Tuxedo Report from a 1st time renter

[JackieB]

Got a tux rental for my Century cruise last week and it didn't go as smoothly as I would have liked.

 

I have read in the past how nice it is that your tux is waiting in your stateroom for you when you board. About 3:00 pm it suddenly occured to me that there was no tux in my room. We sailed at 4:30 so I frantically called guest relations who were listed as the people to call if you wanted to rent a tux on board. They said tuxes were delivered to the ship and they would call my butler (we had a suite) to get it to me. He did.

 

Then, although I had asked for a 39, I received a 40. It felt a bit like I was wearing my father's jacket. Then I noticed that the sleeves were only, oh...maybe 3 inches too long! Thank god the pants were right or I would have really panicked. (I discovered later that the fly zipper was broken...thankfully my wife had pins.)

 

I called the Cruiselineformalwear number only to hear that they are closed on the weekends. I then called Guest Relations and asked for alteration help. They were dumbfounded. They really didn't know what to do, but they did their best to help. They helped re-measure and said maybe the ship's upholstery dept. could fix it.

 

At any rate by day 2 (the first formal night) it was fixed and right. A bit of a closer call than I had bargained for.

 

You may rent a tux after you board, but you better be able to wear "off the rack" stuff.

[wv4891]

LOL, I have to laugh at your experience. The same thing happened to me. The jacket looked like it was my father's coat, it was so large. Well working with the cabin attendent, it took three tries but I finally got a great fit. I am thinking hard about my next cruise, rent or buy??? And, as someone said earlier, buying one helps keep that waistline in check.:D

[98Charlie]

I bought my tux from eBay. Total cost was around $100 including shoes, shirt, tie, vest, suspenders, studs and cufflinks (to match my avatar even). After that I paid another $30 for tailoring. Since then I have worn it 8 times for an average expenditure of $16.25. In two weeks we sail again so it will be down to $13.00 per use.

 

Since it was out of rental stock it has an adjustable waistband that sometimes comes in handy on the second formal night :rolleyes:

 

Yes, you have to pack it to and from the ship. And there is the cost of cleaning. All in all it's my preference. Your milage may vary.

[JackieB]

You know, I thought I outsmarted everything by renting: a clean fresh tux with no problems. However, if I do it again, I will buy and then have it cleaned / pressed on board if it doesn't come out of the luggage very well.

[winediva]

I have to say eBay is a great option for formal wear. I have bought lovely designer dresses for less than $50 for formal cruise wear. My hubby just sold his Armani tux on eBay originally $1300, for $100. He won't ever fit into again, so we were thrilled to have the $100. And the guy who bought it has a once worn Armani tux for way cheap! Worth the hunt!

[gracesgems]

All this information is wonderful but please give up the sites:). I have also been thinking the tux thing and it seems that renting on board is more problems than it is worth. Dresses for $50.00 please please do tell.

 

gracesgems

[winediva]

I just do a search (in the Browse mode) on eBay for in the women's clothing/dresses section. In the left hand panel is a "dress finder" mini search engine where you can enter sizes, styles, etc. There are no particular ebay merchants I use, mostly just folks cleaning out their closets. I just sold 2 bridesmaid dresses of mine for $30 each and with the proceeds bought myself a Jones New York from someone else on eBay. You can buy both used and new items, but I tend to buy used for the best deals. Just make sure to get exact measurements as sizes vary greatly from one designer to the next.

[nealberk]

I think on the HAL ships, they keep a supply of tuxes on the ship since you can rent one after the ship leaves port.

 

I had thought that Celebrity did it the same way.

[chessbriar]

Celebrity does on the M class ships.

[wv4891]

Yes, they do keep a supply on board, but minimum tayloring is done. That is how I finally got a jacket that fit. You have to go through your cabin attendant if you have problems with your initial rental.

 

 

 

I think on the HAL ships, they keep a supply of tuxes on the ship since you can rent one after the ship leaves port.

 

I had thought that Celebrity did it the same way.

[98Charlie]

All this information is wonderful but please give up the sites:). I have also been thinking the tux thing and it seems that renting on board is more problems than it is worth. Dresses for $50.00 please please do tell.

 

gracesgems

 

Don't forget thrift shops, garage sales and clearance sales. DW purchased a formal black skirt at a garage sale for $3, found a $150 black and silver sequined two-piece top for $30 at a department store clearance sale. Just purchased an almost new men's blue blazer at a thrift shop for $8. :) Takes a bit of patience and ingenuity but formal wear doesn't have to put a strain on the budget.

[WeBeCruisin']

We just returned from the 7-31 Baltics cruise on The Constellation and I brought my tuxedo, but when I unpacked, I realized I had forgotten the box containing the bowtie, cummerbund, cufflinks and shirt studs. Guest relations was able to supply them for the length of the cruise for $15. I prefer my own tux, as it serves as a motivation to avoid gaining so much weight between cruises where I might have to buy another one. Even so, it gets a little snug by the third formal night on a 14-day cruise.

 

Allen

[wvufan]

Hi folks,

 

I had rented from cruiselineformal or whatever they are called several times, with acceptable fit. However, I am booked on a back to back in October, and they wanted to charge me for two rentals even though I said I would be glad to keep the same formal for both weeks.

 

Am I glad they took that stance, because I bought a great tux for $96 a few days ago, and also got bargains on the shirts and accessories. Thanks to recommendations from others on these boards, I discovered a place called Syms (they are a chain of discount quality clothes-look up Syms on the web). Check the site for a place near you-they have their big semiannual sale going on right now, and it is well worth a drive to take advantage of the prices.

 

Thanks to all who posted on this good topic and to all who wear tuxes on board:)

 

OOOEEE:D :D Bob and Phyllis

[CaribbeanBound]

Buying your tux on eBay or a a clearance sale is the way to go.

 

Highly recommend the adjustable pants. 3 years ago, I found I could no longer fit into my original tux pants and had to buy a new pair. Went adjustable this time. (These are also handy when you've had too much to eat).

[RM]

This was supposed to be my way of cutting down on the packing. We are flying across the country and don't know how I'll make the weight limits the airlines have and have enough for an 11 day trip.

 

Yikes.....now I'm having second thoughts.

[jimmy2x]

Another vote for buying your own. As others have found a "rented suit" winds up looking like exactly what it is, as we found out the hard way. In any case, with all the stuff my wife packs:D, the added bulkiness of the tux is nardly noticable.

[BocaRoo]

Most formal wear shops have used tuxes available for purchase at very reasonable prices. You can buy the used tux and treat yourself to a fresh, new shirt, bow tie, cummerbund, studs, cufflinks, etc. That's what Kevin did - he bought a wonderful Christian Dior tux for about $100 - then, we bought all the "trimmings" for about another $50-$75. It really is a good deal - he's worn it on several cruises, each cruise once or twice depending on how many formal nights - and boy, does he look handsome! :D

 

:) Jill :)

[Blazerboy]

If you're loooking for bargains, big store sales are sometimes the way to go. I got my single-breasted tux at Neiman Marcus at their "last call" sale for $150. O.K., so you can't always wait for that sale, and count on getting your size. But, practically speaking, Burlington Coat Factory, Marshalls, Ross all have formal wear, especially around May/June, and it's often really reasonable. For those of you near a Nordstrom Rack (The discount clearance store for the chain- we have three "Racks" in the S.F Bay Area), it's another great source for VERY discounted formal clothing. The East Coast equivalent might be Filene's Basement, and the store in Boston is definitely worth a trip. Don't forget to look at these places when you're travelling on business, or even arriving in a City before or after a cruise. A bargain on a tux would be a GREAT cruise souvenir!

 

And certainly, the cost of a tux purchsed on sale is amortized by the second cruise when compared to a rental. And, gentlemen, you only have to read these threads to know that women REALLY like to look at men in tuxes, and can't we all use the ego boost?

[NJGRANNY]

My son-in-law got a nice tux at a Goodwill Store. They were going to a formal dance and he happened to pass a Goodwill store and decided to check. Lo and behold, they had one that fit him and it was really cheap.

 

I looked in our local GW before our last cruise for a sport jacket for my husband. Didn't find one, but got him a new (with tags) casual shirt that he loves for $6.