14 Practical Cruise Laundry Tips to Save You Money

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Laundry probably isn’t something you think about when planning a cruise vacation. But if you’re going on a longer cruise or traveling with kids, there’s a good chance you’ll need to wash clothes at some point during your trip.

I’ve been on more than 25 cruises, and I’ve learned that cruise ship laundry can be surprisingly expensive if you don’t plan ahead.

Whenever we take a cruise longer than 10 days, I usually end up doing laundry at least once. And when I’m cruising with my kids, it’s often more than that.

On one 12-day Baltic cruise, I actually sent out three bags of laundry! By the third bag, I had figured out how to fit 51 pieces of clothing inside one cruise ship laundry bag.

Over the years, I’ve learned a few tricks for getting the most out of cruise laundry services, avoiding unnecessary charges, and making sure our clothes come back in good condition.

Here are 14 cruise laundry tips worth knowing before your next sailing.

1. Find Out if Your Cruise Ship Has a Self-Service Laundromat

Before packing for your cruise, check whether your ship has a self-service laundry room.

Some cruise lines, including Princess Cruises, have onboard laundromats where passengers can wash and dry their own clothes for a small fee.

Princess ships generally have self-service laundry facilities with washers, dryers, and ironing equipment.

Unfortunately, not every cruise line offers this convenience.

For example, Royal Caribbean does not have self-service laundromats on its ships.

Instead, passengers must use the ship’s laundry service or hand wash smaller items themselves.

If you’re cruising for two weeks or longer, having access to a laundromat can make a big difference.

You can pack fewer clothes, wash what you need, and avoid paying the higher prices of professional laundry service.

I recommend checking your specific ship’s amenities before deciding how much clothing to bring.

2. Understand How Cruise Ship Laundry Services Work

If your cruise ship doesn’t have a laundromat, you’ll probably need to use its laundry service.

Most major cruise lines offer professional laundry services where you send your dirty clothes out and have them returned clean.

There are usually two ways cruise ship laundry is priced.

The first is a per-item service. Each shirt, pair of pants, or other article of clothing has its own price.

This can add up quickly, especially when you’re doing laundry for an entire family.

The second option is a wash-and-fold laundry bag. Instead of paying for each item, you pay a flat fee to have a bag of clothes washed, dried, and folded.

I prefer the wash-and-fold option because it can be much more economical when you have a lot of clothes.

Just make sure you read the instructions carefully. Some cruise lines limit the number or types of items you can include, even when you’re paying a flat fee.

3. Look for Laundry Specials Before Paying Full Price

One mistake cruise passengers make is assuming the laundry prices listed in their cabin are the only prices available.

Some cruise lines offer special wash-and-fold promotions during the sailing.

For example, Royal Caribbean will sometimes have a fixed price wash-and-fold bag special.

These laundry promotions are usually advertised in the ship’s daily planner or on the cruise line’s app.

It’s also worth checking the cruise line’s website before boarding the ship.

Some cruise lines like MSC Cruise will give you a discount if you buy laundry packages before sailing.

It’s often a good deal because you are essentially getting an early bird discount.

Just remember that there is no guarantee that there will be a laundry sale.

If you know you’ll need clean clothes, don’t put off doing laundry while waiting for a discount that may never appear.

4. Check Your Cruise Loyalty Benefits for Free Laundry

This is one of the easiest ways to save money on cruise laundry, and it’s a benefit some passengers completely overlook.

Depending on your cruise line and loyalty status, you might qualify for complimentary laundry or a discounted laundry bag.

For example, Celebrity Cruises gives a complimentary wash-and-fold laundry bag to Elite Captain’s Club members, while Elite Plus members receive two complimentary bags.

Select members can receive a laundry discount.

Royal Caribbean also offers laundry discounts to eligible Crown & Anchor Society members, with complimentary wash-and-fold benefits at higher membership levels.

Princess Cruises offers complimentary laundry services to eligible Elite Captain’s Circle members.

Before paying for laundry, I always recommend reviewing your cruise loyalty benefits.

If you cruise regularly, those perks can really add up over time.

5. Don’t Assume Every Laundry Bag Is the Same Size

Here’s something that surprised me when I started using cruise laundry services: the bags can vary quite a bit in size.

I’ve found that Celebrity Cruises’ laundry bags are noticeably smaller than the ones on Princess Cruises.

That matters when you’re paying a flat fee per bag.

When we were on our Celebrity Cruise, we ended up having to pay for additional bags in order to wash our clothes.

We are a family of 4 so we go through a lot of laundry.

Don’t assume you’ll receive a large, standard-size laundry bag.

6. Learn How to Fit More Clothes Into One Laundry Bag

This is probably my favorite cruise laundry trick because I’ve gotten surprisingly good at it.

On one 12 day Celebrity cruise with my kids, I used the ship’s wash-and-fold service three times.

The first time, I managed to squeeze 31 items into the laundry bag.

The second time, I improved my packing technique and fit 42 items.

By the third laundry bag, I managed to pack an impressive 51 pieces of clothing!

Of course, many of those items were smaller pieces, including socks, underwear, and children’s clothing.

My trick is to fold everything neatly rather than just stuffing clothes randomly into the bag.

I also try to eliminate empty spaces by fitting smaller items between larger pieces of clothing.

If your cruise line charges a flat rate and doesn’t have a strict piece limit, maximizing the bag can help you get more value from the service.

Just don’t overfill it beyond the cruise line’s rules or force the bag to the point where it tears.

7. Don’t Send Delicate or Expensive Clothes to Wash and Fold

I would never send my favorite delicate clothing through a standard cruise ship wash-and-fold service.

That’s because you usually don’t have much control over how your clothes are washed or dried.

Items may be exposed to warm water, machine drying, or other laundering methods that aren’t appropriate for delicate fabrics.

This means clothes can potentially shrink, fade, or become damaged.

I stick to sturdy, everyday clothing when using the wash-and-fold service.

Think T-shirts, socks, underwear, pajamas, and casual clothes that can handle normal machine washing and drying.

I avoid sending anything labeled hand-wash only, dry-clean only, or line-dry only.

For expensive pieces or clothing that needs special care, it’s safest to get them dry cleaned.

I personally don’t bother sending them out to the ship’s dry cleaning.

I usually just bring these delicates home dirty rather than waste money money on dry cleaning and risk ruining them during vacation.

8. Be Careful About Mixing Colors

When I send laundry out on a cruise ship, I never assume the staff will separate dark clothes from light clothes.

I don’t know exactly how every ship handles its laundry, so I’d rather play it safe.

I only include clothing that I know can be safely washed together.

That means I avoid sending brand new dark jeans, brightly colored clothing that might bleed, or items that need a special wash cycle.

I also avoid mixing delicate white clothing with heavily soiled items.

If you’re unsure whether something is colorfast, I wouldn’t risk putting it into a mixed wash-and-fold bag.

It’s much easier to deal with one dirty shirt than an entire bag of clothes that has been accidentally discolored.

9. Count Your Clothes Before Sending Them Out

Some cruise lines ask passengers to complete a laundry form listing the number of items they’re sending.

For example, you might need to indicate that your bag contains five shirts, three pairs of shorts, and six pairs of socks.

I’ll admit that counting everything can be a bit tedious, especially when you’re doing laundry for a family of four.

But there’s a good reason for it.

The list provides a record of what you handed over and makes it easier to check whether everything has been returned.

Even when the cruise line doesn’t require an itemized list, I think it’s smart to keep a simple count.

When the clean laundry comes back, compare the returned items with what you sent.

You don’t want to discover that something is missing only after you’ve left the ship.

10. Take Photos of Clothes You Don’t Want to Lose

Here’s a precaution I wish more cruise passengers would take.

Before sending anything valuable to the ship’s laundry service, take a quick photo of it.

You don’t necessarily need to photograph every sock or T-shirt, but it can help to have a picture of a distinctive item.

Unfortunately, clothes can sometimes go missing.

My in-laws once used the laundry service on a Norwegian Cruise Line sailing, and quite a few of their underwear items never made it back.

It was frustrating, especially since small clothing items can be harder to identify.

If you have photos, it may be easier to explain to guest services exactly what you’re missing.

Personally, I never send anything irreplaceable to the ship’s laundry.

For example, there’s no way I would send my son’s favorite blanket out to be washed. I’d be too worried about it getting lost!

11. Know That Not Every Piece of Clothing May Be Tagged

Cruise ship laundry departments use identification systems to help return clothing to the correct passenger.

On some cruises, I’ve noticed small laundry tags attached to the items that come back.

However, not everything necessarily receives an individual tag.

Smaller items, such as socks and underwear seem to be handled differently.

That can make them harder to identify if something gets separated from the rest of your laundry.

I always check the contents of the laundry bag as soon as it comes back.

It’s worth taking a minute to make sure you received everything rather than assuming the order is complete.

If anything is missing, report it promptly while the laundry department still has an opportunity to investigate.

12. Allow Enough Time for Your Laundry to Come Back

Don’t wait until the last day of your cruise to send out dirty clothes.

Laundry turnaround times vary by cruise line and ship, and it may take a day or two for your clothes to be returned.

For example, Princess Cruises says its regular laundry service is returned within 48 hours, with an express option available.

Some ships offer faster service for an additional fee.

From my experience, I’ve never had same-day laundry service. The earliest turnaround time is next day but normally it’s 2-3 days.

I like to send out a bag of laundry around the middle of the cruise, when we’ve worn enough clothes to fill a bag but still have several days left onboard.

This also gives us plenty of time to deal with any missing items or delays.

If you’re getting close to disembarkation, confirm the expected return time before handing over your laundry bag.

The last thing you want is to be packing your suitcase while your clothes are still somewhere in the ship’s laundry department.

13. Don’t Confuse Wash and Fold With Wash and Press

Cruise ship laundry menus can be surprisingly confusing because there may be several different services available.

Wash and fold generally means your clothes are washed, dried, and returned folded.

Wash and press typically includes additional pressing or ironing, often at a higher price.

My mother-in-law learned this the hard way on a Celebrity cruise.

She thought she was ordering a regular wash-and-fold service but accidentally selected wash and press instead.

When her clothes came back, everything looked beautifully pressed and was returned on hangers, apart from smaller items like socks and underwear, which were neatly folded.

It was a nice surprise, but she ended up having to pay more for her wash and press laundry service.

If you’re just washing everyday vacation clothes, you probably don’t need to pay extra for pressing.

I recommend double-checking the laundry form before sending anything out.

You can also ask whether certain items can be returned on hangers, although special requests may not always be accommodated.

14. Bring Supplies to Wash Small Items in Your Cabin

Even when I use the ship’s laundry service, there are certain things I prefer to wash myself.

Bathing suits are a good example.

After a day at the pool or beach, I usually rinse them out in the cabin sink rather than sending them through the ship’s laundry.

The tricky part is finding somewhere to hang everything to dry.

Some cruise cabins like the ones on Norwegian Cruise and MSC Cruise have retractable clotheslines in the shower, which are convenient.

While others don’t have retractable clothesline in the shower stall.

I’ve stayed in Celebrity cabins where there were only two small hooks in the shower instead of a clothesline.

That’s barely enough room to hang a couple of bathing suits, especially when you’re traveling as a family.

That’s why I like packing a compact travel clothesline or portable clothespin.

I also recommend bringing small packets of travel laundry detergent so you’re not stuck trying to wash clothing with hand soap.

Two useful items to pack are:

Just be careful not to hang wet clothing over the balcony railing or anywhere prohibited by the cruise line.

Is It Worth Paying for Laundry on a Cruise?

For me, the answer depends on how long the cruise is and how many people I’m traveling with.

On a short 3 or 4 night cruise, I wouldn’t bother doing laundry unless something unexpected happened.

But on a 10 to 14 night cruise with my family, laundry service is a must.

Instead of packing enough clothing for every single day, I can bring fewer clothes and wash some of them halfway through the trip.

I especially like the flat rate wash-and-fold bags because they save me time.

I’d much rather spend my sea day relaxing than sitting in a laundry room waiting for the washing machine.

Still, I try to be smart about what I send out.

I use the ship’s laundry service for everyday clothes, hand-wash bathing suits and delicate items, and take advantage of loyalty benefits or laundry specials whenever possible.

With a little planning, you can keep your clothes clean throughout your cruise without spending a fortune or wasting precious vacation time doing laundry.