Odile

l "I can see Carnival Miracle, Inspiration, and Imaginaton (after 1/26/14) from my porch" (to paraphrase Tina Fey as S. Palin) I still cruise for Warm Chocolate Melting Cake (with 2 sugar-free vanilla ice-creams!)

This is the one I purchased for our recent trip. I had it in my carry-on bag and no one said anything about it, but I imagine some of it is just luck. I kept it in a drawer when we weren't in our cabin, and it survived the entire voyage with no incidents.

I actually hadn't realized it would swivel, and was very pleased when my husband figured that out. After I realized the original configuration wouldn't work with the furniture and plug we ended up with.

All that said, for all my worries about charging things, I don't think we ever actually had more than two things plugged in at any one time, and with a little bit of juggling we could probably have made do well enough without it. Our phone batteries drain a lot more slowly when they're in airplane mode.

I don't find the pair of shorts originally linked to be very dressy - despite the print, the cut of them is a little too athletic to read as anything other than casual to me. And I agree, the rest of the model's outfit is pretty casual. It's a cute outfit, but better suited for daywear. I wouldn't see any problem with dressier shorts in the dining room, generally speaking.

We're 10 days out from cruising, 4 days out from beginning the driving portion of our trip.

What should I be panicking about making sure I do before we leave?

I would probably take one good pair of water-resistant activity boots/shoes, one pair of fancier shoes to wear when dressing up, and one all-purpose set of flats or loafers or whatever you like to wear. Something comfortable for walking, and neutral enough that you can wear them casually in port or about the ship or dress up a bit if wanted.

I'm reviving this thread because I'd love some suggestions for classy and stylish two-pieced swimsuits. I'm 31 years old, a fairly large bust, about 142 lbs, and fairly slim but with wobbly bits I'm self-conscious about like most people. I haven't done a bikini lately and I'm thinking I should rock one the sooner the better, but I'm not interested in anything flimsy or very low-rise or held together strictly with strings. It needs to be substantial enough to support my chest nicely and flatter my post-baby tummy!

Any suggestions? I've been eyeing some of the Tommy Bahama bikinis, but they're awfully pricy so I'd love some other ideas for places to look.

Meh, I think it's all a matter of what you are used to and how you prefer to travel. For shoreside, I think your Ergo (especially since you and little one are used to it) will do you fine, especially if you are traveling with a companion so one of you can wear the baby and one can wear a bag with necessary accessories. I wouldn't personally enjoy using a stroller on board the ship, but a lot there depends on how much of a hurry you are in and whether you're willing to travel at toddler-pace.

For some more off-beat suggestions:

Jungle Speed (a fun but compact and infinitely repayable reflex and memory game)

Timeline (for slightly older kids and teens, who are into history)

We Didn't Playtest This At All (for random, infuriating, hilarious nonsensical game)

Asmadi Games has a number of other small deck games of various kinds, which would be easy to pack and worth checking out for age and interest. I demoed Flowerfall last year at GenCon and it was surprisingly engaging for such a simple game.

Thanks for the suggestions! I think I'm leaning more toward doing ruins in our Belize port day, so probably a beach is going to be our best bet here. I'll have to read up on them a little more.

What makes you think my 4-year-old isn't a huge shopper and drinker?!? :rolleyes:

So, I'm beginning to plan for our vacation in June, and the first stop on our cruise is Cozumel. I actually cruised here once before (when I was 18), and all we did was wander through the town and shop a bit, but I didn't enjoy it all that much so I'm looking to do something different and more enjoyable (for me, haha!) this time around. I'll be there with my husband and 4-year-old daughter, as well as my parents and extended family, so we have some flexibility overall.

Here are the basic options I've mostly gathered from perusing other threads on this board:

- beach resort (Paradise Beach, Mr. Sanchos, Monkey Bar, and others)

- dolphin experiences (Dolphinaris, etc.)

- downtown shopping + bars

What else is there that I'm missing? Are there good beaches nearby that are not resorts, i.e., just a huge swath of beach minus the games, pools, restaurants, etc? Are there excellent historical sites or ancient ruins that are easily accessible or worth the trouble of getting to? I would love suggestions.