How we work: facts are checked against original sources and linked, cruise prices are verified on the cruise line’s own website the day we publish, and we earn no commissions. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will correct it. Last updated November 11, 2026.
Carnival’s prohibited items page puts clothing irons and garment steamers on the same list as immersion heaters and heating blankets. If security finds one in your bag, the item is “removed and disposed of and no compensation will be given.”
Here’s the twist. On Carnival’s Mardi Gras, there are ironing rooms on several stateroom decks. The ship has the irons. It just won’t let you bring your own.
Do Cruise Ships Have Irons?
Yes, but not in your cabin, and you can’t pack your own. Whether you can press a shirt yourself depends on the line. Princess, Disney, Cunard and P&O put irons in their self-service launderettes, and so do most Carnival ships. Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity, Holland America and Virgin Voyages have no self-service laundry rooms, so on those lines you pay the ship to press it, or ask nicely.
Royal Caribbean puts the whole policy in one line on its laundry FAQ: “We do not provide irons in the staterooms as they constitute a fire hazard.”
Where Can You Iron on Each Cruise Line?
We read each line’s own help pages on November 11, 2026. Where a page was blocked, we used the most recent archived copy and say so. Two rows, Norwegian and Holland America, also lean on cruise-news sites because the lines’ own pages don’t answer the question.
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Send me the deals →| Line | Bring your own iron? | Iron it yourself on board | Or pay the ship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carnival | No. Confiscated and “disposed of” | 1 iron and board in each launderette on most ships. Mardi Gras, Celebration, Jubilee and Festivale have ironing rooms but no washers. Venezia, Firenze and Luminosa have neither | Valet pressing, or 12 items pressed for $20 / 24 for $30 |
| Royal Caribbean | No. Clothing irons and garment steamers are prohibited | No self-service laundry “for safety concerns” | Press only, $1.99 to $14.99 an item |
| Norwegian | No. Heating-element items, including clothing irons, are banned | No self-service laundry rooms. Cruise Fever and Cruise Hive say a limited number of irons can be loaned on request | Laundry and dry cleaning for a fee |
| Princess | Ironing and personal steamers “not permitted in any stateroom” | Irons and boards in the self-service laundry rooms | Press-only service “for a nominal fee” |
| Holland America | Travel irons “may not be used in your stateroom” | Cruise Fever says no current ship has a self-service laundry | “Full laundry and valet services available on all ships” |
| Celebrity | No. Clothing irons are a named fire hazard | Cruise Fever says there are no self-service laundry rooms | Paid laundry service |
| Disney | No. “Personal irons are prohibited” | 24-hour laundries with “complimentary ironing equipment” | Full-service laundry for an additional fee |
| Virgin Voyages | No. “Clothing irons are a no go” | No launderette, but “steamers on special request” | Full laundry service |
| Cunard | “We ask you not to bring” one | Free launderettes with ironing facilities, about 7.30am to 9pm | Laundry and wet cleaning |
| P&O Cruises | Irons “aren’t allowed in cabins” | Free ironing stations in the launderettes on every ship | Not covered on the pages we read |
The line-by-line detail is in the links. Princess says “irons/ironing boards are available in the self-service laundry rooms” and sells laundry tokens through your Medallion. Disney charges the washers and dryers to your Key to the World card, and its irons “may be used only in the laundry room.” Cunard’s launderettes are complimentary, with washing powder included, and spread across Queen Mary 2 (decks 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 11), Queen Anne (1, 4, 7 and 8) and Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria (4 to 8). P&O says its ironing stations are free on every ship, but you supply the detergent.
On Carnival, the launderettes are small: “2 or 3 washers, 2 or 3 dryers, and 1 iron and ironing board in each,” according to the line’s laundry page, with washers and dryers at $3.50 a load. Cruise Hive describes the same setup: “just a single ironing board with iron.” One iron per room, on a sea day before formal night, is worth planning around.
What If Your Ship Has No Launderette?
Ask first, then pay. On Norwegian, Cruise Fever reports that “a limited number of irons and ironing boards can be loaned out upon request through housekeeping,” and Cruise Hive says Norwegian lends them “for a limited amount of time.” We couldn’t find that promise on Norwegian’s own site, so treat it as a request, not a right. Virgin Voyages is the only line in our table that offers something in writing: its cabin FAQ says irons and boards aren’t set up in cabins, “we do offer steamers on special request.”
Everywhere else, the answer is the ship’s laundry. Royal Caribbean publishes its price list as a PDF, and Carnival prints its prices on its help page. Here’s what pressing alone costs on each:
| Item | Royal Caribbean, press only | Carnival, press only |
|---|---|---|
| Shirt or blouse | $3.99 (long-sleeved), $2.99 (short-sleeved) | $3.20 |
| T-shirt or polo | $1.99 | $2.10 |
| Trousers | $3.99 | $4.00 |
| Shorts | $2.99 | $3.20 |
| Dress | $6.99 | Not offered as press only (wet/dry clean $9.50) |
| Suit | $9.99 | Not offered as press only (wet/dry clean $15.00) |
| Evening gown | $14.99 | Not offered as press only (wet/dry clean $11.50) |
| Bundle deal | None listed (wash and fold bag $34.99) | 12 items $20, 24 items $30, next-day |
| Same-day service | +50%, in by 11am, back by 5:30pm | +50%, in by 9am, back by 5pm |
For a typical formal night, two long-sleeved shirts and a pair of trousers come to $11.97 pressed on Royal Caribbean, or $10.40 on Carnival. On Carnival, once you pass about six items, the $20 bundle of 12 works out cheaper than paying per piece.
One warning from the small print. Royal Caribbean’s form says it doesn’t accept “wedding gowns, ball gowns or Quinceañera attire for any type of laundry treatment,” pressing included. If you’re getting married or renewing vows on board, have the dress pressed before you sail and hang it the minute you reach the cabin.
Why Is the Ship’s Iron Fine but Yours Isn’t?
Because of where it’s used. Every line gives the same reason, safety, and the rule is about the cabin. Holland America says travel irons “may not be used in your stateroom” for “safety reasons.” P&O says items with heating elements, “such as irons, kettles and coffee machines, aren’t allowed in cabins.” Celebrity bans “items that generate heat or produce an open flame,” naming clothing irons alongside candles and hotplates as things “that may create a fire hazard.”
Disney spells out the logic: “For safety reasons, the irons may be used only in the laundry room.” The ship’s iron stays in a room the crew chose and checks. Yours would sit on a bed in a cabin full of fabric. Curling irons and hair straighteners are the usual exception, because the lines file them under personal grooming. We covered that split, and why the hair dryer survives the ban, in our hair dryer guide.
Can You Bring a Steamer Instead?
No. A travel steamer is not a loophole. Royal Caribbean and Carnival list “garment steamers” by name. Norwegian bans “irons, steamers or any goods of a dangerous nature.” Celebrity’s list puts “Clothes Irons, Steamers & Hot Plates” in one heading, and Princess says personal clothes steamers are “not permitted in any stateroom.” The only steamer you’ll legally use in a cabin is one Virgin Voyages brings you.
How Do You Arrive With Fewer Creases?
Most of the work happens at home. Here’s a plan that works on any line:
- Check your ship, not just your line. On Carnival, the launderette list depends on the ship, and three ships have no ironing at all. Look at your deck plan or ask Guest Services on day one.
- Press the formal outfit before you leave. Cruise Hive suggests ironing or steaming at home, packing carefully and hanging everything as soon as you board.
- Use the shower. Cruise Mummy recommends hanging creased clothes in the bathroom, away from the spray, while you take a hot shower, then smoothing them by hand. It also suggests a crease-release spray, and a clean hair straightener for collars and hems.
- Go early on a sea day if your ship has a launderette. With one iron per room on Carnival, the afternoon before formal night is the worst time to turn up.
- Send it out the night before if your ship has no launderette. Regular service on both Royal Caribbean and Carnival comes back the next day, and same-day service costs 50% more.
And leave the iron at home. On Carnival, you won’t get it back. Not sure what to wear on formal night anyway? Our formal night guide covers each line’s dress code.
Cruise Chaos earns nothing from cruise lines, travel agents, retailers or booking links. Every rule here links to the line’s own page, read November 11, 2026, or to an archived copy where the live page blocked us. Ship facilities change during refits, so check your own ship before you pack. If something is wrong, tell us and we’ll correct it.
Coming up on Cruise Chaos: do cruise ships allow dogs?
Keep Reading
- Do Cruise Ships Have Hair Dryers? Yes, and Disney Confiscates Some You Bring
- Cruise Formal Night: What to Wear, and When You Can Skip It
- The Wire That Stays Live: Why Do Cruise Ships Ban Surge Protectors?
Sources
- Carnival Cruise Line: Prohibited Items (read November 11, 2026)
- Carnival Cruise Line: Laundry Service (Wayback Machine copy, November 8, 2025)
- Royal Caribbean: What laundry services are available onboard?
- Royal Caribbean: Laundry Service price list (PDF)
- Royal Caribbean: Prohibited items onboard policy
- Norwegian Cruise Line: What can’t I bring on board? and What to pack
- Princess Cruises: FAQs, Onboard Experience (Laundry Services)
- Holland America Line: Electrical appliances
- Celebrity Cruises: What Not to Pack
- Disney Cruise Line: Laundry FAQ
- Virgin Voyages: Cabins FAQ, Housekeeping FAQ and Pre-Voyage Policies
- Cunard: Our packing guide (Wayback Machine copy, July 11, 2026)
- P&O Cruises: What facilities and amenities are in my cabin? (Wayback Machine copy, July 17, 2026) and Cabin power outlets guide (May 16, 2026)
- Cruise Fever: Cruise Ship Laundry, List of Cruise Lines with Self-Service Laundry Rooms (updated April 2026)
- Cruise Hive: Do Cruise Ships Have Irons and Ironing Boards? (Emrys Thakkar)
- Cruise Hive: Cruise ship laundry guide (updated September 28, 2026)
- Cruise Mummy: How to Iron Clothes on a Cruise (Jenni Fielding, updated October 1, 2026)
