dress code

[GORDONCHICK]

Let me try and describe it - it is a strapless gown and the top is very fitted - picture a corset type top with laces at the back and a bit of whale boning to keep it up, but the skirt is very chiffony with a few layers of material so it is sort of A line. Obviously down to the floor in length. The colour is burgundy.

 

I am now having second thoughts on this. Has anyone been on a cruise and seen someone wear a ball gown that is totally inappropriate on formal nights.

 

If this is the same beautiful gown you posted about on the fashion board a while back, it's absolutely gorgeous and very appropriate for formal night on X. No such thing as too formal! Will you be more formally dress than some - probably. But that gown is gorgeous! If I remember correctly, my only issue would be packing it!

[lizinindy]

Check out the "At Your Service: Art Auctions" picture on the opening page of Cruise Critic. One couple in very casual attire and the other couple in formalwear including tux. Kinda funny that Cruise Critic is giving us a good example of what we love to talk about!

 

As for me...suck it up and go for the glam! You'll have a ball! (and so will I)

[AirGorilla]

thanks to everyone who took the time to give me all your advice .WELL NOW.we are rethinking going formal so as we do not miss out.But now my husbands tux dont fit ,will not give them the large rental amount they are asking.so would a grey suit do him, Kath

 

 

A grey suit will be fine for formal evenings. Glad to hear that you're going to take advantage of all the fine dining venues. HINT: In the main dining room, they have the best food on the Formal Nights!!

[nancyox]

we just returned from the millenium 2 weeks ago; our first celebrity cruise. in all honesty, i would say that there were more men in suits than tuxedos on the formal evenings, and quite a few who wore neither jacket nor tie...we saw noone turned away. i also saw no difference whatsoever in the attire on "casual" vs. "informal" evenings....we were all prepared for a dressier crowd than what we have experienced on princess, and were surprised to see that it was not at all that way. in the theater after the late sitting, there were quite a few people who had either changed out of their formal attire, or who had never worn it at all that night. all in all, the crowd was a lot more under-dressed than what i expected from everything i've read on the boards.

 

nancy

[SoCalGal]

Our two-week Mediterranean cruise on the Mille was the dressiest we've ever taken...semed that the women especially were dressed 'to the nines'. There were many South American and Mexicans aboard that really knew how to dresss up! I actually wore long dresses and my husband had rented the black and white tuxedo package..maybe we had a premonition. We were invited to sit with the Captain and it was nice that we had the right clothing with us. It was so much fun to dress up for a change...Southern California is so laid back and casual. Have fun!

[SoCalGal]

Our two-week Mediterranean cruise on the Mille was the dressiest we've ever taken...semed that the women especially were dressed 'to the nines'. There were many South American and Mexicans aboard that really knew how to dresss up! I actually wore long dresses and my husband had rented the black and white tuxedo package..maybe we had a premonition. We were invited to sit with the Captain and it was nice that we had the right clothing with us. It was so much fun to dress up for a change...Southern California is so laid back and casual. Have fun!

[jer_l]

thanks to everyone who took the time to give me all your advice .WELL NOW.we are rethinking going formal so as we do not miss out.But now my husbands tux dont fit ,will not give them the large rental amount they are asking.so would a grey suit do him, Kath

I'm sure the grey suit will work fine. Although I wore a tux on the formal evenings last week there were many men in suits.

 

For me the tux is not optional, but that's because my wife thinks every night should be formal night. :-)

 

Jerry

[Kathie44]

Strictly speaking, it's supposed to be a dark suit, but I saw men in various shades of gray, blue and brown/tan.

Some of the info was straight from a staff member and some was hearsay. The sales rep told us when we were booking our next cruise that there would be no formal nights on the "new ships", not specifying which ones. I thought she meant the ones under construction, but others say it's the Journey and Quest. Other cruisers told me that someone on the crew/staff told them there would be open seating. I also heard that this was an experiment and might not be permanent.

Don't be daunted by the term "formal". Few women wear "ball gowns" and less and less men are wearing tuxes. I wore a long, black tank dress with a fancy top (I have several that I can wear with it or dressy black pants), an ankle-length blue flowered dress that I wore on Jewel last summer and that I plan to wear to my niece's wedding in April, and an ankle-length black poncho dress with a zig-zag ruffled hem and sheer black poncho-style over-dress with subtle beaded flowers in front. I have worn both black dresses to weddings and other formal nights . DH wears the same black suit each night and would jump for joy if he didn't have to. :D

[Rev22:17]

Kath,

 

thanks to everyone who took the time to give me all your advice .WELL NOW.we are rethinking going formal so as we do not miss out.But now my husbands tux dont fit ,will not give them the large rental amount they are asking.so would a grey suit do him,

 

The prescribed dress for gentlemen on "formal" evenings is either "black tie" (that is, a tuxedo or dinner jacket) or a DARK business suit. Thus, it depends upon the shade of grey. A business suit that's a dark shade of grey would be fine, but a light grey business suit is not within the prescribed standard of dress.

 

Norm.

[Rev22:17]

Lois,

 

quote:

"The new Celebrity ships will not have formal night or specific seatings"

 

Is this a 100% certainty? They have already determined the dress

code and seatings for the ships that haven't been built yet?:eek: :( :confused:

 

The person whom you quoted was confused. The announcement of ships with no "formal" evenings and no specific seatings pertained to MV Celebrity Journey and MV Celebrity Quest, which will join MY Celebrity Xpedition in the "Celebrity Expeditions" fleet later this year. These vessels will NOT be part of the "Celebrity Cruises" fleet. The company is drawing a clear distinction between the "Celebrity Expeditions" and "Celebrity Cruises" products, which will have some common elements and some clear differences.

 

The three ships of the Solstice class will join the "Celebrity Cruises" fleet when they enter service in 2008, 2009, and 2010.

 

Norm.

[ECCruise]

Egads this is getting SO old.

[Rev22:17]

Jarronwood,

 

Hi Guys

 

Whilst on this subject of "formal" wear, I picked up my "gown" from the dress shop at the weekend and am now having second thoughts. I bought it last October but left it in the shop since the hem needed taking up and I was on a diet to make it fit better and the assistant said to come back nearer the time I wanted it for a fitting.

 

So had the fitting last week and picked it up Saturday. When I got it home and tried it on in front of my husband he was totally gob smacked. He said "are you sure its not tooooooo formal"?

 

Let me try and describe it - it is a strapless gown and the top is very fitted - picture a corset type top with laces at the back and a bit of whale boning to keep it up, but the skirt is very chiffony with a few layers of material so it is sort of A line. Obviously down to the floor in length. The colour is burgundy.

 

I am now having second thoughts on this. Has anyone been on a cruise and seen someone wear a ball gown that is totally inappropriate on formal nights.

 

We chose Celebrity mainly for their "formal" nights and when I bought the gown I just loved it. However, since bringing it home and walzing around the house I am having doubts about the approrpiateness of it.

 

Maybe some of you could re assure me that it will not be considered too over the top?????

 

On Celebrity, it will be fine. At worst, you'll see enough ladies wearing that style of dress so you won't feel out of place.

 

Norm.

[Rev22:17]

Nancy,

 

we just returned from the millenium 2 weeks ago; our first celebrity cruise. in all honesty, i would say that there were more men in suits than tuxedos on the formal evenings, and quite a few who wore neither jacket nor tie...we saw noone turned away. i also saw no difference whatsoever in the attire on "casual" vs. "informal" evenings....we were all prepared for a dressier crowd than what we have experienced on princess, and were surprised to see that it was not at all that way. in the theater after the late sitting, there were quite a few people who had either changed out of their formal attire, or who had never worn it at all that night. all in all, the crowd was a lot more under-dressed than what i expected from everything i've read on the boards.

 

That may happen occasionally on Celebrity, but it's definitely the exception.

 

Norm.

[Jarronwood]

Hi Carmen

 

Yes its the same dress.

 

Thanks everyone for your comments, guess I just needed that little bit of reassurance.

 

And you are right about packing it. We are very lucky in that we are travelling with BA and are allowed 3 cases each so space in the case should not be a problem. I have done most of my packing i.e. shoes, bags, hair stuff, etc etc - all that is left are the clothes which will go in last minute. We have a set of 5 pieces of luggage, going from large down to tiny and every case has been utilised.

 

My 18 year old daughter said that the smallest case would be no use at all until I said "well, what about my makeup" and she said "of course, thats ideal". Hubby was shocked, he didn't think I had so much makeup. He said there should be enough in the case to pack a small bag of cement (to fill in the wrinkles and lines).

[firsttimecruiserHI]

For my formal nights I brought two of my dark suits I personally feel a Valentino or any italian suit for that matter looks much nicer than a plain tuxedo. Also My wife brought a few Herrera and a Ferragamo suit's which not only looked great buy outclassed any lady in a dress

[just az]

We just returned from the Millie, week of 1/28/07 -2/4/07 and wanted to put in my 2 cents (it is probably not worth that much!). This cruise was booked on very short notice (1 month). My DH agreed to it, only if we could go casual (no jacket and tie). We had just taken a "formal" cruise three months earlier and had a number of engagements in between that he had to dress up for. We have been on Celebrity previously and we knew what the standards were. We went to the dining room the first night, but retreated to the casual dining location for the rest of the cruise, as we did not want to ruin anyone else's dining experience. We were pleasantly surprised. The food choices were very good and the service was excellent. I believe the reason for the fabulous service was that there were very few people in this area. On most nights we were dining with only 2 to 3 other tables and many of them were the ships officers. We did go to the shows and to the casino afterwards and at no time did we feel that we were given "dirty stares" or "cold shoulders". The casual dining service was so good that we tipped beyond the recommended in addition to tipping the regular dining staff their recommended amount. We didn't feel their wages should suffer because of our choices. In summation, I feel if you are neatly dressed and groomed this is a great choice. You can still enjoy a Celebrity cruise.

[Drew B]

Let me try and describe it - it is a strapless gown and the top is very fitted - picture a corset type top with laces at the back and a bit of whale boning to keep it up, but the skirt is very chiffony with a few layers of material so it is sort of A line. Obviously down to the floor in length. The colour is burgundy.

 

 

Is your husband planning to wear a suit or is he planning to wear actual formalwear? Your outfit sounds perfectly appropriate, but it would certainly match up better if he's dressed formally rather than in a suit.

 

The confusion comes from the word "formal". That word has a specific meaning (overly simply, it means tuxes and gowns), but the actual rules are much more inclusive, allowing NON-formal attire such as dark suits and cocktail dresses. Therefore, since both formal and specific non-formal attire outfits are technically acceptable, it behooves couples to confer so that they look good together... That is, unless you don't care, in which case, I say wear that gorgeous gown! If your husband looks underdressed next to you, so what!!!

[Jarronwood]

HI Drew

 

Hubby has got his own tux with a selection of bow ties. On the night I wear the burgundy creation, he has a matching bow tie and kerchief in the pocket. I tried to get a cumberband for him but had no luck - his waist is tiny 30 ins although I suppose I could have cut and done a bit of sewing to make it fit but I am not that good with a needle.

 

He also has a black bow tie which he will wear on the evening I wear my other outfit which is a long black satin straight skirt with a sort of fish tail/kick flare at the back with my white wedding basque, again the top is whaleboned with lace up at the back.

 

For the third formal night, I am not sure. I am bringing a couple of other basques, one actually matches the black skirt, but I also have a cerise one - but I think it will depend on how the first two formal nights go.

 

His other bow tie is gold.

 

I think we might eat in the speciality restaurant on the third formal night and I will wear either outfit.

[Drew B]

Sounds like you will truly be a beautifully-dressed couple! Enjoy!!!