Dressing for formal night

[twonpcb]

Several years ago my husband and I purchased tuxedos for the sole purpose of wearing them on formal nights when we cruise.  Over the last few years, we have noticed that the percentage of folks “dressing up” has decreased quite a bit.

 

 We have not cruised on Royal since the pandemic.  Our most recent cruise was a Celebrity Cruise to Antarctica last January.  We noticed on that cruise that very few guys were wearing a tux on formal night.  My question for recent Royal cruisers is are we going to be the only guys wearing a tux?

[smokeybandit]

Quite possibly

[birdofsong]

We used to dress to the nines, as well, but between tying to keep the luggage to a minimum, and not being interested in taking formal pictures, coupled with the fact that everyone is pretty much dressing down, we still dress up, but not nearly as formally.  

[TheDawg79]

Most will be wearing normal casual clothing. Some will be wearing suits and ties. People wearing full on tux’s are in the absolute minority and I didn’t see any on my last 2 cruises this year. Royal isn’t a higher end cruise line. Celebrity is more higher end than Royal, so put that into perspective from your last cruise.

[Tree_skier]

2 hours ago, twonpcb said:

Several years ago my husband and I purchased tuxedos for the sole purpose of wearing them on formal nights when we cruise.  Over the last few years, we have noticed that the percentage of folks “dressing up” has decreased quite a bit.

 

 We have not cruised on Royal since the pandemic.  Our most recent cruise was a Celebrity Cruise to Antarctica last January.  We noticed on that cruise that very few guys were wearing a tux on formal night.  My question for recent Royal cruisers is are we going to be the only guys wearing a tux?

Nope…. There were a few of us on Harmony last month. 
 

 

you’ll be in the minority but not alone 😀

[FionaMG]

4 hours ago, twonpcb said:

Several years ago my husband and I purchased tuxedos for the sole purpose of wearing them on formal nights when we cruise.  Over the last few years, we have noticed that the percentage of folks “dressing up” has decreased quite a bit.

 

 We have not cruised on Royal since the pandemic.  Our most recent cruise was a Celebrity Cruise to Antarctica last January.  We noticed on that cruise that very few guys were wearing a tux on formal night.  My question for recent Royal cruisers is are we going to be the only guys wearing a tux?

 

If you want to then go for it. As lots of people are quick to point out when someone asks if they can wear shorts on formal night, it's your vacation so wear what you like.

 

These days, DH doesn't take a suit with him any more but I still like to get dressed up. Like you and your husband with your tuxes, I have outfits that only ever come out of the wardrobe when I go on a cruise. Am I just going to leave them to the moths to appease the naysayers? Nope.

[Scottdalfonso]

You can do it, and people will say " oooh...you look nice!" and you'll get great pics. Or you can wear casual clothing, and just go to dinner like its a normal night and no one will be upset about it. It's literally a do as you feel comfortable issue these days.

[Engineroom Snipe]

7 hours ago, twonpcb said:

Several years ago my husband and I purchased tuxedos for the sole purpose of wearing them on formal nights when we cruise.  Over the last few years, we have noticed that the percentage of folks “dressing up” has decreased quite a bit.

 

 We have not cruised on Royal since the pandemic.  Our most recent cruise was a Celebrity Cruise to Antarctica last January.  We noticed on that cruise that very few guys were wearing a tux on formal night.  My question for recent Royal cruisers is are we going to be the only guys wearing a tux?

That tux is associated with many great memories. Each time you wear it, it is special to you. Make another special memory, look sharp and do not care about others. Many people still wear tuxes and formal wear onboard. I was in formal wear sitting next to a person in shorts. I made my decision and they made theirs. We both had a great time. Clothes do not make the person but a person has the choice of what they would like to wear.

 

Please take this in a positive way: we never know how many chances we will have in life to do what we want, wear your tux proudly and enjoy.

[kernow]

DH always wears his tux and there are always at least a few others onboard. It also depends where you are cruising, if you cruise from the UK  there are always lots of people dressed up(and no one changes after dinner, they wear the clothes for the rest of the evening).

 

Wear your tux with pride, I'm sure you'll look great.

[shipgeeks]

If you are on a cruise with us, you will not be the only one in a tux

[Mum2Mercury]

If wearing tuxedos makes you happy, gives you nice pictures that'll remind you of a great vacation, by all means wear them!  But you probably will not see anyone else in a tux.  You will stand out -- in a good way.

For numerous reasons, most ladies wear what I'd call a "church dress" on formal nights and most men wear nice pants /button down shirt (50% with a jacket).  Most of the time I'd say 30% really dress up -- but almost all the "dressed up" men will be in suits.  

[cruisegirl1]

40 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

If wearing tuxedos makes you happy, gives you nice pictures that'll remind you of a great vacation, by all means wear them!  But you probably will not see anyone else in a tux.  You will stand out -- in a good way.

For numerous reasons, most ladies wear what I'd call a "church dress" on formal nights and most men wear nice pants /button down shirt (50% with a jacket).  Most of the time I'd say 30% really dress up -- but almost all the "dressed up" men will be in suits.  

 

OP - as suggested by others, wear the tux.  You'll look and feel terrific.

 

Mum2Mercury - As for the "church dress"........What church is that?😀    I see tight, low cut, short dresses on many women.  Looks great on some, others not so much. 

 

Always a wide variation of passenger dress on Formal/Dress Your Best nights (What ever it is called). 

M 

 

[ddr1948]

Agree with @Tree_Skier and the others above.  We always dress for formal night and, while we might be in the minority, we are certainly not alone. 

Dress how you feel and do not worry about what others say or do.

[bonsai3s]

5 hours ago, Scottdalfonso said:

You can do it, and people will say " oooh...you look nice!" and you'll get great pics. 

 

This...exactly. I loved my tuxedo.

 

Then looking at all our formal cruise pictures, the grandkids said: "Grandpa, you and grandma look nice. Grandma's wearing different dresses...how come you're always wearing the same thing?"

(Darn kids, they notice everything.)

 

* I don't have my tuxedo anymore and try to wear something different when taking formal pictures.  Also, not having the tuxedo saves on luggage weight...not to mention the tuxedo pants got tighter and tighter.

[Engineroom Snipe]

6 minutes ago, bonsai3s said:

 

This...exactly. I loved my tuxedo.

 

Then looking at all our formal cruise pictures, the grandkids said: "Grandpa, you and grandma look nice. Grandma's wearing different dresses...how come you're always wearing the same thing?"

(Darn kids, they notice everything.)

 

* I don't have my tuxedo anymore and try to wear something different when taking formal pictures.  Also, not having the tuxedo saves on luggage weight...not to mention the tuxedo pants got tighter and tighter.

No, the pants were not getting tighter, the dry cleaners were using the wrong cleaning chemicals and the fibers tightened a bit.

 

That is your story and stick to it.

[VegasVic14]

Which nights are "formal" nights on Oasis 6nt Western and Oasis 8nt Southern?

[jsf]

For us long time cruisers what is this "Formal Night " you speak of?

[Candleonwater]

Are you dressing for them, or yourselves? My daughter loves dressing up, but I don't, so I go to dinner looking like the raggedy old me. We're both happy.

[CntPAcruiser]

My DH and I always bring our tuxes and wear them on formal nights ... except for night two on our most recent cruise. For whatever reason, we just didn't feel up to it on this most recent cruise, and our tablemates weren't dress-up types, so we didn't dress for the second formal night. 

[SoloAlaska]

What I consider dressed up is different than what you might consider. Also the cost of luggage keeps going up and up and it’s just insane now. I’ll be packing in carry on only for my next cruise but will have a dress for dressing up still but it definitely won’t be a gown. 

[shofer]

On DH last cruise (deceased), I'd wear a flashy top w/dress black slacks and he wore a buttoned long sleeve shirt and a vest or some other "jacket".  He looked fine and was very happy going "formal".  

[mets123]

Docker's and a collared shirt are as dressed up as I get. Most nights it's shorts and a t shirt

 

[Hogbay]

You cannot over dress on a cruise. They say that there is only one  class on a ship these days . But its quite visible whom the ladies and gentlemen are and those that do yard work 

[twonpcb]

To all of you who told us to wear our tuxes and enjoy ourselves:  Thank you!  
 

Were we in the minority as far as being dressed up?  Yes!  Did we enjoy ourselves and look damn good?  Yes!  We got many approving nods as we proudly wore our tuxedos on both formal nights.  Thank y’all to everyone who encouraged us to go ahead and wear our tuxes!

[Tree_skier]

2 hours ago, twonpcb said:

To all of you who told us to wear our tuxes and enjoy ourselves:  Thank you!  
 

Were we in the minority as far as being dressed up?  Yes!  Did we enjoy ourselves and look damn good?  Yes!  We got many approving nods as we proudly wore our tuxedos on both formal nights.  Thank y’all to everyone who encouraged us to go ahead and wear our tuxes!

 

Glad it worked out.  I know it's not for everyone but I love to see people dress for dinner.  It adds to the festive nature of the evening.