MJC

Here is what I took on our recent NCL Gem cruise. We went from 35 degrees to 77 degrees so I had to pack for a variety of temps. I wore everything except one dress and one tank top. I tried to keep to blue, brown, turquoise, and peach. 3 dresses 2 pr long pants 3 dressy tops 2 sweaters 3 long sleeved tshirts 3 tshirts 3 shorts 1 skort 2 sleeveless tops 2 workout outfits 2 bathing suits one casual sweater/wrap Here was my embarkation/disembarkation outfit that I wore with my brown pants and booties (coat & gloves needed too):

Lots of fun things in the latest jjill. Am thinking about this scarf... love blue and orange together. https://www.jjill.com/product/print-borders-square-scarf?color=5OT

Or just using wcook's definition lol

Love that bracelet Laurie and glad to hear about the fit of that dress. We are just back from our 9 day on the NCL Gem and had a great time. I took very few outfit pics though, and didn't even get a formal portrait done. I came home with one short dress and one tank top unworn, that was it, so I think I packed well.

Laurie, we have been to Miami Beach several times for conferences. It is a short ride from the airport, maybe 20 minutes or so, and we always just get a taxi. One of the best things is the boardwalk along the beach. You can walk for miles. Very nice after a long flight. Your hotel can call you a taxi to take you to the pier. Just a thought.

That's why I do Zumba, the fun distracts me from the fitness. 😄

Anybody?? Am wondering if I should bring my Zumba shoes. Margaret

Can someone who's taken this tell me what it's like? tyia

We once boarded the week following a cruise with lots of bands, and we experienced a long wait while they disembarked because of all the instruments. Long wait in the hot sun to just get into the terminal.

We do too, and since we prefer aft cabins, access to the rear elevators isn't an issue for us. But we usually take the stairs anyway.

I do Zumba too and was wondering what Fun Fitness is. I have a class on my laptop that I do if there's not an aerobics type class on board. I can always find a neglected corner somewhere to do it early in the morning. 😀

We've had the starboard Emerald deck Vista suite over the club several times on other Grand Class ships (and the Dolphin one too), and it's been fine as far as noise. Those are our favorite cabins with the aft view and a bit of side view as well. Love the covered balcony, and only one neighbor. No hallway noise. Super convenient down to aft dining room and up to buffet, and as mentioned the Promenade. Wouldn't book the port side Emerald though with all the reports of speaker noise. .

Happy New Year!

My guess is the bigger ships can't port there? I've noticed too that it isn't available. We are looking at another line for that itinerary now.

Laurie, I'm glad to hear you are doing ok. There are a lot of sad stories this Christmas for so many families. We were lucky. We arrived before the storm. I had booked a room with a kitchenette, so we just stocked up at Meijers and spent the day at the hotel. It was -2 that night with wind chill -22. By Saturday afternoon we were able to creep over on icy roads to my brother's house for Christmas Eve day, and the next day for Christmas. By Monday the highways were clear enough that we could go to Lansing and see my dad's brother and sister. She is 97! Was wonderful to hug her again after 3 years. We compared manicures and jewelry. 🙂 She is an amazing woman. Last night we stopped in the middle of PA and found an Amish-owned restaurant for dinner. Had one of the best ham dinners ever. Super cute gift shop in front. So fun to scout out someplace interesting on the road. The interstates are fully dry now and we are making good time on our way home. Can't wait to cuddle my kitty later today.

Laurie, hoping you fared ok during the storm we've had. I know you are not in Buffalo, but the news from there is extremely scary and we've been hoping your area was not affected quite so badly. Here in Michigan we've had minus temperatures and lots of icy roads, but snow totals were less than expected (not the 8 inches forecast). Most major roads are passable, though we're driving with great care. Fortunately the interstates are clear enough for easy travel. We leave for home tomorrow morning. Today we met with extended family who don't live close for lunch. We picked a central location for the various factions and met up at the Cracker Barrel. Most of them I haven't seen since my dad died because the pandemic kept us at home for so long. Good to hug on my 97 yo aunt and my dad's youngest brother. Saw some cousins I haven't seen in forever. A really good day. We were there for 3 hours! I used to hit up the post-Christmas sales at Lord & Taylor. I sure do miss that store. I did see a pretty teal top at the Cracker Barrel that was tempting. They have a peacock section with lots of teal. Right up my alley!

Laurie, hoping you stay safe and snug. We are in Michigan with family for the holidays and are hunkered down in advance of many inches of snow and near zero temps tomorrow. We are so glad we traveled when we did, we had no hiccups. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah! So thankful for everyone's friendship throughout the years here on the EARTH thread. Looking forward to more clothes and colors chat with all of you in 2023. Margaret

Doing some last minute shopping, finding some nice colors at Lands End. https://www.landsend.com/products/womens-power-performance-elbow-sleeve-drawstring-top-print/id_368255?attributes=50411 https://www.landsend.com/products/womens-long-sleeve-curved-hem-moisture-wicking-spf-sun-tunic-print/id_347730?attributes=34292,44967 https://www.landsend.com/products/womens-moisture-wicking-upf-sun-short-sleeve-curved-hem-tunic-top-print/id_368187?attributes=44967,50411 scuff slippers on sale again: https://www.landsend.com/products/womens-felt-animal-scuff-slippers/id_316032?attributes=29167 https://www.landsend.com/products/womens-chlorine-resistant-tummy-control-sweetheart-one-piece-swimsuit-with-adjustable-straps/id_368643?attributes=43307,43325,43392,44256,45134,51165 Good sale with 70% off some items.

Just remember it is a workday so there will be be commuter traffic coming through the tunnel in the morning, and if there is snow, everything will slow way down. Leave a good time cushion.

We are old school and always have paper copies of everything. In October we were much quicker getting through embarkation in Brooklyn than those scrolling through their phones for things. ymmv. We just staple the luggage tags, never used holders. We borrow a stapler at the hotel desk. Agree 100% about skipping the solicitations by private drivers at the port.

We've used the proctored home tests several times in the last year for travel. We found it helpful to watch a video of someone doing it first, to become familiar with the test items and the steps. You can google Binax Now proctored test and find several to watch on YouTube. Here is just one example. https://youtu.be/HyjniJGZmLQ

Safe travels Melody and have a wonderful cruise!

Those two dresses were my favorites of the sale items. I'm glad you're happy with them. I was tempted by the orange one! Our family room at the lake is always cooler too. It has two outside walls and shares a third wall with the garage. It was an add-on to the house plans so it only has a crawl space that is about 4ft high that isn't good for much. I have a cozy fleece blanket as well. Sometimes our cat will stare at me until I sit and put the fleece on my lap. She loves to sit with me that way. 🙂 Today I went through my spare closet, which has my dresses and my too-small clothes. I ended up with two bags for the thrift store. I also pulled out some of the casual dresses I may bring on our January cruise. After the new year, I will start trying things on and picking my wardrobe. I already have a pile of workout wear, swimwear, and tops that I want to bring stacked in the spare room.

Laurie it's fun seeing your different trees. I see what you mean about the one having a "look" and the other being all about fun. It's nice that you have room for those choices. We just put up our two little trees this year since we will have such a busy December. I am on jury duty standby this week and next, and then we leave for a week in Michigan. I decided to make my life easier and only put out the little trees (one for the apartment, one for the house). I have a day off from jury duty today, so I am going to do as much wrapping as I can since we will have to ship some things early, before we go. If anyone else is a Costco fan, I highly recommend this Skechers shirt. Our store had them in green, purple, and black. I bought the purple and green. The purple is a bit on the dark side and muted, and the green is actually a very dark teal: https://www.costco.com/skechers-ladies'-long-sleeve-brushed-tunic.product.100813633.html They are very soft and the reviews are good. I have a lot of long sleeved tshirts that all seem to be wearing out at the same time. These new ones are perfect for the kind of weather we are having now. I also did another closet purge and took two bags of clothes and a chair to the thrift store. One thing I have noticed since I stopped coloring my hair auburn is that some of the oranges and browns I had in my wardrobe don't look as good on me now. Especially with tops, I find that an orange on the peachy side (not pink!) is much better than a brownish orange against my skin tone and current hair color, which is more a chestnut brown. I finally used up my giant roll of wrapping paper, so I'm off now to do a supply run....

Your tree is so pretty! I have to say, the hedgehog is my favorite. 🙂