Voluntary Formal Night

[Bridge Maven]

Since formal night on NCL is voluntary, do you observe it?

[scchasgal]

Since formal night on NCL is voluntary, do you observe it?

 

Yes it's fun to dress up, that's when we get our portraits done.

 

Of course that is the joy of NCL is you have the choice

[CanadianTwosome]

Absolutely!! I generally pack at least one formal gown (sometimes two), as well as at least one cocktail dress. I always wear a gown for the first one and then I have a choice for the second. In between, I 'dress' for dinner. I have far too many 'nice' items in my closet to not take advantage of an opportunity to wear as many of them as I can!! :p

[njhorseman]

No. One the reasons we cruise on NCL is because you don't have to dress formally.

[gtalum]

We haven't sailed NCL before, but on our upcoming Pearl cruise we will not participate in formal night. It's too much of a hassle, and one of the very few things I don't like about cruising.

[Cruz-On]

No, that is why we sail NCL! We dress 5 days a week vacation means taking a break

[cliffd64]

Depends on how we feel... it's always a last minute decision when packing :)

[coka]

I wear cocktail dresses most evenings on board depending on who I am sailing with. The times we want to go casual we are happy nobody minds at all. Oh, cocktail dress takes up less room in a suitcase. Now for the shoes...that is another thread.

 

coka

[uneamie]

I leave our "dressing up" to things we do at home...weddings, formal parties, an upscale restaurant etc.

 

On vacation where I have to pack things and figure out how to keep them from being wrinkled, not to mention all the accessories that go with formal dressing ( shoes, handbags, jewelry, ties,) ...just too much to deal with. On vacation I want "no stress". I want to relax and not deal with all that. It is much easier to "dress up" when at home going to a formal occasion.....don't wanna do it on vacation.

[lambs2]

If we feel like dressing up (tuxes and gowns) we go on a Celebrity cruise. With NCL a sparkly top and some dress pants are about as dressy as I get, and it is SO much easier to pack! On our 21 day Jade cruise I changed for dinner every night, but had brought four pairs of black jersey slacks, one pair of white, and one long black skirt with a variety of tops and tunics, some sparkly. One dressy pair of black sandals served for every night! Teamed with a variety of scarves, shrugs, shawls and jewelry I will bet no one suspected I was recycling things many different ways. DH packs a few different pairs of chino style slacks with a variety of polo or button down shirts, a few ties, one pair of dress shoes, and he looks sharp every night!

[uppitycats]

No. My "casual" is usually dressier than a lot of people's "dressy" on NCL anyway, so I generally look just fine and fit in.

[Richie2pies]

One of the reasons I use NCL is not worrying about the fashion police.

[uneamie]

No. My "casual" is usually dressier than a lot of people's "dressy" on NCL anyway, so I generally look just fine and fit in.

 

Hmm...nothing personal but, how can your "casual" be dressier than other people's "dressy". I mean wouldn't that just be "dressy" simple as that? You are kind of making it sound like every one dresses like a slob, while you take the high road and "shine". hmm!

[hat776]

lambs2 - << I will bet no one suspected I was recycling things many different ways. >>

Rest assured that unless you wear something really outlandish no one will notice if you wear the same thing twice (or even more often).

I don't pack formal clothes, but I enjoy wearing something 'less casual' for dinner . So in a way I am dressing up and it makes dinner that bit more special.

In Europe we use the phrase smart/casual and I think it is ideal.

[uppitycats]

Hmm...nothing personal but, how can your "casual" be dressier than other people's "dressy". I mean wouldn't that just be "dressy" simple as that? You are kind of making it sound like every one dresses like a slob, while you take the high road and "shine". hmm!

 

Perhaps. It's a matter of taste and perception. For example, I don't perceive jeans, even "nice jeans", even "new" jeans, to be dressy, or appropriate for dinner. While I wear jeans most of the time at home, when I go out to eat, even at a casual chain restaurant, I wear slacks or pants that are not jeans..so "dressier" than jeans. I don't think tank tops or tee shirts are appropriate dinner wear, so I don't wear those either. While certainly not "everyone dresses like a slob", there certainly are enough who do, and some who post on cc, bragging about it. There is a dress code on NCL, and while it isn't "formal", it's not beach casual, either. And a lot of folks don't seem to grasp that concept.

[sjbdtz]

Perhaps. It's a matter of taste and perception. For example, I don't perceive jeans, even "nice jeans", even "new" jeans, to be dressy, or appropriate for dinner. While I wear jeans most of the time at home, when I go out to eat, even at a casual chain restaurant, I wear slacks or pants that are not jeans..so "dressier" than jeans. I don't think tank tops or tee shirts are appropriate dinner wear, so I don't wear those either. While certainly not "everyone dresses like a slob", there certainly are enough who do, and some who post on cc, bragging about it. There is a dress code on NCL, and while it isn't "formal", it's not beach casual, either. And a lot of folks don't seem to grasp that concept.

 

How did this become about dinner?

 

I agree with uneamie...it sure sounds as though you're saying "even at my worst, I'm better than you...when you're dressed up".

 

What you REALLY mean is "I don't dress casual, ever....and if I had control of the world, neither would you....because I am the fashion police".....isn't it?

[garycarla]

Should have added one more response:

 

" Which night is formal night?"

[Globaliser]

Yes it's fun to dress up

Exactly! Which is why we and all our friends always make sure that we have proper formal night stuff for the cruises we do together.

[CruisingCamper]

I am new to NCL, and have a 9 Day booked for Feb 2010.. How many optional formal nights will there be?

[GORDONCHICK]

When flying to a port and if formal is optional, we opt out. Even though we enjoy dressing up when it's called for (and not optional) but we are trying to simplify our lives in many ways, and packing is less cumbersome without the formal wear.

[mypleasure]

I sail with NCL to avoid compulsory formal nights. The optional formal night is exactly that. I choose not to participate as I hate fancy clothes preferring to wear a pair of nice trousers and a top every night of the week.

 

I have to fly to all of my cruises so appreciate not having to carry additional luggage and not having to purchase clothes I would only wear once a year.

[slotaddict]

We sail NCL for the casual atmosphere, so far I have never dressed for a formal night - we do however dress a little nicer than on other nites. I really have never observed anyone dressed shabby on a formal night - the one thing I have always enjoyed about NCL was that most people dress nicely at night time even though they are not "dressed up".

[ohioNCLcruiser]

For me it depends on the itin. I noticed the European cruises are much more formal then the Hawaii and Caribbean ones. Since my next cruise is in Europe I will be planning on dressing a little bit more formal then I would on a normal night on a cruise somewhere else. The formal nights I will def be dressing up more. This is what I noticed when I was on the Jade last so maybe it has changed.

[mbisson]

Honestly, since you are free to dress up any night, I don't really understand having a specific 'dress up or not' night

[rrobynec]

whether it is on land or sea. For dress up or not night, I tend to dress up a little more, but I don't bring my evening gowns. They wouldn't pack very well and I would rather dress up in clothes that travel well, than have to worry about ironing or having the items cleaned on board so they look presentable.

I love the fact that NCL allows the choice.:D