What should children wear Formal nights?

[richnorto]

I have 3 children, and the girls are no problem. What should I do for my 13 yr old son who grows by the day and feels encumbered (too bad) wearing a golf shirt and dress slacks. He doesn't own a suit and outgrew 3 sizes of jeans in 9 months! Not to sound cheap, but church is casual, funeral attire for children in the South is shirt and dress slacks and I don't think he will be getting married or going on job interviews anytime soon. Do I really have to buy him a suit to wear 2 times for Formal nights?:confused:

[jhannah]

No need to buy a tux or suit. You can rent one for the cruise. Visit www.cruiselineformal.com and they'll have it in your stateroom for you. And while he may balk at first, I'm sure he will find himself quite dashing when dressed to the nines for formal night. (Plus, he will be the recipient of admiring glances from the ladies. ;) )

[localady]

What I did for my 13 year old was to get him a couple pairs of nice khaki pants, a shirt, tie and jacket. I feel that for a 13 year old, this is entirely acceptable dress. He will look snazzy in a coat and tie and hopefully will not offend anyone on a formal night.:cool:

 

Another alternative is to rent a tux for your son via the ship's company, then there is no need to buy anything. I figured the cost was a wash and that if he owned it and lost it, it would be better than if it was rented. (I know my 13 yo!:rolleyes: )

[richnorto]

Thank you JHannah for your suggestion, very good advice! I hadn't considered the possibility of renting for a child. Do all the boys wear suits/tuxes, or is he going to hate me for making him stand out?:rolleyes:

[richnorto]

wonderful! We will be on the same cruise with you Localady and my son will not feel strange if I let him know other kids his age are at least wearing coat and tie! Thanks a Bunch!:D

[RevNeal]

What should children wear Formal nights?

 

A gag to keep them quiet and leg-irons to keep them still. ;)

[doone]

I like Jhannah's advice. I did just this when my entire family sailed a few years back. My nephews had not suits, so I rented all the young gentlemen tux's, even the little ones who were 5 years old. At first they were all giving me a hard time for having to wear the tux, but the formal nights when they put the tux's on, they were so happy I did this. They beamed from ear to ear with a huge smile. We are sailing as a family again next year and guess what the first words out of my nephews mouths were???? Do we get to wear a tux again???? So, I'll be renting them again next February.

 

I say rent the tux, I think you son will be happy you did, even though he may not admit it.

[Vicar]

A gag to keep them quiet and leg-irons to keep them still. ;)

 

 

*LOL*

 

Good to see you up to your old tricks Rev :)

 

I was gonna ask you how the fishing was on your ODam cruise. *LOL*

 

Was there a good supply of bait....... I mean many kids on board? :)

[TylerRose]

I consider having my children dressed as per the dress code of the night a part of the cruise experience and have always had my daughter in floor length and son in a tux. Now that he is 11 and is required to wear a tux for all orchestra perdormances I've learned how cheap they are on e-bay! We replace it every 6 months or so, but at $40-50... it's cheaper than the rental.

As for my daughter(13), time of year is a factor, but we cruise every summer and I take her shopping just past prom season and reap the 70% off discounts at Dilliards. I have always made sure she had a basic black long skirt and white blouse or sweater for year round dressup.

While not everyone dresses black tie any longer on formal night, more that half usually do. I think it is most important that your children dress as you do. If DH chooses to be in a suit, then dress son same, etc.

[Nan-L]

My husband works at the Ritz, so he knows what would be fine. We have our son in dress pants, button down shirt and tie. He is now 15 and this is the first year he wore a jacket.

[etoile]

No need to buy a tux or suit. You can rent one for the cruise. Visit www.cruiselineformal.com and they'll have it in your stateroom for you. And while he may balk at first, I'm sure he will find himself quite dashing when dressed to the nines for formal night. (Plus, he will be the recipient of admiring glances from the ladies. ;) )

This is the first time I have seen that site - pretty cool. Except for the ladies, then you might be wearing the same outfit as somebod else! :D Better bring some distinctive jewelry.

 

Any idea why they list products by cruise line given that they are all identical? :confused:

[dakrewser]

Any idea why they list products by cruise line given that they are all identical? :confused:

 

Because it's a concession, awarded by each line for a price. Just as the shops, photographers (and even the food service) is on some lines.

[jhannah]

Any idea why they list products by cruise line given that they are all identical?

Probably just a "place marker" sort of deal to help make certain we and they communicate which cruise we're on.

[Osgood Fielding IV]

A gag to keep them quiet and leg-irons to keep them still. ;)

 

WWJW?

[RevNeal]

Was there a good supply of bait....... I mean many kids on board?

 

Yes, there was a fairly good supply. Only, most of the kids were NOT candidates for the "bait" classification; they were, refreshingly, extremely well behaved. The few who were NOT -- who ran the halls and banged on doors at 2 am -- were in the minority.

 

On the second formal night I was charmed by one lad (about 9 or 10 years old) dressed in a pair of light brown dockers, a black blazer, white shirt and tie. He was VERY fetching, as were his parents (she dressed in evening dress, he in a black suit and tie). We were waiting in one of those lines to have our pictures taken, and this family was ahead of me; this was their first cruise, and she was asking me if I owned my Tux or had I rented it. The boy, for his part, was interested in the photographer, but was standing, quietly, and being "grown up" while we were waiting.

[RevNeal]

WWJW?

 

Jesus' first recorded miracle was changing water into wine in order to keep a wedding party going, so I would suspect that he also had a very good sense of humor ... good enough to catch the humor in my remark (and the "wink") that followed it. Most people that have interacted with me know that my remarks regarding children are a pose ... the truth is about 180 degrees reversed from what I quip on this board.

[ekerr19]

Our 16-yr old hasn't grown too much lately, thankfully. We went to Men's Warehouse and got him a very nice sport jacket for our Maasdam cruise last year and he can still wear it. We also just purchased a nice black dinner jacket for his Homecoming dance this past fall. He has two pairs of nice black dress slacks and nice black dress shoes. We also bought very good quality shirts and ties which he can also wear to school. He looks great all dressed up.

 

Our daughter always likes to dress up, though lately she is getting more adamant about wearing what she wants instead of what I'd like her to wear!

 

When the kids were both growing so much - it was a real challenge. I bought my daughter some very nice dresses on eBay that had never ever been worn, still with tags attached for around $10 - she could usually only wear a floor length dress on one cruise before she outgrew it so I really hated spending $80 - $100 each on a girls size 6 - 16 dress. When my son was really growing, I got him a suit on eBay for $20 - it turned out to be a really beautiful suit - a Nordstrom's private label. He was able to wear it for a couple of cruises and he also wore the sport jacket I purchased on eBay. He just grew out of these last year and they are still in excellent condition.

 

I don't believe in spending alot on kids clothes when they are still growing so much - especially if the clothes are not going to be worn any place except on a cruise. I would either look for sales, find something on eBay or rent a tux.

 

Our son has never felt out of place dressed formally on any cruise. :)

[ekerr19]

Also, another great place to check for a deal is a local tux rental shop... many times you can get a deal on a used tux when they are selling last year's style.

[TinaLee]

Jesus' first recorded miracle was changing water into wine in order to keep a wedding party going, so I would suspect that he also had a very good sense of humor ... good enough to catch the humor in my remark (and the "wink") that followed it. Most people that have interacted with me know that my remarks regarding children are a pose ... the truth is about 180 degrees reversed from what I quip on this board.

 

LOL! My daughter's reply to your first post was "way harsh Rev" - LOL!!! Then she caught on to the 'wink' and laughed. She's 18 now, but still considered a "child" in the eyes of many cruisers, so she's a little touchy on the subject. Now that's she's crossed the 10+ cruises threshold she considers herself an expert on the subject with others her own age. Of course, we tease that she's 18 going on 40!! She's really looking forward to our upcoming HAL cruise -

 

Girls are so much easier in the 'dress' department - especially once they hit Homecoming/Prom/Winter Formal age - and in our case "performance clothes". I think little fellas in a crisp shirt and tie are acceptable, and over the age of 15 I'd think a jacket is in order. Any young man in a TUX is the one who'll catch the eyes of the young ladies and be MUCH in demand for "let's get a picture of all of us on formal night" pics with the other teens on the cruise. (do yourself a favor and label the back - you'll look back a few years from now and say ... who the heck was this kid in the picture - lol)

 

TinaLee

[carnival2523]

Thank you for the ebay suggestion for the children's tux, you can't beat the price.

[ryansmemom]

We rented a tux for my 3 year old grandson. He was the hit of the ship!! He looked adorable and felt fantastic. He also loved all of the attention he got from passengers and crew. We have great pictures and memories.

 

We are looking forward to taking him on another cruise when his baby sister is a bit older and we will dress both of them up for formal nights. But, formal nights are always a highlight of all of our cruises.

 

Linda

[richnorto]

I'm going to check out Ebay! Thank you everyone for such great advice!:) I think my son will feel comfortable in a suit or tux if others are wearing them at his age, but if I can't find something (he's sooo darn tall for 13), I feel comfortable that he will be dressed acceptably in dress slacks, shirt and tie. I hadn't thought about looking on Ebay for formal wear for the girls either! They are such fun to buy for (even though they don't REALLY need more dresses)!!! I might find some bargains!:D

[NewportJulie]

I have 3 children, and the girls are no problem. What should I do for my 13 yr old son who grows by the day and feels encumbered (too bad) wearing a golf shirt and dress slacks. He doesn't own a suit and outgrew 3 sizes of jeans in 9 months! Not to sound cheap, but church is casual, funeral attire for children in the South is shirt and dress slacks and I don't think he will be getting married or going on job interviews anytime soon. Do I really have to buy him a suit to wear 2 times for Formal nights?:confused:

 

Here's an idea if you're looking to economize...We have several upscale children's resale shops in our area. Often I see special occasion clothing on the racks, usually something worn once during the holidays/weddings etc. that was quickly outgrown. You could outright purchase of course, or since they work on consignment, you could sell them some of your children's clothing that they have outgrown then use the credit to purchase something for your son. I have gone this route a few times and have had good luck. They usually carry items seasonally, so with Easter coming up there should be a decent selection of dress clothes.

[itsme_jj]

I'm on the slow side, so again. Will my 10 & 15 yr old feel like odd balls wearing a suit (not gonna to do the tux thing as I have 3 guys and DH,tooo expensive).

 

DH has nice dress slacks / jackets ties. no formal suit/tux

Thinking of doing the same for the boys...but will they stick out? Or should I just go the dockers shirt & tie route? Does 15 yr must wear jacket?

 

Just give it to me straight...ok? You know how teens are if I make them stick out they'll hate this cruise.

[ekerr19]

Some cruise itineraries tend to be a bit more formal than others... if you are doing the Caribbean or Mexico, it's probably a bit more relaxed. That said, our 16-yr. son started cruising 5 years ago and has always worn a suit for formal nights (we usually cruise 10 days and there are three formal nights) and for informal he wears a jacket, slacks (or nice dockers) and a tie. On casual nights he wears Dockers and a nice knit or polo shirt.

 

Last Spring Break we were on the 10-day Caribbean Maasdam out of Norfolk and I have a lot pics of the teens and kids. Most kids dressed for dinner and then most changed to more casual clothes after dinner. Here is the link, if you'd like to take a look.

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/216960440UMlXhE