How long before you Sail, do you start packing.....Any tips on how to make it easy....

[BklynBoy8]

41 minutes ago, winstonsmom21 said:

Semi-related, how formal are the formal evenings?  I have a green gown for our masquerade one (my absolute favorite, except my wedding gown), but I'm struggling with this black and white thing.  For whatever reason, I can't seem to find an age appropriate (mid-30s) gown at a reasonable price point.  😶

 

The dress code is to create a standard thru out the ship example after 6PM so all are in Evening Wear. IMHO..... It really set a aire of Elegance on board. One of the reasons we are attracted to sail on QM2.

 

Dress Theme is for those that want to participate in the set Theme and to transport them into that Evening's Fantasy ex. Roaring 20's, Blk & Wht, Red & Gold and Masquerade. 

[lissie]

7 hours ago, winstonsmom21 said:

Semi-related, how formal are the formal evenings?  I have a green gown for our masquerade one (my absolute favorite, except my wedding gown), but I'm struggling with this black and white thing.  For whatever reason, I can't seem to find an age appropriate (mid-30s) gown at a reasonable price point.  😶

Just wear your favourite green gown - there is no way you need something different for every formal night -accessorize differently and no one will notice 

 

[LittleFish1976]

22 hours ago, lissie said:

Well we are totally tempting fate because we fly out of NZ  in 2 days - 10 days before we hopefully get on the ship in SF - if we test positive I guess we'll need a new plan to get to Barcelona. 

 

We are basically packed except I'd totally forgotten about makeup and then decided its all probably at least 2 years old and probably much older so I bought some new stuff - well new foundation, and lip gloss anyways.  And we still don't know whether he will have to drag a cpap along or not - that's tomorrow's appointment. But we don't leave until the evening of the day after so all good! 

 

So glad your big trip is finally here. Don't forget those of us looking for vicarious adventures - we're looking forward to reading all about it!

 

 

[LittleFish1976]

22 hours ago, exlondoner said:

 

Make-up? Never heard of it. 😀

You must be getting hugely excited.

 

I also ditched most make-up as a consequence of all our prolonged lockdowns here over the last couple of years, along with certain foundation garments! 😌

 

[LittleFish1976]

19 hours ago, exlondoner said:

 

I certainly shall, but I sometimes get the impression that people forget that the primary benefit of the masks is that they protect others if you happen to be infected. They protect the wearer less, though still some. Anyway, I intend to spend a lot of time outside in the Mediterranean weather.

 

A decent mask will very much protect the wearer!

 

[lissie]

1 hour ago, LittleFish1976 said:

 

So glad your big trip is finally here. Don't forget those of us looking for vicarious adventures - we're looking forward to reading all about it!

 

 

I will  -we don't board until the 24th - so won't bore you with Hawaii and SF  pre-cruise! 

[lissie]

21 hours ago, techteach said:

@lissie Good for you for throwing away your make-up! I got rid of all of mine and bought a tinted sunscreen and that is all I wear now, and only to church or special occasions. I’m feeling good with my own skin. I subscribe to Eater San Fran. and have thought of you. Have you decided to do wine tasting? If so, where? I hope your trip is trouble-free.

Still not decided about the wine tastings -  given the current increase in case numbers I want to avoid group settings in buses and particularly unmasked eating/drinking - I really don't want to be denied boarding in SF!   We may do Muir Woods instead 

[techteach]

@lissie Muir Woods is nice, easily walked, switch back driving to get there. I agree with you regarding buses. We did wine tasting, 3,  in Oregon mid June. All required timed reservations and each tasting party was assigned a host to conduct the tasting. All had the option to taste outside. We loved it compared to the old style of elbowing at the tasting bar. I’d head to Carneros, which is about 1 1/2 hour drive from S.F. Really nice Pinot Noirs. My favorite is Patz and Hall. I don’t know what it would cost to hire a driver versus renting a car for the day from downtown. You could do Muir Woods and Carneros in one trip. In any case - have fun and make sure you have a rain coat.

[neeuqdrazil]

20 hours ago, winstonsmom21 said:

Semi-related, how formal are the formal evenings?  I have a green gown for our masquerade one (my absolute favorite, except my wedding gown), but I'm struggling with this black and white thing.  For whatever reason, I can't seem to find an age appropriate (mid-30s) gown at a reasonable price point.  😶

 

As others have said, don't worry about the themes. If you really want to, I've done a black ball skirt and white dress shirt (think Sharon Stone at the Oscars all those years ago) with some success.

[D&N]

3 hours ago, lissie said:

I will  -we don't board until the 24th - so won't bore you with Hawaii and SF  pre-cruise! 

I'm sure nobody would be bored with anything you thought might interest others!

 

In particular you might get the chance to contribute to the Sunrise (Sunset) thread from new places. 🌅

[WestonOne]

Re-reading this, I thought I would mention another thing specific to those who use 'old-fashioned' cameras, not just the camera on the mobile phone.  I use both, depending on the situation.

I have six spare batteries for my camera, and on a day out, whether a cruise or not, I always have one fully charged in the camera and at least two in a pocket.  Three if the trip is very promising.   My camera kit includes a lot of spare SD cards.  I don't carry a spare when I am out and about, but I try not to reformat  them at all on a cruise, so I may have several SD cards to process when I get home.  On a trip to the Galapagos, I used a separate SD card per day, but haven't done that anywhere else. 

Photos on my phone are a bit more problematical.  They automatically upload to the cloud when I have an Internet connection, but between data roaming charges in general, and the limited Internet on board, basically anything taken on the phone is 'vulnerable' until I get home, so that is one reason I mainly use the traditional camera.

Edited July 22, 2022 by WestonOne

[shipgeeks]

Something that recently became a game changer for us is leaving the jackets and many other hanging items on their hangers when packing.  It does add a bit of weight, but unpacking on the ship is so much easier.

We don't initially fold large items when packing. Place bottom half of jacket in case, with top remaining against the lid. Top half of trousers on top of that, with bottom half hanging out at the side. Continue through perhaps six or eight items, then start folding the outside halves over each other. No sharp fold lines when unpacked.

We do cross-pack (his/hers items) in case one bag is lost.

I use the clear plastic square bags that bed linen sets are sold in to hold undies, jerseys, etc.  They can go right into a drawer on the ship.