Teenage formal wear

[potterduck]

I known the policies for adult attire but will my son, 15, also require a formal suit. We have only cruised with RCCL before, he just wears smart trousers, tie and waistcoat on their formal nights.

 

I just don't want him to feel conspicuously under or overdressed

[Starry Nights]

I known the policies for adult attire but will my son, 15, also require a formal suit. We have only cruised with RCCL before, he just wears smart trousers, tie and waistcoat on their formal nights.

 

I just don't want him to feel conspicuously under or overdressed

 

He will be "in the spirit" of cruise formal night, and from my perspective, will fit in for a young man of his age.

[backyardponder]

That's more than adequate. I used to wear a tux. I'd down to a suit now. A lot of folks just have on a sports coat.

[Vol fan]

I known the policies for adult attire but will my son, 15, also require a formal suit. We have only cruised with RCCL before, he just wears smart trousers, tie and waistcoat on their formal nights.

 

I just don't want him to feel conspicuously under or overdressed

 

Is a waistcoat a vest or a jacket? If it is a vest, they might give him a jacket to put on at the door. I have seen them do this with men before, but I don't know about teenage boys as I haven't actually seen any teenage boys aboard any of my Solstice class ship sailings. Sounds like he will look very smart to me!

Carole

[gyanhumara]

You may also wish to consider the destination (for example, Caribbean cruises can be a bit more casual; European cruises perhaps a shade dressier), and whether there is a holiday involved. As well as whether he enjoys dressing up. My $0.02: nobody can be "overdressed" on formal nights, however old they are!

Enjoy your cruise, whatever you decide. :)

[breti]

We cruise with our now 13 year old son and he wears a dark suit for formal nights (blue, or black). We seem to always have one, due to needing it for some school, church or family function. And, you can always check with another family of an older child to see if they have one you can borrow.

[junglejane]

You may also wish to consider the destination (for example, Caribbean cruises can be a bit more casual; European cruises perhaps a shade dressier), and whether there is a holiday involved. As well as whether he enjoys dressing up. My $0.02: nobody can be "overdressed" on formal nights, however old they are!

Enjoy your cruise, whatever you decide. :)

 

Good point about destination. I just asked my 15 year old daughter how the teen boys were dressed this past summer on our Equinox cruise to the Mediterranean. She said that the majority (at least of the ones whom she noticed ;)) wore either a dark suit with a tie or a sport coat and tie. They also ditched the jackets and ties asap after dinner -- just like my DH.

[HookedonSXM]

Our then 15 year old son wore a dark suit on our last cruise (Millennium holiday cruise in 2009). As I recall most of the teenage boys had suits or sport coats. What you describe doesn't sound inappropriate to me though, as there will be some dressed less formal than that.

[potterduck]

Is a waistcoat a vest or a jacket? If it is a vest, they might give him a jacket to put on at the door. I have seen them do this with men before, but I don't know about teenage boys as I haven't actually seen any teenage boys aboard any of my Solstice class ship sailings. Sounds like he will look very smart to me!

Carole

 

Sorry, I forgot about the language differences. A waistcoat is usually made of the same fabric as a suit jacket, has 3 or 4 buttons, fairly tightly fitted but has no sleeves. (A vest, to us, would be a sleeveless undershirt usually only worn in winter).

Going from other comments, is a sport coat what we would call a 'blazer'. A sports coat would, to us, be fine check, usually browns and only be worn by an older gentleman.

 

Gyanhumara - we are on Solstice around the Med, out of Barcelona.

[calenita]

I was also wondering about this.

 

In terms of terminology - I think the sports coat is a blazer. That is what I am going to get my 15-year-old. We are going on a Caribbean cruise and will be onboard for Jan 1 which I would think would be fancier. He is growing like a WEED (6'2" now) and the skinniest person ever so I hate to buy him a full suit. I am looking at a sports jacket for him - probably black. When he dresses up for church he wears black pants and a dress shirt, so we have that covered at least.

[Onessa]

I was also wondering about this.

 

In terms of terminology - I think the sports coat is a blazer. That is what I am going to get my 15-year-old. We are going on a Caribbean cruise and will be onboard for Jan 1 which I would think would be fancier. He is growing like a WEED (6'2" now) and the skinniest person ever so I hate to buy him a full suit. I am looking at a sports jacket for him - probably black. When he dresses up for church he wears black pants and a dress shirt, so we have that covered at least.

 

Technically a blazer will have patch pockets, be a solid color, would likely have metal buttons, and MAY have two "vents" in the back (one over each buttock). Where as a Sports Coat traditionally will have have pockets with flaps, will likely be a tweed or other patterned cloth, will likely have bone/plastic buttons, and typically just the one vent in the center of the back. But the Hart, Schaffner and Marx's of this world have permanently fuzzied these distinction so that the terms are in the US at least used interchangeably.

 

We've cruised primarily the Med the last few years and DD (now 16YO) indicated that most of the guys were wearing dress shirts with tie, dockers and a jacket. She spied one of her Scotish friends (from afar) with a kilt, but he denied it when they met up later ;)

 

What the OP had described should be fine.