PandaBear62

This is the longest cruise I’ve ever taken (it’s 16 days). I tried to look at weather and it appears that it should be in the mid 70’s to 80’s, so nice and warm. I started off with fewer clothes and then decided, what the heck, I’ll add more and give myself more options. So the list below is what I actually packed and wore on the plane. 5 pants (3 Athleta Brooklyn type pants in taupe, navy and black. One pair of navy what I call crop pants-hitting about 3” above my ankle-longer than a Capri and one pair of black pants that are by Chicos and are dressier) 10 tops (3 short sleeved and 7 sleeveless. Three nice tee style and the rest like blouses or tunics) 2 lightweight cardigans in navy and black (I get cold in public rooms) 5 dresses (1 simple LBD, 1 nicer flowy patterned that hit mid calf, 2 more casual patterned dresses that are just above mid calf and 1 simple a-line floral that hits just below the knee) 1 bike short and 1 shaper to wear under dresses 1 wine colored pashmina/scarf to dress up a floral kind of flowy dress for dinner and/or the LBD 1 short kimono for the LBD (will also work with some pants and tops combinations) 1 swimsuit 1 sleep shirt 7 underwear 4 bras 4 pairs of knee highs and 6 pairs of no show socks 4 shoes: 2 slip on Skechers, 1 pair of flats, 1 Teva sandals 1 packable hat 1 disposable poncho to take just in case for excursions 1 quart bag for liquids and the small Sea to Summit toiletry bag Quart sized plastic bag for electronic misc Kindle and 2 iPads (one is for work) 1 small soft zippered case with my just in case OTC meds, vitamins, etc A crossbody phone case to use around the ship and for excursions Coach packable tote (just in case). (https://www.mercari.com/us/item/m81764298085/) 1 small jewelry case 1 Chicos crossbody tote (https://www.buyma.us/items/0213d0ca-5a94-4d6d-9b17-d094d3aa23ee/) Hello Mello travel wrap (https://www.soleilsboutique.com/products/hello-mello-weekender-travel-wrap-1) S’well water bottle 5 tide pods for laundry I am typically a very light packer. I took a 5 day cruise a couple of months ago with a personal item (28 liter bag) and a small crossbody tote. For this trip I decided to use my Rick Steves backpack (no wheels). It can be expanded a bit, but I did not do so, nor was it packed full. Despite this, it held way more than my Travelpro 22” roller yet is still a carryon bag. However, I shipped it through. I know there is always a danger of a bag getting lost, but given we had a non stop flight, we were flying first class (so get priority tags), used air tags and had United bag tracking, I wasn’t too worried. We also were flying in Tuesday for a Friday cruise departure. If our bag was delayed, we had plenty of time to get it back and worst case scenario, Houston has stores! Actually, in 30 years of trips, I’ve only ever had one bag go astray (it was dh’s) and it was delivered to us safe and sound the next day. We had to ship dh’s bag through anyway, since we were bringing some of our favorite wine from local wineries as a host gift for my cousin, who we were staying with before the cruise. Taking this many clothes is absolutely atypical for me. I just tend to be a much more minimalistic packer, so I don’t know exactly why I wanted to take more for this trip. All I can say is it’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind! I do plan to keep track of what I actually wore and if I used all the variety. I’m a big believer in taking favorites when I travel and that’s really what I did for this trip. The only “new” type items are the wine colored shawl/scarf and the kimono. I plan to use them both for the nicer dinner nights in the ship, because it’s a guarantee I will get cold with the a/c. I struggle with how to wear a shawl. I did buy clips and a buckle (of sorts) to hook the shawl so I don’t have to constantly keep it over me. Most kimonos are way too long and narrow for me (I’m short and fat-about 5’2” and wear size 18/20 or 1X. This one is significantly shorter so I’m giving it a chance. The dresses will also act as a swim coverup. Just by personal preference, I don’t tend to wear jeans, leggings, or casual tees. So my everyday wear can often be easily “dressed up” for the dress up nights on the ship (and the fact that these days, while a few still dress up a lot, many people dress very casual). I wear flats, due to my age and my plantars fasciitis. To dress them up a little bit, for the formal nights I add on shoe clips that go with my outfit, just to glam it up a bit and they take up virtually no space. I originally planned to bring a jeans jacket, just in case, but with the weather predictions I decided against it. Instead, I brought my Hello Mello travel shawl, which can be a shawl, a blanket or scarf. I’m always cold on planes and it’s a great blanket! It will fit in a small tote much easier than a jacket if I get cold. In addition to the Rick Steves bag, which I shipped through, I carried a Kipling Sasha tote for on the plane and I packed an old (from 2013) Coach packable tote which I love. It is one big open space with a zipper. The case it fits in has two snaps and a zipper and attaches as a pocket inside the bag. It’s a great bag and has held up well. I seriously doubt I will need it because both my bags had space and I am not a big shopper on vacations, but you never know. If I find something I love I will have a bag to carry it on the plane. I brought the Chicos crossbody tote for around the ship that can hold my phone, kindle, cardigan when not wearing it, water bottle etc. We landed in Houston and had our luggage quickly and were off to spend a couple of days with my cousins I hadn’t seen in awhile, so it has been a treat. The lightweight pants I brought have been perfect for this high 70’s/low 80’s weather, as I’m not too hot outside and not too cold inside wearing my cardigan with the air conditioning. We board the ship tomorrow so I’ll try and share how my packing has worked out (or possibly hasn’t worked-I’ll hope for the best!)

I have had luck with the socks I’ve bought at TJ Maxx. They both have had the silicone strip. I’ve heard Bombas work well, but I know they are pricey so haven’t tried them yet. I’m going to check out the Wander brand.

Day 2 Catalina I was up bright and early on our Catalina port day, so I grabbed a coffee and croissant and went up to the thermal spa. No hangover at all but that’s probably because I really didn’t drink much. Dh had been a little worried, because I’ve probably been drunk 3 or 4 times in the 33 years we’ve been together and he was shocked at how bad off I had seemed. Dh was hanging out at Red Frog, reading and eventually drinking. We did not go ashore on an excursion. Dh was a Boy Scout leader for about 20 years and there is a camp on Catalina for scouts. The nice thing as an adult on the trip is only 2 leaders need to stay at camp during the day (the staff supervises campers) for emergencies and the others can explore the island, go to Avalon, etc, so he’s spent a lot of time here. Here is the tender information I had 2 short meetings so I planned to get off the ship in the afternoon, to get better internet. We met up for an early lunch and went to the Shaq Shack. I had an omelet from the breakfast menu and it was quite nice. Dh had some kind of chicken sandwich. Once again, I’ll say we like the smaller, kiosk like dining choices. I went to the room to get what I needed for my meetings and headed out. At 12:22 I got to tender line as a tender was just being unloaded. The last people were coming off at 12:39 and the crew started letting us board at 12:40. We took off at 12:49 and were at the island at 12:56 I was on the island at 12:58. I am just describing this for anyone who might have private plans on Catalina. I’d allow an hour from getting in line to being off the tender. And remember, if you have a private excursion, you will likely need to walk down from where the tender drops you off. At 1pm the tender line seemed long to return on to the ship. However, the tender is big so it didn’t seem like the wait times were outrageous. The lines disappeared as each shuttle left and then got bigger again. So while the lines looked long it wasn't that bad. I was done with my meetings by three. I was able to find a little bench to dial in and it was easy. At this point, the tender line was almost non existent. I walked through the line and was quickly on a tender and we were taken back to the ship. Dh and I met up at the Red Frog but with live music starting that was very loud, we moved over the area around the apothecary bar. At 4, we had drinks made (and again, Edwin indulged me for making adaptations to a drink) and sat and enjoyed them. After our drinks we went down to the room to clean up and get ready for the evening, which was the dress to impress night. We checked in for dining as we left the room and our table was ready a minute or two later. We chose to join others at dinner and were seated with a delightful couple celebrating his 40th birthday. I had the spinach salad and the garlic shrimp. Both were, well…..adequate. Not horrible, but not particularly good. For dessert, I had the creme brûlée. It was a generous portion. The top was nice and crusty. The custard was a little softer than I’m used to, but had a nice flavor. Despite the rather mediocre meal, we had a lovely conversation and it made for a nice dinner. We tried out the Heroes bar and I tried a Space Age. It’s made with Tang. I remember Tang from when I was a kid. I loved it! We spent a few minutes at the bar and then headed to the show. It was quite good. The theme was Summer of Love, featuring the music of summer of 1969. Not very crowded but the performers were excellent. Highly recommended. I was a small child during the summer of love, but lived very close to San Francisco so have vague memories from going to the city with my parents and seeing the “hippies”. This is a YouTube video of the show. I actually thought ours was better than this video. https://youtu.be/aeP3jrIuZq8 We planned to head back to the Apothecary bar but I was ready to head down to the room. And thus the day ended.

Day 1 Sail Day (January 23) We were up at 4:30 and out of the house by 5:45. The TSA precheck line was longer than the regular line (the first time that’s happened to me). We still stayed in the precheck line because of the other features and while the line was longer, it wasn’t a bad wait. We got through security and then walked to the gate. Boarding was a little delayed but we arrived at the LAX on time. Only real complaint of the flight….it was really cold! We stopped and got some coffee and headed down to the pick up location for our Carnival transportation to the port. We waited by carousel 1 at baggage for a few minutes. Dh looked over and saw a group and then what looked like a carnival sign. The man there said he was just heading down to that location to find us as we were his last pick up for that time. The staff with the bus company were congenial and we made surprisingly (for LA) great time to the pier. As an aside, the cost each way was $70 for the two of us. An Uber from the airport to the pier was $104. We were at the pier by a little before 10 and had deposited our luggage and had our boarding passes and passports scanned by 10:05. The location is the domed building where the Spruce Goose used to be housed. It’s nicely decorated inside with fake trees around and linoleum that looks like grass. But….it was cold! Like being outside! I had debated whether I needed to bring a jacket or not and I’m so glad I did, between the plane and here. Lots of benches and a bathroom easily accessible. Looking around I was surprised at how many school aged kids I saw. In general, though, the people around us skewed older. They began announcing boarding by categories. We were in boarding group B5. Diamond guest boarding announcement was at 10:55 Then Suite guests announcement at 10:57 Platinum guests announcement was at 10:59 Faster to the Fun announcement was at 11 Zone A1 & A2 at 11:02 Zone A3 & A4 at 11:03 Zone A5-A10 at 11:04 Zone B1 & B2 at 11:06 Zones B3 & B4 at 11:08 Zones B5-B10 at 11:10 I don’t know beyond this because we were in B5. It was quite the hike to the ship and we definitely got caught in a small traffic jam and were getting our photo at 11:20 and at the muster station at 11:25. We were told to sit down and wait so we’re wondering what would happen and how long it would take. Turned out, it was quite quick. We were shown how to put on our life jacket and sent on our way. Very nice. I had lunch at the Blue Iguana and had a bowl made. Dh went inside for a sandwich. My bowl was great, but I will admit that I really like this location so I’m probably biased. Dh said his sandwich was fine, just that the cheese could be more melty. I should share, before I give any more details about meals and the food and beverage on the ship……I’m a picky eater. I am also kind of a quirky picky eater. What I mean by that is people often comment that I like (and dislike) the oddest foods. I don’t like many fruits (I don’t like the texture of most fruits), but I eat a lot of veggies……anyone for jicama, kale or squash? I love beans and varied items like bulgar and quinoa. I don’t really like chocolate, but do like vanilla and caramel. I am not a big red meat eater but do like chicken and pork loin. I am only saying this so you can take this into account while reading my reviews. I eat a somewhat vegetarian diet (about 75% of the time). While eating lunch we saw a seal (maybe a deal lion, I’m not sure) in the water not too far from the ship Dh and I went to the spa and I decided to get a thermal spa pass, despite not having a spa (which I really like). The cost for the 4 days was $118 for me. $202 per couple (I think). They were also selling day passes: $49 for a port day and $69 for a sea day. We then made our way to the room, unpacked and headed up to the Red Frog for a drink. It wasn’t too crowded so we sat at the bar and chatted with Edwin and Kurt who were working. Edwin does the Apothecary bar in the evenings which is a favorite of ours. So we walked around a little more and went to the Apothecary bar when it opened at 4. Edwin made me a modified French Kiss, since I’m not a fan of Chambord and I had a second one made to bring with me to the comedy show. That’s something we like about Carnival, that it offers many comedy shows. The comedian seemed like he’d be funny but it wasn’t really an act, he just called out people in the audience. So not as fun as I had hoped. By this time we were hungry and the dining room was a 30 minute wait so we headed to the buffet. By the time we sat down we were called to our dinner reservation…..maybe 10 minutes tops? Had we realized we would have stayed. The buffet meal was mediocre and uneventful. We decided that was our first and last dinner at the buffet. At this point, I was seriously impacted by the two drinks, which is very unlike me. I attribute it to eating very little, dehydration and having gotten up at 4:30 to make our flight. I told dh that I thought I was drunk (and really, I was so surprised and he was quite shocked) and we went to the room and I was in bed. Probably not the best start to our cruise, but it is what it is. For your reference, here is the dinner menu The wine list in the dining room doesn’t change so I’m going to post it once Drink menus from dining room

Dh and I decided in mid December to plan a quick getaway for January. We’ve sailed on Carnival twice. Once out of Long Beach over Christmas in 2017 on the Inspiration (we took our family, my mom and brother). The second time was 5 days out of New Orleans on the Triumph in February 2019, which was the last cruise before going into dry dock and being refurbished and given a new name. While Carnival may have a mixed reputation among some people, we have enjoyed both cruises we have taken before, so I am excited for this one. I have been on 4 cruises since the covid closures, but not on Carnival (2 Disney, 1 Princess and 1 Celebrity). Our cruise is out of Long Beach, 4 nights, on the Radiance, stopping at Catalina and Ensenada. A little about us……dh is 64, retired from aerospace. I’m 60, just retired in June 2022 and started a part time position just a couple of weeks ago. But the advantage of being retired, and having a profession that is in very short supply is that you can pretty much negotiate what you want, at least in some places. So despite having just started working Jan 3, I’m off for a week 20 days later! Our three kids are finally grown and flown, no more mortgage and the time and money to travel! Yay!!! Pre-Cruise Expenses: Cruise fare for 2 (inside cabin) $258 Taxes and Port fees $240 Prepaid gratuities $116 Transfers to and from LAX $140.36 Southwest tickets from the Bay Area $67 (no it wasn’t that cheap. But we had $200 in fare credit set to expire in late January) We have $250 on board credit for the 4 nights. $200 was with the rate we booked and $50 was from our Carnival stock. Pre-Cruise Planning I booked the Carnival excursion to Valle de Guadalupe. Dh and I have been here a couple of times, and we typically book with a private company and go to smaller, more boutique style wineries, but not this time. This was $120 for both of us, which I paid for from onboard credit. Not planning an excursion for Catalina. We might get off the ship and walk around downtown, or we might just stay on and enjoy the (hopefully) quiet). I also booked Southwest airlines for our flight to LA, because my mom and sister each had $100 credit from Southwest from a delay they had last year (ironically, when I was taking them on a different cruise, out of Galveston). I had paid for their tickets, so when they weren’t going to use them by the expiration (1-28-23), dh and I did. Now, I have flown SWA for years. I even have their credit card. Since this was a budget trip, I decided to book a flight early Monday morning, rather than the evening before, to save the cost of a hotel and Uber. I wasn’t too worried when I booked, since there are lots of flights from the Bay Area to LAX every day. But then, just a week or so later, Southwest imploded over the holidays. This made me super nervous and I looked into other airlines as well as flying in the night before. Ultimately, we decided to take the chance and make a final decision the weekend before our Monday sail date. Worst case, we can decide to drive down and just park the car for a week. If we don’t drive, wait and we can’t get to LAX in any way, well, rats. Financially, we’d lose about $400. Of course, I’d rather not miss the trip, but it’s just dh and I, we can afford the loss and it’s not like it’s our only vacation this year. The Weekend Before (January 20-22) I started checking weather and Southwest flights to LA, to see how things were going. Luckily things looked good. I also packed. I’m a light packer in general. I did a two week New England and Canadian cruise doing carryon, as well as a 10 day Alaskan cruise. So I decided for this cruise to try packing in a personal item. I won’t bore those of you who are not obsessed with packing (like myself) with the details, but if you are interested, here’s a link to my packing report in the Cruise Fashion and Beauty Discussion Topic board (https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2909539-packing-for-my-4-night5-day-cruise-in-a-personal-item/?_fromLogin=1#replyForm). I’ll just say here that since we were living a little dangerously with flying in the day of, we didn’t ship through any bags. I used a Kipling Sasha tote for my luggage and dh used a Travelpro 21” roller. Southwest didn’t appear to be having issues and the weather looked fine so we decided to proceed with our travel plans. I solidified the dog sitting and dog walking plans and went to bed hoping I hadn’t forgotten anything.

thanks for your comments. I am currently on the ship and really happy with my choices. jacket We waited in the domed building to board the ships….it was quite cold and all the public areas were quite cold the first two days of the trip. I wore my jacket a lot. swimsuit and coverup i did decided to purchase a thermal spa pass so am using my swimsuit and coverup. nice top and slacks while some people were much more dressed up than dh and I, in general we were as dressed up or more for “dress to impress” night. My slacks, top and flats were fine. Everything I mentioned above for easily in my personal item with some room to spare.

I'm heading out tomorrow for a 4 night/5 day cruise out of Los Angeles, sailing to Ensenada and Catalina. Just a quick getaway. We're flying SWA early the morning of. Not our usual practice of flying in the day before, but it's an hour flight from the Bay Area and we decided to take a chance. Dh has a rolling carryon and I decided to try just a personal item. My bag is a Kipling Sasha (the style used to be called Sherpa) but I don't think they make it anymore. Dimensions are 15 3/4 x 11 1/4 x 8 1/4. Flying Southwest, we could check bags for free and since we did early bird, a carryon isn't an issue. I just tend to prefer to pack light (I did a two week cruise of New England and Canada as well as a 10 day Alaskan cruise by carrying on a 22" roller and a tote). What I packed (this includes what I'm wearing): 3 pants navy blue pants (kind of performance wear, but looks more like leggings/slacks) black pants (T by Talbot-these are very much like Athleta Brooklyn, but fit me like an ankle pant) black/blue and white floral pants (these are a funny pattern-because they're floral, they are okay for summer, but being navy and black, I wear in winter as well) 7 tops 2 sleeveless tunic style (one black and white with tiny flowers, almost more like a pattern than floral and one red, green floral) 1 black performance wear fitted tee and 1 black blouse (for wearing with floral pants on travel days) 1 blue and white stripe tunic with ruffled sleeves (not quite a "swing" top, but not straight either) 1 black with white polka dots short sleeve blouse 1 "dressier" top, black with teal flowers 2 shoes sneakers black croc flats Misc Clothes 1 sleeveless super lightweight dress (probably will use as swimsuit cover up) 1 swimsuit 1 white sweater by Chicos 1 black sweater (a little fancier, with ruffled front and ruched sleeves) 1 sleepshirt 5 socks 5 underwear 3 bras a heavier jacket or coat, but haven't decided which Misc Other Stuff very small bag with a charging cube and cords for electronics 2 iPads (that's not a typo....I have a small work project and suffice to say I need both) quart bag for liquids (not even half full, I decant products. small bag with non liquid toiletries and misc items (safety pins, OTC meds, etc) sanitary pads (I'm of a certain age and a little leakage, sorry if that's TMI but it is what it is) crossbody phone case 8.5x11 wet bag In case you are curious, I am plus sized (size 1x or 18/20). The weather will likely be in the low 60's. I know sleeveless seems odd, but I wear a lot of sleeveless tops with a sweater here at home and it's essentially the same weather (I like the double layer but by arm not feeling constrained). I don't know if I'll use the pool or hot tub but I might. I also may buy a pass to the thermal spa, but want to see it first before deciding for sure, since it doesn't have any kind of spa/hot tub in it. The coverup is actually a dress and I could wear it with a sweater. The crocs I am bringing are fine for the pool but also can be worn with pants and just look like regular flats. They're a nice dual use item, especially when you only have one "dressy" dinner and won't be spending lots of time at the pool. I should also add I will have a small eBags crossbody purse (they don't sell it anymore, but it has the nice security clasps on the zippers). I use it, or a larger purse of the same style, for all travel.

Great Idea! My Dollar Tree has lots of prepackaged food and I buy it all the time for travel. You can get different nuts (like cashews), dried fruit like banana or mango and chocolates like M&M's. Just brin along a ziplock bag and assemble when you're off the ship. It will cost you $5 or $6.

I go there in St. Louis. My two siblings both ended up there and we moved my mom there a year ago into a retirement community. I go back 3-4 times a year now that I'm retired and try to make it there.

To be specific.......at the a-la-carte venues, you could order 2 appetizers, a soup and a salad (for example?) Or, at La Cucina, a soup, a salad, a pasta, main course and all the desserts? I'm not saying I could even eat that much, I just want to understand the promotion. Thanks.

Okay, I'm laughing right now, because dh and I LOVE Steak 'n Shake! I'm sure it's because they aren't around us, so we think it's a treat. We are scheduled for the Haven in July 2023 and you can bet I plan to eat there on the first day lunch (hoping that's still free by that point.

Just off our first Celebrity cruise. We booked Le Petit Chef and enjoyed it. However, as many have said, the price makes it "one and done" for us, unless for some reason we had a lot of nonrefundable OBC, or we're traveling with others who want to try it.

I’m currently on my cruise….day 6 so halfway through. My raincoat is awesome, but does need to be shortened. The long length was awesome in Bar Harbor when it poured rain, but my husband almost stepped on the bottom when I was going up the stairs of the trolley. So I’ll take it to be hemmed when I get home. It was great that it was a size bigger than I needed, because wearing my coat underneath was no issue. Otherwise, my choices have been fine. I haven’t been cold on ship or on excursions. I’ll update again after the cruise is over.

I found a pair (Athleta Brooklyn) at Savers in my size so bought them. I figured I could try them out that way. ($10.99 and 30% off for senior day) I LOVE them! While I will probably watch for sales, I would definitely like another pair or two for travel!

I am at the airport ready to go! I changed a couple of items. I removed the capris and added a pair of fleece joggers. I took out one top that was to wear with the navy color and added a black soft fleece blazer and a navy sweater. Meant to add magic gloves but forgot….oh well. As I think I already mentioned, I prefer sleeveless or short sleeve tops with a lightweight 2nd layer rather than long sleeves. So now I have the two lightweight cardigans, the blazer and sweater., in addition to my coat and raincoat. I’ll report back how it worked.

I have been checking the weather every day. Today I noticed the temperatures are almost all lower than they were. Most temps were in the mid to high 60's, but now we're looking at lower 60's and high 50's with more chance of rain. I'm going to wait until tomorrow and check the weather one more time (we leave Monday) and make any final changes to my packing.

Our cruise goes all the way to Quebec City. The cruise leaves this Wednesday (Sept 21). We have lots of rain currently projected. I agree, I feel cool on the ships. I wear a sleeveless or short sleeve top with a lightweight cardigan pretty much all the time. I have them in navy and black and think I may throw in the red, just to have an extra!

Sherri, We must be on the same cruise!

I typically bring a swimsuit as well. But I know I won't swim unless its really warm and with so many ports won't use the thermal spa. I took the swimsuit on my 10 day Alaskan cruise in June and in just stayed in the suitcase. I think I will add in some magic gloves, though, They take up so little room. I don't wear hats....I use the pashmina to wrap over my head and around my neck for warmth, though and my jacket and raincoat have hoods. I may bring one more jacket. I have a fleece style blazer. I do have the room. But I think my current coat and the long rain coat will be pretty warm. I'll think about it. The sleeveless tops are really a preference. I wear them with the sleeveless cardigan I mentioned so it's really more like a layered long sleeved top. (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B089GDT39J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1) Thanks for all of the suggestions!

That's crazy....weather.com says the high today will be 70 with a low of 61 and my phone app says a high of 70 and low of 52. Who to believe?? Should I trust these weather apps?

Leaving soon for a twelve night cruise of New England and Canada. We’re departing from Boston and returning there as well. We are flying in a day early. I wanted to spend more time in Boston, but we had an event we really needed to attend, so that changed our plans. I prefer to travel with a carryon and personal item. This trip is slightly more difficult as Celebrity has no self serve laundry and I think their laundry service is quite expensive. So the only laundry I may do is hand wash. My bags are a Travelpro rolling 22” suitcase and a Kipling Sasha tote. Because we have the extra night in Boston, I am packing what I need for that day and the first day of the cruise, such as clothes, sleepwear and toiletries, in the carryon. That way I won’t have to deal with the carryon. The clothes noted below include what I am wearing on the plane, as well as packed. Bottoms: 1 pair black ponte knit slacks 1 pair floral pants (black and navy) 1 pair of black joggers 1 pair of black and white lightweight pinstripe pants 1 pair Athleta Brooklyn navy blue pants 1 pair navy blue capris (a similar fabric to the Athleta pants) Tops 4 sleeveless blouses 3 short sleeve blouses 2 short sleeve tees (1 nice, 1 nice fitted performance wear) 1 long sleeve tee/tunic ¾ sleeve blouse Dress clothes 1 pair “dressy” black pants 1 dressy top (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B09N7CJSJR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1) 1 dressy shell. I will admit I haven’t traveled with a “sequiny” top before. I folded it inside out, so it won’t snag any of the other clothes. We’ll see how I like it. Misc Clothes Bras 3 Underwear 11 Socks (I brought a couple “knee hi’s”, ankle socks, shoe liners) A nightgown Black pashmina Shoes Sneakers May jane style sneakers Misc iPad mini Kindle Electronics cords and chargers Toiletries Umbrellas (2) OTC meds such as bonine, ibuprofen, etc Outerwear Black very lightweight ¾ sleeve open cardigan (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B089GDT39J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1) The same cardigan as above in navy blue. Aqua Sheen vintage raincoat. This was actually my moms and was purchased (I think) in the 1970’s (from what I can research). Rain is projected for many days in port, so I am thinking I may need it. It’s really lightweight and is very long on me (almost to my ankles). I may get it shortened when I get home. I’m going to try the length on this cruise and then decide. The raincoat fits great in an EnV bag (9x4) (https://envbags.com/collections/pouch-sets-1). As an aside, the three pack of these bags are $12 and are awesome. I also am bringing this coat. It’s basically a ponte knit type fabric, so not super heavy, but does go below my rear end. I think it will be the perfect weight for the weather. I didn’t bring a swimsuit. Not warm enough for me to swim and I am not booking the thermal spa, as we have so many port days I didn't think I’d use it enough. No dresses either because I thought I might get cold. I will be doing a little sink washing. However, I don't anticipate having to do a ton. I have almost enough tops to wear one each day. I expect to re-wear tops worn on travel days (just sitting on a plane) or ones worn on sea days again, not very active), plus a some undergarments. My suitcases are not jam packed. I actually have room in both the rolling carryon and my personal tote. However, I also brought a packable tote, to be used on excursion days and if I need the space for the trip home. It’s unlikely I will, as I am not a big souvenir shopper. Typically, I purchase a couple of key rings. I take off the key ring part and use a ribbon to make the decorative part a mini ornament. I have a small Christmas tree (tabletop size) that I call my “travel tree”. I put all of these “keychain” ornaments on it. The other thing I often buy is a reusable grocery type bag. We have to bring our own bags where I live, so it’s another great souvenir, as I use them regularly. Both are great, as they are small and lightweight. I’ll try and follow up after the cruise and share how things worked.

I am on my first Celebrity cruise next month. I have sailed RCCL, HAL, Carnival, Princess and DCL in the last few years and Princess and DCL since Covid. So I am familiar with cruising in general. 1. Does Celebrity (Specifically Summit) use cash for the casinos? We were surprised in July to discover the slots used the medallion to gamble and not cash. 2. What's the dress code like for gala/formal nights? Similar to the other mainstream lines or more formal? I typically wear nice silk like pants and dressy blouse and nice flats, or a "going to church" dress (ie, not a cocktail or formal dress) and find I fit in with probably 60-70% of passengers, with maybe 10-15% much dressier and 20-25% much less so. 3. We have the Dining Anytime. Can we ask to be put at a table with others? Or will we always be seated as a table for two. Thank you for any information you can share.

I am typically someone who packs a 21” carry on roller and a personal item tote. For this trip, we were driving to the port, so I could realistically bring whatever I wanted. However, I know myself, and I don’t like being overwhelmed by clothing choices when I travel. I also don’t mind doing a quick load of laundry, especially with a cruise with as many sea days as this one. While I adore dresses for warm weather trips, I didn’t take any on this trip, with the exception of one as a cover-up for my swim suit (I wasn’t if I’d use the Enclave or hot tub, but wanted to be prepared in case I did). I'm also not a big "souvenir" person (I am trying to de-clutter my house, not add more to it!). So I don't need room for extra "stuff". The items I typically buy are these: **small sized keychains (I take off the keychain part and tie a ribbon and use as a Christmas ornament on my small, tabletop "travel tree") **a foldable tote for grocery bags. We live in an area where you have to bring your own bags and I enjoy using bags that have a place I've traveled to **occasionally, a very small (think 3"x 3") painting on canvas that can go on a shelf. **small food items My bags were a Travelpro rolling carryon and a Kipling Sasha tote. Our cruise was 10 days round trip from San Francisco. This is what I packed: Bottoms: 1 pair black ponte knit slacks 1 pair floral pants (black and navy) 1 pair of black joggers 1 pair of black and white lightweight pinstripe pants 1 pair dressy black pants Tops black and white stripe long sleeve tunic Black and white polka dot ¾ sleeve blouse Blue and black sleeveless floral sleeveless blouse Red short sleeve swing tee Blue short sleeve swing tee Black ¾ sleeve swing tee Gray ¾ sleeve tee Royal blue short sleeve tee 2 “dressy” tops 1: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B09N7CJSJR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1 and 2: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08SF3VRTC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s01?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1) Misc Clothes Swim suit Underwear 6 Bras 3 Socks (I brought a couple “knee hi’s, 1 pair wool socks, and 6 pairs ankle socks) Cold weather clothes Soft gaiter Magic gloves Black pashmina 2 pairs black tights 2 under tees (performance wear) Outerwear Black very lightweight ¾ sleeve open cardigan (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B089GDT39J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1) Lightweight DCL windbreaker with hood (https://www.ebay.com/itm/175349639392?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=175349639392&targetid=1531876733918&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=9032171&poi=&campaignid=15431381266&mkgroupid=128740829685&rlsatarget=pla-1531876733918&abcId=9300764&merchantid=114692613&gclid=CjwKCAjw6MKXBhA5EiwANWLODCMlrBxD0RkVJ2GY1mO9YBltd6B3phtzf8HyZac9b_CRHe4kppLXZRoCZX4QAvD_BwE) A down jacket (not that great of quality, but used it on last Alaskan cruise) Shoes Sneakers May jane style sneakers Arch support slip on shoes (think skechers style but more arch support) Dress flats (with arch support) Misc iPad mini Kindle Electronics cords and chargers Games (Code names, 3 decks cards, Left Right center, Yahtzee) Toiletries Umbrellas (2) OTC meds such as bonine, ibuprofen, etc This included what I wore the first day. So between what I wore and and what I packed, it all fit in my carryons. Our weather ended up being quite temperate, so I only wore the tights and undershirt once. I also ended up not booking the thermal spa and didn’t go to the hot tub, so didn’t use the swim suit or cover up, but I don’t regret carrying these items…..you just don’t know. Because we were were a group of 7, I did a lot less "solitary" time. I also could have done with one less pair of shoes as well, but again, had it been really rainy I might have needed the second pair for excursions. I wore everything else. I could have easily left out one pair of pants and two tops, but the variety was nice. We did one load of laundry on about day 6. I had nice clothes for formal nights and felt my level of “dressiness” was on par with about 60% of passengers. I’d say 20% dressed very casually on gala nights and maybe 20% were much more dressy. I wore my black flats but added shoe clips (one night rhinestones and the other night a flower) so I felt that added an “extra” dressy touch. I brought back one shopping bag, a couple of keychains and a couple of candies. What I would do differently: I’d probably pack one less pair of pants and two less tops and bring two or three more lightweight cardigan style outerwear. I found I liked a second layer I could wear over my tops and most of the time, that’s all people saw. I would have preferred the variety of the cardigans and wearing the same tops. I liked slipping my feet into a lightweight pair of shoes after excursions, but I could have done without them if the packing space was tight. Otherwise, I was pleased with what I packed Please feel free to ask any questions.

I just came back from a 10 day Alaskan cruise, using a carry-on. It wasn't that difficult, but I always do carry-on sizes, even if I do ship through a bag. These two websites have some helpful ideas: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/ https://herpackinglist.com/ If you google: "packing in a carry-on for an European cruise", you will be astonished at the number of articles!

I think I screwed up. This is the patters for day 5 (Juneau)