Last, Last Minute Plans? Oh, Yeah.

This past week it has been spring break here, and although we had originally planned on going a cruise, it just didn't work out. On the eve of the day I was about to cancel (and incur some cancellation fees) we received word (thanks, V!) that the cruise was oversold and they were looking for volunteers to shift to another cruise. Get a new cruise for free and all receive all our money back from our original cruise? Yes, please.

So it left us at home doing not much of anything. Actually, that's not exactly true. Between college basketball and Major League Baseball starting their season hubby has been glued to the TV. He's a big sports fan and a huge (like a really, really, huge) baseball fan. And that's what started these new plans in motion. Like, just a few days ago. Talk about last minute!

*It started with trying to get him to a major league baseball game that would fit around the classes I teach with Community Education and at the library. Didn't want to have to reschedule any of his doctor appointments, either.
*Which led to tickets to a San Diego Padres game on an afternoon in April.
*Which led us to finding out the Grand Princess will be in port on the same day we will be at the game.
*With the ship having a long, full day port stop in San Diego.
*With a ship having our favorite bartender and an assistant waiter who calls us his "parents" on it.
*Where the bartender will be on his last cruise before going back home and our assistant waiter "son" heading back home a couple weeks later.

So we were excited we might get to see our guys one last time during their contracts. Which got us to thinking...why not just take that cruise?

But it was sold out. Oh, well.

But then a couple days later that sold-out cruise on the Grand had a few inside cabins left - at nicely discounted prices - with cruise line airfare to San Francisco half the price of what we would pay to get to San Diego.

The stars aligned for us and we headed off to San Francisco today.

A beautiful day to be in the air

We'll stay the night and then our last, last, minute California Coastal cruise will be coming up tomorrow. As usual, I'll be reporting live from the ship. Stayed tuned.

And as usual, I also spent some time printing and cutting and gluing
to get ready for this trip. Yep, I'm still working on the
Encouraging Words Project.

Sew a Quick & Easy Quilt for Kids - Tutorial Tuesday

Looking for a quick and easy way to sew up a quilt? Today's Tutorial Tuesday has you covered!

Looking for more sewing and crafting projects? 

Click here to see all my tutorials!

For this project you will need:

• 4 ½” wide fabric strips for the main part of the quilt. (I’m using the entire width of the fabric so they are about 44” long.) You’ll need eight strips.
• 4 ½” wide strips for the borders, again cut the length of the fabric. You’ll need four of those.
• One and one eight of a yard of the 58”-60" wide fleece
• Iron
• Rotary cutter
• Cutting ruler
• Cutting mat
• Sewing machine
• Matching thread

Disclosure: Deb's Days is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you new sewing and crafting content.

You can find the directions for making the quick and easy quilt for children here:

Sewing for Good Sunday

If I keep this pace up I might just have all these quilts done by the end of next month.

Okay, I guess that doesn't sound all that impressive - 12 kids quilts in four months? I should be able to go faster than that!

Cruise Tips

Is there a topic you'd like to know more about? Let me know and you may just see it covered here! How about any questions about cruising or Princess Cruises? Just ask! 

5 Free Things to do on a Sea Day

5 Mistakes First-Time Cruisers Make

5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Booking a Cruise

5 Things to Keep in Your Cruise Carry-on

5 Things to Know About Cruise Ship Cabins

5 Things to Know About Embarkation Day

5 Things to Know About Interior Cruise Ship Cabins

5 Things to Know About Muster Drill

5 Things to Not Pack for Your Cruise

5 Things to Pack for a Cruise

5 Ways to Prevent Seasickness on a Cruise

5 Ways to Keep Healthy on a Cruise

All about the Kid's Club on Princess Cruises

Boarding a Cruise Ship: Embarkation Day

Communicating with the Outside World When Cruising

Concierge Lounge for Suite Guests on the Royal Princess

Cruise Ship Dining Options

Cruise Ship Pools

Cruise Ship Safety

Cruising with a Travel Scooter

Dining at Share on the Ruby Princess

Handicap Accessible Balcony on the Royal Princess

Is a Cruise Right for You?

Most Traveled Passenger Cocktail Party

Packing for a Cruise

Tips for Getting Along with Others on a Cruise

What is a Cruise Ship Muster Drill?

Why to Take a Magnet on a Cruise

What to Know About Cruise Ship Elevators

What to Know About Cruise Ship Luggage

What to Know About Disembarking a Cruise

What to Know About Tender Ports

What to Know: Cruise Ship Excursions

Your Cruising Questions Answered

Extended Cruising FAQ

Looking for more cruising information? 

Take a look at what else you can find here at Deb's Days!

5 Things to Pack for a Cruise

There are some obvious items you'd pack for a cruise like clothes, toiletries, and travel documents. But here are five other items to consider adding to your packing list.

1. Magnet. Did you know the walls in your cabin are magnetic? A magnetic clip, like a big chip clip, can be placed on the wall and used as a bulletin board area. The clip can be a good place to put all the papers that will be delivered to the cabin each day. The daily paper, the invitations to the art auction and health seminar, the ads for the boutiques and spa specials can be organized on the wall instead of strewn about the desk.

2. Highlighter. Each day a printed schedule of the activities happening around the ship is delivered to the cabin. A highlighter allows passengers to mark those activities they don’t want to miss. Each member of the family can use a different color on the same schedule. Or ask your steward for extra copies and each person can have their own schedule and mark it up.

3. Reclosable bags in a variety of sizes. These can be used to bring snacks back to the cabin from the buffet. They can also keep valuables dry and sand out of electronics when at the beach. Larger size bags can be used for sandy/muddy sandals and shoes.

4. Packing Cubes. With the number of outfits needed for a cruise – formal wear, resort casual wear, swimwear – not to mention regular day-to-day clothes, suitcases get filled up fast. Rolling clothes and putting them into packing cubes leaves space left over in the suitcase for bringing home souvenirs.  You’d be surprised how much you can fit in those things.

They even make it easy for unpacking. Actually, it's more like not unpacking - we just unzip them, fold back the top, and leave them in the drawers. Super duper easy and convenient. We've used the eBags brand for quite a while and they haven't had as much as a rip or broken zipper. Easy to wash and easy to use!

We use multiple sizes and we each have our own colors (me-pink, hubby-green). They have a ton of colors and sizes to choose from. Take a look:

5. Fabric refresher that can double as an air freshener. You may wind up wearing the same clothes more than once so it comes in handy. And remember - the bathroom is small. A couple sprays can take care of any issues arising from enclosed quarter bathroom situations.