Caribbean-Cruising Fashonista

[indiana71]

At 10 AM today, the Cruise Room was officially opened. It took an hour to move items from the bedroom down the hall. (Not everything is in the CR.) With steel drum music playing, I began organizing tops and jewelry and by noon had put together 2 outfits.

Here are the photos for Step 1 - laying out tops, jewelry, shoes from 2 different angles:

 

 

The Process will continue for a couple more hours and part of the day tomorrow. After preliminary outfits are chosen, the rejected items go back.

Next week will be Try-Ons.

[snowbirds2]

Oh this looks like so much fun Indiana! How nice to have a room where you can spread things out. Congrats on getting organized early. Looks as if you have a lot of choices there and decisions to make!

 

We leave one month today! My mantra this time around is "simplify simplify!" I'm a chronic over packer but now with charges for extra suitcases I have to reform and be practical!

Have my spreadsheet out for planning outfits per day to help stay focused on what I really need.

 

Here are my evening dresses for formal nights: luckily got them half price and to my delight they look even better on than in the pictures and feel "right"! Going to accessorize both with silver evening shoes and purse to save bringing extra shoes etc. Wearing diamante necklace and earrings for the blue one - still deciding on jewelry options for the second - may use my purple Swarovski earrings and pendant and have to decide whether I want to add any details to the waist band....

 

Not having any luck posting actual pictures - guess they are too big - so here are the links:

 

http://www.sears.ca/product/jessica-md-crossover-dress/648-000170696-WF11-JE40-2843

 

http://www.sears.ca/product/together-md-georgette-maxi-dress/641-000366807-WF11-TO40-6842

[jacksmom09]

Oh this looks like so much fun Indiana! How nice to have a room where you can spread things out. Congrats on getting organized early. Looks as if you have a lot of choices there and decisions to make!

 

We leave one month today! My mantra this time around is "simplify simplify!" I'm a chronic over packer but now with charges for extra suitcases I have to reform and be practical!

Have my spreadsheet out for planning outfits per day to help stay focused on what I really need.

 

Here are my evening dresses for formal nights: luckily got them half price and to my delight they look even better on than in the pictures and feel "right"! Going to accessorize both with silver evening shoes and purse to save bringing extra shoes etc. Wearing diamante necklace and earrings for the blue one - still deciding on jewelry options for the second - may use my purple Swarovski earrings and pendant and have to decide whether I want to add any details to the waist band....

 

Not having any luck posting actual pictures - guess they are too big - so here are the links:

 

http://www.sears.ca/product/jessica-md-crossover-dress/648-000170696-WF11-JE40-2843

 

http://www.sears.ca/product/together-md-georgette-maxi-dress/641-000366807-WF11-TO40-6842

 

I really like the purple dress!

[indiana71]

snowbirds2: Both dresses are beautiful, flattering on any figure. Adding your jewelry and shoes will "kick it up a notch" and add personality. And I bet they are easy to pack, too. Great choices!

[curlymason]

Indiana - how fun!! I would turn our guest room into a cruise room, but I would have to haul stuff up and down the stairs, so I guess I'll just stick with using a chair, bench and a corner of my bedroom lol. I have my list pretty much done. I just need to wash everything, and pack it all!

[3dogmom]

I just returned from a 4-night Carnival Paradise cruise and lets just say that a lot of people are nowhere near fashionistas!:rolleyes: I came away realizing that I really am one of those people who cares what others wear to dinner. I am a RCCL regular and never noticed the attire (or lack there of) until this cruise. This was a girls cruise, so of course it was fun and we all looked great;) but camo hats in the dining room? Is that necessary?

 

I guess that explains why I have followed this entire thread and love seeing the obsessive outfit planning and packing...because that is me!:)

 

Keep posting the pics, lists, and packing challenges!

[indiana71]

3dogmom: We've never cruised on Carnival, but I've heard that passengers are much more laid back.

I'm very proud of your Fashionista spirit and how you care about looking presentable, especially at dinner.

A girl's cruise sounds like so-o-o much fun! If you have photos showing some of the outfits, please post!

Today I tried on dinner outfits. This was the preliminary fitting so no photos to post.

I have my "worksheets" which are each 1/4 of an 8.5x11" sheet. On the top of each is "Day 1 - At Sea" or "Day 4 - Labadee", etc.

And I have the same sheets for evening, i.e., "Day 1 - Casual Dinner", "Day 3 - Formal Night", etc. Every part of the outfit is listed, from undergarments to accessories.

Now I'm going to put all that info on my spreadsheet, checking to be sure I don't wear (for example) the same color palette, 2 days in a row.

Friday is set aside for trying on all the daytime outfits: Capris, shorts and EEK - swimsuits:eek:!

Edited January 24, 2012 by indiana71

[CactusGirly]

Oh Indiana how I envy that cruise room.... My cruise room is in the form of an excel spreadsheet. :)

 

Just finished my packing spreadsheet! I have columns headed :

Date; What/Where; Dresses; Bottoms; Tops; Panties; Bras; Jewelry; Shoes; Sweaters/Wraps; Swimwear; Purse/Bag

 

Then each date is broken down into activities under What/Where (i.e. seperate rows for Workout / Pool Time / Shore Excursion / Dinner) & the columns are filled in for each. If something is not needed, I grey out that column's square. If I am missing something (like the perfect necklace to go with that black dress), I highlight that square in yellow.

 

It's helpful because I can see how many outfits go with the same pair of shoes, when I can repeat swimwear, and how to narrow my packing down to a good color pallette. (Yay - one month to go!)

[cinnamonspider]

Hello ladies! I have been lurking through this thread for over a week now, reading all the posts, and I thought it time I said hello!

 

You are all a source of great inspiration: I've been a last-minute, stuff it in the suitcase packer for quite some time now, but seeing all your tips and tricks is inspiring me to try and be more organized about my packing. I doubt I'll make it all the way to spreadsheets, but hopefully my packing for my Next Cruise in May goes smoother than the last few times!

 

And I am so jealous of all those with a Cruise Room (indiana :p) - as a poor college student living in a one-bedroom basement apartment, such things are a luxury!

[indiana71]

CactusGirly: Your spreadsheet sounds very organized. I especially like the idea of greying out an unneeded square and highlighting an item square that IS needed.

Too bad this thread doesn't allow us to copy and paste our spreadsheets. I've tried to no avail. If anyone knows the secret, please share!

cinnamonspider: First, I LOVE your screen name! And WELCOME! Thanks for joining the conversation.

You can be jealous of those of us w/ a Cruise Room...but I'm jealous that you are so young and already cruising:cool:! DH & I didn't start until we were in our 50's (after a DS had a honeymoon cruise & insisted it was our kind of vacation).

Everyone who comes to CCF finds inspiration and gives inspiration. Suggestions and ideas are always eagerly accepted.

A NEW DRESS: Okay, I wasn't going to buy anything new for The Next Cruise...but today, spur of the moment, I stopped at TJ Maxx. I've only been there one other time - opening day & it was chaos:eek:. BUT TODAY - I found a great dress at a great price! Remember when I was looking for a Red Dress? DH saw one on a very rare occasion when he was shopping w/ me. I tried it on and he bought it.

Well - the OTHER style I've been looking for is (was) a one-shoulder cocktail dress. TJ Maxx had one in my size! It was $26!! It's mostly black w/ some maroon. It's fitted and tiered.

A photo will be posted in a couple weeks when I'm doing the Final Try-On.

Edited January 25, 2012 by indiana71

[grrl2grrl]

CactusGirly: Your spreadsheet sounds very organized. I especially like the idea of greying out an unneeded square and highlighting an item square that IS needed.

Too bad this thread doesn't allow us to copy and paste our spreadsheets. I've tried to no avail. If anyone knows the secret, please share!

 

I've been lurking and I know the answer to your troubles Indiana!!! I had to figure this one out b/c I made a spreadsheet for our roll call board for the Meet & Greet... I use Excel, create the spreadsheet how I want it then:

1. On the worksheet or chart sheet, select the cells or click the chart or object you want to copy as a picture.

2. Hold down SHIFT and click Copy Picture on the Edit menu.

3. For best picture quality, make sure As shown on screen and Picture are selected, and then click OK.

4. Click the worksheet or other document where you want to paste the picture.

5. Click Paste .

Save as jpg.

Now you can upload the jpg as a picture to this message board for everyone to see!!!

 

On a side note, I cruise in March, and so far have only been working on the formal aspects of the cruise. I do love clothes, and dressing up - so I'm one of those few that you will see in a formal gown... Currently I'm embellishing my cocktail dress with sequins to sparkle it up a bit for the occasion. (I do one night cocktail, and the other gown when I have 2 cruise elegant nights.) I'm excited!!!

Oh and great job with the cruise room Indiana - I may just have to do that myself with our spare room!!!

[curlymason]

Just did my makeup consolidation run through lol. I have a TON of makeup and normally I just bring all of it, but since I'm flying this time, I wanted to bring a smaller makeup bag and less stuff!

 

I also pulled out my two formal dresses and made sure they didn't need to be dry cleaned and that they still fit :D.

 

I don't know if any of you have one in your town, but I went to Charming Charlie yesterday to look for jewelry for formal nights. They have incredibly good prices on cute costume jewelry. It's also cool because it's all color coordinated.

[indiana71]

grrl2grrl: Thanks for the techno info! It doesn't sound too-o complicated so I will give it a try as soon as my spreadsheet first draft is done. (There are ALWAYS changes in outfits, as all you CCFs know...)

And I'm pleased to read that you love clothes and dressing up!:)

curlymason: Getting makeup organized is one more important aspect of planning. We all have jars, bottles and tubes of stuff that gets packed but not used. Lipstick is my weakness - I take several + a lipstick brush + gloss...Rarely use the brush and mostly stick with 2 or 3 colors.

So you will be my inspiration when I start checking off the makeup!

I tried on casual outfits today - shorts, Capris. No swimsuits yet - a couple more weeks to continue working out and firming up:eek:.

All the outfits will go on my spreadsheet that I will try to post. Didn't count the pairs of shoes, yet...

[dixielandings]

This thread is awesome and is cracking me up! Getting ready to go is half the fun of any trip for me! Appropriate music is a must!!

 

I married a traveller so I've become pretty seasoned in 9 years of togetherness. Like some of you, I always pack on paper first - for any trip, not just vacation. This makes packing so much faster. I literally stand in my closet with a post-it and start writing down outfits. Then I just haul the pieces out and stack them up for DH to put in the suitcases (all men seem to fancy themselves superior packers :D).

 

One thing I'm doing on my upcoming trip that's different from other times (to see if I can get everything in a carry-on) is that I'm taking a skirt (instead of a dress) to wear for dress occasions. It's white and goes with every top I own so mixing and matching is easy.

 

My favorite accessory on every vacation (especially cruises) is my (fake) tan! So whatever I pack, you can bet there will be few sleeves or pants!

[indiana71]

dixielandings: Welcome to CCF:cool:! What great ideas you have shared.

Standing in front of the closet (or even dresser drawers, etc.) would be a time saver. I haul all those items to the Cruise Room, choose outfits, then haul back what isn't going.

But using Post-It notes and writing outfits would be very practical for many fashionistas.

A "sort of chart" could be formed on any flat surface by making rows of Post-It notes for each day. Sure makes it easy to switch out outfits to different days! The Post-Its could even be stacked & taken along. Just refer to the top one and then toss it:)!

[CactusGirly]

Just did my makeup consolidation run through lol. I have a TON of makeup and normally I just bring all of it, but since I'm flying this time, I wanted to bring a smaller makeup bag and less stuff!

 

I also pulled out my two formal dresses and made sure they didn't need to be dry cleaned and that they still fit :D.

 

I don't know if any of you have one in your town, but I went to Charming Charlie yesterday to look for jewelry for formal nights. They have incredibly good prices on cute costume jewelry. It's also cool because it's all color coordinated.

 

I love Charming Charlie's!! They just launched a website too, so if you don't have one near you you can shop online. Great prices on a ridiculously huge selection of costume jewelry.

[boxermom73]

I am so glad to find this thread! I thought I was the only one that did this:D I also bring everything out into my spare room and organize it all by outfits! We usually cruise in September but this year we are cruising in March so I have alot of new Summer things I bought at the end of the year that I forgot about:plol But I did buy 2 new swimsuits and 2 new cocktail dresses because the online stores are having such great sales! We have 46 days till our cruise so I will start putting things on paper and laying it on the bed to see what I will take... I love hearing and seeing what every body else is wearing!

[RedInLove]

In a spare bedroom I assemble every possible clothing item, shoes, jewelry, accessory; then start to build outfits for each occasion. The first is for travel to the ship and (usually) SailAway the same day. We've been leaving out of Baltimore recently so there's no overnight stay in Florida.

Every outfit gets tried on - under garments to accessories - assessed, tweeked and put into a spreadsheet for each occasion. Sometimes DH is consulted - "Which shoes (earrings, top, etc.) looks better?

 

When it's time to pack, every item gets ironed the day before and layered in the suitcase(s) with tissue paper.

Surprisingly, I only take 1 big suitcase + a carry-on - and a big purse.

 

 

This is EXACTLY what I was talking to my sister about doing in a few weeks when I start packing for my first cruise! She's going to come over to be my 2nd opinion, and I'm going to try on everything, figure out which shoes and jewelry will go with what, and either make a list or take pictures of each outfit. I'm mostly concerned with the evening clothes, but I want my day clothes to look nice as well.

[indiana71]

RedinLove: First let me say WELCOME to the CCF thread! We love first time cruisers because we were all there once, and have become addicted! You will, too:cool:!

Your sister is what every fashionista covets - a Fairy Fashionista-Mother! Someone who gives an opinion, offers a suggestion or tells you when an outfit doesn't work. You are one lucky lady!

I have found that taking photos is very helpful (especially when you're preparing for your NEXT cruise).

And if you have photos, please post them here. All fashionistas like to see what others wear.

Evening clothes are important. Those formal nights are when you can see women (and men) checking out everyone else - not so much to criticize, but just to see how others put outfits together.

Daytime clothes are important, too. And if you plan ahead (like you're doing), you won't need to spend much time getting ready for each cruise ship day. No one wants to be in a stateroom rummaging through the suitcase when there's sunshine, swimming pools, drinks w/ umbrellas...

[RazorbackBelle08]

Got my order in from Venus and kept About 3/4 of the clothes!!! I'm almost all set and can't wait to post some pics up here soon of the outfits with my accessories! Here are a couple of things I picked up. Would love feedback from you all! I'm 28, blonde, 5'8 and size 8 so I'm trying to dress for my size and age and the occasion but since I've never been on a cruise it's just guesswork for me :)

[boxermom73]

Got my order in from Venus and kept About 3/4 of the clothes!!! I'm almost all set and can't wait to post some pics up here soon of the outfits with my accessories! Here are a couple of things I picked up. Would love feedback from you all! I'm 28, blonde, 5'8 and size 8 so I'm trying to dress for my size and age and the occasion but since I've never been on a cruise it's just guesswork for me :)

all are SUPER CUTE!

[RazorbackBelle08]

all are SUPER CUTE!

 

Are you on other forums by chance? :)

[boxermom73]

Are you on other forums by chance? :)

Yes ma'am! :D

[cinnamonspider]

Well, although the packing won't happen for a while, the shopping can start at any time! Ordered these two dresses on Ebay a few days ago, now just waiting for them to get here. I figure I'll wear them on the casual nights, dressed up with heels and accessories. And no, that is not me wearing them :p

 

[RedInLove]

RedinLove: First let me say WELCOME to the CCF thread! We love first time cruisers because we were all there once, and have become addicted! You will, too:cool:!

 

Thank you very much! I'm so happy I found this board, I've learned so much just in the few days I've been here!

 

 

Your sister is what every fashionista covets - a Fairy Fashionista-Mother! Someone who gives an opinion, offers a suggestion or tells you when an outfit doesn't work. You are one lucky lady!

 

I don't buy ANYTHING new without getting a second opinion! I want to feel fabulous on this trip, and knowing I look fabulous will go a long way!

 

 

I have found that taking photos is very helpful (especially when you're preparing for your NEXT cruise). And if you have photos, please post them here. All fashionistas like to see what others wear.

 

Evening clothes are important. Those formal nights are when you can see women (and men) checking out everyone else - not so much to criticize, but just to see how others put outfits together.

 

Daytime clothes are important, too. And if you plan ahead (like you're doing), you won't need to spend much time getting ready for each cruise ship day. No one wants to be in a stateroom rummaging through the suitcase when there's sunshine, swimming pools, drinks w/ umbrellas...

 

Those drinks w/ umbrellas in the sun by the pool are at the top of my Cruise-To-Do List! And I love the idea of taking pictures as I try on, that way I can save them for not only when I'm aboard getting dressed, but for the next trip like you mentioned. I will be home in a couple weeks to get started, I will try to remember to post a few pics when we get started!

 

I have plenty of casual dresses/wear for the casual evenings. I also have 2 cocktail dresses, but I want to find a full-length gown for one night if I can. It's been years since I've worn a nice gown (besides my wedding gown, the last time would have been a military ball or two over 10 years ago!), so I'm going to hit the stores this week to see what's out there that's not too teenage-prom looking.