Elegant Night - Recent Experiences for attire

[jiggs]

I'm not trying to make this a dramatic flame 'must do this, not that' post...I'm just looking for some recent experience on how elegant, Elegant Night is these days.

 

Years ago on Formal night I would go all out with my tux.  Last cruise a number of years ago, I would of felt way out of place in such formal wear.

 

So these days - slacks and shirt and tie?  Suit?  Sport Coat? Anything goes assuming it isn't swimwear?

 

I know recommended vs enforced is very different.  Just looking for general consensus.

 

 

 

 

[flcruzer1]

Hi,

My experience has been that it depends on who you're traveling with. If you and your party decide to go all out, then do so. Most people tend to go semi-formal to casual these days. 

[snowballs mom]

We are on the Feb.14th Elation sailing. We like to dress up, so my husband will wear his tux and I will wear a cocktail dress. We cruise during January and February when there are more couples rather than families - it seems that more people dress up on those sailings than during spring break/summer.

[dezertcruzer]

As people who have to fly across the country for a cruise, we stopped lugging all those heavy clothes along years ago when it got so expensive to do so.  No suit or sport coat for my husband, just khakis and a long sleeve shirt and tie.  For me just black pants and a pretty top.  That's about as fancy as we get in our old age!

[Guest BasicSailor]

These lazy, relaxing days of cruising, slacks and shirt will do just fine. Tuxes are ancient history.

[snowballs mom]

1 minute ago, BasicSailor said:

These lazy, relaxing days of cruising, slacks and shirt will do just fine. Tuxes are ancient history.

Try telling my husband that. He just ordered a new tuxedo shirt because he didn't like the way his old one fit🤣. He does clean up really nice - much better than the gym clothes/sweat pants he usually wears around the house!

[Guest BasicSailor]

3 minutes ago, snowballs mom said:

Try telling my husband that. He just ordered a new tuxedo shirt because he didn't like the way his old one fit🤣. He does clean up really nice - much better than the gym clothes/sweat pants he usually wears around the house!

[sunonfire]

We were on the Pride and returned on February 5th. We had two formal nights. More people were dressed for the first formal night than the second night. Not many were dressed formally. No one wore a tuxedo or even a suit. I did not even see men wearing jackets. The men wore dress shirts and slacks. There were passengers allowed in the main dining room with gym shorts and basketball shorts which were on the list of not acceptable attire for formal night. No one was stopped. Anything goes!

[hurricane0226]

Was on the Magic Jan 29th to Feb 6th. Formal night saw people in flip flops, shorts, and 

tee shirts, were not turned away, seems to me formal nights are slowly getting close

to being just cruise casual, Hate it, but just going that way. I have always at least

worn a coat with a tie, and wife would also dress up, I know I will probably get

flamed, but we do it for us, our formal night together.

[Indytraveler83]

On the Horizon in November:

 

For Formal nights we saw a wide range, but the bulk of people were wearing clothes that would probably be appropriate in a normal office setting.

 

That said, there were plenty of folks who wore tuxes and elaborate dresses, and they seemed to be having the time of their lives. If you felt like going all out, I certainly wouldn't hesitate.

[Zingy2]

If we were to drive to the cruise port, we would normally pack some fancier clothes for Elegant Night (suits, ties, dresses/gowns, etc). Flying to ports of embarkation made us rethink our attire selections, due to weight restrictions, number of bags etc.  Now, it's slacks, dress shirts, ties, Hawaiian style shirts, slacks and nice tops for the Missus.  There is still a wide spectrum of attire seen in the MDR on Elegant Night.  Go with what you feel most comfortable with.

[mondello]

I was on Sunshine 12/26-12/31 and was surprised so many were dressed nice. We had late seating in the Sunset MDR and it seemed most guests knew it was elegant night and dressed accordingly. 

[Rudyard]

Last time I went to the MDR for elegant night was in 2016. I wore a blazer and tie and felt overdressed. For my next cruise I'll go to the MDR but will probably just wear long khakis and a shirt with a collar. 

[MzOhioLady]

We cruised in Mid September and My Husband wore his suit but without the Jacket. He had matching pants and vest with a dress shirt, cuff links for the shirt and tie. I wore a dressy long dress with high heeled sandals. We like to dress up and take our Elegant Night Pictures. Most people we saw were also dressed up, with a variety from suits to tuxes.

 

As far as the second Elegant Night, yes most people were still dressed up, just not as dressy as the first Elegant Night. My Husband will wear some dress pants with a collared dress shirt to match. I wear a nice dress with dressy sandals just not as formal as the first set of attire.

 

You will see it all as a variety of what people choose to wear and what makes them feel comfortable. 

[mz-s]

Whatever you feel most comfortable with. A lot of people do like dressing up for cruise elegant nights since they may not have occasion to dress up like that at home. Others don't. It's all good.

[teknoge3k]

Wear what you want, and ignore the fashion police. If you want to dress up in a jacket and tie and get pictures, go for it. If you want to skip that, do it. I personally always wear a pair of jeans, a polo shirt and some tennis shoes. That's as dressed up as you'll ever see me. 

[Lee Cruiser]

We were just on the Valor.  Very few suits.  I can only recall seeing two.  Mostly dress/ casual slacks with polo style or button down shirts.  There were some very casual as well.

[pe4all]

From the Freedom 2 weeks ago:  I was very surprised to see how many people dressed up in gowns, cocktail dresses, suits for the men.  Lots of pics being taken on elegant nights.  

[cruiserbrianj]

I couldn't tell you what other people wore on formal night or any other night in the MDR...that's how little I pay attention to that kind of thing.  We, our family, dress in what would probably be considered business casual and I think that's more than adequate attire for the MDR (elegant night or not).  That said, it's your vacation and you do you 🙂

[jiggs]

thanks for all the responses.  Guess I'll see what we want to do as a family.  So many of my clothes are just hanging in the closet these days, not sure what I'm saving them for if I don't wear them 🤔

 

I'll likely go fancy but not formal or black tie...though some of my decision may be influenced by what my wife choses to wear!

[ledges1]

I was on the Valor and wore a pair of Dockers, golf shirt and Sperry deck shoes. Some may disagree, it appears those that wear suits on Elegant Night wear them for Promenade portraits than for dinner.

Edited February 11, 2022 by ledges1
Spelling

[travelplus]

I bought some new slacks for my cruise. I have two nice pairs of Eddie Bauer slacks and a nice button shirt. Look I love dressing up but going to a warm destination like Mexico is too hot for going to the nines. Also I can change before the parties if I feel uncomfortable. 

 

What I love about the Eddie Bauer slacks is that you can dress up or dress down. I have a lot of Polo Shirts/Golf Shirts for casual dress that goes well with slacks or shorts for excursions.

 

I would never fathom entering the MDR with a bathing suit and flip fops.

[keels81]

It's run the gamut on my three CCL cruises since the return to sailing ... my husband never wore anything fancier than a sports coat with a t-shirt and either nice jeans or slacks on formal nights. But, he doesn't really dress up and we don't take pictures. Recently on the Valor at the Chef's Table, one man wore a tux and he looked very dapper. He said it just made him happy to have an occasion to put it on after a while.

 

On my girl's trip sailing on the MG, we dressed in cocktail attire every night and then wore floor length sequin gowns on the formal nights. We got compliments and it was fun getting dressed up after over a year stuck inside, but that was us. 

 

Regardless of ship or sailing, you'll likely see an entire range of attire. Personally, I feel like we're all still in that really happy place of experienced cruisers getting back to the vacations we love and there's an influx of "blue cards" that are just dipping their toe in the cruising pool and are really gung-ho about the whole concept ... wear what you want and will make you happy! 

Edited February 12, 2022 by keels81

[Silent Penguin]

On 2/10/2022 at 9:00 PM, jiggs said:

.I'm just looking for some recent experience on how elegant, Elegant Night is these days.

 

Years ago on Formal night I would go all out with my tux.  Last cruise a number of years ago, I would of felt way out of place in such formal wear..

 

 

IAre you really entertaining the thought or hope that things have changed back to the old days when tuxes were more commonly worn?  What's the likelihood?  

 

I read this after I posted it, and it could be interpreted as an attack which it is not.  

Edited February 12, 2022 by Silent Penguin
further explanation

[Silent Penguin]

On 2/11/2022 at 9:55 AM, pe4all said:

From the Freedom 2 weeks ago:  I was very surprised to see how many people dressed up in gowns, cocktail dresses, suits for the men.  Lots of pics being taken on elegant nights.  

Did you have early dining, late dining, or ATD?   I've always wondered if there was any correlation between dining time and the number of people who dress up.