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Gala Nights Question

PCruzer

By PCruzer,
in Holland America Line

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OlsSalt

OlsSalt

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Do men still wear tuxes on gala nights? We have a 14-night Caribbean cruise coming up and are unsure about how dressed up people get. Any suggestions?

 

DH wears one - I pack the long black velvet gown - and we felt just fine on our recent 28 day Veendam cruise - maybe a quarter of the men wore them the first night and seemed like even more the next time. Women more dressed up than the men typically, and looked great. Everything in between was okay too.

 

If you like to dress up, this is the night to do it and enjoy. I think the dining stewards like the extra effort that night too. But it definitely is not like the former "formal" nights in times past just a few years ago- when it was at least 80% plus in formal wear. And you could rent it on board just to make sure.

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msmayor

msmayor

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We don't see nearly as many tuxes and gowns as we used to...that being said...

 

My husband still packs his tux for every cruise. We love dressing up and our cruises are a wonderful opportunity to be elegant. We've never worried about the number of others in more formal wear.

 

We're off to the Panama Canal next March and I know the tux will be packed. This trip though my husband plans to get a white dinner jacket to wear with it as well.

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Quilcruisers

Quilcruisers

Posted
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We have not been lucky enough to take a longer cruise like this but on our seven day cruises, we pull out formal wear at least one of the two nights. It's fun for us to get all dressed up. My husband and 12 year old son wear tuxedos and the ladies will wear nice dresses, sometimes very formal, sometimes cocktail dresses or in between the two.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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ellieanne

ellieanne

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On my cruise in October, I only saw two gentleman in a Tux on formal night -- one was my traveling companion and one was obviously on his honeymoon. The new groom & his wife wore their wedding attire on the formal nights, or what I assume was the wedding attire, she was in a white, strapless, Disney princess ballgown with a tiara.

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ithaca gal

ithaca gal

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We are just off the Eurodam, 14 days. The vast majority of the men wore suits, a few wore tuxes (and looked GREAT!). Very few did not wear a jacket. A very small amount wore a collared shirt and no tie and were definitely in the minority. Most people looked happy to dress up a bit on Gala Night.

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PCruzer

PCruzer

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Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and suggestions. We are leaning towards going less formal on this cruise. My husband will most likely leave the tux at home this time. Seems to me, though, that he will actually be packing more clothing going this route than if he took his tux. We'll see. Thanks again for the input.

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RocketMan275

RocketMan275

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Do men still wear tuxes on gala nights? We have a 14-night Caribbean cruise coming up and are unsure about how dressed up people get. Any suggestions?

 

I would suggest you consider skipping the MDR and enjoy room service on your balcony. You can order anything from the MDR menu delivered to your room. The Pinnacle Grill also will deliver steaks and lobster for a modest charge. Or, you can get a plate of something from the Lido.

 

We don't pack formal wear. I won't bring more than one pair of long pants. All my shirts will be polo/golf shirts. We will observe formal/gala nights on our balcony. The dress code is slippers and bath robes and it is strictly enforced.

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Krazy Kruizers

Krazy Kruizers

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We did a 21 day repositioning cruise in 2013. DH was very disappointed to see very few tuxedos on that cruise. When we got home, he tucked his tuxedo in the back of his closet and bought a couple more suits.

We did that same 21 day cruise just this past spring and there were even fewer tuxedos and rarely any suits. Most men wore slacks and a collared shirt -- very few ties and jackets on Gala Nights.

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PCruzer

PCruzer

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We did a 21 day repositioning cruise in 2013. DH was very disappointed to see very few tuxedos on that cruise. When we got home, he tucked his tuxedo in the back of his closet and bought a couple more suits.

We did that same 21 day cruise just this past spring and there were even fewer tuxedos and rarely any suits. Most men wore slacks and a collared shirt -- very few ties and jackets on Gala Nights.

Wow! Not even many jackets? So what, then, distinguishes a Gala Night from a Smart Casual night?

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ger_77

ger_77

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I say "wear 'em if you got 'em" - you'll look like a million bucks, I'm sure. DH always brings his and I bring my sparklies because we love to play dress up on cruises. You'll be in the minority, but you will stand out in a good way.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

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rkacruiser

rkacruiser

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I will wear my tux on Gala Nights and am comfortable if other gentlemen wear appropriate attire for the evening.

 

A t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops worn in a public venue aboard ship are not appropriate as far as I am concerned during a Formal/Gala, or whatever the name may be, Night. (I sat next to a couple in the ship's Main Showroom so attired on a Star Princess cruise a few years ago.)

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RocketMan275

RocketMan275

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I will wear my tux on Gala Nights and am comfortable if other gentlemen wear appropriate attire for the evening.

 

A t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops worn in a public venue aboard ship are not appropriate as far as I am concerned during a Formal/Gala, or whatever the name may be, Night. (I sat next to a couple in the ship's Main Showroom so attired on a Star Princess cruise a few years ago.)

 

The dress code only addresses "fine dining" and is silent on other public venues.

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RocketMan275

RocketMan275

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We observe formal/gala nights on our balcony. The dress code is slippers and bath robes and it is strictly enforced.

 

Love it!

 

Our formal/gala nights on our balcony lack the noise and commotion of the MDR. One can actually carry on a conversation. There is no drama about dress codes. And the best thing is the much superior wine list.

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taxmantoo

taxmantoo

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Our formal/gala nights on our balcony lack the noise and commotion of the MDR. One can actually carry on a conversation. There is no drama about dress codes. And the best thing is the much superior wine list.

 

Care to share what wines made it on your wine list?

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