Realistically, How Many Will Wear Tuxedos on a 12-Night Panama Canal Princess Cruise?

[Smokeyham]

I would be interested in hearing, especially from those who have done a Princess Panama Canal Cruise, how many people wear actual formal wear (i.e. tuxedos) on a 12-night Panama Canal full transit?

 

We have formal wear, and while it might be fun to wear it on the three formal nights, we would not want to do so if very few people actually do so.

 

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[zgscl]

I haven't sailed on Princess in quite a while, but from my experience on Celebrity & HAL which are in a fairly similar category, the days of people wearing tuxedos are pretty much gone (short of sailing on Cunard or possibly some luxury segment lines). Maybe a couple or two might have one, many will wear nicer clothes such as a button up, jacket and slacks for men or a cocktail or other dress for women. Ties for men are hit or miss. 

 

If it is fun for you then you should absolutely do it! But if you go a level down you will definitely fit right in. 

[MissP22]

I'm almost sure you'll see 4 or 5 wearing them. After all the people that own one need a reason to wear them and there's not many places at home to get much use out of one. Just because many guys dress casually shouldn't let you from dressing up.

Enjoy.  

[pootsien2]

I have noticed at least 5 men wearing tuxedos and women with long gowns on both the 10 day Panama Canal cruise in April and the 12 day Quebec,New England cruise in October. If you own one,it seems formal nights would be worth dressing up, even if it's just for some photos by the ship photographers and dinner. Then you can have the ship laundry at least clean and press the shirt and polish your shoes!

[Torfamm]

We were on the ocean to ocean Panama Canal segment of the world cruise in January of this year. There were a fair number of people in formal wear. If you enjoy wearing you tuxedo you should definitely bring it, you shouldn’t feel out of place at all. 

[skynight]

A small number are in tux. You will see everything from tux, suits & ties, sport jackets with and without ties, and those with just shirts. It is up to you. No one is out of place. There are some that dress up for dinner and then change to more casual clothes afterwards.

The crew will be in formal wear.

[mtnesterz]

Small clarification, there will be two formal nights on a 12 night cruise.

There will be more people dressing up if your canal passage is part of a world cruise segment.

I agree with you that dressing for dinner helps make the night special!

I wish more people saw it that way.

[Esprit]

I did on our partial transit aboard Island Princess, and wouldn't hesitate to do so again.

[kdr69]

i would wear mine

[d9704011]

I plan on wearing mine on a 15 night full transit;  does that count?

[MissP22]

Not everyone participates.

[c-boy]

18 minutes ago, kdr69 said:

i would wear mine

I'd wear mine too and crack a bottle of champagne to celebrate another crossing one off the list.

[qqwer123]

Took this cruise twice. There were quite a few people dressed up for the formal nights. 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

the only time DH wore a tux and I wore a little black dress was our very first cruise. We thought it was required. 🙂 LOL. We had to rent the tux.

Over the years I've seen fewer and fewer people dressing up formally.

[Greg4502]

I have seen many different styles of dress on formal night. When it is formal night, the tux goes on, that's just how I roll. 

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

the only time DH wore a tux and I wore a little black dress was our very first cruise. We thought it was required. 🙂 LOL. We had to rent the tux.

Over the years I've seen fewer and fewer people dressing up formally.

Fooled you once, eh. 😉

[Bgwest]

Dress comfortably. However you define that. 
Don’t let the fashion shamus dictate to you how you should dress.
If you are comfortable in a tux, go for it.  
If you are comfortable in shorts, go for it. 
And no, whatever you choose, you will not be turned away. Although the fashion shamus will attempt to frighted you into believing otherwise. 

[MissP22]

20 minutes ago, Bgwest said:

Although the fashion shamus will attempt to frighted you into believing otherwise. 

You must have been waiting for a long time to get to use that word. 😄

[BamaVol]

We did a 10 day Panama Canal in March. I might have seen a couple tuxes. I took a dark suit and tie, and decided that was the last time. In September we did Alaska and I was never more formal than a collared shirt with a sweater. I have a tux that will stay in the closet from now on. 

Edited December 11, 2023 by BamaVol

[Cruise Raider]

My DH bought a tux many years ago and has worn it at least 100 times over the years.  Complimentary dry cleaning helps.  
Well, he certainly got his money’s worth out of it but I haven’t seen him in it in the last 10-15 years.  Very few men are wearing tuxes anymore.  If he wears a tux, he won’t be laughed at or he probably won’t even feel out of place, although some may think he works onboard unless you are on his arm.  😆 
It’s nice for photos but if you don’t much care about that, you may just want to leave the tux at home.  

Edited December 11, 2023 by Cruise Raider

[c-boy]

🧯  there's always one 

[memoak]

I don’t even own a tie anymore. Have not worn a tux since pre pandemic 

[SargassoPirate]

4 hours ago, memoak said:

I don’t even own a tie anymore. Have not worn a tux since pre pandemic 

I quit trying a rag around my neck when I retired.  I wear my tux to lodge meetings and that's it.

 

On formal or dress to impress or whatever they call dress up nights, I wear black jeans, a colored T with a matching pocket square in a black jacket.  It passed maitre d muster on Cunard and looks better than about half of the "gentleman" in the MDR - especially those with their baseball caps on backwards.

 

Funny thing is that the big excuse we hear for slovenly dress in the MDR is airline baggage fees, but my jacket weighs around 19 ounces, I wear my black jeans on the plane, my stack of four T shirts and pocket squares weigh very little, and I can wear the same combo with rotating colors every night of the cruise.  Saves on packing the "smart casual" wear.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 11, 2023 by SargassoPirate

[Mike45LC]

I used to wear a tux at least a few times each year for formal evenings at Hollywood events, and I always took my tux on cruises.  But I no longer take my tux on cruises -- it takes too much room (including patent leather shoes, multiple cummerbunds, ties and hankies) and even though I look very dashing in formal wear, it just isn't worth it any more.  I'd guess that there are about a dozen men still wearing tuxedos on formal night.

[JimmyVWine]

Rule #1.  Wear what you feel comfortable wearing.  Some people would feel awkward being the least dressed up person in a room and others might feel uncomfortable being the most dressed up person in a room.  You be you.  

 

Rule #2.  Only rule # 1. matters.

 

That said, do not believe the people who tell you that only 4 or 5 men will wear a tux.  Or that no one dresses up any more.  Here are some random photos that I took with my phone not intending to prove or disprove anything.  These were just random crowd shots taken on formal night several months ago to capture the overall vibe and feel of the Piazza before dinner and in the Vista Lounge after dinner.  Were one to believe that only a handful of men wear tuxes, then that handful all found their way into the viewing angle of my camera lens all at the same time.  I am not pushing an agenda.  There were very casually dressed people as well as those dressed to the nines.  But the notion that the ship did not take on a much more formal atmosphere is simply denying the truth.   I am certain that if I had taken pictures in the buffet area, they would have told a different story.  But that different story does not negate the story that unfolded on decks 5-7.