Women - Formal nights dress poll

[ISABELLA]

I was battling with a thought-to wear or not to wear for upcoming 14 days cruise with 3 formals. Here is what I do: 2 formals - one long formal dress and dressy pants with dressy sequin top OR pants or skirt with 2 dressy tops.

For 3 formals - I wear the same dress with and without shawl with different jewelry - looks completely different. And pants with 2 different tops.

[mylove]

Kimberley: I personally appreciate you sharing your info with me and am sure others do, too. Please do not take my postings on this subject personally. I just want an ROI and do not want to pay that much ($450)/year for any credit card. I would not get that much out of it. That is why I use my Delta AmEx. I know it must work for you and your needs.

Thanks again.

 

oh no wasn't taking it personally,i just wanted people to know you are not limited to just one airline when using your platinum card for luggage reimbursement,so actually i was speaking to ORV.There are many more perks with your platinum card than just the luggage reimbursement,or we wouldn't use it either,believe me we don't like throwing money away.......:)your AKA's are very close,Oxo and ORV.;)

 

Kimberley

[ORV]

hahaha i called again just for you...;) here are some of the airlines amer express will honor the 200 luggage reimbursement.

Air Tran,Alaska airlines,American,Delta,Frontier,Hawaiian airlines,Jet blu,Southwest,Spirit,United,Continental,UsAirways...you can call for more.I say any gift of 200 dollars is better than none at all.

 

sorry y'all if we kinda hi-jacked this thread for a moment...:)

 

Kimberley

 

I won't hijack this thread anymore. From what you've posted it appears I've been misunderstood. What I was saying is that you couldn't spread your $200 over 2 or 3 airlines. You must select just one. Obviously almost any of them will do. It's just that I might have $75 on Delta in a year & $85 on AA & $75 on ATN, but not enough on any of them alone to meet the $200.

 

To OXO, I agree, I fly Delta so seldom it wouldn't be to my advantage to use their card. While the Amex Platinum does have a very high yearly fee it does have some great benefits, but it's all about whether or not you need or want those benefits. I think the more you travel the more you'd appreciate them.

 

FWIW, I don't have one, but if I could get the whole $200 refund the other $295 might be money well spent if you read through their benefits.

[mylove]

I won't hijack this thread anymore. From what you've posted it appears I've been misunderstood. What I was saying is that you couldn't spread your $200 over 2 or 3 airlines. You must select just one. Obviously almost any of them will do. It's just that I might have $75 on Delta in a year & $85 on AA & $75 on ATN, but not enough on any of them alone to meet the $200.

 

To OXO, I agree, I fly Delta so seldom it wouldn't be to my advantage to use their card. While the Amex Platinum does have a very high yearly fee it does have some great benefits, but it's all about whether or not you need or want those benefits. I think the more you travel the more you'd appreciate them.

 

FWIW, I don't have one, but if I could get the whole $200 refund the other $295 might be money well spent if you read through their benefits.

 

i know a way for you to get your full benefit......do a b2b to Asia....hehehe.;)and it would be 250,not 295.I just received a free night from Amer.Express for Sheraton in Singapore,there rooms range from 200 on up,so actually my 450 investment was paid for in one week.Okay no more hi-jacking.....

 

As far as my formal wear,i love getting dressed up but my DH hates it,so he brings a jacket and lets me dress to the 9"s.

 

Kimberley

[julie100]

I love to dress up and can't wait to see my husband and kids dressed up. It's fun for me and I love to people watch on formal night. I'll bring a simple black cocktail dress for one night, a long gown for one night, and for the third, I may do what we did last time, order dinner to the room and eat lobster in our pj's :D

[CaroleLee]

Poll for all the women - I know there are lots of questions on this topic but in this day and age how many of you women out there wear a formal floor length dress or a formal cocktail dress on formal nights?

 

Thanks

 

I travel with a Travelpro 21" rollon & a tote for 15+ days in Europe. Have never taken a dress. What I do find wonderful is Eileen Fisher black silk crepe evening pant(have used on 7+ cruises & events in NYC). Rolls or folds into nothing,doesn't wrinkle.Pack 3-4 evening tops, pashminas and I'm good to go & stylish.

Carole

[NorthCarolinaBelle]

Black dress with different pashminas and different jewelry makes as many outfits as you want! I also bring a few light-weight "jersey" knit dresses that don't wrinkle. I did bring one long dress this time, which came in handy when we got an invitation on formal night to the captain's table!!!:D One pair of comfortable, low heel dressy sandals that go with everything. Easier than pants and tops for me, and more comfortable.

[dpbs]

Not me, my formal night clothes will either be a long black skirt or dressy black pants with sparkly/beaded tops.

 

I love it. Where else can you dress up in a long formal . Great excuse to glam it up and have fun. :)

[IrishRoots]

I dislike it. I realize some people love it and go all out, so thats fine. (We like to travel light and do self carry off so as not to be stuck sitting around for 2 hours then playing find your luggage is a sea of luggage. Ours always seemed to be at the other end of the terminal. Last trip we just carried it off and were home via the railroad and a couple of taxis before others we knew had made it off the boat! )

 

I am not the problem. Any woman in this day and age can get along well with plain black pants, a plain top, and the right jewelry. Net exactly formal dress but it can pass. My husband is the problem. He does not want to pack a jacket much less a suit! We are quite happy to skip the dining experience if necessary and use the buffet but some ships actually close the buffet for that evening.

[Cruise Arizona]

I like dressing up, but there is lots of flexibility with description for women.

 

On my first Celebrity cruise I wore one fully beaded dress the was just above the knee, a floor length sequin gown, and a convertible dress that was a mermaid style with a removable underskirt. With out the skirt it was just below the knee and with it, floor length.

 

I've "grown" about a size or two since that first cruise and have shopped for easily packable, but still floor length gowns. I've gotten most of mine at Dillards in either the ladies section or the jr section, but even the jr ones are definitely on the evening gown side rather than the prom side. Most are either satin or jersey with a little bit of beading, but not all over.

 

From memory I would say that maybe about 33% of the women in gowns, 33% shorter lengths, and maybe 33% in slacks or palazzo pants. For the lady that asked if she'd feel out of place in her long gown, I'd say absolutely not as there will be a good percentage also dressed in long gowns.

[jelayne]

Most of the time cocktail dresses with and occasional long gown. I double & sometimes triple hang clothes in the garment bag; so a cocktail dress may have a pair of slack hung under it and a blouse over it.

[Redtravel]

Nothing very fancy. Keep it simple and neat. Leave the prom dresses home or in the trash can.

[Grumpy100]

Do away with formal altogether. jeans every night is fine with us. I won't tell if you are not dressed up. Nor will I care. Will probably never see you ever again. Just bring on the lobster and enjoy.

[Caribbophile]

I am a "step behind" Celebrity's dress code descriptions for women. They define "Formal" as an "evening gown"; "Informal" as "cocktail dress"; and "casual" as resort wear. I don't now own, or never have, an evening gown. My "formal" is a simple brown jersey dress that was good enough for my nephew's wedding so it's good enough for the cruise. And to me "informal" means the same as "casual." I wear a skirt or capris. I've been on quite a few cruises & was never kept out of the dining room following this way of dressing.

[islandgirlejfan]

I take one pair of palazzo pants, one sparkly top and one satiny top along with a black pashmina which makes two outfits. We are packing lighter as it seemed we were changing constantly and never really wearing what we brought along. I won't buy another formal dress.....it's a waste when there is really no opportunity to wear it.

[Chirpbird]

Poll for all the women - I know there are lots of questions on this topic but in this day and age how many of you women out there wear a formal floor length dress or a formal cocktail dress on formal nights?

 

Thanks

Me, me, me, me. I will, I will, I will, I will. Part of the fun I have on a cruise is that I get to wear all the shiny, pretty, shiny, sparkly, fun and shiny dress clothes I don't get to wear any other time!

[Chirpbird]

I'm in the black pants, dressy top or jacket or beaded sweater group. In winter the pants are black velvet. Other seasons they are sateen or crushable pants.

 

I have the one pair of dressy black pants on the cruise and then different tops. I use the same strappy sandals with 2-inch heels every formal night and carry the same black beaded bag every formal night. I do vary the jewelry to add variety.

 

As an aside, I sat and watched dozens of women walk by one formal night to see their shoes and what they wore just to see if I might try something different. I didn't see one pair of black "flyaway" pants which I have worn on many a cruise. Have they gone out of style?

I plan to bring a bronze, fly-away pant suit. Well, it's a onesie, so I guess it's a pant suit. Anyway, to me, fly-away pants are classic.

[lovestx]

Newbie here...how do I know how many formal nights on my 11 night Equinox cruise in June?

[IrishMis]

I, too, am a Chico's gal. I have more black pieces from there than I care to count. And I bring a lot of them and have my pick of how I---and my waistline-- feel on a given night. A trick I learned from someone else when we first started cruising was for DH. We bought a really nice black suit and a tux shirt. The suit doubles for lots of functions and with the tux shirt and a vest looks like he has a regular tux. He can throw in a tie and another shirt and it looks very different. Sounds silly, but sometimes we "dress" according to our table mates. Several times the men have thanked my husband for not making them feel out of place by not wearing the tux. I hope they never do away with the formal nights because it is part of the cruise experience I love best. Sue

[bunzini]

Honestly, I am kind of tired of the whole formal night thing. I dress up for work every day and want to wear comfortable clothes on vacation. I generally bring a short black dress or something similar to that. With the luggage restrictions, it is much too hard to pack a heavy item (many of my more 'beaded' items tend to be heavy). Going for two weeks to the Baltic this summer and think packing might be difficult, because I think temps may vary so will need items such as jackets, etc. I also want to bring things back, so need to be cautious. Gosh aren't the rest of you feeling the same way--it's hard enough to pack and keep within the limitations of the weight of the luggage restrictions?? I am thinking of taking an extra bag (need to see how much that will cost), but then we are lugging around an extra bag. Any ideas?

[BlueEyedBirdy]

I'm looking forward to wearing long formal dresses for formal nights and sundress/cocktail dresses for dinner the other nights. Not too many opportunites to get all "dolled" up everyday, so excited to do so on our cruise :)

[ptiprof]

I am working towards being able to cruise with nothing but carry-on luggage. Not quite there yet, but DH and I take only carry-ons and one checked bag between us. He arranges for tux rental onboard ahead of time ( for luggage purposes - not formality) and I simply bring one pair of Chico's Travelers dress slacks and chiffon-trimmed top. Along with a bit of jewelry, we look just fine. Our preference, however, would be "smart casual" every night as it is on Regent and Azamara.

[jsy44]

I too prefer the casual approach of Azamara. Don't actually own a full length dress. Luggage restrictions mean I won't be dressing up much - that's my excuse!

[Caribbophile]

I am working towards being able to cruise with nothing but carry-on luggage. Not quite there yet, but DH and I take only carry-ons and one checked bag between us. He arranges for tux rental onboard ahead of time ( for luggage purposes - not formality) and I simply bring one pair of Chico's Travelers dress slacks and chiffon-trimmed top. Along with a bit of jewelry, we look just fine. Our preference, however, would be "smart casual" every night as it is on Regent and Azamara.

I tried to talk my husband into tux rental for the very reason you mentioned, to be able to get by with carry-ons only. We are also taking one checked bag between us (airline charges $25 per bag each way & we don't need 2 anyway) in addition to our carry-ons. But he is unwilling to wear tux. Too bad there's no formal wear rental for women, I'd go for it and I'll bet other women would too. I actually heard years ago about tux rental for women but that's not what I meant, I'd like to see cocktail dress/gown rental:)