Every cruise passenger has ideas of how to run a cruise line more efficiently and what crew members ought to do to ensure a better onboard experience. Guests rarely know all the behind-the-scenes details of ship operations, however, and not every suggestion guests may make is possible to fulfill.
This is the case with one traveler’s outrage and insistence at a recent situation aboard Carnival Valor, an incident that obviously infuriated them and caused them to reach out to the cruise line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald.
“I just wanted to ask why Carnival doesn’t have a worker stationed in the self service laundry rooms. They should be telling people that do laundry on a cruise ship to set a timer or something so their clean laundry doesn’t sit in the washing machine or dryer for hours on end,” the guest suggested.
The guest is obviously upset about the situation in the ship’s launderette, as they go on to exclaim “It is not fair! It is not right!” before further explaining.
“While doing laundry on Valor, there were people that put their laundry in the machines, and didn’t return for HOURS,” the guest continued. “This was the last sea day, I got so mad that I literally took the stuff out of the machines and put it on the floor! Where were the Carnival crew?”
It is true that there are no crew members routinely stationed in onboard self-service laundry rooms, a staffing suggestion that Heald confirmed will not be changed.
“Can I start by saying that I know very little about the rules that apply in a self service launderette,” he said. “Obviously we cannot have a staff member sitting in the laundry watching what happens.”
Most individuals who regularly use self-service, unattended laundry rooms understand the unwritten rule that if their clothing is left unattended for a long period, it may be moved out of a machine – either washer or dryer – so another person can use it.
This can be a touchy action for some people, however, who may be reluctant to touch another traveler’s laundry and potentially risk an unpleasant altercation. Even if the laundry is clean, some people may also be a bit squeamish about touching some unknown “unmentionables.”
Other commenters did respond to the original poster, agreeing that signage urging quick removal of items would be helpful in the laundry rooms onboard Carnival cruise ships.
Other suggestions are that crew members could at least check for unattended items that would then be moved to guest services, or perhaps laundry timers could be integrated into the Carnival Hub app as reminders.
What most respondents disagree with, however, is the idea that the original poster put the clean laundry on the floor rather than on a nearby table or on top of a machine.
Most cruise ship self-serve laundry rooms are small facilities, and there may not be a table available for items to be placed on. Similarly, the washers and dryers are often stacked to save space, and therefore clean items could not be put on top of a nearby machine.
While the original poster did not clarify when they were sailing aboard Carnival Valor, the 110,438-gross-ton, Conquest class ship is currently homeported from New Orleans, offering 4- and 5-night Western Caribbean itineraries.
Does Everyone Do Laundry While Cruising?
Heald followed up on the laundry room dilemma by featuring it in a poll, asking if travelers can enjoy a longer cruise without needing a laundry day.
Of the more than 23,000 votes cast in less than an hour, 30% (roughly 7,030) agree that “I could easily pack for a seven or eight day cruise knowing I would not have to do any laundry at all.”
Just 5% of voters (approximately 1,170) note that “I could never do a seven day or an eight day cruise without doing some kind of laundry or sending laundry to be done on the ship.”
In more than 40 cruises, I have only done laundry one time onboard, and that was an emergency stain situation that couldn’t wait until after traveling home. Some passengers, however, do not like putting dirty laundry back in their luggage or they prefer to pack less and wash clothes to rewear during longer cruises.
Read Also: Cruise Ship Laundry – What You Need to Know
To be clear, not all cruise ships have self-serve laundry facilities, and therefore doing one’s own laundry onboard may not always be an option. The Excel class vessels, including Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee, don’t currently have self-serve laundry rooms.
Guests can always, however, send out their laundry for the ship’s crew to wash, albeit for an additional charge. Both wash-and-fold services as well as more delicate dry cleaning services are available.
On Carnival ships, guests who have reached the Platinum or Diamond level in the VIFP loyalty program also have some complimentary wash-and-fold services as part of their perks, which many travelers appreciate.
Source: Cruisehive.com
