deladela

I had ordered a couple of swimsuits about 2 weeks ago for this cruise, but was starting to think I wasn't going to get them in time...they came today!:D Now I just hope my sandals get here...

My DH just asks what color dress I am wearing so he can pick out a shirt to match or at least get as close as possible.

He tried on his suits ad Tux yesterday so that I could get them in the cruise closet so that they will be ready to pack.

Outside of that-----not really.

Although he is getting better, if he had his way he'd just roll it all in a ball and throw it in the suitcase and head out the door for the plane.:eek:

Now he will let me get him into the placing mode about a week before we leave for the cruise. (Probably so that I will quit nagging him about it.):p

I am usually in charge of packing the suitcases and getting things ready, which is fine that way I know he will be dressed half way decent. ie: not in his holy ol' shorts and super spotted, stained, shirts.

Why are the holy, stained things always their favorites?!?!?

I asked DH about packing last week and he said "Aren't you gonna take care of that?" So I guess I get to pack for him. He might not like what I pack, but he'll probably look better! Mine would also roll it in a ball and throw it in a suitcase!

Morning all you Fashionistas.

Well I spent most of the morning yesterday going thru and trying on every outfit, for evening, I am taking on the cruises in Dec. I tried each of them with the shoes and jewelry so that they are set now. On each hanger is the dress, shoes in shoebag and the jewelry in their little bags, set and ready. On the dresses that I am wearing the same shoes they are all hanging together in the same dress bag.

I am lucky in that I probably have 100 of the bridal dress bags, with the gussets in the bottom, from having owned a bridal shop for so many years.

They work fabulously for putting your formal and casual out fits in.

I am still wearing most of the shorts and tops that I will wear for the cruise so that will come later but I have the list made of which shorts get which tops and which sandals are for which days. ie: flips for pool days, good walking sandals for port days, which sandals just for looking good on the ship.;)

Well I'm off to get my manicure and eyebrows done. Do any of ya'll go in to get your eyebrows done and a pedicure and manicure just before your cruises? I always get a new set of nails and pedi and eyebrows done before.

Everyone have a great fashionista day.

I always get nails and a pedi a day or two before I leave. It's one of those rituals that I will always do before a cruise! :)

You are so far ahead of where I am...and I leave in 18 days! I have clothes and shoes set out, but still need to put outfits together and try stuff on. It doesn't help that we misplaced one of our large suitcases so I finally broke down and bought a new one this weekend. Plus I seem to have lost a sandal...not a pair...just one.:confused: It's my everyday pair that goes with almost everything so I ordered a pair and am still waiting for them to get here!

As you can see from my signature, I am an overpacking procrastinator and it seems that is going to hold true for this cruise as well unless I get really busy!;) Everyone on this thread is inspiring me to try to pack lighter because if I pack in outfits that would be the result so I guess I better get busy!:D

mamacruiser2012: That's a great photo of you and DD! The dresses would be very suitable for formal night. Can't go wrong with an LBD:).

DD's strappy sandals are the perfect accessory.

I agree!

deladela: Most people are probably like you - if there's an Occasion to wear Cruise Clothes here on dry land, you do it. If you really like a garment, why not??? There's no debate.

 

BUT, on the other side of the road (ship, maybe?), there's the rest of us, like STARFISH*4 and myself, who buy Cruise Clothes and keep them in a separate closet, room, whatever.

 

STARFISH*4: I absolutely mirror your procedure! Starting 2 months prior, the outfit choosing begins...then the accessories...then trying on complete outfits...and a final try-on, just to be sure all is the way it should be. And you rarely wear an item more than once (that's why we like driving to ports - no luggage restriction!)

 

Both ways of doing it are completely CCF worthy. I realize that not everyone has the time and/or space to plan and try-on with such detail.

The important thing is: We want to look our best and feel good about ourselves:).

 

Other Posters/Readers: I'm curious now - do you keep clothes solely for cruising?

 

I do keep my "cruise clothes" in a separate room now that DD has moved out, but if an occasion arises that I need something like a sundress, I raid the cruise closet! I have started planning outfits for my cruise next month and am trying to learn some lessons from this thread, but I'm way behind where you gals would be at this stage! I figure I'll just have to keep practicing by going on lots of cruises until I get it right!:D I don't have the luxury of driving to port(unless I'm going to Alaska)so I am trying to be better about overpacking...we'll see!

deladela: I TOTALLY agree! This is the best time to find cruise clothes bargains. Your Sears purchases are case in point. And new shoes at a great price puts a smile on any Fashionista's face:)!

 

Those new items might not get any wear during the next several months, so it's like opening a gift when you start pulling outfits together:cool:.

 

QUESTION: If you find a great cruise-worthy sale item at the end of the season, do you wear it now or save it for the Next Cruise?

For me it depends on the weather here, if I have an occasion to wear it, and how soon my next cruise is!:D

deladela: Thanks for the tip RE Sear's shoe sale! There are some good deals, for sure:).

 

TNGALOHA: I'm looking at a possible CCF cruise at the end of June 2012...gonna get more info (hopefully by the middle of next week):cool:

 

NEW ADDITIONS TO THE CRUISE WARDROBE: Yesterday, after dropping off items at the local thrift shop, I went in - just to see what was there...30 minutes later, I came out w/ 5 tops! 2 Lilly Pulitzer, 1 Ralph Lauren, 1 Liz Claiborne and 1 Gap:eek::)! All for under $20.

In early November, all the drawers and closet of The Cruise Room will be emptied (since I haven't paid as much attention to organization lately...). Then I can see what I have and if there's an item that I should be looking for, i.e., a certain color sandal or Capris that would go w/ several tops.

Granted, there isn't much available cruise attire in the stores right now...but I wouldn't want to miss a golden opportunity to add the perfect ____________ to my outfit repetoire!;)

I love cruising this time of year because I can add to my cruise wardrobe from the clearance rack! As you can tell from my Sears post, I LOVE a bargain and the clearance rack prices can be almost as good as the thrift stores sometimes! Have fun organizing and adding to your cruising attire!

For all the shoe loving fashionistas out there...wanted to let you know that sears has some FANTASTIC deals right now. I just ordered 10 pairs of shoes (5 for me, 5 for DH) for $89.10 including tax and shipping! Perfect sandals for a few of the outfits I have planned for my southern caribbean cruise next month!:D

Before our last cruise I bought a money folding origami book. I would give animal tips to our steward and other kind wait staff. Our steward was so impressed with the little dollar animals. I gave him the book and bought another for our next cruise.

Our last cruise we stopped off at a clinic and donated medical supplies that I had been collecting, Band-aids, toothbrushes,aspirin,Tylenol etc.

That's a cool idea!!!

Just read through all 60 pages! OMG!!! ROFLMAO!!!

TNGALOHA: You helped me make up my mind! The "shoe case" is on my Christmas List. Our family exchanges Christmas Wish Lists on Oct 1, and that piece of luggage is at the top of mine:). Thanks so much!

 

Pennyscandy: Thanks for the tip RE plastic newspaper sleeve. I'm all for recycling so those sleeves will be used and will go in the Cruise Room for future packing:)!

 

QUESTION: Do you use the laundry/dry cleaning service onboard? RCI is the only line we've been on and have never sent out anything to be cleaned, laundered or pressed.

But, with a longer cruise, could it be a good idea.....??

My hubby's suit, my dress and my daughter's dress all needed to be dry cleaned before we went on our cruise. I opted to wait til we were on board to do it instead of doing it before we left so we didn't have to worry about them wrinkling. It wasn't that expensive and way less hassle than dealing with the wrinkles! (we were on Royal Caribbean)

i'm with you nathan...it's my balcony and there are full side walls. Don't want to risk seeing something you don't want to see, then don't peek around! :cool:

 

i have a funny story though...my group of friends (i'm the tour guide) sailed the pearl on the repo cruise thru the panama canal. Due to the swine flu breakout in 2009, our last two mexico ports were canceled but they added san diego! Now i live in california, so i decided to stay on board and enjoy my balcony. The rest of my group got off and went to go tour some giant naval ship a few docks down. So there i am...ahhhhh....peace at least....the gang off ship and i have some quiet time...mojito in hand, slip out of my swimsuit top....ahhhhh:cool:

 

but wait...my cell phone rings. Oh that's right we are in port so i answer as it's one of my friends, who i'm sure is no doubt lost somewhere and needing help. "hello" i say..."put your top back on" says he. "what???" i say..."look to your right, straight across on the yellow deck of the naval vessel". :eek: Yup, there they are...binoculars in hand pointed right at me. :o

 

"perv!", i responded....i hear gaggles of laughter on the other end, and hang up! :d

lol

I know this is a "toes" thread, but those shoes are AWESOME!!! Soooo cute!

Just read through all 459 posts...wow. I don't think I'm organized enough to do the spreadsheet thing, but I definitely was inspired to be more organized than usual. Hopefully I can significantly reduce my overpacking for this next cruise. One thing I didn't think about was the weight of denim...now I will eliminate most, if not all, of the denim and that should help with weight. I would like to get DH and I both packed into 2 medium suitcases, but IDK if that's going to happen...11 night cruise plus 4 nights pre-cruise and 2 nights post cruise. AND we will be in South Beach for Halloween...so we HAVE to have costumes...

BTW...I LOVE that I'm not the only one with a "cruise room"!:D I call it the "guest room", but we all know what it's REAL purpose is!;)

I read this thread before my first cruise(a lot has been added since then)and was SOOO glad I did. Our first cruise was DH and I AND our 2 teens in one cabin...the over the door shoe holder was amazing! Our cruises since have been the two of us, but I still wouldn't want to be without it. If I left everything else from these lists home, I would still bring the shoe holder. Next would be the power strip...ipods, cell phones, handheld games, hair dryer, curling iron/straightener, etc....the extra outlets come in handy! The highlighters, post-its, clothes pins are also handy...the rest I could do with or without, but these are the ones I think make my vacation more relaxing without too much added luggage space.:) Just my 2 cents!

Marie~Glad to hear you came through surgery okay. Hope your nausea subsides and you are finally going to be "back on your feet"!

I'm planning an Alaskan cruise in September, 2012. We've decided upon the ship, the date, and even the cabins we want. Now the hard choice is when to book to get the best fare!

 

We're pretty particular about the cabins we want, so would hate to wait too long, only to have them sold out. On the other hand, especially with the poor economic predictions for the next year, would we be better off waiting for a couple of months for a better price? The fares have been pretty steady for the last couple of weeks.

 

Any thoughts?

If you have decided on the exact cruise you want...BOOK NOW! If the price goes down, they will credit the difference, but if it goes up, then you have your price locked in. I always book direct with the cruiseline so that I can watch the prices and all I've had to do is call and they adjust the price. You never know where the prices are going to go...we've had cruises go up significantly in price and we've had some drop in price. The earlier you book, the better chance you have of getting the lowest price.

While my DW thinks it's dorky, I've have fun designing cabin door signs over the years!

 

1. Shortly after we retired, our cabin door sign was a tropical theme with a parrot lying in a hammock between two palm trees. "Retired and having fun!"

2. During the 2009 World Series Phillies vs Yankees, I designed a Baseball themed sign and the pursors office gave me the latest game scores which I would post on the sign. That was also the first sign that I provided space for others to leave msgs.

 

3. Last year, 2 weeks after the Carnival ship that lost it's engines and had to be towed into port, the cabin door design was a floral tropical theme with the international symbol for DO NOT with a can of Spam inside the circle. If you recall, since the kitchens were unable to cook food, they had to serve passengers Spam.

 

4. This year, I am working on a design with 3 parrots dressed as pirates holding beer mugs. Unless I come up with something better!

 

I think the World Series cabin door sign was the best! I heard passengers talking about it at the buffet and pool areas that had no idea it was our cabin. And I know that the room stewards talk about the signs as well.

 

Helps me find our cabin faster after partying and visiting the pubs at night!

 

Life is short - so have fun!

 

Married 39 years, 3 months, 16 days - Happily for 10 and they have not been consecutive! LOL

 

Steve :cool:

I love it!