kellane

We do enjoy Carnival and don't fall into what a previous poster described as the "typical" crowd. We are in our early 30's and could care less what anyone else is wearing. If the dress code of others bothers you enough that you do not enjoy your cruise, then you should definitely check into other cruise lines.

Congratulations! We are in a similar situation, except we are just now hitting the double digits. We planned a cruise for last year but had to postpone it until this year. Now it can't get here fast enough!

Nice haul, indiana71! I picked up a pullover sweater and a cardigan at my local Goodwill this past weekend for $3 a piece! I was hoping for cruise clothes, but I won't complain.

Cute coverup as well! So glad that it fit you. I love the idea of it doubling as an additional outfit for you with some simple accessories.

I have several running skirts which are made like skorts, but these are definitely on the shorter side and made out of moisture wicking fabric. I do love them, though!

It's a matter of personal preference. We like to chose early dining when we have the kids with us and late when we are on an adult's only trip.

I am super sensitive to smells and have migraines so I just skip perfume and occasionally wear a light scented body spray.

We had initially booked Your Time Dining for our next cruise, but I got nervous after reading about some of the wait times and changed it to late seating.

I'm not a purse person. I buy one, carry it until it "dies", buy another, then repeat. I've never carried a purse on board. I have a drawstring backpack I carry during the day for my towel, books, etc. and I usually use my DH's pockets if I need anything carried at night.

We made a trip to Goodwill this past weekend for the first of the month half off sale. I picked up some cardigans with the price tags still attached for $3 and my DH and son found some nice dress shirts. We walked out with a whole bag full of clothes for $24 so it was a successful trip!

I waged war on my entire wardrobe this weekend. I made DH give me opinions on some old cruise dresses so that I would have a second opinion on whether to keep or purge. Now I just need to tackle the shoes...

We are like that as well. Our lives are normally so rushed and scheduled so when we are on vacation, we take it easy. When we are on board, we like to get up when we want, hang out by the pool or hot tub with a good book and take a nap if we feel like it. When we are in port, we normally find a beach and become bums for the day. We do like to catch the comedies after dinner each night, but other than that, we are not in a hurry to get anywhere.

1. I'm a ginger and I do go to a tanning salon a few months before our cruise. I start out very slowly and never go more than 3-4 days a week (usually every other day) and never more than 15 minutes in a 20 minute bed. I feel like this is less damaging than turning into a lobster while I'm on the cruise.

2. My husband and I normally take one large suitcase and one garment bag on a cruise. I remember having a smaller carry on bag as well one time when we elected to bring our own canned drinks. You can give the porters as many or as few bags you want but anything you take onto the ship is yours to keep up with until you can make your way to your room. (We've occasionally gone down to our room before it was actually ready to drop off things and it's never been an issue.)

3. I don't remember seeing any kind of storage options at the pier but I've never actually looked either. Hopefully someone else will be more help with that question. It would probably be both easier and cost effective to just bring it aboard with you and store it in your room while you're cruising.

That is GORGEOUS!!! And a fabulous deal on top of it! Where did you get it?

Way to go!

Gerry

Thank you! I got it at Burke's Outlet.

Listen to the deal I scored last week! I parked at an outlet store at the local mall and was passing through on my way to another store when I saw a dress out of the corner of my eye that instantly made me think of my upcoming cruise. When I stopped by to get a closer look on my way back through, I noticed that it was my size and marked down to 95% off!!! Plus, since it was Friday, I got an additional 15%!

Grand Total: $1.17 after taxes!

The best part is that it fits me like a dream!

The only con I can think of to paying in full early is that you won't get to take advantage of any price drops.

You know your child and his or her temperament and I think that's the most important factor when considering whether or not a cruise is a good idea.

For example, I have two children. My oldest would have been fine on a cruise as a toddler. He has a very easygoing personality and changes to his daily schedule never bothered him. My youngest, however, would have been a nightmare. If you ever got her off her schedule, everybody was going to pay for it. If she wasn't happy, no one was happy!

107... Starting to get a little more excited!

When we are traveling with the kids, we prefer early dining so that we have plenty of time to catch the family friendly shows and they have time to do some activities before bed. When we are traveling without them, we prefer late dining... because there's not as many kids in the dining room. LOL! It's also nice to have the extra time to take a quick nap after coming in from port if we want.

I still need to figure out exactly what I will be wearing. When we leave home, we have an 8 hour drive to the port and it should be much warmer there. I guess I'll just wear layers that can be taken off as the temp rises.

I've been hitting up the sales racks pretty heavily for the past few months. I have a local Maurices store that I have found several summer dresses at for less than $10. I also recently ordered a few new bathing suits from Athleta because the separates were marked down as low as $9.99 plus you could get an additional 20% off. I love a good deal! Plus, these are all things that I can wear this summer as well.

I recently picked up Almay's Smart Shade CC Cream and I think I may have to add this to my cruise "Must Have" list. It's light but provides some coverage while also providing SPF35 protection. Win-win!

For a 7-night cruise, I take 3-4 dresses and then a few solid skirts that can be mixed and matched with different tops for the other evenings. I really love the idea of "capsules" so that I don't over pack.

My go-to beauty item would have to be dry shampoo. It's the only way I can get away with not washing every day and it also helps give my hair some volume.

I am going to have to look into this lash tinting thing, though. I never go without mascara because my eyelashes are so fair that they look non-existent. Do you have it done at the salon?

For me it's definitely Progresso.

Amen to that!!!

If I were to see someone wearing a shirt like that, I would just assume it was meant in good humor.