Differences between RCCL Allure and Celebrity dress on formal nights

[smlcruisers]

I recently cruised on the Celebrity Summit in Oct. 2019.  I noticed that the dress in the main dining room on formal nights had been much more relaxed than in the past (estimated 25% of men had no jackets and ties).  Not complaining!  There were no shorts, t-shirts, swim wear, or flip flops. This leads me to wonder about other ships under Royal Caribbean and if it is the same. We'll be on the Allure of the Seas in January 2020 and the suggested attire for formal nights is still a tuxedo or coat and tie.  My question is:  Has anyone had a recent cruise on the Allure? Can you tell me if formal night dress has relaxed as much as Celebrity? Will I be denied entrance if I am in a button-down collared shirt, tie, and vest?  

[Itchy&Scratchy]

we were on the Allure in April. Hardly anybody dressed up for the formal night. We didn't - more like business casual.

Somebody was wearing SWIMMING TRUNKS and a tank top and he wasn't booted out either.

 

Trust me, you don't need a tux.

[George C]

We did a celebrity earlier this year and Oasis exactly a year ago , rccl was way more casual, you almost never see shorts in dinning room on celebrity pretty common on oasis .

[karena1]

We were on Allure in April.  I would say the vast majority were in nice clothes but very few all decked out in long formals and tuxes.  I wore a pretty dress and husband wore his silk slacks with a silk Tommy Bahama shirt.

 

[h20skibum]

You will find the dress on Allure much more relaxed than on Celebrity, especially for Caribbean cruises. 
 

European cruises are much different, with the majority of men in tuxes on those. 

[ecslady]

Technically, Celebrity does not have formal nights.  RC still has formal nite. 

Celebrity has  Evening Chic nights.  Still, it does vary by itinerary and part of the world.  From the Celebrity Cruises  website:

 

Evening Chic nights aren’t the time to put on your favorite college sweatshirt or well-loved ripped jeans. But you also shouldn’t feel like you need to reuse an old fancy bridesmaid dress or rent a tux for your cruise – unless you want to! And that’s the beauty of Evening Chic nights. Get super dressed up or just get stylishly comfortable.

The dress code for Evening Chic is as follows:

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

 

And from the RC website about Formal Nights:

 

Think of our formal dress code as a night out in your best black-tie look — suits and ties, tuxedos, cocktail dresses or evening gowns are all acceptable options. There can be 1-3 formal nights during a sailing and is at the ship’s discretion.

Edited November 2, 2019 by ecslady

[macrc]

We got off the Allure last Sunday.  I wore long pants and a button down shirt every night but the first night.  On formal nights you saw a little of everything.  So wear what you are comfortable in.  We had great service and we thought the food was very good.  Really enjoyed the Rack of Lamb on the last night.  Everyone of the crew that we had contact was great.

 

 

Bob

[Jesseslola2]

We were on celebrity edge and on chic nights guests really dressed up. We were on an 11 days Amalfi cruise, I think we had 3 chic nights. First night we did not dress up and looked a little out of place, so we run and changed to our formals.

We are used to the RC Oasis class formals that are very relaxed

[Norwich Cruiser]

Both lines certainly become more relaxed over the years.

RCCL more so.

I think Cunard are probably one of the only main stream lines who still do formal as we used to know it.

[PhoenixCruiser]

You might actually be overdressed

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[ChrisK2793]

In the past year we’ve been on Allure, Oasis, Symphony, Navigator, and Mariner.  On Allure, Oasis, and Symphony only about 10% of the passengers were dressed in formal attire for the formal nights.  Mariner and Navigator didn’t even have a formal night on the weekend cruise.

 

On Allure, Oasis, and Symphony the vast majority simply wore nice slacks and a nice shirt.  There were also MANY who wore jeans and a polo shirt, AND there were even a lot who wore nice dressier shorts with a nice shirt.

 

We were staying in suites, so on Allure, Oasis, and Symphony we were able to eat in the Coastal Kitchen which is a dining room for suite guests only ...... In Coastal Kitchen, we didn’t see a single couple dressed formal on formal nights.  The most dressed we saw anybody was very nice slacks and a nice shirt and a nice dress but far from being a formal dress.  We were surprised at how many men in the Coastal Kitchen even had on nice shorts and shirts with FLIP FLOPS in the Coastal Kitchen on formal nights.

 

My overall point is wear what you want, unless you’re in a bathing suit and tank top, you won’t be turned away from the main dining room on formal night.

 

[boscobeans]

About a dozen cruises under our belts on Celebrity  and the same on Royal Caribbean going back about 20 years of Caribbean cruises.

In the beginning formal on X meant formal and passengers were actually refused entry into the MDR, not only for apparel but also if you were over 15 minutes late for your seating. RC was more relaxed and if you were neat (no shorts) you got in.

 

From one of the first X cruises with their "CHIC" or whatever they called it after the change from "FORMAL" it we saw shorts and flip flops  on not only casual nights but on Formal as well..  No one was refused entry into the MDR.

 

You will see Tuxes, suits, jackets, Izod and just about everything now on either line on almost any night.  If you look fairly neat and presentable it seems like anything goes.  

[Iamcruzin]

13 hours ago, ecslady said:

Think of our formal dress code as a night out in your best black-tie look — suits and ties, tuxedos, cocktail dresses or evening gowns are all acceptable options. There can be 1-3 formal nights during a sailing and is at the ship’s discretion.

🤣 This couldn’t be further from the truth. 50 years later and they still haven’t updated the literature. 

[smlcruisers]

Thanks to all who responded to our inquiry.  The results are what I expected and what I had hoped for.  I wish you all safe travels and calm seas.

[Floridastorm]

How about the Allure west to east transatlantic this coming March 2020? I would imagine that formal nights would be pretty relaxed although not really sure. Dress Shirt and Trousers for men. Don't know what the dress code for women would be but my wife goes with the flow.

 

By the way, how does this huge beast take the Atlantic seas? Any problem with the forward most cabins?

 

Thanks in advance.