Onboard Self and Full Service Laundry and Dry Cleaning

Let’s face it, one of the perks of cruising is not having to deal with household chores. Cooking and cleaning are taken care of for you, but there is one chore that is almost inescapable on longer cruises… Laundry!  I know from experience that even when I over pack, I still end up doing a load or two of laundry.

Doing laundry on a ship has had its ups and downs.  I kid you not, I spent 3 hours trying to dry a load of laundry on the Magic.  For the record, it was not overstuffed.  My recent experience on the Fantasy has been nothing but pleasant, aside from my quest to find 2 available machines in the same location.

Laundry Locations

The 24-hour self-service laundrettes vary in size across the decks and fleet, but they all have the same basic features.  Washers, dryers, irons, and a vending machine for detergent.

Disney Fantasy Self Service Laundry - Forward Starboard Launderette
Disney Fantasy Self Service Laundry - Deck 8

There are 7 laundry locations on Dream and Fantasy (deck plan):

DeckSideLocationNear Stateroom #Washers#Dryers#Irons
2PortForward2002   
5AftAft5192 591
6StarboardForward6508592
7PortForward7014342
8PortAft8150241
9StarboardForward9500772
10StarboardMid10572231

There are 3 laundry locations on the Magic & Wonder (deck plan).

DeckSideLocationNear Stateroom #Washers#Dryers#Irons
2PortMid2096552
6StarboardMid6588552
7StarboardMid7590552

The worst part about doing laundry is finding open machines, or dealing with forgotten laundry.  Out of courtesy to your fellow passengers, please make sure you check on your laundry.  Don’t start a load and then head to dinner; this will just inconvenience others, and your clothes may end up in a pile on the floor.

Touch Panel Payment

Disney Fantasy Self Service Laundry - Panel Touch Screen

There is no need to bring a roll of quarters; you simply swipe your Key to the World card to pay.  Just select an available washer or dryer on the touch panel, swipe your KTTW card, and press the green arrow to confirm.  It can take up to 30 seconds for the transaction to go through; just be patient.  On the classic ships, there is a card reader on each of the machines versus a central panel on the Dream class ships.  One complete load of laundry will costs you $4.00 ($2 to wash and $2 to dry); extra if you need to purchase detergent. In each location, there are detailed instructions posted on how to pay, wash, dry and iron.

Disney Fantasy Self Service Laundry - General Information & Guid

Soap Center

We always bring ALL-IN-ONE sheets, but you can purchase detergent and fabric softener from the soap center for $1.00.

Disney Fantasy Self Service Laundry - Soap Center

Washer Instructions

Make sure the machine you selected is powered on, there is a physical power button on each machine.  Load the machine, close the door, add your detergent, and select a cycle:

ProgramCycleWater TempDuration (mins)
1Heavy Wash w. Pre_Wash194°F77
2Normal Wash140°F107
3Light Wash140°F51
4Normal Wash104°F40
5Synthetic Wash104°F23
6Super Quick Wash104°F23
7Wool/Hand Wash86°F15
8Spin4

Then, press  the start button.  This is the perfect time to set an alarm or make note of the time.   When the washer is finished STOP will appear on the display.  Press and Key button to unlock the washer door.  This will take about 5 seconds.

Dryer Instructions

Once you pay for an available dryer using the touch screen panel, check to make sure the dryer is powered on.  Load the dryer, close the door, and elect a drying cycle:

ProgramCycleTemperature
1Extra DryNormal
2DryNormal
3Normal DryNormal
4Iron DryNormal
5Extra DryLow
6DryLow
7Normal DryLow
8Iron DryLow

Press start and set an alarm or make note of the time.

Ironing

I tend to make a daily trip to the laundrette to iron clothes for dinner. Being quite picky about my shirts, I bring a bottle of starch to get that crisp look.  Since I do not have to worry about flying, I just pack a regular aerosol can, but you can purchase a non-aerosol spray starch and pour into a travel spray bottle.

For safety, the irons are plugged into an outlet with a timed switch.  There is a timer on the wall that you will need to rotate in order for the iron to heat up.  If you are ironing for your entire family keep an eye on the timer otherwise it will turn off and you will be waiting for the iron to reheat.  This may seem obvious, but I’ll mention it anyway, the use of the iron is free.

Disney Fantasy Self Service Laundry - Iron

Onboard Full-Service Laundry and Dry Cleaning

So, if you are absolutely against stepping foot in the laundry during your cruise, but find yourself in needing to get your formal wear cleaned, you are not out of luck.  You can take advantage of the full-service laundry and dry cleaning, available with pickup from your stateroom.  Just call guest services to arrange for a pickup.

DCL Laundry Service Order Form

There are a few options you can choose from when sending your clothes out.  Regular service will be returned by 5:30 PM the following day.  In a hurry, you can request same day service with pickup by 9 AM with return by 5:30 PM for an additional 50% dry cleaning surcharge.  If you are in a rush, you can select Express service with a 3 hour turnaround for an additional 100% dry cleaning surcharge.

Dry cleaning starts at $2 for ties up to $9 for a 3-piece suit.  Laundry service starts at $0.75 for handkerchiefs up to $4 for pajamas.  Just need your clothes pressed? That can be done at 50% of the current dry cleaning rate for each article of clothing.

Tips

I want to conclude with a few tips to make the chore of laundry less painful during your vacation.

  • Buy/Bring a pop up hamper.  This will give you a place in your stateroom to keep you dirty clothes and it will provide a nice way to carry your laundry back and forth from the laundry room.
  • Think about using Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets which are great for traveling!  Note: the 3-in-1 sheets are not longer being made and Purex.  Purex has replaced these with  Ultra Packs, but these are not a convenient and could break open and make a mess.  Thankfully, my wife stockpiled these when they went on clearance.
  • Make sure you take the time to read and follow the directions when using the washer and dryers, especially on the Dream & Fantasy.  I witnessed almost 1 person a day on the phone to guest services trying to get the washer to start.  I am not perfect, but I followed the posted instructions in order, and did not have any issues starting the washer or dryer.  Maybe I was lucky, or maybe the instructions are right.
  • Try to plan your laundry for off times like the morning of a port day.  The afternoon and evenings are the worst, as are sea days.
  • Please set a timer, alarm, or just pay attention to the clock.  No one likes to do laundry on vacation, so be mindful to other passengers and arrive back in the laundry room when your washer or dryer cycle is due to finish.  I posted the cycle times above and they can be found in each laundry room.
  • Check the dryer lint traps; do not assume the person before you cleaned it after their load.

28 Replies to “Onboard Self and Full Service Laundry and Dry Cleaning”

  1. JC

    This is unbelievably helpful. Having recently been on the Fantasy (I never tried laundry on my shorter Dream cruise), this tutorial would saved me a lot of time and frustration during my laundry escapades. I *never* actually got the laundry done! Off to search for 3-in-1 sheets on eBay!

    Reply
  2. Erica

    I did a “squish” test on the detergent pods that are now being marketed and sold. After putting all of my body weight standing on one with one foot, I’m fairly certain that they will not break open easily. Put them in a ziptop baggie to keep them dry (they are designed to dissolve when they get wet) and pack them in your checked luggage with safety. I put our baggie of them in a plastic container to ensure they wouldn’t get punctured (and for ease of storage in the cabin).

    Reply
  3. Michelle

    Thank you for the information. My last laundry experience on the Fantasy was quite interesting considering the computer system for ALL the laundry rooms went down and a lot of time and money was wasted. As nice as touch screen is, in this situation a good old fashioned roll of quarters would have been nice!

    Reply
  4. Kerri

    Just found your site and as a cruise novice, I appreciate this info for our October, 2013 first cruise on DCL. Only on a 4 night, but headed to WDW after so need to pack strategically. Can I expect less laundry room competition on a 4 day? Had hoped to do on day 4 so we’re fresh for the next leg of our journey but that is an at-sea day.

    Off to go learn more from your great blog. Thanks again.

    Reply
  5. Ed from Texas

    Thanks for this excellent post. We’ll be doing our first cruise on the Dream in a few weeks after a days of other Orlando touring. Our on land location doesn’t have self service laundry, so I’ll be hitting these out first day after our luggage arrives.

    Reply
  6. Steven Crossley

    The last thing I want to do is laundry on vacation, but this is how you pack 60-70% less. Well worth it, especially when there are 5 of us. Start the wash when getting ready for dinner, dry while at dinner. We did this on the Wonder. Fantasy in 17 sleeps!!!!!

    Reply
  7. Siri Stenberg

    While the Purex 3-in-1 laundry sheets are no longer available in stores, I just ordered a pack of 22 sheets on Amazon. Definitely expensive ($35!), but certainly no more expensive than buying detergent on the cruise. We have three children, and thus being able to pack less is a priority.

    Reply
  8. Mark Yerkes

    Scott, will they pick up laundry the evening of embarkation day and return it the next day by 5:30pm? We are definitely going to have DCL do laundry (pre-cruise WDW stay), I’m just trying to figure how many shirts I need to pack.

    Reply
    1. Scott Sanders Post author

      Mark, I haven able to have suits dry cleaned and dress shirts laundered by sending them out as soon as my luggage arrives in the stateroom on embarkation day and returned for use the next evening. Make sure to tell them you need it back by a certain time just to be safe.

      Reply
  9. Lisa

    Thanks for the info! Are these prices still valid for 2015? Only ½ price to be pressed? These are quite reasonable prices for being on the ship.

    Reply
  10. Tiffany

    One detail I didn’t see for dry cleaning. Is there a gratuity added? Or are we supposed to tip on delivery?

    Reply
  11. Rachel Fairhurst

    This is so helpful thank you. Dry Cleaning is very expensive in the UK so this is a pleasant surprise!

    Reply
  12. jillmarie13

    I have used shampoo in a pinch as detergent- learned this working as a hairdresser a while back. It works well- I highly recommend using the shampoo you get on the cruise!

    Reply
    1. Scott Sanders Post author

      Hi Sandy, I have a note to write an update on onboard laundry to include details on the new token system and app/wave phone alerts. The prices are up to $3 for the washers and the dryer.

      Reply

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.