It’s the little things that add up to a trip. Little moments interacting with friendly people. Little moments breathing sea air. Little things that make you laugh. Little conveniences that make things easier.
Conveniences.
There’s a laundry room for guests to use on each deck and on most trips of any significant length, I end up using it. It’s very affordable really, all things considered – I don’t pay to check a bag when I fly because I pack light and wash as needed en route – and it’s so handy to have that option. But on a busy day it’s like visiting a laundromat on land – there’s waiting around and waiting for machines and tumbling things twice because they have not dried the first time.
There’s also the paid service but let’s quickly compare $3 to wash and $3 to dry (if it dries the first time – but let’s assume we packed light things that dry well or that we can hang dry to finish up… Also assume we’ve remembered to pack some laundry pods and dryer sheets. So generally speaking $6 to wash and dry. But up to twice that if you need to dry things twice or buy soap products.
Ok. Now let’s compare that to sending one full outfit down to the laundering service. Currently – let’s say one undergarment, a pair of socks, let’s just say a T-shirt because that’s cheapest, and likewise a pair of shorts. About $11 for that one outfit. More if anything is fancy. For one outfit.
But you know, it’s “Drop it with your cabin steward and get it back the next night all clean.” No waiting around. No vacation time doing chores.
If you have the time, and remember your soap, the laundromat is a better choice, just fiscally.
But I now have Elite status — and on this line that may not get me any free cruises or free upgrades but it gets me free laundry service!
So on day 7 I dropped almost* everything I had worn so far, and after dinner on day 8 I got it all back nice and clean. Elite status for the win!
*I actually didn’t send them everything because there are items I don’t dry at home and I was afraid they be ruined. I did take a small load of those to the laundromat, where I used my own soap and spent the $3 for a wash cycle but I hung it all up to dry in the room and everything was dry by the next day. Also I went down right after I got back from the earliest dinner seating and no one else was in there, so the whole job took me 30 minutes mostly in letting the machine do the work.
So anyway, yeah, I’m making good use of the laundry services.
How about the actual day? Let’s see. Awakened by Lester, bringing my breakfast. Morning mile all to myself, just before it became too hot out. Mid morning session on Puntarenas Costa Rica (our port of call tomorrow). The Effy raffle, as per usual I do not win. The casino for 10 minutes but no luck is forthcoming there either so I don’t stick around to lose. Lunch at the solos table, where I am starting to learn more names (I already knew Trevor and Greg but now I can put names to Vic, Jeanine, Alicia and Lili as well.)
Afternoon crafting, more Effy events, formal dinner tonight, still more Effy events and a solos event. And more miles after the sun goes down.
But since I haven’t worked in a single picture for today… Cafe Mocha Bar for dessert:
aka gringita 