Celebrity Eclipse Evening Dress Code

[misscolina]

Hi Clive,

We are sailing on the Eclipse on 3rd October from Southampton, hubby and I will be "dressed up" he in his Tux and myself in long evening gowns, so if you are on this sailing you wont be alone. We love dressing up and that is one of the reasons we love cruising.

[Xport]

Agree, I don't know if you remember a couple of years ago when one of the ships went rogue and was enforcing a formal dress code in the Specialties. Presented the same problem with people not packing what they now were expected to wear. That was quickly corrected.

 

And I'm also reminded of the debates that occurred here--let's just call them spirited--after the dress code for the Specialty Restaurants [and Blu] was changed to full-time Smart Casual... People who returned from cruises after the change--but who were unaware of it--were convinced that the riff-raff had invaded! And, for months, people continued to report here that--in their observation--the prior Formal Night dress code was still in effect because those they saw were equally unaware or had based their packing upon misinformation here... Over time, that subsided and--in my subsequent experience/after word go out--many were apparently pleased by the change... An F&B Manager told me that Specialty Dining reservations eventually spiked--and there was an increase in requests from Suite guests wanting to dine in Blu--so as to avoid "Formal Nights" in the MDR... The move to "Evening Chic"--with lots of latitude in its definition so as to meet the personal preferences of all--was, to my mind, inevitable...

 

Communication is always a challenge--and unfortunately, Celebrity doesn't always do it well--but it surely doesn't help when those charged with doing it onboard know better/should know better but don't take the time/make the effort to convey such matters accurately... So much for pride of authorship!

 

Thanks for your participation here... I know that your contributions are always well-studied and on point!

[Little Nell]

I am more than a bit miffed by this (mis)information from Eclipse. We are due to sail in under 2 weeks and were expecting 2 evening chic nights, not 3 and DH is not taking his tux or suit but a jacket and trousers and I will be wearing cocktail dresses. I do not want to take extra luggage that we won't need so it would be really helpful if someone could clarify the situation.

 

Regarding someone producing a copy of an out of date daily, on our last cruise the Celebrity guide to Copenhagen contained a tourist map showing the Resistance Museum which was something we really wanted to visit. Imagine our surprise to find out from the Tourist Information that it burned down 4 years ago! We did inform Destination Services on our return.

[eandj]

Hi all, I understand what my men can wear to the MDR on evening chic, but what about the other evenings? For women it is always easier. Can they wear "nice" shorts? My 22 year old would love to wear shorts. Thanks

 

 

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No.

 

Specifically.... No shorts (men or women) in dining rooms for dinner. (buffet is ok)

 

YES for breakfast or lunch, shorts can be worn in dining rooms.

Edited July 18, 2016 by eandj

[Jerzy Traveler]

Hi all,

 

I have just booked a cruise on the Eclipse, sailing to and from Southampton in October.

 

I have just found out that they do not have any formal nights now...this seems to have been replaced by "Evening Chic".

 

I'm a little disappointed, as both my wife and I like to put on tuxedo and long evening dress.

 

Can anyone tell me if anyone wears tuxedo/evening dress on these nights, or would we be the only ones?

 

Thanks and regards,

Clive

 

 

We too just left the Eclipse. There were 3 chic nights. Unlike our experience on the Reflection last year in the Mediterranean, I would say the majority of the cruisers were dressed more formally this year. The cruise is very British-centric and skewed to an older clientele than the relaxed Mediterranean or Caribbean cruises. If you enjoy evening dress, it is your vacation, you will most certainly be comfortable. I hope you aren't offended by others who want to be casual. We chose to go to specialty restaurants on chic nights. We were in our comfort level wearing nice clothing without packing formal attire. Others go to the buffet. On the third Chic night, we dined in the MDR with Brits and Americans at our table, none wearing formal wear.

[bengaltiger1]

I am more than a bit miffed by this (mis)information from Eclipse. We are due to sail in under 2 weeks and were expecting 2 evening chic nights, not 3 and DH is not taking his tux or suit but a jacket and trousers and I will be wearing cocktail dresses. I do not want to take extra luggage that we won't need so it would be really helpful if someone could clarify the situation.

 

 

 

Regarding someone producing a copy of an out of date daily, on our last cruise the Celebrity guide to Copenhagen contained a tourist map showing the Resistance Museum which was something we really wanted to visit. Imagine our surprise to find out from the Tourist Information that it burned down 4 years ago! We did inform Destination Services on our return.

 

 

Here is the information from the Celebrity website FAQ

 

What is the onboard dress code?

Formal Night gets a modern luxury reboot. Say goodbye to Formal Night, and hello to Evening Chic. It’s your time to shine—your way. Get glamorous. Get chic. Be sophisticated. Now, on up to two nights on every cruise, Evening Chic activities have been introduced, and Evening Chic attire has replaced Formal attire. While dressier than Smart Casual, Evening Chic is intended to be less dressy than Formal attire.

 

Women should feel comfortable wearing:

 

• A cocktail dress

• Skirt, pants or designer jeans with an elegant top

Men should feel comfortable wearing:

• Pants or designer jeans with a dress shirt, button-down shirt or sweater

• Optional sport coat or blazer

Evening Chic means that you can get glamorous and be sophisticated in your own way. If you would like to still wear a tuxedo or formal gown on Evening Chic nights, you absolutely should.

 

All cruises that are 7 nights or longer will feature two Evening Chic nights. Any cruise 6-nights or shorter will feature one Evening Chic night. All other nights of the cruise will feature Smart Casual attire. Celebrity Xpedition will continue to feature casual attire for the entire cruise.

 

Smart Casual attire can be enjoyed every other night of your cruise.

 

Women should feel comfortable wearing:

• Skirt, pants or jeans with a casual top

Men should feel comfortable wearing:

 

• Pants or jeans with a sport shirt that has sleeves

Note: T-shirts, swimsuits, robes, bare feet, tank tops, baseball caps and pool wear are not allowed in the main restaurant or specialty restaurant at any time. Shorts and flip-flops are not allowed in the evening hours. The dress code will be enforced at all restaurants. And guests are asked to follow the Smart Casual or Evening Chic dress code in the Celebrity Theater for all evening performances. The daily program, delivered to your stateroom and available at the Guest Relations Desk, will be your guide to the correct attire each evening.

 

 

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[Mynki]

Thanks Lois and Bourbon, I was referring to the colloquial you, not a particular person. I don't deny that the posters is writing based on fact, just referring to Celebrity screwing things up. Sorry for any misunderstanding.

 

My apologies to you too, I thought you were implying that I was posting misinformation.

 

It's a little bit annoying when you read a Celebrity Today that clearly states 3 chic nights and states the 'Celebrity Chic' dress code to be a tux, suit or trousers with a sports jacket etc as this is what they used to describe as formal night attire and then be questioned.

 

Do people think that forum members just make up random posts for the hell of it? The last two paragraphs were not aimed at yourself. :)

 

Anyway it appears others on the same sailing witnessed what I did so hopefully other may believe us now. At the time I thought I should have taken a pic and posted it!!! :D

[bengaltiger1]

My apologies to you too, I thought you were implying that I was posting misinformation.

 

 

 

It's a little bit annoying when you read a Celebrity Today that clearly states 3 chic nights and states the 'Celebrity Chic' dress code to be a tux, suit or trousers with a sports jacket etc as this is what they used to describe as formal night attire and then be questioned.

 

 

 

Do people think that forum members just make up random posts for the hell of it? The last two paragraphs were not aimed at yourself. :)

 

 

 

Anyway it appears others on the same sailing witnessed what I did so hopefully other may believe us now. At the time I thought I should have taken a pic and posted it!!! :D

 

 

 

I am sad. I kept the Celebrity Today mags

 

 

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[Mynki]

Bengaltiger, I think I love you. :D

 

Let that be a lesson to those who state, "I believe in Celebrity's website and not cruise critic posts..."

[davekathy]

Bengaltiger, I think I love you. :D

 

Let that be a lesson to those who state, "I believe in Celebrity's website and not cruise critic posts..."

 

We pack and always will according to Celebrity's website or their brochures. Posting in a daily while on the Cruise falls under the category after the fact, doesn't count and is Celebrity's error which needs to be corrected. If the dress guidelines differ for different sailings then that needs to be published to heed before the sailing. When we sailed on the Eclipse this past April (14 nights) there were 2 evening chic as published and that's what we packed for. You should take the lead on this issue due to your personal experience and contact Celebrity and advise them of the discrepancy, confusion and concern it's causing. Whether or not the error gets corrected is another issue.

[Cruizen Susan]

Here is the information from the Celebrity website FAQ

 

What is the onboard dress code?

Formal Night gets a modern luxury reboot. Say goodbye to Formal Night, and hello to Evening Chic. It’s your time to shine—your way. Get glamorous. Get chic. Be sophisticated. Now, on up to two nights on every cruise, Evening Chic activities have been introduced, and Evening Chic attire has replaced Formal attire. While dressier than Smart Casual, Evening Chic is intended to be less dressy than Formal attire.

 

Women should feel comfortable wearing:

 

• A cocktail dress

• Skirt, pants or designer jeans with an elegant top

Men should feel comfortable wearing:

• Pants or designer jeans with a dress shirt, button-down shirt or sweater

• Optional sport coat or blazer

Evening Chic means that you can get glamorous and be sophisticated in your own way. If you would like to still wear a tuxedo or formal gown on Evening Chic nights, you absolutely should.

 

All cruises that are 7 nights or longer will feature two Evening Chic nights. Any cruise 6-nights or shorter will feature one Evening Chic night. All other nights of the cruise will feature Smart Casual attire. Celebrity Xpedition will continue to feature casual attire for the entire cruise.

 

Smart Casual attire can be enjoyed every other night of your cruise.

 

Women should feel comfortable wearing:

• Skirt, pants or jeans with a casual top

Men should feel comfortable wearing:

 

• Pants or jeans with a sport shirt that has sleeves

Note: T-shirts, swimsuits, robes, bare feet, tank tops, baseball caps and pool wear are not allowed in the main restaurant or specialty restaurant at any time. Shorts and flip-flops are not allowed in the evening hours. The dress code will be enforced at all restaurants. And guests are asked to follow the Smart Casual or Evening Chic dress code in the Celebrity Theater for all evening performances. The daily program, delivered to your stateroom and available at the Guest Relations Desk, will be your guide to the correct attire each evening.

 

 

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I understand why the dress code has been relaxed. They are marketing a younger customer. I get it. Ironically, some of the most "sophisticated and chic" passengers I have observed have been 30 somethings. Also, I'm all in favor of choice in dress and am happy to see that many concur with my choice of elegance for dinner. That being said, the official Celebrity guidelines say "Get glamorous. Get chic. Be sophisticated." Some of those arriving at dinner do not fit that description. As someone above used the word riff-raff, I would agree to those words.

 

I guess semantics are at play here, because some do not quite understand "chic, glamorous, sophisticated"

 

Otherwise, I am happy to sit with anyone at dinner, dressed anyway they wish, as long as they are good at conversation!! :)

[Ma Bell]

I understand why the dress code has been relaxed. They are marketing a younger customer. I get it. Ironically' date=' some of the most "sophisticated and chic" passengers I have observed have been 30 somethings. Also, I'm all in favor of choice in dress and am happy to see that many concur with my choice of elegance for dinner. That being said, the official Celebrity guidelines say "Get glamorous. Get chic. Be sophisticated." Some of those arriving at dinner do not fit that description. As someone above used the word riff-raff, I would agree to those words.

 

I guess semantics are at play here, because some do not quite understand "chic, glamorous, sophisticated"

 

Otherwise, I am happy to sit with anyone at dinner, dressed anyway they wish, as long as they are good at conversation!! :)[/quote']

 

I, too, understand why the dress code has been relaxed. The thing that's interesting is that one would think these dress code discussions would be gone by now but it seems that even though the casual crowd has what they wanted they won't be satisfied until every vestige of anyone looking glamorous, chic or sophisticated is gone.

 

As they used to say, "it's our vacation and we'll do as we please"..... apparently that only works one way. It seems there is still a lot of concern that someone may want to dress up. Guess what, those who tried to look good before still will and those who didn't never will.;)

[Cruizen Susan]

I, too, understand why the dress code has been relaxed. The thing that's interesting is that one would think these dress code discussions would be gone by now but it seems that even though the casual crowd has what they wanted they won't be satisfied until every vestige of anyone looking glamorous, chic or sophisticated is gone.

 

As they used to say, "it's our vacation and we'll do as we please"..... apparently that only works one way. It seems there is still a lot of concern that someone may want to dress up. Guess what, those who tried to look good before still will and those who didn't never will.;)

 

Yes!! Why oh why do that continue to be so concerned about those who are "uninformed" about the guidelines and have the ignorance to show up looking elegant for dinner!! Lol!

[Can'tstopcruising]

I think you are right about semantics. Some people look chic and sophisticated in smart casual,evening chic or in formal.

Others look neither chic nor sophisticated in any of the above.

 

I don't like to use the words "riff raff" because it really is very degrading.

We all lead different lifestyles at home and dress accordingly.

 

The ones who dress poorly probably do so because that is how they dress. I doubt they actually think to themselves "this is my vacation. I will do what I want." Actually, we all do what we want. That comes naturally. However, we don't all want the same things!!

[Mynki]

We pack and always will according to Celebrity's website or their brochures. Posting in a daily while on the Cruise falls under the category after the fact, doesn't count and is Celebrity's error which needs to be corrected. If the dress guidelines differ for different sailings then that needs to be published to heed before the sailing. When we sailed on the Eclipse this past April (14 nights) there were 2 evening chic as published and that's what we packed for. You should take the lead on this issue due to your personal experience and contact Celebrity and advise them of the discrepancy, confusion and concern it's causing. Whether or not the error gets corrected is another issue.

 

To be brutally honest, I think you and a few others have misunderstood some of the posts in this thread. The OP asked a question whilst mentioning a specific ship. My initial post was purely to reassure him that he won't look out of place in a tux and that he won't be disappointed.

 

It's a little bit ridiculous how it's veered of course.

 

Personally I have no concerns as I know how to dress appropriately for a cruise regardless of what is written on Celebrity's website. Remember the OP has only just discovered that officially they have done away with formal nights. Not everyone has read the 8,143 threads regarding dress code on cruise critic. :)

[monkeyface]

Hi posters. I have another question... Are capris considered pants or shorts? Thanks

 

 

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[followyourheart]

The thing that's interesting is that one would think these dress code discussions would be gone by now but it seems that even though the casual crowd has what they wanted they won't be satisfied until every vestige of anyone looking glamorous, chic or sophisticated is gone.

 

 

Not sure what you mean. I haven't read anything close to that sentiment in this thread.

[ECCruise]

Not sure what you mean. I haven't read anything close to that sentiment in this thread.

 

Absolutely correct. In fact the exact opposite is the reality with a number of posters saying, basically, be as formal as you want, you will have no problem. I guess you can read anything into what you want...

[followyourheart]

Absolutely correct. In fact the exact opposite is the reality with a number of posters saying, basically, be as formal as you want, you will have no problem. I guess you can read anything into what you want...

 

That's the beauty of it. You can be as formal as you want.