Formal night

[alibee]

On a port intensive cruise on the Voyager with one formal night, is it ok to wear a sport jacket and tie? Will they allow my husband in the dining room.? He really doesn't want to drag a suit or tux for one night, particularly since we will be trvelling before and after the cruise.

[luxlady]

Well Alibee, I haven't been on the Voyager but formal nights mean a tux or dark suit. I don't know whether he will be stopped at the door. If he isn't, he will stand out among others who have made the effort to conform with the policy. Remember, you can be served course-by-course in your suite if you choose not to participate in the formal night activities. Also, as far as I am aware, on formal nights you must be in formal attire in all of the public rooms, including bars and the showroom.

 

Having said that, I could be wrong and there could be an alternative dining room now available. But, I don't think so.....

[mpfund]

Nice, Luxlady, you have probably scared Alibee from sailing. I see no reason that a sport jacket and tie would not be acceptable. Face it, the requirement for a "penguin suit" for men is fast fading -- and with good reason. The younger generation with money to spend on travel simply will not put up with being told what to wear.

 

Alibee -- go for it!! You (and your husband) will be just fine.

[adrenn]

Alibee - we just concluded a terrific trip on the Voyager in June. The voyage had three formal nights (all sea days) and the rest were country club casual.

 

I'm assuming you're asking the question because you'd like to know what to expect. Mpfund is correct a sport jacket and tie won't get you bounced out of a restaurant, show room or bar on formal night. That said, luxlady is also giving you an accurate read on what others do on formal night. The vast majority of fellow male passengers will be wearing dark suits and a smaller number will have tuxedos on a seven-day cruise. Some passengers adore the opportunity to get all dressed up as it's part of the magic for them. Others have had it up to here were hose, gowns, heels, hairspray, ties, tuxes, cumberbunds, etc and feel put upon to have to don such attire. It takes away from their enjoyment of the cruise.

 

At present, La Verandah is a casual attire restaurant every night. On formal nights, they offer a gorgeous Italian steakhouse menu. Compass Rose is often very crowded on formal nights with the accompanying pick-up in noise. We'd just as soon go up to La Verandah and enjoy the lovely views, reduced noise levels and the great service. It all depends on what is most appealing to you, as Compass Rose's menus on formal nights are among the best they offer, too. Signatures always requires informal dress (ie, a jacket but no tie and informal attire for the ladies). They did ask a friend of mine to put on a jacket when he arrived without one. I haven't eaten there on a formal night but I expect they follow the dress code of the ship for the evening. Both Latitudes and Compass Rose follow the dress code of the ship each evening. If the ship is doing a pool grill at night, it will be country club casual.

 

Luxlady is correct the public areas do require the evening's dress code so if you opt for La Verandah sans jacket and tie but want to go to the show or a bar afterwards, you will need to slip into them after dinner.

 

Neither I or my husband like to take along even one extra item when traveling; as such, he tried the sport jacket and tie with coordinating slacks for formal nights on our first Mediterranean cruise and had no problem being welcomed and served at dinner or in the public areas. He felt underdressed and switched to a dark suit for this past trip. That worked better for him. Women wear anything from over-the-top evening gowns to cocktail dresses to dressy separates, including elegant tops and slacks. I take a long dress only if there are multiple formal nights but am equally comfortable in a cocktail dress or a dressy sweater with black slacks.

 

As luxlady points out, you can always opt for what one of my fellow passengers referred to as the "white robe" dress code option on any night for the entire cruise. Having dinner in your suite can be a great option if you're really tired or just want to chill out. We very much appreciate all of these options and it's characteristic of the service and flexibility we enjoy on RSSC.

 

I hope you have a wonderful trip! We look forward to when we can free up the time and $$ to go again. Please let me know if I can help with any further questions and let us know about your trip afterwards. Cheers, Anne

[freddie]

Alibee - We just returned from the Norwegian fjords cruise on Voyager, which had a combination of formal nights (2), plus several informal nights and several c.c. casual nights. On the formal nights, we did not see any man in Compass Rose wearing anything other than dark suit or tux. I agree with Anne that Compass Rose gets pretty crowded (and loud) on formal nights at sea. It is still delightful; but not quite as pleasant as when it is not so fully occupado. La Veranda is the very nice alternative. It is always c.c. casual, and does have some marvelous Mediterranean food choices. Signatures is always at least informal and is formal on the nights when the rest of the ship is formal. We certainly concur with you that taking a formal outfit for one evening, particularly when you are going on to other adventures after the cruise, is vexing. (Indeed, Pat & I are struggling with the same dilemma at the moment regarding what to take for our cruise in December on Mariner from Ft. Lauderdale to Lima.)

 

I admit that we prefer Compass Rose to La Veranda. However, for one night, and to spare the necessity of schlepping an exta suitcase to carry the "formal duds" for one evening, we would go either for La Veranda or for room service.

 

Cheers, Fred

[Dolebludger]

As most know, I am no fan of formal nights on cruises because of packing and luggage weight problems. However, I have never seen any men on Radisson formal nights in other than tux or dark suit and tie, and I would not feel comfortable dressing otherwise --- either in the Compass Rose or any other public area ---- on formal nights. An interesting solution (which I have yet to try) is to go the dark suite route, and use the suit for informal nights with a dress "T". This might be a good way to facilitate packing and still be able to dress to "blend in" with fellow guests.

 

Hope this helps,

Richard

[yodooo2]

Everyone here is right but in Signatures, the michelin restaurant on the Voyager, you cannot be admitted without a sport jacket ANY night. My husband did not have a jacket and had to wear a waiters jacket or we could not go in. THey are really strict about that. Never had that on a ship before.

[alibee]

Thaks for the info everyone. As log as he is not bounced, my husband is not one to feel uncomfortable dressing differently from everyone else. I know he will look great in a sports jacket and tie, but I will try to convince him to shlep a suit.

Thanks again