Mediterranean Cruise: What I Wore & What To Pack

As y’all know if you follow me on Instagram, Blake & I just got back from a 10 day Mediterranean getaway with Princess Cruises to Spain, France and Italy! And while I have been living in a wanderlust depression ever since we returned back home (…y’all, it was truly magical!), going through these photos makes my heart so happy because each and every day was absolutely incredible. Every setting was stunning, inspiring and super romantic – if you ever have the chance to tour the Mediterranean, 100% jump on it and prepare for the most amazing and beautiful experience! I have a ton of other photos and blog posts about our trip to come, but first I wanted to make sure you had the chance to shop everything I wore throughout our vacation! I did some serious shopping damage before our trip (hey, it’s not everyday I get to have Italy as a photo backdrop 😉 ) and I am so obsessed with all of these looks and excited to tell you more about each outfit..

Though I’d been to Europe, I had never ventured to the coast to explore the Mediterranean Sea. Our cruise ship was called the “Royal Princess” and lemme tell ya, the staff absolutely treated us like queens (…and kings) and helped us to fully make the most of each port we docked at. At every stopping point, Princess offers excursions that feature an authentic glimpse into that town/city, etc. – thus, they do the research for you and ensure you get a taste of the different cultures at every port. From what to eat, where to shop and a unique glimpse into the daily life of each city, Blake and I had a wonderful time soaking it all in!

With that in mind, we’d cruise from one coastal city to the next and wake up early to jump on a bus or car and head to our daily destinations. One of my favorite parts was cruising all night then waking up to open our balcony curtains and catch the sunrise over the gorgeous coastal towns we’d explore later that day…it was so wonderful, peaceful and got us so excited to get out and explore.

I’ll go ahead and share my different outfits in chronological order so you can get a feel for what I wore in the different cities and a better understanding of the order of our trip!

First up, though…a good ‘ol mirror selfie to share what I wore on the plane ride over! 😉 Ps. Special thank you to Delsey Luggage for sending me the most AMAZING giant suitcase that literally fit my entire closet…this thing was incredible!

suitcase – DELSEY / tote bag – BARRINGTON GIFTS / top – MADEWELL / jeans – VIGOSS / shoes – SEYCHELLES / handbag – BRAHMIN / jacket – SANCTUARY / glasses – WARBY PARKER

Ohh hello, packed & ready-to-go suitcase! 😉 Scroll down to see it all in action!

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BARCELONA, SPAIN – it was SO beautiful here! The weather was warm with a light breeze and our hotel was just along the water in Le Sitges, a beautiful little coastal town outside of Barcelona (you MUST visit! The cafes were SO precious and the people were very friendly – highly recommend stopping by for some shopping or dining).

vest – BB DAKOTA / jeans – TOPSHOP (order a full size up! I’m wearing a 26 and normally wear a 25 in jeans) / shoes – SEYCHELLES (most comfortable shoes EVER!! I wore these nearly every day!) / handbag – BRAHMIN (this even had room to fit my big blog camera, it’s the best bag!!) / tank top – TOPSHOP / sunglasses – PRADA

dress – GOODNIGHT MACAROON (so precious, I’m wearing a size small) / shoes – REBECCA MINKOFF (also super comfy and on sale!!) / handbag – BRAHMIN / vintage belt – similar NORDSTROM / sunglasses – RAY BAN

top – GOODNIGHT MACAROON (I wear a size small) / jeans – TOPSHOP / hat – similar NORDSTROM / shoes – SEYCHELLES / clutch – GIGI NEW YORK / sunglasses – KAREN WALKER / watch – NORDSTROM

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CARTAGENA, SPAIN – this little town was completely magical and full of old, charming buildings in every direction. Truly, no matter which street you strolled down it would be lined with precious cafes and local shops or gelato stands. Blake and I walked around for hours exploring each little boutique and eating our weight in tapas and ice cream… Needless to say, it was lovely!

This was snapped in our room on the ship – they provided room service every morning and brought us fresh croissants (true story: I likely gained 5lbs due to bread consumption…#worthit), breakfast sandwiches, fresh fruit and a giant pot of coffee. It was total heaven as we pulled back our balcony curtains and dined from bed while watching the the gorgeous sea! (Yes, totally almost crying as I write this because I miss it SO. MUCH. !!).

shirt – NORDSTROM / leggings – ZELLA / glasses – WARBY PARKER

See what I mean? How precious is Cartagena?! SO lovely.

top – MADEWELL / shorts – FREE PEOPLE / hat – similar – NORDSTROM / wrap bracelet – CHAN LUU / abalone shell bracelet – KENDRA SCOTT / sunglasses – RAY BAN

top – MADEWELL / shorts – FREE PEOPLE / hat – similar – NORDSTROM / wrap bracelet – CHAN LUU / sunglasses – RAY BAN / necklace – Sophie R (sweetest rose gold + gold layered pendant necklace, I wore this every single day!)

We had quite a few nights where we dined with the “blogger group” (there were 10 different bloggers – myself included – on this cruise and everyone was SO AWESOME!!! We all clicked and hit it off immediately, so all of our dinners lasted for hours and we normally closed down the restaurants ha! Dinner on the ship was an occasion to get dolled up, and this little romper was SO perfect for that! Here are the other wonderful bloggers and new friends we met on the trip: 1. New Darlings 2. Color Me Courtney 3. Sugar & Cloth 4. Sugar & Charm 5. Princess Pinky Girl 6. Hi, Sugarplum! 7. Coco Kelly 8. Smart School House 9. Corporate Catwalk

romper – BB DAKOTA / heels – STEVE MADDEN / sunglasses – PRADA / ring – KENDRA SCOTT

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MARBELLA, SPAIN – Marbella is one of the most luxurious vacation hotspots in Spain, and I can definitely see why! This city rests on the coast of Spain where the water is a stunning deep blue and the housing is beautiful crisp white. There were massive yachts docked directly in front of a parking lot filled with designer cars…which are parked right in front of all the major high fashion stores. Needless to say, it was a sight to see and fun to dine and watch the high society folks stroll in and out of every store with more shopping bags in hand.. ha! Blake and I played the game of “what do these people do for a living?” all throughout the day haha.. ;). Marbella was charming, clean and beautiful!

top – TOPSHOP / jeans – BLANK NYC / shoes – BIRKENSTOCKS (obsessed!!!) / sunglasses – RAY BAN / handbag – BRAHMIN / watch – NORDSTROM / jacket – SANCTUARY

top – TOPSHOP / jeans – BLANK NYC / shoes – BIRKENSTOCKS (obsessed!!!) / sunglasses – RAY BAN / handbag – BRAHMIN / watch – NORDSTROM / jacket – SANCTUARY

MARSEILLE & AIX EN PROVENCE, FRANCE – Blake was able to navigate in Spain (he’s pretty good with Spanish) and I took the reigns while we were in France (I took french for 8 years), so luckily we both felt comfortable getting around in both countries! (…Italy was a different story ha! Neither of us know Italian at all!). I have been to numerous cities in France and absolutely LOVE the culture, food, people…you name it, it just feels so good to be there. We docked in Marseille and explored this gorgeous city for a few hours, then made our way to Aix En Provence which is about 45 minutes from Marseille. Aix En Provence was one of my favorite cities we visited because it is seriously the definition of ‘charming.’ The people were so friendly, the macaroons were out of this world and the cobblestone streets had me swooning all day. Let’s just say this is definitely a city to visit if you’re exploring with the one you love…it was so romantic!

This was the view from the Basilique Notre-Dam De La Garde, a cathedral that rests at the highest point in Marseille with a 360 degree view of the city and sea…it was incredible!

top – TOPSHOP / skirt – LAUREN JAMES / vintage belt – similar NORDSTROM / sunglasses – PRADA / handbag – BRAHMIN / jean jacket – NORDSTROM

top – TOPSHOP / skirt – LAUREN JAMES / vintage belt – similar NORDSTROM / handbag – BRAHMIN / jean jacket – NORDSTROM / shoes – SEYCHELLES

top – TOPSHOP / skirt – LAUREN JAMES / vintage belt – similar NORDSTROM / sunglasses – PRADA / handbag – BRAHMIN / jean jacket – NORDSTROM / shoes – SEYCHELLES

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DAY AT SEA – we cruised from port to port and had one full day at sea, which meant time to put on my swimsuit and hit the Sanctuary Deck (a private deck with a bar staff…y’all, it was SO nice!! Yes, still pinching myself that this trip was real!!). Blake and I grabbed our books and ordered a couple of mimosas as we made our way to Italy…

swimsuit – SEAFOLLY / sunglasses – ELIZABETH & JAMES / hat – similar NORDSTROM / shorts – ONE TEASPOON

swimsuit – SEAFOLLY / sunglasses (just $22!) – ILY COUTURE / hat – similar NORDSTROM / tote – HAYDEN REIS / earrings – DESIGN DARLING / towel – NORDSTROM

tee shirt – MADEWELL / shorts – ONE TEASPOON / hat – similar NORDSTROM / shoes – SEYCHELLES / watch – similar NORDSTROM / sunglasses – KAREN WALKER

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Portofino & Cinque Terre, Italy – when I tell you I teared up due to the sheer awe of seeing Italy for the first time and it exceeding all of my (very high) expectations…I am 100% telling the truth, ha! Portofino was SO stunning that I actually thought I was on a movie set…basically so pretty it was hard to believe this place is real! We explored this beautiful town for a few hours then met up with Rob & Christina of New Darlings and grabbed pizza, beer and gelato. All of us couldn’t believe our eyes…this city is the meaning of magical! We were there for one day then ventured to Cinque Terre the following day…where we happened to get caught in a crazy downpour and ended up swapping our visions of snapping Pinterest-worthy photos for drowning our sorrows in pasta and wine indoors..ha! Luckily, the blogger group that day was seriously hilarious and we had an absolute blast and turned it into the “best worst day ever” … because it totally was!!

dress – SOCIALITE / shoes – BIRKENSTOCKS / hat – similar NORDSTROM / jacket – SANCTUARY

dress – SOCIALITE / shoes – BIRKENSTOCKS / hat – similar NORDSTROM / jacket – SANCTUARY

The rain in Cinque Terre cleared for about 30 seconds when we snapped this pic…ha! Still, this little town was breathtaking…regardless of whether I could see 10 feet in front of me all day, ha! 😉

dress – FREE PEOPLE / jacket – SANCTUARY / shoes – SEYCHELLES / handbag – BRAHMIN

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ROME, ITALY – we spent our last day in Rome and I am now officially dying to go back! This city has SO much history right smack in the middle of a modern city – which I found entirely fascinating and so beautiful. Blake and I literally did ALL of the sights in ONE day…The Vatican, Colesseum, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon… needless to say, we were very proud of our energy level at the end of the trip (hey, ‘when in rome’ you gotta do it ALL no matter how pooped you are, right?) and treated ourselves to two pasta meals and multiple gelato runs throughout the day as we trekked around the city from sight to sight. Talk about another romantic city…Rome was so lovely and inspiring…from the history to the food to the colorful buildings lining quaint streets all over town, Rome absolutely captured my heart! (…And my taste buds!).

dress – NORDSTROM / handbag – BRAHMIN / sunglasses – PRADA / jacket – NORDSTROM / shoes – SEYCHELLES

That’s a wrap on this Instagram roundup – travel edition – post! 😉 Hope you enjoyed following along on this amazing adventure!! Now I am itching to go back to Europe…what a crazy, incredible adventure it was!

A huge thank you to Princess Cruises for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own.