Jackets and ties?

[fweerilly]

Hi All, Question from a newbie. Since the airlines are being so picky about weight, we don't want to over pack. Is there any rule for which nights are formal, smart casual, etc., for a 7 nt. cruise? I booked Portofino one nt. and I don't know if it falls on a nt. when I would otherwise need a jacket and tie. Thanks for any help.

[Merion_Mom]

Hi All, Question from a newbie. Since the airlines are being so picky about weight, we don't want to over pack. Is there any rule for which nights are formal, smart casual, etc., for a 7 nt. cruise? I booked Portofino one nt. and I don't know if it falls on a nt. when I would otherwise need a jacket and tie. Thanks for any help.

 

These days, you really only *need* a jacket and tie on formal night.

 

If you eat in Portofino or Chops, the dress is ALWAYS 'smart casual', even on formal night, so you can definitely wear just a nice button down cotton or silk shirt with nice slacks.

 

If you want to eat in the main dining room on both formal nights, you as a guy can get away with wearing the same jacket both nights. :D

[jackdiamond]

Sad commentary on the status of the modern day dress code. Simply stated-"informal" means black tie optional. And jacket and tie is neither of the aforesaid.

[cb at sea]

About half the men will wear a jacket on "smart casual" night--half won't! Even on the longer cruises (which can have 2 smart cas.) we saw few men (mostly older--65+) with jackets.

A nicer golf shirt will suffice!

Now, the women--that's a different story! Most women will dress it up just a bit on even casual evenings!

[Merion_Mom]

Sad commentary on the status of the modern day dress code. Simply stated-"informal" means black tie optional. And jacket and tie is neither of the aforesaid.

 

First of all, there is NO night designated as "informal" night.

 

On a 7 night cruise, there is rarely if ever a "smart casual" night.

 

Most 7 night cruises on RC these days are 2 formal, 5 casual nights.

[ORANGEinINDY]

These days, you really only *need* a jacket and tie on formal night.

 

If you eat in Portofino or Chops, the dress is ALWAYS 'smart casual', even on formal night, so you can definitely wear just a nice button down cotton or silk shirt with nice slacks.

 

If you want to eat in the main dining room on both formal nights, you as a guy can get away with wearing the same jacket both nights. :D

I have seen people 'get away with' shorts and a 'gimmie' baseball hat (free cap advertisers 'give you') on formal night. It all depends on the staff and how willing they are to enforce rules

[fweerilly]

I must say, we were both looking forward to a more formal evening. I originally thought to bring my tux, then decided, after reading threads on CC, that it was probably too dressed. I love the idea of AOS, but I might be driven to another line next time just to get more of the feel of a bygone era. Thanks again.

[Sue L]

I must say, we were both looking forward to a more formal evening. I originally thought to bring my tux, then decided, after reading threads on CC, that it was probably too dressed. I love the idea of AOS, but I might be driven to another line next time just to get more of the feel of a bygone era. Thanks again.

 

 

My husband wears a tux and you will see plenty of them. Don't let the naysayers change your minds. Keep in mind it is only about 2% of the cruisers that are on this site.

[Philly Steve]

I must say, we were both looking forward to a more formal evening. I originally thought to bring my tux, then decided, after reading threads on CC, that it was probably too dressed. I love the idea of AOS, but I might be driven to another line next time just to get more of the feel of a bygone era. Thanks again.

 

Formal night was something we always looked forward to and it's nice to have the pics after the cruise. The mainstream cruise lines are moving away from that in the main dining room but you'll still look great in the specialty restaurants. :)

[ORANGEinINDY]

I must say, we were both looking forward to a more formal evening. I originally thought to bring my tux, then decided, after reading threads on CC, that it was probably too dressed. I love the idea of AOS, but I might be driven to another line next time just to get more of the feel of a bygone era. Thanks again.

 

My husband wears a tux and you will see plenty of them. Don't let the naysayers change your minds. Keep in mind it is only about 2% of the cruisers that are on this site.

Bring (and wear) your tux. Particularly if you are looking forward to and enjoy that. There will be many others and you won't feel out of place.

I bought an inexpensive tux just for that.

[Seatravelers]

Bring (and wear) your tux. Particularly if you are looking forward to and enjoy that. There will be many others and you won't feel out of place.

 

I bought an inexpensive tux just for that.

 

 

My DH always takes his tux for the formal nights and enjoys doing so. He will wear or carry a sport coat on the plane to have this option as well and not take up luggage space or weight. That way, all bases are covered and since we generally fly in the day before a cruise, he has a jacket for a nice dinner before boarding....:)

[icruiz2]

I must say, we were both looking forward to a more formal evening. I originally thought to bring my tux, then decided, after reading threads on CC, that it was probably too dressed. I love the idea of AOS, but I might be driven to another line next time just to get more of the feel of a bygone era. Thanks again.

 

My husband brings his tux and we, definitely, do it formal on formal nights, even for "smart casual" nights, and, I dare say, our "casual" nights are pretty formal, too. We never feel overdressed. We enjoy it.

[sdmike]

There are about 200 threads on this topic on this board, and most of them get heated. The posters usually fall into 3 camps:

 

1. Formal means tux or suit/tie, and everyone that doesn't abide by these rules is either ignorant, inconsiderate or destitute. Either way, they're certainly going to hell when they die. They are infringing on my right to see everyone dressed nice, as per the rules, and as such I can't have a nice time seeing people underdressed during formal night. They ruin it for me.

 

2. Wear anything you want. Formal is just a recommendation, and unless you wear a tank top that says "VAN HALEN" on it and a John Deere hat, I'm pretty much good with anything. In fact, since RCI doesn't seem to enforce any dress codes, we should all just go in our bathing suits and see if they kick us out.

 

3. I hope people dress nicely because it adds to the ambiance of the night. Personally, I'll dress nicely, but it might not be a tux or suit because I either don't own one, or I want to pack as light as possible. I promise, however, that I'll look nice, won't smell bad, and my kids will be well behaved. I may choose to wear a tux or suit because it's what "I" want to do, but it's not going to ruin my night if some others in the dining room are not dressed as nicely as me.

 

You can decide which camp you're in. I'm in the 3rd, and the heated discussions you see in these threads are the 1's versus the 2's and 3's, or (less often), the 1's and 3's versus the 2's. Usually it's just a free for all. LOL

 

No insults intended to any group. Everyone is entitled to their point of view on this topic. Individuality is awesome.

[sdmike]

First of all, there is NO night designated as "informal" night.

 

On a 7 night cruise, there is rarely if ever a "smart casual" night.

 

Most 7 night cruises on RC these days are 2 formal, 5 casual nights.

 

Our recent 7 night had 2 formal nights, a smart casual night, and 4 casual nights. I agree...there was no "informal" night.

 

In the cruise compass they had recommended attire for formal night, but for the others they simply said "shorts and caps not allowed in the dining room"

 

Of course, you DID see people in shorts and caps, but it was rare. Most often it was the two tables we informally called "the problem tables", where there seemed to be a lot of complaining, noise, and unsupervised children a couple of nights. We figured this group just wasn't used to playing well with others. Sort of like the lady who was yelling at the security guards that asked her to get her kids out of the adults-only (clearly marked) pool in the solarium. :rolleyes:

[GQuagmire]

Sad commentary on the status of the modern day dress code. Simply stated-"informal" means black tie optional. And jacket and tie is neither of the aforesaid.

 

What planet have you been living on? In all dress codes, when "Black tie optional" is desired, it is made known by the host.

[jackdiamond]

Sad commentary on the status of the modern day dress code. Simply stated-"informal" means black tie optional. And jacket and tie is neither of the aforesaid.

Correction: "Formal" means black tie-optional. Jacket and tie is not appropriate.

[sdmike]

Correction: "Formal" means black tie-optional. Jacket and tie is not appropriate.

 

what about a jacket and a black tie? :D

[financialgrl]

Just off the Explorer (we chose not to do formal night) and I saw more dark suits than tuxes but did see some tuxes. As for the women, saw more black pants/or skirts with sparkly tops and after that more women in what looked like dressier clothes like one wears to church - tea or knee length and not long.

 

Regarding shorts on other nights, I saw more than a few with nice shorts and boat shoes and a collared shirt and no one was ever turned away but can honestly say I never saw anyone with flip flops, tees and raggedy pants. I also saw jeans but they were nice clean pressed jeans and once again, never turned away. Count me in with the crowd that says I wouldn't allow what others do or wear to have any influence on my enjoyment of the cruise. The world is full of idiots and you are usually bound to find a few anywhere you go.

[English_in_Spain]

We have done many cruises in the past and have always worn evening clothes on formal nights.

 

Now that we are getting much older (70+) we are beginning to feel differently. We are booked on RCCL Med cruise next January and really don't want to have to pack all the formal wear (this includes all the accessories that go with it).

 

Is it ok for just jacket & tie for DH and just a regular skirt and blouse for me? What about tuxedo rental for DH - is it expensive? Do we have to pre-book? We don't want to offend anyone but on the other hand we want to travel light.

[GQuagmire]

what about a jacket and a black tie? :D

 

I guess that means I can wear a black tie and nothing else! Sounds like my kind of cruise ;)

[sdmike]

Is it ok for just jacket & tie for DH and just a regular skirt and blouse for me? What about tuxedo rental for DH - is it expensive? Do we have to pre-book? We don't want to offend anyone but on the other hand we want to travel light.

 

Yes, it is fine. There are a lot of people that don't even wear ties or jackets even on formal night, so you'll be in the middle of the pack in terms of your formality level. There are people that will chastise you on this board for considering anything less than a dark suit and tie, or even a tux, but that's just their point of view. You'll find everything from slacks/shirt to tuxes on formal night, so what you describe will fit right in.

[GQuagmire]

We have done many cruises in the past and have always worn evening clothes on formal nights.

 

Now that we are getting much older (70+) we are beginning to feel differently. We are booked on RCCL Med cruise next January and really don't want to have to pack all the formal wear (this includes all the accessories that go with it).

 

Is it ok for just jacket & tie for DH and just a regular skirt and blouse for me? What about tuxedo rental for DH - is it expensive? Do we have to pre-book? We don't want to offend anyone but on the other hand we want to travel light.

 

I'm sure you will look very nice in that and fit in just fine.

 

Please don't let the things people write on these boards worry or bother you. This is going to be your vacation, and it's supposed to be a pleasant experience, so please don't let what anyone else says take that away from you.

 

Have a wonderful cruise, Q

[GQuagmire]

I hope some of you people are really pleased with yourselves now that you've worried an elderly woman about what she should pack for formal night! :(

 

Way to go <sarcasm>

[ubdkjrb]

We have done many cruises in the past and have always worn evening clothes on formal nights.

 

Now that we are getting much older (70+) we are beginning to feel differently. We are booked on RCCL Med cruise next January and really don't want to have to pack all the formal wear (this includes all the accessories that go with it).

 

Is it ok for just jacket & tie for DH and just a regular skirt and blouse for me? What about tuxedo rental for DH - is it expensive? Do we have to pre-book? We don't want to offend anyone but on the other hand we want to travel light.

 

The Med cruises tend to have a bit more conformity to the "formal" dress code. Probably because the Europeans are a bit more that way in general. I think a jacket and tie for your DH and skirt and blouse for you is perfectly acceptable. Should your DH be interested in tux rental, you can have one waiting for you in your closet for around $100 including two shirts, and all accessories. Don't forget to pack black shoes and socks. I still remember looking for a pair of black socks in all the caribbean ports and finding none.

 

Peter