Formal Night Attire for Teens????

[tinky41]

Hello - please can you help? We will be travelling with my 15 year old daughter and 13 year old son. On formal nights in the MDR what are they expected to wear? My daughter is ok to wear a dress but my son does not own a jacket apart from his school uniform!! What is accepted by Celebrity? Thank you in advance for your experience and ideas :confused:

[dkjretired]

Hello - please can you help? We will be travelling with my 15 year old daughter and 13 year old son. On formal nights in the MDR what are they expected to wear? My daughter is ok to wear a dress but my son does not own a jacket apart from his school uniform!! What is accepted by Celebrity? Thank you in advance for your experience and ideas :confused:

 

Celebrity really doesn't make a distinction in their dress code. In reality it is going to depend on who is at the door when you enter. Usually a 13 yr. old they will not bother but I would have him wear a nice shirt and a tie at the very least.. Worst that can happen is they will loan him a jacket.

[Orator]

Celebrity really doesn't make a distinction in their dress code. In reality it is going to depend on who is at the door when you enter. Usually a 13 yr. old they will not bother but I would have him wear a nice shirt and a tie at the very least.. Worst that can happen is they will loan him a jacket.

 

Agree. The destination and lenght of cruise may make a difference. I believe (my opinion only) that a 15 year old young man should own at least a blazer.

[BKFlowerMound]

While there is no distinction in the dress code, the younger the child, the more flexible they are likely to be. What the parents are wearing (at least in my opinion) will also make a difference. Thus, if Dad's wearing a suit and son is wearing nice pants, collared shirt, and a tie, the chances of there being any issue at all are very small.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[macruisefan]

my son does not own a jacket apart from his school uniform!!

 

Not to be morbid or anything, but what happens if there is a death in the family, and there is a funeral this Wednesday? I'm not trying to sit in judgment, but at that age, not having at least one blazer is a pain in the butt waiting to happen...

[Lsimon]

The most appropriate answer here is that this is a good opportunity to teach your 13 year old about proper dress for events like this. Order him a rental tux (the photos of all the men in the family in tuxes will be wirth it), or get him a suit or at least a blazer to wear with a dress shirt and tie. An inexpensive blazer for a 13 year old can be purchased for not too much money at most discount department stores and maybe even Target.

 

The most practical approach that is sure to be OK is to have him wear a dress shirt, dressy slacks and a nice tie. While this doesn't meet the letter of the formal night dress code he will be fine.

 

The easiest approach: At 13 I think he would have no problems getting into the dining room as long as he was wearing a decent looking pair of slacks and a dress shirt (long or short sleeved). Just as a grown man would have no issue getting in with a blazer and a tie, even though it doesn't meet the dress code, I'd think a 13 year old could get in wearing anything that is at least slightly dressy looking.

[runner15km]

A dress shirt and tie will be fine. Have a great family cruise.:)

[6andy6]

Because spending good money on a blazer for a 13 year old whose body is continually growing just makes soooooooooooooo much sense...doesn't it folks?

 

Sometimes i wonder what planet people are on when they have ideas or opinions that are so out of whack with reality.

 

OP, just a nice pair of dark/black pants, a shirt and a tie as someone suggested will be fine. No one ( in their right mind) expects people that age (or you) to be investing In things so they dress up looking like the great gatsby for all of a couple of hours on a cruise to find that they need replacing in 8 months time as they have grow out if them.

[Jimsgirl]

Because spending good money on a blazer for a 13 year old whose body is continually growing just makes soooooooooooooo much sense...doesn't it folks?

 

Sometimes i wonder what planet people are on when they have ideas or opinions that are so out of whack with reality.

 

OP, just a nice pair of dark/black pants, a shirt and a tie as someone suggested will be fine. No one ( in their right mind) expects people that age (or you) to be investing In things so they dress up looking like the great gatsby for all of a couple of hours on a cruise to find that they need replacing in 8 months time as they have grow out if them.

 

 

 

May I suggest that the OP tries the local consignment store, for a blazer, or "dressy " jacket'

My Gt Grand children have many clothes which are bought this way, the cost is very small compared to buying from a regular store , for an item that could be outworn in a few months.

 

I hope the parents will be setting a good example. Believe me it is never too early to begin educating off spring, to follow "dress codes" and also to broaden their eating habits, to realise that there are something other items than hot dogs, burgers and fries.

[dkjretired]

Because spending good money on a blazer for a 13 year old whose body is continually growing just makes soooooooooooooo much sense...doesn't it folks?

 

Sometimes i wonder what planet people are on when they have ideas or opinions that are so out of whack with reality.

 

OP, just a nice pair of dark/black pants, a shirt and a tie as someone suggested will be fine. No one ( in their right mind) expects people that age (or you) to be investing In things so they dress up looking like the great gatsby for all of a couple of hours on a cruise to find that they need replacing in 8 months time as they have grow out if them.

 

What planet they live on, give me a break. A suggestion was made by Larry which is not unreasonable. I didn't have a lot of money when my kids were little but we went on a cruise every year with the kids and they had to get dressed up in a suit and a dress or they didn't eat because there were no alternatives. Poster asked for suggestions and Larry made one, no reason to belittle it.

[dkjretired]

Hello - please can you help? We will be travelling with my 15 year old daughter and 13 year old son. On formal nights in the MDR what are they expected to wear? My daughter is ok to wear a dress but my son does not own a jacket apart from his school uniform!! What is accepted by Celebrity? Thank you in advance for your experience and ideas :confused:

 

Another suggestion is if you had planned on eating in any of the specialty restaurants, schedule it on a formal night, jackets are not needed in Celebrity's specialties.

[cruisestitch]

I take it that the school uniform the OP mentioned is a jacket? Bring that.

[Cruise Arizona]

Because spending good money on a blazer for a 13 year old whose body is continually growing just makes soooooooooooooo much sense...doesn't it folks?

 

Sometimes i wonder what planet people are on when they have ideas or opinions that are so out of whack with reality.

 

OP, just a nice pair of dark/black pants, a shirt and a tie as someone suggested will be fine. No one ( in their right mind) expects people that age (or you) to be investing In things so they dress up looking like the great gatsby for all of a couple of hours on a cruise to find that they need replacing in 8 months time as they have grow out if them.

 

This is why I buy all my son's "dress clothes" at Goodwill or the Salvation army. Blazers are usually around $10 and the money spent in the stores supports the good work that both of these organizations do. When he out grows them I donate them back to the store. The best part is that he looks great for the cruise. I have found that the mens dress clothes in these stores is often barely worn and some new with tags. It may take a couple of times stopping by to find the right size, or visits to several stores, but I find this to be a great solution!

 

Son looks good, my pocket book wins, and the charity gets the double benefit of a sale this year and a donation next year.

[Karen@Steve]

My now adult son had a jacket or suit that fit him most of time growing up because there were commonly events when it would have been expected. Weddings, funerals, religious services, etc. Now nearly no one dress up for any of this anymore so I can certainly understand why he doesn't have one hanging in the closet.

 

I think that dress slacks, dress shirt and tie are more than appropriate. However, if you can borrow one or buy one at a goodwill or consignment shop I would go for it. Your son might enjoy dressing up and it would be a great opportunity to be more adult like. Getting him to wear dress shoes will probably be the hardest sell and the most expensive proposition. My son actually enjoyed dressing up but still hated the shoes!

 

Enjoy your family time and have a great cruise.

[marinating]

Certainly don't agree with your comments 6andy6 'opinions so out of touch with reality."

 

Growing up in Australia my two sons had suits which they enjoyed wearing to not just weddings and funerals but restaurants, concerts and more formal family dinners. They still love their suits but now buy their own.

 

Some parents seem happy to be paying out huge amounts for casual brand name clothing and shoes which children also grow out off very quickly or expensive mobile phone bills but are reluctant to invest that money in decent clothing.

 

As parents we need to guide and encourage our children to behave/present in a way that is acceptable in different situations, whether this is social or otherwise.

This will give them confidence and stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives. You may think I am out of touch with reality but the reality is our kids need every advantage we can give them to stand out from the crowd.

 

I think the idea of looking in the Goodwill or Salvation Army stores a good one,

Most children love getting dressed up and feeling grown-up and the opportunity to participate in a formal gathering with adults is quite an experience.

 

Enjoy your formal nights tinky41, create some great memories and happy cruising. 👔

 

 

✈✈🚢

[mum and son]

We leave on a 14 night cruise in a week and have 3 formal nights. I'm also travelling with 2 x 13 year old boys and 1 x 12 year old boy. They are all taking the grey pants from their school uniform and their white shirts and school tie and black school shoes. We are not taking the school blazers.

 

Living in Queensland, Australia, my 13 y.o. son has absolutely no need for a suit or formal jacket and he has grown over a foot taller in the past 12 months. He wears size 12 shoes and obviously will keep growing taller for the next few years. I don't intend to buy him a suit until his growth spurt settles down a bit. I think a boy his age looks more ridiculous in a too small or too big suit than in what he will be wearing on formal night.

 

He will be well dressed (in my opinion), and more importantly, he has impeccable table manners - I will sit beside him proudly :).

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I know how the OP feels. For years I bought my son a blazer each time we traveled and I am of the mind that a young man should wear at least a blazer, shirt, tie and dress shoes on formal night. It is important to respect the dress code. If you plan to walk around the main parts of the ship on formal night- you will feel really underdressed if the men aren't in suits and ladies in formal wear.

 

However-- we have cruised many times now and we mostly dispensed with formal night. On those nights we did Qsine instead and that way neither of us needed to bring formal attire. After dinner- he would go to the youth program anyway- so formalwear isn't required there.

 

It really depends on what you want out of your cruise. On our upcoming cruise- we are bringing formalwear because he is now 12 and wants the option of doing fine dining.

[babyher]

Not to be morbid or anything, but what happens if there is a death in the family, and there is a funeral this Wednesday? I'm not trying to sit in judgment, but at that age, not having at least one blazer is a pain in the butt waiting to happen...

 

 

Why the pain in the butt?

 

I have been to many wakes and funerals where young teens have worn a pair of dress pants or Dockers with a dress shirt and tie and they looked fine.

 

Sadly, the way the world has changed, my kids (now all in their 20s have been to far more funerals than I had to go to when I was that age. That is usually what my sons have worn and they were certainly not in the minority

[junglejane]

Hello - please can you help? We will be travelling with my 15 year old daughter and 13 year old son. On formal nights in the MDR what are they expected to wear? My daughter is ok to wear a dress but my son does not own a jacket apart from his school uniform!! What is accepted by Celebrity? Thank you in advance for your experience and ideas :confused:

 

Like Cruisestitch, I noticed that you mentioned a school uniform jacket. Is it some sort of navy or dark colored blazer? If so, I would think he could wear that with khaki or dark pants, a white shirt and tie and look very nice. I am partial to the idea of a jacket, but feel confident he will also be fine in a dress shirt and long pants (not jeans). As others have pointed out, the formal dress code only applies in the MDR anyway, so the specialty restaurants are another option.

[macruisefan]

my 13 y.o. son has absolutely no need for a suit or formal jacket and he has grown over a foot taller in the past 12 months.

 

Sorry, this is major embellishment. to grow "over a foot taller" from age 12 to 13 means going from below the third, to above the ninety-sevententh percentile for height.... In one year. If that happened, your biggest problem is not a blazer, it's probably his pituitary carcinoma....

[mum and son]

Sorry, this is major embellishment. to grow "over a foot taller" from age 12 to 13 means going from below the third, to above the ninety-sevententh percentile for height.... In one year. If that happened, your biggest problem is not a blazer, it's probably his pituitary carcinoma....

 

Sorry Doctor :rolleyes:.

 

To the OP, let your son wear something he will be comfortable in. To jacket or not is not a huge deal - your son will not be turned away. That's the key here. It's likely the majority won't notice his lack of jacket and it's also likely that he will be better dressed than many adult males. And if he has good table manners and knows how to hold a knife and fork then he is 10 steps ahead of many others onboard (adults :eek:)... a tux doesn't replace that!

 

Have a great cruise :).

[tinky41]

Because spending good money on a blazer for a 13 year old whose body is continually growing just makes soooooooooooooo much sense...doesn't it folks?

 

Sometimes i wonder what planet people are on when they have ideas or opinions that are so out of whack with reality.

 

OP, just a nice pair of dark/black pants, a shirt and a tie as someone suggested will be fine. No one ( in their right mind) expects people that age (or you) to be investing In things so they dress up looking like the great gatsby for all of a couple of hours on a cruise to find that they need replacing in 8 months time as they have grow out if them.

Thanks for all your comments and my son does have a school blazer which could be packed as a just in case but I think we'll go with smart trousers,shirt and tie because he doesn't want to miss out but he is growing very fast.

[Lsimon]

Because spending good money on a blazer for a 13 year old whose body is continually growing just makes soooooooooooooo much sense...doesn't it folks?

 

Sometimes i wonder what planet people are on when they have ideas or opinions that are so out of whack with reality.....

 

I don't see why spending $50, more or less, to enjoy, and fully participate, in the formal night experience on your cruise makes any less sense than spending $50 to $125 for a day's excursion at a port stop.

 

Several people have suggested that an evening at one of the specialty restaurants on the ship might be a nice way to avoid formal night dress. I'll point out that while we do enjoy the specialty restaurants the price of dinner there isn't much less than what a smart shopper could find a boy's blazer for.

[goldencruiser]

My son is 14 years old and has worn his own tux happily on many formal nights and always receives compliments.

[wvufan]

Many have suggested that a dress shirt and tie would be fine.

 

My only comment in that regard is to make sure the tie looks like a tie is supposed to look-properly tied and the knot all the way up instead of hanging like one of John Wayne's bandanas :D.

 

I am astonished at how many people (including some of most senior politicians) don't know how to tie a full Windsor knot. There are step by step visuals on the internet. Learning how to tie and wear a tie will benefit you son (and anyone else) in the business world.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl