Caribbean-Cruising Fashonista

[our turn]

Great shoes! Also love the top, the color is great on you.

My dh is the greatest, he told me last night to upgrade our cabin to a sky suite. I am on hold right now with the TA. Prices have come down a little since we booked so it isn't going to cost that much more. We will have a butler, how cool is that?

I need to start packing for my 10 year old tonight. He is staying with one of our older sons and his wife while we are gone. First time away from him since the accident so he is a little apprehensive about it. He worries so much now about us when we are not with him. Hope this will help him see that we can go away and will come back just fine. Oh now I'm a mess thinking about being away from him. But it will be good for all of us.

Interesting question about all the beauty products - I do that too. This time though, I am going to make use of the spa and beauty salon. I've been saving for this trip a long time.

Kim

[indiana71]

our turn: Good for you! Using the spa and salon is the best way to be pampered - and it sounds like you WILL have lots of pampering! A Sky suite & butler - WaHoo!!

Packing for your son should be easy. Boys don't need all the extra stuff females do:)!

[our turn]

our turn: Good for you! Using the spa and salon is the best way to be pampered - and it sounds like you WILL have lots of pampering! A Sky suite & butler - WaHoo!!

 

Packing for your son should be easy. Boys don't need all the extra stuff females do:)!

 

Oh, this kid does. He is worse than any girl when it comes to clothes and shoes. Plus they will be traveling to a basketball tournament while we are gone so I need to pack separate for that.

 

Just got my comfirmation on the upgrade. It only cost me $300 to upgrade for both segments of the cruise so I am pleased.

 

Never used the spa much in the past. Any reccomendations?

 

Kim

[indiana71]

our turn: I'm happy to hear that you have a son who cares about how he looks! My boys did, too; but generally, they liked what I chose (at least until they were in their early teens):rolleyes:

The upgrade was a great deal! Worth it just for the amenities and pampering. Please come back here to give a report & post photos.

I've never used the spa but friends love the massages and mani/pedis. (I would rather spend the $$ on clothes & wine;)).

Speaking of clothes, here's another outfit - one for a casual dinner. I bought the cami & Bolero at Nordstrom's before The First Cruise and have worn it w/ several different bottoms. I like sleeves in the dining room where the temp is usually too cool for me. But if we dance later, it's nice to take the Bolero off.

[d'sdarling]

indiana 71 You have great taste in fashion! Love seeing the pictures. What are some of your favorite stores?

[cruisin'tex]

No, I don't consider myself a "fashionista" BUT - I love planning every detail of every outfit. When all the work is done before SailAway, so much time is saved onboard. I would LOVE to hear what other like-minded clothes-lovers have to say!

Surely, there are others out there who love the tropical clothes and enjoy the process of planning and the comfort of knowing each outfit will be interesting, fun and appropriate???

It has nothing to do with pleasing strangers on a cruise ship, but rather the same kind of self-pampering one gets from having a really good mani-pedi or massage.

 

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.

 

 

One word, "ohmygosh!!!"

[indiana71]

cruisin'tex & d'sdarling: Thanks for checking out the Caribbean Cruising Fashonista thread:cool:!

When I wrote that 1st post, I had no idea if anyone would respond. It looks like others are interested in clothes, fashion and other girly delights! Keep posting - that way we can talk about our favorite subject without other people being bored and/or rolling their eyes:).

Favorite Stores: Nordstrom is by far my favorite but I rarely get to one. Talbot's is good but some of their clothes are more appropriate for a work environment rather than cruising. And there's always Macy's. Victoria's Secret has the BEST under garments. Zappos.com is where I can find the best selection in my shoe size (5.5) & you can't beat their return policy.

I rarely order clothes online. It's so much more fun to try things on in a store!

We have an independent clothing store in our small downtown and I'm happy to find something there.

How about the rest of you? Where do you like to shop?

[d'sdarling]

My two favorites are Ann Taylor Loft and White House Black Market. I love Chicos for their costume jewelry and Soma for their to die for soft "cool nights" pajamas. But I do shop other stores.

[our turn]

I love White House Black Market and Cache but they are both rather pricey so I try to catch sales. I like to order from Boston Proper and Venus has great bathing suits and cute cover-ups.

Kim

[jacksmom09]

indiana71, Love your outfits! I hope to start putting stuff together this weekend!

[lilme74]

our turn: I'm happy to hear that you have a son who cares about how he looks! My boys did, too; but generally, they liked what I chose (at least until they were in their early teens):rolleyes:

 

The upgrade was a great deal! Worth it just for the amenities and pampering. Please come back here to give a report & post photos.

 

I've never used the spa but friends love the massages and mani/pedis. (I would rather spend the $$ on clothes & wine;)).

 

Speaking of clothes, here's another outfit - one for a casual dinner. I bought the cami & Bolero at Nordstrom's before The First Cruise and have worn it w/ several different bottoms. I like sleeves in the dining room where the temp is usually too cool for me. But if we dance later, it's nice to take the Bolero off.

 

Such a cute outfit!

[indiana71]

I see at the bottom of lilme74's post, there is a Perfect Packer Quiz box. It was a quick and easy quiz to take. All of us Fashionista's will probably get a Perfect Packer score:). Since we take the time to put together fun outfits, dressy outfits and make lists; we're also sticklers for packing carefully.

Take the quiz and post your score!

[Sea rabbit]

Hi all. Only just got back to thread as didn't know how to find out where I had been before! Love reading about all of your outfits. Indiana71, great looks. I will be on RC IOS in July. Ordered a lovely blue long dress with diamante embellishment at waist and short floaty sleeves (like to cover tops of arms). Hope it fits. Think this will suit one of the formal ights. Need a pair of silver evening sandals to complete outfit. Seen a fab pair of Jimmy Choos but budget doesn't quite stretch to them and DH would have heart attack! Although some of the stores you mention I am unfamiliar with but still getting excited and looking on their websites. Keep posting as I never get bored thinking, reading and talking about clothes. x

[er345]

I just spent 3 hours trying on clothes at Marshall's this week. And I was already set for cruise clothes! I do hate to shop retail so I am a Marshalls/TJMaxx gal. However I did buy a few lovely items at Chicos, a fun bolero and a gold crochet sweater, plus tank and travel pants. I am ordering some swim suits from Lands End as they actually have suits with my much needed 36DDD bra inside. I think I've gone overboard with swim coverups, I just bought a fab black Calvin Klein dress that I'm using for one.

 

I picked out all my jewelry this week. I love fun, inexpensive costume stuff and I rarely get to show it off. So I have 7 sandwich baggies packed with a set of earrings, necklace, rings, bracelet in each. Pretty anal, I know so go ahead and make fun. But each is for one dinner outfit and now nothing will be tangled, jumbled etc. plus I'll bring some generic daytime stuff to mix in during the week.

[indiana71]

searabbit: Try zappos.com for silver shoes. So easy to navigate and if they don't fit, zappos pays for their return. All price ranges are available, colors, heel height, etc.

Your dress sounds lovely - perfect for formal night:).

er345: Unfortunately, Marshall's & TJ Maxx rarely have a selection of petite sizes so I haven't had much luck in either store. Chico's has fun cruise clothes but same limited selection. I do like their jewelry.

I LOVE that you took the time to pack your jewelry. Costume jewelry is what I like, too. And I also use Baggies - putting a Post-It note in each one w/ the day & outfit it goes with. Not anal at all:).

How I Pack Earrings: You know those 7-day clear pill boxes? I have 2 - one for daytime, one for evening; and since the Day is already on each lid, it's easy to drop in the earrings. That way every pair is easily accessible and don't get lost.

Since the prediction is 3-6 inches of snow by tomorrow, I'm thinking about Nassau and how beautiful the weather is there. This is what I'll wear that day - Talbot's "seahorse" top, Ralph Lauren shorts and Naot sandals...

[er345]

Oh, Indiana, I have to smile. :)

I also put small cards in each jewelry baggie with the outfit listed and what shoes go with it. I was just too embarrassed to admit how much I plan! I poked holes in the cards and just slipped the earrings through the holes to keep them handy. And of course I have a list of which outfit is for which night.

 

I will pack all these in my carry on, but once onboard I will store them in the over the door shoe holder that so many people recommend. In fact I've been testing this holder by putting my items in it now, shoes, flat iron, scarves, jewelry etc just to see how well it holds everything.

 

I am a bit more flexible with my daytime clothes as I'm not sure what we will feel like doing each day.

[er345]

I forgot to mention how cute your outfits are. Love the slim metallic belt. And i adore the sling back shoes from a few posts ago.

[indiana71]

Isn't the over-the-door shoe holder one of the best ideas!!

All my shoes used to go on the closet floor - poor DH had to pile his under the tiny coffee table:eek:! But now - all the shoes (except beach flip-flops) are up & out of the way...and DH gets 2 pockets, too:).

We fashonistas who spend so much time packing have lots more fun once onboard. No pulling out a bunch of clothes, shoes & accessories to try to put an outfit together - we know what to wear and don't waste time agonizing. ;) Don't EVER be embarrassed that you take time to look your best!

PS - The silver belt is from Talbot's.

[er345]

I completely agree about having fun and relaxing onboard because there is NO STRESS. At home I may try on 3 outfits before going out. While cruising I will waste no time on that. I love having one week where my only decisions are what to order to eat! Of course thanks to CC and helpful links I have skimmed the menus already.

[indiana71]

er345: You Nailed It! Cruising is all about relaxing. :cool: No other vacation offers the amenities we enjoy onboard. Once the unpacking is done (about an hour), we can forget about the real world. The first Big Decision: Do I have a foo-foo drink now or wait till SailAway???

Choosing An Outfit: This afternoon I have an hour appt w/ a Lancome consultant, then a stop at a funeral home and finally a church fish dinner. What to wear that is appropriate for all of that?? It took me an hour of try ons before a decision was made:eek:!

RE Lacome Makeover: The request was "Please don't wear makeup." I've NEVER left home for ANY reason w/o at least the basics :eek:(moisturizer, concealer, foundation, blush, eyeliner)...

but I am looking forward to picking up some tips. I'll report later.

[er345]

I hope your makeup consult is a lot of fun. Then you will look beautiful the rest of the day.

 

DH caught me trying on clothes today. I told him I was picking out my boarding outfit. He teased me of course that the "boarding outfit was critical". I told him it is, because that outfit will be packed in our carry on. His rolling carry on will have to have our things for the hotel in FLL and the clothes for Sat. Morning. That way we can leave our large luggage untouched on Friday night. Also on our first cruise not one piece of our checked luggage arrived with us. Luckily we retrieved it at the airport in time to board the next day, wearing the clothes we flew in!

Edited March 11, 2011 by er345

[our turn]

Indiana71, hope your make-up consult was a sucess. I need to do that, but won't have the time before we leave on Thursday.

ER435, I know exactly what you mean about packing for pre-cruise separate from cruise. We both hate to fly so this time we booked a sleeper car on Amtrak from Raleigh to Miami. We are leaving at 9:00 pm Thursday and will arrive in Miami late afternoon on Friday. We think it will be a fun adventure. Not nearly as worried about losing luggage this way. I packed our carry ons for the trip, one night in Miami and embarkation.

My dh used to make fun of me for my obsessive planning and packing, but now he know everything he needs will be there. I even heard him tell someone the other day that all he has to do is show up because I have everything under control.

Just 3 more working days! Our ds has a basketball tournament out of town this weekend so we will be busy with that until Sunday night. I still have a short list of things to get done next week.

Kim

[jacksmom09]

Hi! I am really trying to get motivated to begin pre packing this weekend! Just wondering what a good "basic" packing list would be for me, dh and ds(13)!:confused: we will all 3 be in a balcony stateroom that I have heard has limited closet/storage space!:eek: I would love to hear what your short, but sweet list is????;)

[Sea rabbit]

Thanks Indiana71 for info re zappo. Some lovely sandals but unsure if they ship to Uk. Will keep looking. The blue dress I ordered for formal night had to go back but will enjoy searching for something else. Hope your make up session was a success. I am considering trying spray tan for first time but doing dummy run well before sail away time!

[er345]

Jack's mom, I think it's so hard to pack just the essentials, but I'm trying to eliminate items myself. Shoes seem to be a problem. While I would LOVE to bring several dressy shoes as where else can I show them off, I have managed to narrow it down to two pair, gold sandals and black heels. I am also bringing some black wedge sandals that work for day or night. And I'm cutting out extra flip flops and sticking with one good pair that is nice enough for lunch, but can be worn poolside.

 

For evenings besides formal nights I bring 1 pair of dress black pants that can be worn a few times with different fun tops. I also tend to bring simple dresses as that is 1 item vs. pants/tank top/jacket combo. Also my black tank dress works for lunch/bars/dancing/and even a coverup over a swim suit.

 

If you haven't tried this, midweek there is a laundry special to fill a bag with small items. DH and I put in underwear, his socks, my pjs and a T shirt or 2 if it will fit. This lets us rewear it all at the end of the week. I'm not sure if you can get the special on more than 1 bag per cabin, but you can ask.

 

I also use the lightweight packing cubes for my foldable clothes. Then I put the whole cube as is in a drawer or on a closet shelf and pull it out when I need it. One for underwear, one for T-shirts, one for pjs, one for swim suits etc.

 

I know you were looking for a list, but I don't have one handy.