Elizabeth10

Who knew packing cubes were such a contentious topic? :D

 

I guess I'm the rare person who falls midway between the cube queens and the freestyle folders.

 

I use one cube for underwear and socks, and another for clothes or other items that I'm not entirely sure I'll need. (I pretty much always have a swimsuit and a little black dress on me). This way I don't have to go rooting around for underpants and I don't have to deal with those "maybe" clothes until I need them. The rest of my clothes just get rolled or folded and packed the normal way. Works for me!

I just returned from my first cruise. I brought a power strip and an over-the-door shoe holder based on advice kindly given on various online sources.

 

 

Power strip - absolutely invaluable!

 

 

Shoe Holder - We had a mini-suite which had plenty of storage and counter space so this didn't turn out to be necessary. In a more crowded cabin or when traveling with children, however, I can see how it would be a lifesaver.

Yep. I've been called Mr. Firstname more times than I could begin to count. Sometimes I even refer to my friends that way when talking to my son or his friends. Go ask Mr. James. While we are used to it in the South, I wonder how it comes across to people elsewhere.

Northeasterner here. To me, it sounds "different," but in a nice way. I know it's well-intended. I introduce myself to kids as "Elizabeth" and expect/prefer to be called that, but "Ms. Elizabeth" is fine with me.

 

The last thing you want to do is make them uncomfortable while trying to do a nice thing!

True! I really dislike it when parents make their kids call me Ms. Lastname even though I've invited them to call me by my first name! (Again, adding the "Ms." to my first name is no problem if that's what they prefer.)

 

It never would have occurred to me to have my son call our cabin steward "Mr. Firstname" because it's customary in our world for kids to refer to adults by just their first names. Having kids use the "Mr./Ms." seems perfectly fine to me, but asking for the cabin steward's last name when he/she doesn't provide it to you just seems intrusive.