Packing Panic
November 18, 2009
Well I had two things that threw me into a “Packing Panic” as we prepare for our trip to Rome and our Transatlantic cruise.
First, I did a “try on and see what fits” with my son, and besides just a few recently purchased dress shirts and a few t-shirts, very little fit him. His pants were even a little small too. Worst of all his tuxedo pants were tight in the waist. I figured we could move the button over or put an elastic loop in the tux pants, but I knew I needed to get him a whole new wardrobe, and quick. I made my way to the local resale shop in the hopes of finding some thing nice for the cruise. I really lucked out as they had plenty of designer and name brand shirts for just $3. I also find 3 pairs of dress pants or docker type pants for him. Best of all of those good things, I found a pair of tuxedo pants. So for less than $65 I got him a whole new wardrobe for the cruise and he’s all set.
Then on Tuesday, I had my second “Packing Panic. I had done a test pack, where I fit everything into one suitcase. However, that was just clothes and shoes. On Tuesday I started putting my non-clothes items in the suit case like shampoo, toiletries, camera tripod, ect. Well, I just about filled the suit case with just that stuff. Panic panic panic. We are trying to pack light this time so that we are not hauling 8 fullsize suitcases through the streets of Rome! I guess I’ll just have to plan to not pack so much, but Steve is optimistic that we will be able to make it with the 5 cases and one small carry-on each. Of course he thinks that I should be able to lighten my case by leaving things like cosmetics, hair dryers, and curling irons behind, (who is he kidding?). Hopefully I will be able to figure out a compromise between what I want to bring and what I need to bring.
2009 Cruise Fast Approaching
October 13, 2009
Since our first family cruise in 2005, an annual cruise together has been a tradition. This year we are lucky enough to be able to take another cruise vacation.
Last year we took our first Trans-Atlantic cruise on the Celebrity Summit. We loved the elegance and relaxed pace of that voyage that included exotic destinations like Madeira and the Canary Islands. This year when we considered the different options, several cruises similar to that one came into consideration, but ultimately we selected a Celebrity Trans-Atlantic cruise on Celebrity’s newest class of ship, the Solstice. Though we were a bit hesitant to book a cruise on such a large ship, we decided to try this ship on a Trans Atlantic voyage where it is likely to be booked at a lower capacity.
After we made our flight arrangements to Rome we had to select accommodations in Rome for our 4 day pre-cruise stay. Again we considered many different options including using reward points to book a hotel to book a hotel just outside of the old city, booking a hotel using points and cash in the city center, booking local hotel straight out, and a rental apartment. Ultimately, like when we booked for Barcelona, we found that booking an apartment in the city center was the best value for a family. We will be staying close by the Spanish Steps, Pantheon and Trevi Fountian, and in easy walking distance of all the most interesting sites.
Next we had to plan our tour activities. Steve is the expert at getting around Rome as he has visited over 10 times. Suzanne is more of the historian and art scholar, so she is has been researching with books, videos and TV shows, all the sites she wants to not just see, but know more about before she goes. Rome will be our biggest sight seeing activity on the trip. After boarding ship in Civitevecchia, our first port, Livorno, will be our only other big touring city. We have booked a ship’s tour that will take us to Pisa, where we’ll see the leaning tower and the Field of Miracles. Our other option was an all day tour that included 1/2 of the day or a whole day in Florence, and though we know there is plenty to see there, we decided to pace our selves and just do the 1/2 day trip to Pisa. We’ll also visit Villa France, Barcelona, Cartagena, and Madeira, but we have no specific plans for these ports.
Suzanne has also been working hard on our transportation options. The least expensive option is obviously the train from the airport to town and then from town to the cruise ship. However, the idea of traveling for a day and then lugging luggage on a train through the streets doesn’t sound like a vacation. We’ve booked a private minivan to transport us from the airport into town and the town to the cruise port. Suzanne went on line and read reviews of different companies and compared prices. Lets hope she picked a good one and made right decision and we don’t have any hiccups in the transport area. The back up plan is just to use a regular mini van taxi if for some reason our driver doesn’t meet us at the airport.
Finally, we’ve already started getting our “cruise stuff” together. Suzanne has been trying on and altering her dresses. She’s also been making sure all of the guy’s formal wear fits them. Sean needed a little bit of letting out in his pants and a few extra pairs of dress pants. Luckily, the dresses we bought for Savannah last year are quite adjustable and will fit her for several more years.
Everything seems be falling in place for the trip. We are going to try to pack a bit lighter than last year and use our captains club coupon to have some things laundered. So we may have to try the old method of packing a suitcase and then taking half the stuff out and leaving it at home. Hopefully everyone in our party will be more than willing to wear things more than once to save on some packing space.
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