Another dress code question!

[CRUISING71]

This will be our first cruise with Celebrity and we don’t want to be embarrasses for being turn away at the MDR due to dress code. Formal night for men, can they get away without a jacket? Nice dress pant, long sleeves shirt and tie - will this be acceptable? I have a son, he is 17 and I am wondering do I need to go and buy him dinner jacket? I don’t want to buy something which he'll outgrow in 3 months.

Thank you,

Tibby

[dkjretired]

This will be our first cruise with Celebrity and we don’t want to be embarrasses for being turn away at the MDR due to dress code. Formal night for men, can they get away without a jacket? Nice dress pant, long sleeves shirt and tie - will this be acceptable? I have a son, he is 17 and I am wondering do I need to go and buy him dinner jacket? I don’t want to buy something which he'll outgrow in 3 months.

Thank you,

Tibby

 

The dress code calls for suit, dinner jacket or tux. A dinner jacket is not a sports jacket, when you think of a dinner jacket, think James Bond.

 

Now to answer your question. Whether you are admitted without a fuss depends on who is at the door when you come in. Three things may or may not happen, there is no consistency, you will be asked to come back with a jacket, you will be given a jacket to wear or you will be allowed into the dining room. This has been talked about on this board ad nauseum and this thread will probably have a couple hundred posts by the time its done however those are the three options. You and only you can make the descision how you want to handle it. The options also apply to your 17 yr old son.

 

I would also suggest you discuss it with son and don't even read the rest of this thread as it will become nasty.

[4774Papa]

This will be our first cruise with Celebrity and we don’t want to be embarrasses for being turn away at the MDR due to dress code. Formal night for men, can they get away without a jacket? Nice dress pant, long sleeves shirt and tie - will this be acceptable? I have a son, he is 17 and I am wondering do I need to go and buy him dinner jacket? I don’t want to buy something which he'll outgrow in 3 months.

 

Thank you,

Tibby

The official standard for formal nights is formal wear (tux or dinner jacket) or suit. Some guys fudge and wear blazers with tie. I don't think going without a jacket meets the standard. He doesn't need a formal dinner jacket, but does need a coat and tie.

[sandancer]

I was wondering if you are from the UK as you refer to "dinner jacket" and not tux? If you are cruising in Europe you will find more people dressed formally. However, you certainly don't need to buy your 17 yr old a DJ. A jacket is usually required but it seems to depend on the ship and the maitre d.

[dkjretired]

I was wondering if you are from the UK as you refer to "dinner jacket" and not tux? If you are cruising in Europe you will find more people dressed formally. However, you certainly don't need to buy your 17 yr old a DJ. A jacket is usually required but it seems to depend on the ship and the maitre d.

 

We have found over the years on this board that many, mostly younger posters believe that a dinner jacket is a sport jacket.

[petersonwith3]

I will let you know (in March 2014) as I will have a teen ager and I will be testing out the tie and oxford and dress pants strategy (i.e. no jacket). We will be on the Summit in the Caribbean and I chose the ship due 100% to the itinerary with no thought about formal nights.

[Nevequitsworkin]

On most of these ships are their other places we can eat without having to dress up so much, other than buffet? I don't even want to mention to my husband that he might need to bring a suit. Good grief, this is vacation. He has to wear a suit all the time for work.

[spookwife]

This will be our first cruise with Celebrity and we don’t want to be embarrasses for being turn away at the MDR due to dress code. Formal night for men, can they get away without a jacket? Nice dress pant, long sleeves shirt and tie - will this be acceptable? I have a son, he is 17 and I am wondering do I need to go and buy him dinner jacket? I don’t want to buy something which he'll outgrow in 3 months.

Thank you,

Tibby

 

go to your nearest Thrift store or consignment shop and buy him a blazer/ sport coat. you aren't spending much money on something he will outgrow immediately and you are still conforming to the spirit if the dress code.

[kimanjo]

Instead of buying a jacket, my daughters boyfriend (22) borrowed a friends Navy private school jacket (with emblem!) and wore with tan trousers, dress shirt and tie.

 

This was for a European cruise on the Equinox.

 

Turned out that someone recognized the emblem and had kids who went to that school!

 

He looked very nice, not under-dressed at all, and was perfectly fine.

 

Just a thought...

[varoo]

The dress code calls for suit, dinner jacket or tux. A dinner jacket is not a sports jacket,.........

Reading this just reminded me of an interesting difference I happened to notice in "Celebrity Today" on the Infinity.

 

For Formal it says:

 

Ladies: Cocktail dress, gown or pant suit;

Gentlemen: Tuxedo, suit or jacket with slacks.

 

It does not say "dinner jacket" but only jacket.

 

Now I am wondering if this was just a fluke, or a change that is going to start showing up elsewhere as well.

 

[gek]

Don has (as usual) given an accurate and detailed description of both the official code and the realities on-board.

 

Now let the fun begin :D

 

Are there places to eat other than the buffet? Yes, there are a number of specialty restaurants which are all smart casual on formal nights but you have to pay for the privilege of eating there (a sore point amongst many non-formal folk who don't want to be banished to the buffet).

[cruisestitch]

There is general confusion in some people's minds about what a tuxedo, a dinner jacket, a suit jacket and a sports coat is. A quick Google search will easily display all of them. Any will work for your son for formal night, although the last one is not exactly formal.

 

Tuxedos can be rented on board. This might be a good time for your son to try wearing a tuxedo without having to purchase one.

[Lsimon]

The dress code calls for suit, dinner jacket or tux. A dinner jacket is not a sports jacket, when you think of a dinner jacket, think James Bond.

 

Now to answer your question. Whether you are admitted without a fuss depends on who is at the door when you come in. Three things may or may not happen, there is no consistency, you will be asked to come back with a jacket, you will be given a jacket to wear or you will be allowed into the dining room. This has been talked about on this board ad nauseum and this thread will probably have a couple hundred posts by the time its done however those are the three options. You and only you can make the descision how you want to handle it. The options also apply to your 17 yr old son.

 

I would also suggest you discuss it with son and don't even read the rest of this thread as it will become nasty.

 

This is an excellent answer. The only thing I'll add is that even though it does not meet the written dress code, a blazer or sport jacket has been sufficient to allow one to be assured of entry into the dining room.

 

I will let you know (in March 2014) as I will have a teen ager and I will be testing out the tie and oxford and dress pants strategy (i.e. no jacket). We will be on the Summit in the Caribbean and I chose the ship due 100% to the itinerary with no thought about formal nights.

If if you have no problems your experience would not necessarily apply to others. As dkjretired pointed out in his post above, enforcement is not consistent and on some cruises some or all men have no issues being seated in the dining room without a jacket while on other cruises they have been turned away. The only way to be certain that one won't have an issue is to wear a jacket

 

OK, I've stuck with the facts above but now I'll throw my 2 cents in: Why not fully comply with the dress code and wear a tux, suit or formal dinner jacket. It is part of the Celebrity cruise experience and makes for a special night. You can always rent formal wear through Cruiseline Formalwear and it will be delivered to your stateroom on board.

[fredflint]

I enjoy dressing up as much as the next person but on the last cruise my DW planned on not doing formal night but to hit the buffet. Then of course she decided to go to dinner so I went to the MDR in just pants and a shirt. They provided a sports jacket and called it good.

 

I would suggest stopping by goodwill to pick up a dark jacket and wear some dark pants a shirt and tie and you will be all set!

[dkjretired]

Yaroo: Sorry for some reason the quote did not work.

 

Probably just a fluke, I think they just cut and paste this stuff from week to week or day to day.

[Spf12]

I wear a Blazer with slacks,no tie for the last 5 yrs and not have had a problem in the MDR.

[iancal]

On our last 3 X cruises, Med, Adriatic, and TA we saw quite a few met in sports jackets and dress slacks. A number of them did not have ties, just a nice collared shirt.

 

Not passing an opinion, just stating what we observed.

[CRUISING71]

Thank you for all your suggestion. Since our cruise is in April and he will be going to prom in May. We decided to buy him a suit. It is always good to have a nice suit, in case of job or college interview. So hopefully he get a few good use out of it.

[julia]

Thank you for all your suggestion. Since our cruise is in April and he will be going to prom in May. We decided to buy him a suit. It is always good to have a nice suit, in case of job or college interview. So hopefully he get a few good use out of it.

 

 

Cruising71:

Good decision on the suit!

 

I'm not sure where you are located, but if there is a "Men's Wearhouse" in your area, I highly recommend them. They will tailor your son's new suit to his current needs, and they also do complimentary adjustments (cuffs, hems and waist) if/when he grows. His suit should last for many years.... :)

[ChazR]

Thank you for all your suggestion. Since our cruise is in April and he will be going to prom in May. We decided to buy him a suit. It is always good to have a nice suit, in case of job or college interview. So hopefully he get a few good use out of it.

 

WOW............this is such a controversal topic. On our most recent cruise we notices someone in the MDR admitted with jeans and a T shirt.....next it will be ok for baseball caps. Sorry....I'm of the small group that would love to have an all formal cruise. I love getting dressed up and wear jacket and tie to casual nights. Now I do not advocate this for all as I understand that our current climate has changed but dining out, cruising, etc. are special nights and should be treated as such.

 

Charles

[POPDISPLAY]

but dining out, cruising, etc. are special nights and should be treated as such.

 

Charles

 

That which is special for one is not necessarily special for another. For me an mdr is nothing more than a hotel's restaurant. If it was allowed I'd wear khakis and polo shirts every night as such attire is most comfortable. I go on vacation to escape formalwear.

[CRUISING71]

With us, we just hate packing so much with the air travel and luggage charges. However, we also like to follow guideline and if guideline said a suit or jacket, then suit and jacket it is.

[CruisersTimesThree]

Sailed the Summit last week and on formal nights men were dressed in anything and everything.

Some had on just sports shirts and slacks, no ties or jackets.

Others had tuxes, suits, sports jacket and slacks.

At one table were parents with two preteens, one girl, one boy. Neither parent was dressed formally, they had on what my husband and I wear on smart casual evenings. The boy had on jeans and the girl had on cut off denim shorts!

Apparently there is no enforcement of a dress code on the Summit and you know what? It didn't spoil my dinner one bit because a gentleman across from me was wearing a short sleeved polo shirt! Sheesh, if that's what people worry about :confused:

[POPDISPLAY]

It didn't spoil my dinner one bit because a gentleman across from me was wearing a short sleeved polo shirt! Sheesh, if that's what people worry about

 

Bravo

[dana77kc]

This is an excellent answer. The only thing I'll add is that even though it does not meet the written dress code, a blazer or sport jacket has been sufficient to allow one to be assured of entry into the dining room.

 

 

If if you have no problems your experience would not necessarily apply to others. As dkjretired pointed out in his post above, enforcement is not consistent and on some cruises some or all men have no issues being seated in the dining room without a jacket while on other cruises they have been turned away. The only way to be certain that one won't have an issue is to wear a jacket

 

OK, I've stuck with the facts above but now I'll throw my 2 cents in: Why not fully comply with the dress code and wear a tux, suit or formal dinner jacket. It is part of the Celebrity cruise experience and makes for a special night. You can always rent formal wear through Cruiseline Formalwear and it will be delivered to your stateroom on board.

 

One of the main reasons, IMHO, for taking one's children on a cruise is to broaden their horizons, to see other places (real ones), other peoples, other cultures, other ways of being and doing and thinking. Why not let your son experience how it feels to be dressed for dinner as he sits in the lovely MDR surrounded by white table linens, properly set table and a dinner served in courses and hopefully pleasant dinner conversation with strangers ? Otherwise we could all just see pretend countries at Epcot and eat at Steak N' Shake.

 

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." Benjamin Franklin

 

PS: I have a forty year old son. I wish I had taken more of my own advice.