Formal and casual wear on Australian Cruises

[Ausgirl]

How formal do Aussies dress on formal nights? I have read on other forums, mostly posts from Americans/British, that people tend to wear evening gowns, suits etc, and dresses or smart pants on smart casual nights. Anyone who has done Aus/NZ cruises or cruises around Australia, what has been your experience of what people have generally been wearing?

Do people wear jeans on casual nights? Black pants and a nice top for women on formal nights, and nice pants and a shirt for men?

Any advice on Australian cruises would be very much appreciated!

[Landth]

We are Aussies cruising in Feb to NZ on Princess, and we will be dressing formally for both formal nights, it's a rare chance for my wife to dress up and show off and tbh I don't care all that much what everyone else wears, if they dress down she will only shine brighter

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

We were on the Sun Princess in February and yes most people dressed formally on the formal nights. For the women there were plenty of cocktail dresses on formal nights as well as long dresses and dressy slacks. Lots of bling and sequins. For the men I saw quite a few tuxedos with a few kilts thrown in as well. My DH wore a dark pinstripe suit which was about the most common thing worn. I wouldn't go out and buy a tuxedo just for the formal night unless you really want to. If you want you can hire a tuxedo on board.

The other nights everyone dressed smart casual. There were a few jeans here and there on young men mainly, but they looked out of place as everyone else looked smart in trousers and dressy shirts on the men and casual dresses, skirts or pants and nice blouses on the women.

IMHO I hope they never do away with the formal nights. Such a lovely part of cruising.

[Landth]

Originally Posted by Billy and Charlie's Mum

........
IMHO I hope they never do away with the formal nights. Such a lovely part of cruising.

My wife is really looking forward to the cruise as an experience, but I swear this is the bit she is most excited about, it has certainly kept us in dress and shoe shops for months

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

Originally Posted by Landth

My wife is really looking forward to the cruise as an experience, but I swear this is the bit she is most excited about, it has certainly kept us in dress and shoe shops for months

Good on her! A girl after my own heart! Our Panama Canal cruise has 3 formal nights - good excuse to get more formal gear - building up a nice collection, much to my DH horror

[Ontario Cruiser]

We have just ordered tux rental for our Dec 6th cruise on the Volendam for my husband. More room in the suitcases to bring back Xmas presents. There are 4 formal nights. I wear black pants that have an overskirt and different dressy tops.
Ontario Cruiser

[Ausgirl]

Thanks for the replies. I'm not a formal wear kinda girl, but don't mind dressing up a bit on the 3 formal nights. It's more the other nights I'm worried about and would like to be able to get away with jeans and a nice top on casual nights. Was hoping Australian cruises were a little less dressy, but it seems not.

[Tamara2cruise]

Ausgirl,

Can you toss in a nice pair of black slacks and just pair them with a few different blouses? From the neck up you'll look brand new each evening!

I do this with a long, slim, black skirt I own. One skirt + three sparkly blouses gets me through three semi-formal evenings quite nicely.

Tamara

[comcox]

Every cruise line I've been on specifically states no jeans to be worn in the dining rooms at dinner even on smart casual nights. My solution is a nice pair of black slacks and then a variety of tops running from resort wear to snazzy--that seems to cover most ships. Also note that most ships have a buffet venue at dinner time and those that don't want to dress up can me found eating there including me.

[Ausgirl]

Seems there are two Tamaras Thaks for your replies!

So would nice black pants and sparkly tops do for formal nights as well, or do I need dresses? And how about Jeans and tops on casual nights?
Caron

[comoxvalley21]

Originally Posted by Ausgirl

Seems there are two Tamaras Thaks for your replies!

So would nice black pants and sparkly tops do for formal nights as well, or do I need dresses? And how about Jeans and tops on casual nights?
Caron

Both will be just fine. Accessories might add to the jeans outfit....dressy earings and higher heels will make it more "going out to dinner" rather than "going out shopping". And make sure these are tidy jeans..no tears or worn spots.
Have fun...a big smile is your best accessory!!

[Ausgirl]

Sounds perfect - can't wait!

[critterchick]

Originally Posted by comcox

Every cruise line I've been on specifically states no jeans to be worn in the dining rooms at dinner even on smart casual nights. My solution is a nice pair of black slacks and then a variety of tops running from resort wear to snazzy--that seems to cover most ships. Also note that most ships have a buffet venue at dinner time and those that don't want to dress up can me found eating there including me.

Royal Caribbean does not ban jeans from the dining room at dinner. I do the black slacks/skirt and change out the top as well.

Originally Posted by Ausgirl

Seems there are two Tamaras Thaks for your replies!

So would nice black pants and sparkly tops do for formal nights as well, or do I need dresses? And how about Jeans and tops on casual nights?
Caron

Jeans are fine on casual nights, as are the black pants/sparkly tops. We'll be sailing the same itinerary as you in February, and I am going to be a little less formally attired than I would normally be since I only want to bring one 21" suitcase with me. I hate hauling a lot of luggage around the world!

[room010]

I would always focus on the "smart" rather than the "casual" on smart casual nights to avoid feeling under scrutiny from the Dress Code Police as happened to us on our first cruise. Nobody said anything but they didn't have to By all means wear jeans during the day but I'd swap to a pair of smart pants (black goes with everything) in the evenings which you can dress up/down accordingly.

[Ausgirl]

Thanks everyone for your advice - looks like my dressy black pants will be getting a bit of workout - need to shop for a couple more dressy tops to go with them - as if I need an excuse to go shopping. Will keep the jeans for during the day or maybe a night at the Windjammer, and wear nice 3/4 pants on casual nights. Now need to see if I can still get into my one and only little black dress for those other nights, otherwise might have to visit the "lose before you cruise"forum

[Coracii]

Originally Posted by comcox

Every cruise line I've been on specifically states no jeans to be worn in the dining rooms at dinner even on smart casual nights. My solution is a nice pair of black slacks and then a variety of tops running from resort wear to snazzy--that seems to cover most ships. Also note that most ships have a buffet venue at dinner time and those that don't want to dress up can me found eating there including me.

Per the Princess website and from multiple personal experiences, jeans (as long as they're in good condition) are perfectly acceptable on Princess cruises for smart casual nights. I usually just wear dockers and a polo shirt, but on the last cruise there were dozens of men and women in jeans in the International dining room on casual nights.

[pcur]

I just finished 33 nights on the Rhapsody, including 16 around Australia. The dress in the evening was pretty much the same as our other cruises, and yes, a little more dressy. I'd say the majority of the women wore nice pants and tops, and lots of knit dresses and sundresses on both casual and smart casual nights. I wore mostly jersey tops with black pants and jersey/knit short dresses on both casual and smart casual nights.

Men wore polo shirts, cotton print shirts, tropical shirts, with few jackets on smar casual and casual nights.

Formal nights were about the same, too, with sparkly tops, long dresses, less dressy pants and tops. Most men wore suits or dark jackets. Some tuxedos, but they were not the majority. The men tended to dress to the level of formality of their partners, so sparkly top and pants would be with a jacket, tie, and dark slacks.

I saw very few jeans in the evening except on casual nights, but even then very few. One man walked into the dining room one night with shorts on and flipflops, and about 3 people within hearing distance complained to the head waiter at the door.

[Ausgirl]

Thanks Peggy - great to get feedback from someone who is in the know - who has just returned from Rhapsody and in Australian waters. - I'll pass this on to all the lovely people on our roll call as well.

33 nights on the Rhapsody - how fabulous!!! I've enjoyed reading your daily logs on another thread, thanks so much for sharing them with us.
Caron

[pcur]

Thank you, Ausgirl! Check the thread again in a few days: my link to our videos and pics will be there.

[Ausgirl]

Fantastic, can't wait to see them!