trixiegal

My daughter needs a swimsuit for an upcoming pageant, so many thanks for these suggestions!

Bed Head Dumb Blonde- even the saltwater, salt air, chlorine, sun and sand can't stand up to it.

I'm going to revisit that line. It's so hard to find conditioners that don't make my blond brassy. I remember using Dumb Blonde several years ago and really liking it.

Another rec, but it's kind of expensive, is It's a 10 for Blondes 5-minute miracle hair repair. It comes with purple pigments to help defend brassiness.

Can anyone who has been at the resort report whether they had cell phone service and also how the resort WIFI was?

There was a wifi area near a small market on the lower level of the main building. I can't remember the name but I know they sold gifts and gelato. It wasn't a great, strong signal but good enough for us to check our emails before heading to the beach.

I just purchased Uncurly and am applying it this weekend. I have really tight 4a/3c curls with a halo of frizz the minute my hair starts to dry. Ill let you know how it goes for me though!

Can you update us? I have a similar hair type and I'm looking for something to lengthen/soften my curls. Can you use it with color or henna on the hair? I have both. [emoji4]

I would suggest the 6:1 to start... then move into the 5:2. The 6:1 is simply 6 days of healthy eating (Oatmeal w. fruit and greek yogurt..... spinach salad with shrimp or chicken and balsamic dressing.... broiled/pan seared fish with veggie stir-fry using just a bit of olive oil or butter (no margarine), salt/pepper or spice). That would be a sample of a day... of course, portion control is key. chicken only needs to be 4-5oz, 1 cup of oatmeal w, 1/2 cup grk yogurt, etc. I'm not against meal replacement shakes BUT you have to be VERY picky as there are only a couple that I would recommend.

 

 

 

The biggest challenge for me was adjusting how I ate. I used to eat till I was full... now, I eat until I'm no longer hungry... BIG DIFFERENCE. When you're hungry, you feel it. When you're no longer hungry, you don't really feel anything... when you're full, you feel it. You shouldn't eat to the point where you actually feel full... just eat till you no longer feel hunger pangs. Eat slow if possible but it you're in a rush and must eat quickly, just eat your portion and then move on... 15 minutes later, you'll no longer feel hungry.

 

 

 

I hope that makes sense...:confused:

 

 

 

When you have your fast days, you should still have SOME nutrients but keep them to liquids and and easily digested solids and in small quantities... chicken broth (no sodium) would be acceptable, raw veggies (like maybe 3-4 baby carrot sticks)... if I had to put it in terms of calories... no more than 400-500 all day.

 

 

 

Your first fast day will likely be tough. I gave in on both of my first two fast days and made an "emergency" spinach salad (just one hand of spinach and one soft boiled egg broken over it...salt/pepper...done..... Best salad ever!! By the third week, my fast day was much easier and continue to be.

 

 

 

When are you hoping to be at your target weight?

Thank you SO MUCH! I'm going to respond to you on your other thread. I don't want to confuse people who are looking for info on the 21 Day Fix.

Happy to help... in that article you linked to, there is a section on mini-fasting (5:2)... that's what I use. I also use a branded IF system that I order online that I can use with whatever IF protocol I decide on.

 

How much weight do you need to lose?

40-50 lbs

It's ok, sure jennifer.robbins70@yahoo.com

Thanks! I'm going to send you an email today. Sorry for the delay! :)

Not complicated at all. I've never had anyone fail on the program. Most people are in disbelief that they didn't do it sooner.

Thanks for the info on IF. Here's a link to a pretty comprehensive article on it. I think this may be perfect for me!

http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2015/01/30/time-restricted-eating.aspx

Went to this salon when I stayed at the Hyatt Place a few years ago before my Disney cruise. They did a good job for a fair price.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/forever-nails-fort-lauderdale

Check Southwest for flights because you could still get the Wanna Get Away fares at 21 days before departure. I would never do a drive that far alone as a woman. Just doesn't feel same IMO.

trixiegal, did you ever get you question answered I'm a Beachbody coach. Find me on Facebook Jennifer Robbins-business page 21dayfabtofit. We eat out on the weekends also I just watch my portions usually share something, or take half home. If you drink your shakeology before going out to eat it helps also.

I'm one of the 5 people left on earth without a Facebook. Can I email you? Or contact you via a website?

I didn't like the red. It was way too heavy and dry. I like red and white wines within various price points but it just wasn't a good bottle. It's a very basic table wine.

Glad to know you can get a better bottle at a 50% discount.

Yes, but sometimes the ships reach capacity and then you cannot add someone to the room despite the fact that you have an empty bed available. If you think someone else may come you are better off booking for two and then can remove and/or no show them later at no additional cost. Most Carnival sailings charge you the price for two even if only one is going. Also do not use early saver if you are unsure because no name changes are allowed.

Thanks for pointing out this important info because I have my DD as a single in a cabin on the Vista for 11/2016. I'm going to pressure her to lock in who she wants to take with her on the cruise or cancel that cabin and put her in mine with DS. I don't want to be stuck with paying for a single in an expensive cabin.

I fly Southwest almost exclusively and I don't agree there is a particular time frame to get better fares. It really depends on the market and supply and demand, which has been explained over and over again in this thread. I check fares every single day for weeks at a time. If the fare drops past the typical $99 or $129 Wanna Get Away fare then I buy. Then I continue to check to see if that fare drops or not. It doesn't always go lower and I end up buying one of the fares at $99 and get the other fare at a lower "sale" price. I may check other airports in my region and fly one-way from one airport inbound and one way outbound. Works for me because I live in a major metropolitan area on the East Coast.

I like flying SWA because of the no baggage fees for 2 bags, ability to cancel or change flights with no fee and, most of all, accumulating Rapid Rewards points to use on free flights. The website is so simple to use! The only thing is you have to track your credits for flights that dropped in fare or were canceled via your flight confirmation number. They don't track it for you. Keep a spreadsheet or note on your phone(like I do) to keep track and use them before 1 year.

I've stayed in all different types of cabins except an aft balcony, which I have booked for our next cruise on the Carnival Vista. It really depends on the ship. If it's a newer ship with all the bells and whistles I am more inclined toward booking a higher end room with all the amenities. On an older ship with a great port-intensive itinerary (like the Sunshine and the Disney Magic) then I will book an OV or an inside. I know I will be out at the ports all day and so I won't have as much time to spend on a balcony.

I want to try out the promenade interiors on the newer RCCL ships. Probably for 2017 or 2018.

I always feel like I'm missing out on something when we're on a cruise but looks like I've done MOST of these suggestions. I feel so proud of myself! [emoji136]

Here's a few I want to do on my next one:

~ Meet some cool singles. I always say I'm going to the Meet&Greet but I find a reason to skip it

~ Spend more than 5 minutes in the night club (then maybe the above will happen [emoji4])

~ Try the sushi at Bonsai

~ Sit down and have a drink at the piano bar

~ Decorate the door

~ Book the Chef's Table

I was on the same cruise, although we did it differently. I was the leader of our group. I observed before and after boarding smuggling of alcohol. I ratted them out immediately and did so through out the cruise. We certainly can't have smuggling of alcohol when I am paying the high price of drinks. Don't you know it says so in the contract no smuggling, so I policed that.

 

 

 

I would also go down an hour before both dinner times and stand by the maitre d and would tell him who was dressed properly and who wasn't. He would always agree with me and send them back to change. Come on it's in the cruise contract people. Don't you know it is 5 star dining with dancing waiters. I also walked the dining room making sure not one person ordered more than one entree, It's my business to determine how much and what you eat.

 

 

 

Every day, morning, noon and at night I would walk the ship and find every employee I saw and tip them. Come on people don't you know how hard they work. I also would stand by guest services and make sure no one removed tips, you know there is no way they ever could have had bad service or bad treatment from the employees. Those employees never mess up they are perfect, and they work so hard. Also it is my business to know who is tipping and how much. I always go to guest services at the end of cruise and have them double charge my gratuities . I then walk around the ship and let everyone know how much I extra tip and call them cheap if they don't. It is everyone's business how much I extra tip.

 

 

 

We have decided next cruise we will just send the money we would have paid for the cruise to the workers, so we will not cruise and they work so hard and we will feel good about ourselves and tell everyone what we did.

HILARIOUS!!!!!!

You forgot to mention when you walked around the lido deck making sure everyone was actually sitting on the deck chair they wanted at ALL TIMES (no bathroom breaks!!!) or you reported them immediately to security. You can't have them saving chairs when other worthy guests are waiting and wasting time looking for a lounger, even though it's noon on a sea day. How dare they!

Oh my gosh, if I could have taken the Pride there I definitely would have preferred it over the Dawn. That would have been a no brainer to me. I hope you have a WONDERFUL time on the Pride and in Bermuda. Lucky you! :D

I finally finished reading your Pride review and I'm thinking I want to cruise on it in 2017 if I can also do the Bermuda itinerary. It would be so convenient to cruise from my hometown port and I'm okay with paying a bit more to spend time in Bermuda.

I'm going on the Vista next Thanksgiving and I'll finally be Gold (which I'm not sure means anything) so I may stick with Carnival for another cruise or two. But I am getting kinda bored of the same old food, activities, ports, etc. I'm going to start reading your NCL reviews and decide if I'll cruise like a Norwegian sooner than later. LOL

Yep, it's almost the middle of October and I FINALLY finished the review! I've been reading for months and you even posted a response to my post back in June about the Jolly Rogers cruise in Aruba.

Mi familia and I went on the sunset cruise and had a BLAST. It really all went by too fast, like a distant blur now. So glad I could go back and ready your review and see the pics of your cool family having such a good time on a cruise vacation. I think I relate so much to you because I'm originally from the San Fernando Valley and the Cali girl has never left me, though I've been on the East Coast for more than 1/3 of my life. People are always like, "Where are you from?" and my family laughs that I say CA but it's just who I am. :D

This was one of the best reviews I have ever read on CC. Please do another one after your cruise next year!

What did you think of their beach? From the photos I've seen, it looks a bit strange to me, like it's within a cove being blocked by a dock or something.

I was a bit concerned about that cove area not being a real beach. However, when we got out there I saw how wide and long it was then I was totally satisfied. The water is deep enough to canoe and paddle board. It's adjacent to a boat dock with yachts, etc. which is why the long dock is there. We actually walked along it but didn't make it all the way to the end because it was so hot and the water was so inviting. [emoji4]

Also, the water on the other side of the cove looked like it had a strong current and was choppy waters the day we were there. It was so much more relaxed and crystal clear, calm waters in the cove area.

We've done a return flight twice now from Fort Lauderdale after our cruises returned to Port of Miami. It was super easy. On one trip we did a shuttle and the other we rented a car since we had a long tim til our flight and wanted to explore a bit. Both with kids and lots of luggage. I've done Miami Airport a lot, both for domestic and international flights, and for post-cruise travel it's absolutely worth going to FLL.

 

We always use Southwest. They don't charge for bags (unless you're overweight), and there's no fee to change.

I 2nd this sentiment and have done the same with traveling with my two teenagers on 3 cruises from POM. FLL is a very easy airport to fly into and from on SWA. Not sure how fares are on SWA inbound/outbound from San Diego.

Easy way to check is to use their Low Fare Calendar on their website. Also, if you fly Southwest don't forget to sign up for the Rapid Rewards program for EVERYONE in your family. I'm a huge fan of SWA and getting free flights is a bonus. [emoji6]

First, congrats on your pregnancy! Do you know if it's a boy or girl, if you feel like sharing. [emoji4]

My sister had a baby last year and he's the light of my life, as my two kids are getting all grown up and independent now. I just love babies !!!

I'm glad you had a nice cruise despite your husband's injury to his ankle. Sounds like you made the best of it and it all worked out well.

We also took photos with the Dreams Photo Studio in 2013 on the Carnival Dream and I was very impressed. My DD was starting her senior year of HS and I wanted some nice photos of her and all of us together. I usually spend a lot on photos because I'm very picky and pay close attention to detail. It's a keepsake item that lasts a lifetime so I feel like it's worth it to spend some $$. Our pictures came out so beautiful, especially one of my DD on the promenade deck with the sunset and her long hair blowing in the wind. I wanted all of them but I chose 3 and it was a little under $400.

We got a great deal from Travelzoo and went on the St. Louis Cemetary tour. I'm kind of a history nerd so this tour focuses A LOT on history and side stories about people laid to rest in the cemetery. That made it all the more interesting to me. The tour guide definitely had a good relationship with all the people working around the area, which made it almost feel like a friend was walking you around his hometown. Not formal or stuffy at all.

http://www.magictoursnola.com/

Try Jimmy J's Cafe on Chartres St. right before you get to Canal.(Next to the Marriott) We had fried oyster and shrimp po-boys and red beans and rice that was absolutely delicious. They have a great menu and a full bar for very decent prices.

The hotel was as close to perfect as it could get for the price I paid! Two nights for under $280 and we had a 2 Queen bed Premium room. It was very spacious, clean, super comfy beds and decorated with a cool hipster and artsy vibe. The bathroom was nice with rainfall shower but very small. Close the door before using the toilet or it won't shut kind of small.

The restaurant downstairs in the lobby, Compere Lapin, is actually headed by a recent Top Chef alum, Nina. She was in the kitchen when we had apps and a drink there one afternoon!

The front desk staff were so personable, professional and went out of their way to make my birthday weekend special. When we called and asked for anything it was total service with a huge smile. I was sad to leave after 2 nights. We were right off Poydra and could see Harrah's from the front of the hotel, so it's in the right location for a pre- or post-cruise hotel.