What's the Deal w/ Formal Night?

[momofmeg]

Sorry about that. :( I really didn't mean to be offensive, otherwise, I could've come up a work more harsh than "outdated". :p

 

BTW, I hope you saw my earlier comments that we have no intention of disrupting anyone else's cruise experience. "When in Rome," I think were my words.

 

If I were to sum up the thread in two lines, it would be:

 

Q: Is the dress code really necessary?

A: Yes, you jerk! Deal with it. ;)

 

First, I must apologize. I did not know you were a man. I thought you were a woman. You don't have to wear a tux or even a suit. I love a navy sport coat with charcoal gray slacks, I know most men already have this in their wardrobe. If your son is not yet in his teens, he would be fine in a shirt and tie.

 

Just think what a nice photo you will take! and your wife will not need to drag you to Olan Mills this year for a fmaily picture!

[Boytjie]

That said, I know I will simply wear a suit and tie during formal nights on the cruise ship, which isn't terribly uncomfortable, but it still won't solve the hassle of bringing an extra garment bag, packing extra shoes, ironing, changing clothes multiple times per day.

 

A tux is basically a suit so it should be just as comfortable/uncomfortable as a suit.

:)

[Copper10-8]

momofmeg, going a little off topic here but I noticed you sailed the "Love Boat" Pacific Princess a few times.

 

Her sister ship is now the MV Discovery which we will be sailing soon for 42 days from Hong Kong to Capetown winding through the Indian Ocean ports and islands.

 

Got any tips or memories about your "Love Boat" sails to pass on. I don't know how many changes have been made to these ships from your days til now, but since it is a smaller ship with no balconies there is no too much to change.

 

The biggest concern is the 130 sq ft rooms, after getting spoiled with HAL's much larger ones with all the good storage space. 42 days in a 130 sq ft room on a smaller ship is my biggest curiosity. How did this work for you?

 

Thanks.

 

 

Sea Venture (1971-present) Built in 1971 as ms Sea Venture by Rheinstahl Nordseewerke GmbH, Emden, (then) West Germany for Norwegian-based Flagship Cruises. She departed on her maiden voyage on 8 May 1971 and would operate on the New York City to Hamilton, Bermuda run as well as on Caribbean cruises for Flagship but only for one month shy of four years.

 

In April 1975, she was sold (along with her sister Island Venture) to the P&O Group (Great Britain) and assigned to Princess Cruises as Pacific Princess (her sister became Island Princess). Princess would initially use her for cruises to The Mexican Riviera out of Los Angeles (San Pedro), summer itineraries to Alaska and a gradual expansion via the Panama Canal into the Caribbean. Later on, she would be used for world-wide cruising.

 

 

Princess Cruises agreed to have both these ships featured in the televison romantic weekly sitcom "The Love Boat", which debuted in May 1977 and would stay in production for nine seasons. The ship featured in nearly every episode of the series (which was filmed primarily on sets in a production studio) was Pacific Princess, although other ships also appeared, including Island Princess. The term "Love Boat" was heavily used by Princess Cruises in their marketing, and became synonymous with the Pacific Princess. The success of the television show, which remained on the air until 1986, is largely credited with the increase in popularity of cruise ship travel in Nortn America.

 

Pacific Princess was sold in 2001 to Seahawk North America Inc, Nassau, Bahamas, but was leased back immediately and continued to operate as part of the Princess fleet until 2002, when the former Renaissance Cruises R-Three replaced her and took her name. Pacific Princess made her final voyage with Princess Cruises in October/November 2002, sailing from New York City to Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy.

 

She then began operating for Spanish-based tour operator Pullmantur Cruises under the new name Pacific, sailing in the Caribbean as well as in the Meditteranean from Valencia, Spain.

 

 

In December 2007, she was aquired by Brasilian tour operator Viagens CVC Tur Ltda, Sao Paulo. They operate her out of Sao Paulo during the Southern hemisphere summer. Between April and October 2008 she was chartered to newly-established Spanish-based Quail Cruises to operate Western Med cruises out of Valencia.

 

In October 2008, she was seen in Valencia, still in Quail Cruises livery, and listing slightly to port. She had failed certain safety tests, and consequently had been "arrested" by the Spanish

Authorities.

May 2009 found her undergoing repairs in Genoa, Italy. She was slated to start sailing her seven-day cruises from Valencia, Spain for Quail Cruises from July 2009 through October 2009. However, on 15 JUL 09 the Italian Coast Guard officially seized the ship against debts of U.S. $14 million owed to the Genoa-based San Giorgio del Porto Shipyard by Spanish-based Quail Cruises. Her future remains uncertain.

 

[momofmeg]

A tux is basically a suit so it should be just as comfortable/uncomfortable as a suit.

:)

 

In reference to this, I will say to the OP, You can pack dinner clothes and wear them more than once to dinner.That is not a problem. It is not like you will work up a sweat eating dinner. If you should accidental spill food on your clothing, have it laundered. If you do the navy jacket thing, you could wear it on the plane to save packing.

 

Now this is what my husband and I do. We buy the canvas duffel bags that measure about 56 to 60 inches total. We use these when we fly instead of our other, heavier, luggage. We have plastic garment bags which we place at the top of the bag. Everything stays nice and wrinkle free. We can easily pack enough clothing for 10 or 12 days without going over the 50 pound weight limit.

 

The only thing I need to watch is how many shoes I bring-those are the things that are heavy, and can bring up the weight much faster than a few extra garments.

[Copper10-8]

momofmeg, going a little off topic here but I noticed you sailed the "Love Boat" Pacific Princess a few times.

 

Her sister ship is now the MV Discovery which we will be sailing soon for 42 days from Hong Kong to Capetown winding through the Indian Ocean ports and islands.

 

Got any tips or memories about your "Love Boat" sails to pass on. I don't know how many changes have been made to these ships from your days til now, but since it is a smaller ship with no balconies there is no too much to change.

 

The biggest concern is the 130 sq ft rooms, after getting spoiled with HAL's much larger ones with all the good storage space. 42 days in a 130 sq ft room on a smaller ship is my biggest curiosity. How did this work for you?

 

Thanks.

 

 

Island Venture (1972-present) Built in 1972 by Rheinstahl Nordseewerke, Emden, Germany as Island Venture for Norwegian-based Flagship Cruises, she operated cruises between New York City and Bermuda.

 

 

In 1974 she was sold to P&O's Princess Cruises along with her sister ship, Sea Venture. She was renamed Island Princess (her sister, Pacific Princess). Both appeared in the 1970's television sitcom "The Love Boat", although Pacific Princess was the main 'star' of that show.

 

 

In 1999, she was sold to South Korean-based Hyundai Merchant Marine (Hyundai Asian Cruises), named Hyundai Pungak in her role to transport South Korean pilgrims to religious sites in North Korea for two years.

 

In December 2001, She was purchased by Gerry Harrod and after a major refit that year, began sailing for UK-based Voyages of Discovery (Discovery World Cruises), as Discovery primarily out of Harwich, England.

After a brief stint as the Platinum for Feducia Shipping Co. S.A. in 2003 and another one as Andaman Victory in 2004, she is continuing to operate for Voyages of Discovery.

 

 

Voyages of Discovery describes itself as a "soft adventure" experience, a way for passengers to go to seldom visited destinations without the rigorous shore excursions and spartan accommodations of the "hard adventure" competitors. Exotic destinations include Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Norway's North Cape, Spitsbergen, the Amazon, Devil's Island, Easter Island and Robinson Crusoe Island, plus Antarctica and sub-Antarctic islands. It is the only non-Ecuadorian cruise ship with a port of call in the Galapagos Islands. She also cruises to Cuba but those trips are marketed only through its British brochures and Web site.

 

 

 

For the most part, she can be found in the Northern Hemisphere (Baltic, Scandinavia, Mediterranean, Aegean, North Africa) in the English Spring and Summer, and in the Southern Hemisphere (South America, Antarctica, and Indian Ocean) in the Autumn and Winter.

 

[momofmeg]

 

Sea Venture (1971-present) Built in 1971 as ms Sea Venture by Rheinstahl Nordseewerke GmbH, Emden, (then) West Germany for Norwegian-based Flagship Cruises. She departed on her maiden voyage on 8 May 1971 and would operate on the New York City to Hamilton, Bermuda run as well as on Caribbean cruises for Flagship but only for one month shy of four years.

 

In April 1975, she was sold (along with her sister Island Venture) to the P&O Group (Great Britain) and assigned to Princess Cruises as Pacific Princess (her sister became Island Princess). Princess would initially use her for cruises to The Mexican Riviera out of Los Angeles (San Pedro), summer itineraries to Alaska and a gradual expansion via the Panama Canal into the Caribbean. Later on, she would be used for world-wide cruising.

 

 

Princess Cruises agreed to have both these ships featured in the televison romantic weekly sitcom "The Love Boat", which debuted in May 1977 and would stay in production for nine seasons. The ship featured in nearly every episode of the series (which was filmed primarily on sets in a production studio) was Pacific Princess, although other ships also appeared, including Island Princess. The term "Love Boat" was heavily used by Princess Cruises in their marketing, and became synonymous with the Pacific Princess. The success of the television show, which remained on the air until 1986, is largely credited with the increase in popularity of cruise ship travel in Nortn America.

 

Pacific Princess was sold in 2001 to Seahawk North America Inc, Nassau, Bahamas, but was leased back immediately and continued to operate as part of the Princess fleet until 2002, when the former Renaissance Cruises R-Three replaced her and took her name. Pacific Princess made her final voyage with Princess Cruises in October/November 2002, sailing from New York City to Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy.

 

She then began operating for Spanish-based tour operator Pullmantur Cruises under the new name Pacific, sailing in the Caribbean as well as in the Meditteranean from Valencia, Spain.

 

 

In December 2007, she was aquired by Brasilian tour operator Viagens CVC Tur Ltda, Sao Paulo. They operate her out of Sao Paulo during the Southern hemisphere summer. Between April and October 2008 she was chartered to newly-established Spanish-based Quail Cruises to operate Western Med cruises out of Valencia.

 

In October 2008, she was seen in Valencia, still in Quail Cruises livery, and listing slightly to port. She had failed certain safety tests, and consequently had been "arrested" by the Spanish

Authorities.

May 2009 found her undergoing repairs in Genoa, Italy. She was slated to start sailing her seven-day cruises from Valencia, Spain for Quail Cruises from July 2009 through October 2009. However, on 15 JUL 09 the Italian Coast Guard officially seized the ship against debts of U.S. $14 million owed to the Genoa-based San Giorgio del Porto Shipyard by Spanish-based Quail Cruises. Her future remains uncertain.

 

 

In the forum "Whatever happened to" someone posted she was for sale in California for $150,000. The add did call the boat for sale "the Loveboat," but it obviously was not the original Pacific Princess. My guess is perhaps this ship (small, even in comparison to the original Pacific Princess) had been used a couple of times for outdoor on deck scenes or in the ocean scenes, on the show, and so the sellers could claim their ship was the "Love Boat."

Sad about her. It is too bad she could not be spiffed up to look like the TV show days, and used as a hotel. Hey, I would stay on her.

[mll1013]

We have plastic garment bags which we place at the top of the bag. Everything stays nice and wrinkle free.

 

Did you say "wrinkle free"? I'm listening!

 

Thanks for the tips!

[SwissMyst]

Copper 10-8, those are the best pictures of the MV Discovery (Sister of Love Boat) that I have seen so far. She looks lovely for her age and heritage. You will be able to see me waving from the first row of port holes, midship above the water line in about a month. (No, not at the water line -wonder who gets those "aquatic" view rooms- staff level there. Maybe they get to see what we will be eating for dinner that night?).

 

Kind of brings tears to my eyes just looking at these pictures. I know we will become quite attached before this 42 day saga is over next March, 2010. Thanks for finding these photos. Can hardly wait to share them with DH. That back deck wit the tall windows looks pretty dramatic. They really show nothing like this on their website.

[vps]

We have been to Alaska 5 times. From the time you wake up to about 4:30 pm, jeans with a top/sweat shirt is just fine. We wear the jeans every day. We take 3 pair of underwear and wash a set each night. It can get cold and gloves, toques and heavier coats and/or layers are needed. It can get windy and a windbreaker type coat is good. We wear/carry the heavy stuff to the boat. I take one pair of nice black pants and use them for both casual/formal dinners with one long skirt and two other pairs of nice pants. I take several nice to glitzy tops. One pair of comfortable day shoes and one pair for all dinners works for me. My husband takes one suit, 3 shirts/ties, 2 pair of twill pants for the dinners. My teenaged sons wore dress pants with a long sleeved shirt ( newly pressed each time) and tie and they fit in very well. Some boys had vests. Young girls wore bridesmaid outfits or a nice skirt and top.

 

We have gone on other HA trips and Alaska's formal is more relaxed than most others. Don't sweat the small stuff - I have been at formal dinners where dress ranged from diamonds and glitz to what one would wear to a nice restaurant and all were fine.

 

One caution for your son, during the manditory safety drill and glacier talks, the outside speakers are used and they can be very shrill. Look to see where they are mounted and don't get too close.

 

Do let your other child try the children's programs - sometimes they need a break too.

 

Most of all enjoy the experience!!!

[qe2]

The dining room is beautiful. It is a good social experience for the kids to dress up. They don't need to wear a tux or suit. If they are boys, they just need a nice long sleeved shirt and a tie. Girls would probably love to wear something special.

On the other hand if no one wants to dress up ,dinner is available in the lido.

I hope that you enjoy the experience but if formality is not what you want, you may have chosen the wrong cruise line.

[Roz]

Ge2,

 

I agree with you that eating in the MDR, even for a few meals, can be a learning experience for children and young adults.

 

Roz