Formal wear

we are with MSC from Cuba, I was wondering how much do people dress up on formal nights in the carabbean. I have no problem in dressing up, I just don’t want to take long evening dress and my husband tax if not required.

we are with MSC from Cuba, I was wondering how much do people dress up on formal nights in the carabbean. I have no problem in dressing up, I just don’t want to take long evening dress and my husband tax if not required.

Not required. People now dress as they want. No more rules. Wear what you would like to wear within reason. We see all styles. Enjoy your cruise.

See this posting.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2568551

we are with MSC from Cuba, I was wondering how much do people dress up on formal nights in the carabbean. I have no problem in dressing up, I just don’t want to take long evening dress and my husband tax if not required.

MSC Cruises

The Code: "Casual resort wear" is appropriate, except for formal evenings when men are required to put on suits or jackets and ties, and women cocktail dresses. In addition, passengers who would like to participate in theme nights are encouraged to dress according to a specific theme. Examples include White Night, Tropical Night or 60s/70s/80s Night.

Number of Formal Nights: There's one formal night on four- to six-night cruises, two on seven- to nine-night cruises, three on 10- to 14-night cruises and four on cruises of 15 nights or longer.

Nightly Casual Option: The standard Lido buffet (and room service) will serve passengers seeking a more low-key dining experience.

Written Restrictions and Jeans: After 6 p.m., jeans, T-shirts and shorts are not permitted in the ships' public areas. No swimwear is allowed in main dining rooms. Jeans are allowed on casual resort wear nights, as long as they aren't torn or ripped.

No, maybe these aren't rules and many people will ignore these suggestions and wear whatever they want and probably won't be stopped. But in my experience people do dress up more on MSC than on most other cruise lines probably because they have more European clients. While I won't take a tuxedo on my Seaside cruise in January I'll probably take a dark suit and a sport coat. And my wife won't be taking a long dress but many others will. Enjoy your cruise!

You don't need a tux or long dress but people do dress up more on MSC then any other line. Wear what you want it's your vacation.

Been on Divina 3 times in this year. Regardless of this: 'men are required to put on suits or jackets and ties.'

MSC does NOT enforce this at all. We were on Divina Nov 2017 and saw all forms of dress including SHORTs, etc., in the MDR on formal night.

We personally do dress up and really miss the Formal evenings. Most of the cruise lines are doing away with Formal nights. We have seen the changes over the years. This year we cruised on Celebrity, MSC, NCL, Princess and RCI. Even suits or jackets and ties, and long gowns are getting to be things of the past. Each passenger dresses as they like as long as they were clothes. Not a NAKED cruise. LOL

However, cruising is still one of the great vacations and experiences. We enjoy each and every one of our cruises. Going back on the Divina Feb 2018.

When we sailed on Divina in September, most people were dressed up on formal nights. Many in long gowns, and quite a few tuxes. The staff really tries to make it a special event, and they do appreciate the effort from the guests.

MSC is definitely fancier than NCL

Safe sailing

When we sailed on Divina in September, most people were dressed up on formal nights. Many in long gowns, and quite a few tuxes. The staff really tries to make it a special event, and they do appreciate the effort from the guests.

MSC is definitely fancier than NCL

Safe sailing

Must agree with you. MSC is more fancier than NCL.

I found the passengers do dress up more on MSC, but didn't see anything over the top. Mostly suits for men, and a nice dress or gown for the ladies.

I’ve got some nice short cocktail dress which I usually wear on sem-formal nights which I dress up with jewellery and my husband will take a jacket and tie. If people really dress up then I will have to buy something in the next port. Which would be a great hardship, not.

We were on Opera out of Havana a few weeks back and there were very few in Tux, maybe a little more effort than the other nights but not a lot. Wear as you wish, I do wear my Tux regardless but that's my choice I enjoy it.

Kev

sem-formal nights .

Which cruise lines still have sem-formal nights?

Which cruise lines still have sem-formal nights?

P&O and Cunard the last time I cruised

P&O and Cunard the last time I cruised

Thanks. We have never cruised those 2 lines. All the lines we cruise have done away with it.

You will be fine with your dress options. Happy cruising!

I've seen people turned away from the MDR on the Divina wearing shorts on formal night, so I would at least try to make an effort...long pants, collared shirt, doesn't have to be formal but same as you'd wear to any nice restaurant would be appropriate.

Been on Divina 3 times in this year. Regardless of this: 'men are required to put on suits or jackets and ties.'

MSC does NOT enforce this at all. We were on Divina Nov 2017 and saw all forms of dress including SHORTs, etc., in the MDR on formal night.

We personally do dress up and really miss the Formal evenings. Most of the cruise lines are doing away with Formal nights. We have seen the changes over the years. This year we cruised on Celebrity, MSC, NCL, Princess and RCI. Even suits or jackets and ties, and long gowns are getting to be things of the past. Each passenger dresses as they like as long as they were clothes. Not a NAKED cruise. LOL

However, cruising is still one of the great vacations and experiences. We enjoy each and every one of our cruises. Going back on the Divina Feb 2018.

P&O and Cunard the last time I cruised

P&O haven't for the last 3 I have done, admitted all Caribbean. Last one was January. No idea about Cunard

My experience of Caribbean cruises is that they're a bit more relaxed. People seem to have a tendency to take that and run with it. From what I've seen it is especially the men who run with this, partly due to packing concerns. Lots of men in dark jeans, dress shirt, maybe a tie. A few in golf shirts and khakis which I think is pushing the limit a bit. With some of the airlines clamping down on even carry on luggage so tightly I do understand it can be tough to pack in a suit but come on. You can get a pair of slacks in there and just let that be your evening clothing for the trip surely.

Most of the women seem to at least put on a dress. Lots of date night dresses and long sun dresses with nice accessories. I'd say patterned long summer dresses seemed to be the overall norm. Very pretty against the backdrop of white tablecloths.

As to what you should pack I would say something in the middle would be most reasonably accepted and comfortable. I usually pack a long, slightly less formal dress or perhaps even a dressy palazzo pants outfit, and my spouse packs a suit. Over 3 cruises in the Caribbean we've experienced 6 formal nights and we've always felt comfortable with that.

That said I did pick up a new dress for Seaside. I just felt like it would look nice in pictures on the sparkly stairs mostly. It turns out to be a very drop over your head and go dress so that's a big plus in my book as well. I pack pretty lightly so I'll probably also wear it for a few of the evening activities such as the theater. I'm so looking forward to seeing some of the musical performances.

Have a great time on your cruise! :)

My experience of Caribbean cruises is that they're a bit more relaxed. People seem to have a tendency to take that and run with it. From what I've seen it is especially the men who run with this, partly due to packing concerns. Lots of men in dark jeans, dress shirt, maybe a tie. A few in golf shirts and khakis which I think is pushing the limit a bit. With some of the airlines clamping down on even carry on luggage so tightly I do understand it can be tough to pack in a suit but come on. You can get a pair of slacks in there and just let that be your evening clothing for the trip surely.

 

Most of the women seem to at least put on a dress. Lots of date night dresses and long sun dresses with nice accessories. I'd say patterned long summer dresses seemed to be the overall norm. Very pretty against the backdrop of white tablecloths.

 

As to what you should pack I would say something in the middle would be most reasonably accepted and comfortable. I usually pack a long, slightly less formal dress or perhaps even a dressy palazzo pants outfit, and my spouse packs a suit. Over 3 cruises in the Caribbean we've experienced 6 formal nights and we've always felt comfortable with that.

 

That said I did pick up a new dress for Seaside. I just felt like it would look nice in pictures on the sparkly stairs mostly. It turns out to be a very drop over your head and go dress so that's a big plus in my book as well. I pack pretty lightly so I'll probably also wear it for a few of the evening activities such as the theater. I'm so looking forward to seeing some of the musical performances.

 

Have a great time on your cruise! :)

Thank you that was a helpful reply. I’m now planning which dresses to take for January.

Does anyone know what is considered acceptable formal wear for children? I have an 11 year old boy and an 8 year old girl. I am especially concerned about the boy since it is easier to dress up sundresses for my daughter. Do boys need to wear ties and jackets? Or can they wear slacks/khakis and a dress shirt/collared polo shirt? And what about the other nights in the MDR? We are sailing the Seaview next summer in the Mediterranean. Thank you in advance for any insight you may have!

Here's what was posted on Cruise Critic lately when they compared the dress code for all cruise lines:

MSC Cruises

 

The Code: "Casual resort wear" is appropriate, except for formal evenings when men are required to put on suits or jackets and ties, and women cocktail dresses. In addition, passengers who would like to participate in theme nights are encouraged to dress according to a specific theme. Examples include White Night, Tropical Night or 60s/70s/80s Night.

Number of Formal Nights: There's one formal night on four- to six-night cruises, two on seven- to nine-night cruises, three on 10- to 14-night cruises and four on cruises of 15 nights or longer.

Nightly Casual Option: The standard Lido buffet (and room service) will serve passengers seeking a more low-key dining experience.

Written Restrictions and Jeans: After 6 p.m., jeans, T-shirts and shorts are not permitted in the ships' public areas. No swimwear is allowed in main dining rooms. Jeans are allowed on casual resort wear nights, as long as they aren't torn or ripped.

No, maybe these aren't rules and many people will ignore these suggestions and wear whatever they want and probably won't be stopped. But in my experience people do dress up more on MSC than on most other cruise lines probably because they have more European clients. While I won't take a tuxedo on my Seaside cruise in January I'll probably take a dark suit and a sport coat. And my wife won't be taking a long dress but many others will. Enjoy your cruise!

Wow, is this for real? I hope I´m wrong by understanding you cannot wear jeans, tees and shorts past 6 in public areas?

We dine at the MDR each night but formal nights, every cruise has a post or pre land vacation sometimes for over a month so we absolutely do not pack formal wear. On formal nights we just go to the buffet. Butthat´s pretty much what we wear all the time, mostly designer t shirts, shorts, shoes, sandals. Never had an issue being turned away or feeling out of place but then again we´ve just cruised NCL and RCCL.

Wow, is this for real? I hope I´m wrong by understanding you cannot wear jeans, tees and shorts past 6 in public areas?

Do NOT go by what that states about jeans, shorts, etc., after 6pm. Just got off of the Divina and see those items worn at all times. Even on Formal Nights in the MDR. So, disregard those published statements. MSC does not enforce those things. If they do, I have never seen it on the previous 3 Divina cruises. JMHO!

Just got off Divina and in the Yacht Club restaurant there was a Russian family seated next to us every night and the father wore jean shorts, flip flops and a tee shirt every night, including formal nights. Nothing was said to him.

"Formal" in the Caribbean is white dinner jacket, black tie (which, as you know, isn't really formal), tuxedo pants, etc. I'll do that one night on our upcoming Caribbean cruise on Seaside...will probably do kilt and regulation doublet the other night.

It's all fun!

About the relaxed dress code on the Divina: There is a problem with the status match program that MSC is using to build a passenger base in the US. Because of the low cruise prices, many of the status match passengers are from the US entry level cruise lines (Carnival, NCL and RCI) where matching a baseball cap with the sneakers is formal wear. :cool:

As a result, there is a struggle for the Divina staff to try to bring some passengers' dress up to standards. Unfortunately, there was a drop in enforcement between our 2016 cruise and our 2017 cruise. While many of the non-US passengers are turned out in formal wear on formal night or smart casual on the other nights, it was very easy to pick out the US passengers (very embarrassing for the rest of us US passengers).

So while it is possible that you might be able to dine in clothes that meet the standards of Carnival, NCL and RCI, you will also stick out among the more elegant passengers.

I loved the families that did follow the recommendations where the adults were appropiately dresses and yhe girls wore party dresses and the boys dress shirts and ties (some with jackets).

‘many of the status match passengers are from the US entry level cruise lines (Carnival, NCL and RCI) where matching a baseball cap with the sneakers is formal wear.’

Been cruising for over 30 years and this is the first time I heard of those cruise lines identified as US ENTRY LEVEL cruise lines? We started cruising on MSC back in January 2006 in the US. Mostly Europeans. Here are some others to add to that list with their dress requirements/recommendations.

· Celebrity - New Evening Chic nights, with upscale, more relaxed attire - replacing the traditional formal nights

· Princess - offers a number of formaldining nights during which ties and coats are mandatory. While some ships provide rental services, male travelers may want to add suit jackets and slacks. This is not true as when we were on Regal Princess Feb 2017 this was NOT enforced at all.

· Oceania - Country club casual ambiance; tuxedos and gowns are never required

· HAL - Gala Nights evoke the grand traditions of cruising as guests dress to impress for special events on board, including a five-course gourmet dinner in the Dining Room. For gentlemen, collared shirt and slacks are required in all fine dining restaurants . For ladies, dressy attire is appropriate, dresses skirts and slacks are all acceptable

‘While many of the non-US passengers are turned out in formal wear on formal night or smart casual on the other nights, it was very easy to pick out the US passengers (very embarrassing for the rest of us US passengers).’

Cruised around the world and with many non-US passengers. Cruised from Australia, Singapore, England, Italy, Denmark, Costa Rica, Mexico, New Zeland, etc. Yes, some you may identify as non-US due to their language, however, very had to identify as non-US unless they are wearing their ethnic clothing, such as the Far East, etc.

My only point is that we miss the dressy formal nights, however, we still dress up in suit and gown on formal nights regardless of cruise line. DH does not take a tux anymore. Times have changed and just look around in the US or any other country. Dress has changed, too. There is not only one country (US) that does not dress up anymore. Many have gone to any type of description of CASUAL. Business, Counrty Club, Elegant, etc.

It’s not only in the USA that dressing up has changed. I’ve bee RCI Cruise from the UK and sat next to a couple in track suits on a formal. Plus football shirts and shorts in the evening. I’ve sailed on P & O a traditional line from Southampton and over the years the dress code has gone down hill. I love dressing up and would never walk into the dining room in the evening regardless of the cruise line without trying to look smart.

Some of the nicest evening dresses I have seen have been on American cruises worn by Americans