Tuxedo on formal night

[Tree_skier]

So I’m leaning towards purchasing a Tuxedo for cruise formal nights for our Alaska cruise on Serenade in August.  Traditionally I have  brought and worn black suit, white shirt and a couple of ties, one for each night. 
 

So to those who have or have companions who wear or have worn tux’s what recommendations do you have for selecting the right tux. I don’t know how to tie a bow tie, is one that clips the equivalent of a clip on regular tie. Are French cuffs mandatory as part of tuxedo wear? Should I stick with white for the shirt or are there other options that are considered equally formal. So many questions!  
 

I’m shopping today at Joseph A Banks  but may not buy today. All answers and recommendations welcomed. 
 

it’s great to be planning again. 
 

 

[yogimax]

What’s a tuxedo?

[davekathy]

12 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

So I’m leaning towards purchasing a Tuxedo for cruise formal nights for our Alaska cruise on Serenade in August.  Traditionally I have  brought and worn black suit, white shirt and a couple of ties, one for each night. 
 

So to those who have or have companions who wear or have worn tux’s what recommendations do you have for selecting the right tux. I don’t know how to tie a bow tie, is one that clips the equivalent of a clip on regular tie. Are French cuffs mandatory as part of tuxedo wear? Should I stick with white for the shirt or are there other options that are considered equally formal. So many questions!  
 

I’m shopping today at Joseph A Banks  but may not buy today. All answers and recommendations welcomed. 
 

it’s great to be planning again. 
 

 

Also great questions for Mr. Joe while your at his store. 

[hancock]

You won't see may tuxes on the cruise,  Alaska cruises tend to be less formal.  Take your black suit and save the money for excursions.  Tuxes are becoming less popular on cruises.

[dodgestang]

Feel free to buy and wear.....however.....don't expect a scene out of Titanic on board with 1000 people in formal wear.....if you get Khakis and a polo out of me (and a large % of others) your doing pretty well these days

😉

Edited June 9, 2021 by dodgestang

[SilkySal]

When we began cruising (back in the day), a lot of cruisers enjoyed dressing up for formal nights but, sadly, not so much anymore. I really enjoy wearing a long fancy dress and admire the men in tuxes. Years ago, hubby purchased his tux from the Men's Wearhouse; I highly recommend them! They will personally fit you with a great looking tux! Try a few styles and pick the one you like! My guy is wearing his tux in my signature photo. Happy cruising and maybe I'll meet you on day on board! Cheers!

 

[gc]

23 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

So I’m leaning towards purchasing a Tuxedo for cruise formal nights for our Alaska cruise on Serenade in August.  Traditionally I have  brought and worn black suit, white shirt and a couple of ties, one for each night. 
 

So to those who have or have companions who wear or have worn tux’s what recommendations do you have for selecting the right tux. I don’t know how to tie a bow tie, is one that clips the equivalent of a clip on regular tie. Are French cuffs mandatory as part of tuxedo wear? Should I stick with white for the shirt or are there other options that are considered equally formal. So many questions!  
 

I’m shopping today at Joseph A Banks  but may not buy today. All answers and recommendations welcomed. 
 

it’s great to be planning again. 
 

 

Hey Dave,

Next time you are in Vancouver head over to

 https://www.harryrosen.com/en/shop/tuxedos

[George C]

22 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

So I’m leaning towards purchasing a Tuxedo for cruise formal nights for our Alaska cruise on Serenade in August.  Traditionally I have  brought and worn black suit, white shirt and a couple of ties, one for each night. 
 

So to those who have or have companions who wear or have worn tux’s what recommendations do you have for selecting the right tux. I don’t know how to tie a bow tie, is one that clips the equivalent of a clip on regular tie. Are French cuffs mandatory as part of tuxedo wear? Should I stick with white for the shirt or are there other options that are considered equally formal. So many questions!  
 

I’m shopping today at Joseph A Banks  but may not buy today. All answers and recommendations welcomed. 
 

it’s great to be planning again. 
 

 

Tuxedo are now extremely rare , I retired mine a few years ago , definitely white formal shirt , had went thru 3 different tuxedos after ten or so years the salt air causes them to shrink. I glad I have dozens of pictures of me and my wife on formal nights .

[PTC DAWG]

10 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Also great questions for Mr. Joe while your at his store. 

I was thinking the same thing....they are usually fairly knowledgable. The one near me is anyways.  

[Charles4515]

31 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

So I’m leaning towards purchasing a Tuxedo for cruise formal nights for our Alaska cruise on Serenade in August.  Traditionally I have  brought and worn black suit, white shirt and a couple of ties, one for each night. 
 

So to those who have or have companions who wear or have worn tux’s what recommendations do you have for selecting the right tux. I don’t know how to tie a bow tie, is one that clips the equivalent of a clip on regular tie. Are French cuffs mandatory as part of tuxedo wear? Should I stick with white for the shirt or are there other options that are considered equally formal. So many questions!  
 

I’m shopping today at Joseph A Banks  but may not buy today. All answers and recommendations welcomed. 
 

it’s great to be planning again. 
 

 

 

Royal Caribbean formal nights are not all that formal anymore. I don't even pack a jacket anymore for Royal. Probably in Alaska many will wera jeans on formal night.....If you want to dress up I suggest a black suit.

 

For a tuxedo you should have  a formal shirt and studs for the cuffs and stud buttons if you want to do it right. Should be white. Your tuxedo jacket should have a peak collar or shawl color. Preferally  not get a notch collar.  I also suggest avoiding a wing collar. 

 

Jos. A. Banks was bought out by Mens Warehouse and in my opinion has gone downhill.

Edited June 9, 2021 by Charles4515

[PTC DAWG]

1 minute ago, George C said:

had went thru 3 different tuxedos after ten or so years the salt air causes them to shrink. I glad I have dozens of pictures of me and my wife on formal nights .

LOL.....that's the truth.  

[Charles4515]

12 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Also great questions for Mr. Joe while your at his store. 

 

Mens Warehouse has bought out the company and quality has gone down in my opinion.

[Big_G]

I always rent onboard. Saves luggage space but I just tried and my ship is not listed as having tuxedo rentals.

 

https://tuxedorentals.rccl.com/tuxedo/tuxrental.nsf

Edited June 9, 2021 by Big_G

[orville99]

French cuffs are nice, but not necessary unless you are wreaking a bow tie. A solid color silk tie (Windsor knot) is very acceptable. White tuxedo shirt preferred, but I have both blue and pink (to match DW’s dresses) If you are going with bow ties, you’ll need true tuxedo shirts because you should have studs for the shirt that match your cuff links.

I always pack 3-4 silk ties and a variety of no-tie bow ties (I got them on Amazon)

[zekekelso]

Nice call. You’ll look smashing in a tux. That said, watch out. Buying a tux is usually followed by gaining 10-15 lbs. It’s like a law of nature or something. 
 

1) Pre-tied ties are the norm, don’t worry about it. 

2) French cuffs? Totally up to you. 
 

3) Acceptable shirt colors: White, baby-blue with ruffles. That’s it. It you want to spice things up, do it with tie and cummerbund, not shirt. 

[h20skibum]

Okay, I will add my 2 or 3 cents here.  The number of passengers in formal wear will vary, depending on the location.   Sailings in the Caribbean have seen a marked trend away from formal wear, so you may only find 10% or less wearing them on those sailings.  Sailing from the UK or Europe is quite different with at least 80% in formal wear on those.  

 

I bought my tux probably 10 years ago, and it has gone on every cruise since.  I did have to upgrade to a larger size pants after a few years of overeating on cruises, but now I am back down to the original size. 😁😁 You may want to factor that in at some point.

 

I usually take two shirts (white).  One is a formal wing-tip collar, and one is a less formal lay-down collar.  Both are tux shirts with French cuffs.  They can show off your cuff links if you have a collection. I have a silver tapestry vest to add some color for one of the evenings, and wear just a cummerbund on the second formal night.  Just know that it can get very warm with a shirt, vest and jacket.  My jacket is usually off not long after dinner.

 

I usually stick with the traditional black tie, but I do have ties that match the vest.

 

Just go with whatever style you like.  It is hard to go wrong with traditional black and white.

[Husky1987]

7 minutes ago, zekekelso said:

Nice call. You’ll look smashing in a tux. That said, watch out. Buying a tux is usually followed by gaining 10-15 lbs. It’s like a law of nature or something. 
 

1) Pre-tied ties are the norm, don’t worry about it. 

2) French cuffs? Totally up to you. 
 

3) Acceptable shirt colors: White, baby-blue with ruffles. That’s it. It you want to spice things up, do it with tie and cummerbund, not shirt. 

 

Absolutely.  My mom and dad went on 35+ cruises.  My dad would wear his tux every night.  His seamstress sister made him about 30 different tie and cummerbund sets, some of them pretty crazy, to match the theme of that night's dinners.  All his tablemates couldn't wait every night to see what he was going to wear.

[jsf]

1 hour ago, yogimax said:

What’s a tuxedo?

What's a formal night?

[Sea Dog]

I know some places that rent tux's also sell their used rentals at a really cheap price. If you don't mind wearing one that is a little used you can save hundreds of dollars.

[Sea Dog]

1 hour ago, Tree_skier said:

So I’m leaning towards purchasing a Tuxedo for cruise formal nights for our Alaska cruise

Good for you. You will look fantastic and better dressed than most of the people on board. I love seeing a good tuxedo.

[mek]

1 hour ago, Tree_skier said:

So I’m leaning towards purchasing a Tuxedo for cruise formal nights for our Alaska cruise on Serenade in August.  Traditionally I have  brought and worn black suit, white shirt and a couple of ties, one for each night. 
 

So to those who have or have companions who wear or have worn tux’s what recommendations do you have for selecting the right tux. I don’t know how to tie a bow tie, is one that clips the equivalent of a clip on regular tie. Are French cuffs mandatory as part of tuxedo wear? Should I stick with white for the shirt or are there other options that are considered equally formal. So many questions!  
 

I’m shopping today at Joseph A Banks  but may not buy today. All answers and recommendations welcomed. 
 

it’s great to be planning again. 
 

 

Honestly, Alaska is very relaxed and casual.  I've been on several and I don't recall  many tuxes, if any. The last one we were on was Grand Princess in September, 2019 and one couple at our table wore sweatshirts in the MDR the entire cruise. You will also see jeans every night in all venues.

Having said that, it's your cruise and if you want to dress formally by all means go ahead. Just don't expect to see many others dressed the same way.

 

Edited June 9, 2021 by mek

[Espn]

How refreshing to see a formal night thread. It must mean cruises are about to happen!

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, Tree_skier said:

So I’m leaning towards purchasing a Tuxedo for cruise formal nights for our Alaska cruise on Serenade in August.  Traditionally I have  brought and worn black suit, white shirt and a couple of ties, one for each night. 
 

So to those who have or have companions who wear or have worn tux’s what recommendations do you have for selecting the right tux. I don’t know how to tie a bow tie, is one that clips the equivalent of a clip on regular tie. Are French cuffs mandatory as part of tuxedo wear? Should I stick with white for the shirt or are there other options that are considered equally formal. So many questions!  
 

I’m shopping today at Joseph A Banks  but may not buy today. All answers and recommendations welcomed. it’s great to be planning again. 

last cruise, there were no tuxes in our area of the MDR. Probably about 5 gents in suit and tie. A handful in sport coats. Vast majority were in casual close. And a handful in shorts. 
 

They don’t even call it “formal” night any longer. 
 

save your money for the cruise. Don’t pay for a tux. 
 

 

[lenquixote66]

1 hour ago, Tree_skier said:

So I’m leaning towards purchasing a Tuxedo for cruise formal nights for our Alaska cruise on Serenade in August.  Traditionally I have  brought and worn black suit, white shirt and a couple of ties, one for each night. 
 

So to those who have or have companions who wear or have worn tux’s what recommendations do you have for selecting the right tux. I don’t know how to tie a bow tie, is one that clips the equivalent of a clip on regular tie. Are French cuffs mandatory as part of tuxedo wear? Should I stick with white for the shirt or are there other options that are considered equally formal. So many questions!  
 

I’m shopping today at Joseph A Banks  but may not buy today. All answers and recommendations welcomed. 
 

it’s great to be planning again. 
 

 

Why would you ever want to wear a tuxedo when Formal nights rarely exist any longer ? I have only worn a tux to my wedding .I have not worn a suit on a cruise since 2010.On my last cruise  on so called formal nights in the MDR people were dressed as thought they were attending a tennis match.

[mek]

2 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

Why would you ever want to wear a tuxedo when Formal nights rarely exist any longer ? I have only worn a tux to my wedding .I have not worn a suit on a cruise since 2010.On my last cruise  on so called formal nights in the MDR people were dressed as thought they were attending a tennis match.

I think some people still like to dress up and that's great if it's what they want to do.

It really depends on the itinerary in Alaska - some days in port leave late and people are rushing back on the ship with no time to change.

I spend money pretty freely on shore excursions in Alaska so I save my money for that.

It's really depends on what is important to each individual.