How formal are formal nights on a TA

[Gracie115]

Just booked our first Transatlantic for next spring. My sister and husband are going too, this is their 1st cruise. Her DH is not a "formal" wear type of guy, but would never "rock the boat" by wearing T Shirt & Jeans on a formal night in the MDR. My question is whether or not the 3 stated formal nights are really all that formal now with the packing restrictions we all have with flights. We are spending a 3rd week in Europe after the cruise so obviously we will already have a lot to bring with us.

 

Thanks for any help you "seasoned" TA cruisers can provide!:)

[gold1953]

The same as formal nights on any cruise. Some take a tux and fancy gown. Then you will see others sports jackets with the ladies in black pants and a dressy top.

If you don't want to pack suitable clothes then you can go to the buffet for those 3 nights. we have done that and enjoyed it

[Gracie115]

The same as formal nights on any cruise. Some take a tux and fancy gown. Then you will see others sports jackets with the ladies in black pants and a dressy top.

If you don't want to pack suitable clothes then you can go to the buffet for those 3 nights. we have done that and enjoyed it

 

Thanks, it's not a matter of not wanting to pack suitable clothes, more of a space issue and wanted to tell my BIL what to expect. Am sure he'll bring a jacket, he's just SO NOT a tux kind of guy...now my DH? HE enjoys the formal nights in his tux!! Guess we'll just plan as we always do...:)

[jomf]

In place of the buffet you could eat at the speciality restaurants. There is a cost with them but often you can get 25/30% off. The dress code is smart casual every night.

[Wine-O]

I think people are more dressed up on a Transatlantic than on a Caribbean cruise. We always factor in the cost of luggage with the cruise cost when flying to/from the ship. We bring one extra piece just for our formal wear, and my wife gets to stuff extra shoes & purses in there.

[OCA REP]

My question is whether or not the 3 stated formal nights are really all that formal now with the packing restrictions we all have with flights. We are spending a 3rd week in Europe after the cruise so obviously we will already have a lot to bring with us.

 

They are formal, but no more formal than other formal nights when cruising on Celebrity. If I had to rank them, we found the Mediterranean to be the most formal, followed by Transatlantics, and then Caribbean sailings.

 

Our group of four made the decision to not do formal on the fall Equinox transatlantic this past year and were very happy with that. The specialty restaurants hit the spot and, as others have mentioned, there are deals out there to be had.

 

Enjoy!

[Gracie115]

Thanks everyone, kind of what I expected, though wanted to confirm that it wasn't necessarily MORE formal. We will most likely do one night and let it go at that.....

 

We are all very excited about this adventure!!! :)

[Gracie115]

I think people are more dressed up on a Transatlantic than on a Caribbean cruise. We always factor in the cost of luggage with the cruise cost when flying to/from the ship. We bring one extra piece just for our formal wear, and my wife gets to stuff extra shoes & purses in there.

 

That's neat but I really don't want to have to lug a lot of luggage around the stops we plan to make in Europe after the cruise. Plan to make this packing job as efficient as possible!!:)

[Wine-O]

They are formal, but no more formal than other formal nights when cruising on Celebrity. If I had to rank them, we found the Mediterranean to be the most formal, followed by Transatlantics, and then Caribbean sailings.

 

Our group of four made the decision to not do formal on the fall Equinox transatlantic this past year and were very happy with that. The specialty restaurants hit the spot and, as others have mentioned, there are deals out there to be had.

 

Enjoy!

 

If you are not in Blu or not in a Suite, eating in a specialty restaurant for the three formal nights at the average cost of $80 per couple per night would be around $240. I wonder how much it would cost to bring that extra piece of luggage on board the airplane? :confused:

[jelayne]

We have done 5 TAa's and find that on formal night there are more people in tuxedos, gowns than we see on any other itinerary. Generally I think more folks dress up on TA's.

 

For us DH rents a tux & I get to wear my 2 long dresses.

 

Last TA one lady had 3 of the most beautiful ball gowns I have ever seen. They were magnificent.

[Gracie115]

If you are not in Blu or not in a Suite, eating in a specialty restaurant for the three formal nights at the average cost of $80 per couple per night would be around $240. I wonder how much it would cost to bring that extra piece of luggage on board the airplane? :confused:

 

Of course you could eat in Bistro on 5 for $5.00 per person, and the Porch for $5.00 per person too....

 

And on most cruises there are wonderful discounts at the other more costly Spec Rest. the $240 you mention is at full price and there really is almost never a need to spend the full amount.

 

But for us it's about carrying extra luggage around Europe, so we'll opt for 1 and done...:)

[Cruise Junky]

If you are not in Blu or not in a Suite, eating in a specialty restaurant for the three formal nights at the average cost of $80 per couple per night would be around $240. I wonder how much it would cost to bring that extra piece of luggage on board the airplane? :confused:

 

 

To Europe it's usually $100 each way for an extra bag. I'd rather spend it in food :)

 

 

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[Wine-O]

Yada, yada, yada. You're spending thousands of dollars on a cruise and everything that goes along with it, i.e., flights, excursions, drink packages, spa thingys, etc., and you're worried about spending an extra $100 for another piece of luggage so you can take what you want and be comfortable? :confused: Whatever. :rolleyes:

[Cruise Junky]

Yada, yada, yada. You're spending thousands of dollars on a cruise and everything that goes along with it, i.e., flights, excursions, drink packages, spa thingys, etc., and you're worried about spending an extra $100 for another piece of luggage so you can take what you want and be comfortable? :confused: Whatever. :rolleyes:

 

 

Who was whining? You asked a question, it was answered. The Op said they had an extra week in Europe which they want to maximize space. And it would be $200 as I'm assuming they'd like to bring their luggage home. Chill

 

 

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Edited March 26, 2014 by Cruise Junky

[justcrusn]

it can be a challenge to pack for a transatlantic, you usually have a climate change to deal with, and formal wear just adds to the complexity.

The men have an advantage here, however, as you can RENT a tuxedo onboard the ship.

Price is reasonable, around $100 iirc.

That doesn't help the ladies much though, but it's one option.

[Wine-O]

Who was whining? You asked a question, it was answered. The Op said they had an extra week in Europe which they want to maximize space. And it would be $200 as I'm assuming they'd like to bring their luggage home. Chill

 

 

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My yada, yada, yada, wasn't meant for the OP -- it was meant for folks who spend thousands of dollars for a cruise and worried about another $100 for an extra piece of luggage then rationalize that they would rather spend it on food, as if you don't get enough free food on a cruise ship. :rolleyes: To each his own, as I could care less.

 

$200??? I don't think the cruise ship charges for an extra piece of luggage on a transatlantic cruise. ;)

 

OK, now I'm going to go chill. :D:D:D

[DavidYYC]

One of the things that pleases me about the Trans-atlantics is the formal nights.

 

We are also staying in Europe for a week afterwards and will probably have 3 bags - one each, and an extra. We have hired a car in the UK so the cases will rest easily in the trunk, and are flying business class from YYC-FLL and back to YYC from the UK. So a generous allowance for that.

 

Formal clothes (shoes aside) pack quite easily IME. They don't take up a lot of room unless you are wearing a massive princess ball gown.

[OCA REP]

If you are not in Blu or not in a Suite, eating in a specialty restaurant for the three formal nights at the average cost of $80 per couple per night would be around $240. I wonder how much it would cost to bring that extra piece of luggage on board the airplane? :confused:

 

We were in a suite, but that's not the point... we all just decided to go casual since we were on vacation. No luggage limit on Delta either since we are Diamond Medallion and have no reason to worry about luggage weight, etc.

[Gracie115]

Certainly didn't mean for this to turn into a pro and con thread about formal nights as it appears to be heading. We've loved formal nights in the past, and will most likely do one on this crossing, but as I said in the first post this was more about my BIL who has never cruised and wanting to know about how formal these nights are on a TA for his info.\ Thanks to all those who have answered. Again, we don't want to have to carry a lot of luggage around after the cruise so will be packing as conservatively as possible, we won't be hiring a car as we plan to travel to outside the UK too so the less weight we lug around the better. Thanks again to all for advice, tips...etc....:)

Edited March 26, 2014 by Gracie115

[OCA REP]

The men have an advantage here, however, as you can RENT a tuxedo onboard the ship.

Price is reasonable, around $100 iirc.

 

Correct. I rented a tux on a Holy Land cruise and it was really nice to have it hanging in the stateroom when we boarded. They did a great job with the measurements I supplied; it fit well!

[tgmtgm]

Thanks everyone, kind of what I expected, though wanted to confirm that it wasn't necessarily MORE formal. We will most likely do one night and let it go at that.....

 

 

We are all very excited about this adventure!!! :)

 

I say skip the formal nights all together. If your BIL is anything like me, he'll dislike dressing up in the old monkey suit. ;) :D

 

We leave on the Equinox TA next month- looking forward to my first TA and first time in Aqua.

 

Tony

[Gracie115]

I say skip the formal nights all together. If your BIL is anything like me, he'll dislike dressing up in the old monkey suit. ;) :D

 

We leave on the Equinox TA next month- looking forward to my first TA and first time in Aqua.

 

Tony

 

You will LOVE Aqua and BLU!!! It's wonderful!! Have a great time!:)

[tgmtgm]

You will LOVE Aqua and BLU!!! It's wonderful!! Have a great time!:)

 

Thank you! Hope you have a fantastic time on your TA as well!

 

Tony

[fleckle]

To Europe it's usually $100 each way for an extra bag. I'd rather spend it in food :)

It is not the price of checking an extra bag.

It is the nuisance of having to pack and unpack and repack and haul around all that unnecessary stuff.

 

I would not be willing to do it even if they paid me $100 each way to bring along an extra bag. :D

 

We have found through the years that the more we travel, the less we want to pack to take along.

We simply find trips more enjoyable when we travel light and unencumbered, and have come to realize that most of the stuff we used to pack and schlep around with us is really not wanted or needed at all.

 

Edited March 27, 2014 by fleckle

[teecee60]

Certainly didn't mean for this to turn into a pro and con thread about formal nights as it appears to be heading.

 

Absolutely AMAZING how that happens, isn't it?!? :eek: :D :rolleyes: