Formal Night Attire for Teens????

[junglejane]

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.

 

I agree with you Larry! Also, am I the only one who has noticed that these questions always come up in reference to boys? I have yet to see someone post that they don't want to buy their 13 year old DD something to wear on formal night. Sure, maybe the girls already have an acceptable dress. But I'll bet that plenty of people just think differently about buying clothes for their girls. My DD's love to glam up for formal night, including shoes, a cute purse, some costume jewelry, hair accessories, manicure, etc. No individual item is very expensive but collectively it adds up. I'd feel like I had gotten off easy if I could get by with a $50 blazer. Hopefully the outfits from the Christmas cruise will still work for the Spring Break cruise. :)

[navyrotorhead]

I am astonished at how many people (including some of most senior politicians) don't know how to tie a full Windsor knot.

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

 

Surely, the final sign of the end of civilization! :eek: What next?

 

Fire and Brimstone raining down from the sky, dogs and cats living together, MASS HYSTERIA! :rolleyes:

 

Who ya gonna call? ;)

[fizzy1]

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.

 

 

✈✈

i agree

[tip]

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.

 

I don't see why some folks feel compelled to comment on how others choose to spend their money!;)

[olemissreb]

My sons are 13 & 17 and will be wearing khaki slacks, button down shirts, ties and a blazer. My oldest son can now wear my DH's "cast offs" so I won't have to worry about buying anything new for him. For my youngest, I'm going to wait until about a month before we leave and buy him a cheap blazer at Burlington Coat Factory. I did this for both of them on our last cruise and I think I may have paid $50 total for both blazers in March 2010.

 

My oldest may actually take other dress pants as he does have some he has to wear when he does his Research presentations at school. My youngest doesn't like wearing the khakis because they remind him to much of his school uniform, but he deals with it knowing that he only has to wear them through dinner and then he can change.

[olemissreb]

. My son actually enjoyed dressing up but still hated the shoes!

 

.

 

This was true of both my boys on our last cruise. Actually for the oldest one, he didn't try his dress shoes on prior to our leaving, insisting they still fit. Yep - you guessed it! They didn't fit, so he ended up wearing nice dress pant, shirt, tie, blazer and tennis shoes! :o:eek:

 

We'll be shopping for new dress shoes for both boys at the end of the school year in May. I swear boys out grow shoes after only a couple months! No sense getting new dress shoes now only to have to buy newer ones come June!

[Goofyisme]

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....

 

Actually the biggest problem could be Osgood Schlater's disease such as I had when I grew at that rate one year requiring surgery on both knees. Strange things do happen so dismissing them out of hand is sometimes incorrect.

 

That said it is certainly no excuse for not having an inexpensive jacket on hand.

[wvufan]

Surely, the final sign of the end of civilization! :eek: What next?

 

Fire and Brimstone raining down from the sky, dogs and cats living together, MASS HYSTERIA! :rolleyes:

 

Who ya gonna call? ;)

Ha ha. Certainly not the end of the world, rotorhead. LOL

 

The thread is about teenagers' dress on formal nights. It seems the majority are willing to cut the boys some slack, with most indicating they should at least wear a tie. My comment was that they should wear it so that it looks good.

 

I also said it surprised me that more politicians don't wear a Windsor knot. [ I didn't imply life would end, only that it would be advantageous]. These days they all have image consultants (that's why you see so many of them with light blue ties) and you would think they would want to look as good as they can, yet many of them have lopsided knots. Certainly not what I would expect for a prospective CIC.

 

I favor Windsor knots as I am an old US Army man. So, if that is worth poking fun at, have at it :).

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

[phoenix_dream]

JC Penny's - boys jackets on sale for $25. Goodwill - jackets for sale from $3.99-$4.99, and a dry cleaner's bill. And the list goes on. Can he get away with a shirt and tie? Likely (unless he looks old for his age). Will he feel more comfortable being dressed like the rest of the 'men'? Definitely! I am of the belief, if you can afford a cruise, you can afford to dress to follow the dress code without having to break the bank. And lately there have been reports of jackets required in a number of restaurants on formal nights, published policy be 'darned', depending on the whim of the Captain or restaurant manager.

[Miss SeaBee]

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.

 

I am from planet Earth, and while I don't have boys of my own, I had 2 brothers growing up, and from age 5 up, they had a jacket, dress shirts, ties, slacks and dress shoes. They wore them every Sunday to church, to family events, weddings, funerals, nice dinners out, shows. What planet are you from that you never take your kids anywhere nice enough to require more than a t shirt?

[ghstudio]

I am from planet Earth, and while I don't have boys of my own, I had 2 brothers growing up, and from age 5 up, they had a jacket, dress shirts, ties, slacks and dress shoes. They wore them every Sunday to church, to family events, weddings, funerals, nice dinners out, shows. What planet are you from that you never take your kids anywhere nice enough to require more than a t shirt?

 

Your choices are, of course, your personal choices....but I think there's a big leap between a kid not having a sports jacket/blazer and just wearing t shirts.

 

As an adult, on a warm night, I often carry my blazer over my arm and it goes over the back of my seat. That's not very far from a young teen coming to diner with nice shirt and perhaps a tie with no jacket/blazer.

 

As far as suggesting one should have a jacket for church is a bit presumptive about religion, isn't it. Funerals...perhaps you should have a jacket to be buried in, but I've never been to a funeral (and I've been to too many) where some adults and others aren't wearing or carrying jackets. Again...your personal choice, but not everyones.

 

Have you been to a show in NY or London recently...very few adults even wear jackets.

 

It's always kind of dangerous to assume that you know what others should do....

[Miss SeaBee]

Your choices are, of course, your personal choices....but I think there's a big leap between a kid not having a sports jacket/blazer and just wearing t shirts.

 

As an adult, on a warm night, I often carry my blazer over my arm and it goes over the back of my seat. That's not very far from a young teen coming to diner with nice shirt and perhaps a tie with no jacket/blazer.

 

As far as suggesting one should have a jacket for church is a bit presumptive about religion, isn't it. Funerals...perhaps you should have a jacket to be buried in, but I've never been to a funeral (and I've been to too many) where some adults and others aren't wearing or carrying jackets. Again...your personal choice, but not everyones.

 

Have you been to a show in NY or London recently...very few adults even wear jackets.

 

It's always kind of dangerous to assume that you know what others should do....

 

Don't get your panties in a wad just because I dared to utter the word church. Honey, I don't even go to church anymore. That's not the point. I merely used it, among several other venues, as a place that might require a certain mode of dress. The OP asked a valid question about MDR attire for teens on formal night. 6Andy6 thought it was insane and otherworldly to require teens to dress appropriately. It isn't a judgement call, if you want to know what the dress requirements are in the MDR. It is right there on the website in black and white. Teens, and everyone else, are expected to dress according to the code. If you wish to ignore the dress code, fine, THAT is a judgement call. The question wasn't about what appropriate dress is in London or NY, it was about the dining room on formal night.

 

I most certainly didn't make a judgement about anyone's religion. If you worked that hard to read that into my response, then you have a problem.

[gisnered]

<snip>

I also said it surprised me that more politicians don't wear a Windsor knot. [ I didn't imply life would end, only that it would be advantageous]. These days they all have image consultants (that's why you see so many of them with light blue ties) and you would think they would want to look as good as they can, yet many of them have lopsided knots. Certainly not what I would expect for a prospective CIC.

 

I favor Windsor knots as I am an old US Army man. So, if that is worth poking fun at, have at it :).

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

 

Actually, there are three knots generally accepted as appropriate for a gentleman. they are: the Four In Hand, the Half Windsor, and the Full Windsor.

 

The lopsided knot you refer to, the Four In Hand, is generally worn by politicians and probably is a reflection of their mental state. :D

 

You're probably right on spot about the light blue ties - everyone seems to have given up the "power red" tie. :confused:

[Algebralovr]

Honestly, for a 13 - 15 yr old boy, slacks, collared shirt, and perhaps a tie should be fine. As for dress shoes, we used to not bother - he would out grown them before they had been worn more than 2 - 3 times. Instead, we purchased black athletic shoes that could do double duty. The rule was that you kept them nice for about 4 - 6 months, then they could be worn as plain "tennies". At the time, DS was going through shoes every 3 - 6 months. The only time he got real dress shoes when when a friend gave them to us.

 

We bought him a suit exactly once - he is presently 17. He does not own a jacket, and has never needed it. We usually bought him one white collared shirt each year when outgrown. The rest of the time, he wore the knit school uniform style shirts. His school required navy blue, white or dark green, and navy or khaki pants. We've always found that the navy blue pants with a more formal collared shirt and perhaps a tie would be plenty with a younger boy.

 

He now owns black slacks and dress shoes, along with a regular tie (having used clip ons for years). So far, that has been enough. I refuse to purchase more expensive clothes for him until the growing slows down. While we've found plenty over the years at thrift stores, he has a hard time finding clothes anywhere. Wearing a 29 waist and a 34 length and wearing a men's small across the shoulders probably has something to do with it. I figure he should start filling out one of these days, but will be slender for a while since he runs 5 miles or so a day. I figure he'll ask for a jacket this year for prom, and we'll find one that doesn't look too bad and has some growing room.

[navyrotorhead]

What planet are you from that you never take your kids anywhere nice enough to require more than a t shirt?

 

Perhaps you should reconsider your former statement about "wadded panties.":rolleyes:

[jackdiamond]

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

Good for you.

[niborHS]

My sons are now in their 20's, but we took them on cruises every year until they graduated from high school. I always bought my boys blazers, and later suits, because we they had reason off and on to wear them, aside from on the cruise. After I handed them down from one to another I gave them to a friend, who certainly could afford to buy her own, but mine were in great condition so why not. When she moved out of her $2.5 million house, she gave them to someone else, as they were still in her closet. The point is, it is not the cost, as much as the idea, of going out and buying these for some.

To the original poster, you may want to ask friends or relatives with older sons if they have something that you can borrow from them. Otherwise, I am sure that he will be fine in the dress shirt, however with my sons I also found that this was a way to teach them when it was appropriate to dress a certain way. They never, even now, question when to wear a suit or sports jacket, and when they can wear other things.

[COMBOY]

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:

 

Please follow the guide lines from Celebrity. It's their cruise line and Celebrity sets the guidelines; not people here on Cruisecritic. So to answer you question, yes he would be expected to wear a jacket and slacks. Just go to a second hand clothing store and buy him a coat. Problem solved. It's not going to kill him. If you don't wish to follow the guidelines then skip formal night and eat in the Lido cafe for dinner. Gentlemen would include all males other then infants. Cut and paste from Celebrities website:

 

Examples of "Formal" attire include:

Ladies: Cocktail dress, gown, or dressy pantsuit.

Gentlemen: Tuxedo, suit, or dinner jacket with slacks.

 

Note: T-shirts, swimsuits, robes, bare feet, tank tops, baseball caps and pool wear are not allowed in the main restaurant or specialty restaurants at any time. Shorts and flip-flops are not allowed in the evening hours. As a courtesy to our guests, we respectfully require and enforce compliance with the dress code at the entrance of your restaurant of choice. We thank you, in advance, for your cooperation and understanding. Additionally, guests are asked to follow the "Smart Casual & Above" dress code in the Celebrity Theater for all evening performances.

[ghstudio]

Please follow the guide lines from Celebrity. It's their cruise line and Celebrity sets the guidelines; not people here on Cruisecritic. So to answer you question, yes he would be expected to wear a jacket and slacks. Just go to a second hand clothing store and buy him a coat. Problem solved. It's not going to kill him. If you don't wish to follow the guidelines then skip formal night and eat in the Lido cafe for dinner. Gentlemen would include all males other then infants.

 

If we are going to throw logic and common sense to the wind.....then according to their policy infants also must dress formally.

 

Since you have unilaterally decided that infants are excluded, perhaps you would tell us at what age you believe a jacket is required on a young man. It won't change Celebrity's policy, whatever it really is....but now I'm curious.

[MoYerclan]

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?

 

.

 

I saw an amazing number of suits and sport coats for resale at my local thrift shop. It seems full of suits/tuxedos/blazers that young folks might have worn in weddings or other fancy dress events and then grew out of. Worth checking out! And its always handy to have one available.

 

My son got a few fancy jackets and a suit when he joined a fraternity. They required them to dress for some events. It was a good lesson. Of course they also dressed like slobs at other events.... lol.

[petersonwith3]

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.

 

Finally, a voice of reason....

[Onessa]

. . . I also found that this was a way to teach them when it was appropriate to dress a certain way. They never, even now, question when to wear a suit or sports jacket, and when they can wear other things.

Last year our high school's marching band was invited to a formal thank you dinner in the evening following a performance. The band director arranged for three of us parents to do a 45 minute presentation -- what to wear, how to be seated, what silverware/glassware to use, how to excuse yourself if you need to leave the table, etc. We did kind of a boot camp for 200 14-18YOs. We did a wardrobe "check" prior to sending the luggage out to make certain everyone had what they needed and that clothing was appropriate. We folks designated to help tie ties. Some of the kids knew what to do, but it was amazing how many kids had never had any experience or any idea how to deal with a formal situation.

 

Our DD has had ample occassion to use her "formal" manners and thus far, what we have practiced on cruises and other situation, has served her well.

[jackdiamond]

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 :).

Does he play basketball? Why will you not bring the blazers?

[flames9]

Eat at the Specialty restaurants, or if one is in Aqua --Blu. Only the MDR is required to be "dressed up"

[kitty9]

If the boys are interested in girls at their age, and they see how much the girls love to dress to the nines, they might want to really dress the part also. Boys that age are always wanting to look "hot" for the ladies, so that might be an argument for dressing up.