Formal Nights

[Mr Luxury]

You are mistaken. A jacket with not tie is now acceptable on Seabourn on formal optional nights.

 

 

Correct Henry just a jacket is needed.

I don't know about socks though

[wripro]

Depends on where you wear them.

[Mark_K]

Correct Henry just a jacket is needed.

I don't know about socks though

Presumably also trousers since it says "suit".

 

Regardless, the way of the world is away from formal dress, for almost any occasion. Unless that changes, eventually all cruise lines will have less restrictive dress codes.

[wripro]

Exactly!

[Sweetpea711423]

Dressing up for formal night, including a tuxedo for my husband, is one of our great pleasures and a major reason we enjoy cruising as something different from our everyday lives. The movement towards more casual wear is disappointing and may lead us to leave cruising in the future. We might as well go on land-based trips without these special touches. I understand others may differ, but that's my view on the matter.

[Tothesunset]

Dressing up for formal night, including a tuxedo for my husband, is one of our great pleasures and a major reason we enjoy cruising as something different from our everyday lives. The movement towards more casual wear is disappointing and may lead us to leave cruising in the future. We might as well go on land-based trips without these special touches. I understand others may differ, but that's my view on the matter.

My thoughts, too.

[drron29]

Dressing up for formal night, including a tuxedo for my husband, is one of our great pleasures and a major reason we enjoy cruising as something different from our everyday lives. The movement towards more casual wear is disappointing and may lead us to leave cruising in the future. We might as well go on land-based trips without these special touches. I understand others may differ, but that's my view on the matter.

 

And I get enjoyment out of dressing up on formal nights.heck I even like dressing up on the Explorer when there are no formal nights.The staff obviously appreciate the effort-

[57 varieties]

Sweetpea, tothesunset and drron we couldn't agree more. Part of what makes cruising special!

[hypercafe]

Dressing up for formal night, including a tuxedo for my husband, is one of our great pleasures and a major reason we enjoy cruising as something different from our everyday lives. The movement towards more casual wear is disappointing and may lead us to leave cruising in the future. We might as well go on land-based trips without these special touches. I understand others may differ, but that's my view on the matter.

 

I can understand how you feel and that's great and apparently it really adds a lot to your trip. I wonder why it takes away so much if the line only has "Formal Optional Nights", you may still dress as you like only others have a less formal option.

[Randyk47]

I can understand how you feel and that's great and apparently it really adds a lot to your trip. I wonder why it takes away so much if the line only has "Formal Optional Nights", you may still dress as you like only others have a less formal option.

 

Maybe it takes away from the ambience for them. It's easy to say that one ought not to care but some do.

[hypercafe]

Maybe it takes away from the ambience for them. It's easy to say that one ought not to care but some do.

 

Guess that's the case. We have looked at trips here but have never went as I do not like the dress code. The line has asked me to go and just not go to the dinning room on formal nights, seems like too much involved for a vacation.

 

Sent from my SM-T320 using Forums mobile app

[Randyk47]

Guess that's the case. We have looked at trips here but have never went as I do not like the dress code. The line has asked me to go and just not go to the dinning room on formal nights, seems like too much involved for a vacation.

 

Sent from my SM-T320 using Forums mobile app

 

Whether I or anybody else agrees or disagrees with you about formal nights or dress codes at least you've made a decision that works for you. I much prefer that approach to say having gone on a cruise knowing full well that there is a dress code that you feel uncomfortable with and then come back here and complain about it. Informed decision? Works for me.

[wripro]

Nobody is saying one can't dress up if one wants to. Go for it. Just don't try to mandate it for others.

[Randyk47]

Nobody is saying one can't dress up if one wants to. Go for it. Just don't try to mandate it for others.

 

It's cruise line policy that mandates the dress code not the passengers. Certainly passengers can, or least try to, influence that policy through feedback and cruising or not cruising on a particular line. Comes down to individual decision.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Randyk47

[brimary]

Dressing up for formal night, including a tuxedo for my husband, is one of our great pleasures and a major reason we enjoy cruising as something different from our everyday lives. The movement towards more casual wear is disappointing and may lead us to leave cruising in the future. We might as well go on land-based trips without these special touches. I understand others may differ, but that's my view on the matter.

 

We totally agree with your views.There are plenty of other cruise lines to meet the needs of those who do not like the SS dress code .Lets hope SS maintain and enforce the code for the many who sail on SS and enjoy the ambience as it is.

[Gourmet Gal]

Dressing up for formal night, including a tuxedo for my husband, is one of our great pleasures and a major reason we enjoy cruising as something different from our everyday lives. The movement towards more casual wear is disappointing and may lead us to leave cruising in the future. We might as well go on land-based trips without these special touches. I understand others may differ, but that's my view on the matter.

 

 

Cruising is so much more than playing dress up. It seems a shame to give it up because one is so put off and disappointed in what other people want to wear. I would welcome a less restrictive dress code that tops out at the semi-formal or formal-optional level as we like to travel light and pack efficiently.

[Tothesunset]

I think it's already well established that the requirement for formal attire only obtains in the MDR and only on formal nights. I find it hard to believe that, with the manifold choices of dining venue, anyone would find it too onerous to avoid the MDR on the average one evening a week that the formal dress code is implemented.

 

It just strikes me as such a non-issue.

Edited March 17, 2015 by Tothesunset

[Dolebludger]

So, do I understand correctly that SS still has the same formal night policy as in the past, but Seabourn has gone to a "formal optional" code that requires only that a man wear a jacket (with shirt, slacks socks and shoes, of course)? The last time we cruised SS was in '08 on a baltic cruise. Did my research, and then it seemed that about 75% of men would be wearing tuxes rather than other "coat and tie" attire, so I wore a tux, and the percentages were accurate.

[Randyk47]

So, do I understand correctly that SS still has the same formal night policy as in the past, but Seabourn has gone to a "formal optional" code that requires only that a man wear a jacket (with shirt, slacks socks and shoes, of course)? The last time we cruised SS was in '08 on a baltic cruise. Did my research, and then it seemed that about 75% of men would be wearing tuxes rather than other "coat and tie" attire, so I wore a tux, and the percentages were accurate.

 

We've done three Med cruises on Silversea in the past three years and I'd say about 70%-80% wore tuxes, dinner jacks, or dark suits with the rest in lighter suites or sports coat combinations. We ate every formal night meal in the MDR so I can't speak to how many people opted for other venues and what they were wearing.

[Ithaca]

Last May I cruised the Med in SB and the MD had a hard time trying to match like minded dressers in tables. We dressed according to the "formal" in "formal optional" and were matched accordingly. Attempts were made to match otherwise, but some friends were not happy with the mix, as were the "optional" guests, who felt awkward as well. I felt that, somehow, this policy does not work well for most people not in a group. Oh, well.

[Dolebludger]

We just got back from a 16 night Regent Mariner cruise. Regent has only casual and "formal optional" nights. I would guess that about 40% of men wore tuxes or dark suits. and the rest were more casual on "formal optional" nights. Due to the length of the cruise and the amount of packed luggage needed, I did not chose to take my tux -- or even a tie. But I (along with a good number of others) wore a dark blue blazer with a solid color shirt and slacks (of course). Looking around the MDR with everybody seated, it was difficult to tell who had a tux and who merely wore a dark blazer over more casual attire.

 

This is a bit OT, but for me, the problem with true formal nights is twofold: (1) airline luggage limitations coupled with lack of porterage at airports, (2) most cruise line's failure to offer included (or low cost flat rate) laundry service. Elimination of either of these factors would allow many of us older guys to do formal on cruises once again.

[nanaof2]

 

This is a bit OT, but for me, the problem with true formal nights is twofold: (1) airline luggage limitations coupled with lack of porterage at airports, (2) most cruise line's failure to offer included (or low cost flat rate) laundry service. Elimination of either of these factors would allow many of us older guys to do formal on cruises once again.

 

Agree 100%:)

[Dolebludger]

Yes, back in the late 2000s we took two SS cruises -- one to the Baltic and one to the Caribbean. Both were only 7 day cruises, so there was no problem with luggage amount or weight for me to also pack my tux and gear, and for my wife to pack some formal wear in addition to our casual cruise clothing. But on our recent cruise of the RSSC Mariner, which was 16 days, we tried to pack as lightly as possible. Still each of our big suitcases weighed in at 48 lbs. with nothing formal. And I wore the dark blazer I would use for "formal optional" nights on the flights. We are retired and older, and lugging those suitcases was a bit of a chore. We really liked our SS cruises, and probably will take others in the future -- but only if they are limited to seven days or so. Hauling sufficient clothing in wheeled luggage around the airports for, say, a 16 day cruise with casual PLUS formal would just be too much for us -- even if we were to make some use of the ship's laundry on a "per piece" charge basis. It would require more than one large piece of luggage each.

 

So bottom line, SS's dress code including formal is keeping us off longer SS cruises we would otherwise book.

[Randyk47]

Yes, back in the late 2000s we took two SS cruises -- one to the Baltic and one to the Caribbean. Both were only 7 day cruises, so there was no problem with luggage amount or weight for me to also pack my tux and gear, and for my wife to pack some formal wear in addition to our casual cruise clothing. But on our recent cruise of the RSSC Mariner, which was 16 days, we tried to pack as lightly as possible. Still each of our big suitcases weighed in at 48 lbs. with nothing formal. And I wore the dark blazer I would use for "formal optional" nights on the flights. We are retired and older, and lugging those suitcases was a bit of a chore. We really liked our SS cruises, and probably will take others in the future -- but only if they are limited to seven days or so. Hauling sufficient clothing in wheeled luggage around the airports for, say, a 16 day cruise with casual PLUS formal would just be too much for us -- even if we were to make some use of the ship's laundry on a "per piece" charge basis. It would require more than one large piece of luggage each.

 

So bottom line, SS's dress code including formal is keeping us off longer SS cruises we would otherwise book.

 

The notion of packing light seems to be totally foreign to us. :o I will say I did make a bit of a compromise last year when it came to having to replace my trusty tux. No question that the opportunities and need to wear one have almost disappeared at home, the last formal affair we went to was three years ago. That leaves cruising and I had faithfully hauled my tux, dress shoes, etc., on every cruise from 1994 but our last Silversea cruises, 18 days over two back-to-back cruises, only had two formal nights. The decision was easy and the tux has been retired in favor of a new black suit. It gets worn on other nights so it serves more than just for formal nights. Kind of miss the tux but I didn't feel out place last year. Works for us.

Edited March 21, 2015 by Randyk47

[Dolebludger]

Right, Randy, I have dark suits, white dress shirts, and ties. But they are left over from when I had a professional job a few years ago in Okla, City. We've now retired and have moved to Durango CO where nobody wears a suit, and certainly not a tux. One of our country clubs (another dying institution) had a semi-formal event (sports coats and ties) and nobody showed up! (Nobody here wants to voluntarily wear a tie.) My tux and suits are still in good shape, but I would swear that my suit weighs more than my tux! So I can't see how taking the suit on longer cruises would solve the luggage weight (and mass) problem.