Some of us are dressing up some are not?

[PJNJcruise5]

Just looking for some advice for any of you who have been there, done that. My husband, children and myself are planning to dress up for formal night i.e dark suits for the boys and my husband and long dress for myself and daughter. My dilema is this: My in -laws are going with us and they don't want to dress up. I'd like to have a picture taken of the whole family together and want my kids to eat in the dining room while my in-laws may not choose to eat there. Any suggestions?:confused:

[maggieworkman]

Well, would your inlaws be willing to dress up just for the pictures? You do not need to eat in the dining room to have your formal pictures taken. The picture place is outside the dining room in the centrum (or at least it was on the Sovereign).

 

Other than that, if your inlaws know it is important to you and they still don't want to dress up, then I would just forget about it. It doesn't seem it (or they?) are worth worrying about it.

 

We brought my mom with us on our cruise to help with the kids. So we did manage to get a nice picture of all of us on formal night in front of the ship backdrop. We also just got a family picture without mom on the plain blue backdrop. With that said, my mom was standing in the back of the picture and you could only really see her from the waist up. She had on one of those sparkly tops/cardigan type thing over a black sheath type dress. So, maybe you can talk them into just putting on a nice top and stick them in the back. :)

 

Maggie

[Happy ks]

Life is too short to miss opportunities such as family photos like this.

 

I'd suggets that you get the pictures taken no matter what they are wearing, plus get pictures of just your family in their finery. Let your folks know in advance of your plans, perhaps they can make sure they wear something (a little bit) dressy.

 

Another suggestion would be to have the family photographed all together at a different venue, such as when you disembark at a port together. You won't be in formal clothes, but you'll all coordinate better and you will have the picture of all of your family together.

[Sassy Chassis]

Make the people who aren't as dressy stand in the back ;)

[Jane110]

Don't try to change them. Your family will look wonderful and have a great time. If the others want to dress casually and have dinner in the buffet, that's their choice. Don't stress though do tell them of your plans, but don't try to change them. People often resent that. There will be other nights when you'll all be having dinner together in the dining room. Doesn't matter that if for a couple of evenings you dine in different restaurants, does it?

 

Take the photo's. It's about the people, not their clothes. Besides, when other see the photo's, they'll comment on how nice your family looks! LOL!!!

 

Do try to have the ship's photographer take photo's where you are all casually dressed too. As Happy K's suggests, as you board the ship is often a nice photo. Some ships have photographers at the ports too just as you'r egetting off the ship, with the name of the port. Those can be nice, memorable photo's as well.

[meaty_petey]

Sounds like an interesting dynamic between you and your in-laws;)

[momofmeg]

Just looking for some advice for any of you who have been there, done that. My husband, children and myself are planning to dress up for formal night i.e dark suits for the boys and my husband and long dress for myself and daughter. My dilema is this: My in -laws are going with us and they don't want to dress up. I'd like to have a picture taken of the whole family together and want my kids to eat in the dining room while my in-laws may not choose to eat there. Any suggestions?:confused:

 

 

Since they are taking photos almost every night on ship-get a picture of you and your husband and kids on formal night-get one done with the inlaws on one of the casual nights.

 

That way they don't look out of place and you have the "special" picture of just your family-and you get the "whole gang" picture with everyone dressed casually.

 

They really should not object to that. If you think they would object-since they are not eating dinner with you that night-just leave a little early for dinner-there is almost always a photo station set up close to the dinningroom and even if you get to dinner 5 minutes late-most tablemates would forgive you.

 

Or you could just get a picture with them- and if you hate it- don't buy it. Just be sure to get one made of just you, hubby and kids also.

[PJNJcruise5]

Thanks for all the replies! Actually it reinforced what I was already thinking, !). have a casual picture taken of the whole family or 2). Put them in the back row( I was kidding with my husband about that one before I posted this question) The second aspect of my post was how to handle the awkwardness of the dining room on other nights also, how do you feel when you're wearing a dress or skirt and someone else in your party wears casual pants? Would that make you feel overdressed?

[momofmeg]

Thanks for all the replies! Actually it reinforced what I was already thinking, !). have a casual picture taken of the whole family or 2). Put them in the back row( I was kidding with my husband about that one before I posted this question) The second aspect of my post was how to handle the awkwardness of the dining room on other nights also, how do you feel when you're wearing a dress or skirt and someone else in your party wears casual pants? Would that make you feel overdressed?

 

If you are wearing a casual dress or sundress or a broomstick skirt,praire skirt or khaki skirt- then you will not look out fo place with you MIL in slacks. Just don't pick anything really dressy for the casual nights and you would be okay.

 

Is this your first cruise? What line are you going on? Tthe only lines I have been where people dressed up alot even on casual nights was HAL and Celebrity. If you are on a line like Carnival, Princess, Disney or RCCL you will be overdressed in a nice dress on casual night.

[Happy ks]

Thanks for all the replies! Actually it reinforced what I was already thinking, !). have a casual picture taken of the whole family or 2). Put them in the back row( I was kidding with my husband about that one before I posted this question) The second aspect of my post was how to handle the awkwardness of the dining room on other nights also, how do you feel when you're wearing a dress or skirt and someone else in your party wears casual pants? Would that make you feel overdressed?

 

No, I would absolutely not feel overdressed if someone else chose to dress more casually. You will see so much diversity in the clothing once you have cruised, you will probably come back here and tell us that you wished you hadn't worried so much.

 

On our Alaskan cruise, my dear aunt did not get her luggage in time to change for dinner. Out of respect to her and since she was upset about it, we all stayed in our boarding clothes the first night. It wasn't a big deal, we were dressed just as nicely as anyone else in the room, just not as fresh.

 

I like to dress nicely, as does my husband, our kids are good about following what I request them to wear. I don't expect anyone else to dress the way I do, nor do I feel underdressed if someone else comes to the table in more elegant clothes than I. It's all about the people in the clothes, not the clothes themselves.

 

To put a different spin on it, be happy that you still have your parents to enjoy this time with. DH and I lost all of our parents years ago, we would be delighted to have had the opportunity to cruise with them and have lovely memories and photos. Treasure them while they're here, no matter what they are wearing :) .

[Happy ks]

PJNJcruise5, I just noticed you are from Vermont, I lived there when I was little. I was born in New Hampshire, only because that's where the closest hospital was, across the river, in Lebanon. I still have many relatives in Vermont and New Hampshire, some of them went on our Alaska cruise a couple years back.

 

We lived in an old farmhouse, across the street from the river, in West Hartford. I was back there a few years ago and it hasn't changed a whole lot! My family moved to California when I was 6 years old, so my memories are a bit dim.

 

Not a big deal, but I don't see a whole lot of people here on CC from Vermont!

[PJNJcruise5]

Thanks again for the replies. yes happy were from VT but across the state from where you were born near New York. Actually this will be our second cruise we have previously cruised on royal carribbean and while there were a few casual dressers on that cruise I noticed most women wearing skirts or dresses in the Dining Room in the evening. My inlaws have cruised previously as well. We are very thankful to be going on a cruise with them and will be sure to have a great time.