Cre8

We will be in Italy for 8 days before we board the ship. We will be sailing for 12 days. Just found out there are no washing machines on board this ship, but they do have laundry service. (expensive).
After reading all the posts on how to pack light, I really thought I had it licked.
I don't mind washing a few things by hand and drying them on the line in the shower, except DH jockeys. These will take more than a full day to dry. What do I do with all this stuff when we take a shower? What about jeans and Ts? (4.50 to clean a T shirt)?
I am definitely not too proud to take a plastic bag off the ship when we dock and put in a load of laundry in a public Laundromat. How can I find out where they are?
So much for packing light, now I have to take an iron. BUMMER!
I thought the idea of taking a vacation was not to do anything that remotely resembled work.
What do you all do with your "grungies" beside throwing them away?

Thanks for your help

sandi_travelnut

I find a laundromat.

cmt

Take things that don't take too long too dry (practice at home first, if necessary, to see which things dry pretty fast), wash them in the sink or shower, squeeze dry and then soak up the moisture in a towel, hang to dry wherever you can, and if there's a hair dryer, use it to finish off the drying when you need to wear or pack the item if it's still damp. When you take a shower, move the laundry elsewhere for a few minutes, even if it's just on a towel on top of your luggage. Jeans take too long to dry, so either don't take them, or take enough to have changes without washing them, or wear them only on the occasions when only jeans will do (e.g., bushwacking through thorny bushes and wear faster-drying items the other days.

g33kgrl

Well, you know the cities where the ship is going to dock, right? So look up locations of laundromats now, before you leave and take a printout! I was in Italy for two weeks with a friend and we found a laundromat close to our hotel in Florence that had an Internet kiosk in it, so we caught up on email while we cleaned our "grungies."

BTilke

If you can tell us where you will be in Italy near the end of your 8 days, someone will probably be able to point you to a laundromat.

StCirq

Where in Italy?

There are laundromats in Italy. You can find one and use it before you board.

And about the jeans - they take forever to dry, so I'd recommend you substitute something lighter.

Cre8

Hi, and thanks for the ideas.
MUST take the jeans. What else can you ride a Donkey in? Besides they're the only pants I don't feel fat in..
Last stop before the cruise is Venice. I'm sure I can find one there.
The 7th day at sea, and the 8th day is Naples, where we are on an 8 hour tour.
Day 9 we will be in Civitavecchia (ship docks) We are not going back into Rome.
Is there any place near there?
Thanks again.

Tango

You are on vacation. Splurge on the laudry service! We did when we went on a 14 day trip (7 cruising) of the Med and it just made life much easier. If you are worried about expense, only do the jeans, etc.

hdm

I agree with Tango and say splurge on the laundry service. Consider it a vacation luxury and cut back a little somewhere else if you have to.

But, that said, I know that Tilley Endurables (and probably other travelwear companies) make a line of quick-drying undies, etc., for exactly this reason. They may be a bit of a pricey investment at first but they can be the 'smalls' you bring out just for travelling. It's www.tilley.com, if you want to take a look.

Brahmama

Laundry service isn't *that* expensive on the ship. You can get by with washing out underclothes (that will dry overnight) and t-shirts that took 2 days - and sent out pants and shirts only.

My friend was staying over a week after a cruise and did find a laundromat - but there was a problem (grease/dirt?) and it stained her clothes a dingy gray.

We stayed 12 days after our cruise in May and had twelve days worth(!) of clothes laundered on the ship and left the rest in the other suitcases. Having a balcony in our rooms in Italy, we could also wash out things and hang others outside to freshen up.

Pack things that don't need an IRON!

If you are going to be somewhere 3 days, find the local lavenderia - where the locals go - and have them washed, pressed and folded. Sometimes the laundromats - like we use in the US - are used in Europe by locals only for large, bulky and maybe dirty things that they don't want to wash at home.

Good luck!!

Patrick

I'm with hdm on the Tilley's men's jockeys. They wash out in a sink, squeeze dry in a twisted towel, then dry in about an hour in normal room conditions. Not cheap, but a decent investment if you travel a fair amount (and they have an added advantage of not gettin "wet" when you wear them in hot weather).

Meanwhile,you didn't say where you'll be before boarding. How about hitting a laundromat there? Where is it?

I suspect anyone who says to splurge on using the laundry service has never been stuck with a $200 - $300 laundry bill for doing 12 pairs of men's socks at $3 a pair, and an equal number of underwear at $4 each, before even starting on the "expensive" stuff.

suze

There are websites or guidebooks that have listings for laundries in various cities.

I would not count on Venice being your best best though, since you will likely be in the tourist not residential areas. Not to say it isn't possible but there are better cities for this is my guess.

I would splurge on using the ship's laundry service for things like jeans (personally I would never travel with or try to wash by hand something so heavy, but you sound set on this, jeans could take days & days to dry). And wash out undies or lightweight t-shirts only in the sink.

Packing light is well and good but requires a few things that don't seem to fit what you plan to do (i.e., pack travel-knits in synthetic fabrics, don't take jeans, wear the same clothes several times, etc.)

Also I would *never* take an iron! If you pick your clothing pieces better, there should be no need for one.

suze

<I thought the idea of taking a vacation was not to do anything that remotely resembled work.>

I AGREE! so think a combination of finding a public laundry on the last day in Italy before you board the ship, washing out undies only, and using the ship-board service sparingly would solve your problem with little effort.

janis

There are also other good brands of fast drying mens (and womens) underwear. Any good travel/luggage shop should carry something. Or there are many on-line sources. That solves the underwear problem -- buying a couple sets will cost a fraction of the laundry bill on board.

As for the jeans thing. I know, I really do know, how you get a style of jeans that is just perfect. But they are not that practical in this case. They will take most of the cruise to dry . . . I'd bite the bullet and find a couple of pairs of some other type of pants -- There are many brands/styles that will easily dry overnight.

hdm

Hi Patrick,
Well, I supposed people have formed a truce over odder things than travel jockey shorts, but shall we shake electronic hands and start over again?

You are clearly a respected participant on these boards. If I've misread your postings or taken a tone that was not intended, I apologize.

Patrick

Hey, I do not hold a grudge. You are not the first person to misunderstand a post of mine, nor I'm sure will you be the last. No problem -- we move forward.

So the Tilley's are our common ground?

hdm

Well...underwear. Isn't that what makes the world go round? Believe me, if Mussolini had had better fitting shorts, he would have been a much nicer guy!

I think I'll post a little message for poor Caravaggista who got caught in the crossfire and see if she'll come back.

bettyk

JC Penney has a Towncraft brand of men's underwear that is a cotton and poly blend. It's very soft and durable and will definitely dry overnight. My husband loved his so much that it's now all he will wear. It's inexpensive, especially compared to special travel store underwear, and they have briefs, undershirts and athletic shirts. Try it, I'm sure your husband will like it. One thing to note, though, since it doesn't shrink like normal cotton underwear, I would get one size smaller than your husband normally wears.

rsb99

I'm a fan of the "throwaway technique". Take only your grungiest underwear, and take enough for the whole trip! Once worn, bye bye!

(Of course I'm admitting here that some of my undies stick around past their shelf life, but luckily I travel often enough to keep things "fresh"!)

Michael

I've used the online Yellow Pages in different cities to find laundromats. You can do that before you leave and take the list with you.