Packing Procedures

Just when I think we are officially packed and ready to go, we think of something else. So far we have 2 suitcases and a very full garment bag. The good news is that neither suitcase is full - both are actually closer to 50% or maybe 75% full. So we have lots of room left to bring home goodies.

Some packing lessons we learned from our last cruise:

• Less really is more: we have a better understanding of what types of clothing we will actually use so we eliminated the "we might need this wool sweater" just-in-case packing

• Laundry service is a wonderful thing: last year Steve spent the better part of an afternoon doing laundry at the coin operated room on our ship. Princess provides these on every floor, along with an ironing board and iron. However, RC does not provide them and no irons are allowed. We seriously considered sneaking in a contraband iron but ultimately decided that we will pay (gasp!) someone to do our laundry instead. While this requires a little more planning, it reduces packing more items and just gave us back 3 hours. We may have slightly wrinkled clothing for most of the trip but are counting on the steam from the shower to assist with this. That and the fact the we realize we don't really care that much about wrinkles in our clothing....(especially after a Margarita or two)

• Elastic waistbands are a requirement: my biggest regret last year was packing more for fashion than comfort. I am not saying that mumus will be my clothing of choice this year, but I have eliminated all restrictive waistband options from the wardrobe. The only exceptions to this are the cocktail dresses, which are intended to provide maximum discomfort for optimum wow factor. I can suck it in for 2 nights out of the seven. The reality of a cruise is that you eat so much that you may not fit into the same clothes at the end of the trip that you do at the beginning. The necessity of a graduating clothing size is not to be overlooked.

• Pack those sneakers: last year Steve laughed at me a little when I packed tennis shoes and work out wear. And while i enjoyed burning off some lobster dinner calories some mornings (including a 5k run that benefitted breast cancer), Steve was occassionally sorry that he was not able to join me. This year, however, he has packed his sneakers and workout wear. I have teased that we should get matching warm-ups in teal blue (the kind that make a lot of noise when you walk) and take over the promenade deck.