How strict are rules for formal night on Serenade?

[gold]

We are not people who enjoy putting on a shirt & tie/dress for dinner anymore.

 

Thanks 

[robtulipe]

Not strict at all. Formal is now Dress your Best night which is jeans and t-shirts for some..

Edited January 17, 2020 by robtulipe

[dcourt]

It is suggested as formal but you will see everything from gowns to shorts.  Go and have FUN!!

[soremekun]

My thinking is formal night is/was an attempt to get more people to take pictures.  Enjoy your dinner.

[robtulipe]

3 minutes ago, soremekun said:

My thinking is formal night is/was an attempt to get more people to take pictures.  Enjoy your dinner.

That's the thinking of my DW who always wants pictures taken those nights.

[cruiseguy1016]

There are no rules for attire. There is suggested attire but that suggestion is not enforced.

[cruisestitch]

Havent seen anyone in shorts at dinner but there were many dressed up quite formally last week. If you want to wear shorts to dinner there’s always the buffet

[cb at sea]

NO rules....no worries!

 

[Ptroxx]

I’ll just leave this here.   Lol. 
 

 

 

[reallyitsmema]

1 hour ago, gold said:

We are not people who enjoy putting on a shirt & tie/dress for dinner anymore.

 

Thanks 

 

We just sailed Serenade in October and there was a wide variety on formal nights.  This was prior to "dress your best" and also from Boston, not Florida.  Don't remember any shorts in our area of MTD.   Women were in anything from long gowns to jeans with the majority in either cocktail dresses or slacks and fancy top.  Men were in tuxes (very few) or suits to polo shirts with most in at least a button down shirt and slacks.  

[LB_NJ]

1 hour ago, soremekun said:

My thinking is formal night is/was an attempt to get more people to take pictures.  Enjoy your dinner.

 

Some people do like to dress for dinner, pictures or no.  The dressing for dinner on formal nights is a relieving of the times when people in first class on cruise lines would dress for dinner EVERY night.

 

Look at the flames on the topic on the Cunard forum.  Many long term PAX on QM2 really like to dress for dinner and get very upset as Cunard slowly but steadily relax the dress code.  When I sailed on the QM2 men would regularly wear sports coats to dinner on the NON-formal nights.

[Another_Critic]

My parent's retirement community dining room has a stricter dress code than most cruise lines.

[ONECRUISER]

Done couple hundred nites on Serenade last 7yrs. Ship was one last to let up on having a some restrictions. 2 yrs ago was last time they stopped people from wearing shorts/tank tops on Formal nite. Had actually posted it on paper shorts a no-no.  Was sitting near Entrance watching some turned away. Long as dont wear swimsuit with a beater tank as some were your good any nite, On Serenade about 30-40% go all out, 5% wear shorts, rest in middle. 

Edited January 17, 2020 by ONECRUISER

[cruisestitch]

Other ships may call it “dress your best” but as of January 2020, Serenade still calls it formal night...”Make it a night out in your best black-tie look. Suits and ties, tuxedos,, cocktail dresses or evening Gowns are welcomed” is what the Compass says.

[lisa6191]

3 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

My parent's retirement community dining room has a stricter dress code than most cruise lines.

 

Ours too. And my father in law neglected to tell us the dress code, so we were actually asked to leave one day in the summer when we were wearing shorts. I don't think they enforce the dress code on RC that way.

[danv3]

Your mileage may vary from ship to ship. On Explorer right now and it’s still called “formal night” and I personally witnessed a guest in shorts being denied entrance to the MDR on the first formal night. He later returned in slacks. As for tops it was anything goes: t-shirts to tuxedos.

[luvtocruiseNH]

Love to dress up for formal nights.  To me, this is part of the cruise experience.