AuroraMeansDawn

I'm an avid list maker too. I keep three small cosmetic bag sized bags packed all the time for travel and one "cruise" bag for door stuff that I find I just need on a ship.

A cosmetic bag that has enough sample sizes of what I need for 10 days or so that always has a 10 day supply of contact lenses in it (my daily ones) and a back up bottle of solution for my son who never remembers to pack his for his non daily lenses as well as a bottle of Downy Wrinkle Releaser (my FAVORITE cruise item) You can always find a pair of gold hoop classic earrings in the bag and a few pony tail tie backs and I always have an extra tube of toothpaste and new travel toothbrushes in this and an extra small travel sized hairspray in this so i can just hand the baggie to my kids when they knock because they forgot it.

There is a med bag with dramamine, tylenol PM, regular tylenol, bandaids, neosporin, cough drops, benadryl, tums, pepcid, allergy meds, feminine products, aloe, a small sewing kit and EARPLUGS because one one ship we were next to a "baby baby baby" moaner LOL. There is probably more I'm not thinking off but I just keep it packed. It's compact and easy to toss in.

Better to have it and not need it...and another small bag with chargers for kindles, old and new iphone cables, a multi port charging station, blue tooth speakers and multiple ear buds.

And lastly I have a gallon ziplock bag with some fun sunny magnets and honeycomb door decor stuff that have magnets on them as well as a memo pad with a magnet back and pencil attached and some command adhesive strips and a few small bungee cords, a night light, a powerstrip, and playing cards that live in the front pocket of my cruise suitcase.

So...maybe I over pack but I always have what I need. I'd say the biggest mistake isn't over packing. It's underplanning.

We will be on board in 14 days and get 5 sweet days with our college boy before he goes back for the spring semester and I cannot wait to get back on board. I may make it to some shows too. Cant wait to sit in my favorite spot on the back of the ship and watch the world go by. Thanks for a positive review!

Thank you Peg! That is exactly the information i was looking for! I really appreciate the time you took to reply.

When I called i was told a rollaway would be brought in during the night and removed during the day. When we have been on the Triumph in the past (last Jan and the July of 2012) in balcony's the couch was more of a mini loveseat two seater. Our son who is sleeping on it is 6'2" and a good 260 plus lbs (sturdy and plays football on the OL) so I am sure we will have fun no matter what i'm just trying to imagine how it works.

Good Morning Folks,

We are sailing in a few weeks with three adults in a balcony cabin on the Carnival Triumph. This was the first time I let Carnival assign the cabin for a lower rate and I'm pleased with the location - Upper Deck, midship - but it's a occupancy of 2 with a trundle brought in for the third passenger. Does anyone have a photo of this set up? I was wondering if it would be better to set up the room as two twins to allow more room for the rollaway or to do the traditional king for my husband and myself and to add the bed. I have sailed in balcony cabins on the Triumph with both set ups and we've sailed with an upper pullman but never the rollaway bed and for the life of me I can't figure out where they will put it. Space is already so tight.

I get up often in the night for the bathroom and I think I may be scrambling over my poor son or saving a lot of money on bar bills so I don't have to get up in the night! LOL

For each day we will put "OUR AGENDA" on the door as well as sticky notes, pencils and two signs saying "Where are you from?" and "What's on Your Agenda Today?" So people can leave notes if they like.

My co-conspirator and I had a blast creating these. You may find a theme here. They will read:

SATURDAY: Sail Away Day! Today’s Agenda:

· Cast Away Cares

· Relish in the Good Times

· Don our Tiaras

· Boozin’ and Cruisin’

· And Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

SUN: Day at Sea/Cruise Elegant

Today’s Agenda

· A little nipsy to get us tipsy

· Another drink so we don’t sink

· A little later we’ll find the waiter

· Elegant Gowns and Sparkly Crowns

· Dinner with wine so we’ll feel fine

· And Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

MON: PROGRESSO

Today’s Agenda

· See the Ruins

· Get Wrecked

· And Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

TUES: COZUMEL

Today’s Agenda

· A drink in our hands and toes in the sand

· Dollar Coronas to go with our crowns

· Getting Fashionable at Tanzanite International

· And more Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

WED: Last Day at Sea

Today’s Agenda

· Mimosas

· Mai Tais

· Merlot

· Mylanta

And Much Much More

Warm Chocolate Melting Cake!

THURS: GOING HOME

Today’s Agenda

· Can We Get a Warm Chocolate Melting Cake to Go?

· Thanks for the great memories!

· Looking forward to our

TRIUMPHant Return

And below the daily agenda:

WHERE ARE Y'ALL FROM?

(and we recomend the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake)

and

WHAT'S ON YOUR AGENDA TODAY?

(aside from trying the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake)

I normally book a balcony room when I am traveling with my DH and we put the kids in the inside stateroom across from us but for my next cruise I am going with three other ladies and they were pinching pennies and I was fine with booking inside and going along to get along. But imagine the grin on my face when we received a call from the cruise line this week offering a smoking hot deal to upgrade us to balcony rooms. It was only 75.00 per person and we jumped on it and I've been jumping up and down since.

Wipe this grin off my face! I dare ya! :p:p:p So my favorite tradition continues. I'll pop the bottle of Moet Chandon I'm bringing with me as we sail away to celebrate.

What's in a yellow bird?

• Juice of half a lime
  
• 1 1/4 oz orange juice[/url]
  
• 1 oz light rum
  
  
• 1 oz dark rum
  
• 1/4 oz Galliano (It's the liqueur that is always in the back of the bar in the really long tall bottle.)
  
• Cherry on top
  

Mix it all in a cocktail shaker and pour over ice. Delish! And it helps if you sing the calypso song that goes "Yellow Bird, Sits in the Banana tree" while you drink it. :)

It looks like your girls are going to have a blast on this cruise.

 

Bon Voyage and smooth sailing.

 

Marion

Thank you Marion! And we are planning on a great time! Just hope the weather cooperates

We have only done this once and it did get things working at the table in the MDR. Our first night we were seated with a lovely couple from the midwest and their three college aged kids. I was traveling with my DH and my DS who was a senior in HS at the time and played Offensive Tackle. He's a 6'3" hulking gentle giant.

The first night at dinner we tried to engage them in conversation and it was a little quiet, somewhat awkward, and rather dull. The next night I asked the kids if they had gotten tickets to the ice show and they clearly weren't interested so I started weaving a silly fantastic tale about how my gigantic son was on his school's ice dancing team during the off season and we were going to check out the intricate footwork and that we were really hoping he could follow in his father's footsteps and make the water ballet team in college. I then went on to tell them how excited I was for the evening show because the performer had won five straight episodes of Star Search and I told them I had all of them on VHS tapes in my cabin if they wanted to borrow them. They looked at us a bit shocked at first and it dawned on them I was jerking around with them and they started laughing and weaving their own fantastic tales. By the end of dinner the daughter was the consultant for the archery sequences in the hunger games, the brother who always ordered two entrees was a competitive eater and the other brother was training to increase his nap times daily. The ice was broken and everyone relaxed.

The rest of the trip we had fun and joshed one another. I have no idea why I was being so silly that night. I was just trying to get people to talk.

My skimps and splurges mirror many.

I've cruised in a balcony room and I really like that particularly when we only had one child left at home so there were three of us. It made it less embarrassing and more pleasant for him to step on the balcony while mom dressed but it's not a necessity. It was also a godsend because I was on the tail end of bronchitis on that trip and I spent the first day at sea pretty much in the room and napping before I kicked it.

I don't mind an inside. I've enjoyed an OV and I have had a porthole and been just fine. I get up and go so my cabin is not that big of an issue.

I do like the soda card. It's my indulgence and I don't spend tons of money on drinks on deck but I do like a nice wine at dinner and I like to spend on the wine package. I'll never buy a drink in a cocoanut or souvenir glass. I do bring home a Christmas Ornament and never regret it. My kids still enjoy talking about the ,memories spawned by a wooden Pinnochio from Pisa or the Sand Dollar from Key West as we decorate the tree

Excursions depend on the port. I will never forget kissing stingrays Grand Cayman and I love snorkling I love beach days at Coco Cay and Nachi Cocom. I've had a wonderful time booze crusing on the catamarans and really enjoyed Snuba. I do a lot of research at home so I can enjoy where I am but sometimes it's a return port and nothing strikes me and I still have a great time. Once our port was Falmouth Jamaica the year after we had vacationed for a week at an all inclusive in Jamaica so we'd already seen the falls and been to Scotchys etc. What a wonderful time we had though. We got off the ship a bit, bought our Blue Mountain coffee and grabbed some jerk chicken and had a nice leisurely conversation with some off duty crew who were also grabbing a bite. Just sat in the sun and it was rather wonderful. I heard all about a girl from the Manilla's life at home, her family, what she liked about her job etc and it was delightful. She was charming and relaxed. We liked some of the same music. We perused my iTouch together. Serendipity!

I work in a Spa so I cringe at the Spa prices and at the number of services the therapists do in a day so I'll pass on that. I do carry ones with me and tip my bartenders though. I guess working in service I have a tendency to overtip a bit but there are far worse habits aren't there?

We ate at Johnny Rockets once. It wasn't really worth it food wise but I had agreed on that trip to give my boys a night off from the MDR so they chose JR and to visit the movie theater on board and watch Harry Potter. It was worth it because of the memory and how happy they were to be in shorts and tshirts at night.

Apparently my other indulgence is words. I've certainly not been pithy here but maybe I've answered the question or something I've rambled about will be of value to someone. Happy Cruising, Everyone!

Turn off my cell phone, order a yellow bird at some point so I can watch them pull out the really big bottle of Galiano out to make it, thank the wonderful people who take care of me and laugh at at least one towel animal that I think looks a wee bit naughty.

I am going to be leaving in just under two weeks for a girl's cruise with four forty something female friends. We made a poster for each door. One group is called the "CRUSIN' CUTIES"for our two friends on their first cruise and the other "SHIPSTER WIVES" for my co-conspirator and I. We've been calling this venture "Operation Tiara" since we started planning it and we're looking forward to a wonderful five night getaway!

For each day we will put "OUR AGENDA" on the door as well as sticky notes, pencils and two signs saying "Where are you from?" and "What's on Your Agenda Today?" So people can leave notes if they like.

My co-conspirator and I had a blast creating these. You may find a theme here. They will read:

SATURDAY: Sail Away Day! Today’s Agenda:

· Cast Away Cares

· Relish in the Good Times

· Don our Tiaras

· Boozin’ and Cruisin’

· And Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

SUN: Day at Sea/Cruise Elegant

Today’s Agenda

· A little nipsy to get us tipsy

· Another drink so we don’t sink

· A little later we’ll find the waiter

· Elegant Gowns and Sparkly Crowns

· Dinner with wine so we’ll feel fine

· And Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

MON: PROGRESSO

Today’s Agenda

· See the Ruins

· Get Wrecked

· And Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

TUES: COZUMEL

Today’s Agenda

· A drink in our hands and toes in the sand

· Dollar Coronas to go with our crowns

· Getting Fashionable at Tanzanite International

· And more Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

WED: Last Day at Sea

Today’s Agenda

· Mimosas

· Mai Tais

· Merlot

· Mylanta

And Much Much More

Warm Chocolate Melting Cake!

THURS: GOING HOME

Today’s Agenda

· Can We Get a Warm Chocolate Melting Cake to Go?

· Thanks for the great memories!

· Looking forward to our

TRIUMPHant Return

And below the daily agenda:

WHERE ARE Y'ALL FROM?

(and we recomend the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake)

and

WHAT'S ON YOUR AGENDA TODAY?

(aside from trying the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake)