1st Cruise this June-

[Cruisingbairn]

Very serious question here as first time cruiser and as I get more time I will post a bigger list up of things i'd like to know but one thing that I really want cleared up is the dress code on formal nights. Due to the vast amounts of info in regards to this on the forums I am not sure what the best thing is to do.

 

When we first booked we thought that formal nights and smart dress was a definite and everyone on a cruise ship embraced it. However after reading the forums you get the impression that you'd be the only one wearing a dinner suit/tux and the wife in a nice dress. I know this is a little over the top but can anyone reassure me that people still do wear dinner suits etc to formal nights? Can't imagine its that great that your dressed up to the max then sitting next to others who haven't bothered, awkward.....

 

All help appreciated!

[cb at sea]

We always "dress up" for formal nights....hubby at the very LEAST in a suit...me in a cocktail dress. We usually do tux/gown.....

 

You can never be "too dressed up" on formal night. If you are lookin' good, and your tablemates aren't,....it's their problem...not yours!

 

Can you get by with less? Sure....it's up to you!

Edited April 17, 2014 by cb at sea

[jennywren46]

I think you'll find that the majority of people will be in a formal suit or tux and the woman in a cocktail dress or dress pants and fancy top(still a few people in long evening dresses) I still think that cruises from the UK and the Med are still dressy on formal nights .

[Clarea]

Very serious question here as first time cruiser and as I get more time I will post a bigger list up of things i'd like to know but one thing that I really want cleared up is the dress code on formal nights. Due to the vast amounts of info in regards to this on the forums I am not sure what the best thing is to do.

 

When we first booked we thought that formal nights and smart dress was a definite and everyone on a cruise ship embraced it. However after reading the forums you get the impression that you'd be the only one wearing a dinner suit/tux and the wife in a nice dress. I know this is a little over the top but can anyone reassure me that people still do wear dinner suits etc to formal nights? Can't imagine its that great that your dressed up to the max then sitting next to others who haven't bothered, awkward.....

 

All help appreciated!

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

You would not be the only one in formal wear. While you will see a wide range of dress on formal night, many men still wear suits and many women still wear nice dresses.

[DonnaK]

We always dress up on formal night (it might not be the strict definition of "formal" but more like what we'd wear to an evening wedding in a fancy venue). We've always found that most people at minimum make an effort to dress more nicely than they do on the non-formal nights. Yes, there are a few that don't bother, but they are not the majority (although reading this message board might give you the opposite impression)

 

No worries...you absolutely will not be the only people dressed up!

[Cruisingbairn]

Thanks all for the giving us a bit of reassurance! Looking forward to getting the suit on!:cool:

[mskaufman]

I see you are from the UK. We have cruised RCI in both Europe and the Caribbean. In neither place would you be out of place in a suit/tux on formal night. However, our experience is that on cruises that originate in the U.S. things are slightly more casual.

[tserface]

I always think it's ironic what a big deal it is on Cruise Critic and the topic for many heated discussions. We've been on several cruises and overwhelmingly people dress up for formal nights. There is the odd person who wants to attract attention to themselves by wearing a tuxedo T-shirt or a few who don't want to wear ties and like any other fancy event the definition of elegant is sometimes subjective, but most people wear tuxes suits, fancy dresses or pant suits, etc. and it's a quite fun change from the normal routine for most of us on land. The WindJammer is busier that night as well since some decide to opt out altogether.

 

I think it's fun having an occasion to get dressed up and we typically do at least one of the formal nights just for the experience of it. I think a lot of people feel the same and the odd person not in the spirit doesn't really stand out that much.

 

I know there are a few people who dress up for their normal lives and don't want to on vacation and that is totally understandable, but I haven't seen many of them in the MDR in the real situation and I wouldn't care if I did.

 

Tom

 

Very serious question here as first time cruiser and as I get more time I will post a bigger list up of things i'd like to know but one thing that I really want cleared up is the dress code on formal nights. Due to the vast amounts of info in regards to this on the forums I am not sure what the best thing is to do.

 

When we first booked we thought that formal nights and smart dress was a definite and everyone on a cruise ship embraced it. However after reading the forums you get the impression that you'd be the only one wearing a dinner suit/tux and the wife in a nice dress. I know this is a little over the top but can anyone reassure me that people still do wear dinner suits etc to formal nights? Can't imagine its that great that your dressed up to the max then sitting next to others who haven't bothered, awkward.....

 

All help appreciated!

[Cruisingbairn]

Cheers, now i know that as well if we get the cruising bug and end up in the caribbean at some point.

 

Should have mentioned we are doing a Baltic cruise, departing from Southampton, we are both 30 years old, so if we like this should have plenty cruising years in front of us.

 

 

I see you are from the UK. We have cruised RCI in both Europe and the Caribbean. In neither place would you be out of place in a suit/tux on formal night. However, our experience is that on cruises that originate in the U.S. things are slightly more casual.

[summersigh]

On formal nights my husband wears a dark jacket, dark pants, a white shirt and tie. I bring a long black skirt and a different sparkly top for each formal night.

For smart casual he wears dress slacks and a long sleeved, button down collar shirt (normally no tie). I wear black dress pants and a dressy top.

For casual nights he wears slacks or nice jeans and a polo shirt. I wear slacks or nice jeans and a nice knit top.

 

It's what we do and we've never felt out of place on any cruise line we've sailed. The exception was Cunard's Queen Mary2 where they (and we) did still dress up in tuxes and long dresses for formal night and cocktail clothes for smart casual. :)

[Dajbman22]

It's been a few years since I was last on RCI, but the formal nights were full of suits and cocktail dresses, and even a few tuxes/gowns. The less formally dressed, while far from shunned, were in the minority.

 

I plan on going with my tux for both formal nights on my upcoming cruise, although the second formal night, I am considering having some fun and buying/wearing this monstrosity of fashion as part of the ensemble (if i can get a matching bowtie):

[kernow]

We always dress up, even in the Caribbean, DH in a dinner suit and myself in a cocktail or long dress. Personally I would feel much more out of place dressed down than up. I've never been on a ship where the vast majority were not dressed at least nicely.

 

I think that cruises from the UK are usually the most formal of all, a lot of the men wear dinner suits.

 

Go for it, you'll look great in the photos:)

 

Julie

[Larry L]

I see you are from the UK. We have cruised RCI in both Europe and the Caribbean. In neither place would you be out of place in a suit/tux on formal night. However, our experience is that on cruises that originate in the U.S. things are slightly more casual.

 

 

This will be our first UK/EU cruise in late June so we'll see. Been on 7cruises originating from US. Men usually dress in tux or dark colored suit and ladies in evening dress or long gown matching their partner. We have seen dining room staff question people not appropriately attired and redirect them to buffet dining room. We did meet one couple who were allowed in because they did not get their luggage so exception made for them.

 

Cruise away,

 

Larry

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[miopyk]

Very serious question here as first time cruiser and as I get more time I will post a bigger list up of things i'd like to know but one thing that I really want cleared up is the dress code on formal nights. Due to the vast amounts of info in regards to this on the forums I am not sure what the best thing is to do.

 

When we first booked we thought that formal nights and smart dress was a definite and everyone on a cruise ship embraced it. However after reading the forums you get the impression that you'd be the only one wearing a dinner suit/tux and the wife in a nice dress. I know this is a little over the top but can anyone reassure me that people still do wear dinner suits etc to formal nights? Can't imagine its that great that your dressed up to the max then sitting next to others who haven't bothered, awkward.....

 

All help appreciated!

 

A lot of people like to dress for dinner and a lot don't. Ultimately it's your decision so wear what you are comfortable with. If you find yourself sat with someone dressed more casually than you, it might be worth trying to look beyond the clothes and enjoy the company of the person inside them, you might be pleasantly surprised.

 

Miopyk

[valancy1]

We dress up for every formal night offered and I can assure you you won't be alone by a long stretch!

 

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

[jc24cruiser]

Hi,

 

We dress up for forma nights, I enjoy having the chance to go to the Spa to have my hair done and enjoy wearing a long evening dress.

 

On our cruise last April on the Independence round the med we saw more people than not dressed up on formal evening. Loads of people were getting their pictures taken by the photographers and one of my fave photos in my house is of formal evening on that cruise, hung pride of place above our fire!

 

However, we did get dressed up on the other evenings too. Going on holiday gives us the chance to dress up nicely and eat in restaurants every eve....so we dress as such :)

 

We're on our next cruise next week and I have already packed my evening dress ready! (I get it steamed on the ship!)