Formal Nights

[cruiserj12]

This summer we are going on our first Seabourn Cruise in the Mediterranean and hope someone out there in CruiseCritic land may be able to help us make a decision. We have cruised on Regents multiple times, but they don't have a formal night on a 7 day cruise, so we don't know what to expect on Seabourn who offer a formal night on a 7 day cruise. We will be on a 7 day cruise and are not sure if we should bring a tux for one night or just wear a suit. The site says tux, suit or pants a jacket for their formal evenings, but in practice, how many men bring their tuxes or wear a nice suit? My plan was initially to bring a nice summery suit, because it will be HOT, and an additional blazer to mix and match, along with the suit jacket, for other evenings. Thoughts, suggestions and experiences are most appreciated!

[Emperor Norton]

A suit should be fine. The formal nights are nowhere near as formal as they used to be (though around the holidays, or on a TA results may be different). The only 7 days I've done have been in the Caribbean and those were almost anti-formal. If you like to dress up in a tux, by all means go ahead, but you won't be alone in a suit. And if you're really feeling non-formal the Colonnade and Patio grill have a different dress code than the Restaurant/R2.

[LittleRedJohn]

We were just on Odyssey (great cruise) and they had two formal nights. I wore my blue sport coat, tie and slacks. My wife wore a nice dress outfit. We fit in perfectly. Some men wore dark suits. Some wore white jackets. I saw a few tuxes, but not many. A number of women were very dressed up. But remember, you don't have to go. There are other restaurants to eat at, and you can also get your evening meal in your stateroom. To me, the biggest problem with formal nights is packing the stuff. The weight limits by airlines are killing us. LittleRedJohn

[wripro]

You actually don't even need a tie on formal optional nights, just a jacket.

[cruiserj12]

Thank you all for your help. They confirmed what I was thinking.