Where can you and can't you go on Formal nights on Fred Olsen's Balmoral?

[paulad39uk]

Hi I'm trying a Fred Olsen Cruise on Balmoral for the first time in November. We are getting a bit fed up with enforced formal nights and have been banned from certain areas on other ships in the past. I would like to know if it's only the main restaurants and or bars, lounges and if so which ones, thank you.

[tring]

2 hours ago, paulad39uk said:

Hi I'm trying a Fred Olsen Cruise on Balmoral for the first time in November. We are getting a bit fed up with enforced formal nights and have been banned from certain areas on other ships in the past. I would like to know if it's only the main restaurants and or bars, lounges and if so which ones, thank you.

 

 As far as I know it is just the main restaurants that require formal dress, so the self service restaurant will be the same as any other night.  That is just needing smart casual dress and Fred considers dark coloured smart jeans as acceptable for smart casual.  You will find a fair number of people around the ship in formal dress on those evenings on Fred, but not everyone.  I am not sure about the speciality restaurants, but others can likely tell you what is required for them.

 

A normal lounge suit with a standard tie is quite acceptable for the main dining room on formal nights and some people will be wearing them instead of a dinner suite, so no need to buy full formal wear just so you can eat in the main restaurant on those nights.

 

I am not sure what the situation will be on formal nights when there is a captain's welcome or farewell reception in one of the bars.  That is a free drinks do and the Captain speaks to the guests, (usually on a relaxed and quite amusing manner).  I think you will need to be be dressed in at least a lounge suit to attend that.

 

Edited October 14, 2023 by tring

[paulad39uk]

29 minutes ago, tring said:

 

 As far as I know it is just the main restaurants that require formal dress, so the self service restaurant will be the same as any other night.  That is just needing smart casual dress and Fred considers dark coloured smart jeans as acceptable for smart casual.  You will find a fair number of people around the ship in formal dress on those evenings on Fred, but not everyone.  I am not sure about the speciality restaurants, but others can likely tell you what is required for them.

 

A normal lounge suit with a standard tie is quite acceptable for the main dining room on formal nights and some people will be wearing them instead of a dinner suite, so no need to buy full formal wear just so you can eat in the main restaurant on those nights.

 

I am not sure what the situation will be on formal nights when there is a captain's welcome or farewell reception in one of the bars.  That is a free drinks do and the Captain speaks to the guests, (usually on a relaxed and quite amusing manner).  I think you will need to be be dressed in at least a lounge suit to attend that.

 

Thank you for your reply It's much appreciated. Having cruised on mainly P&O, Royal Caribbean, Thomas Cook & NCL We don't bother with all the prissy cocktail parties we have had our fill of tuxedos and suits especially in the hotter countries and didn't want to pack one, just smart casuals. We use the ships like a means of transport, they offer us little in entertainment they get us to where we want to be in relative comfort as we can no longer fly I really wanted to know if we were going to be escorted out of the bars like we were on P&O's Arcadia a few years ago for wearing just black shirt and trousers as was the woman who reported us to the head waiter who then asked us to leave she was allowed to stay. So I would like to know if this is going to happen again🤣

[tring]

8 hours ago, paulad39uk said:

Thank you for your reply It's much appreciated. Having cruised on mainly P&O, Royal Caribbean, Thomas Cook & NCL We don't bother with all the prissy cocktail parties we have had our fill of tuxedos and suits especially in the hotter countries and didn't want to pack one, just smart casuals. We use the ships like a means of transport, they offer us little in entertainment they get us to where we want to be in relative comfort as we can no longer fly I really wanted to know if we were going to be escorted out of the bars like we were on P&O's Arcadia a few years ago for wearing just black shirt and trousers as was the woman who reported us to the head waiter who then asked us to leave she was allowed to stay. So I would like to know if this is going to happen again🤣

 

I know P&O designate some bars as formal, but I do not recall that on Fred.  Perhaps someone will be able to confirm or correct me on n that though, just to make sure.  Overall cruise lines are becoming less formal that they were.  On our 29 night Caribbean on Borealis, in Nov/Dec for instance, there are only four formals, but not long ago Fred always used to do more than that, sometimes two a week.  Sign of the times and changing attitudes.  We like some formals, but they can be overdone, especially as you say on hot climates.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise.

 

Edited October 14, 2023 by tring

[lohr500]

On the formal night on Bolette last year, only the restaurant required formal dress.

 

No problems with smart casual in the self service buffet, the auditorium or any of the bars. Not sure about the speciality restaurants though.

 

We didn't take formal wear and didn't feel looked down upon at any time on the formal evening. There were quite a few passengers who hadn't bothered to go formal.

[paulad39uk]

Thanks very much for all of your advice I think we shall take our suits as I've just learnt to tie a bow tie and it's a shame to waste the skill 🤣

[tring]

2 hours ago, paulad39uk said:

Thanks very much for all of your advice I think we shall take our suits as I've just learnt to tie a bow tie and it's a shame to waste the skill 🤣

 

DH will only use bow ties he can tie himself as he likes to undo them later in the evening and seems to be a sort of status thing!

 

He has been trying to buy new ones and they are very difficult to get, only plain black available or some patterns which are not too interesting.

 

[paulad39uk]

22 minutes ago, tring said:

 

DH will only use bow ties he can tie himself as he likes to undo them later in the evening and seems to be a sort of status thing!

 

He has been trying to buy new ones and they are very difficult to get, only plain black available or some patterns which are not too interesting.

 

Amazon have loads at various prices but as you've said in plain colours or paisley colours mainly. I saw some great silk ones in Bloomingdales and Saks on a recent Aurora cruise but put them down quickly when they were more expensive than my Cerutti suit.

[tring]

1 hour ago, paulad39uk said:

Amazon have loads at various prices but as you've said in plain colours or paisley colours mainly. I saw some great silk ones in Bloomingdales and Saks on a recent Aurora cruise but put them down quickly when they were more expensive than my Cerutti suit.

 

We were on the Canada/US cruise last month as well.  We did not search for ties over there though.  Great cruise and good weather as well overall. We do not think we can complain much about loss of one tender port at that time of year in that area and we still walked a great deal on that first very wet day in NY, (about 12 miles) - did not think  I would have been able to do that, but it was our first visit and we were quite keen to see a lot.  Paced ourselves better the other days though 🙂  A very good itinerary as well.

 

 

[paulad39uk]

2 hours ago, tring said:

 

We were on the Canada/US cruise last month as well.  We did not search for ties over there though.  Great cruise and good weather as well overall. We do not think we can complain much about loss of one tender port at that time of year in that area and we still walked a great deal on that first very wet day in NY, (about 12 miles) - did not think  I would have been able to do that, but it was our first visit and we were quite keen to see a lot.  Paced ourselves better the other days though 🙂  A very good itinerary as well.

 

 

We loved every minute  but got a bit wet first day in New York on Liberty Island. We'd do that cruise again😁