Cocktail dresses for formal night?

[lilly707]

We're looking forward to our first cruise on the Coral Princess. For formal nights, is a black cocktail dress formal enough? Will I feel not dressed up enough. Also what percentage of men wear a tuxedo? Will a black suit be okay for my husband. We don't want to feel out of place. Thanks for any advise.

[VikingRob]

A black cocktail dress is perfect for formal nights, that's what I wore. My DH did not wear a tux, but did wear a dark suit and neither one of us felt out of place. It was actually fun dressing up for dinner.

[NAS-KARR]

My wife has always worn a nice cocktail dress and I'm a "blue collar guy" so the best I do is a blazer w/dockers. Not one word whatever has ever been said to us. Just have to use ur head, that's all.

Enjoy urself, it's YOUR vacation. Simply do your thing and don't worry about what other stiffs may think.

 

Have a super trip.

 

Ciao,

[spongerob]

Sure, you're fine. Don't think of it as formal-formal, think of it as dressed-up. We get so hung up on the "formal" aspects here, when really I think if we thought about it as a special occasion and approached the evening as such, we'd all get along so much better.

[cruzinchris]

Sure, you're fine. Don't think of it as formal-formal, think of it as dressed-up. We get so hung up on the "formal" aspects here, when really I think if we thought about it as a special occasion and approached the evening as such, we'd all get along so much better.

 

First, let me say that I am happy to see Spongerob back on the boards. I missed your eloquent and poignant posts.

 

As always, Rob has presented a positive assessment of "formal" nights on board aPrincess vessel - not necessarily "Black Tie," but definitely a "Special Occasion."

Chris

[aebalc]

I am also a "blue collar guy" (Truck driver) and I don't own a suit. One of the fun parts of my cruise experience is donig the tux rental thing. I go to the local tux shop and flip through the books to find a cool formal outift for my trip. I have had traditional, tails, white, black, any number of colored vests ties or cumberbunds and on my alaskan cruise i went with a cape (a true crowd pleaser). Dont look at the dressing up as a chore embrace and enjoy it.

 

And by all means get your pictures taken!

[envy4u]

The attire you suggested is fine . You will see those who all gussy up and those more casual . Anything seems to go these days but most people make an effort to dress up .

[Mrs. Gump]

I usually dress for formal nights the way I would dress for an evening wedding reception. Anything from long gown to cocktail dress to very nice pantsuit will be fine.

[lilly707]

Thanks everyone for your help and advice. I'm counting down the days to our first cruise!

[TxAg93]

A little black dress is always perfect. Not everyone is in sequins or floor length formals. I have a couple nice cocktail dresses, accessorize with pearls, and I am done.

 

My DH usually wears his tux for one night, and a dark suit for the other (I let him decide).

 

I agree with those who said dress as you would for a special occasion.

[shofer]

I have seen everything from Sunday-go-to-meeting dresses to ballgowns. I personally have worn black palazzo pants w/a sparkly top and (naturally) high heels. My DH just wore a tux for the first time on our 14-day Hawaii cruise and felt it was a worthy investment in not having to pack a suit.

 

You will find that the 7 day cruises will not have as many men in tuxes as the longer cruises. It seems that Alaska is especially not as "dressed up" as some of the other itineraries. I have seen some men who probably don't own a suit or sportcoat and have no need for one wearing a white shirt & tie and they looked fine.

[il professore]

I have sailed on five Princess cruises. I wore a dark suit on the first one and was impressed with the number of tuxes on formal nights. For the second one I bought a tux (very, very reasonable at a suit warehouse) and wear it every formal night.

 

With a tux in my closet, my wife and children now have something to buy me for Xmas besides golf balls. I get stud/cufflink sets and tie/vest/cummerbund sets.

 

Drinking martinis and playing blackjack in a tux is really very James Bondish. Hey, cruises are an escape from reality anyway, so why not go all the way? You'll enjoy it and so will everyone else on the cruise.

[dchester]

I have sailed on five Princess cruises. I wore a dark suit on the first one and was impressed with the number of tuxes on formal nights. For the second one I bought a tux (very, very reasonable at a suit warehouse) and wear it every formal night.

What would you guess the percentage of men are that wear a tux? Also, if I bring a Tux (or a dark suit), should I also bring a blazer? As you can guess, this will be my first cruise.

[christinelee]

What ever attire you aspire! How ever you dress ....someone will be better (or Over) dressed....how ever you under dress.....someonewill be tasteless. It is about 75% tuxes on longer cruises ....about 50-50 on shorter.:D

[Jimsgirl]

The Little Black Dress is perfect , long or short, I have several , I buy several pieces of costume jewellery to "glitter" them up, and really "glam" stoles (most of these I make from just over 2 yrds of outrageous fabric, sometimes I add sequins or beads to the stole)

 

A dark suit, for your husband will be fine, if he does not want to go the "Tux" route, but PLEASE- PLEASE do not do as I saw on a HAL cruise recently, she was in a sequined formal long gown, he wore a tux WITH A BATTERED BASEBALL CAP!!!!!!, I would not be suprised if he had slept in it.