Formal wear for 14 yr old boy?

[PoohQ]

My family and I will be cruising Alaska this summer on the Diamond. We have Traditional Dining. On formal nights, DH and older DS will be wearing suit jackets & ties with their dress pants, but younger DS HATES to dress up. Will he be allowed into the dining room on formal nights if he is wearing just a dress shirt and dress pants, with NO jacket (and no tie, either, if he has his way!)?

 

I know, I know, formal night means dressing up, but my 14 year old really doesn't want to have to wear a jacket (or tie!), and I wouldn't want to have to eat without him if he is denied entry into the dining room!

 

TIA!

[Dreamer333]

In my opinion, he will be just fine, especially since the whole of your group will be dressed up. If you are really concerned, just have him wear a jacket into the dining room, and then as soon as you are seated, he can take it off and put it on his chair.

 

When my DH and I first started cruising, I "made" him wear a tux...

But the majority of men were NOT that dressed up!

[land lover]

So is he a 14 year old that looks like a man or still a young teen? If you have an extra jacket at home bring it along...but he will be fine in a long sleve dress shirt no tie. :)

[PoohQ]

So is he a 14 year old that looks like a man or still a young teen? If you have an extra jacket at home bring it along...but he will be fine in a long sleve dress shirt no tie. :)

 

Well, I don't think he looks like a man yet. :rolleyes: He is a little tallerthan I am, but I think he looks like he's 14!

 

If I don't need to pack it, I'd really rather not have to take a jacket for him if he's not going to wear it -- the garment bag and suitcases will already be stuffed to the gills!

 

Also, does it have to be a long-sleeved dress shirt, or would a short-sleeved one suffice?

[land lover]

When we went to Alaska in August it was rather chilly...so I would say long sleve just because of the climate...sometimes it can be cold in that dining room.

 

My 2 older sons looked like men at 14 so sometimes people expect more, you know how that goes thats why I asked the Question:)

[PoohQ]

When we went to Alaska in August it was rather chilly...so I would say long sleve just because of the climate...sometimes it can be cold in that dining room.

 

My 2 older sons looked like men at 14 so sometimes people expect more, you know how that goes thats why I asked the Question:)

 

Yes, I've heard that it can be pretty chilly in Alaska, and that we should "dress in layers". However, I wonder if I'll be able to pack enough in the suitcases to include all of the clothes needed for layering! I guess you never can tell what the weather's going to be like in Alaska.....

[CruisingDawg]

...if you get him into the habit now of not hating to dress up.

 

The ladies will love him.

[cricket_h]

Pooh, your son might not appreciate it now, but it's not a bad thing to expose him to situations where he *has* to dress up!

 

We are sailing on a 10 day British Isles cruise this summer, and both of our sons (ages 14 & 7) will wear jackets and ties on the formal nights! Believe me, this is not attire they are used to....the last time my 14 year old wore a tie was when he was confirmed in our church last fall! :)

 

From my perspective, one of the things I like about cruising is that it exposes my kids to new experiences -- and dining in "fancy restaurants" is a new experience for my boys!

 

Cricket

[LARGIN]

Introduce him to a cute 13 - 15 year old girl on the ship. He'll probably want to look good for her on formal nights. :D :D