Tuxedo on formal night

[Sea Dog]

1 hour ago, John&LaLa said:

 

With the VW 

 

Hand tied bow tie, full vest

Outstanding! I love it . I’m just too hip for this car!!

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, Lady Hudson said:

Well, now I have to give my two cents.  Dressing up for formal nights is very nice and does change the atmosphere for the evening.  Very nice, IMHO.  I think something has been lost when cruise lines started to not enforce dress codes or basic minimums for formal nights.

 

If one wants to experience a glimpse of what cruising used to be QM2 is it.  No belly flop contests, no wet t shirt contests, etc.  But many interesting actities during the day including afternoon tea.  But either way, no one should be made fun of because they choose to “dress up” rather than “dress down”.  Katherine

 

i agree that one should not be made fun of for dressing up or considered silly for dressing up as one poster seems to be saying. I say live and let live. Dress the way that makes you happy. Those who dress up should not look down on those who don't dress up and those who don't dress up should not think that dressing up is silly. I do think that what is appropriate on the QM2 is not necessary on Alaska or Caribbean cruises but if people want to wear a tux on those sailings they should.  

[NSWP]

Having travelled on QM2 in 2017,  I wore a dark gray suit with white shirt and dark tie on foram/black tie nights. That complies with Cunard dress codes. I got the odd stare as 95% of men had dinner suits/tuxedos on, mostly Brits on board as it was world cruise.  I also saw a bloke one day at breakfast in the Britannia Dining Room, resplendent in blazer (bermuda jacket) white shirt, regimental tie, I kid you not.  Shorts and  polo shirt and sandals are fine for Britannia brekkie and comply.

Edited June 11, 2021 by NSWP

[shipgeeks]

6 hours ago, coldflame said:

 

Nah the take away is dressing up on Tux is pointless in a cruise. It had its time and place 50 years ago. We've moved on and realized that was one dumb tradition.

Is eating lobster on a cruise pointless, when you could get by with hot dogs?  Is drinking beer, wine or coffee pointless, when you could drink only water?

If it makes the wearer happy, it's not pointless.  If it makes his wife happy, that's good, too.  I, for one, am really looking forward to seeing my DH, and the other well-dressed men, on our next cruises.

[coldflame]

1 hour ago, shipgeeks said:

Is eating lobster on a cruise pointless, when you could get by with hot dogs?  Is drinking beer, wine or coffee pointless, when you could drink only water?

If it makes the wearer happy, it's not pointless.  If it makes his wife happy, that's good, too.  I, for one, am really looking forward to seeing my DH, and the other well-dressed men, on our next cruises.

 

Comparing foods with attire preference is pretty funny. I can eat the same lobster and same wine regardless how I choose to dress. One has no correlation with the other. But go on with bad comparisons, please, I find people getting their knickers in a twist about my view on dressing up pretty amusing.

[xpcdoojk]

Amateur psychiatrist here....  

 

Have you always been unhappy?

[sgmn]

On 6/10/2021 at 10:00 PM, shipgeeks said:

 

I might mention that DH has acquired several of his tuxes from local thrift/charity stores.  Not a situation of being able to walk in and order your size, but by being patient, he has bought several very nice, high quality tuxedos, probably worn once and then donated.

Good luck on your search, and please come back with updates.

Our very first cruise was on Queen Mary when 15 years ago, dinner jackets were pretty much compulsory 

Hubby and son nbr 1 who was 16 at the time got their DJ suits from a charity shop. Son looked fab, like a young James Bond, hubby not so much, more like the Godfather 😂

[Guest BigRoger]

6 hours ago, xpcdoojk said:

Amateur psychiatrist here....  

 

Have you always been unhappy?

I think I diagnose it as likely to be a very serious disease…. It’s not as rare as people think and is evident more frequently than should be on CC… it’s called in the medical psychology text books…’riccardo craniumus syndrome’ - it doesn’t take a lot of spotting and diagnosing

[retired dude]

please don't get me wrong, but in the city that we used to reside in, when we went out for a nice dinner we dressed nicely....When we moved to sw florida we did the same, but noticed that tee shirts, ball caps and flipflops were considered the norm no matter how nice the restaurant was....Took some getting used to, but we stuck to our standards and feel good about doing so...Wish this philosophy carried over the cruise ships...bottom line-dressing like a bum is not something one should be proud of and making fun of folks that try to look presentable is not to be chastised....just say'in

[retired dude]

i meant to say that making fun of folks that try to look presentable should never happen. just saying

[MississippiMom]

Anyone cruised on New Year’s Eve?

The females on our multi-generational group are ready for sparkly formal dresses, but the males are all over - tux, khakis & a jacket, tuxedo t-shirt.

 

The ladies are ready to celebrate that we will be vacationing and welcoming a new year.  Most of the guys just want to be comfy.

[Lady Hudson]

39 minutes ago, MississippiMom said:

Anyone cruised on New Year’s Eve?

The females on our multi-generational group are ready for sparkly formal dresses, but the males are all over - tux, khakis & a jacket, tuxedo t-shirt.

 

The ladies are ready to celebrate that we will be vacationing and welcoming a new year.  Most of the guys just want to be comfy.

Sailed on a NYE Cruise a few years back.  Not exactly formal wear but folks were more dressed up than on a usual casual night.   Ladies wearing sparkly tops, sparkly dresses or cocktail dresses.  Most men at least with collared shirts.  Think of what you might wear to a NYE party at home — most people dress up a little.  Katherine

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, retired dude said:

i meant to say that making fun of folks that try to look presentable should never happen. just saying

 

What is presentable is a matter of opinion. So I would not make fun or diss people who wear suits neither should the opposite take place. Dissing those who dress neat causal. Presentable to me is resort casual, like on Oceania but that is just my own opinion. 

[George C]

2 hours ago, MississippiMom said:

Anyone cruised on New Year’s Eve?

The females on our multi-generational group are ready for sparkly formal dresses, but the males are all over - tux, khakis & a jacket, tuxedo t-shirt.

 

The ladies are ready to celebrate that we will be vacationing and welcoming a new year.  Most of the guys just want to be comfy.

I did while still single about 35 years ago on SS Norway great really fun cruise, had my first tux back then, loved that ship it was the biggest in the world at the time. 

[CntPAcruiser]

On 6/11/2021 at 12:51 PM, Tree_skier said:

Well so far no luck finding what I'm looking for.  The local Joseph A Banks did not have anything in my size.  I'll be busy this afternoon and everyday after until the late next week so shopping will have to wait until then.  Updates to follow... 

 

Because my size is problematic to find in a store, I ended up buying mine online and having it tailored a bit at my home tailor/cleaners. My husband and I both wear tuxes on formal nights when cruising, and we even have some bowtie/cummerbund sets that are same pattern/different color so we go together but aren't too matchy-matchy. I have both pretied and hand-tie bowties. The pretied ones are often a bit more streamlined and look better with a wing collar shirt, I think, and they are darned convenient. I have quite a collection of cufflinks that I inherited from my father, and it makes me happy to be able to wear them. Hope you have better luck when you start looking again.

[SonicShip]

Try www.dobell.com as they sell tuxedos.

[FamilyCruiserUK]

I have worn a Tux on different cruise lines however not on RCL. From my experience very few people dress up on RCL cruises.

[MD_Dan]

On 6/11/2021 at 7:30 PM, shipgeeks said:

Is eating lobster on a cruise pointless, when you could get by with hot dogs?  Is drinking beer, wine or coffee pointless, when you could drink only water?

If it makes the wearer happy, it's not pointless.  If it makes his wife happy, that's good, too.  I, for one, am really looking forward to seeing my DH, and the other well-dressed men, on our next cruises.

    I get it, Shipgeeks.  I think your point is apt.  You do things on a cruise to make it feel more special.  And I agree with you!   Other than a cruise, there is no other time during the year that I would:

1. Attend an art auction

2. Attempt rock climbing or flow rider

3. Learn about the mechanics of a cruise ship

4. Eat dinner with people I have never met

5. And countless other things!

    I suppose you could stay in your room with your cabin with your family/friends (assuming you are not traveling alone).  And that's OK took.  That wouldn't be my choice.  But, as I would not care to dictate to these folks, please allow me to make my own choices of what I want to do on a cruise.  There is no reason for one to feel offended, in any way, by one chooses to dress up on a cruise!

 

[chefchick]

On 6/11/2021 at 8:46 AM, coldflame said:

 

Very well put. Formal nights in a mid-range line Royal is basically pageantry and costume party and very few partake in. I see exactly zero reason to wear anything more formal than jeans, let alone a tux, at nights. For those who enjoy pointless dress up, by all means, it's always fun to think about all the inconvenience and discomfort you went through.

As someone who enjoys “dressing up” I do not find it pointless, inconvenient or uncomfortable, but thanks for you concern just the same 🙄

 

I have never understood these kinds of debates.  Either abide by the stated dress code or don’t.  What either of us chooses to wear should have no bearing on the others enjoyment of our cruise.   After the year we have all gone through can’t we agree that life is too short and unpredictable to argue over clothing?

[shipgeeks]

25 minutes ago, chefchick said:

As someone who enjoys “dressing up” I do not find it pointless, inconvenient or uncomfortable, but thanks for you concern just the same 🙄

 

Agreed.  We love to dress up on cruises.  It's for our own enjoyment.

Something I do find laughable, though, (not necessarily on cruises) is the sports fans who own and wear team jerseys, jackets, hats, pants, and socks, and wear them so seriously, no matter how unflattering, and how expensive.

[shofer]

Last time DH wore a tux was in 2006 on a 14 day LA-Hawaii RT.  Most of the men wore them at that time.  In all fairness, we did sail in January so the cruise did lean to a much older crowd.  That being said, our last (2018) TA Southhampton-Boston-NYC-Bermuda-FLL was on Celebrity and there is no Formal Night.  DH commented more than once how nice it was not to have to carry a suit along.  Of course, being a girl, I have many more options.  Our next cruise is not until 1/22 on Symphony and I know there will not be any Formal wear for hubby.

[Iamcruzin]

On 6/11/2021 at 9:13 PM, coldflame said:

 

Comparing foods with attire preference is pretty funny. I can eat the same lobster and same wine regardless how I choose to dress. One has no correlation with the other. But go on with bad comparisons, please, I find people getting their knickers in a twist about my view on dressing up pretty amusing.

Not to mention in today's cruising world the hotdog is better than the lobster.

[SRF]

On 6/9/2021 at 10:13 PM, John&LaLa said:

 

Goatee works with my shaved head. I also don't grow much facial hair on my cheeks. 

 

Probably a good thing. 😄

 

I have a buddy who shaves his head (better than a fringe), but has a full beard.  I tell him it looks like his head is on upside down. 😄

[SRF]

While I have spent many years wearing a suit to work almost every day, I still like to dress up.

 

I keep thinking about a tux.  Most of my suits are custom tailored.  I have a Hong Kong tailor I have been using for coming up on 40 years.  But a tux from him will run around $1400.  A bit much for occasional wear (my suits are MUCH less than that).

 

I used to just carry a sport coat, but one cruise, we got invited to dine with the Staff Captain.  I REALLY wished I had brought a suit.  But at least I had a sport coat.  Another guy had a borrowed tie, no jacket. 😄

 

 

[Travel R]

The traditional "cruising experience" included formal nights with most people wearing tuxes or suites, lobster night, and a chocolate on your pillow when you got back to your room at the end of the night, and a whole lot of other things.  Everyone on the ship "dressing up" (at least for me) on formal nights enhanced and charged the atmosphere for the evening. On the other hand, reading some of these threads through the years (and there is always a formal night type thread popping up on here every so often), formal night and wearing a suit/tux was akin to torture worse than waterboarding to some passengers and I am sorry that I had been insensitive to your pain.

 

The "cruising experience" in recent times is not the same (for better or for worse). Cruising has transformed since I first cruised in the 90s. [Has it really been that long?]  Although I admit that I do miss the ole' time formal nights (yes, I do like to dress up), let's be realistic, times are a changing. Whereas formal night used to be one of the highlights of a cruise, it has become just another cruise dinner.  I can also admit that it is a lot easier and much more convenient to pack and travel without a full suit in-tow (I still pack a few dress shirts & ties) - especially with all the modern air travel restrictions and charges.

 

Honestly, for the most part I am really not going to notice what you are going to wear. If I do notice someone wearing a suit or occasional tux, I will be a little envious. On the other hand, if you are dressed at the bare minimum to meet the dress code, you are okay in my book. In the long run, as long as what you do does not interfere with what I do, I don't really care. The one exception is that if you are wearing something very form fitting and revealing I will notice.

 

To the OP - if you want to wear a tux, I am behind you 100%. Life is short - do what you like.

 

Travel R