To Rent or Not To Rent?

[cbpanda]

DH and I are sailing on the Caribbean Princess in a couple of weeks. We trying to decide whether or not it's worth while to rent formal wear on the ship or just to pack it. Does the cost of rental out way the hassel to bring? :confused:

[Spikesgirl]

The first couple of times, we rented with "Formals at Sea." My DH is 6'5" and ended up with pants that had a waist almost as big as he is tall. We had to sew darts in just to keep them up. Second time, the tux fit like a charm. Third time, he rented from land and that worked out well. Then since it wsa obvious that he liked wearing the tux, I bought him one for Valentine's Day. Now he packs it. Says that it's not a hassle and he likes the peace of mind knowing that it will fit exactly as he expects it to. If your DH is of average size, then you have a pretty good chance of exchanging a piece that doesn't fit, but if he's taller, thinner, shorter, etc than average, you might run into trouble. Make sure that you have someone who knows how to take measurements (any department store, tux rental place, etc.) can do it for you and probably won't charge if you explain what you're doing and come at a quiet time.

 

Hope that helped some,

 

Charlie

[Druke I]

Well, I am long and lean, and perhaps not an easy fit.

 

I bought my own tux (and a white dinner jacket) to make sure it fit well. A couple or three rentals just about equals the buying price, with accessories, so for me it made sense to buy.

[Irishjayne]

If you are female and rent then you may see others with the same outfit on. The ones that look good in the outfit make the others look bad. I saw it on the Coral last month.

[Cactus]

Just another alternative – he doesn’t need to wear a tux unless he wants too. From the Princess cruises I’ve been on since 2003, I’d say about 1/3 of the men wear a tux, about ½ wear full suits – and the rest wear a nice sport coat and tie. Very few disregard the expectation to dress nicely (tux/suit/sport coat & tie), of course there are always a few.

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

I have rented a tux on the last four cruises using the cruise line recommended site and would never do anything differently. On my upcoming cruise I am using cruiseline formal wear. They have always fit if I measure correctly. It would probably be cheaper in the long run to buy, but my weight fluctuates and by renting I can guarantee a better fit each cruise. Besides it means less that I have to pack.

[Tom O.]

As for tuxes, if someone is renting in order to save the expense of buying, there are brand new tuxes on Ebay that cost less than a single rental, and they come complete with everything (except shoes).

But the real advantage of renting is not having to haul the thing around. This advantage may not be that important if you are not flying. We usually go on cruises that we can drive to, so there is no limit of how much luggage we can bring.

For anyone with a suit, tux, or womens formal wear, I would recommend one of those special suit cases designed to carry clothes while on their hangers.

[cbpanda]

Thanks everybody for the advice. I truly appreciate it. We have decided to just get a nice suit for him.

[JLC@SD]

Thanks everybody for the advice. I truly appreciate it. We have decided to just get a nice suit for him.

I just wear a nice dark suit with a dark tie. The best part of doing this is he can probably wear the suit somewhere else.......easier than a formal tux.