Laundry and Packing

StartMeUp

I'm traveling on the Tauck Cruising Down Under trip starting in January 2017. I'm concerned that with luggage restrictions I will not have sufficient room to keep me dressed on board the ship for 12+ days.
The documents state that some laundry is available on board but no dry cleaning.
Can anyone define limited laundry?
Can I have my washable clothing done on board?

Ken from Vegas

Here's what the cruise line says:

For optimal comfort, laundry service* is offered on each of our ships. You will find laundry pricing, bags and slips inside your cabin. During your entire cruise, your steward or stewardess will be available for laundry and ironing services**, which will be completed within 48 hours.

*Dry cleaning is not available

**These are paid-for services and will be directly charged to your cabin’s account

I would expect services comparable to a hotel (minus the dry cleaning) with the usual exorbitant prices.

British

As always, start with a lightweight suitcase to optimize amount and weight of clothing you can take. You should have time to do laundry before you board the ship, many people talk about a laundry near the hotel in Sydney. Suggest you look at old posts from the land tour of Australia for the location of the laundry, I've seen it mentioned quite a few times. We did not need to use it. It's going to be very hot in Australia, so you won't be wearing many clothes and what you do wear should not weigh much. I am sure you will be able to take ample clothing without having to wash more than some underwear. We rarely need to do laundry on our Tauck tours and our luggage has never been overweight.

Claudia Sails

Everything British said plus a few tips.

If you can't find a laundromat in the forum, use Google. Type in the hotel's address. Click on Nearby and "laundromat". It will show you any nearby and how to get there by foot, bus, car. It will also give you the website for the business (if there is one) so you can read about their services, hours, etc. I used this to find one in London next yr. Now I just have to figure out how to leave the Savoy with my dirty laundry without looking like the oakies from muskovee.

As I learned the hard way on our first Tauck trip, you may not need as many clothes as you think. Unless you are someone who gets their clothes too dirty to wear more than once, you can repeat outfits. No one cares if they see you wearing the same clothes multiple times. Especially dressier/evening clothes. Try to minimize shoe choices. They can take up a lot of space and weight. Usually 1-2 pairs of comfortable walking shoes/sandals for day wear and something to go with all evening outfits is enough.

You can also do some laundry in the bathroom sink. While Tauck always recommends cotton, we've found that having some of our clothes - namely tops and underwear - made from synthetic blends that wick, keep you cool, etc. are a better choice. They wash out easily, dry much faster and weigh less. I pack special dry detergent made for travel (try Travelsmith, Magellan, Amazon). I also bring a plastic hanger with clips. Most hotels and ships have a dry line in the shower so this is just for backup. When I have used a laundry service (on a river ship) I save it for cotton slacks.

There are lots of internet sites with packing guidance, capsule wardrobes, etc that you might find helpful.

Hope you have a great trip.

smarks50

StartMeUp: I am taking this trip also, but the reverse agenda (Westbound on January 29). I agree with Claudia Sails; people on Tauck tours are much more focused on enjoying their holiday than on what their fellow travelers are wearing. You can use the same outfits repeatedly (with a quick wash in the sink or with ship/hotel laundry) and no one will care. A pair of dress pants and dress shirt (man) or dress pants or skirt and a top or two that you can change with a scarf or some costume jewelry (woman) will be fine for any "dress up" events. I would not pack anything that needs dry cleaning. You can easily pack for this trip with a 25 or 28 inch light weight suitcase and be under the 50 pound limit that most airlines impose now. Another idea: through the year, put aside any clothing, shoes, underwear, etc. nearing the end of its life and wear that on the trip (no one will notice a small stain, etc.); discard after use and free up the weight and space in the suitcase for new items. Hope you have a great trip.

jdurkin

In addition to all the other "practical travel" tips ….. In all honesty, the perception of people who see you travelling, matters not a jot. To you. The fact that they say …. there goes another (American) tourist is immaterial. You won't hear them and you'll never see them again. The concept is very liberating for a confirmed traveller. For a tourist … it's quite immaterial. If you don't care about standing out … or trying to skim under the "identity" radar … what the heck. You're impervious.

I do draw the line at wearing clothes multiple* times. Having shared a bus (in New England) with someone who only brought a carry on size case for a 12 day tour … the only thing I can say is … it was not pleasant for the rest of us. No siree.

*Multiple is generally more than twice, but it all depends on the individual. We know who we are! (Except for this particular person, who will always stand, to a great (unpleasant, stinky) height, in my mind. The individual concerned, unfortunately for the rest of us, was not aware of their own … um … significant influence.) It was a pretty full bus. It was difficult for the TD and generally unpleasant for everyone else. So just a plea to think of the common good … if such a concept still exists in all quarters.

I can't believe I'm writing this! I am sure my comments are superfluous. Even redundant …. but just on the off chance … Rare as it is for me to stick my neck out…….

AlanS

jdurkin wrote:

I do draw the line at wearing clothes multiple* times. Having shared a bus (in New England) with someone who only brought a carry on size case for a 12 day tour … the only thing I can say is … it was not pleasant for the rest of us. No siree.

Someone should have anonymously left a spray bottle of Febreze in that person's room ;~)

All kidding aside, when in a pinch, a quick spritz of Febreze, selectively applied to key areas of clothing, will allow you to wear something, without offending anyone, at least "one more time." Febreze is available in small travel-size pump spray bottles. I won't say how I know this.

Of course if a person is 'olfactory impaired' or just oblivious, they may not know when it is time to resort to this technique.

Gigi417

Thanks for the tips….We are on the January 29 Westbound also. Getting pretty excited!

smarks50

Gigi417: I look forward to meeting you on the January 29 Westbound departure. I am retiring end of year and that trip (and the Spotlight on Australia trip immediately following) are a retirement present to myself. I am leaving from San Francisco; where do you come from?

Gigi417

We are flying from Phoenix on January 24….arriving in Aukland on the 26th