There are two types of individuals when it comes to laundry.
The individual who washes, dries, places in basket and then leaves in basket.
The other type MUST fold and put everything away immediately. I am an
open-minded person, and feel there is no right or wrong way to go about it. I
personally subscribe to folding everything straight out of the dryer, and
putting all of my garments in their respective places.
With that being said, one thing that bothers me about
traveling is having to dig through suitcases. It is alright if it is just a
weekend, but any longer than that, I cringe at the idea of it. Everything in my
house isn’t extremely configured (I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about
me), but there are a few things that are a necessity…suitcase organization is
one of them.
Last year my husband introduced me to packing cubes. We
bought a few and tried them out, and it was a game changer for traveling. It is
like having drawers in your suitcase and makes it so easy to find what you are
looking for. My favorite part about it is the fact that you can pull the cubes
out of your suitcase and place them in drawers at your hotel or vacation rental
home.
ebags Packing Cubes
This brand is by ebags and comes in an array of colors: aquamarine, black, blue dots, canary, eggplant, geometric, grasshopper, leopard, peony, and tangerine. These packing cubes are made of nylon and have breathable mesh on the top. Your purchase includes one small, medium, and large packing cube starting at $29.99 on Amazon. https://amzn.to/3012plQ
When our family went on our last vacation, we were away for almost two weeks. We didn’t have quite enough cubes, so we decided to try out a set by Amazon basics. These cubes are comparable as they are also made of nylon, and have breathable mesh as well. The Amazon Basics cubes come in a set of 4 in the following colors: black, blue, green, grey, sky blue, and red. You can find these cubes starting at $20.00 on Amazon. https://amzn.to/31qNKgx
My Opinion
Both brands hold up equally well. They are both made of the same materials, and the only difference is where the mesh is placed on the packing cube. Ebags offer more variety in colors, but Amazon packing cubes are more economical. I can honestly say that I don’t prefer one over the other, as both packing cube brands are equal in regards to quality. It all boils down to cost over option of colors.
Have you tried either brand of the packing cubes? Do you have a preference? What do you think of this method of suitcase organization? Let me know if you have in the comments.
One of our favorite ways to
vacation is by cruise. We thought that life would slow down once our boys grew
up, but it seems quite the opposite. We are a non-stop household. Going on a
cruise literally forces you to do nothing but relax. There is no worrying about
what you are going to cook or where you’re going to go out to eat for dinner.
You don’t need to figure out where to go for entertainment and you can be
disconnected from the online world for the extent of your cruise. Although you
have options to purchase an internet connection, the majority of our family
opts out. I am the one that usually purchases the social media package, so that
I can still be in contact with family and the dog boarder in case of an
emergency. I know I can’t do anything while I am out at sea, but it just keeps
my mind at ease.
Packing for a cruise can be confusing if you have never been on one. You may have questions on what is acceptable to wear to dinner or what the temperature is like inside of the ship. Even though I have been on about 7 cruises (all with Carnival Cruise lines), I recently found myself Googling what to wear on our last cruise to Alaska. We have always cruised to warm destinations, so I was at a complete loss. Our trip was in May so there was a lot of searching on weather averages, as well as checking the weather a few days before our trip. I have created this list to help you to be stress-free while getting ready for a relaxing time on your cruise.
Posted below is a helpful list to use for both warm and cold destination cruises.
The following dress codes are from Carnival Cruise Lines:
Notes: Dress
casually during the day to include sneakers and flip flops.
For dining room attire, the cruise casual dining dress code is as follows:
Ladies –
Casual dresses, casual skirts or pants and blouses, summer dresses; Capri
pants, dress shorts, jeans (no cut-offs).
There will always be a cruise
elegant night on your cruise. If you are on a 6-day cruise or longer, there
will be two cruise elegant nights in the dining room. The buffet is open for
those that do not want to partake in elegant night.
For dining room attire, the cruise elegant dress code is as follows:
Gentlemen – Dress slacks, dress shirts. We also suggest a sport coat. If you wish to wear suits and ties or tuxedos, by all means we invite you to do so.
Ladies – Cocktail dresses, pantsuits, elegant skirts and blouses; if you’d like to show off your evening gowns, that’s great too!
Note: Not permitted in the dining room during cruise elegant dinner for ladies and gentlemen: shorts, gym shorts, t-shirts, beach flip flops, bathing suit attire, jeans, cut-off jeans, sleeveless shirts for men, sportswear, and baseball hats.
Warm Weather Cruise
Clothing
Shorts/capris
Shirts
1-2 pair jeans for dining room and/or evening shows (it can be a bit chilly at night in the lounge while watching shows)
Lanyard for your room card (Carnival themed lanyards are available on the ship) https://amzn.to/2PPSJpK
If you don’t think you will get enough value out of the bottomless bubbles card (soda card), you are allowed to bring a maximum of 12 sealed cans or cartons of other non-alcoholic beverages such as soda, juice or milk (per person). Bottled water is not allowed. Juice, water & tea are available for free on the ships.
On the day the cruise embarks, you are allowed to bring on board one standard 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne per person.
If you enjoy flavored water drop-ins such as Crystal light, you can bring those on board.
This past cruise we learned that we can bring sealed snacks on board as well. We brought our protein bars and beef jerky that we purchased while in the Seattle, Washington Port.
Small pop up hamper. We always travel with one. It makes it so much easier to keep dirty clothes out of the way. https://amzn.to/34nXFFD
Door decorations if you are celebrating an event. Most doors are metal. Carnival Cruise Lines requires fire retardant decorations.
Cold Weather Cruise
My family cruised to Alaska
in May 2019. The temps were in the 50’s the entire time. We recommend dressing
in layers, as you will frequently be going in and out of the ship. It’s easier
to remove layers instead of sweating in heavy winter clothes. We didn’t bring a
heavy coat, just a medium weight and a light weight jacket.
Bathing suits (no towels, they are provided on the ship) The pool on the Carnival legend was heated, but very few people were in it. They do however have a hot tub inside the gym and on the decks.
Sleep wear
Workout wear if you want to exercise. They have an excellent gym, as well as a jogging/walking track on the top of the ship (weather permitting, it may be cold).
Elegant night attire if interested
Shoes (sneakers, casual dress shoes for dinner, dress shoes for elegant night, some people wore boots)
Sweater for inside the ship
Gloves & hat (We didn’t bring these, but some travelers may prefer to bring them)
Lanyard for your room card (Carnival themed lanyards are available on the ship) https://amzn.to/2PPSJpK
If you don’t think you will get enough value out of the bottomless bubbles card (soda card), you are allowed to bring a maximum of 12 sealed cans or cartons of other non-alcoholic beverages such as soda, juice or milk (per person). Bottled water is not allowed. Juice, water & tea are available for free on the ships.
On the day the cruise embarks, you are allowed to bring on board one standard 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne per person.
If you enjoy flavored water drop-ins such as Crystal light, you can bring those on board.
This past cruise we learned that we can bring sealed snacks on board as well. We brought our protein bars and beef jerky that we purchased while in the Seattle, Washington Port.
Small pop up hamper. We always travel with one. It makes it so much easier to keep dirty clothes out of the way. https://amzn.to/34nXFFD
Door decorations if you are celebrating an event. Most doors are metal. Carnival Cruise Lines requires fire retardant decorations.
I hope that my list helps you pack for your upcoming cruise. Remember that this is my experience with Carnival Cruise Lines, as I haven’t cruised yet with other lines (but plan to try them out in the future). I will soon create an article on the ins and outs of cruising. What kind of questions do you have about vacationing on a cruise ship?
