One of the tricky things about living/working on ships is having a pet. Yep, Captain Kate has a kitty – so lucky! I usually get my kitty fix when visiting family and friends. This week I took the train into Nottingham to visit the Kitty Café and enjoyed a light lunch with rescue kitties all around. The screen is to cover your food in case the kitties decide they need to try your lunch.
It is now just a few days before heading to the heatwave that is happening across southern Europe, so I’ve been packing. Here’s how the week looked.
Travel
As lead singer for the production shows I did not wear a uniform. When I first started working on ships, for the evenings there was formal, semi-formal and smart casual. During the day, you had smart casual for general wear, and then needed a smattering of rehearsal/workout gear, beach gear, going ashore clothes and crew bar clothes. The expectation was that in public areas I would wear the guest dress code, be well-groomed, and look just a smidge smarter than the guests.
Over the years I have found that the evening dress code is more confusing/anxiety-producing for guests than day wear. Nowadays, the suggested dress for guests is much more relaxed, which seems in line with society in general. Some folks are thrilled, some miss the tradition of getting dressed up for the evening. Each cruise line is different and call their evening dress code by names which reflect their brand. They may also have a signature dress night. Some examples I found on company websites:
Holland America - dressy and casual (and formal on Grand Voyages)
Princess - formal and smart casual
Celebrity - evening chic and smart casual
Royal Caribbean - formal and smart casual
Norwegian - "Dress-Up or Not Night" and smart casual
Virgin - no dress code but there is Scarlet night and Pajama night
Disney - dress up, cruise casual and Pirate night (and formal, semi-formal on longer cruises)
Azamara - resort casual
Viking - elegant casual
Seabourn - formal and elegant casual
Cunard - gala, gala theme nights and smart attire
Silver Sea - formal, informal and casual
As a former very public figure and now as the spouse of one of the senior officers, I like to look put-together when I am in guest area. I am also a little old school; it is a big mental shift for me to wear what I have been wearing during the day after 6pm if we are out and about the ship. So, while I don't go to the crew bar that often anymore, most of the original categories I do still pack. I no longer pack the floor-length gowns (which I do miss) unless it is a Christmas/New Years Eve cruise, and even then, sometimes I don't.
As for daytime, since we are headed to the Med, I will be focusing on clothing that is city-stylish, ready for the heat, and easy to wash/dry.
Here’s my Probably-Preaching-To-The-Choir Top 10 Packing Tips
10 Start with your essentials: Passport, any necessary visas, medication(s), prescription glasses/contacts and cruise/travel paperwork, although a lot of cruise “paperwork” can be digital these days. When it’s go time, put all of these in carry-on or hand luggage. (Also smart to put valuables, electronics, a few pair of undies and change of clothes in non-checked luggage)
9 What NOT to bring: While hairdryers, curling irons & straighteners are ok, don’t bother to bring other appliances with heating elements such as kettles or travel irons. Ditto on candles. And while we’re at it - knives, guns and other weapons. This delays your luggage delivery to your cabin, and confiscated items will be held for you by ship security until the end of your cruise. If you are bent on bringing wine or other beverages, check your cruise line’s policy. Nowadays there are some pretty sweet onboard beverage packages and then you don’t have to worry about the bottle of red wine breaking and staining your suitcase contents. Which leads to…
8 Know your laundry strategy: Wash by hand, use the ship’s laundry service or just bring enough of everything so you don’t have to worry about it! Some ships still offer self-service launderettes, but usually (unless you have free laundry as a loyalty perk), ship laundry pricing is similar to hotel laundry service pricing.
7 Covid preparedness: Most likely masks are not required on your ship (again, read your cruise line’s policy), but it doesn’t hurt to tuck a mask or two in your bag in case somewhere you are visiting still requires one. I look forward to seeing how this is in Europe these days. I’ll keep you posted.
6 Just-in-case medical toiletries: Chances are you can find band-aids, aspirin, antacids, anti-diarrhea medicines, etc. in a ship shop (which can’t be open when you are in port and likely have a mark-up) or in port. But these items don’t take up much room and save you the headache and expense of getting them if you need them. Always best if you can keep medicines in original containers with labels for airport security’s sake.
5 Know the climate & cultural dress expectations: You'd think that packing for the weather would be obvious, but I have seen some weather-challenged choices over the years. For example, head to the Med with your sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat. For Alaska, you’ll want your rain gear. And if you are likely to visit religious venues, you may be required to cover your shoulders and knees. After you got this figured out….
4 Layer up & layer down: Even if it’s going to be hot, it’s nice to have a light sweater or jacket in case temps dip or breezes cool you down. Same thing in reverse for the cold.
3 Wardrobe foundation colors: For the daytime, I start with 1-3 neutral colors (navy, black & khaki) for pants, capris, skirts or shorts. I then pick tops that will coordinate with these basics. Maybe I’ll pack 1-2 crazy print items, but 50 lbs per checked suitcase fills quickly.
2 Work outside-in & down: Once you have your basic wardrobe, select the undergarments, accessories and shoes that you need/match.
1 If it is important to you – bring it: Must have a book to read? Bring it. Or load it on your phone or tablet. Have a shampoo, toothpaste or dental floss that only that brand will do? Bring it. Hopefully you can find what you want if you happen to forget something, but you never know. Someday I will share my contact lens and toothpaste stories - hilarious. And, yep, the right dental floss is a thing in our household.
Wellness Round Up:
Nutrition: While I love cooking, I really love cooking when it is for others. It has been hard to motivate myself to cook this week as I have been on my ownsome, so I have been balancing easy meals (?!) of cereal, quesadillas, eggs and bruschetta with trying to eat/use up the awesome veggies in the fridge. I still managed making a few recipes,
Beets have always been a challenging food for me (as has broccoli) – but roasting gives them such a nice flavor!
Banana Peel "Bacon"- I love bacon, it is a favorite food. However, I try to not eat it all the time. Somehwere recently we heard that you can eat banana peels and that they offer various health benefits. Googling recipes that use banana peels, we found a few including the one I tried. Jury's out- try again.
Green Goddess Falafel (Olive Magazine) - keeper
Ok, and some oatmeal cookies (America's Test Kitchen recipe) - keeper
Yesterday I succumbed to fast-food for breakfast. My justification was that I knew I would be getting in a good amount of walking during the day and the timing of my appointments was such that I was going to miss lunch. It was a good test: I found that neither the hashbrowns nor the sausage egg cheese sandwich had much taste to me. Part of mindful eating is asking yourself “What am I getting from this?” And my answer was nostalgia and not much flavor. I finished my breakfast, but I felt like I don’t need to do that again.
Hydration: Full pitcher - every day but Saturday (half pitcher)
Sleep/Stress: I have been binge-watching this week and staying up later than I usually do. My wake-up time is still pretty consistent, which means I have been getting less sleep. Maintaining consistent bed/wake times is a healthy sleep strategy that I have repeatedly heard; unfortunately I know this next week it will be off kilter with flights, arriving to the ship, etc. Will do my best!
I had a little work stress this week and still have excitement stress over what to do before heading out. All manageable.
Movement: Walking and running are still my mainstays, but I also did a belly dancing video from the library. Fun and different.
Week 3 of Couch to 5K – check! English weather be darned.
Ok, time to get back to packing. Bon Voyage & Bon Appétit!
Updated August 25, 2024
Comentarios