31 Day Sapphire clothes and beauty questions

[SissyG]

Just keep in mind that if you are flying Qantas there is a limit to the size of your suitcases..you are allowed 2 pieces of checked luggage per person measuring no more that 106" combined width + height + depth with no one exceeding 62" and your carry on may be no more than 45" width + height + depth and weighing only 15 lbs. When we took this trip last time we had to buy a new suitcase each because 2 of our large ones measured larger than 106" combined.

I bought the large 2 1/2 gallon size zip lock bags today..I want to take my favorite fragrance perfume, lotion and shower gel and they contain more ounces than I am allowed to take in my carryon so will have to be packed in checked luggage..so will bubble wrap them and put them in the zip locks.

[pedirn]

When we flew Qantas, we each had a rolling suitcase (26") and a rolling garmet bag plus a carry on each (around the size of rolling back pack). Had no problems with those sizes and except for having to put my pocketbook in my carryon for boarding (which was ridiculous as I took it out when on board) we had no issues. We have tried duffle bags but didnot like the way things shifted in it. But then again I never used the packing crates that have been recommended.

 

I love the large zip lock bags. I pack everything in them then place bags in suitcase. If for some reason someone has to check my bag they are not going through my undies etc and messing things up. But another benefit, we pack dirtly laundry for our return home by colors in the bags. That way my dirty laundry is already sorted when we get home and I just dump the bags in the washing machine.

 

Chris

[2escape]

Can someone remind me where you buy the largest Ziplock bags. We haven't found really big ones in stores in Canada, so would like to pick some up while we are still in the U.S.

Thanks!

Steph

[pedirn]

I get the 2 1/2 gallon size in Walmart or Target. Not always the "Zip Lock" brand although I have found them to be the best. Have tried the ones with zipper type closing and not as effective of regular zip lock bags. Last trip we also tried the extra large zip lock bags (big enough for blankets etc) but found them a little too bulky. I still have some left so may end up using them.

 

Chris

[pedirn]

Forgot to mention....after I pack them I sit on them before closing. Gets most of the air out and suprisingly I have few wrinkles.

 

Chris

[SissyG]

I usually take along a few extra zip lock bags in different sizes to use during the trip. They are good on excursions for the copy of our passport that we never leave the ship without and money and other things you want to keep dry. Also Ginger Altoids...Steph, Remember when everyone was feeling a little queasy on one of our boat rides and I popped out the Ginger Altoids and cured everyone's seasickness. I have some set aside to bring with me this time too just in case.

I found the Xtra large zip locks at Walmart yesterday.

[rollingstone]

Sissy, I'm just wondering.....those "mesh" capris, are they lined or will you be ordering a "KOALA" thong for underneath????

Hope you know that I am just joking with you!!!!

We love our Eagle Creek packers. They are especially good when you are on a land trip & are living out of a suitcase. Everything is organized & stays that way.

The wonderful thing about shoes is that no matter how much weight you lose or gain, they still fit!!!

Nancy

[SissyG]

ME in a KOALA thong, that is a scary thought!:eek:

xoSissy

[NANCYR2]

The XL and XXl and 2XL Hefty bags and zip loc are at most large local markets. Home Depot and Lowe's also sells them. I buy all sizes , and we pack everrything in them. We one for underwear -one for tops-one for night clothes/slippers-XXL one is great for pants etc. I get all of the air out of the bags. It does give lots of space for shoes etc. If and when the suitcases are opened, all that you see are sealed bags.

HA allows a carrry on of 25lbs-that was the last time I checked.

 

Nancy

[TGBarbie]

Oh, great idea Chris. Don't know why I didn't think of sorting my dirty laundry back into the ziploc bags. I'm so picky about keep colors sorted that I will do that this next time.

 

NancyR2: one problem we ran into with the wheeled duffle, if you have to pull it for an extended time for any reason you can actually wear a hole in the bag. Damaged my DH's toiletry bag. (Just glad it didn't ruin any of my shoes, ha ha.)

 

And girls if you tho't Capt Heifara was some eye candy, did any of you do a tour in Raiatea with Stephan. He and his loincloth were the talk of our CC group! We loved our tour with the Capt. and Nani. Since there isn't anything super exciting on Tahiti to do we considering doing his tour again if we can get 4 couples.

 

Sissy, thanks for the Hawaiian info.

 

Deb

[2escape]

Thanks for the speedy and numerous suggestions on sizes and sources. I will be sure to find what I need before we cross the border!

 

Deb, sorry we missed Stephan in Raiatea. We did Bruno's tour (the 'drift' snorkel) which was amazing, but he was not so much!! Maybe next time, but too bad about the Tahitian Princess not spending much time in Tahiti anymore.

 

Okay, I am off topic, but so many things to chat about!

 

Cheers,

Steph

[SissyG]

The black lace Bali body briefer arrived yesterday and it fits really well and will be perfect for what I want to wear it with..which leads to a question. Do you have the white one? If you do are the cups lined and if they are lined is the lining sheer or opaque. I wear a lot of ivory and think it would be great to wear under a couple of things I am bringing with me, but one is a sweater and I don't want to worry about things showing thru that should not be showing...if you know what I mean. I am not sure on the white one if the lace was pattern intensive enough to do the trick. I was thinking that if I order a white one I would give it a quick rinse in tea to turn it from white to ivory...I did this before with lingerie and it worked great...my mom used to do this with lace tablecloths so they would be ecru instead of white.

TGBarbie, did you order from Just Mauied? I got the red hibiscus bowtie and cummerbund for Robert. Sissy

[TGBarbie]

Hi Sissy: Haven't ordered 'cause I can't decide on which dress I will wear, the red or the pink. May have to wait until my pink dress arrives and then decide. Thanks for the link, it was fun checking out the vests. Maybe it'll inspire me to just get busy and just make it myself. Tom is a big guy and if they don't carry it in tall it may not fit. Anyway it's got me thinking.....

[JudiQ]

I was happy to wake up and see posts here this morning, now I know that I am not the only one who is worrying about what to take. I've done this cruise before but it is still a concern.

 

I was planning to wear pants and a embellished sweater for the pre-cruise dinner party thinking that the sweater was a little dressy but that it wasn't too dressy because I was wearing pants.

 

Shoes are always a problem for me..I love them and I already have 10 pairs on my to go list..some are little flip flops so are light weight and flat and shouldn't take up too much room..I plan to wear my biggest and heaviest pair on the plane.

 

I shopped a little yesterday and picked up the rest of my undies and stockings. I am so shopped out I cannot believe it..Thank goodness for Chico's fantastic sale and coupons. For the first time I am not taking dresses for formal nights..just pants and dressy tops. I have a few color schemes that I am working on...with a lot of Travelors black as a basic color..but also have a little group going with a nautical theme.

My nail tech has me down for the day before we leave for a new set of pink and white nails and a pedi..I can only imagine what a fill will cost onboard and I think I will probably need to have them done twice. My hair is woven and I am having it done the day before we leave so think I can get by until we get back, but my hair grows really fast and I might need to have a trim towards the end of the cruise. My long time hairdresser has been really trying to get me to have a body perm..I am really scared about this..but she assures me that it will only be body and not curly..I am growing my hair into a bob and she thinks it will be easier for me...I am still not convinced.

 

Sissy

 

Hi Sissy,

Thanks for starting the thread.

I know what you mean about Chico's. Most of what I am planning on bringing is from there. I got some great deals.

Haircut and foil is scheduled for the day before we leave, April 3rd. I am also growing my hair into a bob but am thinking of going very short for the cruise. I think it will be much easier. I will see how I feel in April.

Judi

[JudiQ]

Anyone else besides me taking capris along? I'm going to tuck in a couple of light weight (wrinkle free) linen ones.

 

Hugs

Anni

 

Hi,

I am definitely taking capris. I have given up on shorts and feel much more comfortable in the capris.

Also spanx is available at Chico's.

Judi

[JudiQ]

Well, I finally finished reading this thread and there is a lot of great info.

I noticed that many of you are doing WW. Perfhaps we can get a group together on board and support each others efforts.

Judi

[aussielil]

Just to let you know there are three supermarkets in the city (Sydney) and lots of pharmacies/general stores that you can purchase your last minute toothpaste/tissues/hair products etc within a half hour walk or quick bus/taxi ride of the ship. As we are in Autumn there won't be much to chose if you want swimwear, maybe from the large department stores. You will be able to purchase last minute short sleeve tops, t shirts from stores called SDS but are mainly for medium to small sizes but worthwhile looking in as they are cheap, there are two stores in George St. Unfortunately there won't be many sales on at that time to buy up on bargains, but you never know. New Zealand and Tasmania are going to be jeans and sweater weather. Those places can be cold. I am not taking a heavy jacket just a wind proof light weight fleece jacket. Lots of hairdressers and nail technicans, just finding someone who is available at the last minute may be a problem. If you are in Sydney a couple of days before departure you should ok. Hope this snippet helps.

 

I have just booked this cruise on Friday, very happy to be on it.

cheers

Lilly

[SissyG]

Thank you Lilly for posting all that great info....just the kind of news I wanted to hear. I will probably have a lot of questions for you before we cruise.

Great that you were able to book this late...at one point I think this cruise was completely booked, but final payment was just due and you were probably able to pick up a cancellation.

Have you seen the roll call for this cruise? We have a ton of wonderful people, check it out in the roll call section.

Sissy

[aussielil]

Thanks Sissy I did see the rollcall and can't believe it's over 200 pages long.

Don't think I have time to start from the 1st page, will try from latest page and go backwards. Happy to answer any questions, if I can, as I work in the city. cheers :)

[Beehive]

Thanks Lilly...that's good news for my packing, especially as we are coming into Sydney a day before our pre-tour!

We've had aour first "major" snowstorm on Cape Cod...12", which is a lot for us! A good day to start thinking about what I will be taking on this trip!

Bobbie

[NANCYR2]

Lilly-thank you for the information on the stores in Sydney. We are planning on buying most of our toiletries when we arrive.

 

Nancy

[Cava Kate]

Thanks Lilly and welcome aboard! It will be most useful to know where we are going and what we are looking for to find shops for our essentials such as deoderant, mouth wash etc.the heavy things. Perhaps if you have time would you be able to give us a few names and locations, I'm sure we will all be armed with street maps by the time we reach Sydney, we can then perhaps include our shopping with our other plans. Do these type of shops stay open in the evenings, what are the general opening hours please??

 

Thanks and best wishes

Helen.

[jrcooper]

I, too, am interested in the grocery stores for toiletry items, and I want to buy detergent in Sydney as we are planning on doing quite a bit of laundry this trip. Gettting some in Sydney will eliminate one heavy item from my suitcase!:) I also want to get some gingersnap cookies. Do you have them? If not, I will just have to bring them. I ate one or two each morning on our last cruise and I truly believe it helped with seasickness. I am really prone to that, so I use patches, wear a Relief Band, and even take Bonine occasionally. I also plan to get some of those Ginger Altoids mentioned earlier on this thread.

 

I got my hair colored and highlighted this week, and I was talking to my hairdresser about how to handle my "roots" on such a long cruise. She showed my a product they sell at their salon called "Hair Powder" by Bumble & Bumble. She said those that have used it just love it. Evidently, you just spray a little of the powder on your roots when needed to cover the gray. It has a matte finish that easily washes out, but it covers really well and looks very natural. She said it worked much better than the kind that combs in, or something. I have never used anything like this, but I may buy a bottle to take on this trip. I will need the color "brown," so if there is anyone else that has brown hair, maybe we can play "beauty shop" on a sea day and spray each other's hair!:D However, she said to be careful if you know that you are going to be going out in the rain. She had a client that was in a hurry one day, so the lady sprayed her entire hair and headed out in the rain. You can guess what happened!!:eek: I think it comes in all colors and will only be sold in salons that sell Bumble & Bumble products.

 

I love this thread!:)

 

Jan

[jrcooper]

I, too, am interested in the grocery stores for toiletry items, and I want to buy detergent in Sydney as we are planning on doing quite a bit of laundry this trip. Gettting some in Sydney will eliminate one heavy item from my suitcase!:) I also want to get some gingersnap cookies. Do you have them? If not, I will just have to bring them. I ate one or two each morning on our last cruise and I truly believe it helped with seasickness. I am really prone to that, so I use patches, wear a Relief Band, and even take Bonine occasionally. I also plan to get some of those Ginger Altoids mentioned earlier on this thread.

 

I got my hair colored and highlighted this week, and I was talking to my hairdresser about how to handle my "roots" on such a long cruise. She showed my a product they sell at their salon called "Hair Powder" by Bumble & Bumble. She said those that have used it just love it. Evidently, you just spray a little of the powder on your roots when needed to cover the gray. It has a matte finish that easily washes out, but it covers really well and looks very natural. She said it worked much better than the kind that combs in, or something. I have never used anything like this, but I may buy a bottle to take on this trip. I will need the color "brown," so if there is anyone else that has brown hair, maybe we can play "beauty shop" on a sea day and spray each other's hair!:D However, she said to be careful if you know that you are going to be going out in the rain. She had a client that was in a hurry one day, so the lady sprayed her entire hair and headed out in the rain. You can guess what happened!!:eek: I think it comes in all colors and will only be sold in salons that sell Bumble & Bumble products.

 

I love this thread!:)

 

Jan

[Tkennedy]

Thanks Sissy I did see the roll call and can't believe it's over 200 pages long.

Don't think I have time to start from the 1st page, will try from latest page and go backwards. Happy to answer any questions, if I can, as I work in the city. cheers :)

Lilly aka aussielil - glad you were able to book a cabin and will be joining us on the Sapphire. Yes, our Roll Call thread is very active and long. I have set up an Album on Webshots just for this cruise. This would be a great place for you to see what activities and private tour have been arranged. http://travel.webshots.com/album/551913055GuoHEUThere's also a Who's Who with photos of others booked on this cruise. Some of the tours have some available space. If you're interested in joining any of the tours, just post on the roll call thread.

 

Please feel free to send me your Who's Who information and photo. I'd like to add it with the rest of the KOALAs. (Kruising Onward Australia - Los Angeles).

 

See you in Sydney. Take care, Lorraine:)