How formal is formal dress ?

Asking on behalf of a friend sailing on the Serenade of the Seas - how formal is formal night? What is acceptable dress - particularly for men? Thank you.

The cruise line does not enforce dress suggestions, so anyone can (and does) wear whatever they want.

Thank you - that's what they wanted to hear !!

We are sailing on the Allure this weekend!!! I bought my husband a pair of Tommy Bahama slacks and pairing it with a button down TB shirt. Will that be "formal" enough?

We are sailing on the Allure this weekend!!! I bought my husband a pair of Tommy Bahama slacks and pairing it with a button down TB shirt. Will that be "formal" enough?

Yes

We are sailing on the Allure this weekend!!! I bought my husband a pair of Tommy Bahama slacks and pairing it with a button down TB shirt. Will that be "formal" enough?

We sail on Allure this weekend too. DH and I just had this same discussion. He will be wearing a similar outfit for formal night.

I like eating fancy food on formal night but don't want to go through the trouble of getting all fancied up. I'll wear a nice dress, jewelry and heels. Some guests go all out with ballgowns/tuxedos. Others (like us) are more casual.

We sail on Allure this weekend too. DH and I just had this same discussion. He will be wearing a similar outfit for formal night.

 

 

 

I like eating fancy food on formal night but don't want to go through the trouble of getting all fancied up. I'll wear a nice dress, jewelry and heels. Some guests go all out with ballgowns/tuxedos. Others (like us) are more casual.

And that’s why Royal no longer enforces dress code “suggestions”. It’s your vacation. Enjoy it.

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We are sailing on the Allure this weekend!!! I bought my husband a pair of Tommy Bahama slacks and pairing it with a button down TB shirt. Will that be "formal" enough?

The cruise line no longer cares what people wear.

They have to be more flexible to attract younger cruisers. For example you can see it in lack of enforcement of dress suggestions and in allowing people into the MDR an hour or more after the advertised dinner hour.

They have to be more flexible to attract younger cruisers. For example you can see it in lack of enforcement of dress suggestions and in allowing people into the MDR an hour or more after the advertised dinner hour.

Younger cruisers..... I enjoy the relaxed dress code and I’m old.

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The cruise line no longer cares what people wear.

But a lot of CruiseCritic members do.:halo:

The cruise line no longer cares what people wear.

Do you have any idea on why they don't simply change the policy, instead of leaving it in writing and then just being so passive?

I received an email from our concierge Dexter with strict dress requirements for the suite lounge, especially on formal nights.

Do you have any idea on why they don't simply change the policy, instead of leaving it in writing and then just being so passive?

I think they would like to see a minimum level of attire in the dining room, but they also really don't want to be marked down on the survey. So they go for the survey.

But a lot of CruiseCritic members do.:halo:

And a lot don’t. So wear what you want. Why should you care what others wear on their vacations? I certainly wouldn’t say members of CC are the majority of cruisers.

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I received an email from our concierge Dexter with strict dress requirements for the suite lounge, especially on formal nights.

Dexter sends out a form letter. Don’t be surprised to see the Suite Lounge is much more relaxed than the MDR and Diamond Club.

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And a lot don’t. So wear what you want. Why should you care what others wear on their vacations? I certainly wouldn’t say members of CC are the majority of cruisers.

 

 

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:o I don’t care what anyone wears.My food tastes the same no matter how I or anyone else dresses.

We just got off Harmony a week ago. Had 5:30 traditional dining. The six of us wore suits, sport coats and nice dresses. I was surprised at the number of people in formal wear, both in the dining room and still dressed up later around the ship. Even the second formal night, (white attire suggested), had good participation. On the other days people had on nice casual clothes. Never saw a pair of jeans, t shirt etc. There were a few in shorts, however they were dress shorts. Like I said, I was REALLY surprised with how people dressed for the MDR.

Jim

I have seen people turned away on Royal for clothes on Formal Night. I believe from memory It was 2014 on Legends Of the Sea Hong Kong to Singapore. But the dress worn was very poor. If men wear slacks and a collared button shirt with shoes they should be fine and have no problems.

I have seen people turned away on Royal for clothes on Formal Night. I believe from memory It was 2014 on Legends Of the Sea Hong Kong to Singapore. But the dress worn was very poor. If men wear slacks and a collared button shirt with shoes they should be fine and have no problems.

That was 2014, this is 2018 and things have changed.

Dress suggestions are not enforced.

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I have seen people turned away on Royal for clothes on Formal Night. I believe from memory It was 2014 on Legends Of the Sea Hong Kong to Singapore. But the dress worn was very poor. If men wear slacks and a collared button shirt with shoes they should be fine and have no problems.

We experienced the same on our Dubai cruise with Royal a couple of years ago. The dress code was stated in the compass and very much enforced. Even casual nights I would say 90% of the passengers chose to dress up and it was quite an eye opener.

I think a lot of the comments here about dress are US/Caribbean itinerary related and things can be a bit different around the world. The UK at times can also be very formal.

Why is it so difficult to understand that times have changed. What happened 2 or 4 years ago doesn’t apply today as far as suggested dress code. Royal for about a week or so even came out with policy that shorts were acceptable in MDR but due to uproar, went back to “suggested” dress codes only to not enforce the suggestions.

Remember, it’s your vacation, dress as you wish and don’t concern yourself with what others wear.

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Just off the Adventure and no dress code at all. On formal nights 10% wore jacket and ties, 20% ties and no jackets, the rest a mix with many tee shirts, shorts, flip flops and no socks. Anything goes, Royal does not care.

I received an email from our concierge Dexter with strict dress requirements for the suite lounge, especially on formal nights.

I'd love to see this.....

But a lot of CruiseCritic members do.:halo:

They certainly do! For my Baltic ports booking next year on RC I may take a blazer and wear it with an open collar, but that's partly because I might want it for the land portion of the trip.

Meanwhile, I've been reading various boards while thinking about an Alaska cruise. On certain boards, and NOT only those for luxury cruise lines (which I'm not even remotely considering), a post asking this question will receive a dozen or so replies saying, "We were on this cruise last year and on formal nights I did not see even one man who wasn't wearing a dark suit or a tuxedo," or disparaging anyone so uncouth as even to ask. What I think about the people who post replies like that cannot be posted on a public message board.