Formal nights on Constellation

We are sailing on the Constellation late Sept for an 11 night cruise.

I read on another thread that Celebrity don't really do formal nights anymore...they have evening chic.

Can anyone tell me what evening chic actually means?

I really like dressing up in a long dress so I would be a little disappointed if I can't get to wear them.

Do the men wear a tux?

Also am I correct in thinking that on an 11 night cruise there will be 2 evening chic?

if the other nights are casual will I look overdressed in a dress? I don't really "do" casual. I like to make an effort most nights on holiday.

This is from the original announcement last year.

Jackets and ties no longer will be required in the main dining room on select nights onboard a Celebrity Cruises sailing. The line is replacing formal nights across its fleet with more relaxed "evening chic" nights, starting in December.

The new dress code, which the line calls evening chic, is dressier than the "smart casual" attire recommended for most evenings but less dressy than formal attire. The change, driven by the line's evolving passenger mix, is designed to enable passengers to express their own sense of sophistication, Brian Abel, vice president of hotel operations for Celebrity Cruises told Cruise Critic exclusively. Where one couple might feel most glamorous in a tuxedo and gown, another might feel more elegant in a sport jacket and designer black jeans and a flirty sundress.

You can wear your long dress if you like, you will just be in a minority.

Lack of formal nights does not mean lack of effort...at least for the majority. You'll see all types. On our Connie cruise in May Evening Chic saw everything from Tuxes, to golf shirts and slacks. Many types of dresses on women

We are sailing on the Constellation late Sept for an 11 night cruise.

 

I read on another thread that Celebrity don't really do formal nights anymore...they have evening chic.

 

Can anyone tell me what evening chic actually means?

I really like dressing up in a long dress so I would be a little disappointed if I can't get to wear them.

Do the men wear a tux?

 

Also am I correct in thinking that on an 11 night cruise there will be 2 evening chic?

 

if the other nights are casual will I look overdressed in a dress? I don't really "do" casual. I like to make an effort most nights on holiday.

Should be 2 evening chic nights according to Celebrity's official documents however last week we had a report that one of the ships went rogue and had three. This could be a problem if you don't bring enough clothes.

Usually the evening chic nights are the second night of the cruise and second to the last night. This can vary however depending on itinerary.

Should be 2 evening chic nights according to Celebrity's official documents however last week we had a report that one of the ships went rogue and had three. This could be a problem if you don't bring enough clothes.

 

Usually the evening chic nights are the second night of the cruise and second to the last night. This can vary however depending on itinerary.

There wasn't much difference between evening chic and smart casual last week on the silhouette. Generally people always looked nice, but not a lot of formal wear, and I personally did not observe anyone in shorts or other "inappropriate" attire in the dining room. The first chic night there were a few scattered tuxes, but by the the third, they were hard to spot.

We are sailing on the Constellation late Sept for an 11 night cruise.

 

I read on another thread that Celebrity don't really do formal nights anymore...they have evening chic.

 

Can anyone tell me what evening chic actually means?

I really like dressing up in a long dress so I would be a little disappointed if I can't get to wear them.

Do the men wear a tux?

 

Also am I correct in thinking that on an 11 night cruise there will be 2 evening chic?

 

if the other nights are casual will I look overdressed in a dress? I don't really "do" casual. I like to make an effort most nights on holiday.

By all means, dress up!

You will see a variety of clothing options on Evening Chic nights.

Some people still enjoy the "formal" look, long dresses, tuxes and suits for men, so you will definitely see that.

Others not so much....they will dress pretty much like every other night, while still others...well.....

Who cares if someone thinks you are "over-dressed" You do what makes you happy and comfortable. The people looking and saying anything (if any) have the problem!

In two weeks I will be aboard the Summit and plan on "dressing up" the first evening chic and although more casual, will wear a dress on the 2nd night.

My DH and DS will also wear suits the first night, although they are thrilled they don't have to wear a tie.

It's your vacation....do what you like!

By all means, dress up!

You will see a variety of clothing options on Evening Chic nights.

Some people still enjoy the "formal" look, long dresses, tuxes and suits for men,

Who cares if someone thinks you are "over-dressed" You do what makes you happy and comfortable.

It's your vacation....do what you like!

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I personally think it's a lovely sight on formal nights when the majority of the ship dress in their finery but I do accept that nowadays most people don't want to make the effort of dressing up and prefer to be casual.

We chose this cruise specifically for the itinerary so it's no big deal but I think that next time we will perhaps choose Cunard, Seabourn or Silverseas where I believe that they still have the more traditional formal nights that most guests adhere to.

I have been on 3 Celebrity cruises since Evening Chic replaced formal nights. You will see everything. Some dress up. Most are more casual. Very few sports jackets and almost no ties. It is easier packing. Wear whatever you like. If you really like wearing a tuxedo, you can wear it. You will be in the minority.

Thanks for the replies everyone.

 

I personally think it's a lovely sight on formal nights when the majority of the ship dress in their finery but I do accept that nowadays most people don't want to make the effort of dressing up and prefer to be casual.

 

We chose this cruise specifically for the itinerary so it's no big deal but I think that next time we will perhaps choose Cunard, Seabourn or Silverseas where I believe that they still have the more traditional formal nights that most guests adhere to.

I really wish you'd drop the not making an effort line. Silverseas and Cunard still have formal but I believe Seabourn dropped them or they're optional

on cruises of 7 days which most of Seabourns are

We are sailing on the Constellation late Sept for an 11 night cruise.

 

I read on another thread that Celebrity don't really do formal nights anymore...they have evening chic.

 

Can anyone tell me what evening chic actually means?

I really like dressing up in a long dress so I would be a little disappointed if I can't get to wear them.

Do the men wear a tux?

 

Also am I correct in thinking that on an 11 night cruise there will be 2 evening chic?

 

if the other nights are casual will I look overdressed in a dress? I don't really "do" casual. I like to make an effort most nights on holiday.

You don't have to dress down. You may "be in the minority", but you'll look and feel great. I will continue to wear my tux and accompany my gorgeous bride in style. I didn't have those gold ship's-wheel studs and cuff links with center stones made to leave in the drawer! My gal wears cocktail-length dresses as the shorter length makes for easier dancing.

You don't have to dress down. You may "be in the minority", but you'll look and feel great. I will continue to wear my tux and accompany my gorgeous bride in style. I didn't have those gold ship's-wheel studs and cuff links with center stones made to leave in the drawer! My gal wears cocktail-length dresses as the shorter length makes for easier dancing.

It's lovely to know that there are still people out there that like to look great.

I wish that you both were on my cruise.

I like it when everyone dresses the same.

 

My preffered attire would be long gown (gorgeous dress) for formal night and knee length cocktail dress on the other nights.

Doubtful that many men would want to wear dresses. I have a cousin and it turned out years after she was married to her first husband that he wanted to start wearing women's clothing, but it's pretty rare. Some posters may "like it" if men wear dresses, but it's just not going to catch on in a big way.

This thread does show that there are still CC posters who are unaware of Celebrity's change last year to Elegant Chic and the abolishment of Formal Nights (as show by the topic title). There is a similar topic about every two weeks about Celebrity's abolished formal nights. While some still grossly exaggerate their numbers on people still wearing "formal wear" there is a clear trend in comments from more reliable posters than "formal wear" is down significantly (especially after the second [or reported third] elegant chic night).

Thank you, I know what you are trying to say about being oneself but that doesn't really work for me

I don't want to be the only one (or a minority) in a long gown. I like it when everyone dresses the same.

 

My preffered attire would be long gown (gorgeous dress) for formal night and knee length cocktail dress on the other nights.

 

If, on the very rare occasion that I want to be casual then I wouldn't show my face in a main restaurant but I would go to the buffet.

 

Yes I know that I am in the minority and old fashioned and I long for the elegance of cruising of a bygone age.

 

Are there any cruise companies out there that still have the formality of dressing for dinner every night?

Hapag-Lloyd is known for being rather dressy. Cunard on their Transatlantic crossings are also very formal. I understand Crystal normally is formal on formal nights and your cocktail dresses are fairly standard for casual. We are going on our first Crystal soon but it is to the Arctic so casual for me will be designer jeans and cashmere sweaters but there are 2 black tie optional nights. We have cruised with many Brits over the years and you are not alone on wanting to dress on vacation. Our last cruise on the Azamara Quest had a large group from the UK and even with a full time country club casual dress code many men wore sharp suits and the women were wearing cocktail dresses or long dresses that weren't exactly formal but also not maxi beach dresses. We ran into a group of 3 couples several times and they were a lot of fun.

We started sailing Celebrity when an 11 night cruise had 3 formal nights, 2 informal nights and the rest casual but no jeans. Now that they no longer have table side service in the main dining room or even a good specialty restaurant with European service I can understand the lowered dress code. We are currently shopping for the best line for food with a more relaxed dress code because dressing was part of our jobs before retirement. Don't' feel bad looking for how you want to spend your vacations but do realize that "the good old days" have pretty much sailed.

Thank you, I know what you are trying to say about being oneself but that doesn't really work for me

I don't want to be the only one (or a minority) in a long gown. I like it when everyone dresses the same.

 

My preffered attire would be long gown (gorgeous dress) for formal night and knee length cocktail dress on the other nights.

 

If, on the very rare occasion that I want to be casual then I wouldn't show my face in a main restaurant but I would go to the buffet.

 

Yes I know that I am in the minority and old fashioned and I long for the elegance of cruising of a bygone age.

 

Are there any cruise companies out there that still have the formality of dressing for dinner every night?

If dress code is so important to you why didn't you do better research before booking Celebrity? A lot of lines are going more casual, you can't assume anymore.