Evening Attire? Can My Kids Dress Up????

[dianelevene]

We have booked a cruise on NCL Sun in January. The last time we cruised on NCL was before Freestyle. I know that Freestyle means that we can dine whenever we want and we can wear resort casual clothing in the evenings. My big question is for my two daughters (who are 7 and 8.) One of their favorite parts of cruising is the formal nights where they get to dress up in their "princess" dresses. I guess it makes them feel glamorous. If I bring dress up clothes for them, will they end up feeling out of place or uncomfortable because everyone else is so casual? Thanks for any advice!

[mikenhe]

they will not feel out of place. plenty of people do dress up. My 5yo girl dressed up for a couple of nights on our cruise last week and loved it. They'll get treated like royalty. do it.

[LAURAMC]

There is at least one night that they have an optional formal night. My daughter and I love to dress up and we had a blast. By the way... I though I would treat my daughter on the last cruise because we were not able to go to Cozumel and I let her get an up-do on the formal night. No wash, No blowdry, pretty much a pony tail with lots of hairspray and bobbi pins cost me $75. can you say rip off....

[Vyhanek]

Yes I think your girls will feel out of place.

 

My dd's are 8 and 6. They love to dress up like yours do. They dress up in their tule and lace but really I think they were the only kids dressed on the ship that were also headed for the Kids Club. I did see a *few* other kids dressed up but they weren't the kids that were going to kids club.

 

My kids like to do the formal dinners and stroll around in their pretty dresses. It was a dissappointment I must say. I think with the frestyle thing if you do choose to dress up you are in the extreme minority and if you have children dressed up it is even more rare.

[dianelevene]

Lauremc- OK, $75 for an up-do is a total rip off! We will not be doing that!

 

I think I will let them dress up and then they can change right after we eat. It makes them so happy to get dressed up. When I explained the freestyle thing to them, they were disappointed. If they change their minds and decide not to dress up, it should not be a problem since we will be bringing dresses and shoes that we already own. Thanks for the advice!

[browniegirl]

Hi, we are on the Sun in January too (no kids this time though....). We were on the Jewel this past January and had our 4 kids and took 4 in 2004 as well and I can tell you that the kids LOVED dressing up any night. On the really dressy night my daughter brought her "cinderella" gown and wore it, gloves and all, and she had so many compliments I swear she walked on air all the rest of the cruise (she was 4 almost 5 then....8 now). This past cruise they dressed up every night and loved it and it never looked out place, not once. Let them go for it! How often do you get to 5 star dine every night!

 

Browniegirl

[themishmans]

I do not care!!!

 

My daughters (15 and 9) and I are planning to dress up for (optional) formal night. I might even wear a full length sequined gown (haven't decided yet). DD15 has a gorgeous white sparkly minidress and a blue cocktail length dress (both from homecoming) that she wants to wear. DD9 has a below the calf, spaghetti strap royal blue with white cotton lace. DH will wear a dark suit.

 

If anyone looks at us funny, it is their problem. IMO, freestyle means "do whatever you like."

[saraisarai]

my 3 year old dressed up every night and will on this next cruise as well. go for it!

[CanadianTwosome]

If your kids love to dress up, they can do it every night and not feel out of place. I experienced NCL and freestyle cruising for the first time in December, and all my past experience was on 'regular' ships. I LOVE freestyle. I always enjoyed meeting people at my table (thankfully in four cruises I never had to endure someone annoying every night) and learning about where they came from and all that, but the freedom of dining whenever and wherever we want is just so nice, especially with a child that may or may not be hungry at any given time. I'm a 'dresser', though, so even with the freedom to wear whatever I want, I feel most comfortable in a formal dining room if I'm dressed for it. When we go out to eat at home, I wear casual clothes to some restaurants and I dress for others. Part of the freestyle concept for me is taking the opportunity to wear 'nicer' clothes every evening, at least for dinner - I may or may not change after, depending on my plans for the evening.

 

On formal night, I wore a floor length gown, my husband wore his best suit, and our daughter wore a beautiful black velvet and gold tulle party dress and looked beautiful. She also received many compliments and beamed the entire time she had it on. She still loves twirling in a 'big' skirt! (which she did out of the way of other passengers, of course) For our upcoming cruise, we've decided to make her a new dress, which will have a pink satin underdress and an iridescent purple overlay... I expect it to be stunning! I can honestly say, also, that none of us noticed whether or not any other kids dressed up. We dressed up for us and enjoyed it. I can't remember if she went to kid's crew that night or not, but once dinner and pictures were over, she changed anyway, so it wasn't a factor.

 

On the 'non-formal' nights, she dressed 'nicely'. She's always got a few dresses to wear to parties and events, so she got to pull them all out and enjoy being 'pretty' all week. They always came off after supper because dressing up is dressing up and playtime is playtime. My personal opinion is that you should encourage your children to take advantage of the opportunity to wear their fanciest clothes if that's what they enjoy, and teach them that there's never any reason to feel uncomfortable just because others make different choices. There were plenty of adults who never changed out of their jeans on our last cruise and I'm glad they were able to be comfortable on their cruise - I was comfortable on mine wearing clothing I don't get to wear every day. I never let anyone else's personal choices influence mine - life is too short, and childhood is even shorter. Enjoy it all while you can!!

[CanadianTwosome]

I do not care!!!

 

My daughters (15 and 9) and I are planning to dress up for (optional) formal night. I might even wear a full length sequined gown (haven't decided yet). DD15 has a gorgeous white sparkly minidress and a blue cocktail length dress (both from homecoming) that she wants to wear. DD9 has a below the calf, spaghetti strap royal blue with white cotton lace. DH will wear a dark suit.

 

If anyone looks at us funny, it is their problem. IMO, freestyle means "do whatever you like."

 

WEAR IT!!!!! If you have a full length sequined gown, how many opportunities do you get to enjoy wearing it? Don't miss this one!! (and whatever you're thinking of wearing instead - wear the next night!! You can wear formal clothing every night if you want, it's freestyle!!!)

[Cruise_More_Often]

No one will look at you funny. Most will thnk they're darling and many will say so! Photographers are available in the ship's atrium almost (if not every) night to take formal photographs. You'll see people dressed in their finest every night, not just on "formal or not" night.

 

Remember, it's your choice!

[cruise4kicks]

I LOVE the idea that your daughters want to dress up and feel elegant! I think they should.

 

And to those who say that few people dress up and that they would feel out of place, I say -- horse hockey. How I feel in my dressy-dress (elegant, classy, whatever!) isn't dictated by what others are wearing; I feel that why because of what ~ I ~ am wearing. I say, Let them feel like little princesses! ;)

[Down-Unders]

We have booked a cruise on NCL Sun in January. The last time we cruised on NCL was before Freestyle. I know that Freestyle means that we can dine whenever we want and we can wear resort casual clothing in the evenings. My big question is for my two daughters (who are 7 and 8.) One of their favorite parts of cruising is the formal nights where they get to dress up in their "princess" dresses. I guess it makes them feel glamorous. If I bring dress up clothes for them, will they end up feeling out of place or uncomfortable because everyone else is so casual? Thanks for any advice!

 

No way will they feel out of place, wonderful for their self-esteem and confidence. And by the way don't forget to dress up yourself, we are just off the Dawn it was great to see so many people making the effort to dress nicely for dinner.

[themishmans]

WEAR IT!!!!! If you have a full length sequined gown, how many opportunities do you get to enjoy wearing it? Don't miss this one!! (and whatever you're thinking of wearing instead - wear the next night!! You can wear formal clothing every night if you want, it's freestyle!!!)

 

Those were my thoughts exactly.

I'll also get a gorgeous, professional photograph out of it.

[maps]

My daughter would be sooo disappointed if she couldn't dress up. She's been once at 4yrs, again at 7 and will be going on a surprise 2 nighter on the Gem.

 

I'm planning on packing them up and not telling them about the trip until we pull up at the pier.

 

My husband specifically said "You better make sure you bring her dress up clothes or she'll be upset"!!!

 

About feeling out of place, last year we went on RCL Mariner of the Seas. It was a theme cruise (that we were not a part of) and half the ship was involved.

 

It was the Hogs on the High Seas and formal night for them was leather night. We still dressed up and if we did not feel out of place that night then no one should on any other cruise!

[dianelevene]

Thanks for all thea advice. I think that the pretty dresses will definitely be coming with us!

[DAGVBSB]

The joy of Freestyle....to dress as YOU want, WHEN you want! Another suggestion would be to dress up on a night other than the optional formal night. (I have seen people do this.) The photographers take the formal lobby pictures every night during dinner hours and the line is MUCH shorter on the non optional formal nights.

[beachchick]

Absolutely let your girls dress up, every night if like. They'll be darling and feel good and enjoy themselves. Who really gives a flying fig if anyone else is spiffed up in the evening? True, there will be many pax who don't dress up, but so what? There was a mix of casual (buffet, etc.), resort casual, a bit nicer than resort casual (that was us most evenings), and dressy every single night of our PoH cruise.

 

Unless you or your girls feel it would diminish your or their enjoyment because many of the other pax choose the non-formal options in the evening, then definitely go for it. What's more lovely to see than a pretty girl in a pretty dress enjoying time with her family (and so as not to be a genderist, a handsome young boy dressed up and enjoying himself with his family is delightful too).

 

beachchick