Since I just returned from my Carnival cruise last week, I thought you all would enjoy seeing what I packed and wore on the cruise. Â Hopefully this will help some of you who may be going on a cruise yourself. Â This was my 3rd cruise and things do change over the course of time. Â The formal nights on the first cruise I went on were a little bit more formal than they are today. Â My friend, Beth, who went with me is a cruise veteran and has been on about 18 cruises, so she has seen formal nights scale down to more cocktail attire instead of full blown black tie. Â We didn’t see any black tie this time except for some of the cruise staff. Â But, it’s still fun to get dressed up for dinner every night and feel elegant on a cruise. Â We made a point to pack some dresses and we did dress nice for dinner every night.
I’ll talk more in a future post about how I packed and what all I took, but you can get an idea from these pictures the variety of clothes on a cruise. Â Most of these clothes, you’ve already seen, but they were perfect for my trip.
Leaving Atlanta that Saturday morning, it was a bit chilly, so I wore my skinny Rock and Republic jeans and a white sweater from Target and blue cardigan from C Wonder, along with this pretty lightweight scarf from PinkHouse Style.
Rock and Republic jeans from Kohls (affiliate link)
I wore this sundress to dinner one night. It’s very comfortable and packs nicely. Â Finally got some wear out of these cute shoes from Nine West.
Nine West shoes (affiliate link)
One night I wore my white skinny jeans with this top I found at a boutique here in Woodstock.
White jeans, Kut from the Kloth. These are not in stock right now, I guess since it’s Winter.
One more outfit I wore to dinner, black skinny jeans by Calvin Klein, a White House Black Market top I found at the thriftstore last year and a white jacket I got at the mart last year. Â Shoes from Target.
A casual look for a day outing. I wear longer shorts now and these are comfortable for me. I think these are from Old Navy and the top is an athletic top I got at the mart. Â Picked up that straw hat for $5 at the mart before I left for the cruise and it was fun to wear. Â Yellow Box polka dot flip flops have served me well for a few years.
Yellow box polka dot flip flops (affiliate link)
This sheer mesh-type top and camisole, I picked up at the mart too and will wear it later with pants or skirts. Â I wore it on the cruise for a little bit of sleeves in the air conditioning, which can be quite chilly.
We had a spa day our first day at sea and that was a treat. I’ll talk more about all of this later. Â I love my long white shorts and have had this top for a few years.
Liverpool Bae Bermuda (affiliate link) Â I bought these last September and they were cheaper then, but they are a nice fit for me.
Another casual shorts outfit for an outing day. Â We found swings on Aruba and had fun being little girls again. Â These shorts are from Lee in a cream color and the top is by Cabi, found it in a consignment store last year.
On one of the formal nights, I made an appearance in my thriftstore little black dress, which I showed you New Years Eve. Â along with those strappy TJ Maxx sexy shoes, it’s a great outfit, paired with my gold jewelry.
The ship has photographers all over the place and they are constantly taking pictures, I took the time to do some professional pics. Â It was fun to go around to the different backdrops and see how they would turn out. You are under no obligation to buy the pictures, but of course, it’s tempting. Â I went ahead and bought several of the 8×10’s and they will be fun to look at later on and remember this trip. Â When I get 80, I’ll look back and think how young I looked at 59. Isn’t that what we do?
This dress I picked up at TJ Maxx awhile back for a great price and have only worn it a few times. Â It’s by Evan Picone and I paired it with tan slingbacks from Target that I’ve had a long time.
The photographers walk around in the dining room and take pics. Beth and I had our own little table for 2 in the dining room, which we chose to do and we could go in pretty much anytime we wanted to and sit at our table. We had the best waiter, Cesar, who took great care of us for dinner. Â They really do treat you like royalty on a cruise and it’s fun to banter with them and get to know the staff. Â The dining room manager was also a great guy, Goran, and we talked to him most every night.
You’ve seen this dress before, but it’s one I picked up at TJ Maxx last year and I finally got to wear it. Â It’s by Nine West. The colors are so spring-like and tropical.
I love how these photos turned out and will be very happy I got them.
Another sea backdrop for this outfit of white jeans and my Covered Perfectly top.
This backdrop was really pretty and doesn’t it look like this is a real dock? Â My strappy shoes looked nice with the jeans, I thought. Â I love my black and white and I really love this top, which is all one piece. Perfect when you just need a little sleeve.
Covered Perfectly, TwoFer top (affiliate link)
Another pose on the dock.
And one more by the sea.
I’ll be sharing more about packing for the cruise and what all to expect, if you’ve never been on a cruise. I truly love cruising and hope to do more of it!
All the outfits make you look like a million bucks. I think my fav is the white jeans and the boutique top, so darn cute. You give all those under 50 gals a run for their money!
Great fashion picks! You look terrific in all the outfits. I love the one of you with the shorts and the hat! Great outfits and shoes.
Love the pictures and outfits you choose for your cruise! I am leaving for a cruise in 2 weeks, my first one ever to the Caribbean. I am glad you noted that it gets chilly at night so I will plan on packing a couple of cardigans. Did you go on any excursions?
HI, Lynne, yes went on 4 excursions and I’ll be sharing all of those soon.
Rhoda,
This was a delightful and informative post.
Perhaps you might send to Carnival Corporate. It would be helpful for their clients.
You inspire others to be uninhibited and I like that about you.
All the clothes and scenes were so flattering for you and showed off some of your best features, a lovely face, graceful and erect posture and arms that are the envy of many women over 50.
Thank you for the deliberate thought and preparation of this subject of interest.
Thank you, Angie! We had so much fun on the cruise, I’m sure Carnival will see this post, since I’ve been working with them on this. They treated us very well and it was a dream come true trip!
Awesome photos! I cannot believe how great your hair looks in every photo. Wasn’t it windy at times when you were outside on the ship? It looks like you and Beth had a wonderful trip. Cannot wait to hear more.
Hi, Shar, yes it was windy, but at night when we dressed for dinner and shows, we didn’t go outside where it was windy. There was plenty of breeze during the daytime though.
Love all the clothes you wore on your trip. You look great in all your clothes and I love, love all of your shoes. Have a great day!!!
I was so glad to see this post! I am leaving this Saturday for a Caribbean cruise and am struggling as I write with packing. Thanks for the ideas! I have recently purchased my first Covered perfectly tops and love them! They will be going in my suitcase for sure!
Debbie, I hope you have as much fun as we did! Enjoy it all!
Fun – I am going on a cruise in February – this inspired me to start thinking wardrobe options.
You look amazing in all your outfits. You are tall and so slim and always look so nice in anything you put on. I’m like a lot of ladies over 50 and over 60, I’ve put on weight over the years, (was very slim until I reached 50) Could you do a few pictures of (over us 60 ladies) that have gained weight in our golden years. I shop at Chico’s when they have sales and the ladies are helpful there but I would also like to see some suggestions from you as you seem to always know exactly what to put together.
I have followed you for many years now and always look forward to your blog. Thank you
Hi, Kathy, thank you, I know I’m very fortunate to be thin and I do try to mix things up on here. I’ve had my friend, Vicki, on here several times sharing fashion posts for the Plus sized ladies, so I hope to get her back soon for more.
You look beautiful. Love your hair in these pics.
You look marvelous!
I really enjoyed this post. You looked just beautiful on the cruise. Interesting to see how you pulled a lot of items together from your current wardrobe to come up with a lovely cruise attire. Most people would feel that they had to buy everything new. Glad you had a good time.
This was such a fun post to read. I loved all the outfits, but particularly the white skinny jeans and sleeveless white top and the covered-perfectly top with the white jeans and fabulous black shoes! Gorgeous. And I really loved to get an idea of what has to be packed for a cruise, from dressy evenings to casual afternoons out. Thanks so much for sharing!
Beautiful outfits! So glad you had a good time on your cruise. Looking forward to seeing more of your adventures!
Well, you look so beautiful in every picture Rhoda! and that doesn’t surprise me!!! How natural and lovely you look enjoying your cruise. I think I would be so nervous….but it looks like you are a real cruiser even though you haven’t done 18 of them yet! I will admit I got the chills when you mentioned Aruba ….. but it looks like you had a great time everywhere you went. Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful clothes and sun and fun times on the cruise!
Thank you, Diane! I know, I couldn’t go to Aruba without thinking about poor Natalie Holloway and that horrific story. What a tragedy it was! We were safe and sound in a bus the whole time we were there.
Awesome photos of you Rhoda, you look lovely in all of them!! You make the clothes look as though they were top designer couture!!! So happy you had such a fab time!!!
You look like you had such a fun time! I know that sunshine felt good this time of year!
On our way to Atlanta, dinner tonight at Atlanta Fish Market, fly out in the morning, cruising out of Ft Lauderdale, Eastern Caribbean. Your blog posts were VERY timely and helpful!! I feel better about my packing, hoping for warmth and sunshine!!
Have a great time, Bee!
You looked fabulous everyday and every minute of the cruise! Even on the pool decks! And you certainly look 15-20 years younger! Love your Fashion over 50 weekly blog!
I hope there was a gym for you! You’re a great stylist and put together great outfits!
Hi, Kate, thank you so much. There was a gym, but we only made it one day. However, we took the stairs a lot on the ship, so that helped!