5 Top Cruise Must Haves for the Next Time You Set Sail

Cruise coming up? Here are some of my top cruise must haves! 

Happy Travel Tuesday!

Excited for this month's linkup and to see where you all have been!! This month I am sharing my top cruise must haves for the next time you set sail.

I was supposed to be on a boat right now, sailing through the ocean blue with my mom, sister and cousins... Sadly, due to Hurricane Matthew that is not to be! While I am wishing it could have happened, the fact that a missed cruise is the only thing I have to complain about means we got off easy here. Praying for Haiti and the Bahamas and for all those dealing with the severe aftermath of the storm!

Since I already had this post scheduled and ready to go for while we were gone, I figured I would still share my cruising essentials with you all! 

So, here they are... 

Bikini / Sunglasses / Sun Bum Sunscreen/ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child/ Drip Drop Hydration Packets

My Top Cruise Must Haves

~Sunglasses~ 

No description necessary, but I may have to stock up on these beauties! They are under $10  and I lose sunglasses like it's nobodies business, so having an extra pair (or two) can't hurt!!

~Bathing Suit~ 

I always make sure I pack a bathing suit in my cruise carry-on! It can sometimes take a while for your luggage to get to your stateroom. The last thing you want is a beautiful sunny day, without the ability to throw on your suit and jump right in on the pool party fun!! These are two of my favorite one piece suits. The first is perfect for pool lounging, while the second is good for that as well as adventuring and jumping off seaside cliffs without fear of losing your top!

~A Good Book~ 

I can't go on a cruise without having at least one book with me! Hello sunshine, strawberry-banana daiquiri sipping and reading the day away!! A sweet friend just lent me her copy of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and I am one happy, happy girl!!
 

~ Good SPF is a Definite Cruise Must Have ~ 

My current self is sad to say that my younger self did not believe in proper sunscreen coverage. I would lather on some SPF 4 and call it a day! The war I am now forever waging with my wrinkles wishes that I had been more diligent! Sun Bum Sunscreen is my absolute fave! I love the smell and the way it doesn't sit on my skin feeling icky. Plus it's paraben free! I use SPF 30 for all over coverage and save the SPF 50 for my face, chest and shoulders!

~ Drip Drop Hydration Packets ~ 

These hydration powder packets are actually a new addition that I was going to try and will be taking with me when Babe and I cruise in November. I have taken to adding a splash of lemon Propel to my sangria, when I make it at home, to help me stay a little more hydrated. Plus, it actually tastes great too! I stumbled across this little happy when I was low on sweet wine and had to use regular dry red wine. Figured couldn't hurt to try and see if the lemon water would make it sweeter- and it did! 

However, your options for cruising are either a bottle of wine OR a pack of waters. Can you guess which one I would choose?! Needless to say I was going to need to find another way to get my electrolytes into my sangria, when I read about Drip Drop over on Carolina Charm. Christina said it kept her and her husband hydrated, while in Jamaica, after being on the beach all day and helped them to combat the effects of the sun, sand, beverages and older age the next morning! I will let you know how it turns out!! {Drip Drop also comes in Berry flavor, but I have tried Berry propel in my sangria and much prefer the lemon}.

And that's about it for my cruise packing essentials! Sure, a cute dress or two doesn't hurt- but one of the freedoms of cruising is that I don't often need much! If I feel like I can get away without makeup or having to blow-dry my hair then even better. Just give me some sun, a lounge chair and keep a drink in my hand and I am one content little critter! What are your top cruise must haves?

Hoping your travels find you somewhere fun with someone you love! Or traveling solo to explore a little more about the world and yourself! Either way, I am so excited to see where you have been adventuring to lately!

Happy Travels! 

Where have you been exploring lately? 

Share your link below and let's travel together! 

~On the 2nd Tuesday of every month I will be sharing a new travel post and would love to see where you have been exploring! 

~Any linked posts will be pinned under Travel Tuesday on my Pinterest. 

~No real rules, as I am not a huge fan of those sorts of things! Just add any travel related link and I encourage you to peek around and see where everyone else has been. Leave a little love where you like! 

~Feel free to grab the image from the sidebar and add it to your post so others know where to link up. 

~I will also be sharing my favorite post from the month before. September's fave was from Arrows and Awe, because how stunning is that lunch spot in Mexico? Seriously, go check it out!! 

Excited to explore the globe with you all! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Our Hurricane Matthew Plans

It's Thursday night and we are currently boarded up and tucked away at home to ride out Hurricane Matthew! This is our first major hurricane as a married couple. The last big storms that were expected to cause severe damage actually took place right before we met and started dating- nearly 12 years ago. As native Floridians we don't normally fret much over hurricanes. For us it usually means a day or two off school/ work and some puddles to jump in after. Matthew may have other plans though! Even Disney closed it's doors, so when that happens you know you need to worry a bit- Disney doesn't close down for anything! So we prepped as much as we thought needed (sand bags, propane, making sure Flo was nice and stabilized) and stocked up on tons of snacks. We are praying for minimal damage to our community, for our neighbors, for those in the area looking for shelter, and for all those in places where Matthew has already been and who are currently dealing with the aftermath of the storm. 

So, while the weathermen have us fearing the worst and made sure we are tucked away as safely as possible, here is how we are combating the "locked-in blues" until we are truly hunkered down when Matthew fully hits in a few hours... 

1.) This post! I am currently supposed to be at work, but hurricanes do occasionally have their bonuses and, while I love my jobs, I am thankful for a day off to storm prep with my sweet hubs, check in on mom and dad, and have the extra time that I wouldn't typically have to devote to this little blog! 

2.) Movie Marathons! That is until the power cuts out!! We have been picking through Amazon Prime movies. We just watched Invasion with Nicole Kidman and are working on our next pick! Come on power! You can do it!! Just stick with it!! 

3.) Games!! I am assuming we will playing endless games of rummy by lantern light, just as soon as the power goes out! We also have Sorry and Scrabble on hand if we get tired of cards. 

Doesn't it just drive you crazy when you FINALLY finish a puzzle only to find two pieces missing?! Ahhh, oh well!

4.) Puzzles!! I just finished one puzzle that had taken me For-Eh-Vor! (said in full Squints from Sandlot accent) to complete! Not sure how thrill Babe is about the idea, but I can't wait to start a new one!! How pretty is this 1000 piece Cinque Terre puzzle?! Gets me right in my wanderlusting heart!! 

5.) Reading!! One of my absolute favorite things to do during a storm is to curl up in a cozy chair with a good book!! The rain on the roof, a warm cup of coffee, all wrapped snug-as-a-bug in a blanket with a book in my lap?! That is absolute bliss!! Anything good you are reading lately? I just got Harry Potter and The Cursed Child from a friend and CAN'T WAIT to jump in!! 

Now, here's to hoping I can actually stay in a cozy chair and not need to be hiding out in the hallway. Either way though- hallway or cozy chair- I am thankful to have a save place to weather out the storm! 

Praying for all my Florida friends and family! Stay safe! 

And for those not here, how are you spending your weekend? 

 Do something outside and adventurous for me! 

What's Up Wednesday// Reading, Reminiscing, Loving

Happy Wednesday Friends! 

I am currently holed up in bed, with some kind of "happy" stomach bug. So I am trying to take my mind of the icky feelings and headache and figured I would take part in a little What's Up Wednesday fun! Here's a peek into what I'm up to this Wednesday... 

~What I'm reminiscing about: No, my day doesn't include views like these. It includes a lot of Gatorade and Ginger Ale, but I am trying to keep my mind off of it by reminiscing about our trip to Colorado a few years ago!! Hoping to get to take Flo there very soon and stay for a much longer period of time!! These views still blow me away! 

~What I'm reading: We are currently reading The Cuckoo's Calling for our book club. Written by J.K. Rowling under a pseudonym, Robert Galbraith. It follows private investigator, Comoran Strike, while he tries to find out what happened to a woman named Lula Landry, who fell to her death and he is out to find out why. Definitely not my beloved Harry Potter, but it's interesting to read something else written by the wonderful Rowling! Guess we will see how it turns out... 

~ What I'm doing this weekend: Babe is off for a bachelor party to celebrate my bro-in-laws upcoming nuptials, so I am planning to spend the weekend hosting a garage sale over at my moms. I am working on embracing a more minimalistic view of life (large work in progress) and I definitely know I get my slight hoarding ways naturally! My mom had closets full of candles and it felt so nice to purge most of them, along with another couple hundred things she has floating around the house that she doesn't need! 

~ What I'm loving: Pumpkin Season! It may not feel much like Fall here in Florida, but I already stocked up on pumpkins and can't wait to make me some honey roasted pumpkin seeds really soon!! 

~What I'm looking forward to next month: Cruising!! Next month I'm hitting the open seas with my mom, sister and cousins on a gals cruise to the Bahamas! Can't wait for some sun, sipping and fun with the ladies!! 

What are you up to this Wednesday?