How Formal?

[Kevin308]

How formal is formal night? I am not asking because I want it changed. I am asking because my wife doesn't really like getting super dressed up. So what I am trying to figure out if my ideal of Formal is the same as the cruise lines. Pictures would help thanks.

 

Oh what I am looking at is an Alaska cruise.

[SwissMyst]

Formal for women can be simple, like a long or cocktail length dark skirt or pants and a sparkly top with dressy accessories. Or any other basic colors that work with a more festive top.

 

Or it can be a formal long (but packable) gown, or a dressy pants suit in evening fabrics, or a nice cocktail dress - the point it to sparkle a bit more than most nights and for some women just a dressy shawl or bolero top over a simple dress is good enough too.

 

Whatever, with today's packable dressy fabrics this is no longer a chore to bring something that takes things up a notch.... or two or three. And to remember the top of the outfit is what shows up the most when sitting down for formal dinner night.

 

If you like to shop on ebay, there are wonderful items for cruise wear. I particularly like "Alex Evenings" because they make very nice tops that can go with any sort of basic dressy skirt or pants, which they also sell too. And Yes, you can buy "new with tags" on ebay for very good prices, if you don't like to buy recycled items. http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=alex+evenings&_sacat=See-All-Categories

 

Men: dark suit, white dinner jacket, tux all work.

[RMLincoln]

Wow, Well said SwissMyst. Well said.

Plus, there are venues that one doesn't have to dress up for.

m--

[RuthC]

On HAL, "formal" really isn't very.

For men, a tux/dinner jacket, or a suit, or even just a sport coat w/tie meets the "formal" code.

For women, a long gown, or a cocktail dress, or something as simple as what is shown as "holiday wear" suffices.

The dress code doesn't change with different itineraries, so Alaska doesn't change what HAL requests be worn. It may change the level of compliance, however.

[big green]

Just off the Oosterdam for 14 days with 4 formal nights--what you read on this board about dress codes --after observing on the Oosterdam---is very inflated--the formal wear was no way very formal-- very very few tuxes, many men in shirt and pants alot without ties.--I saw no formal gowns on women--

I thought the dress for smart casual was well below smart--more like casual-no shorts--but many jeans of all colors on both men and women. Alot of cruisers I spoke with were fed up with formal nights after two and would prefer none.

 

In fact some of the dress I saw on smart casual nights on many repeat Holland cruisers was quite sloppy IMOP.

 

So all you dress code police take a break--it looks as if formal is on the way out.

 

BG

[English_in_Spain]

I have a simple plain black skirt - normal skirt length. It packs really well and does not crease.

 

On formal nights I wear it with sparkly tops and I can also wear it other nights with non-formal blouses or tops.

 

DH likes to wear a Tux (black or white) - he always has. Nowadays he tends to be in the minority.

 

On our last HAL cruise we had 14 formal nights.

 

I will be brave and post a photo

 

[F5Loar]

Very nice Carol and your husband is super. You both understood what HAL was asking nicely you dress in for the formal evening. While we might be a dying breed of cruisers at least when we go to our grave we will know we got it right. I just don't get all the naysayers that think it is wrong to dress up for a formal evening. They have to know it is wrong to do so. I guess it's the way they were raised.

[tangerinebunny]

If your wife wears pretty much what she'd wear to an evening wedding or concert, she'll fit right in.

 

Dress runs from 'opening night at the opera' to 'Sunday morning church,' so most of us slide in somewhere in the middle.

 

Few if any on the ship care what you wear. People are too busy leading their own lives and having fun.

[Kevin308]

I have a simple plain black skirt - normal skirt length. It packs really well and does not crease.

 

On formal nights I wear it with sparkly tops and I can also wear it other nights with non-formal blouses or tops.

 

DH likes to wear a Tux (black or white) - he always has. Nowadays he tends to be in the minority.

 

On our last HAL cruise we had 14 formal nights.

 

I will be brave and post a photo

 

 

Thank you Carol this is exactly the type example I was wanting to give my wife.