Formal night

[Dilly dolly]

So how formal is formal? Must men wear suit? Can ladies wear pants with  sparkly top?

Edited March 18, 2019 by Dilly dolly

[c-boy]

yes pant suit with sparkly top. wonderful !

[c-boy]

 for men, coat and slacks will suffice.

[angie7911922]

Formal isn't super formal anymore, although you can dress that way if you wish. Formal night has mostly transformed into business casual - so think that type of clothing!

[OCruisers]

On which cruise line will you be sailing?

[TwinMamainMN]

Which cruise line you sail can make a big difference. What is considered "formal" on Carnival, RCCL, etc. is very different compared to "formal" on Regent, Silver Seas, etc.

[6rugrats]

You didn’t name your cruise line, but every line has dress policy listed on their webpage.

[c-boy]

  👍  This thread was transferred over from the Princess forum 

[Barb Nahoumi]

NCL has NCL's night out, in which formal attire is not required at all.

[c-boy]

well that's a bummer

[cb at sea]

None of the "mainstream" lines observe a "formal" dress code anymore.  You can pretty much wear what you want.  It's totally acceptable to "dress up" on the "formal" nights....some will, some won't.

[trish1c]

Sadly you can "get away with" almost anything any more.  

 

DH & I still enjoy getting dressed up.  On our upcoming Holiday cruise he will pack both a traditional tux and a kilt even though we will be on NCL.  We have found that New Year's Eve cruise leaving out of NYC -- even on the line with the reputation for being the most causal -- are still rather dressy.  It's easier when you don't have to deal with airline luggage weight restrictions.   When we sail from Florida or San Juan we don't go as strict with formal wear. 

 

Ships have elegant dining rooms,  Casual shorts etc. just don't fit the indoor vibe of the space in our opinion.  

[MJC]

My experience on Princess is that most people still dress up on formal night. A very few dress formal in gowns and tuxes, but most are at least in party dresses/dressy pantsuits for women and slacks, dress shirt, and jacket for men (with quite a few ties). Before our two Western Caribbean on Princess I had read how casual it had gotten in the Caribbean, and as a person who likes to dress up I thought I might be in the minority, but that was not the case.

 

Fewer people stay dressed up for the evening these days, I think. We do late seating, and I sometimes feel a bit odd all dressed up next to a guy in shorts in the theater or casino, but I don't make judgements. This is my honest assessment of what I saw, which is a totally different conversation than what can I get away with. There are already plenty of threads about that full of differing opinions. As to whether the maitre'd will let you in the dining room if you don't meet the dress code, that appears to be a crapshoot that depends largely on him/her.

 

 

[2BACRUISER]

I see lots of comments particularly on Facebook 're I live in jeans & hoodies, I don't do formal, what is formal, can I wear shorts, for goodness sake why book a cruise it's part of the holiday, it's only 1 or 2 nights, just try it you might enjoy it. I'm a farmer and I live literally in crap every day of my life. I love to go away and get dressed up for a change, makes me feel human and mostly a girl again 😁

[c-boy]

23 hours ago, MJC said:

My experience on Princess is that most people still dress up on formal night. A very few dress formal in gowns and tuxes, but most are at least in party dresses/dressy pantsuits for women and slacks, dress shirt, and jacket for men (with quite a few ties). Before our two Western Caribbean on Princess I had read how casual it had gotten in the Caribbean, and as a person who likes to dress up I thought I might be in the minority, but that was not the case.

 

Fewer people stay dressed up for the evening these days, I think. We do late seating, and I sometimes feel a bit odd all dressed up next to a guy in shorts in the theater or casino, but I don't make judgements. This is my honest assessment of what I saw, which is a totally different conversation than what can I get away with. There are already plenty of threads about that full of differing opinions. As to whether the maitre'd will let you in the dining room if you don't meet the dress code, that appears to be a crapshoot that depends largely on him/her.

 

 

there are a few on the Princess thread that would like us to believe that "formal" night" is waning to further their agenda.  I refer to them as  The button pushing crowd, and  I agree with " what can I get away with" .  I feel the maitr'd should not have to enforce what is expected. 

[MissP22]

Nothing to get away with on Princess. The formal nights have turned into smart casual unless you really want to get dressed up. It even says so in their dress suggestions.

Dress shirt & slacks for the DH and any top & pants for me & we're both good to go. 

It's been that way for years now & people are just beginning to realize it & be comfortable. 

[c-boy]

 "It even says so in their dress suggestions"...:...uh no. I'm familiar with the Princess site to which you refer and I stand by my final sentence.  

[MissP22]

6 minutes ago, c-boy said:

 "It even says so in their dress suggestions"...:...uh no. I'm familiar with the Princess site to which you refer and I stand by my final sentence.  

As do I stand by my comment which is backed up by their actions.

It's quite clear that if passengers do not want to dress up for formal nights then...."(or, at the very least, a shirt, tie and slacks), while women may want to bring an evening dress or a skirt with a good blouse."

Nothing hidden in that meaning. 

[c-boy]

 don't let hubby hold you hostage ,  slap a tie on that guy and call it good.

[MissP22]

2 minutes ago, c-boy said:

 don't let hubby hold you hostage ,  slap a tie on that guy and call it good.

A TIE !

That'll be the end of cruising if it came to him having to wear a tie. 

He wouldn't wear one when he worked & it was almost a requirement many years ago. 

[c-boy]

   I'm aware of this, I read your post on another thread. 

[geocruiser]

On 7/10/2019 at 11:34 AM, MissP22 said:

A TIE !

That'll be the end of cruising if it came to him having to wear a tie. 

He wouldn't wear one when he worked & it was almost a requirement many years ago. 

My DH would not wear a tie either, but we want both to dress for formal night.  He did buy a tux (not needed now, but stills wears), but he did get a mandarin collar shirt.  He wears a button clip with the shirt.  There are many kinds of this shirt, and with most they look great even without a jacket.  A vest can also be worn with them.

He say the shirt is very comfortable and doesn't not cut into his neck etc.

https://www.tuxedosonline.com/white-mens-banded-collar-dress-shirt-non-pleated-sale.html  Mandarin shirt.

 

https://www.tuxedosonline.com/button-cover   Button clips.

[MissP22]

My DH has gone the route of the guayabera shirt for a few years now and won't go back to anything else but perhaps a polo shirt now & then if his one & only shirt is in the laundry. 

 

[c-boy]

hmmm,  interesting. The rebellious  life style of the Villages 

[MissP22]

34 minutes ago, c-boy said:

hmmm,  interesting. The rebellious  life style of the Villages 

Hardly rebellions at all but I guess since you're from California your not familiar with the relaxed Florida comfortable lifestyle.