Opening a can of worms

[alwalaska]

Hi! Sorry to open a big can of worms, but I really want your opinions ...

 

We do not enjoy getting all dressed up on vacation normally, but we do feel stronly about obeying rules that have been set up. We took dress clothes and dressed up when we wanted to eat in the dining room on our previous cruises, so my dilema ...

 

We are going on the Sovereign in August. I have read that her formal night is very casual, with probably about half of the men having dress shirts and not even suit jackets.

 

Do we need a fancy dress and a suit for that night, or can we just take nice slacks and dress(y) shirts? For me, it would be regular work dress slacks, not the formal wear kind of pants or a simple skirt. I also realize we have other dining options that do not require dress up at all.

[mi3stooges]

I've cruised other lines before, but not RCI. I have seen the difference in formal dress. I think what you mentioned would be fine. I can't see them dening you entry to the dininig room. Relax and enjoy!

[petel]

Either let the suggested dress code be your guide and feel good about yourself or:

Do what others seem to be doing more and more and just ignore the rules and how others feel about you; but ONLY if you can do it and still feel good about what you are doing.

 

That's my opinion for what it is worth.....There are other threads running this question around and around. There is so much culture and attitude wrapped up in maintaining any kind of dress code in our generations it's getting insane. Since some president wore a sweater in the oval office any dress tradition that hasn't been challenged is probably not know about in the US.

[mbtaz]

Hi! Sorry to open a big can of worms, but I really want your opinions ...

 

We do not enjoy getting all dressed up on vacation normally, but we do feel stronly about obeying rules that have been set up. We took dress clothes and dressed up when we wanted to eat in the dining room on our previous cruises, so my dilema ...

 

We are going on the Sovereign in August. I have read that her formal night is very casual, with probably about half of the men having dress shirts and not even suit jackets.

 

Do we need a fancy dress and a suit for that night, or can we just take nice slacks and dress(y) shirts? For me, it would be regular work dress slacks, not the formal wear kind of pants or a simple skirt. I also realize we have other dining options that do not require dress up at all.

 

 

We were told by dining room staff on our last cruise that as long as we didn't wear shorts in the dining room, ANYTHING else was acceptable, even on formal night. Now mind you, we were telling him we weren't eating in the dining room on formal night as we chose not to get dressed up on vacation. He really wanted us to come to the dining room on formal night and assured us slacks and a top were fine. This was on a 7 night cruise. Personally, I don't think jeans should be allowed, that's just my opinion, but believe it or not, on a previous cruise we sat next to a young man (probably 11-12) who wore a suit covered and I mean literally covered with duct tape. And his parent let him.

[irb33785-2]

We have cruised the SOS twice, most recent on SuperBowl weekend. The format nights on the short cruises are very mixed. You will see just about every form of dress you can imagine. I usually wear a sport coat without a tie, or over a dress turtleneck. On a longer cruise, DW and I dress up, but for the shorties, it is just too much effort. It is vacation, after all...;)

[Pomperaugrr]

Sorry to open a big can of worms

 

I've often wondered why people would want canned worms? I can kind of understand the worm at the bottom of tequila bottles, but a whole can of worms...sheesh! ;)

 

Seriously, I prefer to wear formal-wear on formal nights, but only because I am comfortable in my tux. It does not bother me that not everyone does that. Dress comfortably and you will be fine. It is your vacation. I wear a suit and tie every day and often when we go out to a restaurant. That's me. Do what you feel is appropriate. Don't worry about what others may or may not think.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Eric

[firefly333]

Do you have a church dress? We dont get super dressy, just a church dress. No one has said anything so far. I keep gaining weight and the formal dresses I bought keep getting too tight.

[scottydog123]

Do you have a church dress? We dont get super dressy, just a church dress. No one has said anything so far. I keep gaining weight and the formal dresses I bought keep getting too tight.

 

On our last AOS Cruise, we had no intention of eating in the dining room for formal nights and did not bring formal clothing. On our first night in the dining room we met our table mates and our great waiter Bonnie and had a great first meal. We told them as we were leaving that we were not coming to formal night because we did not have the proper clothing. They talked us into coming. I wore a simple skirt with a white blouse and BF wore his Docker pants with a white dress shirt. We did not feel uncomfortable at all. There were people of course beautifully dressed who we admired, but I am glad we didn't miss the dinner due to our fantastic table mates (who also dressed casually) and of course Bonnie our waiter.

[Safetyal]

Hi! Sorry to open a big can of worms,

 

It would be cheaper if you smuggled it in your luggage, rather than paying the ships inflated price for a can of worms :rolleyes:

[James&Rob]

Hello

we have sailed the soverign 3 times the first we did the formal thing the other 2 times we didnt carrie any thing but shorts etc. we just didnt eat in the dinning room we ate at the buffet we had a great time. sometimes I just like to do the casual thing and on that short cruise you can do that. Go and have a great fun time James

[HHFamily]

We love getting 'dressed up' and had considered an evening gown and a tux for our Sovereign cruise but I'd read here that the 'formal' nights aboard Sovereign were more semi-formal at best. We opted for a white suit and a long dress and still felt a little over dressed next to the surrounding blue jean, and docker clad tables, but we will still be dressing similarly on our up-coming cruise because that is what we enjoy. You will not feel out of place in nice slacks and a button up for DH and a nice pants suit or skirt.

[kcdallas72]

For our formal night on Sovereign, I wore a suit and tie. My DW wore a knee length sun dress. At first, she felt very uncomfortable because we saw many ladies in formals. I kept reassuring her that she looked fabulous, and I would also point out other women who were not decked out in formal attire. :D

 

We had a fabulous time, and were thankful that we ate in the dining room every night of our cruise.

 

IMO, I'd rather dress up occasionally for dinner. It happens so infrequently on land that it's a special treat while cruising.

 

Have fun!!

[KAJOKG]

It would be nice if cruise lines relaxed the formal attire a bit. Fot those who love to dress up should dress up. And for those of us who do not, allow semi formal attire....jacket, no tie for men, and nice dresses or slacks and nice blouse for the women. I really don't like formal night, but I enjoy dining in the dining room. And I don't believe that folks should show up in jeans or shorts and T shirsts on formal night. How about just one formal night? Two is one too many, especially on a one week cruise. We are going on the Jewel in 2 weeks, and I'm not packing any formal clothes. We will eat in the Windjammer.

[yogimax]

 

We are going on the Sovereign in August. I have read that her formal night is very casual, with probably about half of the men having dress shirts and not even suit jackets.

 

.

 

We were on Sovereign last month. On formal night, my guess is that 90% of the men had at least a jacket and tie.

[alwalaska]

Thanks one and all for the varied opinions. I will place the options before my husband and then we will decide on an option.

 

I did laugh at the worm jokes as well. :) I sometimes like studying where phrases we use come from. I guess I will have to look into that one.

[Bcurley]

As others have stated you don't need to wear a tux or evening gown to be dressed up. Dressy casual is just fine. I personally enjoy the formal nights as does my teenaged DD. We ggo to a lot of functions that require that type of clothing so I am comfortable in it as is hubby. You're on vacation, just stay away from shorts and jeans and you'll be fine.

[trishalee]

We just returned from the Brilliance last week. Our waiter told us (without it being mentioned) that we could come to formal night in the clothes we had on. This was the first evening when we were wearing the shorts and jeans we travelled in (luggage had not yet arrived). I was shocked - gues times have changed even more than I thougjt!:eek:

[Bruin Steve]

I have always been one who believes in "playing by the rules"...

In this case, those rules rely a lot on the passengers themselves playing along...If everyone showed up wearing jeans and t-shirts, the formal nights would be, de facto, gone...

 

But call me a traditionalist, a sentimentalist, whatever...but, I really think a large segment of the cruising public (especially the women) LIKE getting dressed up for formal night...it's a throwback to the old days--like in the movie Titanic when watching the First Class meals...It's all sort of a game...there's an effect they want to establish...and it really is something that a number of cruisers want to perpetuate...

 

So, on longer cruises, since I'm into games, I ALWAYS pack ny tuxedo...and dress to the nines for formal nights...

 

HOWEVER, I have always noticed a slightly less formal vibe on the short cruises...so, when I cruise on the Monarch (the only ship I do short cruises on nowadays), I've noticed very few tuxedos...but I don't see the formal nights being completely ignored either...so, on 3-nighters, I'll leave the tux at home and bring a sports jacket, slacks and a tie instead...and it seems completely appropriate...On my recent Monarch 5-nighter, I brought a Black Blazer, Black Slacks and tie, the combination being not far off a black suit or tux, but being a bit less difficult to put on and take off...My guess is it still put me into the upper registers of attire for that ship...

 

Face it, I'd prefer to wear shorts and T-shirts day and night while on a cruise...but, for the sake of the game, it's not all that hard to slip on some long dressier trousers and a sports coat...and if it makes a lot of my fellow cruisers happier and makes the women feel more elegant...and like they're doing something really special...well, I'm glad to add to that effect...