formal-night.jpgIt’s your first cruise and you’re dutifully reading the cruise line’s pamphlet on what to expect on your upcoming voyage. Your heart skips a beat when you reach the section on clothing: Two formal nights! You haven’t been that dressed up since the prom (more years ago than you’ll even admit).   You got great deal on the cruise itself but now you have visions of running a much higher tab on the stuff you need to board the ship.  

Fear not, gentle reader, you’re in good hands.  I’m a black-belt New York shopper with a PhD in bargain hunting. I’ve got a closet full of nice cruise clothes and I can’t remember the last time I paid retail.   

What Does Formal Mean On A Cruise?

A formal event at home may mean ball gowns but they’re pretty rare on a cruise unless you’re sailing on a luxury ship like Crystal Symphony.  Of course men have it much easier.  Roughly half the men bring tuxes or rent them aboard ship, the other half wear suits.   On formal nights you’ll find women donned out in all matter of attire, ranging from short to long dresses and skirts plus pants suits fancy and simple. 

But hey, a cruise is a special occasion and you’ll want to dress up a bit.  And of course you want a few new items to take on the cruise. 

I asked a friend, who works for Giorgio Armani, for tips on ways to look elegant on a limited budget.  His advice: “Wear black!”  I could take a 90-day world cruise  with one long black skirt and/or black evening pants plus a pair of black high heels.  Add a black or white silk top. What makes me look dressed up is accessories: glittery jewelry, long flowing scarf, a special silk or satin evening jacket.    The odds are you can probably borrow these items from friends and family.  But hey, it’s fun to shop. 

Confessions of an Ebay shopper

 Ebay is the world’s largest bazaar where you can buy practically anything for a fraction of the price. I’ve been an avid Ebay shopper since 1997 and here are some of the deals I’ve gleaned: A TravelPro suitcase for $49 (a savings of $100 off retail); a $2,000 Issey Miayke evening dress NWT (new with tags) for $135; Eileen Fisher silk pants NWT for $25; a stunning evening bag for $12; brand new Stuart Weitzman evening shoes for $40 which sell in the stores for $220. Tommy Bahama’s clothing is perfect for cruisers and I’ve collected a few of his items with a hefty discount.

(Note: if you’re new to Ebay, read the last section of this article which explains the process.)

I’m not taking much of a risk buying clothes and shoes on Ebay because I’ve already tried them on in a store. I know which designer’s clothes look best on me, know I like the fit and my size. I’m sure you’ve discovered that sizes vary by designer. I consider it a prerequisite to making an Ebay purchase that I try the clothes and shoes on before I bid.  

Since I don’t have all the time in the world to constantly check Ebay’s massive inventory,  the search tool is invaluable. For example, if searching for my favorite designer’s evening shoes, I input “Stuart Weitzman black heels,6.5″, or, Clarks 37 (European size) for more casual footwear. For clothing, I enter the designer and size, i.e., Tommy Bahama ladies 8, Eileen Fisher M.

When buying clothing and shoes, I only purchase items that are NWT, Ebayspeak for ”new with tags”. I make exceptions for evening bags that will get limited use. If there is a flaw, the Ebay sellers I’ve encountered go out of their way to describe it. In some cases, however, you may not know a specific designer for all the items you need. For example “evening bag” will bring up thousands of bags.  To save time, be more specific: “black clutch” or “vintage evening bag” will narrow the options.  

One of my favorite Ebay sellers is textile artist Maya Matazaro who creates stunning scarves, shaws and fringed evening jackets made of cut velvet, silk and other fine fabrics.  In Maya’s Boutique you’ll find beautiful evening shawls priced from $20 to $75. 

For jewelry that will only be used for one or two evenings I suggest buying inexpensive costume jewelry made of crystal.  My search for these items would be “Swarovski necklace”.  The Austrian company manufactures its own jewelry and nearly all the crystal found in any company’s jewelry. (By the way, Swarovski crystal is just another word for rhinestones; don’t be duped into paying much for any piece of jewelry made of crystals.) 

While it’s true that half of male cruisers bring a dark suit, men can still dress in a tux without spending much.  Aboard most ships you’ll find a tuxedo rental facility  with very reasonable rates. For a fee of around $65 he’ll be outfitted in a full tuxedo to wear during the cruise.  He can even rent the shoes aboard the ship. Be sure to ask your travel agent if your ship has this service.

For children, follow the same guidelines: buy name-brand items in the sizes you know will fit your children.

Additional Bargain Venues

I love flea markets and some of my best purchases have come from them.  One pair of earrings from the 1950’s made of beautiful, large crystal cost $5; I always get compliments.  A lovely woman from Viet Nam sold me a beaded satin evening bag for $8. 

New To Ebay?

Ebay is an Internet auction site where you’ll find practically every item made on earth for sale at a discount. There is no charge to register and you can begin bidding immediately. One useful tool the auction company provides each person is “My Ebay”, an area where you can track the items you’ve bid on, won as well as merchandise you’re watching. When you bid, are out-bid and win an item, Ebay automatically sends you confirming emails.

Security: How do you know the person you’re buying from will really deliver the item? What keeps both buyers and sellers honest is the feedback they get from other members. Before buying an item, check the seller’s feedback area for comments from other buyers (I don’t buy items from any seller with less than a 98% satisfaction rate). And, after the item has arrived, return to “My Ebay” and rate the seller.

Bidding: This is a straightforward procedure. You either compete against other bidders or click the “Buy It Now” icon for items priced higher than the final sale price.  I can’t be bothered waiting for an auction to end so I “spam” the item. “Spamming” is perfectly legal and easy to do.  With an outside free web site such as JustSnipe, I register the Ebay item number and the maximum amount I’m willing to pay.  My bid arrives at the auction five seconds before it closes. 

Ebay owns Pay Pal, an Internet payment web site, and all sellers use it as a payment option. Once you register with PayPal, funds are charged to a credit card or withdrawn directly from a bank account.

What tips do you have for saving money on pre-cruise items like clothing, luggage, cameras and other items?