Formal nights

[Heather White]

How many formal nights on a 14 day cruise?

And how formal is formal? For men.

[GOARMY]

ZERO.  

 

The benchmark is a cruise segment of 15 days or more.  On those occasions (which we are looking forward to this September-October aboard Explorer when cruising to Tokyo) two "Formal Optional" nights are offered.  This applies to ladies and gentlemen.  

 

As to how formal?  Our experience over the years is about 15% of gentlemen wear a Tux.  Ladies ALWAYS seem to dress up more than men, whether a Formal Optional night or not.  Shame on us guys. On those Formal Optional nights, gentlemen may decide to dress up a bit by actually wearing a sports jacket. The percentage of tuxes has tended down in recent years. 

 

Just our experience    

 

GOARMY!

 

 

 

[cwn]

1 hour ago, Heather White said:

How many formal nights on a 14 day cruise? 

And how formal is formal? For men.

There will be no formal night on Regent cruises. There will be formal optional nights (1 or 2 ) on cruises of more than 15 days.

On formal optional nights most men still dress casual… slacks a nice shirt maybes sports coat. Regent is nice casual dress always acceptable after 6but you can dress more if you like. The majority do not.  Search some of the dress code threads, there are plenty.

[flossie009]

1 hour ago, Heather White said:

How many formal nights on a 14 day cruise?

And how formal is formal? For men.

No Formal nights on a 14 day cruise, but you are obviously free to be as dressy as you please.

On sailings of 16 nights or more, Formal and Semi-Formal attire is optional on two of the evenings.

[douginct]

On the Formal Optional nights, I have worn a sports jacket (actually a blue blazer) sometimes with a tie and sometimes without.  That is as formal as I have ever been on the 4 Regent cruises I have been on.

[Heather White]

This is all very helpful. Thank you.

[flossie009]

24 minutes ago, Heather White said:

This is all very helpful. Thank you.

Heather, the FAQs tucked away on the Regent website are very useful:

https://www.rssc.com/frequently-asked-questions

 

 

[Rothko1]

21 hours ago, cwn said:

There will be no formal night on Regent cruises. There will be formal optional nights (1 or 2 ) on cruises of more than 15 days.

On formal optional nights most men still dress casual… slacks a nice shirt maybes sports coat. Regent is nice casual dress always acceptable after 6but you can dress more if you like. The majority do not.  Search some of the dress code threads, there are plenty.

 

I suppose that's the problem with making it optional.  Many will elect not to opt for formal dress, for a variety of reasons:  not owning a black tie kit; not wanting to pack it; or just generally not wanting to dress up for the evening (which for whatever reason a lot of men feel this way).

[jeb_bud]

5 minutes ago, Rothko1 said:

 

I suppose that's the problem with making it optional.  Many will elect not to opt for formal dress, for a variety of reasons:  not owning a black tie kit; not wanting to pack it; or just generally not wanting to dress up for the evening (which for whatever reason a lot of men feel this way).

You call it a problem. I call it the reason I chose Regent in the first place. 

[cwn]

36 minutes ago, Rothko1 said:

 

I suppose that's the problem with making it optional.  Many will elect not to opt for formal dress, for a variety of reasons:  not owning a black tie kit; not wanting to pack it; or just generally not wanting to dress up for the evening (which for whatever reason a lot of men feel this way).

 

30 minutes ago, jeb_bud said:

You call it a problem. I call it the reason I chose Regent in the first place. 

Also why we pick Regent over other cruise lines. It is nice to have the choice!

I have seen couples dressed to the nines on a non formal option nights. If we are celebrating something (birthday etc) we will pack something more dressy to wear on the actual date, not necessarily on a formal option night….same as dinner out in a nice restaurant in the US. You can see casual to dressy most every night. 

[pingpong1]

32 minutes ago, Rothko1 said:

 

I suppose that's the problem with making it optional.  Many will elect not to opt for formal dress, for a variety of reasons:  not owning a black tie kit; not wanting to pack it; or just generally not wanting to dress up for the evening (which for whatever reason a lot of men feel this way).

For me...Having been retired for nearly 20 years now...and having had to either wear a military uniform (beginning at age 20 for the next 26 years), and then a business suit to work for the next 12 "civilian years"...The term "Dressing Up" means I'm actually wearing (hardly) any clothes at all!  😲  Being able to "successfully pass inspection for dinner" on Regent, while wearing a pair of Slacks, a dress shirt, and some "loafers", certainly meets my own definition of a "luxury experience".  Best Regards.

[Jim B]

How everyone has explained the optional formal night are correct.

One thing I just wanted to mention is that after 6 pm, obviously no shorts, denim, T-shirts.

Also men are suppose to wear a collared shirt after 6 pm. And yes I have seen men told

to go back and change their shirt, and twice were allowed to enter, but explained the rule for

future reference.

[PhD-iva]

Hmmm. I enjoy “dress up” and am on a 17-day South American cruise. Already have to pack A TON of clothes for the range of weather possibilities in that region. 
My question: are pax more casual given the itinerary or perhaps it makes no difference?

 I will almost certainly use this as “an excuse” to get some use out of clothes I otherwise would never have a reason to wear. We are very casual around here…

[GOARMY]

PhD-iva:  

 

This is so, so subjective as to--even after reviewing Regent's guidance and definition(s) of various shades of "casual" attire: 

 

Based on personal experience only (YMMV):  

 

Itinerary and time of year does make a difference.  Example:  Western and eastern Caribbean 7-10 day itineraries.  Contrasted with, usually longer Baltic, northern European, and eastern Mediterranean segments. And, the colder the routing, the more likelihood gentlemen will spring for wearing a sports jacket at dinner venues.

 

Again, the ladies tend to take "elegant casual" to heart, regardless of the heat/humidity index. 

 

And, conforming to a pledge I made to myself a few-years back:  No more specific opining on Cruise Critic of personal opinion regarding Regent's "dress code". Other than:  dress to reflect respect for the 5+service experienced on all Regent ships.  

 

GOARMY!

 

 

 

 

 

[cwn]

2 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

Hmmm. I enjoy “dress up” and am on a 17-day South American cruise. Already have to pack A TON of clothes for the range of weather possibilities in that region. 
My question: are pax more casual given the itinerary or perhaps it makes no difference?

 I will almost certainly use this as “an excuse” to get some use out of clothes I otherwise would never have a reason to wear. We are very casual around here…

Wear what you want / enjoy on your cruise as long as you are within Regent guide lines as stated on their web site. No will bat an eye and you will enjoy your cruise. As long as your are within the Regent guidelines it is nobody business anyway.

[sollan]

17 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

Hmmm. I enjoy “dress up” and am on a 17-day South American cruise. Already have to pack A TON of clothes for the range of weather possibilities in that region. 
My question: are pax more casual given the itinerary or perhaps it makes no difference?

 I will almost certainly use this as “an excuse” to get some use out of clothes I otherwise would never have a reason to wear. We are very casual around here…

I totally agree! So nice to be able to dress up and wear the clothes I othervise never will have the oppertunity to wear. I miss the formal nights...

[PhD-iva]

4 hours ago, sollan said:

I totally agree! So nice to be able to dress up and wear the clothes I othervise never will have the oppertunity to wear. I miss the formal nights...

Me too - I miss the formal nights. Cruising is just about my only opportunity to have “a reason” to glam-it-up! 😁

[Rothko1]

40 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

Me too - I miss the formal nights. Cruising is just about my only opportunity to have “a reason” to glam-it-up! 😁

 

Many people enjoy dressing up elegantly for a cruise.  It's a way of feeling different from the everyday life.

 

Where in Central Texas are you from?  I lived in Temple for a few years, and really enjoyed it.

[cruiseej]

6 hours ago, sollan said:

I totally agree! So nice to be able to dress up and wear the clothes I othervise never will have the oppertunity to wear. I miss the formal nights...

 

2 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

Me too - I miss the formal nights. Cruising is just about my only opportunity to have “a reason” to glam-it-up! 😁

 

So why not dress up, glam-it-up, and wear the clothes you want to wear? Why let it detract from your experience if someone at another table is dressed more casually? 

[PhD-iva]

2 hours ago, Rothko1 said:

 

Many people enjoy dressing up elegantly for a cruise.  It's a way of feeling different from the everyday life.

 

Where in Central Texas are you from?  I lived in Temple for a few years, and really enjoyed it.

We live in San Marcos, although my husband is from Massachusetts and I lived most of my life o/s of Texas. I was born in Corpus Christi so I have always “identified” as a Texan. 🙂

[annmarz]

12 hours ago, sollan said:

I totally agree! So nice to be able to dress up and wear the clothes I othervise never will have the oppertunity to wear. I miss the formal nights...

I love the dressing up but hate packing the clothes.  Airline baggage weight limits have ruined the formal experience for me.

[sollan]

On 7/6/2023 at 11:13 PM, cruiseej said:

 

 

So why not dress up, glam-it-up, and wear the clothes you want to wear? Why let it detract from your experience if someone at another table is dressed more casually? 

 

[sollan]

On 7/6/2023 at 11:13 PM, cruiseej said:

 

 

So why not dress up, glam-it-up, and wear the clothes you want to wear? Why let it detract from your experience if someone at another table is dressed more casually? 

To my knowledge I have not said that I will be detracted from any kind of experience based on what people wear? 

[difranco]

There is a certain overkill on denim. In the US, Levi 501’s are associated with the gold rush and manual labour. In Europe, it’s classed as a premium product such as Ralph Lauren. Clean new high end denim jeans complemented with Tod loafers, a premium patterned shirt and snazzy jacket can’t be that offensive.

Unfortunately the denim police are letting the ladies slacks and top combination pass under the radar. The charity shop look is now common place on mot cruises. IMHO.

 

 

 

 

 

[PhD-iva]

29 minutes ago, difranco said:

There is a certain overkill on denim. In the US, Levi 501’s are associated with the gold rush and manual labour. In Europe, it’s classed as a premium product such as Ralph Lauren. Clean new high end denim jeans complemented with Tod loafers, a premium patterned shirt and snazzy jacket can’t be that offensive.

Unfortunately the denim police are letting the ladies slacks and top combination pass under the radar. The charity shop look is now common place on mot cruises. IMHO.

 

 

 

 

 

Based on my first cruise on Regent Mariner last November on Mariner, this is not yet a big problem for Regent. Yes, definitely a problem for the main stream cruiselines.