Dinner suit question on Sun Princess

[soccerref]

My husband and I are sailing on Sun Princess leaving Sydney on July 30th. We were wondering whether he should take his dinner suit or if an ordinary suit will be OK. We are flying from the UK so weight is a consideration but he does not want to be out of place if the majority of Aussies wear dinner suits.

 

We are getting really excited about our first trip 'down under'.

[rugbypopsie]

My husband and I are sailing on Sun Princess leaving Sydney on July 30th. We were wondering whether he should take his dinner suit or if an ordinary suit will be OK. We are flying from the UK so weight is a consideration but he does not want to be out of place if the majority of Aussies wear dinner suits.

 

We are getting really excited about our first trip 'down under'.

 

We are excited you are coming to visit. A business suit is fine in fact although some choose do do the "tux thing" you wont feel out of place as many will be wearing business suits or no suits just smart jacket and tie.

 

If there is anything we can do to help you plan your visit just ask.:)

[Sandielle]

Hi Soccerref,

 

Welcome down under - hope you enjoy your time here!

[Kinkacruiser]

The lounge/business suit would be more versatile and may even weigh less.

My husband takes a black one for formals and wears a bow tie with it.

Also like to wish you a great holiday. I hope July won't be too chilly for you.

[NSWP]

I was on Sun Princess in 2008 - Circumnavigation of Australia, I wore a darkgrey business suit on formal nights, and still do on all my cruises. No problem, perefectly acceptable. From memory, Dinner Suits (Tuxedos) were a rarity, probably less than 20% of men wore them.

 

Above all..ENJOY !!

Edited July 18, 2011 by NSWP

[Flipper133]

I am glad to see this question asked.

 

My view on formal nights has been expressed elsewhere on these boards, but essentially I believe in them and encourage as many as possible to enter into the spirit of the nights by wearing appropriate attire.

 

When we were on the Sun Princess in 2009 (similar cruise to Les) we had 3 formal nights and everyone at our table wore formal wear.

I always take a tux jacket (doesn't really take up that much room in suitcase) and match with some black trousers which I can wear on less formal nights. Similarly with a white fancy shirt. I take an assortment of bow ties so I can match what Shirley is wearing - no luggage problems with these.

 

This brings me to the real point. A formal night is really for the ladies, and I believe that it the mans responsibility to pay his lady the compliment by wearing something that will add to her feeling of being special. The real problem is therefore not the issue of bringing along a tux jacket (which can be worn on every formal night) but the lady deciding what outfit she will bring along - and after all she couldn't possibly wear the same thing on each occassion! :p

 

Nevertheless, as others have said, Australians tend to be a little more relaxed about formal nights, but if you do decide to dress up to the nines, go for it..feel special and you will be - and definately not out of place.

 

cheers

[Witchymob]

Hi there, hope you have a great trip, please look after the ship for us we get on in Fremantle on the 16th August!! If you have been on P&O UK you will find Princess in Australia a lot less formal, noone is going to ask you to leave a lounge or the dining room for not being formally dressed. On our last two cruises on Sun Princess quite a few men wore dinner suits. My husband has an off white Tux he had made after our first P&O Uk cruise because he likes the fact that they are lighter and not so hot and he always wears that on cruises with the dark trousers, various shirts and bow ties, Sun Princess usually has one formal night a week so there is not so much dressing up, the ladies do tend to dress up more, I tend to take pretty much all the good stuff I have (not a lot) as there is not much chance to wear anything dressy at home. The other nights are smart casual there is no semi formal.

[soccerref]

Thank you all for your good wishes and prompt replies with formal dress information. I've started packing and, as we will be away from home for 30 days and will experience many different temperatures, it's a bit trickier than normal so I shall see how much room is left before making a final decision.

 

Kinkacruiser....I loved your comment about it being chilly. It is the middle of our summer in the UK and the temperature for the last 3 days has never risen above 14C (60F). Our paper showed Sydney as 17c and Perth as 18c!!!!!

 

Witchymob.....I'll do my best to look after Sun Princess for you.

[kuldalai]

On a cruise ex Australia on a "formal" night if :

 

* you wear an open neck shirt and smart sports jacket you will be the norm

 

* you wear a regular suit and tie you will have others in the same garb

 

* if you wear a "monkey suit" you will stick out like a "sore thumb", so leave the dinner suit at home .

[isajack]

We have just cruised on the Sun Princess and I would have to say it was about 1/2 and 1/2.

 

Always great for an excuse to dress up, with no where to go.:rolleyes:

 

Isa jack

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

On a cruise ex Australia on a "formal" night if :

 

* you wear an open neck shirt and smart sports jacket you will be the norm

 

* you wear a regular suit and tie you will have others in the same garb

 

* if you wear a "monkey suit" you will stick out like a "sore thumb", so leave the dinner suit at home .

 

Not true...... and I think men in a tux are very classy and take offence to your "monkey suit" comment and that they will stick out like a sore thumb. Ask any woman who looks better..... the "underdressed" for formal night man or the "James Bond" type man in a tux!

[happycruiser3]

On a cruise ex Australia on a "formal" night if :

 

* you wear an open neck shirt and smart sports jacket you will be the norm

 

* you wear a regular suit and tie you will have others in the same garb

 

* if you wear a "monkey suit" you will stick out like a "sore thumb", so leave the dinner suit at home .

:)

 

I disagree, on Princess we have always found formal nights to be just that, formal. Can't comment on P & O they may be different but on Princess much more formal.

 

Men in the majority wear dinner suits, dark suits and ties and they look terrific. Very rarely have I seen men in open neck shirts.

 

My husband bought a new light weight wool dinner suit, it weighs less than any of his business suits so travels with us on our cruises every time.

 

Have a wonderful trip to our shores, hope the weather cooperates.

[cjm66]

We have been on two cruises on Sun Princess. The photos are typical of what people wear on formal nights - that is those that choose to go to the attrium entertainment before dinner and to dine in the MDR. People who do not want to dress up head for the buffet and avoid the issue. A few men in dinner jackets, more in dark suits - bow ties were fashionable that year. Women in maxi dresses, pants and smart tops ...very ecclectic. Fun! Unless it all fits within your weight limits, I would only take a full dinner jacket etc if it would give you pleasure.

 

 

 

 

[NSWP]

'Open neck shirt' even with a sports jacket formal night DOES NOT comply with Princess Dress Policy. Therefore men so attired should be refused entry to MDR on Formal nights. But yes, I know, they get in. Slack enforcement by staff, perhaps they don't really care on the 'Aussie Princess ships, Sun/Dawn Princess.

[char B]

We just returned from the Sun Princess, Sydney to Hong Kong. To our huge disappointment, the dining room, on formal night and all other nights, had everything from shorts, flip flops, jeans, t-shirts to tuxedos. The staff didn't hold up the dress code. I know the cruising world has become very casual, but it would be nice if the evening dining room would require some sort of social etiquette.

[Whitemarsh]

We just returned from the Sun Princess, Sydney to Hong Kong. To our huge disappointment, the dining room, on formal night and all other nights, had everything from shorts, flip flops, jeans, t-shirts to tuxedos. The staff didn't hold up the dress code. I know the cruising world has become very casual, but it would be nice if the evening dining room would require some sort of social etiquette.

 

You will find that on Cunard.

[newfarmers]

Gee Les, glad we didn't sit with you on our Sun Princess cruise. I thought the dress police went ashore a long time ago.

 

On our first two cruises (Celebrity and HAL) we hired tuxes. The cruises were both a LONG way away. On RCCL we took our business suits and wore them with ties to dinner on each formal night. Again, the cruise was a long way away.

 

Then NCL in the Baltic - hooray. No formal.

 

Last month Sun Princess. I'm pretty sure the formal night dress policy is a suggestion. I believe the only no is jeans.

 

Again, we wore business suits but this time no ties. We were on a Pacific cruise for goodness sake, not a transatlantic in Grill class.

 

Why are so many people so wound up by what other people wear?

 

Socceref, don't fill your bag with a heavy suit that you really won't want to wear.

[bazzaw]

Our paper showed Sydney as 17c and Perth as 18c!!!!!

 

 

YES!! It has turned very cold all of a sudden - our first onslaught of winter!! Iy is getting cold up here in Queensland too - below 20C overnight - we are going camping for a week and will have to load up the camperbus with winter woolies!!

 

Barry

[bazzaw]

On our Royal Caribbean cruise to NZ in late January, there were VERY few men dressed in Tuxes (Dinner Jackets) . I think that it may relate to the cruiseline as well as the fact that Aussie cruisers are inherently more casual than some others. In other words, a lot depends on the "tradition" that a particular cruiseline has built up. For example, on Cunard cruises in Australian waters , a large percentage of men will be wearing a Tux -- on a P&O AUS ship, almost nobody will. I have heard conflicting reports about the Princess ships that are home ported in Australia

 

But what does it matter anyway -- only if your "care" about what other people think!! :) On the Cunard forum people stress over whether they will be "out of place" in more casual gear - here people stress about whether they will be "out of place" in more Formal wear . I say -- do whatever you are comfortable with.

 

Barry

Edited April 23, 2013 by bazzaw

[The_Big_M]

YES!! It has turned very cold all of a sudden - our first onslaught of winter!! Iy is getting cold up here in Queensland too - below 20C overnight - we are going camping for a week and will have to load up the camperbus with winter woolies!!

 

Barry

 

You're replying to a temperature comment from 2 years ago! :D

[Kiwi Kruzer]

YES!! It has turned very cold all of a sudden - our first onslaught of winter!! Iy is getting cold up here in Queensland too - below 20C overnight - we are going camping for a week and will have to load up the camperbus with winter woolies!!Barry

 

You're replying to a temperature comment from 2 years ago! :D

 

 

Its Global Warming :D:D

....must be getting colder earlier over there.

We are still above 20....

first week in May is usually when we notice a change.

[NSWP]

You're replying to a temperature comment from 2 years ago! :D

Yes, I wondered why someone raised this from the dust from 2 years ago, as suggested, I have 'loosened up,' blazer and strides with shirt and tie now on formal nights for me, as per my future cruises on signature. I know Princess will accept that, but hope the poms on Arcadia will as well, otherwise I will be eating in the Arcadia buffet.

[The_Big_M]

Yes, I wondered why someone raised this from the dust from 2 years ago, as suggested, I have 'loosened up,' blazer and strides with shirt and tie now on formal nights for me, as per my future cruises on signature. I know Princess will accept that, but hope the poms on Arcadia will as well, otherwise I will be eating in the Arcadia buffet.

 

I was surprised how relaxed they were on Aurora, so think you should be fine.

[NSWP]

I was surprised how relaxed they were on Aurora, so think you should be fine.

Thanks, packing will have to be done fairly stringently, will be away next year for 3 months. Leave Sydney 17 February, land travel in Chile/Argentina, Golden Princess - 31 days, BA to LA, then time in England touring by car/visiting relos, fitting in another cruise on Arcadia - 18 days, Central Med, then fly home in earlyl/mid May - broke, LOL.

Edited April 25, 2013 by NSWP

[happy cruiser liam]

My husband and I are sailing on Sun Princess leaving Sydney on July 30th. We were wondering whether he should take his dinner suit or if an ordinary suit will be OK. We are flying from the UK so weight is a consideration but he does not want to be out of place if the majority of Aussies wear dinner suits.

 

We are getting really excited about our first trip 'down under'.

 

The wife & I sailed on the Sun & the Ruby, both times I took my normal suit to wear at formals, NO WORRIES , your hubbies suit is perfect for the formals, regards bill down under