Formal Nights

[hampshirelad]

I do not wish to re run a further post on the Dress Code as that is clearly laid out in FAQ on the Seabourn web site. My question is  - On an eleven day cruise around the Canaries, with the only days at Sea being the first and last , when it might be ? A  possibility is that it might be  a day when you sail at 5 or 6 pm rather than 11 pm. Any suggestions gratefully received.

 

Many thanks

[Mauzac]

Personally I've always found it's normally about day 3 or 4 of the cruise if I remember correctly

[jrmuk]

It's a while since I was last on Seabourn but I remeber at some point the itinary was issued showing which nights were elegant/casual and which were formal. 

 

To save taking a jacket I would book the Grill on a formal night if I knew which night it was.

 

With less than 28 days to go I still can't find that info.

 

Anyone got any pointers?

 

Thanks.

[babydoc2]

Leaving for our 10th SB cruise on the 13th, on Ovation. I have been told numerous times that formal nights are at the discretion of the captain and are generally not announced until the cruise starts. Others may have different takes on this.

[Covepointcruiser]

Currently on the Ovation.   The first formal night was our first day at sea.   We had dinner in the grill and everyone there was dressed at least in a sports jacket.   There were many suits and tuxes and of course the women always dress up on Formal night.    We have a second formal night on 2/8.   If you can’t take a sports coat, eat in an informal type restaurant such as the Colonnade or outside in Earth and Ocean.    We’ve not tried the Sushi restaurant so I don’t know if it’s a dress down spot. TK Grill seems to be dressy to the point of a Sports Coat every evening on this cruise.    Don’t worry about being too warm, the air conditioning is really working well (and cold) everywhere.

 

[SLSD]

It has also been our experience that the TK Grill is as dressy (even on formal nights) are The Restaurant.  My husband wears a jacket (and tie) to both.  It would be easy to just go to the Colonnade or Earth and Ocean if you really don't want to take a jacket.  But, why not just take a jacket.  It seems a minimal thing for a man's wardrobe.  

[sfvoyage]

I used to wear a jacket at TK Grill once in a while, but I don't bother anymore.  I see plenty of people not getting dressed up there.  On formal nights, men need suits/jackets only at the Restaurant.  

[Covepointcruiser]

We have seen mostly jackets on the current cruise on Ovation in TK.    It was cold when we boarded in Miami a lot of men were wearing them to board.   Mostly navy sport jackets.

[twodjs]

We were on Ovation in January and they do enforce the suit coat (at least) in the Restaurant on formal nights. We noticed one man who we presume was not aware of the policy and arrived in a tropical print shirt. By the time he was seated, the staff had provided him with a black suit coat which he put on in order to comply. Pretty stealth move by the staff. The dress code does add to the overall ambiance of the venue. Thank you Seabourn!

[Mahogany]

Does the menu at The Restaurant on formal night tend to feature more "luxe" offerings like Beef Wellington, lobster, etc. than on other nights?

[frantic36]

23 minutes ago, Mahogany said:

Does the menu at The Restaurant on formal night tend to feature more "luxe" offerings like Beef Wellington, lobster, etc. than on other nights?

Yes it has a special menu usually in main dining room. In the Colonnade that night they are more likely to have the French Menu. I don't worry about missing out on the French night menu now as I know I can special order with 24 hours notice to have escargot, chateaubriand or foie gras.

 

[2SailingNomads]

2 hours ago, frantic36 said:

Yes it has a special menu usually in main dining room. In the Colonnade that night they are more likely to have the French Menu. I don't worry about missing out on the French night menu now as I know I can special order with 24 hours notice to have escargot, chateaubriand or foie gras.

 

Or lobster, or pretty much anything you want.  Last time we were on-board (too long ago) we had a group of 10 that arranged for an Indian dinner in the MDR one night.  And that was after just the 2 of us had done it earlier in the cruise - point being Seabourn will go out of their way to accomodate.  And to be fair we had an Indian dinner for 2 on our one and only Crystal ocean cruise that we requested but it was somehat disappointing - very bland despite us telling them we enjoy spicy food.  

[bohaiboy]

On the Encore in April from Istanbul.  14 day cruise.  No at sea days., 2, 3, or 4 formal nights?

[sfvoyage]

13 minutes ago, bohaiboy said:

On the Encore in April from Istanbul.  14 day cruise.  No at sea days., 2, 3, or 4 formal nights?

 

Normally, on a 14-day voyage, there'd be 2 "formal optional" nights.

 

Please note that SB has evolved with the times and relaxed the dress code for formal nights.  Those who love old-fashioned formal nights would probably prefer the Queen's Grill on Cunard better.

[Covepointcruiser]

Actually, the Herald does not say Formal optional.   It says Formal in the Restaurant.   We ate in TKs and every man had at least a sport, most had ties.    There may have been casual dress in the TK Bar but they didn’t come into the Grill.    We dined early so I don’t know if it gets more casual after 8 pm.

[frantic36]

5 hours ago, sfvoyage said:

Those who love old-fashioned formal nights would probably prefer the Queen's Grill on Cunard better.

 

I think that is a bit rude. I love getting dressed up sometimes and so does my husband and we love Seabourn. I don't suggest people who prefer not to dress up go on some other line i.e. Oceania, we can co-exist.

[frantic36]

5 hours ago, bohaiboy said:

On the Encore in April from Istanbul.  14 day cruise.  No at sea days., 2, 3, or 4 formal nights?

 

If this is a B2B cruise combining two 7 day cruises there maybe no Formal Optional nights as 7 night cruises usually don't have them. Maybe get your TA to check with Seabourn. 

[marazul]

48 minutes ago, frantic36 said:

 

If this is a B2B cruise combining two 7 day cruises there maybe no Formal Optional nights as 7 night cruises usually don't have them. Maybe get your TA to check with Seabourn. 

In our experience,  each 7-day segment has a formal night. 

[frantic36]

1 hour ago, marazul said:

In our experience,  each 7-day segment has a formal night. 

Good to know. I just thought on our last cruise in the Med in 2019 on the 7 night segment we didn't have a formal night. But my memory could well be faulty.

[sfvoyage]

4 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Actually, the Herald does not say Formal optional.   It says Formal in the Restaurant.

Yes, I recall that the Herald says "formal".  However, in the preliminary docs for my upcoming voyage, it says "formal optional nights: 2."  So apparently Seabourn can't get their wordings consistent.

[sfvoyage]

2 hours ago, frantic36 said:

 

I think that is a bit rude. I love getting dressed up sometimes and so does my husband and we love Seabourn. I don't suggest people who prefer not to dress up go on some other line i.e. Oceania, we can co-exist.

 

No, this is not rude, and it was not meant to be rude.  You took my comments personally, which was unintended and unfortunate.  I fully support your need and desire to dress to your heart's content, and yes, we can all co-exist.

 

The incontestable fact is that times have changed, and Seabourn has evolved accordingly.  As I understand, formal for men used to be predominantly tuxedos, which evolved to suits, and then to jacket and tie, and now it's just any old jacket, no ties required!  And women can get away with pretty much anything:  I've seen many a moomoo on formal nights in the Restaurant, and nobody would say a word.

 

On Seabourn, you are more than welcomed to dress to the nines or not.  But it is not considered a dressy cruise line in the old-fashioned sense, like Cunard, which I mentioned because some dear friends from Seabourn love to cruise on Cunard from time to time because they enjoy dressing up and being among the dressier crowd on there, while they enjoy the ambiance equally on Seabourn.

 

Again, I'm stating facts and did not mean to be rude.  No unnecessary drama, please!

 

 

Edited February 6, 2022 by sfvoyage

[Covepointcruiser]

On the Ovation on the Formal night, you have the option of dressing down and eating at a different venue.   We actually saw a couple who may have just finished shopping at Walmart come into the evening show.    They did, however, comply with the mask mandate.

[cruiseej]

Technically, the dress code throughout the ship after 6 pm is Seabourn's Elegant Casual: "Men: Slacks with a collared dress shirt or sweater; Jacket Optional. Ladies: Slacks / skirt, blouse, pant suit or dress." Formal dress is required only in the main dining room, only on nights designated as Formal. But in lounges and the theater, "Elegant Casual" applies at all times in the evenings. I don't know if any crew member would quietly inform a guest that they are not properly attired if they entered a venue in jeans or shorts after dinner; I'm just sharing what Seabourn states as their dress code. 

[sfvoyage]

37 minutes ago, cruiseej said:

I don't know if any crew member would quietly inform a guest that they are not properly attired if they entered a venue in jeans or shorts after dinner; I'm just sharing what Seabourn states as their dress code. 

 

As I mentioned before, women can get away with a lot more than men can.  Having said that, for men, I've seen them without a jacket, with a short-sleeved shirt, or with a collar-less shirt, etc. on formal nights in the Restaurant.  It depends on the staff, and if one looks neat and presentable and if no other guests complain, most staff won't confront the guests.

[skybluewaters]

When scheduling online prior to the cruise for dinner at the TK Grill, any tips on which day to choose?  We'll be on a 14-day Alaska cruise aboard Odyssey this fall.  I suppose we should dine at the MDR on formal night, since it appears there is an enhanced menu that night, correct?  And how do we know which night is formal night in advance of the cruise? 

Also, are sea day dinners generally "better" than port day dinners as they are on some other cruise lines?  (I know that's subjective, but if there's lobster etc., most people would agree that would be "better" 😁).  Thanks!