Don't kill me for this question!!!!

[carmel]

Please don't flame me. I have to ask a question about attire in the dining room. Be gentle.....

 

On the formal night on the Explorer this past June, we saw women in the dining room in dressy pantsuits. They looked very nice and had lots of pretty jewelry that made them even more elegant.

 

My mom wants to know what to wear for formal night. She has a pantsuit and also a dress. But the dress is just below the knee and is actually not as dressy as the pantsuit. What would you advise?

 

Plus, can she wear capris with nice shoes, nice top and pretty jewelry on the non-formal nights in the dining room? I don't want her to feel uncomfortable by being 'less dressed' than anyone else but hate to have her go out and buy dressy clothes she would honestly never wear again. She lives in shorts and capris and has no reason for a lot of dresses. Know that my mom never goes out of the house without curled hair, matching jewelry and perfect makeup so even in her capris, she looks classy.

 

Remember, be gentle. I know this is a hot topic.

 

Forgot to mention, this is for the Holiday in January.

[SevenVII]

That attire sounds good to me, tell her to go for it :D

[DebBrown]

If you are unsure, go to Carnival's website and read their "recommendations" but I have seen some pantsuits that were much dressier than dresses. I would think the capris would be OK on resort casual nights as long as she doesn't wear them with flip flops. LOL.

[halos]

I've seen pantsuits that were absolutely stunning...and women do have the advantage of accessorising to dress up most any outfit...so I'm sure she'll look lovely.

As far as capris on non formal nights...the same goes. Put on a dressier top with them, some great jewelry, awesome shoes, have your hair perfect and you're good to go!!

 

have fun!!

[paulafagan]

pantsuits are just fine, why worry about it. you pay enough money,same as everybody else wear what you like .last year i had a mix of dressy and formal and to be honest if you turn up in your nightgown no one will even notice so go have a ball and im sure your mum will be gorgeous whatever she wears have a good one..........paula;)

[hstrybuf]

Sounds like a plan to me! Pantsuits can definitely look great and more formal that some dresses I've seen. It all depends on how you accessorize and it sounds like your mom knows all about that! ;) Capris sound fine for casual nights (no denim). :)

[KnATL]

No way. Sounds perfect, and about what I wore for an April cruise, I never felt out of place. Go for it!

[L2J]

pantsuits are just fine, why worry about it. you pay enough money,same as everybody else wear what you like .

 

Here we go again.:rolleyes:

 

For the OP. Mom can get a nice evening gown/dress/whatever on Ebay - cheap.

[MusicMan]

". . .pantsuits are just fine, why worry about it. you pay enough money,same as everybody else wear what you like ."

 

For the record, I have no problem with women wearing dressy pants suits on formal night.... BUT I do have a problem with this attitude... IT DRIVES ME NUTS!!!!!.. I pay as much gasoline tax as those in the HOV lane, I should be able to drive there. I paid as much for my drivers license as anyone else, I'll drive whichever way I want to on a one way street. I paid as much (or more) money for my cruise as people in years past, so I'll just tour the bridge whether it's allowed or not. Paying money does NOT allow you to make up rules as you go or decide which ones to follow. The only thing that allows you to do that, is a cruise line not enforcing its policies!!! For all of you who feel that it does, how about this one.... I paid as much money for my cruise as a non-smoker, so I'll just smoke wherever I want to..... now doesn't that sound fair??????? (for the record I quit smoking ten years ago)

[phinfan63]

carmel - sounds like your mom is good to go.

 

paulafagan - i agree with you in the fact that I NEVER once noticed what ANYONE else was wearing. It just amazes me that there are people on these cruises that apparently have nothing better to do than watch what people are wearing. (For the record, I did wear a formal gown on formal night). Actually, that was a slight lie - I did notice the woman at the buffet on the Lido deck one morning in the Carnival robe (it's only 90 something degrees, let's wear a full lenth terry cloth robe, duh!) . Now that is more disturbing to me than if someone wears something a little less appropriate to dinner!

 

Tell your mom that she is all set, to have fun and not to worry about it. As much as they like to talk about it on these boards, I would like to think that these people rarely notice what anyone else is wearing.

[MrPete]

I did notice the woman at the buffet on the Lido deck one morning in the Carnival robe.

You know, I've seen this more than once. I scratch my head, and think what numbnuts they look like. I really think someone should educate people on what to do sometimes. More disturbing is seeing people walking out in the halls in their underwear the night you put your luggage out.

[Mike A]

Carmel, tell your wife not to worry. My wife suffers from MS. It especially affects her feet and legs (pins and needles 24 hours a day). As a result she CANNOT wear a dress or gown since she cannot wear panty hose, stockings or high heels. She ALWAYS wears a dressy pants suit on formal nites and capris on the casual nites. She looks great and we have never had a problem, even on Celebrity, with the fashion police.

[Peanuts]

If your Mom is anything like mine was she could wear burlap and look great. Her pantsuit sounds just fine.

[cuevogirl]

Ok sooo I am going to put my 2 cents in here .....I do not like to wear dresses so therefore I buy very dressy pantsuits to wear on the cruise and I have gotten nothing but compliments from other cruisers....where exactly does it say that women must wear dresses to be "dressed up" .....isn't this additude just a bit sexist.....your mom will be just fine ...to the person who wrote that someone could get a gown on ebay for little money I say it's not always a money issue some people would rather wear pants .....and let me tell you the outfits I wear are no cheaper because they are not gowns ....sorry for rambling on .....HAVE A GREAT CRUISE :)Bonnie

[IBEEMOM]

Tell your mom to take both. If you are going on a seven day cruise, there will be two formal nights. She could wear one each night. I wear pants and a fancy top one night, and a fancy top and long skirt the second night. Capris will be just fine on the non-formal evenings. You will see a vast varity of outfits every evening. The importnat thing is have a good time. Enjoy!!

[zakity]

So would a rayon dress (haven't found one I liked yet), a beaded gold shaw, and strappy sandals (low heeled because I would break my ankle if I wore anything more than 1/2 inch) be ok on formal night?

[Sailure]

Dressy pantsuits are fine for formal and for those ladies who want to look even MORE formal in slacks...Palazzo pants are the way to go, with a glittery blouse and some beads, you'd put a model to shame!

[SevenVII]

Whats wrong with underwear in the hall!

[Travelitis]

I can vouch for some people noticing if you are out of the dress code. The airline lost our garment bag, so all my dh had was shorts and black jeans. He rented a tux to take care of formal nights. Anyway, the very first night he had to wear long shorts into the dining room, and he fielded some nasty looks. One man shook his head disapprovingly, so we spoke up and told him our luggage was lost, and that was all we had at the time. fortunately I'd moved a skirt and a knit dress to our suitcase, and I was able to buy a formal dress on the ship. No, this wasn't on HAL but on NCL.

 

That being said, I don't care when women wear dressy pantsuits or less-than-formal dresses on formal nights. I stick strictly to the dress code and found a long, black skirt really cheap ($12) at Marshall's. I like the full-length gown look, but didn't want to spend much. I take 2 formal tops, and I'm set for formal nights (pd $2 plus shipping for 1 on eBay and $20 for a stunning, fully-beaded white one at Marshall's). With the right jewelry, I could mix a basic black top in a simple style and look formal. I don't wear heels because of reconstructive surgery on both feet, so the long skirt hides that. I can get away without pantyhose if I keep the top and jewelry understated. I'm sure your mom will look wonderful and feel appropriately dressed no matter what she chooses. She sounds very particular about her appearance.

[marvholly]

I have done 10 cruises over about 35 years. I have scrawny legs, tend to prefer pants or long skirts and have accumulated dressy cruise clothes in 2 color groups that I tend to rotate. All my skirts/dresses are mid-calf or longer. In the black group I bought a women's tux style pant suit on sale at Kohls in March 03 for $15. With this, my 2 pc black dress, a glittery top and several dressy blouses I am set for upwards of a 10 day, 3 formal nite cruise and I have another skirt, silk pants and several dresses if I am bored or fatter/thinner than usual. In my ivory/gold group I have a gold 3 pc sequin pant suit, an ivory silk long skirt suit, several dresses and at least 2 other pant outfits that all co-ord with one of the jackets (ivory and/or gold). Taking a single color group also helps on the shoe/eve bag packing. One set and I'm good to go. On my Mar 04 cruise I did all packing in 1 med wheeled bag and 1 carry on with room to spare (always split pack in min. 2 bags so if 1 is misplaced I can manage).

[paulafagan]

ok jerry....point taken

 

 

i was just trying to put her mind at ease and by the way my attitude wasnt meant to drive you nuts,, I just feel that its supposed to be a holiday ,and not to get to wound up about dress codes ..and for the record I totally conformed with it last year any way sorry i got your back up.have a good day.................paula

[DBruna]

Tell Mom to be comfortable and wear which ever of the 2 she is most comfortable in!

After all we are talking either a dress or dressy pant suit....we're not talking shorts here. Either of her choices are perfectly acceptable.

[Peanuts]

I have also worn pants. I have a pair of "fly away" pants (looks like a long skirt until I move). Best thing I ever take any where. I usually wear them with a beaded top and dressy sandels.

I hope I never lose our luggage for me to buy anything in the shops would be mission impossible. My DH calls me "vertically challenged" just another way of saying short!?! Everything is too big. So I guard my luggage.

 

Tell your Mom to relax and enjoy her cruise.

[cruisinthree]

Tell Mom that on formal nights she will have great opportunities for formal photographs to be taken and that she should consider what will look appropriate for these phots should she decide to have them taken. As for our family, we use formal night as an opportunity to get really nice updated pictures of all of us, so we dress 'fancier' than we normally would.

[oceantravel]

Sounds just fine. I have seen dressy pantsuits at formal weddings and they were beautiful. Go for it. As for the capris...they are equally appropriate for non formal nights.