Formal Night

[Bridge Maven]

Which statements represent the way you feel about formal night on a Celebrity cruise? You can chose more than one option.

[C&F]

I hate wearing a suit, but do it for the wife. Sorry ladies, but I think your formal wear looks much more comfortable than a suit/tux and tie. Thankfully, I don't have to wear a suit to work, so if it makes my wife happy, I'll wear it on the cruise. That being said, I'm flying for my next cruise for the first time in almost 10 years. With airline luggage prices, I may reconsider making my wife happy and think of the wallet this time, lol!!

[cb at sea]

While we don't dress "formally" on a daily basis, we have the clothes, and we look good all dressed up...so if there is an opportunity to look good, we take it! It's really no harder to put on a "fancy" dress than it is to put on jeans, top and heels....true, a man has the extra step of tie and jacket....OH MY...That's so hard!

Dressing up isn't the "chore" most imagine it to be!

[tispwisp]

I love formal night, DH doesn't. :( We compromise and alternate bringing formal attire. I love seeing everyone looking so chic and dapper. Formal night lends a bit of class to the joint, ya know! :D

[itsandreas]

Sadly I can't vote.

 

The cruise itself has little to do with my attire. Certainly, I have and will again dress to the dress code demanded by the situation I find myself in. Whether it's black tie, white tie or something else I see little effort in dressing appropriately. But generally I tend to wear "formal" clothes because it suits me (forgive the pun please) and meets my expectations of appropriate dinnerware.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I voted other.

I like formal night, but I'm not fond of having to bring the extra clothes. On my next cruise in Europe I want to pack light, so I'm only bringing one formal outfit. People will just have to get over seeing me in the same outfit 3 times!

[bighairtexan]

Linda, It's a good think I'm not on that cruise w/ you because... I DO take notes! LOL

And for the Gent that said women's clothes aren't as uncomfortable as men's formal wear, may I suggest you wear a girdle and stiletto heels?! (not w/ your tux... that'd look gauche).

[Can'tstopcruising]

First, I want to say that you, at least, can set up a poll properly!! If I could, I would rework mine, but I do not think that is possible.

 

So, I checked off three boxes.

 

1) formal nights should be optional

 

2)I don't like them, but observe the dress code anyway. I should qualify my answer here. Since I wear Chico's travellers outfits, I can actually wear them for formal, optional or whatever. It wouldn't make a difference to me.

On the other hand, if my husband did not have to pack a heavy tux or suit jacket, life would be less complicated.

3) I do not think there is a correlation between liking formal nights and demographic.

 

Dividing demographic by "class" and age: Most cruisers are middle class. Let's say Upper middle class would be professionals and business people. Lower middle class would be workers. I wonder if you did a poll, you would find a huge difference in preference between the two groups.

Same for age. Using 50 years old(good number?) as the dividing line, would one group prefer formality over the other? I don't know. I think young people like to dress up, but I don't know if they would actually go for the Formal. Here, in my city, at formal weddings, it is our generation who wear the tuxes and long outfits. The young men wear suits, take off the jackets as soon as the dancing starts, and the young ladies wear short dresses. (bridal parties excluded)

 

This is such a hot issue on these boards. Some posters are very passionate about the subject. (Both sides)

 

I think the idea of Formal night goes back to the days of the transatlantic oceanliners, before the idea of cruising as a vacation destination ever existed. In those days, people travelled with wardrobe trunks full of luxurious clothes. They even brought their own help to make sure the clothes were alway perfect and ready! Not exactly like most of us on a cruise vacation!

[ORV]

Where is?

 

I don't really care, I just do what the cruise line suggests.

 

I marked other.

 

Now that the other thread is locked maybe this one can hit 10 or 12 pages in a few days.

[Sail Girl]

Interesting poll cinsidering all of its choices. Good job OP.

I didn't realize I could check more than one choice or I certainly would have.

Here are some of my thoughts on the subject:

 

1. My DH and I really enjoy Formal Nights. We do Ballroom Dancing and so have the formal wear. I bring a black skirt or slacks with one or more tops depending on the # of formal nights on the cruise.

2. Now that there aren't "semi-formal" nights on X, DH doesn't bring a Blazer or Sport Coat - just his Tux - so no additional packing there.

3. I can appreciate the issue of the extra weight formal wear adds to one's luggage. Now that we are "Elite" we can pack fewer washables and have them laundered gratis on board. That will help keep under the 50 lb limit. We'll see!

4. Is there a correlation between Formal Nights and Demographic. A complicated and controversial question. It's sort of a "chicken and egg" issue. There are actual formal nights on X and the demogarphic is more mature cruisers - fewer children.

 

There are no "formal nights" on NCL, e.g., and there are more children (also many mature cruisers, too). (Yes, I know they have "Formal or Not Formal nights and some pax dress elegantly while others wear shorts and T shirts to the MDR for dinner.)

 

The entire ambiance of the two lines is so different. Is that because there are formal nights or are there formal nights because of the overall ambiance? Which ever it is, we'll stay with X!

[portofrome]

I love formal night and I can't cruise without my tuxedo!

[Memiki]

I have mixed feelings on this. I did mark 3 things. We don't go to many places that require formal dressing.

 

We live in a very rural area and probably closest place for dressing up would be 6 hours away from our home.

 

The two previous cruises, I followed the dress code for formal night. If required I can do it. Not because I enjoy it. Husband doesn't like suits.

 

I really am not taking a cruise because I want to dress up. I am taking a cruise for the fun of it.

 

I would prefer to skip formal night and maybe eat elsewhere, just for my comfort. I do know how to dress correctly, but prefer to be comfortable.

[sollan]

I love the formal nights. Even DH who doesn't love to dress up enjoy them. (No tux but a suit.) Wouldn't pay for a cruise without formal nights. For us a cruise is a special event and the formal nights is one of the things that makes a difference.

[C&F]

And for the Gent that said women's clothes aren't as uncomfortable as men's formal wear, may I suggest you wear a girdle and stiletto heels?! (not w/ your tux... that'd look gauche).

 

Been there, done that!:eek: In terms of the clothing, dresses appear more comfortable than having to wear an undershirt, long sleeve dress shirt and then a jacket on top of that in dining rooms that are usually stuffy. Heels and girdle are a choice. There are flats, although I do think heels complete a woman's outfit much nicer.

[bellybutton530]

I love formal nights. And I have the clothing to prove it. Luckily I took most of my 56 cruises when formal nights were observed by all passengers.

 

Now I shall have to take my formal clothing and hope that the people sitting close to me are appropriately attired.

[atb]

I am a self-confessed people watcher. And on formal night, I am watching. I always look at womens shoes, because I can't wear heels anymore, so look to see who else is decked out, but in low heeled shoes. I also look at those that weren't able, or chose not to deck out at all :rolleyes:.

Does it ruin my cruise? NO!!! But I always wander what their mommas were thinking, not teaching them any better manners that.

[petrakae]

I personally enjoy the formal nights. Now that we are retired we do not go to many 'formal' affairs, so unless it is sadly a funeral, we only take the fancy clothes on cruises. Hubby will not come at a tux, but a nice black suit looks good on him. There are so many options for people who choose not to participate in these evenings to eat, it is not as though it is every night. I understand about the luggage restrictions, but we work around it when making our flight arrangements. Just a personal opinion!

[Flying-Dragon]

I like formal night and always pack along the tuxedo - I even learned to tie my own bow tie. For one evening, a few times per cruise, one gets to feel elegantly dressed and to be surrounded by others who look like they have stepped out of a Cary Grant movie.

 

We all have choices whatever our preference - some cruise lines are informal, others very formal, and plenty in between, so I just select the lines which suit my preference rather than expecting them all to be the same.

 

I've seen plenty people speak to the cost of the extra suitcase, but frankly when I'm spending thousands on a cruise, an extra $25 each way is not even a consideration. My suitcases are all on wheels and linked together so lugging them around is not an issue.

 

As for the time to dress, it is actually one of the fun activities for us and we look forward to it. I must admit, tying the bow tie is very much like tying an unwieldy shoelace knot under one's chin, out of sight, getting carpel tunnel syndrome trying to get the knot even, but then that's all about practice, isn't it, and I do have simpler options!

 

Thanks for the poll - it was fascinating to see the results after voting!

[Bridge Maven]

I personally feel that there is no relationship between demographics and formal night. After all most of the luxury cruises don't have it. In my opinion, the only thing that affects demographics are special cruises offered by various college alumni associations that have educational programs related to the cruise's itinerary.

 

I use to love formal nights but no longer do. However, as long as they exist I will follow the ship's dress code for formal night. Ironically, when I have sailed other cruise lines where formal night was optional I observed it anyway and found that the majority of other passengers on the ship did, as well.

 

However, what I wear to formal night on a cruise is different than what I would wear to a formal event at home. That is because when I take a cruise I consider what packs well and wrinkles less which is not a consideration when I buy a formal outfit for a local event.

[PS90]

I personally feel that there is no relationship between demographics and formal night. After all most of the luxury cruises don't have it. In my opinion, the only thing that affects demographics are special cruises offered by various college alumni associations that have educational programs related to the cruise's itinerary.

 

I completely agree with you. Partly because the idea of "class" is very subjective. I am well past my college-party days, so I don't really want to take a cruise with a "frat house", beer-swilling atmosphere. But, at the same time, just because those kids like to party and probably don't have a lot of money - who's to say who they will become? Those college kids may not have class or money, but may become our future leaders.

 

So is age an indicator of class? Does a college-partying-type kid have less class than a rich old guy? How about compared to a poor old guy? Or compared to an 18-year-old who plans to live with his parents for 10 more years and play video games?

 

Which of those people likes to dress formally? I don't know that there is a dress-related stereotype that can fit into a discussion of class.

 

Unless, of course, your opinion is that you have to look like the guy on the Monopoly box to be classy...

[Maz_1]

I love to wear a long evening gown on the Formal nights. And my husband looks so handsome in his Tux. :) Other nights its always Smart/casual for me, but more towards the Smart.

[ncdi]

I observe the formal night because it is required but would be so much happier if it to go away. I often read where people think everyone looks so much better when they are dressed formally and I for one do not believe that to be true a lot of the time. Many times the clothes are gaudy and ill fitting and just because the clothing cost a lot of money does not mean that it should necessarily be worn by that person. Just as Las Vegas has changed from the days of the Rat Pack so should cruises. I live in an expensive area filled with expensive restaurants and although there is a difference in the name brands of the clothing people wear at these establishments compared to a place such as Olive Garden there isn't much difference in the style. The difference comes in the amount they spent on the clothes.

 

Accomodations will need to be made to draw the next generation. With so many choices on how to spend money and time on a vacation companies need to be flexible or they will lose them to another cruise line or type of vacation all together.

[dgreeney]

I wore a suit and tie for 40 years; time to relax, so forget formal nights!

[shipshape sam]

We have in the past loved Formal Nights with me wearing a tux and DW wearing appropriate formal wear. With baggage weight limits and so many people not dressing formal, it would seem it will fade away. For us, we don't enjoy it as much either. I think for three reasons: 1) we have sailed over 30 times and have enough formal pictures, and 2) formal night not as compelling/fun when you could be seated next to someone in a collared shirt only. We actually were at a table for 8 on Sovereign of Seas once and one gentleman wore a very nice black T-shirt, and. 3) the food on formal night has also declined in our opinion.

 

On our last 3 cruises, we have not taken formal attire. I did bring, for me, a dark sports coat/tie and DW dressed appropriately.

[bradpole]

First' date=' I want to say that you, at least, can set up a poll properly!! If I could, I would rework mine, but I do not think that is possible.

 

So, I checked off three boxes.

 

1) formal nights should be optional

 

2)I don't like them, but observe the dress code anyway. I should qualify my answer here. Since I wear Chico's travellers outfits, I can actually wear them for formal, optional or whatever. It wouldn't make a difference to me.

On the other hand, if my husband did not have to pack a heavy tux or suit jacket, life would be less complicated.

3) I do not think there is a correlation between liking formal nights and demographic.

 

Dividing demographic by "class" and age: Most cruisers are middle class. Let's say Upper middle class would be professionals and business people. Lower middle class would be workers. I wonder if you did a poll, you would find a huge difference in preference between the two groups.

Same for age. Using 50 years old(good number?) as the dividing line, would one group prefer formality over the other? I don't know. I think young people like to dress up, but I don't know if they would actually go for the Formal. Here, in my city, at formal weddings, it is our generation who wear the tuxes and long outfits. The young men wear suits, take off the jackets as soon as the dancing starts, and the young ladies wear short dresses. (bridal parties excluded)

 

This is such a hot issue on these boards. Some posters are very passionate about the subject. (Both sides)

 

I think the idea of Formal night goes back to the days of the transatlantic oceanliners, before the idea of cruising as a vacation destination ever existed. In those days, people travelled with wardrobe trunks full of luxurious clothes. They even brought their own help to make sure the clothes were alway perfect and ready! Not exactly like most of us on a cruise vacation![/quote']

 

Well said! I couldn't have said it better myself!