blog post

I might as well start my "travel diary" right now as I involve myself in one of the most important preparations -- deciding what to wear!

My Carnival Splendor cruise, being a "cool-weather" cruise (as opposed to going to the Caribbean), will require a bit different kind of packing.  Can't just hang out in shorts and swimwear when the temperature's in the 70s.  We'll have 3 days on the ship, then a day each in Astoria, Vancouver, and Victoria; and that's after spending 2 days at my sister's house in Kansas City -- a total of 10 days.  Also, there will be 2 formal nights, and  we might take an evening to dine in the Pinnacle supper club.

Good news -- the ship has self-serve laundries.  I can pack light and then plop in a white load and a colored load during the cruise.  I can also get things dry-cleaned if I have to.

Too bad jeans are heavier and bulkier than shorts -- I'll wear one to get started and for the last day, and pack 1 more plus a pair of lighter-weight slacks.  6 tops ought to be enough, along with workout clothes and swimwear (we have a spa room!).  A lightweight raincoat, an all-purpose cardigan, and an evening jacket should take care of the weather.

For the evenings, a never-fail black skirt and dressy black pants combined with 3 fancy tops will be all I'll need!  Hey this isn't so hard -- but wait -- what about shoes?  Groan -- this is the hard part where I tend to over-pack.  Dressy black shoes, tennis shoes, walking shoes, pool sandals -- maybe that will do it but I'll be tempted to squeeze in some dressy sandals, too.

Got a packing tip to share?  Would love to hear it!  Please leave it in the comments...