Lunch and Our First Look at the Stateroom

We had a great lunch at the Red Sail (?). My cousin Pat and I even scoped out a couple of spots for eating later (can you say Burrito Bar ? ). But for lunch we just decided to check out the Italian section of the buffet area. We found our way to the stateroom around 1:45. We were on the lower decks (Riviera) in room 1315. I was surprised at how spacious the room felt. Got to admit that the bathroom was just as tiny as I thought it would be, but I never felt as if it wasn't something Nicki and I couldn't navigate around for the next few days. Not long after we started unpacking our Stateroom Steward Lawrence showed up. We saw him in the halls almost every day and he was always friendly and let us know that if we needed anything to just let him know. Nicki and I are pretty organised people and we never left much out that needed to be cleared away or picked up. We teased him about it later in the week because we said we probably left him hardly any work. He did say he was responsible for at least 25 other rooms so we were probably a break! lol

We unpacked our suitcases within a few minutes. Had plenty of room for everything and even figured out the room safe right away. I had taken a over the door hangar for the door, but my Mary Kay bag ended up being a better choice and the shelves in the bathroom also served its purpose well. I do think I would take more hangars with me on my next trip just because I had so many dresses and skirts that could have used some time to let wrinkles fall out. My mom's friend used the laundry area one night and was not impressed with the iron. lol

Nicki and I headed up to the Lido deck for the send off party. My mom and cousins were still getting settled in their room so we asked them to meet us later. My mom never did find us, but my cousins caught up to us as the boat was starting to clear the port. What a site! Watching that ship turn around was amazing!

Departure/Arrival Day on the Ship

After church on Sunday Marc traveled along with us to Gloucester to meet up with my mom and cousins for our Cruise to Canada. We got on the bus that night around 11 PM. We were in New Jersey early that morning (around 6 am I think) so the bus stopped at a Cracker Barrel for breakfast (who knew Cracker Barrel was even open that early). Cracker Barrel is probably my least fav. restaurant but I was willing to try it again (especially since I knew lunch on the ship would not take place until around 1:30). Once again I was not impressed. Add in the fact that the servers were probably not prepared for a bus load of folks that early (they were literally scrambling to try and get food on the table for us). Our poor waiter kept forgetting to bring items (including silverware and creamer for coffee).

We were back on the bus in a few and then off to New York! We arrived in New York around 9:00 am. As we crossed the bridge you could see the Hudson River in front of us and when we got off of the interstate we could see the port on the side. It took the bus several moments to figure out which area we should stop at so that the porters could give us instructions for getting off the bus and going through security. That part actually went fairly fast, and in no time we were at the desk making arrangements for our Sign and Sail Cards. After a picture taking session with the cruise photographers (who seem to be in more places then the Disney photographers) we started heading on to the ship.

Can I stop right here and say that the Lobby area seemed very small in person after seeing so many pics of it on the cruise boards. We quickly made our way to the Lido deck for lunch (so actually we got to sit down for a meal by 11:00 AM)!

Traveling Home

We depart New York bright and early on Saturday morning heading back home to family and friends (I'm sure by then I will be so happy to see the rest of my family). I figure I might as well look cute coming off the ship as I was going on, and throughout the week. My shorts came from Sam's Club ($10.00) and are very comfortable for traveling in. The stripe jacket and top are from my favorite store (yes, you guessed it Catos)! I got both off of their clearance rack ($5.00 for the brown top, and $9.00 for the jacket). I think this is the most brown I have ever introduced into my wardrobe! I have been partially packed for weeks. Mid-way next week I will probably take a few items out and either press them and put them back in or exclude them all together. I have two light weight cardigans in the bag for chilly evenings outside or in the theatre. I have actually gotten all of my clothing in one large bag (a first for me). I have a carry-on bag (I can even get my camera in there) and my purse that will hold all of the essentials (along with boarding pass, important papers, etc). I may post my packing tips this weekend so stay tuned!

Note: If you want to see the rest of Fashion Week then just go to my family blog!

Casual Wear/Gym Wear

From experience, I know I am apt to change my mind in the morning about what I will wear during the day when I am on vacation. It may depend on the weather, or just the mood I am in. So I have laid out a few casual outfits for sea days, including a gym outfit! Call me crazy, but I have this fantasy of walking on the treadmill while watching the ocean in front of me. Only time will tell if that actually happens! LOL I also "plan" to take a walk around the ship early morning, and the goal is to use the stairs as often as possible. There is nothing in the "rule" book that says you can't look cute while doing that, and if I have to change later because of the temps I will be prepared. The Aqua and Black tunic is actually a Swim Suit Cover Up that I brought yrs ago from Marshall's. The leggings and tanks are from a discount dept. store (aka Roses and WalMart) and the Gray set is from the same place (all were brought on clearance, or at rock bottom prices). I will more then likely wear some of the same jewelry pieces from my first day onboard, along with the shoes. I have some black and white flats that would also work with these two outfits and take up very little space in my suitcase.

Cruisewear (specifically poolside attire)

Since I'm posting "Fashion Week" (aka what Cyndi is wearing on the cruise) on my blog, I thought I would post my swim attire (I don't swim so most of this will be worn, just so I can look "cute" poolside), and maybe some of my packing tips on here. As a "fuller" proportioned women, I find swim suit shopping to be the worse experience any girl could go through. Add in the fact that I don't swim, well less just say I was a very happy girl when I found this swim suit last year (on sale) at WalMart. In most dept. stores this suit would cost close to $100 (must be all that material). I think I paid around $30.00 for it. Then a few weeks ago I found the cover up ($10.00 at Sam's Club). The mini dress with the embroidered bottom cost the most at a whopping $14.00! My daughter has the same dress, but I may wear mine as a skirt. You don't have to spend a fortune to look nice on a cruise. My brown flats were $7.00 from WalMart ( I may go back and get the gold pair). Most of the jewelry I'm taking along is from Catos (my favorite store in the whole wide world) or Lia Sophia jewelry which I have had for years! The black sandals are courtesy of our trip to Hawaii a few yrs ago. Still in good condition!

Packing Has Begun!

I started packing today for our cruise to Canada! Got even more excited after reading this live review on the Cruise Critic board over the weekend. So excited, I'm even doing a Fashion Week over on my family blog. Will post a review and pics of our trip once we return!

Its Official!

We finally have our boarding pass ( and cabin assighnments ). The company gave us this cute bag to keep stuff in, along with our luggage tags, info about our destination, cruise ship info, and a mini night light. We have our passports, most of our packing list has been checked off and soon the packing will begin! In a few weeks my mom, Nicki and I will set sail on the Carnival Glory, bound for Canada. This is the one time I will be OK with the fact that its not O'Canada at Epcot ( you know I had to tie them together somehow ) LOL!