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Formal Dress Question


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I wanted to post this here before I posted on the line specific boards (hoping not to get 10,000 responses as I'm sure I would on there based on other questions). We have only sailed previously on Carnival but are booked on a Celebrity Cruise in January. On Carnival, my husband has always worn his Class A Uniform on the first formal night and something a little less formal the second formal night. There are usually several people in uniform.

 

I know that Celebrity Dress code seems to be a little more formal and wanted to know if any of you who may have been on Celebrity know if it will be ok for him to wear his Dress Uniform (Army Dress Blues). I know it's obviously ok but I wanted to make sure there wouldn't be people who thought it was not appropriate. I can't imagine they would (but I want to enjoy my vacation and don't want anyone acting weird). He has nice pants/sports coat but I really don't want to invest in a suit for him considering in most cases where he would need to wear a suit- he has to wear his dress uniform anyway (and we're having to buy a new one since he still has his same Class A's from Basic 5 years ago and they are getting a little tight!)

 

Thanks for any input you might have!

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Both appropriate and proper. We cruised with a retired General in uniform. Next formal night he was at the Captains table.

 

I, and probably more than a few Vets, would be likely to send over a drink.

 

Make sure to stop by the photographers on formal night. You don't HAVE to buy the pictures, but you may find one that you can't resist.

 

Thanks for serving - Ken S

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Thank you all for your input! I felt they were appropriate(considering he wears it for his Military Ball!) but it seems from the board the formal night dress code is a very sensitive subject for some and wanted to make sure the DH wouldn't feel out of place!

 

Thanks again!

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DH always wears Dinner Mess Dress and on more than one occassion has not had to buy a drink the entire night( mostly anonymous poeple buy his drinks) or gets people walking up to him to thank him for his servioce.

 

of course he alternates and wears the white Jacket on the second formal night and is often mistaken for Crew.. BY crew! :D

 

NEVER feel ashamed or self concious about wearing the uniform. there will ALSO be police officers sad Firefighters wearing their formal unifrom as well.

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On our cruise, DH (active Navy) wore his whites the first formal night, and his blues the second formal night. Lots of nice comments from people, also his fair share of questions why a Navy man would want to take a cruise. He got a good giggle, as he is a seabee, and after 14 years in, he had to pay to go on the water!

Definately get a picture taken! We get pictures taken at the Seabee Ball every year, but this was our first picture together in his whites. Guess what is going on our Christmas cards this year!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I always wear my Canadian Mess Kit. It really stands out since the army mess kit has a scarlet jacket. I always get asked if I am a mountie... they stole their uniform from the army.

 

I always love wearing it cause you meet brothers and sisters in arms from everywhere... had a US Army Colonel tell me he likes my mess kit more than his...

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For retired Army personnel, mess dress uniforms are appropriate at certain military functions (alas, not cruises).

 

Army personnel who are retired, in accordance with Army Regulation 670-1, mess dress is approved fo wear for “occasions of ceremony” means occasions essentially of a military character, at which the uniform is more appropriate than civilian clothing. These functions include, but are not limited to: military balls, military parades, weddings, and military funerals; memorial services, meetings and conferences; or functions of associations formed for military purposes, of which the membership is composed largely or entirely of current or honorably discharged veterans of the Armed Forces or reserve components.

 

Now that I am retired from the Army (from 2004-end of 2008 wore mess dress on our cruises) in order, to comply with the Army Regulation uniform regulation cited above, when on normal cruise vacation in general, for formal nights, I no longer wear mess dress but a Dinner Jacket w/my authorized minature medals. Per the Army uniform reg, am authorized to wear wear all categories of medals on appropriate civilian clothin (full size or minature medals) "Personnel who wear medals on civilian clothes should place the medals on the clothing in approximately the same location and in the same manner as for the Army uniform, so they look similar to medals worn on the Army uniform."

 

Thus, on our recent Silversea Spirit maiden transatlantic cruise taken in January our Navy Captain (retired) friend and I agreed to wear our minature medals on our tuxedo/Dinner Jacket for the first of three formal nights on board.

 

Imagine my wife's and my surprise and hearfelt pride we felt, when we saw my Navy colleague wearing the Silver Star, three Bronze Stars (w/Valor device), 3 Purple Hearts and the Air medal...I was in the presence of true American Hero. Doug was a POW in Vietnam, after his A4 was shot down in 1967, he was held for as a POW for 6 1/2 yrs before his release.

 

We enjoyed many wonderful toasts that evening on board.

Edited by Colonel(Ret.)Wes
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Wow that is a great story. I met a friend of mine from my youth who had joined the Canadian Forces. We hadn't spoke in a couple of years and when we got caught I realised he had been decorated for valour twice in Afg. I was humbled to be in his presence.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
I'm female and I'll be cruising on Feb 27, 2011 and will be proudly wearing my Canadian Forces Army mess kit.

 

What ship/line are you sailing?

 

I'm also sailing on Feb 27/11 on NCL Pearl.

I'm Airforce so mess kit isn't quite as nice.

I don't have one anyway, it would be my 1A's.

 

Lois

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  • 3 weeks later...

My brother (retired Army Major General) and I (Army Captain, retired as totally and permanently service connected disabled) have worn Mess Dress on all of our cruises for the last twenty years. We have always met good people and made good conversation. Some of the comments have been touching. Never any disrespect.

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  • 1 month later...

When my step son was in the 9th grade he joined the USMC Junior ROTC. He became a member of the drill team and was issued a Dress Blue Uniform. When we decided to go on a family cruise the summer after his 9th grade he suggested tyhat he and I both wear our Dress Blue Uniforms on the formal nights. So we did, all four years he was in High School.

 

His Mom, my wife, was so proud of both of us.

 

Crusing.jpg

 

Today he is a "real" Marine, stationed in Hawaii.

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From the other side of the coin... there is no way you'd get us in our Mess Dress in any way on such a free and relaxing vacation. First you'd have to get us in anything formal and then to convince us of Mess Dress, odds are not. For us, the reason to be on a cruise is to be away from the military and be regular people.

 

USA + USAF = 30 yrs

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  • 1 month later...

Please, consider wearing some indication of your military status on formal nights.

 

We just got back from 3 weeks of cruising, and we were honoured to know that serving and former members of the military were our cruising companions. We knew this only because they wore their uniforms/medals on formal nights.

 

On the last formal night, I gave a bottle of champagne to the two fine young men who were seated near us, as my thank you for their military service. This led to a conversation where they learned that my sister works at the Royal Military College of Canada and I learned that they had served in Afghanistan with Canadian troops. It was a wonderful moment of mutual respect.

 

Tara Ballance

Montreal

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