Happy ks

I adore Tim Gunn and love Mondo, so of course I am watching the show. I didn't think Isabelle was a bad designer, just not right for competition. She had no concept of time restraints and could not work under pressure. I think if she was left alone to do her thing in her own time, she probably turns out some great work. I was glad to see her go, the frustration watching her really got to me.

Of course, the same can be said for all the competitors on these shows. Given a reasonable amount of time, they all could turn out fabulous designs. I love watching the shows, but cannot imagine wanting to put that much pressure and stress on yourself to win.

Anya and Mondo are both doing such a great job mentoring. She seems to be able to encourage the designers in a positive way, she's very likable. So is Mondo, he's just fun to watch. I loved his comment about how he dresses "tomboy" last night. Nick, well I'm sure he's a good teacher, but this isn't about teaching. The designers have to create their own vision and, to me, the mentors are there to inspire and critique, not show them how to do the work.

Always fun to watch :) The contestants don't seem to be quite as snarky and whiney as on Project Runway…but we'll see as the season continues.

samiam, I can relate…how many times have I had the perfect thing, be it shoes or jeans or a top. Never to find it again :( I did just recently purchase a pair of pants on sale that I had bought last year and I wore them so much. The old ones aren't worn out at all, but finally just bit the bullet and got that "extra" pair. I wasn't intending to spend the money that day, but I knew I'd regret it from past experiences.

I'm happy to report the bra that Lois recommended fits me perfectly and I'm quite happy with it. Maybe enough to get a second one :p

The crew onboard could cash them in at the pursers desk…no??? I hardly think any of them would trash a $2 bill, just because they are not familiar with them.

If anyone wants to get rid of their $2 bills, I'll take them :p

I work part time in a retail store and we take $2 bills, $50 bills, $100 bills and any denomination of coin. It's money and it's real, we have never had the bank refuse US dollars.

Perhaps on an out of the country excursion or cruise, but I'm sure the cruise ships that people here post about, starting and ending in the USA, would definitely take $2 bills. Wouldn't there be an armored truck from a US bank deliver and receive cash every week from cruise ships?

I have been seasick on a ship, but not in quite a few years. I think it was the year 2000, on the old American Hawaiian Independence crossing from Kauai to Maui. More than half the ship was seasick including crew it was so rough.

After that I started taking less drowsy Dramamine, but even just taking it at night it made me groggy the next day. So I tried ginger, that gave me heartburn. So, then I tried nothing at all and have been fine for the last 10 years or so…I don't know what the difference is and I have been on some rocky cruises.

About the only time I get seasick is on a smaller vessel, like the tenders. I try to sit up on top if I can, the fresh air seems to keep me feeling better. I avoid excursions that involve small boats.

I do have mal de debarquement sometimes when we get home. Less drowsy Dramamine helps, so I take a half a tab at night for about a week or so.

If you are thinking about buying a piece of jewelry, find out what prices are typical at home prior to leaving. I'm not a jewelry shopper, so I have no idea, but the stuff is pretty to look at. I just would not go uneducated.

Almost all ships have "sales" a few days into the cruise. But, don't get too excited, it's all the same stuff every week. They haul it out for the "sale", then put it back in boxes for the storeroom until the next week. It includes cheaply made T-shirts, handbags, jewelry, etc… Much of the stuff you can find on the internet for about half of what the cruise ships sell it for, but it's fun to look through all of it. I read a lot of women here will buy the wraps for $10, usually they have those and the handbags for $10 in the ship stores even prior to the sale.

The regular stock does not typically go on sale in the shops. Once in a while you can find a discounted item. I once found keychains that were normally about $4.95 for $1.00. I still have that keychain on my house key.

I still go into the shops every cruise on a sea day. Sometimes I will buy makeup or skin care if they have something I need to replace. The prices are the same as they are at home, but no tax, so a small savings there.

Bon Voyage, Lois! "See" you in 11 days :)

Yes. We have done this on numerous lines. We will pay it off the last day,or pay it down as much as we can, then let any charges from the last night go onto the credit card.

I can't stand getting the bill a month later.

My first cruise was on Disney Magic in 1998. We've been on more than 20 cruises since then and it still is at the top of my list as far as cruises go. We've cruised on 8 different lines.

I think the ships are a lot different than people imagine. The are classy, gorgeous and nothing like an amusement park. The lack of a casino didn't faze us, we rarely go into casinos on any cruise ships, can't stand the cigarette smoke. The kids programs could not be beat and we were comfortable leaving the kids and going to adults only areas at night. There was an adults only pool, Castaway Cay has an adults only beach. You don't have yo hang with kids if you don't want to.

Our third cruise was on our one and only Carnival cruise. If that had been our first cruise, I would never have gone on another cruise again. Doesn't matter if they are cheaper or not.

I think it's great there are so many different choices.

The last thing I would want is a confrontation with another person on a cruise. I just go find another lounger. Our preference is not right by the pool, up a deck instead. I fail to see what the big deal is to get a lounger right by the pool…so crowded there.

The last time I sat close to the pool (last April) was on a port day, we returned to the ship and just went there to watch the concert video, there was plenty of space since many hadn't returned to the ship yet. I had my feet crossed at the bottom of the chair. The woman in front of me went to adjust her chair back and it slammed down on my toe. She apologized, I know she didn't mean to hurt me…and I had no idea the chairs were THAT close by the pool. Hopefully the bruise across my toenail will have grown out by this next Aprils cruise.

I've been active on Roll Calls and not attended the M & G because of a member. I witnessed her being rude to staff onboard the ship several times prior to the meeting. Pity, there were some people I really wanted to meet. Even worse, I later read she never showed up either. It was a smaller ship and I just didn't want to be associated with her.

Many times Roll Calls seem active since there are lots of posts, but if you look closely it will be the same 3/4/5 people posting several times a day. I really don't care if they have to take their dog to the vet or if they are remodeling the kitchen, so I tend not to pay too much attention to those Roll Calls once they go in that direction.

I've met some wonderful people from Roll Calls, some you go to the meeting and everyone stays to themselves and you never meet them at all. I've been signed up for some with a couple dozen really friendly folks…who never show up, but others have name tags on that never once posted. That was weird, they knew so much about what I was going to be doing on the port stops.

So, a Roll Call is not a make or break deal for me. I'd never make a cruise choice because of who is or isn't on a message board.

No, I'm still myself no matter where I am. Perhaps more relaxed as we're being waited on and spoiled :)

I'm no longer much of a drinker, gone are the years where I could potentially do embarrassing things. Thank goodness.

I like to dress well, it feels good to me. But the fact remains that what I think looks good the next person may not like it at all.

So, I'm caught between 2 & 3. I will admire a persons style and their obvious effort to look well dressed, all the while knowing I would never wear a garment like they have on. I don't leave the house without looking in the mirror to check that what I see is acceptable to where I'm headed. So imust care what others think.

Probably the most important lesson I have learned over the years is to not categorize a person (some say judge) because of clothing. First impressions are important, but they can be so wrong.

I should add, go to the Fashion and Beauty board here on CC

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=182

I'm sure there are women who have had the service done on this (or other Princess ships) and could give you a better idea of the cost.

If you possibly can, get it done prior to getting on the ship. The prices onboard are ridiculously high, 2-3 times more than what you would pay in a land based salon.

I have no idea what the exact price would be, or if they do a good job, as I get mine done by the same person on land every 2 weeks. I have my mani-pedi the day prior to leaving for vacation.

You are absolutely right about one thing…it is a fun thing to do together :)

At my job, we have to have hand washing inservice about once per year. Yes, it is as boring as it sounds, but it is a reminder to us to not only wash, but to use universal sanitary precautions in the classroom.

It's not that the soap and water are killing the virus, it's the method of using the soap and water. Soap makes water wetter and scrubbing the hands with soap makes the germs slide off the hands. Then, the friction of drying the hands with a towel further takes the germs off. We are taught to leave the water on, towel dry our hands and turn the faucet off with the used towel, then use the towel, or a fresh one, to open the door, then discard the towel.

Because of the work we do, we're constantly washing hands, using gloves, using disinfecting gel, etc… We still get sick on occasion. You just cannot avoid all germs in the world.

I'm not surprised many people take wipes and wipe down their cabin (or better use would be the tray table on their airplane flight). I just wonder how many people honestly think that will prevent illness…it will only if the prior tenant was a carrier of the virus and no one else has arrived onboard with a new round of the virus. I refuse to stay in the cabin the whole cruise and that will be the only place you know to be sanitized.

Even if they sanitize the entire ship, just one person bringing the virus onboard upon embarking can spread the virus all over again.

It also seems to me to be a seasonal illness, like cold season is more prevalent during winter months. Rarely do we read of Noro virus from spring to fall, when people are outside getting more fresh air.

Its a totally different ball game now. No more smuggling, be prepared to pay the $15 for any additioanl bottle over the 1 per person limit for wine and champagne only. Liquor will be destroyed.

Same story last year. We went prepared to pay the $15 corkage fee, there was no table, no questions asked. That's why we put it all in our carry on bag. The luggage tags last year when we cruised stated the same as they do this year.

There are so many different answers to the OP's question, that's why I wrote…wait and see. Be prepared to pay the corkage fee if they want you to, otherwise, you will walk onboard with all your wine bottles. I'd rather carry our wine onboard anyway, no risk of broken bottles in luggage being tossed around.

Last year we pre-ordered from Total Wine. Worked well. This year we plan on having it delivered to our hotel. They will do that if your order is over $250, not a problem for us as there are 8 (6 of them) wine loving people in our group. You order online, then call the store manager to set up delivery. It's the only Total Wine store that does this, if you call the main company number they will tell you no delivery available.

I'd just wait and see what happens. It seems as though there are different stories on different weeks and in the various terminals. We've never tried to "smuggle" bottles, put them all in the carry on and go right through. Last year (just the 2 of us) they didn't bat an eye with our 4 bottles. We just paid the corkage fee at dinner each night. We did not drink any of our bottles in our cabin.

This year with companions along, we'll probably open a few in the cabin. Our non-drinking friends will carry on a bottle each for us, but I'm almost positive some of those may end up at dinner with a cork fee. Not a problem for us, we like really nice wine and typically buy stuff that would not be available or way out of sight onboard. I've checked the current wine list and we'll be saving around $10 or so on each bottle even after cork fees are paid.

Figured I could use a tote bag that would fit under a plane seat

Want a zipper at the top

Ideas and any photos before I start the search?;)

This is my travel tote http://www.briggs-riley.com/category/productDetail.aspx?id=Large-Shopping-Tote_255&col=baseline&cat=totes

Multiple exterior and interior pockets, enough space in the main part of the bag for holding my Kindle, my small cross body bag, my 3-1-1 bag. It has an internal ID holder, so a luggage tag would never get ripped off. It has a slide over strap on the back to fit nicely on the handles of my carry on. Built to last a lifetime, but also comes with a warranty that they will fix any damage for the life of the bag. The lining is silver, so it's not a black hole. The snap out cosmetic case is really nice. I use it for all my travel and have never been disappointed.

I have one in black, my sister in olive and I have gotten one for my Aunt, we all love it.

I had the same problem last year. I think my card was replaced 6 times in 10 days. I had a small purse I carried with my camera, key card, lipstick. That's it. Well, first I blamed the camera, then I realized there was a magnetized clip on my purse. That solved the problem. I love the idea of the magnetic clips on the wall for whatever, but I think I'll keep my key card away from them :-)

Same thing happened to me. It was my evening bag with a small magnetic clip. Now I'm careful when I use that bag and keep the card away from the magnet.

I had a lipstick that closed with a magnet in the tube. I liked the tube since it never opened up accidentally. But it did de magnetize my cruise card a couple times. The lipstick is now gone, but it only went on one cruise while I still had it :p

I don't think there's much discrepancy between the two lines. Capris on casual nights, especially the first and last nights, are perfectly acceptable.

Formal or Elegant, there is much more of a wide interpretation from ladies in black slacks and a blouse with sparkle to the rare ball gown. The majority are in cocktail dresses any longer. Men are more prone to jacket and tie, not many tuxedos any longer. You even see shirtsleeves, no tie or jacket interpreted as formal.

I've done it all and the last 3 cruises have happily ditched the formal night altogether, dressed in country club casual and have gone to the specialty restaurants…loved it :)

For nicer over all answers, go to the Fashion and Beauty Board here on CC. You will see lots of discussions and some ladies share photos of what they wear on cruises. It's a good place.

While I don't fear tendering, I have a hesitation with boarding and re boarding. I was once injured when a tender boat dipped and quickly came back up while one leg was on the platform of the ship. Pulled a muscle in my hip area that took months before the pain went away. Even with doctor visits, pain meds and chiropractic, it just took time to heal.

Another time we couldn't get to the top of the tender and had to sit inside. The engine fumes were so strong, even with windows wide open, I thought I was going to lose breakfast.

These are just two examples of the many times we have tendered, both prior and after tendering at other times. I'm now more cautious and definitely allow the crew to hold both hands, plus if we can't get to the top of the tender, I'll wait for the next one. Unless, of course, the tender is nearly full and I don't have to sit in the aft area of the tender boat. If I can get to the middle, it's not so bad.

Thanks everyone for the input, I think we will go ahead and upgrade to a deluxe balcony stateroom. I can be a bit claustrophobic and being enclosed in a room without a view may not work very well for me! Even though we may not spend a ton of time in the room, being able to enjoy coffee in the morning on the balcony and the sounds and smell of the ocean at night would be yet another great experience. :D

I think you will be happy with your choice. I read all the time where people prefer inside cabins to save money and they are never in their cabin anyway. Yes, it does save money and there's a reason they don't stay in the cabin much, it's like being in a cave. The last time we had an inside cabin, my husband wanted to take a sledgehammer to the wall and knock a hole out.

We save all year to go on vacation, we're not about to scrimp on the cabin (although we've never splurged for a suite). That little piece of real estate is one of our favorite things about a cruise. We started cruising in 1998 and gradually converted to "balcony snobs". Now we won't go if we can't afford a balcony.

My tote that goes on the airplane and holds two of my other purses (a bag in a bag???). Not really that bad, as one has all my stuff that I need on the plane, or easy access to, like ID and my Kindle, it is my daily cross body purse. The other one is my evening bag and I pack all my jewelry into that, learned the hard way not to pack jewelry into the carry on, only my tote or purse (carry on gate checked by surprise a couple times). The tote also has my 3-1-1 bag and all my travel docs, plus other things I may need enroute.

The 4th bag is a beach bag, it's fabric and folds down to the size of a T shirt, no structure to it. That's in my checked bag.

Hi Kathy:).....hope things are going well:D...you know next month

is my birthday and I still wear the earrings you got me all those years

ago when we met in San Diego. I am going on a cruise week after

next and will be bringing them with me:)

That is so sweet, Lois. Thank you. And…an early Happy Birthday :)

Lois, thanks for posting your bra. I have an Amazon gift card burning a hole in my pocket, and I need a new bra. I already know my size and the quality of Wacoal, so I will give your style a try. I hope I like it as well as my go-to standard :)