shipgeeks

I wish you success in all the areas you've mentioned above! We are not trying to minimalize as far as your goal, but can definitely relate. I find general books pretty easy to give to charity stores.....except when I think "I wonder if I'd like to read that once more in a year or two?" Ship-related books, if I can part with them, go onto a ship I'm cruising on, to be deposited in the ship's library. Our cruising memorabilia might be a bit like your LEGO. I made one inquiry at a maritime museum in a city we'll be cruising to....they were unable to accept. I get the selling hassle. We used to have an ebay shop. Did okay, but time consuming. We still have neat things to sell, but no way to get them to the PO when sold, etc. Would love to link up with a nephew or someone to let them do the listings and reap the profits. Clothing donations are the easiest thing for me. Photo albums, my grandfather's postcard collection, my grandmother's china and silver.....that continues to be the toughest. Would gladly donate to the right charity, but finding one that can actually profit from them is the question. Good luck, and please continue to report on your progress.

As one who finds OP's dress lovely and not over-the-top or costumey, my brain has now led me to think about some of the long dresses I've seen on our "plain old Baltimore RC" cruises over the past couple of years. Quinientos (15th Birthday) Latina girl in full princess regalia, including tiara. Mother and aunts very nicely dressed. Long form-fitting dress entirely covered in silver sequins. One long sleeve, one bare arm. Several Grecian Goddess dresses in various colors. Soft jersey, draped here and there. One shoulder or two, very flattering and easy to wear. Youngest women in spaghetti-strap dresses, straight or fuller skirt, no underwear lines! More mature women frequently in black. Long velvet sheath with black feathers all the way around the top of the bodice. Others in various styles. Stunning jersey dresses in bold combinations of black and white - asymetrical/sharp angles/etc. OP, will your son think it's cool that you wear the dress on a cruise? And now, back to thoughts about The Dress.

I think we stay on the ship, which in our case is an OV cabin on a small ship, more than we go into ports any more. We just love ship time.

I'm always cold on a ship, too! Long sleeves every night. And as you noted, you would not take the underskirts and hoop. It might be a great conversation starter, too! You get to talk about the wedding some more (if you want to).

One that sticks in my mind, from my Cap Vilano sailing, was blueberriesjogurt, one of many run-together words. I wish I could find those menus.

Ok, I have a question re terminology: "yoga pants". After many years in the fitness industry, yoga pants, to me, were long pants with close fit to below the knees, and then a boot cut finish. Garments that fit the legs all the way to the ankles were tights, or leggings. All, of course, were good quality stretch fabrics, frequently black. Personally, they are probably my most-worn garment in all except dressy settings. Travel, board a ship, grocery shop, PT, home. I find them flattering, appropriate, and comfortable. I would not, however, choose to wear "tights" in any of those settings. How do you define, and what do you wear?

I disagree that you would be the only one in a gown! I don't know your cruise line or ship (please tell us), but I think it's kind of cool., and I do see some women in gowns on every cruise. What would your husband wear? Is that him in green tunic(?) That would be the nay from me; then it is costumey. But as a gown, I kind of like it. Put hub in a traditional suit or tuxedo, and I'm sure you, as an item, will look great.

I'm surprised at myself, that I didn't see/respond to this post long ago. We resumed cruising in February, 2022, as soon as a ship returned to Baltimore. We are about to do #7 next week. We are so grateful to be able to do so again, and regularly. We have not had any illness or other mishaps. And, having restarted with mask mandates, testing, etc., cruising now seems so easy. We are not, however, planning to fly ever again, and do not have an interest in alternate vacations such as hotels, resorts, RV travel, etc.

Heading north? Definitely. Our friends wore long pants, long sleeve shirts, and jackets in Saint John and Halifax this week.

While I definitely see a decline in "civility", I don't think I've ever seen the behavior noted by the OP. Not perfect, by any means, but over our 50 cruises, many on RC, no, nothing that bad.

Some RC ships use the term Formal, some use Dress to Impress. DH always wears his tuxedo, as do a few others. (Nothing to do with photos; not interested. We just enjoy a special Date Night, a change from being at home.) Some in suits, some in sport coats, some in dress shirts, some in casual shirts. Women cover a big range as well, but if anything, tend to dress better than the men. A young man in a tank top was turned away on a casual night on our last cruise.

Agreed! We have found CN to be very helpful when we had airline miles to donate, as well as our ongoing $$ donations.

Fifty cruises under our belts, and we have never wished we had a beverage package or specialty restaurant meal.

I know it is not part of your question, but another thing that got us all three times was the crowds when we were in Med ports on May 1 and the weekend closest to it. Big holiday for Europeans, and they do tend to get away from home and into many popular tourist spots and big cities.

Muster drill should be taken care of within a few hours of boarding. There will be instructions in your cabin.

We have done this April crossing three times, to Rome and to Barcelona. It's our favorite way to cruise, except for the flights home. We are not pool or sunbake people, so I can't comment on that. Although the weather was fabulous just about every day, the element of the uninterrupted wind made it feel cool most of the time, much more so than sailing around Carib islands, for example. If we were going to sit on the upper deck, forward, I would take a fleece or light jacket. And I did use those jackets in the Med some days, too; some were short sleeve days, some were long sleeve plus fleece plus rain jacket days. In both settings, layers were the best thing ever.

Thank you; it will go into my charity box. I didn't want to open it to try, and then have it leak in transit. You (both) made my decision for me.

Thank you, Mr. Reliable!

What do they have?

In case anyone needs a bit of comic relief on this complicated subject: I usually pack a Colgate toothpaste that comes in a little "flask" and can stand on its end, rather than a squishy tube that might leak. Yesterday, beside those in the store, I saw a smaller container, a tube with a big cap, able to stand on its end. In spite of its childish trim, I bought it for my cruise. At home, with my glasses on, I discovered it is fruit-flavored. After a lifetime of mint, can I handle it?

And there is a MDR children's menu, with other child-pleasing dishes to choose from.

Assuming you will be on a mainstream line, guidelines are pretty wide on the first night. Personally, I board in slacks, sneakers, nice jersey; then for dinner and evening I freshen up and change my shoes to a pair of flats. Many are more casual than me, including shorts; however, I think the line would occur somewhere above sweaty gym shorts and tank top. (We did see a young man in a tank told to change, on a casual night.) Your idea of a casual dress sounds perfect. The only time I boarded and then realized I better upgrade my outfit for dinner was on a Cunard cruise. I boarded in a silk pantsuit and flat shoes. When I saw people going to early dinner, I was convinced to change to a dress and heels. It was the right call....but that was Cunard.

Well, this is discouraging. My attempts to Die With Zero are being thwarted. My most recent grocery bill was $60, following my previous one of $100. My most expensive item was $3+; every other item was $1+ or $2+. Then the cashier at the other store gave me the senior discount without any hints from me. And the beautiful, high-end pajamas I decided to treat myself to, after reading this thread, are not available in my size.

Steel, If you enjoy good music, check out the Latin band, Son del Rio, probably in Bolero's. They were our band on Vision, and they are outstanding.

Same here. About to do cruise #7 since the restart, and have not had any problems. Passengers out and about seem to be sensible, and crew require hand sanitizing before entering buffet.