Sailing from Sydney..South Sea Islands

[jimsilv]

Hi All

 

My Wife and I are sailing from Sydney on a 12 night South Sea Island cruise in January.

 

Most of the passengers, I suspect, will be Australian.

 

There are 2 Formal nights scheduled, knowing how relaxed the Aussies are, I am wondering how Formal the Formal nights will be.

 

Basically... do I need to pack a Dinner Jacket (Tux) if I do, will I be in the minority or the majority.

 

I understand the "Whatever you're comfortable in" and "its only a suggestion and not enforced dress code" arguments. I am really looking for some facts as to what really happens on this type of cruise.

 

Cheers

 

Jim

[avalon007]

Hi Jim,

 

I have sailed with Royal on a 3 different ships out of Sydney to the South Pacific & you normally get 3 formal nights on a 12 day cruise.

 

You will get a mix of formal dress but most people dress up & some do wear a tux, I've even seen some men dressed in formal kilts.

 

Yes Australians are often relaxed in many ways but like all nationalities you get your mix of different types of people. Personally my husband & I both enjoy formal nights very much, but you will also come across the people that wouldn't dress formal for their own funeral. :D

 

Dress up as formal as you like, you won't be the only one by a long way.

 

I have found some South Pacific cruises more formal than others I have done in Alaska where Americans were the dominant passenger demographic. I think it often depends more on the ships crew as to how enforced formal night dress codes are in the MDR.

 

Also some of the ships just have a more elegant vibe (like Radiance) that attract a more formal dress type crowd I think.

 

Hope that is helpful. :)

[jimsilv]

Hi Avalon007

 

Thanks for that, we are in fact on the Radiance.

 

Oh! We have 3 formal nights

 

Easy for me, One suit, 3 shirts, more difficult for "she who must be........." (You can fill in the blanks......)

 

We both enjoy dressing up, but a bit of pain when travelling by air.

 

Cheers

 

Jim

 

p.s. My Honda has a number plate that ends 007..... I tell people that when I left the Secret Service they let me keep the car.

[lucymorgan]

Being so relaxed, us aussies will be ok either way. Some will have tuxedos, some in suits and some in tie and jackets. I think whatever you prefer will really be OK.

 

We usually dress for the occasion. My husband doesn't wear a tux but does wear a dark suit with tie and my daughter and I wear formal or semi formal dresses (if that helps).

Edited December 5, 2014 by jenibor

[jimsilv]

Hi Jenibor

 

Thanks, that is helpful.

 

Cheers

 

Jim

[SydSailor]

Perhaps stating the obvious, but the demographic on at least RCI cruises changes somewhat over the Dec\Jan period, when fares tend to be higher and you have school holidays. Rather than full or semi retirees seeking peace and quiet and lower fares, you have many more families and a younger average age. The mix also seems to change so you have perhaps a slightly more modern-style conscious average with the 20 somethings and 40-50 something parents ( to the extent that parents can ever be style conscious, at least in the kids' eyes!) who will either ignore the suggested formality in favour of their own view of what looks good, or be more inclined to honour it with a lounge rather than dinner suit.

 

As others have suggested, there is also a difference depending on ship and destination, with Radiance to NZ likely to be more formal than say, Rhapsosy to Vanuatu. Whilst there won't be too may tuxes on a Sth Pac cruise, you won't feel out of place if that is your preference.

 

A long winded way of saying do what makes you comfortable, though I'm personally always very pleased to see people honouring the code - few men irrespective of figure look better in anything beyond a well cut suit.

Edited December 5, 2014 by SydSailor

[jimsilv]

Hi SydSailor

 

Thanks for your response.

 

Although I keep saying January we actually sail on the 31st of Jan. although we are leaving the UK a little earlier......I take it the School holidays will be over by then.

 

Cheers

 

Jim

[The_Big_M]

Yes, it's out of school holidays, but you may still get a smaller number extending for whatever reason.

 

Agree with the others that you'll get a range. Tuxes are definitely in the minority, but there's nothing wrong with that if you prefer it. Especially with the warmer, balmy weather in that region though, there's not a lot of need for heavy gear like that.

[BekkaW]

We sailed from Singapore on a ship with mostly Aussie guests. My DH wore a tux on all 3 formal nights, the other gents at our table wore tuxes - one wore a suit instead on the 3rd formal night

[Hailzmick]

We always make the extra effort on formal nights.

Next May we are cruising in Europe & I've been told it's less formal there. I think us Aussies like to dress up a bit as we don't usually have to unless it's for a wedding. That's just my opinion, but I def have seen many people dressed up.

 

 

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[Coralc]

On Radiance, with all the alternative dining options...we just went to the specialty restaurants on formal nights and then some. We didn't even bring formal clothes, just smart casual or presentable. :D:):D

[TeamH]

I was on a 3 Feb sailing on Radiance. Like others have said, there were a mix of dress styles on formal nights, lots in tux, my husband wore his dinner suit that he saves for weddings and my young sons wore what they call their "church shirts". Most men I saw in the MDR were wearing at least a shirt and tie. The weather was very warm, which may explain why some didn't wear jackets.