SS Explorer "Formal" nights

[Oldiesfan]

We will be on the Cape Town to Zanzibar leg  next March - can anyone who has been on the Explorer please share their experience and if the typical SS Formal attire nights are done on the expedition type ships and itineraries?  We are also on the Origin this August in the Galapagos and my impression is that there either will not be any "formal" night partly due to the nature of the itinerary and partly due to the new Covid protocals being enforced on board.

[jpalbny]

Four cruises on Explorer so far. No formal nights. You can dress up a little for the Captain's welcome and farewell get-togethers, if you'd like. We love Explorer. Have done Antarctica, Svalbard, Panama Canal, and the west coast of South America on board.

[highplanesdrifters]

Oldiesfan - would love a report on this trip. Tried to book, but too late, our cabins of choice were taken.

[WesW]

Oldiesfan; we will also be on the Cape to Zanzibar voyage as well as the Puerto Williams to Cape voyage preceding it.  Can't wait.

 

Here is what Silversea says about dress on the Explorer, found in the FAQ section of the Silversea home page.

 

We have been on the Silver Cloud expedition for voyages to Svalbard and Cape to Cape and the dress is precisely as described below.

 

For Silversea Expeditions guests sailing aboard Silver Explorer, casual resort wear is appropriate at all times when on board, with the exception of two evenings when Informal attire is required. For men, this means a jacket, tie optional.

Edited June 21, 2021 by WesW

[Oldiesfan]

On 6/21/2021 at 2:30 PM, WesW said:

Oldiesfan; we will also be on the Cape to Zanzibar voyage as well as the Puerto Williams to Cape voyage preceding it.  Can't wait.

 

Here is what Silversea says about dress on the Explorer, found in the FAQ section of the Silversea home page.

 

We have been on the Silver Cloud expedition for voyages to Svalbard and Cape to Cape and the dress is precisely as described below.

 

For Silversea Expeditions guests sailing aboard Silver Explorer, casual resort wear is appropriate at all times when on board, with the exception of two evenings when Informal attire is required. For men, this means a jacket, tie optional.

Thanks for the insight -still struggling a bit with having to lug a blazer so may just skip the "formal" nights and eat topside or in our suite.  We will be in the bush in Medikwe S.Africa and Botswana for 10 day before boarding the explorer so we really need to manage our packing to a minimum considering that with transit time from the US we will be away for 30 + days. Look forward to meeting you onboard and comparing travel notes. -  we are on the Origin in the Galapagos in 5 weeks.

[FauxNom]

48 minutes ago, Oldiesfan said:

still struggling a bit with having to lug a blazer so may just skip the "formal" nights and eat topside or in our suite. 

On both the Explorer and the Cloud my husband just wore slacks and a nice sweater over his button down shirt. Nobody noticed, I'm quite sure! We sort of breezed through the pre-dinner cocktail party and I was surprised to see anyone dressed up, but once in the dining room you would never know it was formal night.

[ronrick1943]

1 hour ago, FauxNom said:

On both the Explorer and the Cloud my husband just wore slacks and a nice sweater over his button down shirt. Nobody noticed, I'm quite sure! We sort of breezed through the pre-dinner cocktail party and I was surprised to see anyone dressed up, but once in the dining room you would never know it was formal night.

That sounds great to me—-I feel as long as you look nice that should work.  I’ve seen on a few cruises people thinking they bare dressed up-but really some of those outfits (men & women) should have been retired long ago.

[OlsSalt]

I like dressing up a bit for dinner, DH even likes wearing a tux when we cruise.

 

We won't go that far when we take our first SS Explorer expedition cruise, but is dressing up even a little bit, simply because cruising is a festive  time for us, be too odd to even bother thinking or packing for?

 

Not sure what is in between "expedition" casual for day time (cold weather expected) and then what makes wardrobe choices different for later evening dining, if everything is still regarded as "casual". 

[drron29]

4 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

I like dressing up a bit for dinner, DH even likes wearing a tux when we cruise.

 

We won't go that far when we take our first SS Explorer expedition cruise, but is dressing up even a little bit, simply because cruising is a festive  time for us, be too odd to even bother thinking or packing for?

 

Not sure what is in between "expedition" casual for day time (cold weather expected) and then what makes wardrobe choices different for later evening dining, if everything is still regarded as "casual". 

You can still make the night a bit special.Here I am on one such night on the Explore.The staff appreciate it even though I was in a minority.

 

And that woman isn't my wife but some Explorer fans may well recognise the Chick with a Gun.

[FauxNom]

17 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

We won't go that far when we take our first SS Explorer expedition cruise, but is dressing up even a little bit, simply because cruising is a festive  time for us, be too odd to even bother thinking or packing for?

Nobody will look askance if you dress up on the Explorer, though I've never seen a tuxedo on anyone but a butler on the three expedition cruises I've taken.

 

For the Captain's Dinner evening, I saw men in suits, sports coats, or just a dress shirt + sweater. Maybe a third of the women who attended wore cocktail dresses and slightly dressy shoes, such as strappy sandals. I've not gone the dress route because I hate to pack shoes that I'll only wear once or twice during the trip. So my dressy outfits tend to involve dark slacks, a colorful silk top or jacket, and tuxedo style flats. 

 

Regular dinner attire really runs the gamut. Women tend to wear slacks + nice blouse (as above), but a sweater + slacks combo is also pretty common. Dresses are not ubiquitous, but definitely not out of place. For men, slacks and a collared shirt, though I've seen plenty of jeans on men in the restaurant.

[RachelG]

my husband and I have over 100 nights on Silversea Explorer and Cloud (after it became an expedition ship).  I like to dress up, he doesn't.  I bring a couple of cocktail dresses then either slacks with fancy tops or sundresses depending on the climate, along with sparkly shoes or sandals.  He wears slacks and a collared shirt.  He might bring a sportcoat, but he has never worn a tie on an expedition ship, and we have never felt out of place. 

[ronrick1943]

28 minutes ago, RachelG said:

my husband and I have over 100 nights on Silversea Explorer and Cloud (after it became an expedition ship).  I like to dress up, he doesn't.  I bring a couple of cocktail dresses then either slacks with fancy tops or sundresses depending on the climate, along with sparkly shoes or sandals.  He wears slacks and a collared shirt.  He might bring a sportcoat, but he has never worn a tie on an expedition ship, and we have never felt out of place. 

I really don’t mine a jacket or tie, but in some current tube videos I’ve seen guest a dinner at the more formal type of restaurants on Silverseas (non-expedition type ships) in collared shirts, no jacket at dinner.  Is nthis really allowed (like Regent).

[OlsSalt]

From the photos, the main dining room looks lovely and certainly a lot of effort is put into the food preparation and presentation. I guess the feeling is  that I want/need to dress up a bit, in honor and mutual appreciation of the efforts it appears  SS  is putting into the occasion. 

 

The setting seems to "ask" for a little more formality in dress t, but then I have no idea of the realities of a much smaller expedition journey ship that may be rocking and rolling across the seas at the same time where just hanging on is job number one and keeping the soup off your lap. Wash and wear functional clothes may well be the order of the day.

 

Long way off still and packing is only taking place in my mind at this  time, not yet trying to stuff all these options into a suitcase along with the expedition gear.

[ronrick1943]

On 7/5/2021 at 11:32 AM, OlsSalt said:

From the photos, the main dining room looks lovely and certainly a lot of effort is put into the food preparation and presentation. I guess the feeling is  that I want/need to dress up a bit, in honor and mutual appreciation of the efforts it appears  SS  is putting into the occasion. 

 

The setting seems to "ask" for a little more formality in dress t, but then I have no idea of the realities of a much smaller expedition journey ship that may be rocking and rolling across the seas at the same time where just hanging on is job number one and keeping the soup off your lap. Wash and wear functional clothes may well be the order of the day.

 

Long way off still and packing is only taking place in my mind at this  time, not yet trying to stuff all these options into a suitcase along with the expedition gear.

I do agree with you, but dressing up for men doesn’t have to mean an coat and tie if done right with proper clothes.  Some of the suits, jackets I’ve seen on cruise really don’t look dressed up and should have been retire sometime ago.

[Reef Knot]

I like to wear a jacket regardless,  usefull to have pockets for my glasses, phone, pen  etc. So putting a tie on is no big deal. So by extension formal is not much of an inconvenience .

[ronrick1943]

4 hours ago, Reef Knot said:

I like to wear a jacket regardless,  usefull to have pockets for my glasses, phone, pen  etc. So putting a tie on is no big deal. So by extension formal is not much of an inconvenience .

I enjoy dressing up also, just not a tie—did that at work and now I don’t work.  A Tux I don enjoy but it has to be something really special.  For me (my opinion only, don’t get upset), dinner on a ship isn’t that special of a occasion unless you yourself have a special event to celebrate.