Celebrity from Southampton

[amajaa]

Looking at booking Celebrity having previously sailed with P & O, RCI and Cunard.

 

I understand the dress code has been changed from formal to chic. What is it like for the Chic evenings when sailing from Southampton. I wouldn't want to go with my sequinned evening dresses and my husband with a dinner jacket if no one else dresses up. Any advice please.

[WestLakeGirl]

A lot of people still dress up but since this is a new dress code, have there even been any sailings from S'Hampton?

[Suzy Smith]

I don't think there have been any sailings from Southampton since they changed to the new dress code and if I was sailing on Eclipse this summer, I wouldn't have a clue what to pack. On sailings from Southampton, pax always seem to dress up more than on other Celebrity cruises. We were on Eclipse in September last year, and at the time of night that we went in for dinner, probably 90% of the diners in the MDR were in formal dress on the formal nights - but then we Brits just love an excuse to dress up!:) I think the majority of folks sailing from Southampton will still associate a cruise with formal dress, and the great adverts featuring Rob Brydon that P & O are currently running show everyone looking very glamorous in formal dress in the evenings, so they obviously feel it is something that Brits enjoy.

 

I am sorry that I am being absolutely no help to you at all, but I hope that CC members on the first cruises out of Southampton this year will report back. We are cruising with Cunard this year - so will definitely pack the posh frock!:)

Edited March 23, 2016 by Suzy Smith

[goody1]

My Wife and I are cruising on the Eclipse out of Southampton on the 17th July. Regardless of any posts prior to our sailing, I will still be taking my Dinner Jacket for the 2 Evening Chic Nights.

[Project_gal]

As others have said, there is not yet any actual experience of the Chic dress code from Southampton but on our January/February Eclipse cruise, Brits tended to dress more formally than North Americans. I should think that it is likely to be similar cruising from Southampton. This is especially so because North Americans, for whom a European cruise may be a rare opportunity to see Europe, are more likely to focus on tours in port than the evenings on board.

[amajaa]

Thanks all for your advice so far. It's exactly what I was thinking that most Brits tend to dress up and enjoy formal evenings which is why I specifically put Southampton in the question.

 

I suppose it really depends of the percentage of Brits onboard, when we sailed on RCI out of Southampton there were about 90% Brits but when we sailed from Harwich (to Norway and Iceland) there were only about 50%. Also I have a feeling quite a few Americans might cancel any trips to Europe in light of the recent tragedy in Belgium.

[Fogfog]

We sailed on the Eclipse from Southampton (Baltics)

On formal/chic nights there were women in gowns and men in dinner jackets. There were also women in LBD and men in dark suits.

I especially liked seeing the phtogs snapping pics on the staircase...and one young teen had several done (perhaps a personal photo shoot) She looked lovely

 

We flew into Heathrow --so had to handle it all in airline baggage and did fine with 1 large bag pp/i carry on.

 

I skipped the formal long gowns and brought tea length LBDs.

[Suzy Smith]

Thanks all for your advice so far. It's exactly what I was thinking that most Brits tend to dress up and enjoy formal evenings which is why I specifically put Southampton in the question.

 

I suppose it really depends of the percentage of Brits onboard, when we sailed on RCI out of Southampton there were about 90% Brits but when we sailed from Harwich (to Norway and Iceland) there were only about 50%.

I think you will find similar numbers on Celebrity. We have cruised the Med five times from Southampton on X and, on each cruise, the vast majority of the pax were Brits. We have done the Baltic once with Celebrity, and on that cruise there were still more Brits than any other nationality, but there was more of an international mix. We have a photo of our table in the MDR on formal night on the Baltic cruise and, true to form;), the four Brits are in formal wear, but our German table mates are not wearing dinner jacket/evening dress, although still very smartly dressed.

[amajaa]

I think you will find similar numbers on Celebrity. We have cruised the Med five times from Southampton on X and, on each cruise, the vast majority of the pax were Brits. We have done the Baltic once with Celebrity, and on that cruise there were still more Brits than any other nationality, but there was more of an international mix. We have a photo of our table in the MDR on formal night on the Baltic cruise and, true to form;), the four Brits are in formal wear, but our German table mates are not wearing dinner jacket/evening dress, although still very smartly dressed.

 

 

 

I think Germans dress up even less than our American cousins. At my Daughters wedding, a German friend and his wife turned up in jeans and anoraks. Everyone thought they were just visiting the churchyard until they walked into the church.

 

I was hoping Ladies were still wearing long dresses as I have a few new ones not yet worn, that need an outing.

[kevinyork]

We sailed on the Eclipse from Southampton (Baltics)

 

On formal/chic nights there were women in gowns and men in dinner jackets. There were also women in LBD and men in dark suits.

 

I especially liked seeing the phtogs snapping pics on the staircase...and one young teen had several done (perhaps a personal photo shoot) She looked lovely

 

 

 

We flew into Heathrow --so had to handle it all in airline baggage and did fine with 1 large bag pp/i carry on.

 

 

 

I skipped the formal long gowns and brought tea length LBDs.

 

 

There have not been any Chic nights on departures from Southampton yet, hence the OPs question.

 

 

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[bengaltiger1]

We are sailing out of Southampton at the beginning of July. I can't wait to have an excuse to dress up every night. We aim to take full advantage of not having to fly and not having to comply with weight restrictions on our luggage.

 

 

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