Carnival Vista 2021 – Precruise #3 More Shopping!!!

In all honesty, my shopping for the cruise began in 2021 so there are some items I have not worn yet and I’m hoping I can fit into them!

WARNING…. I HAVE NOT IRONED OR STEAMED ANY OF THE CLOTHING ITEMS FOR FEAR OF ANOTHER CRUISE BEING CANCELLED. This will be the first time I will not pack until after I receive my negative COVID test. So, please do not shame me for the clothing looking like a wrinkled mess.

Most of my clothing items were purchased at Venus.com. I have been buying my vacation clothes from their website for a long time. I love their selections and the quality is fantastic. So, let’s begin with the items I purchased for our cancelled cruises and our upcoming cruise.

V-neck halter top in blue.

Lace inset smoked top in white.

Strappy deatil top also in white.

Fringe Earrings in navy.

Polka dot jumpsuit in black with white dots.

Bandage dress in black. Unfortunately I was not able to take a decent picture of the dress so this is one from their catalog.

Lace inset mock neck top in pink.

Grommet lace up one-piece swimsuit. I purchased 2, one in blue and one in white.

Angie smoothing one-piece swimsuit. I also purchased 2, one in blue and one in red.

Bandeau one-piece swimsuit in aqua. I may not take this one with me.

Asymmetrical strappy heels in black.

Another place we like to shop is Academy. I ordered 3 swimsuits for my husband online

O’Rageous Men’s Volley Swim Trunks one in the color Cabbage Wave, one in Dark Blue, and one in the color Living Coral Wave.

While at the store, I found some shoes!

BCG womens canvas lace up training shoes. One pair in black and one pair in white.

Old Navy had a sale on their variety 5-pack of triple-layer cloth pleated face masks for adults with ear adjusters son I ordered 2!

ShipTees.com had a fac cover that I HAD to have so I ordered one for me and one for my husband. He has not worn his yet but my is currently in the wash!

From DSW online, I purchased a pair of Nina Ranata Sandal in the color navy. I cannot wait to wear them!!!!

While looking at shoes at Macy’s online, I found a pair of Circus by Sam Edelman Camara Medallion flat sandals on sale so I purchased a pair in the color Pink Confetti.

I also purchased a pair of Jessica Simpson Women’s Rilane Slide Sandals in the color black.

On a trip to Costco, we purchased 2 pairs of shorts for my husband. They really have good prices, but they tend to sale out quickly.

When Steinmart had their closing sale, I found a pair of capri’s that truly gave me cruise vibes!!! So, of course, they had to come home with me.

And what is preparing for a cruise without shopping at Target. This time, my shopping was limited to jewelry. Specifically, I purchased items by the brand SUGARFIX by BaubleBar.

Three quarter fringe hoop earrings in navy.

Modern Statement necklace set in gold.

Layered link chain necklace in gold.

And that is where this shopping blog will end. The next blog will be the Amazon shopping I have done specifically for this cruise and maybe the cruises that cancelled. So, please come back.

Carnival Vista 2021 – Precruise #2 Shopping an independent shop and 3 Etsy shops

One thing for is for certain, small shops and/or shops owned by an individual ALWAYS have amazing customer service. And they always want to make sure you are completely satisfied with their products. I will continue to use the shops I’m about to talk about.

We are currently at 20 days away from our cruise. At least that is the plan for now but we all know that could change in a moment’s notice.

The first time I ordered from customcruisewear.com was for our four-generation family cruise on the Carnival Vista in 2018. I found myself in a jam and needed to make an order for 9 shirts that I needed within a couple of weeks. Angela made sure our order was taken care of and was beyond helpful. Our shirts were amazing!

In 2019 after I Carnival Dream cruise, I started looking at cruises for 2020. I found an 8-day that I thought would be perfect as we have not been on a Bahamas cruise on the Carnival Freedom and the bonus was that there was an inside stateroom with walkway view available on deck 7. It was a no-brainer, especially since there was currently a $50 deposit special going on. So we were scheduled to sail in August 2020. As a Christmas present, I got my husband a t-shirt from customcruisewear.com that says HUSBAND & WIFE CRUISING PARTNERS FOR LIFE. Of course, I got one for myself as well. This was going to be the shirt we would wear when we boarded the Carnival Freedom!!! And we would have worn them except, COVID had other ideas.

On June 22, 2020, our cruise was cancelled. We had prepared ourselves for this possibility and we had a back-up plan in place. We had already decided that if it were to cancel, which it did, we would book on the Carnival Radiance and would upgrade our stateroom to a balcony cabin with the extra large balcony. I knew one was available and I was keeping my fingers crossed that it would still be available when I spoke to my PVP. It was!!! So now we were booked on the Carnival Radiance for August 2021. We had a year to prepare for it. Surely everything would be back to normal in 2021.

We were wrong. On July 23rd, 2020, we received a letter stating that our cruise was being cancelled as it would not be finished with dry dock. Thanks, COVID. I quickly looked at other options for August 2021 and we decided on an 8-day Bahamas cruise on the Carnival Dream. We booked it on July 23rd, 2020 in a balcony stateroom with the extra large balcony on deck 7.

During this time, it became obvious that the mom and pop shops were really suffering. And I’m sure they are still struggling to keep their heads above water.

Once June 2021 came around, I felt more confident that our cruise on the Carnival Dream would happen. I was so confident that on June 4th, 2021, I ordered a shirt from customcruisewear.com that says VACCINATED AND READY TO CRUISE. On that day, I decided that this would be the shirts that Jim and I would wear on embarkation day!!!

After a few days, I started thinking that I really wanted a shirt that says EMBARKATION HERE I COME and another shirt that says FINALLY ON A FUN SHIP. Since I knew that Angela at customcruisewear.com does custom shirts, I looked at all of the designs she has on here website and decided on the backgrounds I liked then sent her an email asking if my request could be done. And within a day or 2 I had the designs. So, I ordered 2 of each shirt. These shirts were ordered on June 9th, 2021 and I could not be more happy with these purchases from customcruisewear.com and will continue to order shirts from her.

On June 10th, 2021, we received an email stating that our cruise was being cancelled. And now we are booked on the Carnival Vista. I feel more confident with this as she has already started sailing. But I am fully aware that this too could change. But I’m still shopping!!!

After purchasing the shirts, I decided I really wanted to find some earrings with a nautical theme. I wasn’t finding anything on Amazon that I really wanted so I turned to Etsy and did a search for nautical theme jewelry. There was so much to choose from but I narrowed down my options to 3 pairs of earrings. And since I couldn’t pick just one, I picked all 3!!!

The first one is a pair of Anchor Earrings that are studs. The name of the shop is JustaGirlintheGarage. The earrings are perfect and I would highly recommend her shop. I will be wearing these earrings when I’m wearing my swimsuit, so almost every day!

The second one is a pair of Flip Flor Anchor hardboard earrings. The shop name is PaintedPugCreations. I love these earrings. In fact, I’m wearing them today. They are not heavy at all and will definitely be worn a lot!!!

The final one is a pair of Nautical Earrings from the shop MichelleLynneJewelry. I will definitely be wearing these earrings when I wear my FINALLY ON A FUN SHIP shirt.

In the future when I’m looking for earrings for a special theme, I will first look at these shops. They are fantastic and the quality if perfect.

So now I ask that you please come back for the next shopping installment.

Carnival Vista 2021 – Precruise #1

We currently are 23 days out from our cruise on the Carnival Vista. I’m still not 100% positive it will happen, but I am trying to remain optimistic.

Pre-cruise reservations have been made for our overnight stay in Galveston. We will be staying at The Commodore on the Beach as we have stayed there before and had no problems. So, should this cruise cancel, at least we WILL be spending one night in Galveston.

This cruise will be taking us to Mahogany Bay, Belize, and Cozumel. We plan on doing nothing in Mahogany Bay other than shopping, which I didn’t do the last time we were there, and possibly spending time on the beach. We will just wait and see how we feel when we get there. In Belize, we might take the tender to the port for some quick shopping but then again, we might just stay on the ship and do absolutely nothing. We are looking forward to our stop in Cozumel. For the first time in fourteen trips, both cruise and land, we will be going to Mr. Sanchos. I am looking forward to doing something absolutely different than what we have done before.

Yesterday, we were notified of some new protocols for vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers. Beginning August 7th, there is a new mask protocol in place. “We strongly encourage all guests to wear face masks when indoors, particularly guests who are unvaccinated including children under the age of 12 should wear masks in public areas, except when eating or drinking.” I am NOT concerned with this at all and I have no problem following this. Beginning August 14th “we will require ALL fully vaccinated guests to produce a negative viral COVID-19 test (PCR or antigen) taken within 3 days of their embarkation on all Carnival Cruise Line sailings” It goes on to say “Fully vaccinated guests will be required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test along with proof of full vaccination upon arrival in the terminal and can then proceed to board.” Jim and I will be have our tests done on either the Wednesday or Thursday before we are scheduled to cruise. And let it be know, I will gladly follow this protocol as well.

Leading up to yesterday’s letter, I had been doing some shopping. Mostly from Amazon, and couple of things from Venus, and several t-shirts from custom cruise wear. I strongly recommend that shop for cruise shirts and they also have door signs and banners and other cruise related items. Go check them out sometime.

In the days to come, I will blog about the purchases made for this cruise that will also be used in future cruises, what we are packing, and even some jewelry I made for myself. I had to do something to keep myself occupied.

So for now, I will end this blog. Please stay tuned for the next blog, Carnival Vista 2021 – Precruise #2.

Carnival Dream 2021 Precruise #2, 200-Day Countdown

We are now at our 200-day countdown. Normally I would be diligently making out our packing lists, to-do lists, and checking hotel rates daily. Although I have been checking hotel rates, I have not made any reservations as I know changes are coming. I just do not know when. So, we are basically in a holding pattern.

While in this holding pattern, I have discussed with my husband our options when the time comes. Depending on how the cruise is changed, we are considering changing to the Carnival Vista in March, 2022.

And so, we wait. I consider our options for other things to do in August.

Carnival Vista – highlights from our November 2018 cruise

Saturday, November 10th… After months of planning, the day finally arrived when we packed up our cars and drove to Galveston. I had very high hopes for this cruise as it is likely to be my mothers last cruise. Everything was great until I started having my usual anxiety while my hubby was driving. But that wasn’t anything a little Tylenol PM couldn’t take care of, LOL.

Of course there was the obligatory stop at Buc-ee’s in Madisonville. It was definitely time to get something to eat, like fudge!!!

We made it to Galveston without any problems. We stayed at a different hotel than we usually do. This time, we stayed at The Commodore on the Beach. I was concerned that the three rooms I booked would be scattered but they put us right next to each other. Also, I rented a wheelchair from Scootaround and it had already been delivered to the hotel and was waiting for us. So far so good.

After settling into our rooms, we went to have dinner at The Original Mexican Cafe. It is a tradition and Jim and I established in 2011 when we were introduced to this restaurant during a meet and greet brunch for our Carnival Magic cruise. We were seated quickly and the service was fast and good as always. Afterwards, it was time to return to the hotel and get ready for the next day and boarding the Carnival Vista.

On Sunday, November 11th, we woke up to a beautiful day. But then again, what day isn’t beautiful when you are about to board a ship!!! Jim and I made a quick trip to WalMart to get some cruise necessities and to drive down Harborview to get our first view of the Vista. She is big and beautiful!!! On our way back to the hotel, I received a text from my oldest granddaughter with something she wanted up to pick up for her. No problem!!!

We finally made it out of the hotel and went to the pier. I’m a HUGE fan of faster to the fun. We were on the ship in no time at all. This was when we had my mother use the wheelchair as we were concerned with her walking that much for that long. I am very grateful for having this chair although she wasn’t very happy about it.

So the remainder of the week was made up of sea day brunches, Mahogany Bay, Belize, Cozumel and the last sea day. I will be making a scrapbook with more information later but here are some of the highlights.

I hope to one day sail on the Vista again as I really didn’t do the things I normally do on a cruise. Would I do it all over again, ABSOLUTELY. But next time, I will not have the high hopes I had going into this cruise. I learned a very valuable lesson about traveling with someone who has dementia.

Getting Carnival Vista Ready #10… Let the packing begin.

I have had plenty of time to choose my clothes, shoes, and accessories. Now it is time to start packing.

For this cruise, I decided to use packing cubes. This is something very new to me so I’m not sure exactly how it will work out, but I’m going to give try it. I started out by ordering some GONEX packing cubes from WalMart. It comes in 3 sizes and in a variety of colors. Since I would need to order some for my mother to try, I order 3 in different colors, Blue, Yellow, and a turquoise color. I received them very quickly and decided to give them a trial run. I tried rolling my clothes and I tried just folding my clothes. I have decided that these will not work for me for a 7-day cruise but can still be used for the smaller items. I next turned to Target and found some things I thought would work great for my husband and I so I ordered said items. I was able to use the extra large and large cubes to fit my clothes in.

I decided to use the large cube for what I consider daytime clothes… shorts and shirts to wear around the ship and at the various ports of call. I tried the rolling technique and the regular folding and found that regular folding works out best for me. Everything fit in the cube nicely and doesn’t feel like they clothes are shoved into the cube.

I used the extra-large cube for the evening clothes which are the outfits I will be wearing to dinner and around the ship afterwards. My cruise-elegant dresses will be packed in a regular garment bag. The evening clothes fit nicely into the extra large cube and I can probably add some more to it if I wanted to. But I don’t want to. I’m trying NOT to over-pack on this cruise. I guess time will tell if I have succeeded or not!!!

I purchased a bead container at Hobby Lobby along with some plastic bags to use for my jewelry as I have seen people on YouTube use them with great success. I was amazed with how easily everything fit into the container and now I do not have to worry about anything becoming tangled!!!

My travel first kit has been packed and is busting at the seams!!! But keep in mind, I’m packing for 9 and I feel the need to be prepared for any emergency that may come along. I am keeping everything in a cosmetic case I purchased at Tuesday Morning. Everything fits in nicely unless I think of some other items I might need.

I am using a ditty bag I found at Tuesday Morning for our suntan lotions and after sun lotion. Everything fits in nicely and will come in handy while hanging out on deck or on the beach. There is also enough room for the mosquito repellent wipes I purchased, but not for the Bugables. So it looks like I need to do some more shopping!!!

And last of this packing series, I have packed my hair care products into a cosmetic bag I purchased at Tuesday Morning. Everything fits well and will be easy to access for our pre-cruise stay.

In the next segment of Getting Carnival Vista Ready, I hope to be able to pack my cosmetic bag and also our overnight bag. Plus some other essentials I will be taking and how I hope to pack them.

Getting Carnival Vista Ready #9

It is very early in the morning. Too early to be honest. But I woke up at 2 am and have not been able to go back to sleep. I’m not sure if it is because of my upcoming cruise or the fact that my 40th high school class reunion is tonight. In any case, I have decided to do another installment in my getting cruise ready series!!!

Today’s installment is all about the accessories. And by accessories, I mean jewelry and shoes.

My jewelry is very basic for the daytime. Gold hoops or silver anchors. It should be a simple choice, but I have 2 different selections for each! Necklaces are also somewhat basic only a couple of stand out pieces. But the evening earrings take are AMAZING. For several years, I have been wanting to purchase some earrings from BaubleBar and I finally took the plunge this year. I am so glad I did!!! Not only are the pieces I purchased perfect for my cruise, they are also good for any other time!!!

Of course, shoes are important! I will be taking all the necessary shoes… plus a few more!!! Dress shoes for cruise elegant night, flip flops while catching rays on deck, and, of course, shoes that are appropriate to wear in the dining room at night. Plus that gave me an extra excuse to buy more shoes!!!! And my tennis shoes for walking around the ports and maybe for morning exercise. Maybe.

In the event I wake up energetic and decide to walk of the previous nights Warm Chocolate Melting Cake, I will also be packing a couple of pairs of leggings and a couple of t-shirts…. just in case. But let’s be honest, this is something that hasn’t happened before I might not happen again!!!!

The next installment of getting cruise ready will be about the extra necessities I have been picking up recently. I have never had to buy stuff for 9 people before so things are really starting to pile up!!!!

Getting Carnival Vista Ready #8

It took some doing, but with the help of my mother, daughter, and middle granddaughter, we were able to narrow down and finalize my evening attire selections. And it was not an easy thing to do. But we did it in under an hour!!!!

Embarkation day is usually casual with some passengers waiting for their luggage when dinner time comes around. So we will be dining in the clothes we board the ship in. Something that is still in the planning stages but hopefully within a few days, that will be all ironed out.

We will be sailing on a 7-day cruise which means there will be 2 cruise elegant nights. This first one will be on our first sea day and the second one will be after we sail away from Cozumel. The remainder nights are casual, but not too casual.

On the first cruise elegant night, this is what I have selected.

I purchased this dress when my son got married 3 years ago as an option for my Mother of the Groom dress. But the tags are still on it and I’m hoping it still fits!!!! The earrings and shoes I plan on wearing are also included in the pictures.

We usually consider the second elegant night as another opportunity to get dressed up but not as much as the first elegant night. For this night, I have selected this dress that was in my second Stitch Fix box. The jewelry in also included in the pictures but I’m still not sold on my shoe selection. There is a chance I might wear the same shoes as I do on the first elegant night as the dress is real long and the shoes are not likely to be seen.

The remainder of the nights are casual with capris and tops being the order of the night!!! I do not know what order these will be worn in, but they will all be worn. At least that is the plan.

So what do you think of my choices?

In the next blog, I will share the shoes and jewelry I will be taking with me. I already have my jewelry all packed up.

Getting Carnival Vista ready #7 – what I will be packing for the daytime fun!

I have been planning on this cruise since we book it over 14 months ago. To say I’m excited would be an understatement. You would think it is my first cruise, but it isn’t. But this cruise will definitely be different as we are traveling as a 4-generation family. My grandchildren have never been on a cruise and I can hardly wait to see their faces when we first get on the ship. I hope they are filled with as much excitement as we will be!

Most of my days on a ship are usually spent on one of the upper decks catching some rays. I’m hoping this trip will be much like the others have been. As crazy as this may sound, I have selected 2 pairs of shorts and 4 tops that will be worn on the sea days and while we are at Mahogany Bay. I have also picked out a pair of shorts and top for our time in Belize and Cozumel. So that is a total of 4 pairs of shorts and 6 tops.

This is my selection for Belize. Now, in all honesty, there is a possibility that I will just stay on the ship on this day. But then again, I might take the tender and check things out at the port area. It just depends on my mother and how she is able to navigate here and there.

This is my selection for Cozumel. I know we will be doing shopping in town and maybe some in port area when we return.

Sea days will definitely require a swimsuit and I have 2 that I will be taking along with 2 cover-ups.

Stay tuned for the next installment which will be my even attire selections. Over-packing is alive and well and living in my house!!!!

Getting Carnival Vista Ready #6… Yes, I am an over-packer.

I always pack more than I need. But I like to have choices. This year, I will TRY to scale down some, but that may not happen. Some habits are hard to break. But I will plan everything out so that maybe, just maybe, I will actually wear everything I pack. I know it is not likely, but a girl can dream!!!

I like to try to plan my clothes for each day I will be gone. This cruise leaves on a Sunday. We will be driving to Galveston on Saturday so we do not have to stress over traffic and any unexpected delays. I do not want to miss a cruise because of delays getting to the port. I make a list clothes I am likely to wear according to our itinerary including travel days. This is the list for this cruise…

Saturday – TRAVEL DAY!!!. Jeans or Capri’s, shirt, tennis shoes.

Sunday – EMBARKATION DAY!!!! Jeans or Capri’s, group shirt, tennis shoes.

Monday – SEA DAY/CRUISE ELEGANT NIGHT. Daytime: shorts & top, swimsuit & cover-up, flip flops/tennis shoes. Evening: long dress, dress shoes, accessories (for dinner). Capri’s, top, sandals or flip flops (for after dinner). Yes I realize that is 2 outfits for the evening but I really do not want to wear my 5 inch heals all night long!

Tuesday – SEA DAY. Daytime: shorts & top, swimsuit & cover=up, flip flops/tennis shoes. Evening: Capri’s & top, sandals.

Wednesday – Mahogany Bay. Daytime: swimsuit & cover-up, shorts & top, flip flops. Evening: Capri’s & top, sandals.

Thursday – Belize. Daytime: shorts & top, tennis shoes while in port; swimsuit & cover-up, flip flops on ship. Evening: Capri’s & top, sandals.

Friday – Cozumel/ SECOND CRUISE ELEGANT NIGHT. Daytime: shorts & top, tennis shoes while in port; swimsuit & cover-up, flip flops on ship. Evening: long dress, dress shoes, accessories (dinner); Capri’s & top, sandals (after dinner). Yes I know, it another 2 outfit night. To be honest, depending on what is going on this evening, I might stay in this dress for the night. But then again, I might not.

Saturday – Sea Day. Daytime: swimsuit & cover-up, flip flops; shorts & top, tennis shoes or sandals. Evening: Capri’s & top, sandals

Sunday – THEY KICK US OFF THE SHIP. Travel day home. Jeans or Capri’s & top, tennis shoes.

After I make out my list, I look at my clothes and try to decide what I am going to take. I know on our night in Galveston we will be having dinner at The Original Mexican Cafe. This is a casual restaurant so we should not have the need to change clothes before we go out for dinner. This packing list does not include under garments. But that is only because I wait until the last minute to pack that!!! And I also have to make sure my mother has everything she needs. I have already purchased her some shorts and some Capri’s for this trip. She has since forgotten that she has them, LOL! This is what we have planned for her so far. She seems to think she needs more things, but that is probably just the dementia talking!

I do know I will need help in deciding what daytime and evening outfits to take on this cruise. My plan is to take pictures of the outfits tomorrow and post them in a blog tomorrow. At least that is what I hope to do.