Guest blue_hole_punch Posted March 5, 2017 Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 Hi I'm in the final countdown - 11 more sleeps!! We are booked on a 3 night sampler cruise on Explorer from Sydney. I've done a previous P&O cruise, but my husband has never been and it took me 5 years to get him convinced to do a sample cruise. The idea is that if he enjoys himself enough we will put a deposit down for a longer cruise with his son, as I know this is the perfect family holiday. I have 2 questions. I've been doing so much reading and these are the two things I can't get an answer for. 1 - formal night. My husband doesn't do "dress up". I've got him convinced to at least wear a button up shirt, but he will team it with his black cargo pants and black runner type shoes. Will this be ok? This is the best I can get from him!! 2 - bringing our own wine on board. I want to bring 2 bottles of our favourite to drink on our balcony at sail out (deck party would be too much for husband). Everything I'm reading says this is ok, but then I read things about alcohol not being allowed in bags. So should I have the wine in my backpack to carry on, not in my suitcase? I'm a very nervous traveller and like to know all the rules, would hate for anything to go wrong! Also - what things on Explorer should I do/not do to get husband across the line? I've got my eye on a 14 night New Zealand cruise for December 2018, but need to get him loving ship life first. He's not big on crowds and noise and we're not big party people... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pamw Posted March 5, 2017 Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 Not everyone dresses up on Formal evenings so I wouldn't be concerned about that but maybe eat in the Windjammer as I'm not sure how the Dining room would view hubbies dress. P&O are maybe stricter on dress codes and you will have noticed that most passengers did dress formally for this night, RC is more relaxed. Not sure about the wine but I know RC are strict about what we can take on Alcohol wise, someone will come along and advise. I hope your husband enjoys the cruise ( a taster is a brilliant way to start ) and you get that longer cruise booked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted March 5, 2017 Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 Two bottles of wine in your carry-on bag / backpack is the way to do it. They will visually inspect your bag, see the unopened bottles and verify they're not over 750ml each, and you're good. If it's in the checked suitcase the porters take onboard, the bottles show up on X-ray scan and the bag gets flagged / put in security storage. Then you get a "nastygram" message to go to security, where you'll open the bag and show them it's valid bottles of wine, at which point they release the bag and you can take it up to your room. Definitely best to have it in the carry-on! ;) pamw 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted March 5, 2017 Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 Hi I'm in the final countdown - 11 more sleeps!! We are booked on a 3 night sampler cruise on Explorer from Sydney. I've done a previous P&O cruise, but my husband has never been and it took me 5 years to get him convinced to do a sample cruise. The idea is that if he enjoys himself enough we will put a deposit down for a longer cruise with his son, as I know this is the perfect family holiday. I have 2 questions. I've been doing so much reading and these are the two things I can't get an answer for. 1 - formal night. My husband doesn't do "dress up". I've got him convinced to at least wear a button up shirt, but he will team it with his black cargo pants and black runner type shoes. Will this be ok? This is the best I can get from him!! 2 - bringing our own wine on board. I want to bring 2 bottles of our favourite to drink on our balcony at sail out (deck party would be too much for husband). Everything I'm reading says this is ok, but then I read things about alcohol not being allowed in bags. So should I have the wine in my backpack to carry on, not in my suitcase? I'm a very nervous traveller and like to know all the rules, would hate for anything to go wrong! Also - what things on Explorer should I do/not do to get husband across the line? I've got my eye on a 14 night New Zealand cruise for December 2018, but need to get him loving ship life first. He's not big on crowds and noise and we're not big party people... You will get a Cruise Compass delivered to your cabin every night. It details all of the next days activities hourly from morning to late night. Check tht out and you will be bale to avoid the "noisy" activities. JL is spot on about the two bottles of vino, I have done this on previous cruises. Have fun and ENJOY! pamw 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpsarge Posted March 5, 2017 Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 Hello - You are going to have so much fun on your short cruise! It will be a great way to get a taste of a vacation on the water. My wife and I just got back yesterday from a cruise on the Adventure of the Seas out of San Juan. It was wonderful! As to your questions - like pamw said above, not everyone dresses up for formal dinners. However, the ship made several announcements that shorts, tank tops and flip flops were not allowed in the Dining Rooms. If your husband has a collared shirt, long pants and any type of closed-toe shoes, he will be allowed in the dining room. If you are seated at the early or late dinner time with others at your table, I would ask your table mates on the first night what they are planning to do. You and your husband may feel uncomfortable if the others wear a tux and cocktail dress; in that case you could consider doing the Windjammer for dinner that evening. You can bring two (2) 750ml bottles of wine per cabin. However, keep in mind you will not be able to have it in carry on luggage onboard the plane if that is how you are traveling to the ship. I suppose you could put it in check luggage for the flight and transfer it to your carry-on before boarding the ship. I would not recommend that, however - a broken bottle of wine in your checked luggage will be a real downer of a way to start a fun cruise. What I saw in San Juan was a little wine store inside the cruise terminal, so you buy the 2 bottles of wine after clearing the security - may be the best approach! Enjoy your cruise!! :) RestingBird 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruise-y Posted March 6, 2017 Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 Hello Guest - Your hubs will be perfectly ok with cargo pants, a collared shirt and closed athletic shoes. You can dress up a bit yourself and then nobody will notice him. Order some drinks with dinner and your waiter will be so happy with the automatic 18% he won't mind your attire one bit. As others have noted, if you feel uncomfortable you can always eat in the buffet. I hope you can get him out to the sail-away deck party, because nobody knows anyone else, so he won't feel like he has to mingle at all. (It's not at all like an office party where you feel odd standing by yourself.) I'm not that social either and I always go to the sail-away party. Free drinks, live music and you can just lean over the balcony and enjoy the view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrnezy70 Posted March 6, 2017 Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 Thanks jpsarge for the info on the wine store inside the terminal, I was wondering where to get my wine from Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue_hole_punch Posted March 6, 2017 Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 Thanks everyone! We're not flying, so wine in carry on will be no problem. For the sail away our cabin is desk 12, on the end (1838). So we should be able to hear most of it, but not actually be out there. And after a wine or two he might be up to it. One more quick question - given that its such a short cruise and we've pre paid for practically everything, I was planning on doing a cash account. Do we put a deposit down? And how does currency exchange work, seeing as though we are sailing from Sydney do I pay it in AUD or should I get USD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted March 6, 2017 Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 Tell your husband he is not alone!!!! I don't go on vacation to dress up.... my wife and I just booked the April 22, 2017 cruise on Harmony of the seas and are leaving our 8yo at home for our first kid free vacation. This is a subject I have been reading a lot about. We have taken our son on 3, 7 day Disney cruises which are AWESOME.... we would be taking this one on Disney also, but the price difference is huge... we think the Disney cruises are worth every penny, but figured we would give RCL a try on their newest boat. Disney has one " picture night".... and you will see some people dressed to the nines... but also others in shorts, t shirts, etc. .Some will say this is not for them.... but, it is for me. Nice shorts or khaki cargos, polo shirt... done. So... most likely will skip the formal nights as my wife is not into playing dress up either... lol.... and I love her for it!! We are going to dine at chops.... got no problem with slacks and a polo for that.... but for MDR.... sorry, not going to happen. But... best advice is go to the MDR and see what non formal nights look like. First Disney cruise I brought a lot of polos and Tommy Bahama island wear shirts.....NOT NEEDED. Next two cruises I knew what to bring... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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