Anyone Miss the Formal Nights?

Lovely family photos. I'm sure youll cherish them.

THANKS, call me old fashion nostalgic ...:o

I once shared an office with someone who was an avid cruiser. After every cruise she went on, or her mother went on, I would hear all about it. Not the ship. Not the food. Not the ports visited. No. I would hear all about the formal nights. What they wore, how badly dressed everyone else was. How bad mannered some of the people were to not be wearing ballgowns. How terrible it was that a man wore a suit and tie not a dinner jacket and bow tie.

 

I vowed that wild horses would never get me on a cruiise ship. Then Freestyle happenned. I found I could go cruising after all and I have now completed 14 or 15 cruises with NCL. Wild horses still would not drag me onto the line they used to sail even though I hear they have changed quite a lot.

 

I don't miss formal nights at all. Their absence allows me to cruise.

I don't miss a formal night and I don't miss HAVING to eat with strangers every night as some preset time. I'll be happy to just dine solo or with just my family. If we happen to meet someone and invite them to dine with us that'll be great too, but I'm don't need NCL telling me whom to dine with.

Not sure why the "bad" experience, it has never bothered me what others wear. I can be in my best and if the couple/family at the next table choose to dress down while we dress up, no worries. The clothing police crowd will never be happy anywhere on any line or even on a landbased cruise IMHO.

I have shared a table a few times, there were some high points and some not so. If one doesn't choose to share, never had problem in anytime traditional changing, maybe I just did it with a smile and things happen. I do hope to try NCL someday :D

Don't miss it all! Taking a princess cruise next January -DH and I treating it as "hoot" but doubt we will do it again!!

An outsider popping in, I have looked many a time at NCL but somehow it has never aligned when our cruise bug bites. The thought of go as you are/feel to dinner every night was/is intriguing.

 

I'm about as informal a person as one can find, wearing jeans and t-shirt to work for 22 years and my formal wear decades old, but believe it or not the only time I get my family dragged out together in formal wear is on cruise. You can call it a money racket but formal pictures of the family and a sitdown dinner in a monkey suit once every year or so, ain't to much to lug my 20 year old sports jacket and dated tie. As I look back at those vacations and pictures, timeless ;)

 

I don't often get pictures like the one below either so even for $50 bucks for one check-in I opt in to formal night. Of course its only a "picture" but still timeless IMHO so.. hmm maybe I'll still bring the monkey suits. Do they have all them photographers and fancy backgrounds on NCL?

 

Oh one last thought, comment, clothing police aside here, on my last princess I saw lots of slacks and polo shirts on them "formal" "elegant" " formal" nights... so you can still be comfortable if you choose.

 

 

 

 

What a darling family you have:) I love to dress up because I wear t shirts and sweatpants to work every day. I can't wear nice things as a nanny because u won't believe what I get on my clothes sometimes!

So even though there is only 1 optional dress up night on my May 30th cruise on the jewel. I'm bring 4 dresses, but 2 are pretty casual. And I don't care if no one else dresses up, I'm going to look fab and have a great time!

An outsider popping in, I have looked many a time at NCL but somehow it has never aligned when our cruise bug bites. The thought of go as you are/feel to dinner every night was/is intriguing.

 

I'm about as informal a person as one can find, wearing jeans and t-shirt to work for 22 years and my formal wear decades old, but believe it or not the only time I get my family dragged out together in formal wear is on cruise. You can call it a money racket but formal pictures of the family and a sitdown dinner in a monkey suit once every year or so, ain't to much to lug my 20 year old sports jacket and dated tie. As I look back at those vacations and pictures, timeless ;)

 

I don't often get pictures like the one below either so even for $50 bucks for one check-in I opt in to formal night. Of course its only a "picture" but still timeless IMHO so.. hmm maybe I'll still bring the monkey suits. Do they have all them photographers and fancy backgrounds on NCL?

 

Oh one last thought, comment, clothing police aside here, on my last princess I saw lots of slacks and polo shirts on them "formal" "elegant" " formal" nights... so you can still be comfortable if you choose.

 

 

 

 

They are lovely family photos to cherish. May I just point out though, that in the golden age of cruising your dress code would have been described as informal. On most lines there were Formal nights, where men wore Dinner suits/tuxedo's and bow tie. Informal nights, consisting of Suit or Sports jacket and tie, and then there was also resort casual, which would be allowed after some port days only.

Whilst I like the idea of being able to dine in a different restaurant each night, without sharing a table, I fear NCL are now very near to totally wrecking any romance and uniqueness a cruise had. I fear my next will be my last.

I absolutely do miss it. I think it was a special & unique part of cruising. I realize we can wear what we want and dress up if we want, but it was special seeing pretty much everyone on board in their formal attire. I think it added elegance & class but apparently, I am in the minority, at least on the Norwegian board!

One reason I prefer the Freestyle Cruising for our family is the cost of taking formal wear or dress up clothes. The baggage limits and fees that airlines charge for extra suitcases makes it expensive to take formal wear. Then the clothes often need pressing by the ship...another cost. The other big reason is my DH dislikes dressing up for vacations...He is on vacation so the business casual "suits" him better.

It seems like most cruise lines offer the option to dress formal or casual on the tradtional formal nights. The only restriction is the venue you can access for dinner. When I was on the Breakaway last spring there were many people who dressed formal on the "picture night". I just returned from a cruise on the Regal Princess and opted not to participate in formal night but I really enjoyed people watching and seeing everyone dressed up.

It's the beauty of cruising everyone can choose to do what they want.

The most important thing to me is to have a good time and live and love life and cruising.

We like dress up night, for the same reason as Chipmaster. It's not often that we get the family dressed up for pictures, so it's really convenient.

I'm fine having it, or in the case of NCL..not having it.

I wouldn't want a true formal night, because I'd have to rent a tux.

We don't care what everyone else does, it's our cruise and we are doing what we want. We'll always dress nicer if there is a picture night, everyone else can do what they want. It's no imposition on us.

No. Do not and will not miss it.

 

So even though there is only 1 optional dress up night on my May 30th cruise on the jewel. I'm bring 4 dresses, but 2 are pretty casual. And I don't care if no one else dresses up, I'm going to look fab and have a great time!

You will be fine. I change every night for dinner no matter which cruise line I am on and rarely if ever where pants to dinner either. Young ladies seem to be able to make the same dress for formal or more casual situations. I cruised with my daughter last September. She wore a dress every single night and most were to the floor (think maxi). I thought she looked beautiful and appropriate every single night...and so did the fellas!;)

For myself I enjoy formal nights on other lines. I don't miss them on NCL as it slowly removed them over the years. I also think it depends where you are cruising to. Regardless of cruise line I find a European cruise a 'dressier' experience than any Caribbean cruise, right down to what to waer in port for the day.

Rochelle

Funny you should ask because the lack of formal night is actually what attracts me to NCL. I cannot stand the idea of having to dress up for dinner while on vacation, especially to tropical locations. I've been looking at other cruise lines recently because I wanted a slightly more upscale experience (e.g. Celebrity, Princess) but cannot make myself book with them because of the formal nights. True, you can eat in the buffet of your room that night, but if I'm paying good money for a cruise I don't want to be forced to go to another dining location that night. While I don't love everything about NCL, their freestyle concept and lack of formal night is what has kept me coming back to them.

I have discussed this with friends and some of them love to get dressed up. So that's the great thing about cruising, if you like formal nights you can go on another line that has them.

I've been looking at Azamara lately because they also don't have formal nights.

We have to wear business attire on a regular basis. While I realize that isn't "formal" dress, it is close enough to not want to have to dress up on vacation.

We don't mind wearing resort casual wear at all, and for me (woman) that is pretty much all formal nights are these days anyway.

NO that is why I prefer to sail NCL

An outsider popping in, I have looked many a time at NCL but somehow it has never aligned when our cruise bug bites. The thought of go as you are/feel to dinner every night was/is intriguing.

 

I'm about as informal a person as one can find, wearing jeans and t-shirt to work for 22 years and my formal wear decades old, but believe it or not the only time I get my family dragged out together in formal wear is on cruise. You can call it a money racket but formal pictures of the family and a sitdown dinner in a monkey suit once every year or so, ain't to much to lug my 20 year old sports jacket and dated tie. As I look back at those vacations and pictures, timeless ;)

 

I don't often get pictures like the one below either so even for $50 bucks for one check-in I opt in to formal night. Of course its only a "picture" but still timeless IMHO so.. hmm maybe I'll still bring the monkey suits. Do they have all them photographers and fancy backgrounds on NCL?

 

Oh one last thought, comment, clothing police aside here, on my last princess I saw lots of slacks and polo shirts on them "formal" "elegant" " formal" nights... so you can still be comfortable if you choose.

 

 

 

 

Your family looks great, a much nicer than the people on the ships who opt to not dress up on the Norwegian's Night Out.

And I agree with the other comments on here which talk about how nice it is to walk around and see everyone else dressed up. It makes it feel like we are all part of something, and buying into the theme of the night. Makes for a more enjoyable atmosphere.

Apologies if you've heard me say this before, but it bears repeating. You can certainly have your cruise portrait taken if you're not dressed up. The photographers don't care; it's entirely up to you.

I absolutely do miss it. I think it was a special & unique part of cruising. I realize we can wear what we want and dress up if we want, but it was special seeing pretty much everyone on board in their formal attire. I think it added elegance & class but apparently, I am in the minority, at least on the Norwegian board!

I totally agree. I love the dress up nights. We don't dress up at home very often so it is part of what we like about cruising. We don't do the ultra-fancy dressing, my husband has never rented a tux but he will bring a suit and I wear a nice dress like I would wear to a dressy party, but when most of the passengers are dressed up it is a special occasion. Yes, we can get our pictures taken if we aren't dressed up but why would we when it is just how we dress at home? It is one reason that we will never be regular NCL cruisers.

Not a bit. Idk when they last had formal night, but I sailed NCL 15 years ago and the formal night at that time was VERY optional/informal.

I like the dress code on NCL more now than ever. Even though we are rather well off we are frugal and e dont' spend money on clothes in general... most of what we have comes from old navy or target (I wear scrubs most of the day at work) and the kids wear whatever is cheap and on sale. Last year when I went on a Royal Carribbean cruise, I had to spent a ton of money on clothing that would fit the dress code. This year since we are going back to NCL, I don't have to do jack! Just put existing clean clothes neatly into a suitcase and voila. Done.

I am in the group that says "no" to missing formal nights. More power to those that enjoy it, it is just not for us.

The OP asked, does "anyone miss the formal nights?" I answered the question.

 

Nothing is stopping me from dressing up, but that doesn't change the fact that I expect that I will miss formal night on my upcoming NCL cruise.

 

Or maybe I'll be surprised and not miss it at all. Fortunately there are many cruiselines, each catering to different demographics and preferences so we can all choose the type of experience we'll enjoy most.

We still dress up on Norwegian's Night Out and you should too! We as a family also dress for dinner every night on board the ship, it is about the experience for us and teaching our children about etiquette.

No.

Not for one nano second. The nice thing is that If you want to dress up you are more than welcome to, but I always hated it. This was one of the reasons I became a loyal NCL fan for the past 15 years or more (until recently as I am not happy with the new direction as of late). :( That being said, I have never gone to the dining room dressed in blue jeans as I dress like I would at a nice restaurant - which is what I hope to be eating at. ;)

We just did our 1st cruise, and loved that it was casual. I had a hard enough time walking a straight line with the swell in flat shoes... Can't imagine what heels would have been like. Put me in the--I don't iron at home, and don't want to worry about fancy clothes on vacation group!

We loved dressing up for many years and loved Cunard and the qm2 for just that reason

My husband had ms and it is difficult to be comfortable in a tux now

We love Ncl for the option to do what we feel is comfortable

We do love to see everyone dressed up but cannot do it ourselves

I am doing my second solo med cruise on epic this summer and love being able to just take an overnight case with me

I look nice for dinner but not dressy

More resort casual

Love ncl but can see other points

Since we know there are no Formal Nights on NCL, we accept things for the way they are now on NCL ships. No Problem! :)

When we want to take a cruise with Formal Nights, we can easily book another cruise line. ;)

LuLu

I have no idea why they insist on maintaining such an outdated policy. My solution is to not follow it and let them loan me a jacket. We have actually chosen NCL several times over HAL because of their formal nights.

 

Does anyone miss having to pack suits and ties to go on vacation?

I am one of the "old fogies' that enjoyed the Formal nights. But that was in a day when people actually wore clothes that fit and they didn't look like thugs for dinner. I usually complained to the better half about having to dress for dinner but actually enjoyed seeing all the people in their finery. Packing a suit, a couple of shirts and a couple of ties isn't nearly as much trouble as many people go to in trying to smuggle booze onboard.