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.
Next Cruise Booked
June 29, 2009
Well, we have done it. As discussed in a previous post, we have been planning our next cruise. Now, we have gone and booked the cruise. Its going to be another transatlantic cruise. This time, from Rome, Italy to Ft Lauderdale, FL.
It may seem odd to do a transatlantic for a second year in a row, but we absolutely loved the one last year. This one will be completely different – except for the sea days which are our favorite days anyway! The cruise will again be on Celebrity Cruises. This time on the Solstice. Its once of Celebrity’s new ships and at almost 2800 passengers, a bit bigger than we normally cruise on. And Celebrity is going to be starting a combination of traditional dining and anytime dining. So, we will get to try out a few new things regarding Celebrity.
Also, we are going to add 4 days before the cruise in Rome for site seeing. I have been to Rome maybe 6 or 8 times on business travel and really like the city. I look forward to showing Suzanne (who has been there once) and the kids the town. Then, we will be visiting different ports of call than last year before making the crossing. Its going to be a great cruise.
Actually, the planning has just started – lots more to do. We have already booked our flights to Rome using frequent flier miles so that helps defray the costs. We will even stop over for 1 night in Dallas on the way to Rome to sort of have a quick, early family Thanksgiving with Suzanne’s family.
We still need a place to stay in Rome. We are evaluating apartments and hotels in the city to stay. I have a variety of points that could be used to pay for the hotel. Or perhaps I can put the points to better use for ship board credit on the cruise. We have requested info on about 8 apts that are for rent for the four days. We are evaluating location and amenities compared to hotels which might not be quite as nicely located. We will probably book our accommodations in the next week or two.
We also need to book our return air from Ft Lauderdale. Suzanne wants to return on the same day the boat docks, but the date is already sold out of frequent flier tickets. So, if I want to use miles, we need to come back the day after the cruise which I kind of like anyways, but Suzanne has a show to do the weekend following our return so wants to get back. There are some first class tickets available on the day the cruise ends, but I am a bit short on miles for four first class tickets. I have a couple business trips which might put me over the top. Or perhaps we can use the rewards points that we were thinking about for the hotel or shipboard credit. Again, probably will finalize return trip plans in the next week or two.
More on the next cruise as it develops.
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