Before I even get started here, I must say one more time that I’m no fashionista, but, I do like to try to look put together which helps me, a plus-sized girl, feel pretty–I think a nicely put together outfit can help those of us who might struggle a bit with our weight to feel a bit better. 🙂  So soldier on girls…of ALL shapes, sizes, and loveliness!! ❤

So let’s get started, our next cruise is fast approaching, we will be heading to New York–actually driving to the port this time– and will be climbing aboard the Regal (what?!!!) Princess that will then carry us to Canada & New England for our 7 night cruise.

Here is what our Itinerary will include:

I’ve been keeping an eye on our countdown and it is clicking along nicely.  My Mama always told me to never wish my life away, and I try really hard not to do that, but, I will admit that when I’m looking forward to a cruise, I might do a little wishing that the time would move just a wee bit quicker. 😉  I’ve been trying to gather some clothes together for this trip and of course the challenge of not over-packing looms ahead of me…I will admit fully that I’ve overpacked greatly in the past. But, on our last cruise to Hawaii which was 15 days through all sorts of different weather, I managed to not over-pack too, too much.  SO, I can certainly manage to pack for a 7 night cruise without overpacking…right? Fingers crossed folks, fingers crossed!! 😉   I’m approaching this packing challenge much like I do my Alaska Cruise wardrobe challenges only I’m going to try to go with more Fall-like colors.  Also, as I mentioned above, we are driving to the Port, and we will need to get our luggage to the ship by ourselves and then we will be self-disembarking so I really need to try to  fit everything clothes/must haves/shoes/everything in one large spinner suitcase — and if I need a bit more space, I’m planning on taking a “Weekender” bag to fit the little bit of overflow going if necessary and also provide a little extra room to add some souvenirs into on the way back.  One great thing about the Weekender bag is that it has a sheath on the back of it that will allow me to slide it down over the handle of my suitcase which will consolidate both pieces and allow me to pull both with ease.

Here are the bags I’m planning to take:

The suitcase is a 29″ spinner from Samsonite.  And the floral bag is from Vera Bradley and is called a Weekender…Here is a link .  <~~ That link will take you to a Weekender bag, but not to the one I have pictured, as I couldn’t find one like it on the Vera site…what? (I bet you could find it on Ebay though–the pattern is called “Parisian Paisley”).  As I mentioned above the Weekender has a sheath on the back that will allow me to place it onto the handle of the suitcase.

I will also be taking a “Campus Backpack” from Vera (again, that link that I provided there is not the pattern I have, but Ebay is my friend when I can’t find what I’m looking for on the Vera website–This black and white pattern is called “Midnight Paisley”).  I will use this to pack up my laptop, travel papers, wallet, a little bag of necessities, crossword puzzle book, my kindle, etc…

Of course, being the geek that I am, I have placed all of my Princess Captain’s Circle pins on the front of the bag:

Now, let me show you some of the clothes that I’ve chosen and put together as possible outfits for this cruise.  I figure, since it is going to be Fall on the East Coast, it is likely going to be somewhat chilly especially the further North we travel.  So let’s start with the jacket that I will be taking for this trip, it is a Columbia Arcadia Casual Jacket.  I purchased it in a 2x which fits me fine (it is a little large on me–I usually wear a 2x/18w/tall–But, I like it that way, I can layer much more easily if I have a little wiggle room. 😉 🙂

Okie dokie–Here are some of the outfits that I’ve put together, these may be subject to change and if I do change anything out, I’ll update this blog accordingly. 🙂

Let me preface this by saying that I’m only going to be taking black slacks–no jeans, no skirts, no other colored ‘bottoms’, and no dresses. <~~~ My attempt at keeping my packing to a minimum. 🙂 Here are a couple of links to the black stretchy slacks that I wear all of the time and that pack up beautifully.  They never wrinkle and they wash up perfectly every time.

Plus Size:  Roz and Ali Slim Legged Pants

Misses Size:  Roz and Ali Slim Legged Pants

As you can see, one of my very favorite accents is a pretty scarf–Adding one really brightens up an outfit and they pack so easily and take up practically no room.

I thought I might like to take a pair of boots to wear with a couple of pairs of leggings that I have…Here are a two more outfits that I’m considering.

Of course, I need a nighttime knock-around outfit (I’ve been known to skip on off to the laundry room in such an outfit… 😉

A friend of mine (thanks Pat!!) has introduced me to “Compression Socks”, but, these are not the “ugly-white-hard-to-put-on” compression socks of old.  These socks are so pretty and will really help to prevent my feet from swelling (I never, ever have swollen feet when off of a cruise ship, but, on our Hawaiian cruise, my feet got terribly swollen for a time–They did go back to normal but, for awhile there they were not lovely and they were hard to fit into some shoes..haha).  Here is a link to “Plus Sized Support Like Crazy Compression Knee-Highs“.  They do come in regular sizes as well.  Here is a picture of the ones that I purchased and that I will be taking along with me on all of our cruises moving forward:

Shoe wise, I will be taking my dress-type boots as I know I’ll have room for them:

And also, I’ll take these two pairs of shoes–I’ll wear the Skechers Performance Womens Go Walk 3 Unfold Walking Shoe on our Excursions off of the ship.  And I’ll be wearing the Sam & Libby shoes while on the ship to dress up the outfits a bit.  And that’s it for shoes…Honestly! 🙂

***UPDATE: I am writing this on the day that I’m fixin’ to pack everything up for our cruise, and I have to tell y’all about a pair of shoes that I found.  I had worn these shoes years and years ago and for a time there, I couldn’t find a replacement pair as I wore them till they had holes in them.  Imagine my delight, when I finally came across them here.  These are the *most* comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn, and they will replace the Sam & Libby shoes that I have pictured above.  They run true to size and literally mold to your feet when you put them on…I love them!

Jewelry wise–I’m not going to take a ton, I’ve picked out these pieces so far–I love Brighton jewelry and my daughter Christin usually gets me a set for Christmas; I pictured 2 of the sets she has gotten me first.

***UPDATE:  Day of packing post here again..haha….I’ve added a couple of things to my jewelry choices.  Christin (my oldest) had gotten me this Brighton necklace for Christmas last year, I’m definitely adding it to my choices:

***UPDATE:  And then, how could I forget my old standby—I love this little choker necklace and earring set from 1928 jewelry, I’ve had this set for over a decade and they are one of my major goto pieces…classic and simple:

***UPDATE:  And my bracelets–The large bangle is actually from Vera, the two Alex & Ani bracelets are from my daughter and my cousin Stacey, the Brighton (hearts) goes with the heart set above, and the twisted bracelet is one that Chris got me literally 20 years ago and I’ve worn it every day since:

Wow, I can’t believe that that is *all* I’m going to take, but, truly, that is it! I do want to add a couple of packing tips and tricks of mine here though in case some of you are new readers and haven’t heard me lament about how much I LOVE this Eagle Creek Pack-It Folder

Here is my Medium sized folder stuffed full with over 20+ tops (this is what I took for our Hawaii cruise):

And my Shacke Pak packing cubes–I cannot stress enough how much I was able to fit into these cubes. I highly recommend them!

So, there we go, I’ll continue to tweak my wardrobe, probably until the moment it is all packed up in that folder and those cubes, and, admittedly, I might change out an outfit or two, but, this is the ‘look’ I’m going for–Outfits that are casual but, ones that I can dress up with a change in jewelry/shoes/scarves/etc…

I *think* I’m getting closer to being ready to pack my suitcase…OH, but, wait…I still have to work on my “don’t wish your life away” skills for a little while longer until it is truly time to go! 😉 I will be blogging that entire cruise, so stay tuned for my “Canada and New England Blog Series”.

Until next time, y’all take good care! ❤

~Arlynn ❤

***Final Update:  Two other things that I did to prepare for this trip this week were, one, I got my hair colored as my grays were waving back at me when I looked in the mirror…and two, I got my nails done—I have “Pink & White” acrylic nails and my little technician did a lovely little design on my ring finger nails for me…:) I am ready to pack the rest of my stuff now!!

*****And we’ve sailed!  Here are links all of my Blogs in this Series:

Canada & New England: Pre-Cruise Report

Canada & New England: Packing, Traveling, & Embarkation onto the Regal Princess

Canada & New England Cruise: Mini Suite Tour, Muster Drill, Sail Away, Princess Patter & More

Canada & New England: Newport, Rhode Island

Canada & New England: Boston, Massachusetts

Canada & New England: Bar Harbor, Maine–Lighthouse Boat Tour, Lunch at a Local Restaurant, The Crab Shack, & My Birthday Song

Canada & New England: St. John, New Brunswick (Canada)–Exploring, Shopping, Bday Tartan Cape, & More

Canada & New England: Halifax, Nova Scotia–Arrival, Lunch With Dear Friend, & Peggy’s Cove

Canada & New England: Last Day On Board, Shopping, TV Tutorial, Disembarkation Morning, and Welcome Home

Canada & New England: Collage Picture Tour of the Regal Princess