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Formal Night

Fish66

By Fish66,
in Australia & New Zealand Cruisers

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megsie

megsie

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Depends on the cruiseline as to how formal, formal night is. Cunard actually have formal balls and you see a few full length gowns etc. Then again, P&O on formal night there were quite a few in trackies and thongs. So it goes anything in between happens mostly.

Mostly there is a special event happening - big band night, Captain's welcome, champagne tower, welcome back event etc.

Not compulsory to attend or dress up and nowadays the dressing is fairly relaxed. Overall not too many tux's and very few ornate gowns. Most men dress from tie and shirt, jacket, suit or tux. Ladies - cocktail/party dress, pants and nice top etc.

Some may not let you into the MDR without dressing appropriately at anytime - Cunard prefer men to wear a jacket at all dinners. RCI used to frown on jeans in MDR at dinner but have seen plenty in there.

Don't worry, if on the day you don't want to attend there is always room service, buffet or cafes.

But we always get changed for dinner and wear what we would at home when going out to a restaurant. Most do dress nicely for formal night as they do most nights.

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Fish66

Fish66

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Which line? It's just a chance to dress up a bit really, you can do as much or as little as you want. It's just regular dinner, but often it coincides with a meet & greet with the Captain in the lobby or similar. And people often take the chance to have some drinks before dinner and do the show afterwards like a fancy night out on land.

 

If you don't want to participate at all, just grab dinner from the buffet and go about your normal evening business!

 

I'm going on the Golden Princess going to NZ on February 11th for 13 nights

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OzKiwiJJ Great Review Rare

OzKiwiJJ

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Just a little bit sad about this, I liked the formal nights when most people got dressed up.:D

 

Me too. We're still planning on taking our formalwear on our Christmas Solstice cruise.

 

We chose Stolstice for the Christmas cruise because it had the perfect itinerary forus but also because we wanted to try Celebrity at least once. But there are other cruise lines - we quite like Princess and most of those cruises have onboard costs in AUD.

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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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Me too. We're still planning on taking our formalwear on our Christmas Solstice cruise.

 

We chose Stolstice for the Christmas cruise because it had the perfect itinerary forus but also because we wanted to try Celebrity at least once. But there are other cruise lines - we quite like Princess and most of those cruises have onboard costs in AUD.

 

I think I will still dress up in my Tux for new Years cruise on the Solstice as well.

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The_Big_M

The_Big_M

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Me too. We're still planning on taking our formalwear on our Christmas Solstice cruise.

 

Formal is still chic! :-)

 

The announcement also implied there would be fewer nights, as it only mentioned two on a >7 night cruise. Currently there would be 3 for the typical 12 night here, and 4 on longer ones (>14).

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Beanb41

Beanb41

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If they get rid of the formal nights, the lobster and the filet Mignon won't be far behind from being free in the MDR. Already some cruise lines charge for lobster.:(

 

Lobster in the MDR is normally dry and overcooked anyway

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The_Big_M

The_Big_M

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If they get rid of the formal nights, the lobster and the filet Mignon won't be far behind from being free in the MDR. Already some cruise lines charge for lobster.:(

 

You're probably ahead of the curve there. I wouldn't be surprised to see that eventuate in future, given the cuts so far to formal nights and meals (not just in this announcement).

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Aussieflyer

Aussieflyer

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Cunard is the only line I have been on where formal nights are seen as important. If you do not wish to dress formally you are welcome to eat in the buffet and go to the winter garden but the rest of the ship follows the dress code for the evening, so the bars and theatre are all formal. Almost all passengers follow this. It is wonderful to see everyone so beautifully dressed - men in tuxes or suits and women in long gowns.

All the other ships have been a bit of a mix and match with some women in long, many in cocktail and quite a few in day dresses.

Edited by Aussieflyer
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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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On Princess' formal nights I enjoy the lobster as well as the Beef Wellington, or Chateaubriand. :) They are both main courses, but if I don't have an appetizer or a soup, I can manage both. :D

 

Likewise, I often go surf and turf for formal nights.:D

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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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Cunard is the only line I have been on where formal nights are seen as important. If you do not wish to dress formally you are welcome to eat in the buffet and go to the winter garden but the rest of the ship follows the dress code for the evening, so the bars and theatre are all formal. Almost all passengers follow this. It is wonderful to see everyone so beautifully dressed - men in tuxes or suits and women in long gowns.

All the other ships have been a bit of a mix and match with some women in long, many in cocktail and quite a few in day dresses.

 

Yes, you really do notice the difference in the ambiance all over the ship.:D

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vrogers

vrogers

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We cruised Solstice this passed January and being school holidays many many children on board and it was absolutely delightful to see so many of them all dressed up for the formal evenings, they were all so swish and absolutely beaming with pride to be all dressed up along with their parents who made an effort as well. Even the teenagers all made efforts. It was lovely to see.

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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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We cruised Solstice this passed January and being school holidays many many children on board and it was absolutely delightful to see so many of them all dressed up for the formal evenings, they were all so swish and absolutely beaming with pride to be all dressed up along with their parents who made an effort as well. Even the teenagers all made efforts. It was lovely to see.

 

Yes, the fact that so many make an effort makes it more special.:D

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