Explorer of the Seas Alaska - Formal Night?

Hi all - We're sailing on Explorer in August to Alaska. It's been 10 YEARS since my last cruise! I assumed there would be two formal nights, but some recent reviews indicated that there aren't any formal nights on this cruise. Can anyone confirm that? I thought I had my packing all figured out!

Here is a very recent thread with Compass scans: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2643411

On this Alaska cruise Jun 6 2018 it had 2 Formals, Day 2 and Day 5...

Perhaps the reviews indicated that many passengers do not "dress for dinner" as they used to years ago. Formal night is still an option for those who wish to dress up, and it is also a great photo opportunity for you (have your pictures taken, only pay for the ones you want).

There have been formal nights on every cruise, every itinerary I've been on; whether you choose to participate is a personal decision. :)

There are formal nights. On my Alaska cruise all the women in my party opted for nice pants and tops. With air travel luggage weight limits and the need to travel with heavier weight clothing than our Caribbean cruises we didn’t have room for dressy outfits to wear for just a few hours. We needed sturdier shoes instead of sandals, long sleeve tops instead of tees, pants instead of shorts, sweatshirts and jackets. Everything I packed had to be worn more than once and be practical for the layering needed in Alaska. Most of our fellow cruisers were dressed similarly. It was the least formal and dressy cruise I’d been on. But if you like dressing up, do so and enjoy yourself.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Perhaps the reviews indicated that many passengers do not "dress for dinner" as they used to years ago. Formal night is still an option for those who wish to dress up, and it is also a great photo opportunity for you (have your pictures taken, only pay for the ones you want).

 

There have been formal nights on every cruise, every itinerary I've been on; whether you choose to participate is a personal decision. :)

Thanks for the clarification. I think this is the case from the reviews I read recently. I'm sure my hubby would like to skip formal night, but I love dressing up, so I just won't tell him that going casual is an option!

Here is a very recent thread with Compass scans: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2643411

Thank you for this! It's very helpful for my planning.

Thank you for this! It's very helpful for my planning.

You're very welcome, and thanks to the poster who did the hard work of scanning.:)

You're very welcome, and thanks to the poster who did the hard work of scanning.:)

Ditto your comment, Bob. What an excellent review! I’m doing this cruise again (last was 5 years ago) in August and found the information exciting. I recommend the thread to all upcoming cruisers.

Based on my Alaska cruise the dress code for formal night was lumberjack shirts and baseball caps!! [emoji36][emoji33] Those who dressed up were distinctly outnumbered. ☹️

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I just got off the Explorer Alaska cruise this morning. Happy to report that the majority of people did dress nicely for both formal nights (2nd and 5th night). A few tuxes and suits, a few really fancy gowns, but mostly dress shirts and a blazer/jacket for the men, and dressy tops with skirts, or nice slacks for the women. Since the temp is cooler, I saw lots of beaded or sparkly sweaters too.