Formal Dinners?

[atm55]

What about Formal Dinners? I am traveling solo in December 08 and I am a very casual person. The whole purpose of the vacation is to relax. I normally don't like to dress formal but can go along with it, but it seems senseless when you are solo. Do the rest of you guys attend the formal dinner or just eat at the buffet?

[mtwingcpa]

Do the rest of you guys attend the formal dinner or just eat at the buffet?

 

Thus far I have cruised on NCL and the Alaska ferry system, neither of which REQUIRE formal attire. But, were I to cruise on a line that did (and I might if the itinerary suited me) I would elect to eat in the buffet on formal nights. This is not because I feel awkward as a solo; it is simply because I have no interest in packing the extra clothing, etc.

[kitty9]

I cruise solo on lines such as Crystal and Seabourn, and they are the most formal of cruise lines. I absolutely LOVE dressing to the nines on formal nights. I never get to do that at home, unless it's a formal fundraiser, so for me, putting on the Ritz is a very special treat. Being solo or cruising with someone makes absolutely no difference for the formal thing. I just love the elegant feeling associated with formal nights. And, I also love getting formal on the other lines I cruise, such as Celebrity and RCCI. Give me a formal night, and I'm there !!!!!

[Lois R]

What about Formal Dinners? I am traveling solo in December 08 and I am a very casual person. The whole purpose of the vacation is to relax. I normally don't like to dress formal but can go along with it, but it seems senseless when you are solo. Do the rest of you guys attend the formal dinner or just eat at the buffet?

 

Hi, I have been sailing solo for 5.5 years now and I agree with

Darcie, I LOVE formal nights:)

I don't have the opportunities to get all dressed up here

at home and I love it on my cruises:)

When you say it seems senseless? It makes lots of sense to me:D

 

If you feel like you want to go casual for the week that is

your choice....we all have to make the decision of what

is best for each of us!

 

I just love being served on linen, by wonderful waiters

in a lovely dining room.:) But then again, thats just me!;)

[Roz]

I have to agree with Darcie and Lois. I look forward to the formal nights. Sailing solo or with friends/family doesn't impact my enjoyment of getting dressed up.

 

Roz

[jpg1747]

Another vote for dressing for formal nights. I always have traditional dining so I know I'll be eating with others. I don't mind doing the cocktail party by myself. I have very few opportunities to get dressed up at home, so I look forward to it on a cruise.

 

I also have to say that I have no problem with people who choose not to get dressed up and still want to eat in the dining room. It's their cruise and their choice. Doesn't affect my experience at all.

[atm55]

Well, I guess the vote is in for formal wear. Sorry if I offended anyone by calling it senseless. That probably was not the correct term. Solo or not - I prefer not to bring the extra clothes and just relax on a cruise. Thanks for your input.

[Lois R]

Well, I guess the vote is in for formal wear. Sorry if I offended anyone by calling it senseless. That probably was not the correct term. Solo or not - I prefer not to bring the extra clothes and just relax on a cruise. Thanks for your input.

 

No offense taken:)..honest:Dif you don't want to get

dressed up you don't have to......as for the extra clothes,

I recommend a matte jersey material. It takes up virtually

no space and it never wrinkles!

Sometimes the internet is funky...you cannot read tone

on here. I wasn't trying to be sarcastic either. Just giving

you some input from previous cruises:)

 

Oh, I love relaxing as well:)...but dressing up on formal

nights never interferes with my relaxtion:)

[KenCT]

Wait a minute! I'm a pretty casual solo guy myself and just completed my first cruise on the Westerdam. Sorry to say, but I didn't find much direction here regarding dress for guys on formal nights.

 

On my cruise, the number of tuxedos was few, I would say about 1/3. The remainder in dark suits. I had thought about hitting the buffet on formal night, but I found myself seated with a great group, and didn't want to miss their company.

 

In addition to being a casual guy, I'm also a minimalist as far as packing, so here's what I did - and it worked out great.

 

Chances are that you're going to need a sports jacket for one other "informal" night, so on the flight to Fort Lauderdale I wore a solid black summer weight sports jacket. On informal night, I wore it with tan slacks and a polo shirt, and on formal night I wore black slacks and a white linen shirt and solid black tie. Everyone at my table told me I "cleaned up" rather well.

 

Best part, with one carry on bag, I took care of my own luggage and was one of the first off the ship. IMHO most people pack way too much.

[cruisinryan]

Another vote in favor of dressing for formal night. For me, traditional dining is one of my favorite parts of a cruise, and dressing for dinner is fun too.

 

I wear slacks, a nice shirt (in tropical climes a nice silk shirt), and nice shoes every night ...and a dark suit for formal nights. I'd even wear a tux, but have not found one I like (I want one a little "different").

 

I have found it works great to shower and shave each evening, before dinner and after the day's excursions; then I put on my evening attire after my shower. This way I look good, smell good, and feel good for dinner and partying after.

 

I love spending daytime for exploration and getting down and dirty, then nights for getting classy -- it makes every day two unique experiences -- and cruises are soooo perfect for this approach. :)

[mtwingcpa]

Chances are that you're going to need a sports jacket for one other "informal" night, so on the flight to Fort Lauderdale I wore a solid black summer weight sports jacket. On informal night, I wore it with tan slacks and a polo shirt, and on formal night I wore black slacks and a white linen shirt and solid black tie. Everyone at my table told me I "cleaned up" rather well.

 

Question: How many pairs of shoes did you pack, and of what type?

[gxchan]

Question: How many pairs of shoes did you pack, and of what type?

 

A group of ladies had this discussion on my last cruise, it was hilarious! One woman brought 12 pairs!!! Can't wait to hear what others have to say. :D For my part I bring a pair of shoes to wear with dresses, a pair of flip-flops, Keds and my gym shoes. If I could wear my Keds at the gym I would be down to 3 pairs!

[Lois R]

For a Caribbean Cruise I can do 5 or 6. I don't like bringing alot

them and I am a low maintenance type of person.

I bring 2 pair for evenings. One dressy and the other

dressy/casual. I can wear one or the other with every

dinner outfit.

Daytime, a couple of pair of sandals and usually

a pair of loafer types...a mule? Open back closed toe..casual.

Everyone has different priorities in life and for me, bringing

lots of shoes is not a high priority.

[mtwingcpa]

For my part I bring a pair of shoes to wear with dresses, a pair of flip-flops, Keds and my gym shoes. If I could wear my Keds at the gym I would be down to 3 pairs!

 

I only bring one pair...the pair I have on...WHITE athletic shoes for walking, etc. Not sure how those would go over on formal night. :-) Having to pack an additional pair would cause problems with my "carryon" approach (hence, I am interested in how KenCT handled this).

 

I've been looking around for a pair of BLACK walking shoes that could do double duty. Maybe that's the answer.

[atm55]

Wow, did I get something started! Ok, I'm convinced - I'm bringing my sparkly white tank top with matching jacket and black pants with my backless heels. Doesn't take up much room and doesn't wrinkle either (however the sprarkly stuff comes off on my other clothes). Nothing I can't shake off though. Didn't realize how important formal night is to cruisers. This is my first cruise so I'll see how much I like formal night. Can't knock it until I've tried it. Thanks to all for your input

[KenCT]

New Balance makes black athletic shoes. If you're only going to take one pair, that would be it. Personally, though, I like to give my shoes a chance to dry out and rest occasionally, with a shot of Fabreeze. Then again, what would you do if your one pair got soaked, as happend to us on St. Thomas, when we were caught in a downpour.

 

I don't like to deal with lace-up shoes on the plane, however. I have a pair of black leather Hush Puppy slip ons that are great for travel - they're light, comfortable, and can go from casual to dressy. So in addition to flip flops, which are indispensible to me, the only shoes I packed was a pair of closed-toe Timberland sandals. They can be worn with long pants or shorts, with socks or without. I didn't bring a pair of gym shoes, though after hitting the buffets, I clearly should have!

[janetlm]

OK, I'll bite

 

I wear a pair of black loafers for informal wear wtih dark slacks,

I bring 1 pair of flip flops for the pool, 1 pair of water shoes for the beach (I am a tenderfoot), 1 pair of black pumps for formal nights and 1 pair of white athletic shoes for casual wear and touring.

 

Janet

[TTEllis]

From another male perspective I myself do tuxes(white and black) on both formal evenings. Actually both tuxes I have are basically for my cruises and thats it. I have to agree with the other ladies I never get to dress like that at home so I really do it up when Im on the ship, being solo only makes me feel that much better as well as unique, simply because male solo cruisers are VERY few and far between, I wouldnt miss formal nites for the world and you shouldnt either. Just my 2-cents Todd

[NewJersey222]

Hi, I have been sailing solo for 5.5 years now and I agree with

Darcie, I LOVE formal nights:)

I don't have the opportunities to get all dressed up here

at home and I love it on my cruises:)

When you say it seems senseless? It makes lots of sense to me:D

 

If you feel like you want to go casual for the week that is

your choice....we all have to make the decision of what

is best for each of us!

 

I just love being served on linen, by wonderful waiters

in a lovely dining room.:) But then again, thats just me!;)

 

 

Lois R,

 

I completely agree with you. I enjoy getting dressed up and rarely miss dinner in the dining room, including lunch and breakfast. I loved to get waited on!!!!

 

It is everyone's individual choice, which is just one of the advantages of cruising solo. I enjoy other's company, but also enjoy my own company!!

 

Happy cruising to all!!!

 

Regards,

NewJersey222

Marie

 

Cruising Caribbean Princess 5/24/09

Explorer of the Seas 9/17/09

As always, can not wait!!!

[fireofficer5]

Formal night is one of the reasons I cruise. How ofted do you get to wear a tux in a year.

[SantaAna,CA]

I love formal nights so much that I changed my itinerary with Seabourn just so I could be on a cruise that had them! Seabourn is changing their practice; no formal nights on Caribbean cruises except over the Christmas/New Years cruise. Since that cruise is also thousands of dollars more, just for the holiday dates, I jumped ship over to the Panama Canal. Today DHL is picking up a suitcase jammed with my gowns and dressy dresses. I love, love, love dressing to the nines and don't do it in "real life".

 

Before I get on the Legend December 5, I'm taking a very small plane to the coast of Costa Rica to a place called "Punta Islita". You can only have 30lbs of luggage! That's why I sent my large bag ahead.

 

WhoooHooo, I leave a week from this Friday!

 

Jane :D

[KarenLA]

Jane

I can't wait to hear how your trip went...I have avoided Seabourn because I thought it was too much "couples" but I too loved the formal nights...I just did my first cruise in Novemeber and am going on my second in Feb to Costa Rica...to Miami on Serenity. I never get to dress and loved what I called my Prom Night...hair appointment and all. One of the reasons I booked another so soon was shoot I now have the clothes.

 

I am a widow and not getting all that loving...so dressing up and feeling pretty is so wonderful..counting the days until my next adventure.

[Lard Greystoke]

I'm not crazy about formal but it's no big deal to just throw on a sport jacket on the trip down (keeps you warmer up North anyway) and a couple of ties. As long as you don't dress like a complete slob they'll let you eat.

[Kimidfw]

I never go to the formal dinners anymore. It used to be fun but when I saw someone enter the dining room on a formal night in jeans...yes they let him (Royal Caribbean) I knew that "formal" night was extremely subjective.

I do however get a big kick out of watching the formalee's waiting in line for their photos. This was especially fun on the Navigator of the Seas as I could sit in the library and watch the festivities below. Met some nice people who joined me there and we did our "red carpet" commentary. LOL.

[atm55]

Ok, here is my experience with the formal night. I leave the pool early, get all showered and dressed up and get to the table and no one is there. Yikes! Am I going to sit all by myself all dressed up at a table for 6? Lucky for me, my tablemates were just 10 minutes late, so all worked out well, but next time, I'll stay at the pool and eat at the buffet. As I said, I'm not much on getting all dressed up - have to do that every day for work.