MJC

I like that! I bought a gauzy summer tank dress that has pockets on the sides, so stupid looking, but I'm going to have the dry cleaner cut them and and resew the seams for me. It is a lovely teal and it is cool and floaty for hot days at the lake. But those pockets, yuk.

I was too lazy to try on pants but they had some browns and greens that I was interested in. I need to assess my pants situation first though.

I think so. Saw them and passed by because I can't wear a gathered waist like that. That tshirt is a good color IRL and they had a blue one too that I was tempted but passed by.

It's been a quiet week around here... just a heads up that Old Navy has quite a few brown summer items and EARTH-friendly tops. Some nice greens too. Bike shorts were on sale for $12 and I picked up a nice teal pair. Laurie, you inspired me to get out my Style Statement book again. It's interesting to re-read, especially in my current post-covid, non-working life. I feel a bit more motivated to work on some of the projects and wish list items that I've been uninspired about. I've been trying to keep to a schedule that works better for me, getting up earlier and using my morning energy to jump start what I want to do that day, and taking some downtime in my late afternoon slump time. I've been doing a lot of spring cleaning, and rereading the book has reminded me how much I love our decorating, both at the apartment and the cottage. It really does "spark joy" (at least when it's tidy and clean lol). I'm not in the mood to change anything, but I do want to shed some more things that we just don't use. We are putting together a bin of family stuff to go to DH's sister. I'm also noticing now that our reno at the lake is approaching the 20 year mark that we have some replacing of worn items to do. I'm meeting with our painter this weekend to spruce up our guest room, which also needs new carpet. You know, I have a silver-plated tea service that was a wedding gift that I haven't used since my mother-in-law was alive. I really don't know what to do with it. Nobody wants them any more, and you can't give them away even on eBay. It's a shame.

We love those aft Emerald deck covered minis. ❤️ I just wish you could get Club Class dining when you book them.

During high school I would babysit on Saturday night and watch The Love Boat, so my impression was that cruising was mostly for singles. I didn't think we would like it. Then in 1997 some married friends our age went to Alaska, and then an aunt and uncle went to Alaska, and they all raved about it and said we should go. So we went on Princess and loved it so much we were planning our next cruise on the flight home.

I think you need to know what is "perfect for you" when travelling in order to have a perfect cruise. We only had one cruise that wasn't for us, but we were experimenting outside of our usual preferences, so we dealt with it and still had an ok vacation.

In the 80s we used light blue to make the eye look whiter. I watch American Idol, and Katy Perry has been wearing turquoise and her eyes really pop.

Bumping. Any recommendations? We will be there in 2024.

Laurie, St. Kitts has a scenic train ride that might be nice for both of you, not too much exertion and a change of pace from the beach: http://www.stkittsscenicrailway.com/the-train.html I'm already planning clothing for our October cruise, so I get it, Laurie! We've nailed down our six activities and will visit Stonehenge on debarkation day, on the way to Heathrow. Since we will have a lot of cold weather wear and footwear, we are debating going semiformal and skipping the tux and gowns. It will save room especially on shoes for me. 🙂 We had an icy blizzard on Tuesday and then rain, so no snow left. This week we are headed into the 50s and 60s and likely won't go backwards at this time of year. Yay!

We each bring one of these and have never had issues bringing them on board. Much faster than charging by usb. Since we each have a phone, tablet, and camera, we are plug hogs. 🙂

1. Large room & large balcony (we typically book aft corner and like having a table & chairs to use) 2. Priority embarkation 3. Club/reserve class dining 4. Breakfast at Sabatini's 5. Included minibar 6. Bottled waters refreshed each day 7. Laundry service The cabin trumps everything IMO. We cruise the Grands and haven't been on any of the newer ships. We'll be on the Island for the first time this year. We always get specialty dining on first night through our credit card. It is nice when the food is good. After more than once experiencing a terrible crush resulting in cold, overcooked food, we stopped going to Crown Grill and now choose Sabatinis, which is much quieter with better service on 1st night. Then again, we have superior steakhouses here so we aren't missing much by doing so.

The Island Princess roll call in 2022 for this itinerary has tons of useful information.

Adding Emerald Princess April 5, 2024

I tried to put my $100 deposit on a cruise this morning and it charged it 3 times, so now I'm on hold to get my $200 back. 🙄

Just received.

I'm like you and mostly aim for the middle where I feel good but don't draw too much attention. We recently went on the Queen Mary 2, which is described as very formal, and we saw many women dressed in what you plan to wear who were by no means the least dressy or stood out. A classic dress with evening accessories is always appropriate and easy to pack, or as Melody posted, some beautiful pants with different evening tops. I love long gowns but the opportunities to wear them are fewer and fewer. At this point I'd rather have cocktail-length dresses that are versatile but still allow some bling in the jewelry department. 🙂 I have a black jersey one that I can even roll and it always looks nice, dressed up or down. Sometimes we like to go all-out with the gown and tux, but it doesn't have to be that way. And I think that a woman at ease in what she's wearing always shines best.

Melody, best of luck tomorrow with your surgery. Sending good wishes for your recovery and better times ahead. Laurie, that black flowered dress is tempting. And yes, we are short! I am 5'6 and used to be average, but younger people are so much taller on average now that I feel like a short person. However, I am glad that it's easier finally to find shoes in my size. 🙂 Most of my nieces are wearing size 9 now! I will add that most models are so tall that judging where the hem will fall is a challenge. That leopard swing dress is very cute. I am a fan of leopard because it is right in my dark autumn wheelhouse. I have a few leopard accessories, but not any clothes. We have a long vacation break now until October, when we are doing a Norway Northern Lights cruise. I have been reading and studying, and we have already purchased some winter clothing items before the season ends here and we won't have options left. I need new base layers and we both just bought snow boots and those spring traction thingys for them. I am glad that I bought a new winter parka in the fall. We have plenty of winter clothes, but we may want to upgrade hats and gloves and neck gaitors to warmer ones. We especially need warm gloves that will still allow us to use our cameras, at night. It is not the typical Norway Fjords cruise but we are very excited about it. We will have 3 formal nights. We won't go full formal because we already have so much to pack that's bulky. But, given that we'll be in Europe, DH will probably take a jacket and a couple ties, and I will try to pack so that I only have one pair of heels. I may go the dressy top/slacks route just because of the climate. We do have 7 sea days, and we do like to dress for dinner and go dancing. Since we're flying, we do have to be conscious of our luggage weight as well. So, not sure yet what I'll do. Plenty of time to figure it out. We just had that wonderful cruise on the Gem out of NYC, but I recently learned that it's being redeployed and won't sail from NYC any more. It's being replaced by the much bigger Getaway. Oh well. Glad we did it when we could. As I'm writing, our resident eagles are out there walking around on the ice. I love watching them.

CB was last in drydock April 2019. Then she sat for a while during the pandemic so the refurb looked like new. Here is an after video: https://youtu.be/fiiyXqdDUsQ We thought she looked beautiful and the crew was wonderful. When your kids are occupied at the kids club, check out the Lotus Pool up by the spa. Adults only, very peaceful. Soft serve ice cream is available by the pool, a fun treat. We've only stayed in Vista suites on the starboard side and have had no noise from the club below. We especially liked the Medallion feature that lets you see where your family is. We could check the screen and see where the other one was when we did separate activities.

We love the Vista suites with their big balconies, and always ask to mark them "no upgrade." Sabatini's breakfast is an underutilized perq IME, but we really enjoy it. We sailed CB twice last year and would go back again in a heartbeat. We much prefer the layout to the newer larger ships.

I have an Army Knife app on my phone that uses the flash as a flashlight. It also has a small ruler, metric converter, and other useful things. I use my tablet for email, movies, and music, which also has Libby on it for library books. So I don't need my laptop or Kindle.

Agree, Melody, on all counts. I do like that Ralph Lauren a lot too, but I don't think the colors work for me. Love the teal, so beautiful. Laurie you are right about the first one. I have a similar sweater and it does look brown even from a short distance. Mine has brassy gold on it which helps, I think, rather than a bright gold. Just took another look at the Pantone colors for spring since my new Vogue came and the stores here will start stocking for spring at any moment. Except for Gray Lilac the top row is nice, though the blue might be too cool IRL. I like Blue Perennial better and Peach Pink might be workable too. We'll have to see how they manifest in the stores. I think the FIRE ladies might have some options here too.

Have taken our own snorkel gear and inflatable noodles many times. Don't know about paddleboards. How does that work, do you bring a foot pump?

We were on the 1/16 Gem cruise and NCL was running a limited ferry to St. George. It departed the Dockyard at 9:30 and departed St. George at 1:30.

RIU was really beautiful this month though it was far more crowded than we expected. Even the desk staff said they were surprised at how full they were. The lunch buffet was extensive but not fancy, though we did find plenty to eat. Plenty of beach chairs and umbrellas that a very nice attendant arranged for us. If you want shade, the building shades the beach and you can follow the shade over the course of the day. The pool quieted down after 3pm so we were able to swim for a bit. Be prepared, both the ocean and the pool were a bit cool. There were drivers with vans waiting at the port exit. We asked for a private transport which was $30 for the two of us. At the end of the day there is a dispatcher just outside the front door who will hail one of the waiting cabs for you. The cab was metered.