We are on the road and on our way to tropical temps and scenery in the Caribbean! Derek (my husband) and I have never been on a cruise and decided it was time...yay :) We chose the Royal Caribbean International ship Liberty of the Seas heading to Belize City, Belize and Cozumel, Mexico In tow we have all 4 of our kids (ages 12, 10, 7 & 2 yrs) and our nanny (my sweet 16 y/o 2nd cousin who watches the kiddos for us in the summer) - that is 7 of us total!!
We are also meeting up with my mother in law and father in law at the port so this will be an amazing family trip that we are all so looking forward to.
In part because of all the people that will be in our suite on the ship (we had to go with a suite just to accommodate us with the kids and nanny!). A suite sounds nice, but on a cruise ship that is still a tiny room for this many people. I decided to take great care in my packing to hopefully help off set the lack of room in the car and on the ship. This is an area that I usually suffer greatly in and I ALWAYS over pack. This time I was determined to get everything I would wear for our 11 day adventure into 1 suitcase.....I mean everything - shoes, hand bags, jewelry, clothing. It was a big undertaking for me, but I managed.
I took pics of many of the things I packed - I didn't include the gym clothes (as I am sure you all don't really care about those), bathing suit cover ups, or my lounge and bed clothes. But I am hoping that maybe this will give someone else an idea of how they could pack if they suffer from constantly over packing like I usually do.
Maxi dress via TJ Maxx / Old Navy denim jacket (old) / Merona sandals / Scarf via TJ Maxx
Champion moisture wicking drawstring capris (for the Mayan ruins hike!) / Old Navy denim capris (old) / Gray and White drawstring shorts (so old I don't remember where they are from!) / Victoria's Secret white linen shorts
*All of these can be mixed and matched easily with the collection of tops and tanks that I brought
Victoria's Secret bra top breezy tank in Sea Breeze / Victoria's Secret Drapey Vintage tank in Maui Mango
*I did not picture all the basic tanks I packed (coral, turq, blue stripe, white and black in color)
Athleta Santana bra top dress (old - no loner available in short length but they do offer it in a maxi version here) / Sam Edelman chain detail sandals / Shell and pearl necklace (old) / Merona grey cardigan via Target / yellow and grey infinity scarf via local boutique
Selection of shoes (not pictured are my gym shoes and a pair of fun woven wedge sandals and Michael Kors thong sandals. I realize that I do pack a lot of shoes, but like many women I have a thing for shoes and love to have options. I was able to fit them all so I just went with it! :)
Forgot that I had actually pictured some my tanks with the hats - basics with some fun color and easy to mix and match with every bottom :) Hats are a must for me since I don't sun my face at all - these two will go with everything.
Both fedora and floppy hat from TJ Maxx & all Tanks via Target
Okay, I realize that was a picture heavy post, but hopefully that will give others some ideas or tips on what can be mixed and matched to keep the travel packing to a minimum - at least as minimum as i was able to get it to.
All of the jewelry and accessories I packed (not all of it is pictured) can be easily mixed and matched with any of my outfits. That seems to be something I usually have a hard time also taking the minimum of - feeling better about it this time around. I also plan to pick up a custom made local piece in Mexico or Belize if possible so I needed to leave room for those.
That is all I have until the "post cruise" post where I will hopefully be able to update with the above actually on and picked against some gorgeous back drops and fun times with my family!
If you are traveling or staying home for this Spring Break season I hope that yours is sun filled and fun!
Bon Voyage!
XO
Jessy
How fun! I've never been on a cruise either, but would love to go anywhere tropical! Great wardrobe Jessy. I'm loving the sandals from Sole Society! I bet you'll get tons of wear from them this year. I also love the light color palette of all of the clothing you've packed. Have a great trip!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Noelle :) I was thinking the same thing when I got the Sole Society shoes...there are as comfortable as they are cute, too. For me (typically chasing a 2 y/o) that is very necessary in a shoe I plan to wear anytime outside of just the occasional date night appearance :)
DeleteLucky you! I want to take a cruise too, but my husband is reserving that for when the kids are a little older. I like all your outfits. Hope you have a good time!
ReplyDeleteBeauty Fashion Skin Care Blog -Girlie Blog Seattle | Casual Chic Style
We did have a great time. I am hooked! We did take all 4 kids (ages 2-12yrs), but between the nanny that went with us and the kid's club options on the boat my husband and I were able to have a TON of alone time to take in the shows, clubs and dinners every evening. Go if you get the opportunity! You won't regret it and the kids will love it :)
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