Cruising again...

Last year, Josh and I joined a few of our friends and booked another short cruise to Cozumel.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love cruising? Especially since we live on the coast and are right next to the port! They pack a real value into these things...food, fun, and lodging for one low price. AND, once you book, if the price of the cruise goes down, you get on-board credits!!! The price of our cruise went down so much that we now have $190 worth of on-board credits waiting for us when we arrive!

So anyway, we are leaving April 5 and will return April 9. I didn't realize when we booked it that that weekend is Easter. I am a little disappointed about that, but the boys will be staying with their grandparents and will be attending church as usual. The Easter bunny will leave baskets and hide eggs for them to find when we return.

There is nothing worse than being on a cruise...at sea...or in another country and not having something you really need...be it underwear (yes, I have forgotten it before), medications, or your rolling brush.

I am in the throes of packing and wanted to share in some of my organizational tips.

(I like to plan and I need a system or it's chaos I tell ya) AND they only let you have a certain number of bags on board with you....which makes it difficult.

1. Set out clothing in advance grouped by days.

I basically set out full outfits, down to the accessories and shoes for each day and each night...plus extras. I always get to a hotel and pull out what I was going to wear that day and then change my mind and want the options.

2. Walk through your morning and nighttime routine to figure out what you use.

From shampoo, to bobby pins, nausea medication, to toothpaste...make a note of it and set it all out. And get them in travel sizes because you don't have all that much room to pack 8 large bottles of toiletries.

3. Put accessories into a labeled zip lock bag layered into the clothes as you pack.

Usually by the time I get on vacation, I unpack everything and hang it all up, in order, with all the accessory bags attached. I label the bags by day, so I can easily match up the bag with the outfit.

This gives me a quick visual to see what my options are before going, and to make sure I don't forget something.

Here is what everything looks like by day (1 outfit for during the day, and one for the evening)

And here is what everything looks like laid out on the bed...

I am ready for a vacay!!!!!