To Tux Or Not To Tux

[rclcruzer]

Just could not wait to put in my 2 cents!

We have cruised RCCL 8 times since 2003. OK, as you know, eveyone has different ideals on dressing for dinner in the dining room. Our family (me DH 12, 24 and 17 year old kids) always dress up on formal nights, to go into the DINING ROOM ON FORMAL NIGHT. My DH has owned a tux since our first cruise, wears it the first night, and a suit the second and/or 3 formal nights. That's just what WE do. He is not out of place by any means wearing a tux on this cruise line. But I do notice that every year suits are more prevalent. My 2 teenage sons don't care about "suiting up" they actually like it, and always have. they change RIGHT after dessert and go on their way for the night, 1 1/2 hours in a suit is no big deal.

There were a few times over the years that the kids were caught up in an activity or whatnot during dinner, so my DH and I chose to eat in the windjammer, only once during a second formal night. Nobody gave us any grief for wearing "normal clothes" that night. QWe have cruised HAL 3 times, and they do have a class of people that do Tuxes well over suits.

That's just that line, we choose a more family friendly line like RCCL.

But one complaint I and others that we cruise with either together or separately is that when it states formal night, and you choose to eat in the dining room on that night, please come dressed appropriatley! If you do not want to follow the guidelines, then eat somewhere else that night.

We just got off the Serenade on 7/7/7 and the first formal night the table behind us obviously did not get the memo! They were a family of 4 that came in jeans and collared shirts and bermuda shorts and tee's for the women. I wish so bad that RCCL would enforce the dress code. Just on formal nights, but I guess that would be to "rude" of them to do. My friends had the same situation on the Freedom a few months ago. She asked her head waiter "what gives" and his response was "we do not want to offend anyone"..... huh???

Anyway, just had to get my thoughts off my chest! I know this post was originally about to tux or not to tux, but it just spun off!!

 

 

 

coming up: Monarch of the Seas - 1/25/-08 ;)

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Yea Cruise Diva: you really expressed my sentiments exactly. I traveled on the France and the QE2 when I was a child, with my family--grandeur is the word. On the France it was formal night every night: the dining room was sunken and you entered it via a staircase in the middle much like a model's runway: in other words, you made an entrance. Daunting for an awkward 13 year old. My main remembrance of the QE2, which did not have nearly as elegant a dining room as the France, was being wrapped up in a steamer blanket by a steward, in our assigned deck chairs, and given hot bouillion to sip (it was a transatlantic crossing). As you said, looking out on to a dining room or audience full of dressed up folks somehow begins to recapture some of that glamour and thrill. I'm looking forward to it: sailing in less that 2 weeks on the Island Princess!

 

 

Came back to this thread JUST tol read your post!! You describe the old world grandeur of cruising perfectly!! thanks!

[Corner Exit]

This is the VERY reason there are no more Alaska cruises in the horizon for us. We are in Alaska every summer at least twice for business, in our Levi's and T-shirts. After I spend 10-15 days flying from fishing cannery to fishing cannery closing out our season, I could use a cruise for the relaxation. I look forward to getting out of Levi's and t-shirts.

Then again, there are those of us who spend darn near 50 weeks a year in three piece suits, and "look forward to getting out of" stuffy suits and into some more relaxed/casual wear on our vacations. It cuts both ways...

[Growltigger]

I have read all the posts on this thread about formal wear with interest. I find it really incongrous to think that there are folks whose enjoyment would hinge on what other folks wear. It is oversimplistic to suggest that people who don't want to dress up should just find a less formal cruise. There are so many factors that go into which line to travel with. Having found a good fit in terms of itinerary, and level of comfort I would hate to select another line because of the number of formal nights. My favorite cruise line was World Explorer because they had excellent lectures and excellent ports.

The whole formal thing is irrelevent to me. If it gives you pleasure by all means dress up but focus your attention on what you are doing not on the compromises other people make between what they would prefer and doing what they must to fit in. I do not find that the ability to afford a given cruise line has anything to do with whether one likes to dress up. Neat and tidy fine, the rest is intrusive.

[curiousl8y]

NCL has formal optional.

 

Really? Can I ask where you got that information, since you don't cruise NCL?

 

If true, they must have instituted that fairly recently, because there were definitely two formal nights in the "Main" Dining Room on our NCL Star cruise to Alaska in 2005.

 

The "optional" part was pretty much the same as on other cruise lines - people could choose to eat at the buffet, or in one of the other dining venues, but it was formal in the Versailles Restaurant on those two nights.

 

Linda

[greatam]

Really? Can I ask where you got that information, since you don't cruise NCL?

 

If true, they must have instituted that fairly recently, because there were definitely two formal nights in the "Main" Dining Room on our NCL Star cruise to Alaska in 2005.

 

The "optional" part was pretty much the same as on other cruise lines - people could choose to eat at the buffet, or in one of the other dining venues, but it was formal in the Versailles Restaurant on those two nights.

 

Linda

 

Right off the NCL website:

 

One of you wants a little glamour and you-know-who wants to wear khakis. Can this relationship be saved? No problem. Thanks to our policy of, well, no formal policy, you can be elegant one night and casual the next. It's called resort casual and it's a lot more comfortable than wearing a tuxedo.

 

Another one-from press release Sept. 2006

 

NCL's Freestyle Cruising turns traditional cruising on its head and is characterized, in particular, by having no fixed dining times, no formal dress codes, relaxed disembarkation, up to 10 different restaurants and even more lounges, bars, theatres and other entertainment and activity options.

 

And one more

 

Freestyle Dress Code

 

What's the dress code while NCL Freestyle Cruising? Simply put, there isn't one! No evening gown and tuxedo are required (unless you want to dress for dinner). For dinner, shows, nightclubs or anything else on the ship, “resort casual” is as dressed up as you will ever be expected to get. For those who like to get decked out for the night, many restaurants offer formal options.

[greatam]

Then again, there are those of us who spend darn near 50 weeks a year in three piece suits, and "look forward to getting out of" stuffy suits and into some more relaxed/casual wear on our vacations. It cuts both ways...

 

So I pick a more formal line (X or HAL) and you pick a more casual line. We all get what we want (or at least most of it).

[curiousl8y]

I have read all the posts on this thread about formal wear with interest. I find it really incongrous to think that there are folks whose enjoyment would hinge on what other folks wear. It is oversimplistic to suggest that people who don't want to dress up should just find a less formal cruise. There are so many factors that go into which line to travel with. Having found a good fit in terms of itinerary, and level of comfort I would hate to select another line because of the number of formal nights. My favorite cruise line was World Explorer because they had excellent lectures and excellent ports.

The whole formal thing is irrelevent to me. If it gives you pleasure by all means dress up but focus your attention on what you are doing not on the compromises other people make between what they would prefer and doing what they must to fit in. I do not find that the ability to afford a given cruise line has anything to do with whether one likes to dress up. Neat and tidy fine, the rest is intrusive.

 

Right on.

 

Intrusive and irrelevant. I'm much more interested in what they have to say than what they happen to be wearing. Unless they literally smell. Then I would ask to be moved. ;)

 

Linda