Doing laundry at PO:FQ

[useakiss]

Rather than planning my "rest day" during the middle or last half of my 8-night stay at PO:FQ (which is what I'd assumed would happen), my agent instead planned it for my first full day there. I'd assumed I would just do my laundry on that day, but I certainly won't need to wash things on my first day. So now I'm facing either packing MORE than 8 changes of clothing (more because it's going to be sweltering hot the week after Labor Day and nobody wants to put sweaty and damp clothing back on if they go to a water park), or cutting into a "park day" to do it.

My questions are about the laundry facilities:
1) Are there posted hours or are they available 24/7?
2) Do you need a lot of pocket change or do you use a card? (Or even the MagicBand?)
3) How much are the machines?
4) Are there long waits to get to the machines?
5) Is there any sort of room/laundry service offered?

 

[dansdad]

Rather than planning my "rest day" during the middle or last half of my 8-night stay at PO:FQ (which is what I'd assumed would happen), my agent instead planned it for my first full day there. I'd assumed I would just do my laundry on that day, but I certainly won't need to wash things on my first day. So now I'm facing either packing MORE than 8 changes of clothing (more because it's going to be sweltering hot the week after Labor Day and nobody wants to put sweaty and damp clothing back on if they go to a water park), or cutting into a "park day" to do it.

My questions are about the laundry facilities:
1) Are there posted hours or are they available 24/7?
2) Do you need a lot of pocket change or do you use a card? (Or even the MagicBand?)
3) How much are the machines?
4) Are there long waits to get to the machines?
5) Is there any sort of room/laundry service offered?

1. 24/7 Your Magic Band opens the door
2. Credit Card only
3. $3.00 per wash load and $3.00 per dryer cycle
4. Not usually. There is a great website that shows you the status of every washer and dryer on property. Go here and pick your resort and the laundry room. http://classic.laundryview.com/disneyworld/
5. Yup. But from a past price sheet I've seen, it might be cheaper to buy new clothes.

 

[JessicaW1234]

Hi-
I believe it's 24 hours because you use your magic band to enter the room.
You use a credit card and it's $3 for a wash & $3 for a dryer.
It depends on the time of day- there are several washers & dryers so I haven't run into all of them being taken.
Also- very neat is this link which lets you track when machines are done:
http://classic.laundryview.com/disneyworld/
There is a laundry service from the room, but it charges per item of clothing so it adds up( but maybe save you time if you wanted to do it)
It's right near the pool- I've put in laundry and gone to the pool while waiting & it didn't interfere too much

Haha- I was writing my post @ same time as Dan's Dad- glad we have the same answers

 

[useakiss]

Awesome, thanks for the info, folks. That'll help me a lot with trying to plan this out. If I'd planned this trip myself, I would have absolutely done laundry on a pool day, but since that's now lined up for my first day, it's pointless. Sigh. Next time I think I'll do this myself so it makes more sense to me.

 

[Tigger's ally]

Awesome, thanks for the info, folks. That'll help me a lot with trying to plan this out. If I'd planned this trip myself, I would have absolutely done laundry on a pool day, but since that's now lined up for my first day, it's pointless. Sigh. Next time I think I'll do this myself so it makes more sense to me.

I know many people don't want to mess with laundry while on vacation but I have always done laundry two or three times each trip depending on length of the vacation. For our family and me in particular, the less we have to pack the better. Ever since my kids were little we were rope droppers, rest/pool in the afternoon and then night partiers. During the afternoons, I would do couple loads of laundry while at the pool or while everyone else rested (I am a four to six hour sleeper a day- always have been). I do enjoy sitting at the hotel bar while the clothes get refreshed. Mardi Grogs was my home on many occasions. Love coming home with clean clothes in the suitcases.

 

[useakiss]

Yeah, I guess that--if nothing else--this will force me to take a break from the parks once in a while.

 

[unrequited23]

I found it helpful to bring a pop up hamper to use in room and transport clothes to and from the laundry area.

 

[kelliejason]

Doing laundry on a Disney vacay is a must for us. With the website the that lets you know the status of the Washers & Dryers, it's great. The best part about doing laundry at the resort is packing less. You just have to be willing to devote a couple hours to it. If you are an early riser or up all-nighter, it's easy to fit in with no "rest" day.

 

[webstah]

We always stay at the Riverside, but we also do laundry. What we do is Tuesday Morning (5th day of our trip) we get up early and put on our bathing suits. We then head to the laundry, and while my wife gets started, I head to the food court and bring breakfast back. We dine pool side. Once the laundry is done, we head out to the parks.
We also get Visa gift cards to use in the laundromat. They work just fine, and aren't tied to any credit card so no worries about card skimmers, etc...

 

[useakiss]

We always stay at the Riverside, but we also do laundry. What we do is Tuesday Morning (5th day of our trip) we get up early and put on our bathing suits. We then head to the laundry, and while my wife gets started, I head to the food court and bring breakfast back. We dine pool side. Once the laundry is done, we head out to the parks.
We also get Visa gift cards to use in the laundromat. They work just fine, and aren't tied to any credit card so no worries about card skimmers, etc...

Great suggestion. I think I'll do this.

 

[Starwind]

Awesome, thanks for the info, folks. That'll help me a lot with trying to plan this out. If I'd planned this trip myself, I would have absolutely done laundry on a pool day, but since that's now lined up for my first day, it's pointless. Sigh. Next time I think I'll do this myself so it makes more sense to me.

Why not tell your agent what you WANT and make them change it to what you want ? They work for you...

SW

 

[Starwind]

I found it helpful to bring a pop up hamper to use in room and transport clothes to and from the laundry area.

We also found this very hand. Also gives a place to "lay" things over that can't go in the dryer.

A trip several years ago to WDW we found really cute laundry bags that we now use any trip anywhere we take to put dirty laundry into as it accumulates; plop those into the pop-up and it makes it easy for hauling to the laundry room. We toss them in with the wash, so they are clean for the next round. Then just fold the clean things into the clean hamper to brign them back to the room.

The Laundry View app is VERY helpful, and if you use it on a mobile phone you can set it to send you text alets for when your washer or dryer are done.

SW

 

[useakiss]

Why not tell your agent what you WANT and make them change it to what you want ? They work for you...

SW

Long story short, the agent was a friend of a friend, and initially things seemed fine, but by the time it came to make FP reservations, I was having serious misgivings because the person wasn't very communicative or prompt, and getting any sort of details felt like pulling teeth--but by then it was a bit too late to just back out or start over. At this point I'm just going to have to make the best of things. Next time I'll either do it on my own or maybe go to DIS for assistance.

 

[Tigger's ally]

Long story short, the agent was a friend of a friend, and initially things seemed fine, but by the time it came to make FP reservations, I was having serious misgivings because the person wasn't very communicative or prompt, and getting any sort of details felt like pulling teeth--but by then it was a bit too late to just back out or start over. At this point I'm just going to have to make the best of things. Next time I'll either do it on my own or maybe go to DIS for assistance.

Kudos to you on your ability to go with the flow. I think that ability is a great one to have and will allow you to have a great vacation regardless of anything that comes up. Some have that gene, some don't.

 

[useakiss]

Kudos to you on your ability to go with the flow. I think that ability is a great one to have and will allow you to have a great vacation regardless of anything that comes up. Some have that gene, some don't.

LOL Thanks. I'm one of those folks who believes in being as prepared and knowledgeable as possible. But I don't like micromanaging every minute, either. I just want to feel confident that I can make decisions on the fly without wasting time trying to figure things out on-the-spot or being indecisive, not when I could be doing what I'm there to do. My decision to plan this trip was sudden (back in January), and I haven't been there in 35 years, but I knew I needed to get the ball rolling ASAP so I took the risk in placing my trust in someone else because I hadn't done my homework yet. I have since then (two books, this forum, DIS podcasts) and yeah, I might have arranged things a little differently on my own. But it is what it is now, and I'm going to hold out hope that the agent delivers on the promise of working out the smartest and most efficient daily plans for me. Ultimately, if I'm not happy, I can just abandon them and do my own thing. I'm just a bit worried and bothered because it is such an outlay of cash and I'm uncomfortable having so little control over so much of the planning. I'll just have to wait and see how things go. I see people get so angry and ridiculous because things are perfect, and it clearly doesn't make things better or make them happier, so don't do it. And getting angry will defeat the purpose of my vacation and I refuse to let that happen. I just want to escape my daily life, relax and go at my own pace, and let the magic come to me.

 

[Tigger's ally]

LOL Thanks. I'm one of those folks who believes in being as prepared and knowledgeable as possible. But I don't like micromanaging every minute, either. I just want to feel confident that I can make decisions on the fly without wasting time trying to figure things out on-the-spot or being indecisive, not when I could be doing what I'm there to do. My decision to plan this trip was sudden (back in January), and I haven't been there in 35 years, but I knew I needed to get the ball rolling ASAP so I took the risk in placing my trust in someone else because I hadn't done my homework yet. I have since then (two books, this forum, DIS podcasts) and yeah, I might have arranged things a little differently on my own. But it is what it is now, and I'm going to hold out hope that the agent delivers on the promise of working out the smartest and most efficient daily plans for me. Ultimately, if I'm not happy, I can just abandon them and do my own thing. I'm just a bit worried and bothered because it is such an outlay of cash and I'm uncomfortable having so little control over so much of the planning. I'll just have to wait and see how things go. I see people get so angry and ridiculous because things are perfect, and it clearly doesn't make things better or make them happier, so don't do it. And getting angry will defeat the purpose of my vacation and I refuse to let that happen. I just want to escape my daily life, relax and go at my own pace, and let the magic come to me.

If you haven't been in 35 years, it might actually be a good thing your first day is a non park day. That way you can maybe scout out things a little. Dont' be afraid to

• get on a bus to the park you are going to the next day and just ride it there and back so you can see where they drop, where you have to go when the drop and where you need to come back to.
• Scope out the hotel you are staying at so you know where everything is in case you need things.
• Rest after traveling
• talk to a CM or concierge and let them know your plans and if they can give you added pointers.
• Mosey around Disney Springs- it wasn't there last time you were there. Neat place.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[useakiss]

If you haven't been in 35 years, it might actually be a good thing your first day is a non park day. That way you can maybe scout out things a little. Dont' be afraid to

• get on a bus to the park you are going to the next day and just ride it there and back so you can see where they drop, where you have to go when the drop and where you need to come back to.
• Scope out the hotel you are staying at so you know where everything is in case you need things.
• Rest after traveling
• talk to a CM or concierge and let them know your plans and if they can give you added pointers.
• Mosey around Disney Springs- it wasn't there last time you were there. Neat place.

Enjoy your trip!

I did have the agent shift my breakfast reservation at Kona Cafe to that first "rest day" rather than my day at Epcot, and then I'm going to hit a water park, then maybe explore the Animal Kingdom resort and find diner there--it's a place I hadn't originally planned to visit because of the remoteness, but would have the time now.

 

[tinka-belle]

We actually plan a first day rest day for some of our trips now. Disney Springs, dinner at another resort, pool or mini golf, etc. We are beyond our commando park days and enjoy taking in all Disney has to offer outside the parks too. It takes the edge off a sometimes stressful and tiring travel day and we are rested and ready for the parks on day two.

 

[avic77]

Long story short, the agent was a friend of a friend, and initially things seemed fine, but by the time it came to make FP reservations, I was having serious misgivings because the person wasn't very communicative or prompt, and getting any sort of details felt like pulling teeth--but by then it was a bit too late to just back out or start over. At this point I'm just going to have to make the best of things. Next time I'll either do it on my own or maybe go to DIS for assistance.

You can change your Dining reservations and fast passes yourself. You do have access you your My Disney Experience account, correct?

 

[Starwind]

Long story short, the agent was a friend of a friend, and initially things seemed fine, but by the time it came to make FP reservations, I was having serious misgivings because the person wasn't very communicative or prompt, and getting any sort of details felt like pulling teeth--but by then it was a bit too late to just back out or start over. At this point I'm just going to have to make the best of things. Next time I'll either do it on my own or maybe go to DIS for assistance.

You realize you still can do your own FP and ADR right ? Your TA does not own those, you do. They do not have to be done through a TA, ever, unless you want to.

So you can go into My Disney experience yourself and change them around if you want to.

SW