Formal Clothes for a boy

[silly2003]

I have not been on a cruise with my child. He will be 8 for a Princess cruise to Alaska. I would like to participate in the formal nights, mostly because I think the food selection is better in the dining room.

 

What is expected for formal clothes for an 8 year old boy? I have read the question, before, but most people were suggesting to go to another restaurant, do room service or send your children to eat alone at another restaurant.

 

Well, we only have one child and I'm not going to have him eat alone in the room or send him to another restaurant alone. So that leaves having to determine the appropriate clothes for my child to eat in the regular dining room on formal nights. Please help.

 

Thanks,

Silly2003 - haven't been on a cruise since 2005

[RLBlack]

My suggestion would be to get your son a nice pair of slacks, dress shirt, and vest, and or a child's tie- he will look "dressed up"- and the price is not an arm and leg. Normally can be ordered from discount wedding shops and etc- About 10 years ago I got a black suits through ebay- at a very reasonable price for my grandsons (then 8 years old) to go in a wedding- and they thought they were very fancy- they were not high quality- but for one wear were great.

 

You will notice that the "formal" nights are now more- dress up if you wish- and have not seen anyone not seated unless they are in shorts- or very casual cloths- you will see everything- from tux/long gowns to flannel shirts/sparkle t-shirts. ..

 

The main thing is if your son is use to evening dining- and sitting at dinner for up to 1.5 hours while all the courses are delivered and etc- the formal dinners seem to take longer.

 

How ever you do it- have a wonderful cruise-

[peety3]

Honestly, I'd say just do the best you can without overthinking/overstressing it. Folks will see him dressed up, know that it's beyond his comfort zone, and smile knowing that he (and you) made an effort.

[donaldsc]

He is just 8. I would go with nice pants, a nice shirt and a bow tie. I am sure that he will look adorable and the wait staff will treat him like as king. They all have kids at home that they miss and they will love your child.

 

The only question is whether he will be able to sit for the longish formal night dinner. Be prepared w some small non-noisy toys or maybe a book or so and be ready to take him out of the dining room and let him run around if he gets antsy.

 

DON

[mapleleaves]

a pair of khakis that he can wear again throughout the cruise and at home, plus a white shirt and bow tie.

[Giantfan13]

It really all depends on if YOU want to go formal?

 

As has been said, formal nights on an Alaskan cruise can get pretty unformal very quickly. If you don't want to dress up, you CAN dress in 'nice' clothes, like a nice blouse and a pair of dark pants, the men in nice shirt and nice pants, so the same for your son. A nice shirt and just not jeans for pants.

If you are going 'formal' then I agree with the others, a nice shirt and pants and throw on a bow tie on him. He'll look adorable.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[silly2003]

Thanks for all the replies, I learned more than I could have expected. So "formal" on Alaska cruises isn't always so formal and may be a long dinner for an 8 year old will be a pain. I will ask our travel agent her opinion or how long a formal dinner lasts.

 

I do get one free night to dine at some other restaurant, so maybe doing that on formal night is something to consider. That means only one night would my son have to sit at dinner for so long.

 

It should be no problem to buy some nice slacks, I'm not sure where to get a tie for a kid, but I'm sure I'll find one.

[varoo]

.......Well, we only have one child and I'm not going to have him eat alone in the room or send him to another restaurant alone. So that leaves having to determine the appropriate clothes for my child to eat in the regular dining room on formal nights. Please help.

If he enjoys the children's program on your ship, some of them offer provisions for the children to have dinner together on formal nights.

 

Some children like having dinner with their new friends a lot more than sitting through a long, drawn out formal night dinner in the adult dining room. But it really depends on the child as some don't care for the shipboard children's programs at all and would rather be with their parents.

Just like adults, some children are a lot more sociable than others.

 

In any case, it would be a good idea to go talk to the counselors for the children's program at the beginning of the cruise to find out what options they offer. Usually they will have an orientation session early in the cruise, and some kind of gathering on the first night to give the children on the ship a chance to meet others in their age group.

They may click and make fast friendships, or not.

 

If you want to bring him to the main dining room, any neat, clean slacks and shirt will be fine for an 8 year old. So please don't worry or stress about it. There is no need to throw away money to buy him something new if it is something he will never wear again, unless you just want to dress him up for photos.

 

Edited March 10, 2015 by varoo

[marysb]

Absolutely bring him to dinner on formal night. Our kids loved dressing up for formal night. Kids love a party! This was always a special night for our family and we always had photos taken on formal night. We treasure those photos and there is no where else you can get a family 8x10 for around $20. Dark pants, shirt and tie will do the job. Kids need to to experience a dining experience so they know how to behave in a restaurant. Enjoy!

[CruisingSoon88]

I have 2 boys that are 6 and 9. We cruise often and we always do formal nights. I recently ordered each of them a couple of new outfits from JC Penney. They came with dress pants, shirt, vest, and tie or bow tie and they were around $30 for each outfit. This just proves that you can find some good looking clothes at very reasonable prices.

 

My kids love being dressed up and getting attention. They have been cruising since they were 2 and 5 and have been on 8 cruises. We have never had an issue with them sitting through dinner. They love going to the dining room and would be especially upset if we missed formal night.

[sherryf]

I agree with others that khakis, dress shirt and ties are fine. I found some cute "zipper ties" for my boys that they loved. Kind of hard to explain, but they are adjustable and easy to put on with a built in zipper. You can find them inexpensively on Amazon.

 

The one time I cruised with my kids when they were little, my daughter was 2 and my boys were 5 and 8. They did fine with the long dinner. No way would they have opted for the kids club dinner instead; they wanted the GOOD food. They ordered off the adult menu all week. The older one had steak/prime rib/filet mignon - whatever been they had - every night. The younger had fish every night. Not sure how he got a taste for it, since I never cook it, but he ate shrimp, halibut, cod, salmon. And these are typically picky eaters, but they were thrilled to be able to order whatever they wanted. It made sitting through a 1.5-2 hour dinner worth it. Sometimes we had their dessert brought early and then ran them up to the kids club before we had our dessert, but they did sit through most of the meal every night.

[theelfqueen]

It's March. Dressier kids clothes are pretty widely available just before Easter (now). Check department stores and kids stores (like Children's Place) My sons will be going with slacks, button down and ties (ages 14 and 10) ...

Edited March 10, 2015 by theelfqueen

[silly2003]

OP here --All great ideas, folks.

 

I already have for my son, tan slacks and a black double breasted suit jacket (the later I got at a consignment sale for $4.00 for a Zombie Halloween costume). And a blue shirt. (I will have to get a tie.) I'm not sure if a black double-breasted jacket goes with tan pants.

 

Can any fashion police help me out?

[5waldos]

You will also see a lot of kids in khakis and collared polo shirts. Formal nights are not all that formal in Alaska. We did the vests with button down shirts- ignored the ties and they were fine. What counts as much or more is how they behave at dinner. In the end that is what people will notice.

 

And the kid's programs often arrange special dinner parties for the kids on formal nights which allows mom and dad to have a nice dinner alone on one night.

[lovetotraveltx]

I know Disney is more family oriented but about an hour into dinner they will pick up your child and take him to the kids club. Maybe your Alaska trip offers the same thing. Since he is an only child I'm sure he's been to a lot of nice dinners out at home it would be the same thing. Order him a starter right away and let him play video games on silent if/when he gets bored!

[Giantfan13]

I'm not sure if a black double-breasted jacket goes with tan pants.

 

Hey, sound good to me. :D:D:D:D

 

oh, and unless you really want a family pix, you can even forgo the tie.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[mapleleaves]

1

I already have for my son, tan slacks and a black double breasted suit jacket (the later I got at a consignment sale for $4.00 for a Zombie Halloween costume). And a blue shirt. (I will have to get a tie.) I'm not sure if a black double-breasted jacket goes with tan pants.

 

If he wears a shirt and jacket he doesn't need a tie as well.

But for packing purposes a tie/bow tie will take up much less space than a jacket ....

[thecruiserofships]

The interpretation of "formal" seems to be changing. Don't worry too much about it!

 

I recommend a nice collared shirt and any non-denim pants.

 

Like others have said, it is the attempt that matters.