Children and Formal Night

[divingmedic]

Are children allowed at formal night? And since I do not own a single tie or suit can you rent a suit or tux? Can the women rent formal dress?

[mom2351man]

I did not see any children on my first cruise at formal night. My son will be going with us this time so I am hoping someone can answer this... Yes you can rent a tux like at a tux shop.... But, not sure about a dress...

[uppitycats]

What ship are you going on? Depending on the line, not all "formal" nights are all that formal. You'd save a lot of money by simply buying a tie than renting a tux, for example. What would you and your family wear to, say, a wedding, or a service held in a religious institution? Or to a fancy dinner at a country club? Probably not a tux...but a dressy dress, suit (and that tie), dark sports coat over khakis...something "dressy". That's what you'll need to wear on formal night.

 

You CAN rent a tux on board. Not so much dresses for women. And yes, kids are permitted to come to dinner also..if probably dressed..on formal nights.

[LarryL]

Are children allowed at formal night? And since I do not own a single tie or suit can you rent a suit or tux? Can the women rent formal dress?

 

Hi again DivingMedic, Kids are absolutley allowed on formal nights, in fact, it is a lot of fun for them with the attention they get. I think the servers go out of their way to make it a special occasion for them. As far as your, and your wife's formal wear, yes it can be rented. My wife found her dresses to be less than renting by watching the sales. I rented my tux from the cruise ship vendor and the complete package was around $120.

 

On another note, I hope you find most people can be OK with their responses. Some comments are left to interpretation. That said, I hope I didn't come across as negative with your initial question. I really wish you the best decision

 

Larry

[divingmedic]

Hi again DivingMedic, Kids are absolutley allowed on formal nights, in fact, it is a lot of fun for them with the attention they get. I think the servers go out of their way to make it a special occasion for them. As far as your, and your wife's formal wear, yes it can be rented. My wife found her dresses to be less than renting by watching the sales. I rented my tux from the cruise ship vendor and the complete package was around $120.

 

On another note, I hope you find most people can be OK with their responses. Some comments are left to interpretation. That said, I hope I didn't come across as negative with your initial question. I really wish you the best decision

 

Larry

Thanks for the infor Larry. We are just not dress up people, but if we are going to do a cruise might as well experince the whole thing. I might have a tie from the 80's some where in the back of the closet lol. Guess I could get a pair of slacks and sport coat ( like I will ever wear em again). I parties with a bunch of Red Horse folks when I did bare base TDY in Germany. Y'all are a crazy group!!! Man I had some horrible hangovers after partying with y'all.;)

[cb at sea]

Children are welcome in the dining room at any time....

 

On most lines, a dark suit will do just fine, as will a cocktail dress for women. Young children should wear what they would as "party clothes" or Sunday best.....teens should adhere to the adult dress code.

[donaldsc]

You can buy a nice tie for $20. You can buy a cheap one for even less. What percentage of the total cruise cost would $20 be?

 

DON

[Berk987]

We've only cruised on HAL the last few years. We took our kids to formal night in the MDR. We always dine with our kids. DH wore a dark suit w/tie and dress shoes. I wore black cocktail dress, heels and bling - we're 40ish. DD (age 4 & 5 - two cruises) wore her fancy dress and mary janes. DS (age 2 & 3 - two cruises) wore khaki pants, long sleeve button down shirt and dark sandals - from The Children's Place. We were all fine. Some were more dressed up with long dresses and tux (not many, mostly the senior crowds) and others were less dressed up. From reading the threads, some don't like to wear formal at all and just ate in the buffet restaurants or ordered room service on those night. Depends on your ship. For a one week cruise, I brought 2 different cocktail dresses (below knee length). DH wore same suit, different tie and white shirt. Same with kids. Wear what is comfortable and have fun. Take lots of family pictures.

[madelinerose]

Are children allowed at formal night? And since I do not own a single tie or suit can you rent a suit or tux? Can the women rent formal dress?

 

 

Yes, yes and yes. The women's formal wear isn't my cup of tea, however.

 

http://www.cruiselineformal.com/

[Gablin]

If you are not someone whose weight/size goes up and down, investing in a suit, a few dress shirts and a few neckties will have you prepared for many years of cruises, plus you are ready to attend weddings and funerals. You do not need a tux, in my opinion. Women can often find a dressy gown at a consignment shop or even at a thrift shop. There is a thrift shop here, run by the local cancer society, which currently has about ten very dressy gowns, in a nice assortment of sizes.

 

I'm not sure if I know any grown men who do not own at least one suit, even if they don't have to wear one very often. What would you wear if you were asked to be an honorary pall bearer, for instance?

 

One older guy in my town finally broke down and bought a new suit. He had worn the same suit for over twenty years, and his wife was very tired of looking at it.

[divingmedic]

What ship are you going on? Depending on the line, not all "formal" nights are all that formal. You'd save a lot of money by simply buying a tie than renting a tux, for example. What would you and your family wear to, say, a wedding, or a service held in a religious institution? Or to a fancy dinner at a country club? Probably not a tux...but a dressy dress, suit (and that tie), dark sports coat over khakis...something "dressy". That's what you'll need to wear on formal night.

 

You CAN rent a tux on board. Not so much dresses for women. And yes, kids are permitted to come to dinner also..if probably dressed..on formal nights.

Looks like we might book RCI Serenade of the Sea either late July or early August. Since I am the one that opens most of the mail and see wedding invitations and such first I some how always end up working over time that day :eek::D

[uppitycats]

Looks like we might book RCI Serenade of the Sea either late July or early August. Since I am the one that opens most of the mail and see wedding invitations and such first I some how always end up working over time that day :eek::D

 

:D Sounds like my husband, too. He's got 2 suits..neither one fits anymore...bought 35 years ago when he graduated from college....

 

I did buy him a tie.. :p

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

You may not be the dress up types but I can tell you that when your children are dressed up (looking nice in a dress or a sports coat/tie) you will be very pleased when looking at your family.

[satxdiver]

On an RCI ship the minimum for males on formal night is pants and a long sleeved dress shirt. Ladies are similar. Ties, tux, suits, sport coats are not required in the MDR on formal night. Children need similar clothes and are welcome on formal night. Dressing up a child to look like a miniature adult to me is child abuse.

 

You will see a few men in tux (longer cruises will increase the number due to an older crowd mostly), a lot of men in suits, a good number in sport coats and a few with no sport coat. Most wear ties but quite a few do not including men in sport coats and even suits.

 

Divingmedic I would not run out and spend a lot of money for formal wear. I like you am very informal. Shorts, tshirt and tevas are what I wear on the ship in the Caribbean. Formal night will see me in dockers, long sleeved dress shirt and blue blazer sans tie. I have never had a problem on the four cruise lines I have sailed. I change into my MDR costume just before dinner and change back immediately after dinner.

 

I like the idea of a tie from the 80's. I think I may have one and wear it on my next cruise. :D

[sparky-elpaso]

Check out resale shops. My DH wears dress slacks, shirt (he has 2 different colors), tie, and the gray sport coat we found at a resale shop for $4. My outfit is chiffon evening pants and a glittery tank and jacket (both bought on sale). You can wear the same outfit both nights - no one is paying that much attention.

 

You should be able to find something for the kids at a resale shop too.

[UlvaZell]

I did not see any children on my first cruise at formal night. My son will be going with us this time so I am hoping someone can answer this... Yes you can rent a tux like at a tux shop.... But, not sure about a dress...

 

Yes you can rent formal wear. On Princess you can rent formal wear for men and women. We rented a tux for my son on a Caribbean cruise...