under a month till i cruise and guess what...

[teegeezfun]

this year i'm taking things totally different than i did last year when i went on my first cruise. this year i haven't gone haywire buying new clothes, although now that i think of it, everything that i am bringing except for the some of the formal stuff is brand new. but got it all on sale.

 

no tanning, no brand new makeup, in fact, not too much in the way of cosmetics and hair stuff at all, no brand new jewelry, no five evening bags, no six pairs of shoes, (in fact, bringing just three pairs plus sandals...)

 

maybe i have lost my fashion enthusiasm. all this talk of formal vs. casual in the dining room together with my own experience last year has taken the fashion joy out of cruising for me, i guess.

 

or maybe i'm just being a bit more sensible. after all, this year i'll be gone for two weeks instead of one and will have to fit it all in a large suitcase plus a garment bag and carryon bag. that means i need to cultivate some discipline.

 

i do have three bathing suits this year as opposed to one that i brought last year and i am bring several different beachwear coverups, as this seems to be the thing i used most on the cruise as opposed to the day wear capris and blouses. i came back with outfits i never wore last year. we'll see how it goes this year, and if i have to take advantage of the ships laundry and dry cleaning, i will.

[BlueHerons]

this year i'm taking things totally different than i did last year when i went on my first cruise. this year i haven't gone haywire buying new clothes,

 

maybe i have lost my fashion enthusiasm.

 

or maybe i'm just being a bit more sensible. .

 

I think maybe you've just become a much better packer!:)

[Happy ks]

You're where I'm at now. I think it has to do with the fact that you probably have acquired many "cruise" clothes, including formal. You see that it's not the fashion show envisioned on your first couple of cruises. You know that to really enjoy your time you don't want it spent in the cabin getting ready for the day or dinner.

 

I often read here where women like to have choices when they cruise, or vacation. I was once that way, too. I don't know if it just happens with age or experience, but it is much more pleasant to travel light. From the initial planning and packing, all the way through to getting home and doing laundry and reorganizing, smarter packing is a pleasure.

 

All that and the fact that absolutely no one notices (and if they do, cares) that you have on an article of clothing that has already been worn once or twice.

[mrsred]

Everyone has their own way of getting ready for their cruise (or any other vacation for that matter).

 

Perhaps you have found what is important to you regarding your cruise when it comes to what you do and don't need.

 

Have a great cruise, and I hope you enjoy every moment of it!

 

~e

[Cats' slave]

I'm a month away from my cruise and I'm excited but I'm like you when it comes to packing. I'll bring mix and match things, including several pairs of black slacks, a long black dress and two pairs of black heels. Most of my color will come from my blouses, tunics and jackets.

 

For daytime it will be shorts, t shirts and sandals.

 

My girlfriend and I go to England every spring and each year we bring a little less. Perhaps it's because we have to tote our own stuff. We've found that jeans can be worn two and sometimes three days. One nice sweater can be worn every day it's cold. A sweatshirt is a godsend but if you forget it, oh well. A pretty dress or pants outfit can go to every show.

[Jane110]

 

maybe i have lost my fashion enthusiasm. all this talk of formal vs. casual in the dining room together with my own experience last year has taken the fashion joy out of cruising for me, i guess.

 

Aww, don't let the turkey's get you down! I live in NY and if you saw the way many tourists dressed to attend a Broadway show, you'd really get depressed! But when I go, I dress....not the "the nines", but very nicely....and I can't worry if some people around me have become so uncivilized that they feel a sweatshirt and sneakers is appropriate attire. Why sink to their level?

 

or maybe i'm just being a bit more sensible. after all, this year i'll be gone for two weeks instead of one and will have to fit it all in a large suitcase plus a garment bag and carryon bag. that means i need to cultivate some discipline.

 

 

Well, that's part of it too. I think many of us tend to overpack the first time we go somewhere. We're just unsure of what we'll need. Once we get the "lay of the land" we make smarter choices in the future. I've been on 6 or 7 cruises now and I go to Paris once or twice a year so when I pack for those trips, I can envision a lot more easily what my days will look like, so the packing becomes a lot easier and more concise and compact.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Jane

[ValCat84]

I wish that was me lol

 

 

This is my first cruise and I have bought: 2 new dresses, over $300 worth of bathing suits and swim stuff, new sandals, 2 new pairs of shorts, tanning, nails, pedicure :eek:. I think dressing me may have cost as much as the vaction it self!! Hopefully it the future it won't be so bad...the fact that I hadn't bought a new bathing suit in like 3 years at least is what killed me. I needed to start from scratch in that department.

[momofmeg]

It sounds to me now that you are an experinced cruiser you NOW know what to expect. I do know sometimes this board gives the impression that everyone on a cruise is a "fashion plate" and that my be true of the more upscale lines like Oceania- I don't know-as the nicest lines I have been on is Princess and Disney.

 

I have noticed that many times we see posts from people who ae not regulars on this board-they are one time posters going on one of the more affordable bargain lines and they are afraid of making a fashion faux-paux.

 

But many of the regulars on this board just enjoy discussing fashion.

Not that these gals do not have good advise-they do-it is just sometimes we need to remember the WHOLE picture and remember the gal going on her first Carnival 3 day mini cruise is afraid she may not have the "right" clothing and we should try and not give her the impression she needs to go out and buy clothing that is more expensive then the cost of her cruise. People come here to find out what is approiate clothing for cruising and they read all these posts where this person bought this and that-and they get the impression they NEED to buy those things to wear on a cruise.

 

That is why I posted once to a person that I felt she talked too much about expenisvie clothing-she and many others took it as a personal attack on her-that is not what I intended at all-I enjoy reading her posts-she has great fashion knowlege and I have learned much from her. I just felt too often we(including me) forget what this board is for and that is helping out first time cruisers to know what is proper and approiate for cruising.

 

We know many no longer follow the dress codes on cruises and that is the real sad problem-not that we are "fashion plates" but that we dress approiately for the event. what it boils down to is dress should be differant for going to a ball game or going to an upscale restuarant-but more and more the lines are blurred.

 

Jane mentioned Broadway plays. I have noticed this at the symphony and also at funnerals at all places. Afew weeks ago a woman mentioned another woman wering pajamas to church.

 

Go back and read the church thread- several people got all huffy that maybe this woman was homeless or poor-another said she was tired of women trying to outshine each other in expensive clothing at church-which as far as I could tell had nothing to do with the OP's post-she did not say the woman was homeless-or that she expected the woman to wear expensive clothing-she just felt pajamas were not approiate for church.

 

Anyway often it seems two entirely differant issues get confused here-but still this is a fun board with lots of valuable information.

[MrsMoose2001]

Hi, I have no words of wisdom other than travelling light is always a bonus.

 

All I can say is the most important thing is that you have a wonderful time, and safe and healthy and happy travels.!!!

 

Do what is right for you!!