Formal nights

[lindylooellalouise]

Hi we’re sailing on the Virtuosa to Scandinavia next week and not sure how dressy the formal nights will be don’t want to be the only couple dressed in dinner suit and evening dress 

[Eglesbrech]

1 hour ago, lindylooellalouise said:

Hi we’re sailing on the Virtuosa to Scandinavia next week and not sure how dressy the formal nights will be don’t want to be the only couple dressed in dinner suit and evening dress 

I can’t help you as this is out first MSC cruise but for what it is worth I am taking proper formal wear as is my husband. So that’s at least 4 of us 😀.

 

I will be interested in the replies from others though with MSC experience.

[lindylooellalouise]

5 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

I can’t help you as this is out first MSC cruise but for what it is worth I am taking proper formal wear as is my husband. So that’s at least 4 of us 😀.

 

I will be interested in the replies from others though with MSC experience.

Ha we should be able to recognise each other.😆

[blordos]

The formal nights are not strict regulated. A proper suit and dress is enough but if you don't have it you are not turned away from the restaurant.

 

[mscdivina2016]

5 hours ago, lindylooellalouise said:

Hi we’re sailing on the Virtuosa to Scandinavia next week and not sure how dressy the formal nights will be don’t want to be the only couple dressed in dinner suit and evening dress 

Non existent really.

A very few will dress to the nine's. Country club casual is what it is.

 

 

[lindylooellalouise]

17 minutes ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Non existent really.

A very few will dress to the nine's. Country club casual is what it is.

 

 

Oh maybe leave the evening dresses at home 🤫

[Essiesmom]

I think it depends on the location.  I haven’t sailed MSC in Europe, only from Miami (Divina, Seaside, Armonia).  Those cruises were 40% or more guests from outside North America, and I noted the women stepped it up a bit, even on cruise casual nights.  You Brits know your own people…but we did a short 4 day cruise on Cunard, and found the locals - and there were very few of us who were not local…dressed every night, not just the formal night.  EM

[Nunagoras]

It is lighter than on the likes of RCI on an European sailing. Yeah, suit with no tie, or even a nice sleeved shirt with no jacket for man and a nice cocktail dress for women sufixes most of the time for an European MSC sailing. YC perhaps a little bit dressier than "steerage". It's really no different than to go on a nice restaurant for dinner at home city.

[morpheusofthesea]

47 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

even on cruise sexual nights.

Am I missing something here?

[lindylooellalouise]

1 hour ago, Essiesmom said:

I think it depends on the location.  I haven’t sailed MSC in Europe, only from Miami (Divina, Seaside, Armonia).  Those cruises were 40% or more guests from outside North America, and I noted the women stepped it up a bit, even on cruise sexual nights.  You Brits know your own people…but we did a short 4 day cruise on Cunard, and found the locals - and there were very few of us who were not local…dressed every night, not just the formal night.  EM

Hi we usually cruise on Cunard and know what to expect, but not sure about MSC and what nationality would the passengers be, and not ever had any sexual nights on any of our cruises.😂

[perakcruiser]

1 hour ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Non existent really.

A very few will dress to the nine's. Country club casual is what it is.

You probably have not made many MSC cruises in Europe with an Italian majority on board. 

 

But on the Virtuosa to Scandinavia with a lots of Brits and Germans things certainly will be a little bit different. Still many will dress up, not because they have to, but because they want. 

[shipgeeks]

Our experience on MSC cruises from the US is that pax dressed up more in the evening than on other mainstream lines, on both formal and casual (or that other one) evenings.

[Seadweller001]

My wife's fav part of cruising is dressing up so she brings a formal/semi formal dress for each night.  I normally wear a long sleeve shirt and a jacket with no tie for dinner.

 

Part of the mystic of cruising is experiencing what you do not do at home.  And the great part is you can do your thing dress wise as long as it is not too outrageous.

[mscdivina2016]

1 hour ago, perakcruiser said:

You probably have not made many MSC cruises in Europe with an Italian majority on board. 

 

Actually have more sailing with MSC outside of the USA, but not short cruises. 14-30 days all repo cruises. So no one is bringing a bunch of luggage because they need to fly. 

In all fairness, there are many factors I guess. It also depends on your definition of Formal night's.

Mine is Tux and Ball Gowns. We don't see them like we did 20 Years ago.

[mscdivina2016]

3 minutes ago, Seadweller001 said:

 

 

Part of the mystic of cruising is experiencing what you do not do at home.  And the great part is you can do your thing dress wise as long as it is not too outrageous.

We are Ballroom dancers so that is like home.😁

[no1talks]

2 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Am I missing something here?

Yes. It's the top-secret ship within a ship within a ship...

 

The Ya-Yas Yacht Club.

[Captain Rob]

We and our friends will be in full formal and having a great time.

[iwtobek]

Genuine question. We do tend to dress cruise casual on all of our cruises, even during formal night.

I'm not against wearing a tuxedo, will do without any doubt when eating in a 3*/5 diamond restaurant. In a cruise it's bringing too much logistic challenges for us (like a one-time dress? I bring already too many clothes/shoes)

If you do like to dress up, what's your motivations?

[hamrag]

11 hours ago, lindylooellalouise said:

.....don’t want to be the only couple dressed in dinner suit and evening dress 

My advice would be leave them home, simply not required! Our experience across 7 or 8 MSC cruises, mostly in YC, is 5% of passengers at most will be in such dress....that's 1 in 20.

[Essiesmom]

5 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Am I missing something here?

OOPS!  chalk it up to auto corrupt...should have been cruise casual.  

Edited August 27, 2022 by Essiesmom

[Nunagoras]

2 hours ago, iwtobek said:

Genuine question. We do tend to dress cruise casual on all of our cruises, even during formal night.

I'm not against wearing a tuxedo, will do without any doubt when eating in a 3*/5 diamond restaurant. In a cruise it's bringing too much logistic challenges for us (like a one-time dress? I bring already too many clothes/shoes)

If you do like to dress up, what's your motivations?

Back in the day I used to go with a suit and tie to formal nights and even not so formal ones on cruises. Really on MSC I have ever seen some 5 to 10 individuals in a tux to date on my 7 cruises with them. On RCI, on opposite, at least in my sailing I felt very under dressed on a suit and tie! Oh, so many tuxedos and gowns out there!... But again: Year after year formality has decreased greatly. Back in the day they used to have 2 formal nights... Now it is just one "fake" formal night, and it is completely optional... Why I wanted to go formal? Because, even though I would usually to be using my work suits, it is an opportunity to have such a special evening at sea!... 🙂 Simply it is quite romantic to go on a special occasion. To have the traditional photo with the captain... Again: For the ones whom just cruise in average once in 2 years, those are special times that you don't want to be missed... They make our life memories!... I understand the plane luggage challenge though... And this is why, from quite a while from now, I'm trying to remove, or at least reinvent formal night...

Edited August 27, 2022 by Nunagoras

[no1talks]

3 hours ago, iwtobek said:

"If you do like to dress up, what's your motivations?"

I've said it before, but since you asked so nicely...

 

If I'm taking the trouble of going out to sea, I'm damn sure going to dress better than dinner at Olive Garden.

 

I don't begrudge others their casualness. For myself, I'm in a tux at 6pm sharp, formal night or not.

[Stockjock]

Formal night features passengers usually dressed up a bit, but not always.  "Somewhat dressier night" might be a better way to put it.  I usually bring a suit or sport coat for formal night, but many do not.

[perakcruiser]

14 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

So no one is bringing a bunch of luggage because they need to fly. 

In all fairness, there are many factors I guess. It also depends on your definition of Formal night's.

Yes, that is exactly the point, the big difference is occuring, when the Italians (and also some Spanish or French) don´t fly to the cruise but board in their home country. Then many families with members from 3 to 90 dress up to the max. 

 

I have to admit that I also don´t know how the Brits dress on a cruise from Southampton, as some said, the TO should know his compatriots much better than the Americans like you and others like me here in the forum. I only can tell him that the Germans, Dutch, Polish, Austrians ...  that come over to the cruise with Ryanair and Easyjet will not be very formal 🙂 

[kernow]

The passengers on Virtuosa are largely British on these cruises so quite a few dress up including us. We do it because we enjoy it and are not really bothered if other people don't.