.  Take the padlock off your wallet and let the cruise ship do it.  YOUR ON VACATION!!

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3 hours ago, sabarwolf said:

My opinion is this: I'm on vacation! I have absolutely no desire to do laundry!

That said, I knew that I needed to do a little during our 7-night sailing. I just put the clothes in a gallon bag with a little detergent, washed it in the shower, and hung it to dry in the stateroom. (Utilizing the clip hooks from the dollar store, on the magnetic walls.) Quick and easy and basically free.

This ziplock trick is GENIUS. I am totally going to pack a few bags with detergent already in them. Thanks for the idea!

Also, I haven't used ship laundry services yet, but to me, it seems a nominal amount for the service you get. I do laundry EVERY day at home (I have 4 kids) - I don't want to do it on vacation! (which I totally do when we travel anywhere other than cruises - but that's not the point! If I could pay someone to do my laundry I would!)

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My wife and I are doing a back-to-back on the Symphony in late September/early October and will be gladly using the $35 laundry service to keep us looking great and feeling fresh. Considering we'll likely drop about $4 grand total for the two weeks, the $35 bucks for clean clothes is nothing while we celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. ?

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51 minutes ago, JimnKathy said:

My wife and I are doing a back-to-back on the Symphony in late September/early October and will be gladly using the $35 laundry service to keep us looking great and feeling fresh. Considering we'll likely drop about $4 grand total for the two weeks, the $35 bucks for clean clothes is nothing while we celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. ?

Congrats on your 20th! What a fun and romantic way to celebrate!

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I used to be too cheap to send anything to the laundry but now I stuff that bag as full as I can and send it off.  I usually wash out swimsuits and maybe panties in the sink but that is it.  I love that ziplock idea for washing these.  Unless we are doing b2b or a hotel stay after the cruise we don't even send the bag out. 

We don't go on condo vacations because I don't want to do all the work myself and don't find them much cheaper than cruises or all-inclusive vacations.  Vacation to me means no laundry, no dishes and no cooking.

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On 2/4/2020 at 9:03 PM, Hoski said:

We don't go on condo vacations because I don't want to do all the work myself and don't find them much cheaper than cruises or all-inclusive vacations.  Vacation to me means no laundry, no dishes and no cooking.

I totally agree...one experience with cruise life (expecially the big boats) and it's tough to go back to a week in a condo at the beach.

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