Laundry on a Long or Back-to-Back Cruise: What Royal Caribbean Offers and What It Does Not

Royal Caribbean ships have no self-service laundry rooms and no irons. Here is what the ship does offer, what it costs, and how to pack for two legs in a row.

You cannot wash your own clothes on a Royal Caribbean ship. The line says it does not provide self-service laundry rooms, for safety reasons. What it does offer is a laundry service the ship runs for you: washing, pressing and dry cleaning. On a seven night cruise you can pack around that. On two legs in a row, 14 nights or more, it is worth deciding before you pack.

What the ship offers

• Washing, pressing and dry cleaning by the ship, charged by the piece from a price list. Royal Caribbean links that list from its laundry page.
• A wash and fold bag. During the voyage the ship runs wash and fold specials. You fill the bag you are given with smaller clothing items and the ship washes and folds them. Royal Caribbean’s laundry page gives a fixed $34.99 per bag. Its Crown and Anchor Society benefit grid lists the same bag at $39.99 and takes money off for members: a one-time $5 off for Platinum and Emerald members, a one-time $10 off for Diamond, Diamond Plus and Pinnacle Club members, and one free bag for Diamond Plus and Pinnacle Club members, on sailings of 5 nights or more and only on the ship’s Wash and Fold day. The two Royal Caribbean pages do not agree on the full price, so ask your stateroom attendant what your bag costs. The laundry page says to ask your stateroom attendant, and that availability may vary.

What the ship does not offer

• No self-service laundry. There is no room with washers and dryers for guests to use. If you have read otherwise about a ship you sailed on years ago, go by the line’s own page today.
• No irons in the stateroom. The line calls irons a fire hazard. It also lists clothing irons and garment steamers as items you may not bring, so do not pack one. Our packing list covers the rest of what is taken at security.

Why it matters more on a back-to-back

On a single week you can pack seven days of clothes and not think about it. Over two legs the same suitcase has to cover 14 nights or more, and nobody can wash in the cabin. You have three honest choices. Each has a cost in room or in money.

1. Pack for the whole trip. Free, but it takes suitcase room and the closet is small.
2. Use the wash and fold bag. One bag is $34.99 or $39.99, depending on which Royal Caribbean page you read, and less for some Crown and Anchor members (see above). Smaller items go in, and the ship returns them washed and folded. We have not found a limit on how many bags you can ask for. Ask your stateroom attendant.
3. Use the ship’s laundry price list for the pieces you want pressed, which is the only way to get a crease out without an iron.

A sensible middle path for two legs is to pack for about a week and wash once at the turnaround. That is our suggestion, not Royal Caribbean’s. The line does not give a rule for it.

Small things that help

• Pack clothes that do not crease. You cannot iron, and a hot shower does not fix much.
• Keep swimwear and the things you wear every day in your carry-on, since your suitcase can reach your cabin after the ship sails. See Luggage and Sea Pass Between Back-to-Back Legs.
• Ask your cabin attendant when the laundry pickup is. We have no source that says how long the service takes, so do not leave it to the last day.

Plan for it

1. Decide how many days you will pack for. One week plus one wash is a common answer for two legs.
2. On the first sea day, ask your stateroom attendant how the wash and fold bag works on your ship and read the price list.
3. Use legtolegcruises.com to find the two legs, then decide how much to pack.

Sources

The legtolegcruises.com Logbook is independent editorial and is not affiliated with Royal Caribbean International or Club Royale. Offers, fares, and program rules vary and change often; confirm every detail with Royal Caribbean before you book.