How formal is formal night?

[jenga123]

There is a guy (60+) in our group that plain refuses to were a suit or Jacket. We did however convince him to bring (and wear) a tie.

 

Were sailing to Alaska and would like for him to join the group on the 2 formal nights at the dining room.

 

My question is if he wears a tie, shirt, pants/slacks and dress shoes, will the Matre'D let him into the dining room on the formal nights

[dandro]

There is a guy (60+) in our group that plain refuses to were a suit or Jacket. We did however convince him to bring (and wear) a tie.

 

Were sailing to Alaska and would like for him to join the group on the 2 formal nights at the dining room.

 

My question is if he wears a tie, shirt, pants/slacks and dress shoes, will the Matre'D let him into the dining room on the formal nights

 

How nice of him to agree to wear a tie. :rolleyes:

 

From what I have read here AND on the HAL site, per requirements for dining on formal nights in the dining room, he needs to wear a jacket. Or he could eat at the Lido or order room service. Does he have a special reason for not being able to dress formally like the rest of your group?

[duck tune]

Based on our experience DH and I have never seen someone without a jacket refused to be seated in the Dining Room on formal night. On the last two cruises with HAL we even saw men in jeans and sport shorts on formal night. They do encourage following the dress code but no one is denied entry, to my knowledge. However, most who do not want to dress formal can enjoy the same meal in the Lido Buffet. DH always wears a jacket and tie and more often than not he will dress in a Tux but a shirt and tie will probably work unless they have gotten strict in the last year.

[AZjohn]

There is a guy (60+) in our group that plain refuses to were a suit or Jacket.

Sounds like this 49 year old guy:D

[pipedreams62]

There is a guy (60+) in our group that plain refuses to were a suit or Jacket. We did however convince him to bring (and wear) a tie.

 

 

 

[eh2zed]

Probably will be let in but I don't understand the reluctance.

[RuthC]

He may, or may not, be refused entry. It has happened. If he understands he is taking a chance, and is willing to be denied entrance, then there is probably nothing you can do to change his mind.

I do hope he wouldn't make a scene if he is refused entry.

[wdw1972]

Unfortunately for your friend, the only decent thing to do is cruise on a different line where they don't care or have a dress code. If he shows up without a suit (or tux) then he might be turned away - he absolutely SHOULD be turned away. If he cannot put on a suit (or rent a tux if he has not suit - I always did the tux rental for my son since he didn't need suits at home) then he has no business being on that cruise. The dress code is for the evening, too - not just for the dining room. I hope he'll come around when you convince him he'll look like a real jerk to the other passengers.

 

Sue/WDW1972

Eurodam 11/07/09

[jhannah]

How formal is formal night? Not very, since they allow non-formal attire. On some sailings we've seen the majority of gentlemen in tuxes. On others, only a minority are wearing them.

[PROCRUISE]

I hope he is turned away, but probably won't be. I love to dress up in a tux on formal night because I spend most of my time in scrubs in the emergency room and it is great to spruce -up and be with others who look great and take pleasure in alittle elegance!

[orangearmy]

On our recent Westerdam cruise through the Panama Canal we had an incident where the gentleman at the table next to us was not allowed in the dining room without a suit jacket. The Maitre'd was kind enough to find one for him. The jacket they found for him was a couple of sizes to small though. The gent admitted that he knew it was formal night but he thought they would let him in. All of us (even him) had a good laugh and props to the Maitre'd for enforcing the code.

[jenga123]

Thanks everyone for the responses. Especially those with actual experince. I must admit my motive was just to share this thread with my friend hoping to convince him to bring a Jacket.

 

I knew the responses would be quite polar and didn't want to start a long winded thread.

 

He is not the type to make a scene. I guess he can take his jacket of once seated. Thanks again

[CMDE]

I did see a gentleman refused entry to the dining room on formal night, last spring on the Westerdam. He was wearing a flowered sport shirt. That same night I did see someone who was allowed in, wearing a black jacket, white turtleneck and large medallion (very 60s look). So I concluded from that that jackets are required, ties are not necessarily.

[dam1050]

I knew the responses would be quite polar and didn't want to start a long winded thread.

 

 

:D Welcome to the boards --- just to warn you -- formal nights and smoking threads get to be some of the most heated on these boards (and here we were taught to only avoid the topics of religion and politics, eh????)

[RKD]

Going to Alaska in less than two weeks on our first cruise!

Will black slacks, sport coat, shirt and tie for my husband be OK? And will dressy slacks and a blazer or dressy blouse be OK for me for formal nights? We do not have super dressy clothes and don't want to buy them just for our trip OR rent them, but we don't want to be embarassed either!:o Do we need to forget the formal nights?:confused:

[jhannah]

Will black slacks, sport coat, shirt and tie for my husband be OK?

As long as he wears a jacket, I'm sure he will be fine.

[debnjoe1438]

I hope he is turned away, but probably won't be. I love to dress up in a tux on formal night because I spend most of my time in scrubs in the emergency room and it is great to spruce -up and be with others who look great and take pleasure in alittle elegance!

 

Thats a mean/unkind comment to make.

[ViolaSwamp]

I witnessed a fellow get turned away from the dining room on a Maasdam formal night because he was not wearing a coat. The maitre d' was trying to find him a spare he could wear but I don't know if they were successful or not - this was a pretty beefy guy... :eek:

[Nyna]

Pipedreams, I just about fell out of my chair laughing at this one!! :D

 

 

 

 

[beauwalker]

To: ViolaSwamp--I love your user name but I loved the books too.

[RuthC]

Going to Alaska in less than two weeks on our first cruise!

Will black slacks, sport coat, shirt and tie for my husband be OK? And will dressy slacks and a blazer or dressy blouse be OK for me for formal nights?

What you've described for him is not "formal", but it meets the code. The blazer for you does not sound like it would (perhaps the fabric and detailing change that? :confused:).

 

There are second-hand shops with lots of nice clothes for ridiculously low prices. Check one or two out. Or, try borrowing something dressy if you don't have, and don't want to buy.

[Opinions]

What you've described for him is not "formal", but it meets the code. The blazer for you does not sound like it would (perhaps the fabric and detailing change that? :confused:).

 

]

 

Why would the "blazer" for her not meet the code?...It sounds perfeclly fine to me...Many ladies, including my wife, wear dress slacks and a nice top on formal night...And she has cruised HAL for over 40 years and accepts the fact that formal night has changed over the years.

[bra1nchild]

We've come to the conclusion that women can wear just about anything on formal night, but sequins or sparkles help; they make tops look "special."

 

On the Grand Med this spring we were disappointed that the dining room staff allowed one "gentleman" to enter the main dining room most nights in a T-shirt! Despite our complaints, nothing was done; he continued to dress that way most nights for the entire 50 day cruise. On the positive side, he wore a jacket/tie on formal nights.

 

BTW, what ever happened to "semi-formal" nights as opposed to "informal" nights? Coat and tie were expected on semi-formal nights and tuxedos or suits on formal nights. Casual nights were only for port days. Maybe the competition from NCL is influencing this.

[RuthC]

Why would the "blazer" for her not meet the code?...It sounds perfeclly fine to me...

But you're not a woman, so it's probably harder for you to understand.

A blazer is the jacket worn with a suit. That screams "business wear" not "formal". That is, unless the "blazer" is something like a black velvet or satin, with white satin collar and cuffs or beaded collar and cuffs. Which is why I questioned the fabric and detailing.

[diathoney]

He'll be fine in a tie. Yes, there are a lot of people who would love for formal night to remain evening dresses and tuxedos, but that is not today's world. I love to dress up, but if I can't drive to the port I'm not going to pay for the extra luggage for my party of 4 to have formal clothes. I'll pack a nice black skirt (for the girls), black pants and ties for the guys. No, I will not book another cruise line or skip the great formal night dinner. Cruise lines are updating with their passengers. My teens would prefer to wear jeans, but the black at least says formal.