BLACK TIE, A TIE or NO TIE?

[winncruiser]

Our upcoming March 2011 cruise aboard the Caribbean Princess will be our 11th Princess cruise in the last ten years. My husband has always donned a tuxedo for formal evenings up until our most recent Caribbean cruise this past December, when he chose to wear coat and tie on formal night. He seemed to be in the majority on that voyage but do you think black tie is still the preferred dress for the evening? We are travelling with friends on this upcoming cruise and want to be able to suggest to them the proper attire for formal night. Any opionions are greatly appreciated.

[Pam in CA]

Black tie is becoming rarer and rarer. Most men these days wear a dark suit and tie.

[Fuzzyape]

Winn...you may have started a barn burner. Been awhile since I've visited these pages, but every time the question of dress code appears, folks really get going.

 

My opinion, dress what you'll be comfortable in. If your fellow travelers like a suite with no tie, I think that's allowed.

 

Personally I like the tux option. My wife and I only go to fancy dinners on the ship. So we like to get all dressed up.

 

Good luck with the question, and I hope you have a great cruise!

[zacc]

I'm becoming easier to find....I'm always in a tux on formal night!

[winncruiser]

zacc...my husband's name is Zach...so you two gentlemen and our other kind poster may be the only three men left onboard Princess in black tie! and may I add...the best looking, too!

[lljost]

You will always find my husband in a tux on formal nights. We are very casual at home but it is fun to dress up a couple of nights on every cruise...

[Putterdude]

I always wear a tux or dinner jacket on formal nights...it weighs no more than a suit and takes up no more room a suitcase.

[Cupcrazy]

On formal nights I always wear a black suit and a nice tie. I own a tux but I've never brought it for a cruise. Maybe when I'm older. I'm only 28

[LARGIN]

BLACK TIE, A TIE or NO TIE?

 

To answer your question about formal night dress..

Yes, Yes & Yes

[whale-watcher]

I wear a tux... I can wear suits for funerals or business events, but a tux always means something festive

[hansi]

Black tie is becoming rarer and rarer. Most men these days wear a dark suit and tie.

 

That depends, The words "Black Tie" does not necessarily mean a "black" tie. More and more passengers wear brightly coloured bow ties as well as colourful waistcoats and it is a fact that Brits enjoy dressing up more than our US couisns.

[Pam in CA]

That depends, The words "Black Tie" does not necessarily mean a "black" tie. More and more passengers wear brightly coloured bow ties as well as colourful waistcoats and it is a fact that Brits enjoy dressing up more than our US couisns.

Very true. My BIL liked to push back a little, even in the old days of very formal cruising. He had an orange and black tuxedo made for his Princeton class (yes, the pattern was a tiger) and wore it for years with dress pants, dress shirt, cummerbund and bow tie. In later years, he had a gorgeous, gold tuxedo jacket made in Hong Kong when he was there and wore that. He looked pretty darned good and had fun doing it.

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

You could try some thing a little different and wear a kilt,

 

 

I think the black tie thing depends on a range of things,

 

First I would say folks from Europe dress up more more formal,

 

Older folk dress up more,

 

First time cruisers of a certain age dress up more,

 

the length of the cruise, if you are on a longer cruise with 5 or 7 formal

 

nights, its less to pack if you wear a tux.

 

Then there is that special event, that family photo you always wanted.

 

 

What ever you choose, be happy with your choice, its your cruise.

 

yours Shogun

[Iamcruzin]

Our upcoming March 2011 cruise aboard the Caribbean Princess will be our 11th Princess cruise in the last ten years. My husband has always donned a tuxedo for formal evenings up until our most recent Caribbean cruise this past December, when he chose to wear coat and tie on formal night. He seemed to be in the majority on that voyage but do you think black tie is still the preferred dress for the evening? We are travelling with friends on this upcoming cruise and want to be able to suggest to them the proper attire for formal night. Any opionions are greatly appreciated.

 

I think you answered your own question. On our first Princess cruise which was our honeymoon 1991, I wore a tux on both formal nights and my wife actually wore her wedding gown (not your traditional wedding gown but still very formal) one night and we were not out of place. Fast forward to 2010 where I wore a navy blazer and charcoal gray slacks and my wife wore a simple black dress and we still did not feel out of place. I think economics as a lot to do with fashion. In the 90’s when the economy was booming you saw more evening gowns and tuxedos. Also baby boomers are becoming the new seniors and most of us grew up wearing jeans to church unlike our parents who grew up wearing hats, gloves, dresses and suits. I think we could blame Levi Strauss, Calvin Klein, and Gloria Vanderbilt for the decline in dress code. :) My suggestion is to present all of the options to your friends and decide as a group how you would like to dress. That way you will blend with each other and neither couple will feel out of place.

[PescadoAmarillo]

DH will be wearing his tux on formal nights until he is the only one left doing so. Only then might he admit it's passé. Interestingly, on our Emerald cruises in December and January, there was a significant difference in the number of tuxes on formal nights from month to month. In December, there were a lot, probably 1/4 to 1/3 of men. In January there were far fewer.

[itzmered]

I dont recall seeing very many men in a Tux on our cruise in January. Did see a group of men in Kilts though.

[flamomo]

~~~"BLACK TIE, A TIE or NO TIE?"~~~

 

Hopefully .. yes, or yes, and no.

[winncruiser]

All such wonderful responses! and most of you leaning toward the traditional and more formal black tie....I'm with you! Thank you again for sharing your time and your opinions with me.

[G8RH8R]

We were on CB for 2 weeks in Jan. Never saw more tuxes on a cruise! Maybe formal dress is making a comeback; I hope so as I always wear a tux on formal nights.:)

[mph045]

I prefer to wear the tuxedo everytime-Yes we are becoming a small group-at the B2B Cruise last December aboard the Caribbean, there were only 30 total dressed in a tuxedo[my DS counted at the Cpt Circle party and Photo opportunities].

 

Wear what you feel comfortable, but I still would like to see men dressed up with a suit and tie at least.

[ONT-CA]

DH will be wearing his tux on formal nights until he is the only one left doing so. ...

 

As long as he and I sail together he will never be alone in tux.

 

But hopefully not to "high-jack" the tread, in the form of a question for Shogun. We have always felt that the kilt should be worn only by those who's family history relates to the clan and should not be viewed as a costume. How do Scots feel about this subject?

[UpcountryTravelers]

We enjoy dressing up on most formal nights. The exception was our Alaska cruise, where I simply took a nice sport coat, because of luggage issues when flying, and because we had extended the vacation on both ends.

 

On our last cruise (Jan 17, 2011), I dressed down to a tuxedo (black tie). More often I take the kilt and Montrose doublet (the more formal white tie). Haven't felt out of place in any of the variations, because of the variety of attire we see onboard. But I do enjoy going kilted ... it's simply more comfortable.

[adjoankora]

I always wear a tux or dinner jacket on formal nights...it weighs no more than a suit and takes up no more room a suitcase.

 

Like you, my DH always wears a tux or dinner jacket (see our photo) on formal nights. Frankly, as the former "protocol officer" at the university where I was an academic dean before retiring, we all know that it really is not appropriate to wear anything anywhere. I am hoping that our upcoming 18-day TA on Ruby Princess will have several formal nights and that a good number of us will dress appropriately on those evenings that request us to do so.

 

I recognize that black tie and/or formal is not everyone's cup of tea. But it can be irritating to those of us who do dress as requested only to arrive at dining to find fellow passengers in (would you believe) jeans/tee-shirts or something almost as casual! After all, the majority of evenings do permit those passengers not so inclined to 'dress up' to have it their way. Is it really asking too much for passengers who do like something above the norm to have a couple of evenings where THEY can have it their way (with a good number in compliance)?:confused:

[1 HappyCruiser]

I recognize that black tie and/or formal is not everyone's cup of tea. But it can be irritating to those of us who do dress as requested only to arrive at dining to find fellow passengers in (would you believe) jeans/tee-shirts or something almost as casual! After all, the majority of evenings do permit those passengers not so inclined to 'dress up' to have it their way. Is it really asking too much for passengers who do like something above the norm to have a couple of evenings where THEY can have it their way (with a good number in compliance)?:confused:

You also have the option of dressing as formally as you wish on casual evenings. :cool:

[dfields1814]

I wear a dark suit with a tie. However, if I owned a tux I would wear it. I just don't want to rent one if I don't have to.