Is formal dress essential?

[dorie10295]

Ragnar, I like your attitude. It really looks wonderful when everyone is dressed on formal night. There is a certain party attitude that goes along with the attire. I was told last year on New Years Eve people were really dressed up on the Mariner, and the party was fabulous. We are sure looking forward to this years celebration on the Voyager. We will be in Acapulco Bay watching the fireworks from the pool deck. Christmas Eve on the ship last year was formal and the diningroom looked beautiful, and everyone was all dressed up and having a grand time. Even the crew enjoy these evenings, so they say.

[freddie]

There is an interesting change in the RSSC info regarding suggested dress on Informal evenings. On our three previous Voyager cruises (Baltics, Norway, & Monte Carlo to Dover), Informal was described as "Jackets, ties optional" for men. In the current RSSC cruise atlas and on the website, Informal is now described as "Coats and ties suggested" for men. A small difference, but not an insignificant one for those of us who wore the strangling silk menaces for many years of corporate life and would happily never wrap one around our necks again, if we could avoid doing so. Alas, our affection for RSSC trumps our dislike of the silk nooses; so we'll pack a couple of extra ties for our crossing in November.

 

In response to Hambagahle's post that on his November, 2006 cruise, 80% of the men wore black tie on formal nights and 95% wore jackets & ties on informal nights, I must agree with several other posters that such is certainly not our experience. We were last on Voyager in June, 2006, Monte Carlo to Dover, certainly a traditionally formal European cruise. The majority of men wore dark suits on Formal evenings, while the majority of men wore jackets without ties on Informal evenings. I find it quite interesting to read that the realities of dress on Voyager changed so dramatically in a few months.

 

We will take our ties on our November crossing on Voyager and will likely take our tuxes on our Silver Whisper cruise in April. However, we will not suggest, as some posters have, that to prefer to not do so indicates that the silk-noose-avoider should find another cruise line.

[mp8shnt]

Well I wore suits for 7 years in Corporate Life and went Business Casual in 1996. Wow 11 years ago! Anyway I will still be packing my Suit and Tux for my Silversea Rome to Athens trip in November 2007. I don't think it's a big deal - I only bring these items out for special occasions and well an Ultra Luxury cruise seems special to me! Oh and I am 42.

 

I agree with posters who don't like wearing suits on a daily basis....but special occasions - I will put them on.

[Dolebludger]

I discovered a simple way to keep those ties from having a "strangle hold" on us. Just buy some dress shirts with a bit larger neck size. Somehow, as we guys age, our necks get larger around, even though we are not gaining any weight. I don't know why.

 

But on informal nights on Regent I have NEVER worn a tie. Slacks, a dress "T" and a sports jacket, and that's all for me. Same on Silversea. Since I learned to buy some shirts that actually fit my neck, I have not had the problem of ties stangling me. But ties are just something hanging there to spill things on! And they don't clean that easily, as we all know.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Oh boy Fred, say it isn't so! David will just refuse. But I guess I will secret a tie in a suitcase just in case.