candycaramel

I leave for Hawaii in exactly two weeks and I am completely packed except for some makeup and a night gown. :eek:

In reality I've been packed since September. My favorite activity is to come home from work and sort through my Hawaii cruise suitcase. :p

Yes, I have changed my mind several times on a what is packed. I've gone from a red, white, blue color scheme to a coral to blue green. I've decided against the white denim capri pants and added several pairs of shorts.

I've changed suitcases from a carryon to a duffle to a large size back to a carry on.

In truth, I may change a few items out before I leave next week.

This is part of my fun getting ready for a trip.

Hi Kathryn,

Enjoy the cruise. Please note the water on the ship is safe to ingest but don't drink the water in Mexico. Only drink bottled or canned soda. Nothing with ice. Take water with you when you leave the ship. You can fill a water bottle or purchase water.

Have a great trip.

Try compression socks. Wear at night.

Dr. Scholls compression socks prevent swelling for me when flying or long car rides. They have some that look like dress knee socks.

My choice is long, thin, simple basic braids. Always a classic.

I vote for the green dress. Probably need a shawl, shrug or wrap.

My mom always suggested hanging a dress up in a steamy bathroom to get the wrinkles to fall out.

When I went on a land based trip to Hawaii a few years ago everyone kept telling me that it was so casual and I didn't need any fancy clothes. So, I packed one maxi dress that was good for the beach. The rest was shorts etc.

One evening in Waikiki, I see this woman walking with a sexy black dress and high heels on her way to dinner with her man. I was devastated. I felt like a frumpy old tourist. I am still angry at myself that I hadn't packed at least one sexy dress to wear to dinner with my hubby while in Hawaii. Now I make sure I have something that makes me feel dressed up and "cute". :D

Buy the dress for yourself since you love it and wait for a more appropriate event to wear it to.

Please note: This is advice from a woman who has a number of brand new dresses hanging in her closet because she hasn't been got an appropriate event to wear them to. :rolleyes:

Yes, I think velvet is a little over the top for a Caribbean cruise in early November. But on second thought, you might as well buy it and take it with you. On each cruise, I have regretted not bringing something I wanted to wear. Avoid those regrets. Make yourself happy and bring the dress and be sure to take a formal picture!

Bon Voyage.

People do it all the time. That is why there are quads available. I sailed with 5 folks in a Carnival cabin once. There was stuff everywhere but it was one of hubby and my favorite cruises. Have a great time. Bon voyage.

I know this tread is 10 years old but I have the very same idea for my families trip this year. We are traveling right after thanksgiving and I've decided on matching Hawaiian shirts. I actually found a bunch on eBay from different sellers. They were all practically new. I found 2 dresses for my daughters.

I wonder how the pictures/ Christmas cards from the original poster came out. I'm sure they are precious.

I don't mean to say anything bad about Hawaii. I'm going again in a few weeks and that experience from 5 years ago came to mind. Don't expect to experience them on the ship but will take some bug repellent just in case.

Well I got flea bites in Hawaii. I noticed them aafter the luau. I was wearing a maxi dress.

Hubby didn't get them so I don't know what I got into during the trip. We went almost everywhere together.

I remember coming home and leaving my stuff out in the garage until it was all cleaned. I don't think I ever wore the dress again.:rolleyes:

Thanks for the info.

Last time I went to Hawaii i got bitten very badly all around my calf's and ankles. The bumps lasted for weeks after I returned home. Just went to Honolulu. Took a bus to a luau.

Has anyone had this experience? I don't want this to happen again. Is this common occurrence?

Fiction can be as creative as your imagination will allow you. Feel free to make up a cruise line where the crew socialize and get to know the passengers.

Make up new titles for employees and draft fantastical job descriptions. Give each character an impossible backgrounds that makes the reader wonder how the crew got hired .

The passengers should be uber interesting and impossible adventures should happen to them on what seems like a seemingly routine cruise to Hawaii.

Everyone should /could work together to solve the crime and be put in impossible situations that they manage to get out of with a bit of wit, luck and coincidence.

Make you cruise that takes your reader on an adventure. Your story should have cruise lovers searching for this interesting cruise line and those who've never cruises on the quest to book cruise. Everyone will want to read the next book which of course all these characters undoubtedly reunite on another cruise to some other exotic locations for their next cruise with a few new characters thrown in.

I am planning to go to Hawaii with just a carry on suitcase which is 20 inches. OneOrleans and made juswtote purse.

I like to look nice with bright colors and accessories. I've been studying capsule wardrobes and packing ideas on Pinterest .

I learned to make packing list and plan when I might wear it. Color coordinate everything.

1 little black dress

1 maxidress day

1 heeled flip flop

1ahnu walking sandal

6-8 panties

1extra bra

1 gaucho pant

1light weight denim Capri (wearing on plane)

Another lightweight Capri or short (TBD)

5 tops

1 halter

1 button down hawaiian shirt

Swimsuit

1 cover up that doubles as a whole top

Wish list of stuff I want to pack but worried:

Maxidress #2 day or evening

1 cotton sundress - needs ironing, didn't take it last time and regretted it. Color is a little off from rest of packed stuff.

1 tankini

Heels

Fancy sandal

Any suggestions?

I am planning to go to Hawaii with just a carry on suitcase which is 20 inches. OneOrleans and made juswtote purse.

I like to look nice with bright colors and accessories. I've been studying capsule wardrobes and packing ideas on Pinterest .

I learned to make packing list and plan when I might wear it. Color coordinate everything.

1 little black dress

1 maxidress day

1 heeled flip flop

1ahnu walking sandal

6-8 panties

1extra bra

1 gaucho pant

1light weight denim Capri (wearing on plane)

Another lightweight Capri or short (TBD)

5 tops

1 halter

1 button down hawaiian shirt

Swimsuit

1 cover up that doubles as a whole top

Wish list of stuff I want to pack but worried:

Maxidress #2 day or evening

1 cotton sundress - needs ironing, didn't take it last time and regretted it. Color is a little off from rest of packed stuff.

1 tankini

Heels

Fancy sandal

Any suggestions?

Okay. You all are correct. The white denim is going too be too hot and impractical to keep clean. I have a pair of light weight white linen pants but not realistic for more than a day off the ship.

I have a few pairs of light weight burmuda shorts in khaki, green and white to choose from.

I am also looking into some of those lightweight travel pants from Patagonia, north face and Columbia.

Thanks for the tips.

Like I mentioned I am trying to get everything into a carry-on due to the fact I over packed last trip and it really was a hassle dragging around all the luggage.

I'm going to Hawaii. 3 days in Honolulu and 7 day island cruise. I am trying to pack everything in carryon 20 inch suitcase.

So I have one pair of white denim capri pants that I want to take along with a pair of denim capris and a dressy gaucho pant. I will also have a maxi dress and "little black dress" for dressy occasions.

I have six tops that can mix and match with the bottoms.

Do you think I have a problem with keeping the white pants clean? They are denim and would take forever to dry if I tried to wash them out and hang them up to dry.

I am trying to not purchase anything and just work with what I have in my closet and the white pants look very nice with all of the tops. The denim pants are for when I do more outdoorsy stuff like go to the Volcano national park or hike Diamond head.

Anyway, any thoughts on keeping white denim capri pants clean?

Evidently the price was very good because so many folks booked. Its really not like you are an organized group. Just word of mouth advertising.

:D

Its not that serious. I traveled with my family of 5 in an inside on carnival. Stuff was everywhere. It was small and crowded but it was a memory to cherish. Hubby kept all his stuff in the suitcase and didn't unpack. the cabin steward came everyday and made beds and freshened the bathroom. Everybody can't and doesn't need to stay in a mega super deluxe private owners haven cabin to have an eenjoyable cruise. Bon voyage.

The spa on the Epic was the best place on that horrible and overcrowded ship. Worth every penny of the money!

P.S. The Epic voyage taught hubby and I that we don't like mega ships. At all.

But the spa on the Epic was very nice.

Call the regular booking department and ask them for an upgrade to a balcony. The number is on the ncl website.

I wonder how much the workers get paid if the dsc is different based upon when the passenger booked and paid. Can't be fun expecting a raise in pay but only get it some of the time from some of the folks over time.

MY TIP: I think everyone should have their own cabin. 2 in an inside cabin is better than 4 folks crammed in a balcony or 6 in a suite, in my opinion.

CRUISE: I like the port intensive cruises and I think your young adult kids will too. They get to sight see as well as enjoy the ship. In the evening there are lots of onboard activities.

Carnival Liberty has a southern Caribbean cruise from San Juan,Puerto Rico on December 27th. They are probably the cheapest.

Carnival Summit does the Southern Caribbean over New Years as well. I loved the Summit as it was smaller and fewer guests as well as very port intensive.

I hear Royal Caribbean is very nice cruise line for young people but I haven't sailed with them. There are several RC ships that sail out of Puerto Rico as well. .Of Course air fare to Puerto Rico is a cost $.

Your 15 year old will be fine on the ship without you and your wife houvering. As others have said he will meet friends and have fun.

My 12 year old son had a blast in the kids club and outside. At some point after the cruise, my son informed us that his dad and i missed out alot on the cruise cause we were sleeping at night. He said there were ballroom dancing lessons one evening and a competition which he entered and got 5th place or something. Who did you dance with? We asked. Some "old lady" he met at the dance lessons earlier in the day. :) Was it a youth/teen activity? No.it was all grownups he said.

Anyway let your son have fun. There is no reason for him to sit in the casino with you and your wife.

Family should do a couple of practice runs at home. Try an 8:00pm movie on Saturday evening or a dinner show if you can find something close to home.

Also consider going to the show separately. You one night and hubby another evening while the other has dinner with the kids. I know its not the best scenario but it might help Avoid losing $70 if one of you has to leave the show early.