Royal Princess Alaskan Cruise Patters

Since we're doing the Northbound

and the Southbound voyages

on the Royal Princess to and from Alaska, I have both week's worth of Patters right here. I'll add them daily. (Apologies for the first couple and their blurriness. I'm finding the cabin lighting is problematic.)

Northbound

Vancouver Embarkation Day

At Sea 

Ketchikan

Juneau - the arrival time is incorrect because of yesterday's tragedy in Ketchikan

Skagway

Glacier Bay 

College Fjord 

Whittier In-Transit Paperwork

Southbound

Whittier Turnaround Day

Hubbard Glacier 

Glacier Bay  

Skagway 

Juneau 

Ketchikan

At Sea 

Vancouver Disembarkation Day

5 Things to Know about Inside Cabins

If you're trying to decide whether to stay in an inside interior cabin for your next cruise vacation, check out these five things you need to know before booking one.

1. They are small.
The specific size depends on the cruise line and ship, but you might be calling 150 square feet your home for the week. A family of three or four would probably want to veer away from the inside cabins. Bunk beds anyone?

Despite the smaller size there is storage in drawers and cabinets and shelves and closets. Storage even exists under the bed. Take a peek - that’s not a box springs under the mattress.

Nesting suitcases will fit nicely there. Larger suitcases can be left opened and slid under the bed. Who knew underbed storage could be created with an open suitcase? 

2. They are dark.
The lighting of the cabin is more than sufficient – bright even – but once all lights are off it is dark. Very dark. Just leave the bathroom door slightly ajar to use as a nightlight.

3. They are inexpensive.
Interior cabins are typically the cheapest cabins on the ship. You'll get the same meals, entertainment, and ports of call as someone staying in a suite paying five to ten times as much. If you don't mind the dark room, save money on your cabin.

4. They make you get out and about and enjoy more of the ship.
Do you stay in your bedroom at home all day? Heck, no. So you'll find you won't be spending all day in your cabin on the ship, either. It'll force you to get out there and explore the ship, meet new people, or participate in activities. Want quiet? Find a nice place to sit that few people know about.

5. You'll sleep more.
An inside cabin is perfect for a restful and relaxing vacation with lots of naps and plenty of opportunities to sleep in. Without daylight to wake you up, it's easy to accidentally sleep in. Who wouldn't want that on their list of a dream vacation day? Sometimes we do tune into the ship's web cam on the TV so we would know when morning came.

If you aren't claustrophobic, inside cabins are a good value for your money. For us, cheaper cabins = more cruises.

Ruby Princess California Coastal Cruise Wrap-Up

Hello from Vancouver, Canada! We stepped off the Ruby Princess yesterday and will be heading onto the Royal Princess today. Before I start thinking about the Royal, I'd like to wrap up our Ruby Princess trip.Even though I didn't do a "live from" during this past week's cruise, I did take notes about things happening around the ship. In no particular order of importance, here are some things to know about the Ruby Princess and the 5 day Los Angeles to Vancouver voyage:

Itinerary:

This was a repositioning/California Coastal trip that was just 5 days long. The ship started in San Pedro, went to San Diego on Day 2, had two sea days, had a full day in Victoria, Canada, and then arrived in Vancouver the last day. 

Pricing: 

We got a cheapo casino fare ($149 per person + port fees and taxes), paid $67 each for airfare, and received $175 in casino cash that we turned into $216. Our $100 loyalty credit plus our onboard credit from future cruise deposits left us only owing $5 in gratuities by the end of the cruise. We also received a free dinner in a specialty restaurant and two free drink coupons. (More info on that below.) Throw all those things in together and the trip was a pretty darn good deal.

Cabin:

We had booked an IF guarantee cabin and were upgraded to an IA cabin. We don't mind the inside cabins, and the way the weather turned out we wouldn't have been able to use the balcony anyway so I'm glad we had the cabin we did. Except...that cabin was hot. Like no air circulation. Maintenance fixed it - kind of. It still remained hot all week, but at least there was a small bit of circulation after they made their repairs. I guess better a super-warm cabin as opposed to the super-cold one we had on the Grand.

There were a couple surprises in the cabin we were pleased about. The ship now has the huge TVs in the corner. But unlike the other ships that are transitioning from the old TVs to the new, beautiful TVs and still have the same sucky TV programming, on the Ruby they now have the on-demand programming. Woo hoo! It was awesome. 

Something else we hadn't seen before is a light on the bottom shelf of the desk. It stayed off, but as soon as you started to walk by the corner, the light turned on. It was great to have a motion sensor light in an inside cabin for those night time bathroom runs.

Food & Drink: 

We ate our embarkation day lunch in the dining room but didn't eat any more meals there. The lines, especially for sea day lunches, were unbelievably long. Pub lunch was a super-crazy line, too. We don't do lines if we don't have to so we stuck to the buffet. It was the same old buffet layout and food, but they had a ramen station every night for dinner. Hubby was particularly happy about that. The buffet wasn't too busy and we never had problems finding a table to ourselves.

Since this was a short five day cruise, there was no Captain's Circle cocktail party. Instead we were each given a free drink coupon. Worked for us! There also wasn't a Most Traveled Guest Party. We received a letter in our cabin congratulating us for being one of the most traveled and the option to eat one night at Crown Grill, Share, or Salty Dog for free. We've done Salty Dog a couple times before on this ship during past cruises, Crown Grill a bunch of times on several ships across the Princess fleet, but had never ventured into Share. So guess what we chose?

Share was amazing! So much better than I had expected. The multi-course meal (6 courses!), the service, the atmosphere, the flavors, and the view? 

Oh, yeah. Even though I'm a steak girl and that's why we do the Crown Grill so much, I do believe Share will be taking its place when it can. (It's not available on all ships.)

I'm planning on doing a separate write-up on Share so if you're interested, keep an eye out here as I'll add a link right here.

Activities:

With only two sea days and two full port days those sea days were crammed full.

Other things:

*There was only one formal night.

*We ran into a waiter and his cabin steward wife who we hadn't seen for a few years. She even sent flowers to our cabin once she found out we were onboard. So sweet, right? It's always nice to see - and catch up - with crew members.

*The Internet was horrendous. It was supposed to be the super-fast MedallionNet, but I can tell you after having spent the month on the Caribbean Princess with MedallionNet, what we had on the Ruby was definitely not speedy, fast, or reliable. I don't know if they haven't finished the wiring or what, but I couldn't get anything to load while we were in our cabin. I burned through my 150 minutes and hubby's in just two days of trying to check email. No blogging, no doing anything with photos, no surfing anything. It was a bit better in the public areas, but here's how bad it was in the cabin...I tried to do a speed test. Here's the download speed:

And the upload speed? Wouldn't even register!

Until they get whatever issue they have going on fixed, they should be embarrassed to say this ship has MedallionNet.

*Free black coffee (not the crappy-from-syrup kind) was available for free in the International Cafe from 2 am to 6 am. It was self serve. Since hubby couldn't find his old coffee card before we left for this trip, he was up every morning at 5 am for his fix.

*The new carpets in the hallways aren't color-coded. Carpets aren't going to help you figure out port v. starboard when you get off the elevator anymore. At least on this ship, that is.

*Within the first hour onboard, I witnessed some downright mean people when it came to the elevator. Yelling, pushing, and even more yelling. I just stood in the corner with my mouth shut, but geez people are so angry these days. It's a vacation, folks.

*I left my Cruising with Confidence book in the library (this one right here, but the paperback version) like I've been doing on ships lately. I put a book label on the inside cover stating it is donated by the author (me) and asking them to return it the ship's library when they are finished reading it. But as of disembarkation time yesterday the book still hadn't been returned. Guess that's the chance I take.

*I left Encouraging Word Money Pockets all around the ship and I also left them in the Wake Show Box. Our cruise director, Micca, read them on the Wake Show a couple different times. Compared to my 30 days on the Grand where they were only read just twice during all that time, it was nice to have the cruise director on the Ruby read them twice in our short stint on the ship. I've got a whole stack for the Royal, so we'll see if the good vibes continue.

*The Ogden Point Shuttle in Victoria that takes you from the port to the city is now $15 in both US and Canadian dollars. If you have Canadian on you, I suggest you pay with that. With the exchange rate it's a better deal.

*The weather was cool most of the way. Rain, wind, and chilly temperatures. It was quite a bit warmer (and sunnier) in Victoria and Vancouver than in San Diego. Go figure.

Now, off to Alaska on the Royal Princess. While I won't be doing a live from there either, I will be posting the Patters as I go along. Stay tuned.

Ruby Princess California Coastal Cruise Patters

We've got a brief five day cruise here.

Here are the Patters for the trip:

Embarkation Day

San Diego

At Sea 

At Sea 

Victoria

Disembarkation Checklist
Log of the Cruise

Sew a Spring Flower Placement - Tutorial Tuesday

It's Tutorial Tuesday and today we are sewing up a project fit for spring, a flower placemat. The measurement below make one placemat.

Looking for more sewing and crafting projects? 

Click here to see all my tutorials!

For each placemat you will need:

• 15" x 20" piece of backing fabric
• 13" x 18" piece of batting
• Heat 'n Bond UltraHold Iron-On Adhesive (paper-backed), one piece 7" x 7" and one 3" x 3" 
• 8" x 8" piece of fabric for the main flower - I'm using orange
• 4" x 4" piece of fabric for the flower center - I'm  using yellow
• 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" pieces of green fabric for the corners, cut two - I'm using dark green
• 2 1/2" wide fabric strips for the border - I'm using light green
• Template downloaded from here
• 9" x 14" white background fabric
• Basting spray
• Iron
• Pins or Clover Wonder Clips
• Sewing machine
• Matching thread
• Rotary cutter
• Cutting ruler
• Cutting mat

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 step-by-step how to tutorial for the spring flower quilted placemat sewing project right here:

Sewing for Good Sunday

Well, that wraps up my quilts for the Quilts for Kids Organization. Before they go, I had to take one last picture of them all together. From start to finish it took me longer than anticipated, but they are now heading out the door. (The shipping cost just about knocked me over. Yikes.)

I'm going to skip Sewing for Good Sundays during the month of May (need to give these arthritic hands a rest) but I'll start back up in June with another round of Sewing for Good projects.

5 Things to Keep in Your Cruise Carry-On

It may be obvious to keep your travel documents, money, electronics, and medication in your carry-on, but have you considered these other musts carry-on keepers when you're cruising?

1. Antibacterial hand cleaner and spray or wipes. When you get into your cabin you'll want to get things cleaned up a bit. While the cabin stewards work hard at prepping cabins for you, they can't always get to every single spot the former passengers may have touched. And what about the steward himself? While the supervisor keeps him out of cabins when he's really, really, sick, stewards do continue to work when they are a little bit sick. Start off with a clean cabin to help with those germs. And use that anti-bacterial hand cleaner generously as you move about the ship. Not every handrail and chair back was cleaned before you touched it.

2. Chargers for the electronics. When you drop off your luggage at the port the porters load it onto a cart. The luggage is then scanned to check for weapons, alcohol, and other prohibited items before being delivered to your cabin. This process takes time so your bags won't arrive at your cabin until the afternoon or evening. What if your phone is dying and you need to make last minute calls before the ship sails? Keep those chargers with you, just in case.

3. Medical devices. Sure, you could pack that CPAP in your checked luggage so you don't have to lug it onto the ship, but did you know your luggage might not arrive before bedtime? Sometimes tags fall off or aren't placed on the luggage at all. If you rely on your CPAP for a good night's sleep, you might not want to risk it. While you'll eventually get your luggage back, it'll most likely require a visit to the Passenger Services desk to track it down. Better safe than sorry on this one.

4. Swimsuit. Get in a swim or work on a tan before Muster Drill? Yes, please! Change into your swimsuit to start that relaxing vacation right away.

5. Anything else needed before dinner. Want to freshen up or change before dinner? Either pack those things in your carry-on or roll the dice and hope the luggage shows up in time. In most cases we've received our luggage before dinner but there have been a couple instances when we haven't seen it until afterwards.

What do you think? Is there anything else you'd add to the list?

The Friday 15

I think I can count the 12 kids quilts heading out the door towards my Friday 15. Add in a couple pictures and a hand towel and 15 things are gone again.

Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Cookies Recipe - Tutorial Tuesday

Looking for a quick and easy cookie recipe? Take a look at my daughter's no-bake cookies. Chocolate, peanut butter, and oatmeal? Yum!

Looking for sewing and crafting projects? 
Click here to see all my tutorials!

For this recipe you will need:

• 2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1/4 c. butter or margarine
• 1/3 c. cocoa
• 1/2 c. peanut butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 c. quick cooking rolled oats
• 1/2 c. coconut

Want to watch the how-to video? It's right here:

Sewing for Good Sunday

I'm getting closer to jumping for joy. All the batting has been trimmed off, the quilt top edges are straightened up, and the backing is the right size for me to use as a binding. Yep, on all 12 quilts for the Quilts for Kids charity. All that is left is turning that backing into a binding and stitching it down. Whew, it's been a long process.

5 Things NOT to Pack for Your Cruise

Do an internet search for cruise packing list and what you find will be overwhelming. And not necessary. Do you need multiple outfits every day? Nope. There are also other things you don't need. Today we're talking about those things you really don't need to pack, including some of those things banned by cruise lines. 

1. Potential fire-creating materials.
Some items are pretty much standard no-no’s and banned by the cruise lines – candles and open flame items, irons (many ships have laundromats with irons and ironing boards for passenger use), kettles, coffee pots, and hotplates.  I've also seen blenders taken away. (Although years ago we took a juicer and had no problem. Today we probably couldn't get away with it.) And power strips? Good luck with that one. Power strips with surge protectors may be confiscated. Do you plan on taking a power strip without a surge protector? It still might be taken away. Personally I haven't seen a consistent power-strip policy enforced. Confiscated items are typically returned at the end of the cruise. Unless it is...

2. Hard alcohol.
While some cruise lines allow passengers to bring a limited amount of wine and champagne onboard, bringing hard alcohol and beer is not allowed. Whether it's in your carry-on or in your suitcase it'll be discovered and confiscated. Alcohol won't be returned at the end of the cruise - it will be discarded. Don't risk it.

However, alcohol purchased in port is allowed to be brought on the ship - but is not allowed to be consumed on the ship. It will be collected and stored until disembarkation. If alcohol is purchased in one of the onboard boutiques personnel in the shops will assist with the storage. No drinking those bottles until you get home, either.

3. Beach towels.
On most ships pool towels are provided on a shelf near the pool or are checked out by deck attendants. Pool towels can be taken off the ship to the beach or excursion as long as you return them. The ship has plenty of pool towels so save the valuable space in the suitcase for other items. (Just don't do what I did with my ship towel during a flood in Costa Maya. Click here to read that story.)

4. Hangers.
Your cabin will have hangers already in the closet when you arrive. If you need more, just ask your cabin steward for extras.

5. Expensive jewelry.
While our experiences in port have been safe ones it is important to be cautious. Be conservative in your jewelry so as not to draw attention to yourself. If wearing jewelry is your thing, stick to the cheap watches, bracelets, necklaces, and rings, particularly when in port.

What do you think? Is there something you saw on a packing list that you would never pack for a cruise?

The Friday 15

I know I say this a lot, but some day I'm going to run out of items to send off. But today's not that day. Seriously, how can I keep finding things to get rid of? And why do I embarrass myself by posting pictures of the junk I own used to own?

Button and Felt Flowers DIY Craft Project - Tutorial Tuesday

For today's Tutorial Tuesday we are using some felt scraps and buttons to make these cute little flowers.

For this project you will need:

*Buttons of assorted sizes and colors. (I used buttons from my collection but you can also buy bags of buttons of different sizes here.)

*Felt scraps

*Floral wrap

*Floral wire

*Scissors

*Flower template. You can download mine from here  and make it smaller/larger or create your own.

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 sewing and crafting content.

Looking for more craft ideas? Check out these projects!

You can find the step-by-step how to tutorial for the button and felt flowers craft project right here:

Sewing for Good Sunday

I really like the stitching with variegated thread. I need to use the thread more often. But I won't on this round of charity quilts. Why? Because quilting of all 12 quilts is now DONE. Yahoo! Next up, trimming the edges and trimming the excess batting. Yeah, another ugh step coming up.

5 Mistakes First-Time Cruisers Make and Tips to Avoid Them

As a first-time cruiser, you're going to make mistakes. And that's OK! But there are some mistakes you can avoid. Today we'll look at the five most common first-time cruiser mistakes and some tips to avoid them.

*Overpacking
When people start packing for a cruise they do so with their ideal cruise life in mind. They might see themselves starting their day by working out in the fitness room (need workout clothes), then grabbing some breakfast in the dining room (need daytime clothes), heading to the pool for a bit (need swimsuits), go on an excursion or do some shopping in port (need comfy clothes with comfy shoes), head back to the ship for dinner (need fancy dinner clothes), and then to the lounge for the show. It could result in four or five outfit changes per day. Repeat that day after day for the length of your voyage and you’ve got yourself a lot of luggage. Of course you wouldn’t want to wear the same thing twice – other cruisers would notice, right? But the reality is that once you are on the ship, you’re not going to care nearly as much as you thought you would. All those shoes you brought won’t be worn, you’ll wear those pants more than once, and you’ll find everyone else on the ship is doing the same thing.

TIP: Pack half as many clothes and twice as much money as you think you’ll need and you’ll be better prepared.

*Wind up with high cell phone bills
While cell phones can often be used on the ship at sea, high roaming charges may be incurred in international waters. Even if you have an international roaming plan, be aware that roaming rates at sea are a lot higher than regular international roaming rates.  For example, I pay 20 cents a minute for calls all around the world. But once at sea the cruise ship rate kicks in and charges me $5.99 a minute. That cost is set by the cruise line, not by my carrier.

TIPS: Keep your phone in airplane mode, particularly at sea. The alarm, clock, camera, and any stored or downloaded music, movies, games, and books will still be available. If you must use your phone, contact your cell carrier before leaving home as they can advise you on the best plans for voice and data while in port or at sea. Many a passenger has come home to an outrageous cell phone bill because they didn't understand how it worked on a cruise ship.

*Trying to do it all
Keeping a few thousand people busy on a ship requires a myriad of activities. Each day you will receive a copy of the ship’s version of a newsletter/newspaper with the scheduled activities and events. It’s the place to find out about everything happening around the ship. You’ll find trivia, games, and sports. Movies, dance classes, and arts and crafts. Seminars on the history of the region. Comedians, bands, and productions shows. Throw in meals and swimming and visiting with family and friends and you’ve got yourself a busy day. You may be wondering how you will fit it all in. You won’t.

TIPS: Mark the activities you’d like to attend then play it by ear. Balance your activities so you don’t go home needing a vacation from the vacation.

*Not paying attention to the time when in port
While on the ship you can somewhat release the need for a clock, but when in port timekeeping becomes crucial. Some ports are in a different time zone than the ship. Sometimes ships match the local time but sometimes they don’t. Cell phones on airplane mode may or may not display the ship's time, either. Before leaving confirm the time and keep on the ship’s time, not the port’s time. All aboard for passengers is usually 30 minutes before the ship’s departure. This time is listed in the daily paper, announced on the ship, and usually posted somewhere near the gangway.

TIP: Keep on the ship time, not the port time, and allow plenty of time to get back. The ship won’t wait for you to return if you made a mistake in timekeeping.

*Taking food off the ship
If you’re planning on grabbing some food from the ship to take into port for a picnic, forget about it. Fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and cheeses, nuts and seeds, and even baked goods aren’t allowed off the ship. Some ports won’t even allow a cup of coffee. Certain ports have dogs checking every single backpack, bag, and purse, just to be sure.

Black trash bags of confiscated foods

TIPS: If you want to take snacks they have to be prepackaged and sealed by the manufacturer. Granola and protein bars, prepackaged cheese and crackers, and small boxes of cereal are okay. If you are diabetic, plan accordingly.

Follow these tips and you'll be on your way to not looking like a first-timer.

The Friday 15

Goodbye to 15 more items. I can't believe I'm getting rid of my bird watching book, but it's got to go. Sad.

Ruby Princess Resources

If you want to know anything else about the Ruby Princess or have any questions about cruising or Princess Cruises, just ask. 

Roll-up Cord Organizer Sewing Project - Tutorial Tuesday

Looking for a way to store your charging cords when you're traveling or at home? Check out this organizer/holder that you can make yourself.

For this project you will need:

*One piece of main fabric
*One piece of fabric for the lining
*One piece of fabric for the pocket 
*One piece of fusible fleece
*One  piece of fusible fleece
*A piece of Velcro
*A piece of elastic 

*ribbon

*clips or pins

*sewing machine

*matching thread

*iron

*rotary cutter

*cutting mat

*cutting ruler

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.

The pattern is now available in my Etsy shop as a digital download with the written directions, and step-by-step photos. Click to get your copy today!

Looking for more storage ideas? Check out these projects!

You can find the step-by-step how to video directions for the homemade roll up cord and cable organizer and holder here:

Join Me!

Remember, if you're in the Boise area and you're looking to learn more about cruising - or cruising to Alaska - join me for one of my classes. 

Register today!

Sewing for Good Sunday

Got more quilting done on the charity quilts. While I think I need more practice on my outlining, it'll do just fine.