3 formal nights-

[Morisnfan]

My upcoming cruise has three formal nights. I have three dresses, one of which is really formal (well, they all are, but this one is much more so than the others) so I am wondering which I should wear on which nights.

(I am kind of thinking I'd wear the one that has no room to "grow" on the first night)

[Morisnfan]

Yes, I am replying to my own post! I just read a very similar question about formal attire below. Sorry! From those answers, I guess there is really not much difference in the formal nights.

[hajekfam]

(I am kind of thinking I'd wear the one that has no room to "grow" on the first night)

You've got the right idea. Always best to wear your tightest clothing at the beginning of the trip - saving the looser clothing for the end. If you do the reverse, you might not fit into what you plan to wear.

[Cathy Maneri]

I also have a cruise with three formal nights coming up.

 

I usually wear my long black skirt with a formal jacket on the Captain's night. I think that is usually the dressier formal night.

 

Since I'm on a 15-night cruise with 5 post-cruise days in San Fran and I have to fly back, I will have to pack as little as I can get away with.

 

I will probably wear dressy slacks the other nights with a dressy jacket as well.

 

Personally, I would prefer all cruises to just be Country Club casual. It makes it very difficult for longer cruises and now flying with weight restrictions to pack so many clothes.

 

I prefer to have more day time clothes than evening wear. So I mix and match the evening wear.

 

Packing for a cruise is an art and I'm determined to master it!

[cruisinfromcanada]

I too keep the "room to grow" clothes for the end of the cruise. On a 15 day cruise you can grow a fair bit.

 

Cathy, we're on the same sailing in 15 days and I plan on doing the mix and match too. We aren't staying in SF so it's a bit easier but I'm still trying not to pack too much.

 

Happy sailing

 

Connie

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

This has been my experience on RCI cruises that have two or more formal nights. The first formal night tends to be the "most formal" or the dressiest in other words. More men wear a tux. More women wear gowns.

 

The next formal night or nights, more men wear dark jackets and more women wear shorter cocktail dresses. More men show up in the theater in shorts or Dockers. I guess they don't go to the dining room that night and eat elsewhere.

 

My guess is that the first formal night passengers want to have their portraits taken in their finery. By the second formal night, only those who really enjoy formal attire in its strictest definition comply. That does include many people who really do enjoy formal nights and feel they add something special to a cruise.

 

I'm not in that group who relish the experience, but I respect them. To "go along to get along", I wear the most formal outfit the first formal night, then do more of a cocktail outfit the second. I love the idea mentioned here to wear the tightest clothes early in the cruise and save the expandable clothing for later in the trip. That is really good advice.