A Clean Post

How do 400 people with different personalities, from different countries, living together on one small ship, differ from each other? The options seem endless, but the answer is revealed in one room on the ship on a daily basis. A place where upbringings and habits are exposed, personalities and humours are uncovered, and good and bad days are made obvious.

Recently we got asked how do we do laundry, was it difficult, do we do it on or off the ship. To be honest it wasn't something that we thought people would be concerned about and when you're here it seems logical and easy. So we thought we'd share with you the complicated process we have to go through to wash our clothes (only joking....it's not difficult really!). This is our laundry room, 3 ironing boards and irons, vacuum cleaners and most importantly, 10 washing machines and dryers. A very handy sock line for all those socks that always mysteriously disappear when you do the laundry. Got an odd sock? just go and look on the line, it's usually there.

Each crew is allowed to do 2 loads per week which includes 2 drying cycles. It is sometimes best to stay in the room the entire hour if personal time keeping is not a strength. It may also be the one place you might run into any department member on the ship. After all, even the Queen makes dirty laundry. Everyone has theories about the best way to sign up for a space: a week ahead or dropping by to see if there is an opening. How to put the soap in: crumbled in the drawer or whole tablet in the machine. Most have differing views on whether or not to fold the laundry of someone who has not shown up but is occupying your machine. Some are laid back and wait 10 minutes for the last person, while others will rush in and move it for them. Some people are meticulous folders and ironers, while others drop socks down the hall as they return to their rooms.

In general it is a hub of activity, a social place and a main chatting point on the ship. At it's best it becomes a generous display of human interaction.

So don't worry, we do get to wear clean clothes each week and when you're a family of 3, like us, you get 6 loads a week and if we plan it right we can get it all done in 2 hours....how about that?