Raschueler

Gorgeous dresses!!! First one is my favorite. Also wanted to add, Love your hair!!!

Thank you! I like that one more as well too.

Thanks! I forgot to mention that they are both Ross finds. The black dress was only $25!

Hi everyone! I'm new to this board, but wanted some opinions on my two new formal night dresses. I plan on wearing these on my Mediterranean honeymoon cruise.

I also wanted to say that I love your green gown, Marie. It looks stunning on you. And Lisa, I love all of your clutches and outfits!

So sorry to hear about the fire. I love getting my outfits for formal nights from Ross. I was just there the other day and got a fabulous black gown for $25!!!

Hello! I agree with others that have said to make sure you are going to a reputable tanning salon. I used to work at one here in Maryland. Fortunately and unfortunately, it is a small family owned business of three salons, so unless you happen to be from Maryland, I can't recommend it! But look out for good ones. The one I worked at also had a spa. We had to go through extensive training (not something I realized when I signed up to work at a tanning salon!). Everyone at the salon is very knowledgeable. Scope a few out. It's easy to see the "bad" salons once you go to a good one.

How long it takes for you to tan depends on your skin type. How long to start out with also depends on the type and intensity of the bed and how long the time limit on the bed. I always recommend starting at 6 minutes though for beds with 20 and 15 minute time limits. You need to be doing UVB beds. UVB beds are usually the cheaper and lower level beds, but it will change from salon to salon. The UVB rays build up your base tan. This usually takes around a month. Once you feel like you are not getting any darker using the UVB beds, it's time to switch to a UVA bed. They UVA rays will make your skin even tanner. The UVA beds require the base tan though, so if you were to start using them right away you're going to end up spending a lot more money and not getting the best results. The UVA beds also still have UVB rays, so you will maintain your base. You can still get very tan using just the UVB beds, the A's will just make you even darker.

I definitely do not recommend going tanning every day. Your skin needs time to produce melanin and also needs time to heal. It's sort of like how when people are trying to build muscle, they give their muscles a rest.

If you start out doing 6 minutes in a UVB bed, I would do that 3 times at first as long as you are not burning. If you burn, wait to tan until you are not burnt again. I would then recommend decreasing your tanning time. If you do not burn, I would recommend increasing your time by two minutes.

As for lotion, my favorites are the natural bronzers. Natural bronzers don't have DHA in them. DHA is what is used in spray tans. Natural bronzers ingredients like coconut oil in them. My favorite is called "Limited Couture." Again, the salon may not have it since they all carry different lines. The natural bronzers help to make you tan faster and moisturize your skin, but honestly, you can still get tan without a lotion. Tanning without a lotion can also decrease the smelly "after-tan" smell. I would still recommend a lotion to you at first though. Another thing, do not put tanning lotion on your face!!!! They make separate lotion for that which I definitely recommend.

The normal bronzers with DHA in them can make you orange. I've seen it way too much working at a salon and seeing my friends go down that road! Those bronzers can also streak you if you don't rub them in all the way. They will make you darker faster, but I don't think it's worth it when you can be your naturally beautiful tan with the natural bronzers.

I also make sure that I moisturize at night when I am tanning a lot. Tanning takes a lot out of your skin, so it's important to replenish your skin. Any lotion works fine for this.

Another lotion thing...don't buy any tanning lotions from the grocery store or wherever. They are not made for the tanning beds and will actually clog the pores of the bed. This results in decreased results for not you, but your fellow tanners!

I always tan my face. I like to be even, and I feel like it makes me not have to wear as much makeup which is always nice!

For spray tanning: I recommend airbrushing, but not before a cruise. Salt water and sand really does a number on it. With airbrushing a woman actually sprays the solution on your skin. The results are much nicer than the booth. To get the most out of your spray tan or airbrush, it is important to shower, shave, and exfoliate before your tan. The solution will come off quicker if you are exfoliating or shaving afterwards. It is also important to be really moisturized before your tan, but not having any lotion on the day of the application. It's also important to moisturize after your tan once you're through the recommended waiting time and have had your shower. You can get spray tanned right over your normal tan. I personally think that makes the spray tan look even better!

Let me know if you have any more questions. I haven't gotten to share my tanning education in awhile!

Cute pictures. :)

Thanks! I am so happy that I have them to look back on.

Here are my pictures! Even if you don't want to do something as public as this, I definitely recommend getting pictures taken shortly afterwards! We didn't arrange anything special. We just went to a different background after we finished taking pictures where he proposed to take some portraits.

I also have a million pictures of my ring making it's appearances around the ship which was a fun twist to my usual "around the ship" pictures that I take.

I'm really excited for you and your soon-to-be fiance and wish you all the happiness in the world.

I also wanted to say that I am not a person that likes being the center of attention. I don't know how I'm gonna deal with that on our wedding day! Being proposed to in front of a bunch of people didn't bother me one bit though. It actually made it more exciting with all the congratulations we received throughout the cruise. I had random women coming up and asking to see my ring, while their husbands shook Matt's hand congratulating him. Couples would share their marriage advice. It all was so sweet and surprising since I didn't even realize all of those people were around us.

As for getting the ring on the ship:

I'm the trip planner, packer, and organizer. Matt carries the heavy luggage carrying all the clothes we MUST have. He also laughs when he sees how many clothes I never ended up wearing. Anyways! I'm sure something similar goes down in your relationship.

When he first proposed to me, the last thing on my mind was how he got the ring on without me noticing it. Not only do I pack everything, but I normally unpack everything as well. This time Matt offered to help me unpack and even hang up clothes! Again, it went unnoticed until after the proposal. I just thought he was being his sweet old self.

The way he got it in was in his suit jacket. I always bring a garment bag for his suit and my gowns because I fear them getting lost. Turns out someone's checked garment bag ended up in our room with our room number scribbled on it and no names. :confused: Yikes! We quickly gave it to our attendant, but she didn't really even know what to do with it. Hopefully it made it to its owners. But we had our garment bag with my ring sown into the inside pocket of Matt's suit jacket. He had my mother sew a little jewelry bag into the jacket when he snuck off to my parent's house to ask for their blessing :). He also wouldn't let her see the ring because he wanted me to be able to show her myself.

This method worked well because I had no idea it was in there!! He was able to reach right into his pocket and grab the ring.

I was so excited to see this thread! My boyfriend (now fiancé) proposed to me May 2013 on the Explorer of the Seas. Being a Pinterest addict, I was always showing him cute pictures of a hidden photographer who captures the joy and excitement of an engagement. I just thought it was the best idea in the entire world.

I really love pictures. On our first cruise together, we ended up splurging and buying all of the pictures cause I couldn't decide on just a few. Anyways, for our next cruise I told him we would only get two pictures from the ship. We weren't stopping to pose for as many pictures on our Explorer cruise as not to tempt my picture obsession, but on the first formal night before we went into dinner, my fiancé Matt suggested we get some photos taken as I was coming out of the bathroom. It was a little odd for him to be suggesting taking pictures, but in the moment, I didn't notice.

We went and got our pictures taken. The photographer did the normal "chin up, arm on his chest..." thing, but then "directed" Matt to get on his knee. I WAS SO SHOCKED! I didn't expect this at at all. Matt took over from there while the photographer snapped away. I didn't notice the photographer, I didn't hear the shutters, I didn't notice anyone else. It was just us.

This was so incredible because it was so surprising. I also really love having all of the pictures. Ill post them. The photographers all knew who we were from the photos and people on the ship recognized and congratulated us. It made me feel so special. We ended up buying more than two pictures, but the photographers threw in lots of extra pictures when we bought a package with ten pictures which was really kind of them.

I wear Maybelline waterproof mascara everyday. Works well for me! I will say that if I rub my eyes when in the water, it will start to smudge. So I try my best not to do that!!

My secret to wonderful beach photos is wearing my sunglasses! No squinty eyes and no worrying about if some mascara has rubbed off. Buy a cheap pair for the ocean if you'll worry about losing them :)

Thanks for the great review! We will be sailing this itinerary (minus Istanbul) in July. So sorry to hear about your bags :(

This report is fabulous! Thank you for posting it. I was wondering if they allow two people on the four wheelers? I'd rather just rent one and ride on the back like we do at home.

Freedom of the Seas got me hooked!

I agree with everyone saying to sail Allure, but be prepared to be spoiled!! If you are flying to Florida, I have always found the flights to FLL cheaper than MCO (from Maryland at least!). FLL is also a lot closer to the port than MCO, so you could save on transportation costs. Factoring in the cost of airfare and transportation, I was able to sail on the Allure for less than Freedom.