Tahitian cruise clothing recap

[Bizmark'sMom]

I just got home from paradise... 80* farenheight, 90% humidity -- I sweated! It was hot and steamy.

 

3 swimsuits, 2 rash guards, 1 swim leggings (really just long yoga pants), neoprene socks, dive booties.  I used all of these, rinsed them out, and then re-used them over and over.  The leggings plus rash guard I needed for a shallow coral drift snorkel I knew I was doing. I should have added gloves to the ensemble -- I have coral cuts on my fingers. You really try to avoid touching coral at all, but waves happen. 2 cover-ups.

 

Fins, mask, snorkel - used most days.  I could have checked fins out from the ship, but I own these and I'm used to them. Plus, mine are adjustable to fit both barefoot and with dive booties. (The dive booties are great when you have to go in from shore, dealing with coral, rocks, and stone fish. Totally not necessary when snorkeling from a boat.) The mask and snorkel -- having a mask that fits really well is golden. Snorkels are generic, but I'd rather just deal with my own cooties.

 

Capris - 3 pairs. One khaki, one dark grey, one black sort of short leggings.  The grey and black showed sunscreen stains quickly (very picky skin - I have to stick to unfragranced mineral sunscreen).

 

Tops -- 2 long, light tunic types with long sleeves. 3 t-shirts.

 

Shoes - 1 pair Chacos, 1 pair tan leather sandals, 1 pair black wedge sandals, the boots I needed to get to my Uber to get to the airport. (I wimped out on trudging through snow in sandals.)

 

Undies - 3 bras, 6 undies, 1 pair pajamas.  I was sweating so much, I was glad to have the extra bras so I could air them out.

 

Evening -- 2 maxi dresses. One black sleeveless, one blue with sleeves. 2 gauzy toppers. 3 sarongs I got creative with.

 

Sunscreen -- back to my picky, eczema prone skin. I cannot count on being able to find the fragrance free stuff I have to use when I'm in port.  Banana Boat is everywhere, and it works well -- unless the fragrance it contains gives one a rash.😕  The main reason I check luggage is my stupidly picky skin.  Cerave mineral hydrating sunscreen was the clear winner -- it goes on smoothly and feels great. It also looks like clown paint, so when walking around town or on the ship I added a bit of Boots #7 foundation drops so it didn't look so strange. (If I was snorkeling or hiking straight away, I went ahead with the clown paint look.)  Sun Bum is a close runner-up. The texture isn't as nice as Cerave, but it also isn't as bright white. Neutrogena sheer zinc has a horrible, sticky texture. It's the most natural looking of the lot, but it feels awful on the skin.

 

I sweated through whatever I happened to have on by mid day. So...  I'd shower when i returned to the ship for good, and change into fresh clothes. Sundress for dinner. In the morning, I'd put on the sort of sweaty but not too bad clothes from the previous afternoon, and wait to shower and find fresh clothes until the day's activities were done. I pre-purchased a laundry package so I used a mix of pairing things out and laundry twice during the cruise. On the days I snorkeled most of the day, nothing got sweaty, it just got salt-watery.

 

There you go.  

[waterbug123]

13 hours ago, Bizmark'sMom said:

I just got home from paradise... 80* farenheight, 90% humidity -- I sweated! It was hot and steamy.

 

3 swimsuits, 2 rash guards, 1 swim leggings (really just long yoga pants), neoprene socks, dive booties.  I used all of these, rinsed them out, and then re-used them over and over.  The leggings plus rash guard I needed for a shallow coral drift snorkel I knew I was doing. I should have added gloves to the ensemble -- I have coral cuts on my fingers. You really try to avoid touching coral at all, but waves happen. 2 cover-ups.

 

Fins, mask, snorkel - used most days.  I could have checked fins out from the ship, but I own these and I'm used to them. Plus, mine are adjustable to fit both barefoot and with dive booties. (The dive booties are great when you have to go in from shore, dealing with coral, rocks, and stone fish. Totally not necessary when snorkeling from a boat.) The mask and snorkel -- having a mask that fits really well is golden. Snorkels are generic, but I'd rather just deal with my own cooties.

 

Capris - 3 pairs. One khaki, one dark grey, one black sort of short leggings.  The grey and black showed sunscreen stains quickly (very picky skin - I have to stick to unfragranced mineral sunscreen).

 

Tops -- 2 long, light tunic types with long sleeves. 3 t-shirts.

 

Shoes - 1 pair Chacos, 1 pair tan leather sandals, 1 pair black wedge sandals, the boots I needed to get to my Uber to get to the airport. (I wimped out on trudging through snow in sandals.)

 

Undies - 3 bras, 6 undies, 1 pair pajamas.  I was sweating so much, I was glad to have the extra bras so I could air them out.

 

Evening -- 2 maxi dresses. One black sleeveless, one blue with sleeves. 2 gauzy toppers. 3 sarongs I got creative with.

 

Sunscreen -- back to my picky, eczema prone skin. I cannot count on being able to find the fragrance free stuff I have to use when I'm in port.  Banana Boat is everywhere, and it works well -- unless the fragrance it contains gives one a rash.😕  The main reason I check luggage is my stupidly picky skin.  Cerave mineral hydrating sunscreen was the clear winner -- it goes on smoothly and feels great. It also looks like clown paint, so when walking around town or on the ship I added a bit of Boots #7 foundation drops so it didn't look so strange. (If I was snorkeling or hiking straight away, I went ahead with the clown paint look.)  Sun Bum is a close runner-up. The texture isn't as nice as Cerave, but it also isn't as bright white. Neutrogena sheer zinc has a horrible, sticky texture. It's the most natural looking of the lot, but it feels awful on the skin.

 

I sweated through whatever I happened to have on by mid day. So...  I'd shower when i returned to the ship for good, and change into fresh clothes. Sundress for dinner. In the morning, I'd put on the sort of sweaty but not too bad clothes from the previous afternoon, and wait to shower and find fresh clothes until the day's activities were done. I pre-purchased a laundry package so I used a mix of pairing things out and laundry twice during the cruise. On the days I snorkeled most of the day, nothing got sweaty, it just got salt-watery.

 

There you go.  

 

Sounds like a good plan for fairly minimalist packing!  My skin isn't quite as picky, but for my face in particular I only use mineral suscreen...much preferable to a bunch of chemicals IMHO.

[slidergirl]

Sounds like you had a great trip!  The swim leggings are making a comeback in some awesome prints.  There were days way back when that I wish I had a pair when I did shallow coral snorkeling!!  

 

Was all your mineral sunscreen "reef safe"?  Just curious.  It's something we all should be using if we go into the ocean - the chemicals are bleaching the reefs.   I use Beaver, but I'd love to find something that is more available.

 

And, you are missing the snowstorm!  We're blowing and snowing down here in the greater Salt Lake City area.  Glad I had today off!!!  

[Bizmark'sMom]

All of the sunscreen I took and used is reef safe. The Sun Bum line is pretty darned fantastic - nice texture without going on like clown paint.  And it doesn't make me itch - huge plus!

 

I was clued in about taking leggings when doing the shallow drift snorkel, and I'm so glad I took that hint.  The waves and current do bang you around a bit, but it was so beautiful!  

 

I'm in Boise now. Below freezing and crazy wind, but no snow. It's a really rude wake-up call after being so warm.

[slidergirl]

On 2/3/2020 at 8:30 PM, Bizmark'sMom said:

All of the sunscreen I took and used is reef safe. The Sun Bum line is pretty darned fantastic - nice texture without going on like clown paint.  And it doesn't make me itch - huge plus!

 

I was clued in about taking leggings when doing the shallow drift snorkel, and I'm so glad I took that hint.  The waves and current do bang you around a bit, but it was so beautiful!  

 

I'm in Boise now. Below freezing and crazy wind, but no snow. It's a really rude wake-up call after being so warm.

thanks for the info on Sun Bum - I've not encountered it.    On my next trip to an ocean/sea, I'll be sure to look it up.