formal nite

[see.legs]

i never wear formal clothes but have a nice shirt and black skirt was wondering if people would be willing to post pics of formal nite so i can see what others would wear. google was no help here.

[Gunner22aa]

First and foremost it depends on who you are going to cruise with. The difference between NCL and Cunard is dramatic. NCL has an optional dress up night where at one table you may see a lady dressed as you suggest and a man in a jacket and tie and at the next table they will all be wearing shorts and tee shirts. On Cunard in the Queens Grill you would be severly underdressed and are just as likely to see an Armani original as a gown off the shelf. On most of the main stream lines I have been on including Princess and Celebrity this is the mix I have seen:

 

Ladies

 

dress blouse and skirt

business style pants suit

cocktail dress

formal gown

yes.. an Armani original with about 50k of diamonds

 

Men

 

jacket and open collar

jacket and tie

dark suit

tux

military mess dress

kilt and waist coat with all the traditional attachments

 

Let us know who you are cruising with and maybe some others can give you a better idea.

[puppycanducruise]

Sorry, I'm no good at posting pictures of myself.

But, on formal nights on cruises, I have worn a black skirt and a fancy top. With heels and jewelry it is formal enough for the cruises I have been on. Other times, I wear cocktail dresses (the kind I would wear to a wedding or holiday party).

On formal night, some people go all out - long gowns etc. but others wear what you are suggesting. Some cruise lines are more (or less) formal than others.

Hope this helps.

[beachbum53]

i never wear formal clothes but have a nice shirt and black skirt was wondering if people would be willing to post pics of formal nite so i can see what others would wear. google was no help here.

 

Some cruise lines, such as Royal Caribbean and Carnival, are less formal than others. You will see people dressed in business casual attire, as well as men in suits/tuxes and ladies in formal evening wear. If you go to the "Cruise Fashions & Beauty" board, listed under "Cruise Discussion Topics" on here, you'll find several threads posted (with pictures) on what others wear on formal nights. In addition, if you're not sure about the dress code for formal night, go to the "F.A.Q." section on the home page of the cruise line and you'll find a listing of suggested evening wear, as well as what is not permitted in the MDR. Your shirt and skirt will probably be just fine.

Edited February 21, 2014 by beachbum53

[see.legs]

First and foremost it depends on who you are going to cruise with. The difference between NCL and Cunard is dramatic. NCL has an optional dress up night where at one table you may see a lady dressed as you suggest and a man in a jacket and tie and at the next table they will all be wearing shorts and tee shirts. On Cunard in the Queens Grill you would be severly underdressed and are just as likely to see an Armani original as a gown off the shelf. On most of the main stream lines I have been on including Princess and Celebrity this is the mix I have seen:

 

Ladies

 

dress blouse and skirt

business style pants suit

cocktail dress

formal gown

yes.. an Armani original with about 50k of diamonds

 

Men

 

jacket and open collar

jacket and tie

dark suit

tux

military mess dress

kilt and waist coat with all the traditional attachments

 

Let us know who you are cruising with and maybe some others can give you a better idea.

 

well it definately fits that

[cb at sea]

I wear an evening gown, (think slinky, sexy, rather than "ballgown"!) or a cocktail dress.

 

Hubby wears a dark suit or tux, depending on what I'm wearing. We enjoy the formality.

 

It really takes no longer to slip on an evening gown than it does any other type of dress...and less time than a skirt and top!

[OCruisers]

How we dress for Formal Nights depends on the cruise line.

 

LuLu

~~~~

[OCruisers]

i never wear formal clothes but have a nice shirt and black skirt was wondering if people would be willing to post pics of formal nite so i can see what others would wear. google was no help here.

 

Help, "see.legs"! :confused: Your signature shows you sailed on Grandeur OTS on 4-26-2013.

 

If you're going on another Royal Caribbean cruise, why don't you just wear the same things for formal nights you did of that one? :confused:

 

LuLu

~~~~

[Lerin]

Depending on the ship you will be cruising, what you are planning to wear may or may not be appropriate.

Even on Carnival I usually wear a long gown and my husband is in a tie. On our most rent cruise, this seemed to be the outfit of choice of the majority of cruisers. I wouldn't even consider wearing a simple skirt and white shirt on a non-casual night. The first elegant night I actually wore a cocktail dress and my husband was in a Polo. We felt horribly underdressed and spiced it up for the second one.

 

Other suggestions:

Check out the "cruise fashion and beauty" board.

They have many threads there with photos.

 

Also what in the world did you Google?

I just typed in "cruise ship formal night" and came up with 1000s of photos. It was a great help.

Edited February 23, 2014 by Lerin

[wassup4565]

Now that the airlines are charging for every bag, and charging overweight for every ounce over their tiny limit, I think you'll see the sun has set on the tuxedo - formal gown cruising finery.

 

If we're going on an eight-day cruise and we have to pay for even a single suitcase, you can bet we won't be weighing ourselves down with big-time stuff for one dinner.

 

The best you're gonna get from us is: 1. Hubby, wearing the Chacabana (aka guyaba) men's formal Caribbean linen or cotton shirt and whatever pants look cleanest, and 2. me wearing my black-all-purpose black pants or long skirt with a t-shirt and a floaty chiffon scarf.

 

We're not paying extra baggage charges to please people who drive to the port with all their suitcases full of tuxes, suits, gowns and shoes.

[Talisker92]

I am sorry, but the excuse about airline charges is specious. You spend $$$ on a cruise, and use the excuse that the airline charge $25 a bag not to wear something halfway formal on formal nights does not compute.

Very frankly, my attire at home 90 % of the time is a t shirt and shorts. BUT we are going on a 31 day cruise with 6 formal nights, and I am taking a dark business suit with shirts and ties.

Many people do not want to dress up, and eat at the buffets instead, and I can understand that.

It also depends on the cruise line. I remember being told on Silverseas once that it was after 6 PM and i was not dressed appropiately.

Edited February 23, 2014 by Talisker92

[wassup4565]

If you want to spend your money freighting around bags full of heavy clothes to dress up for a few hours on a cruise, I have no objection. Please yourself.

 

But don't shake the finger and tell us to spend our money lugging around clothes to please you. And don't tell us to go eat in the buffet because we didn't pay extra to look like you think we should.

 

Times change. Blame the airlines if you like. But time has passed the dress code dinosaurs on these boards by.

[Crew News]

Now that the airlines are charging for every bag, and charging overweight for every ounce over their tiny limit, I think you'll see the sun has set on the tuxedo - formal gown cruising finery.

I can only speak from my experience on Holland America Cruise Lines but less than 10% of the passengers wear tuxedos and long gowns on Formal Night. That means the rest of the males wear suits or sport jackets, dockers, and ties.

 

I wear my sport jacket (wrinkle resistant from Travelsmith), collared shirt, and dockers on the plane. By adding the tie that I carry in my sport jacket pocket, I am ready for formal night. My DW purchased a sparkling shawl on board for $15 that is added to her dark traveling outfit to complete her Formal Night attire.

 

The above has no impact on packing light.

 

Our first cruise included the requisite tuxedo with associated accessories and several gown/shoe combinations. With outfit changes for each day, we had three suitcases, two roller bags, and a large camera bag. Dragging all of that around pre- and post-cruise was a pain. Thanks to careful observation of what others packed and some great advice here on CC, two of those suitcases now stand empty at home when we cruise.

[see.legs]

Help, "see.legs"! :confused: Your signature shows you sailed on Grandeur OTS on 4-26-2013.

 

If you're going on another Royal Caribbean cruise, why don't you just wear the same things for formal nights you did of that one? :confused:

 

LuLu

~~~~

 

ooops. fixed now

[see.legs]

Depending on the ship you will be cruising, what you are planning to wear may or may not be appropriate.

Even on Carnival I usually wear a long gown and my husband is in a tie. On our most rent cruise, this seemed to be the outfit of choice of the majority of cruisers. I wouldn't even consider wearing a simple skirt and white shirt on a non-casual night. The first elegant night I actually wore a cocktail dress and my husband was in a Polo. We felt horribly underdressed and spiced it up for the second one.

 

Other suggestions:

Check out the "cruise fashion and beauty" board.

They have many threads there with photos.

 

Also what in the world did you Google?

I just typed in "cruise ship formal night" and came up with 1000s of photos. It was a great help.

 

i came up with 1000's to of models not exactly what i was looking for but i did go to youtube and find some that helped me out after posting here

[gary19699]

My wife and I are doing a back to back cruise but we will not be dressing up on any of the night as we are not into all that

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[grumpyjr88]

I am one of those that goes full out on the first formal night with ball gown, sparkly clutch and fancy shoes. I always get loads of compliments from other guests (including those that didn't dress up) but then I love the attention.

 

Would I prefer people made more of an effort? Absolutely! It's just more fun if we're all looking glamorous but I get it that not everyone can afford it or are comfortable dressing up. They just make me look more fabulous. ;)

[gary19699]

Let's see now fabulous.you look then any old pictures of past cruises

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[grumpyjr88]

Let's see now fabulous.you look then any old pictures of past cruises

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Unfortunately (or not) I am always the one behind the camera so I don't seem to have any pics of me in formal wear on my flickr. I'm asking cruisemates if they have any of me. LOL

[gary19699]

Lol

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[wallie5446]

1st formal evening, 2nd evening, the rest of the days,

[trish1c]

i never wear formal clothes but have a nice shirt and black skirt was wondering if people would be willing to post pics of formal nite so i can see what others would wear. google was no help here.

 

A skirt & nice shirt is not & never will be formal unless the skirt is taffeta or velvet & the top is sequined.

 

That said, the outfit you described will be fine on many lines. Please tell us what ship you are on.

 

There is a thread or two on the fashion board where 1,000s of women posted pictures of their formal night outfits. I'll try to find the link.

[middlehaitch]

This is what I wear. First row is formal, 2nd row smart casual. As can be seen in my sig I sail Celebrity.

Hope it helps in your clothing choices.

Cheers, h.

ps the trousers were a between size stop gap. Except for that particular cruise I always wear a long dress, not gown.

 

 

[see.legs]

A skirt & nice shirt is not & never will be formal unless the skirt is taffeta or velvet & the top is sequined.

 

That said, the outfit you described will be fine on many lines. Please tell us what ship you are on.

 

There is a thread or two on the fashion board where 1,000s of women posted pictures of their formal night outfits. I'll try to find the link.

 

I'm sailing on royal Caribbean

 

Sent from my KFTHWI using Forums mobile app

[trish1c]

RCL is a bit dressier than NCL & CCL but is not overly formal. If you can add some sparkle that would be fun but you will probably be fine.

 

Cruise ship dining rooms are rather elegant spaces.

 

Check out the sales & the thrift stores. I got a new cruise formal night cocktail dress at a going out of business sale the other day for $17.