Formal Nights Alaska

[phillychick]

Hi everyone.  I’m sailing the Radiance of the Seas to Alaska in July.  

 

Its a 7 night cruise... are there formal nights?   If so, how formal do people get.

 

TIA

[Ourusualbeach]

2 formal nights

[Biker19]

10 minutes ago, phillychick said:

   If so, how formal do people get.

Varies as much as the weather. 

[cruiseguy1016]

Formal night on Alaskan cruises is a lot less formal that on Caribbean cruises. There will be very few people in tuxes and gowns. There will be people in flannel shirts.

[plagmah]

We just sailed on Millennium   Formal nights....aka “chic” nights are quite casual. Only a couple tables dressed up. ( 1 was a wedding party). 

[island lady]

Being limited on luggage weight on flights, and needing much heavier clothes on Alaska cruises, we lighten the load by not taking our usual Tux and cocktail dress clothes.  And we were definitely not alone.  Don't remember seeing a lot of really dressed up folks during that cruise.

 

We are once again not taking those dressy clothes for next year Radiance B2B.  

[MNshortie21]

Just got back from Radiance & Alaska! Two formal nights 2nd and 6th night. We dressed up, but I would say most people were casual. It's really up to you. Have fun!

[phillychick]

11 minutes ago, MNshortie21 said:

Just got back from Radiance & Alaska! Two formal nights 2nd and 6th night. We dressed up, but I would say most people were casual. It's really up to you. Have fun!

 

How was the cruise?  Any pointers, suggestions .... ship or ports?   Thanks. 

[MNshortie21]

9 minutes ago, phillychick said:

 

How was the cruise?  Any pointers, suggestions .... ship or ports?   Thanks. 

It was great overall! I just posted a quick review last night. Hope it helps!

 

 

[El Abuelo]

20 hours ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

Formal night on Alaskan cruises is a lot less formal that on Caribbean cruises. There will be very few people in tuxes and gowns. There will be people in flannel shirts.

This was our experience as well 

[little britain]

Lumberjack shirts were plentiful. One group of Brits in DJs ...

[jdg623]

We were on the Radiance a few weeks ago. Much more casual than our Caribbean sailings, tho there were more than a few jackets and ties on formal nights. We did collared shirt, pantsuit both nights. Even in the diamond lounge (which tends to be more formal) we did not feel out of place. Alaska in general is very casual everywhere you go. It was actually much warmer than we'd expected. The best advice we got was to wear layers. Do that and you'll be fine. Some areas were cooler than others. It was an incredible experience, hope you have a land tour planned - that was the best part of the trip for us! Take lots of pictures, but remember to just relax and soak in the unbelievably beautiful, unspoiled wilderness that surrounds you and enjoy!!! A couple of suggestions - take the shuttle to Hoonah when you get to Icy Strait Point. It's a lovely native Alaskan village. Worth the visit. Go to the front of the ship for Hubbard - you'll get the best views of the glacier. If you're into craft beers, there are a lot of opportunities to try a wide variety of Alaskan beers, it was a highlight of our trip!

[island lady]

14 hours ago, jdg623 said:

We were on the Radiance a few weeks ago. Much more casual than our Caribbean sailings, tho there were more than a few jackets and ties on formal nights. We did collared shirt, pantsuit both nights. Even in the diamond lounge (which tends to be more formal) we did not feel out of place. Alaska in general is very casual everywhere you go. It was actually much warmer than we'd expected. The best advice we got was to wear layers. Do that and you'll be fine. Some areas were cooler than others. It was an incredible experience, hope you have a land tour planned - that was the best part of the trip for us! Take lots of pictures, but remember to just relax and soak in the unbelievably beautiful, unspoiled wilderness that surrounds you and enjoy!!! A couple of suggestions - take the shuttle to Hoonah when you get to Icy Strait Point. It's a lovely native Alaskan village. Worth the visit. Go to the front of the ship for Hubbard - you'll get the best views of the glacier. If you're into craft beers, there are a lot of opportunities to try a wide variety of Alaskan beers, it was a highlight of our trip!

 

Will add a couple of pointers to your great advice:  🙂 

 

If you are able to walk a bit, instead of the shuttle...the walk along the water to Hoonah from the pier is really nice.  We saw humpback whales breaching next to us as they made their way through...followed closely by whale watching boats that pax paid big bucks to be on to see them.  😉 

 

As you get close to town there is a little bar/restaurant called "The Office".  They are steaming fresh Dungeness Crabs right out front.  Delicious, and several good local beers on tap.  Located right on the water.  

 

We tried to watch the glacier from the front (bow) of the ship, finding it horribly crowded with pax pushing and shoving to get a view.  Found it much nicer to simply watch from the open promenade deck (life boat/muster deck) with having a bit of weather protection there as well. Ship will sit on one side for half the time, then spin and shift to other...so transfer across for second view was no problem.  Plus the little lifeboat brought the ice chunk  on that deck there to parade around for pax.

 

Indeed Alaska is a do not miss adventure.  Will be our 4th time back.  🙂 

 

The visit to Hubbard was the only place that was cold, agree...some ports can be warmer than you would expect.  

[RazorbackIslandGirl]

Much to our surprise Alaska is one of our favorite places to cruise. (Although I've never met a cruise I didn't like😉) It is though, MUCH more casual than any other cruise I've been on. You will see a mix of every type of attire on formal night. It's truly your choice. Nothing is considered taboo. No one will give you the side-eye for your choice. This has been our experience every time we've cruised Alaska. People tend to be much more laid back on those sailings. Enjoy your cruise! It's a fun adventure!

[island lady]

3 minutes ago, RazorbackIslandGirl said:

Much to our surprise Alaska is one of our favorite places to cruise. (Although I've never met a cruise I didn't like😉) It is though, MUCH more casual than any other cruise I've been on. You will see a mix of every type of attire on formal night. It's truly your choice. Nothing is considered taboo. No one will give you the side-eye for your choice. This has been our experience every time we've cruised Alaska. People tend to be much more laid back on those sailings. Enjoy your cruise! It's a fun adventure!

 

I pretty much do a "uniform" of fleece tops, jeans, and walking shoes.  😉  In fact my light fleece tops were pretty easy to hand wash, drip dry in shower, then hang from ceiling to dry using one of those magnet hooks.  Worked well to keep packing to minimum!  🙂 

Edited June 30, 2019 by island lady

[RazorbackIslandGirl]

1 hour ago, island lady said:

 

I pretty much do a "uniform" of fleece tops, jeans, and walking shoes.  😉  In fact my light fleece tops were pretty easy to hand wash, drip dry in shower, then hang from ceiling to dry using one of those magnet hooks.  Worked well to keep packing to minimum!  🙂 

I agree! That's pretty much how we roll in Alaska too. I never thought to launder my fleece & hang dry but, you're right they dry quickly. I will be jacking that idea next time! That can cut packing down drastically! My suitcase is always huge because of the thickness of the clothes you need. That's what I love about CC. It's a plethora of information & tips! Just when you think you have it all figured out, a great tip like this pops up!👍😃

[MajorForsyth]

Nights 2 and 6 - but almost no one was dressed formally. Saw a few coats and ties and nice dresses but other than that not much to speak of.

[island lady]

On 6/30/2019 at 12:35 PM, RazorbackIslandGirl said:

I agree! That's pretty much how we roll in Alaska too. I never thought to launder my fleece & hang dry but, you're right they dry quickly. I will be jacking that idea next time! That can cut packing down drastically! My suitcase is always huge because of the thickness of the clothes you need. That's what I love about CC. It's a plethora of information & tips! Just when you think you have it all figured out, a great tip like this pops up!👍😃

 

You are most welcome! Have a fantabulous cruise!  🙂 

[phillychick]

On ‎6‎/‎29‎/‎2019 at 1:35 PM, MNshortie21 said:

It was great overall! I just posted a quick review last night. Hope it helps!

 

 

Since you were just on... did you go into the piano bar/Schooners?  How was it?  Thanks. 

[MajorForsyth]

Schooners is located on Deck 5 above the Music Hall.  I offer that as when there is entertainment in the music hall (we had a Bee Gees Tribute band) you can hear them.  That being said, on our cruise, the Piano player's name was Albert.  He was pretty good.  Every night he performed, the bar was full.  Service was positively comparable to other cruises.  Hope this helps.

[kochleffel]

It will be really tempting to wear a Canadian tuxedo:

[MNshortie21]

5 hours ago, phillychick said:

Since you were just on... did you go into the piano bar/Schooners?  How was it?  Thanks. 

Went to Schooners often for trivia, it's quite big with attentive servers. We listen to a pianist and violin players there a few time. One of our favorite spots as it also has many windows so great views while sailing. Depending on what you like for music, I thought the Colony Club, which is next to the Schooner and the Centreum, had the best music options.

[er345]

14 hours ago, MNshortie21 said:

Went to Schooners often for trivia, it's quite big with attentive servers. We listen to a pianist and violin players there a few time. One of our favorite spots as it also has many windows so great views while sailing. Depending on what you like for music, I thought the Colony Club, which is next to the Schooner and the Centreum, had the best music options.

What is the Colony Club? I’m not familiar with that.

[Clarea]

6 minutes ago, er345 said:

What is the Colony Club? I’m not familiar with that.

 

That is what Royal calls the aft lounge area on deck 6 on Radiance class ships.

[Merion_Mom]

20 hours ago, MajorForsyth said:

Schooners is located on Deck 5 above the Music Hall.  I offer that as when there is entertainment in the music hall (we had a Bee Gees Tribute band) you can hear them.  That being said, on our cruise, the Piano player's name was Albert.  He was pretty good.  Every night he performed, the bar was full.  Service was positively comparable to other cruises.  Hope this helps.

 

This person is taking about the Ovation.

 

 

15 hours ago, MNshortie21 said:

Went to Schooners often for trivia, it's quite big with attentive servers. We listen to a pianist and violin players there a few time. One of our favorite spots as it also has many windows so great views while sailing. Depending on what you like for music, I thought the Colony Club, which is next to the Schooner and the Centreum, had the best music options.

 

This person is talking about the Radiance.