Formal Nights to Alaska?

[blackfoot]

Are you kidding me, are there formal attire nights on Alaska cruises?

[KarenMF]

Are you kidding me, are there formal attire nights on Alaska cruises?

 

Yes there are - on a 7 day cruise they are usually the 2nd night and the night before the last night.

[Yola]

Are you kidding me, are there formal attire nights on Alaska cruises?

 

 

Is an Alaskan cruise not worthy of a formal night?

Should we all just wear parkas and mukluks? Or sweatshirts with moose and wolves on them?

People travel from all over the world to Alaska, and YES they should be able to enjoy formal occasions as the would on any other cruise!

[darsura]

My husband is planning on bringing his tux to Alaska, and I was planning on wearing formal black long dresses for formal nights as well....but I have read some posts of late where it sounds like formal night is not as formal in Alaska...can some of you who have sailed Alaska lately weigh in on this? I do not want to be over-dressed, nor under-dressed. I planned for my 2 sons, ages 17 and 21, to wear dark suits. Thoughts?

[snowmc]

Yes...there are formal nights. Some people for the full nine-yards...some just dress nicely. And Celebrity does a great job making the formal nights very special. If you don't want to participate, you can eat in the buffet.

[cw2go]

My husband is planning on bringing his tux to Alaska, and I was planning on wearing formal black long dresses for formal nights as well....but I have read some posts of late where it sounds like formal night is not as formal in Alaska...can some of you who have sailed Alaska lately weigh in on this? I do not want to be over-dressed, nor under-dressed. I planned for my 2 sons, ages 17 and 21, to wear dark suits. Thoughts?

 

 

I just returned from Infinity this past Friday night so here is what I saw.

 

"ONE" tux not that you cannot wear one but that is honestly all I saw. A few suits one being my husband. Mostly Jacket & Shirt or Shirt & Tie. Now to be fair I did not cruise through the MDR examining what the passengers were wearing but nearby this is what my husband and I noticed.

 

Now most women were dressed very nice but a dress that you might wear on any given Sunday to church with a bit of jewelry was typical.

 

This was the most casual formal night of any cruise I have taken and after reading over this board for the past year I was shocked.:eek: Honestly this was very casual even on non formal nights jeans were worn by quite a few. Especially on the final night before docking in Victoria most were extreamly casual since people were going a shore.

 

That is what I saw but this is how I feel...Sounds like your family will look wonderful and you should dress how you are most comfortable. Enjoy your night with your sons looking all snazzy we just don't get to see them that way very often. :p

 

Smiles,

Patty

[Lois R]

My husband is planning on bringing his tux to Alaska, and I was planning on wearing formal black long dresses for formal nights as well....but I have read some posts of late where it sounds like formal night is not as formal in Alaska...can some of you who have sailed Alaska lately weigh in on this? I do not want to be over-dressed, nor under-dressed. I planned for my 2 sons, ages 17 and 21, to wear dark suits. Thoughts?

 

Hi,:) I have sailed to Alaska 3 times and wore formal clothing on every

cruise:D...I wear long dresses, long skirts and pretty tops, etc....

Your black dresses sounds perfect to me:D

 

I also know folks who have sailed to Alaska 10 times and they still

dress up on formal evenings. So, yes people dress up on formal nights:)

[Lois R]

Are you kidding me, are there formal attire nights on Alaska cruises?

 

Nope, who did you think was kidding? Alaskan Cruises have formal nights

just like other itineraries.:)

[topsailgirl]

I also just returned (two weeks ago) from an Alaska cruise and I agree with a previous poster that formal night on an Alaskan cruise is not as "formal" as I have seen on other cruises, but nonetheless, there were still tuxes and long dresses. My hubby wore a dark suit and I wore a very fancy cocktail dress.

 

Here's what I would say to you about formal night -- this is your time to really dress up if you want -- tux, long dress, the whole nine yards -- and no one will think you are dressed inappropriately. They will only think they are underdressed! This is the first cruise I did not wear a long dress and my husband did not wear a tux. And the reasons for our "dressing down" had nothing to do with Alaska (and I missed it -- will always go really "formal" in the future.)

 

If you and your hubby would enjoy getting dressed up, go for it! This is a perfect time and you will not feel "funny" or out of place. That being said, if you want to go the "dark suit/cocktail dress" route, you will also feel appropriate. I would not go the "what the hell -- I am going to wear a pair of jeans and flip flops" route -- that is when I would feel out of place.

 

Have a great cruise whatever you choose!

[dkjretired]

Yes...there are formal nights. Some people for the full nine-yards...some just dress nicely. And Celebrity does a great job making the formal nights very special. If you don't want to participate, you can eat in the buffet.

 

Celebrity does not have a full buffet for dinner on any of their ships. Celebrity does on the ships in Alaska have a casual dining alternative in the buffet area. It is in the buffet area, sit down, off a menu different than the MDR. It is $2.00 pp..

[TeaBag]

You can also have room service in your cabin if you don't want to bother with formal night.

[cw2go]

Celebrity does not have a full buffet for dinner on any of their ships. Celebrity does on the ships in Alaska have a casual dining alternative in the buffet area. It is in the buffet area, sit down, off a menu different than the MDR. It is $2.00 pp..

 

 

Just to make mention, I do not know if this was normal practice or not but our buffet was a buffet and there was not a $2 option. We had a sushi/stir fry station, Pizza station, Pasta/salad Station and one other that changed nightly on all nights of our Infinity Alaska sailing just this past week. I had read several times about the alturnative dining and when I was on board there was no area set up for this and no mention in the dailies. My huband did ask a fellow who was at the customer service desk and he said they have a buffet and what was being served. ???:confused:It was a tad smaller than the breakfast or lunch buffet but still plentiful for those who are interested.

 

Like I said don't know if or when this changed but this is my experience last week,

Patty

[MFJune]

Men look so handsome in tuxedos and women so elegant in gowns. Save the jeans for the bush and the flip flops for the beach!

 

I will be wearing dresses that would have me thrown out of church!

[darsura]

Thanks all..... I rarely get my boys in a suit, nor hubby in a tux, so we are "dressing up."

[blackfoot]

Sounds like going to the Prom- what a joke!

[Ma Bell]

I guess the joke's on you. It's just ordinary behavior for most people who go cruising.

 

They have wilderness trips and smaller boats that do Alaska for people who are looking for a different Alaska experience. Both are wonderful.

[Fuzzyape]

Sounds like going to the Prom- what a joke!

 

blackfoot, you didn't mention (and maybe it's not important) were you considering an AK cruise? We leave for our first in about a week.

 

I am waffling between bringing my tux, or a suite. Every day I think of a reason to bring one over the other. Perhaps it will be the tux.

 

I've only been on 4 or 5 cruises, but have dressed for formal night on every one. DW enjoys it, as we don't have any other reasons to dress to the nines, and it's great to feel special a couple of times. I enjoy jeans and tshirts as much as the next person. But, there are times and places for everything, and I do love a tux for formal nights.

 

There are many other things I'd enjoy asking you, blackfoot, but they aren't relevant to the discussion.

 

PS -- darsura, make sure you take lots of pics of your hubby and little boys all dressed up :)

[Char]

Formal is formal! On all the Alaska cruises we have been on---just came back 2 weeks ago--there have always been men in tuxes and ladies in long gowns or cocktail dresses. On Celebrity you only have formal and casual, so there is no more "informal", which meant jacket with or without tie.

 

We have always dressed for the occasion and had a ball.

 

 

By the way blackfoot, adult formal night is a far cry from a prom! :D

Sounds like going to the Prom- what a joke!

[dkjretired]

Just to make mention, I do not know if this was normal practice or not but our buffet was a buffet and there was not a $2 option. We had a sushi/stir fry station, Pizza station, Pasta/salad Station and one other that changed nightly on all nights of our Infinity Alaska sailing just this past week. I had read several times about the alturnative dining and when I was on board there was no area set up for this and no mention in the dailies. My huband did ask a fellow who was at the customer service desk and he said they have a buffet and what was being served. ???:confused:It was a tad smaller than the breakfast or lunch buffet but still plentiful for those who are interested.

 

Like I said don't know if or when this changed but this is my experience last week,

Patty

 

Patty:

 

Thanks for the info, not having the casual dining is a big change that has not been reported by anyone yet....

[dkjretired]

I guess the joke's on you. It's just ordinary behavior for most people who go cruising.

 

They have wilderness trips and smaller boats that do Alaska for people who are looking for a different Alaska experience. Both are wonderful.

 

I agree Ma, wish people would do their homework....

[darsura]

Thanks to all who posted. I think I will stick with my plan, and enjoy seeing the family all dressed up. Fuzzyape, enjoy your cruise, and thanks, yes, I will be taking lots of pictures:)

[boboraji]

Formal night on a cruise is a great ways to finally get a nice picture of the family. We enjoyed getting dressed up on our Alaskan cruise last August. My husband wanted to rent the tux onboard but he was too tall for their sizes. Cruising is a great way to do something out of the ordinary. And I think guys act better when they are dressed up!!

[blackfoot]

Looks like Oceania, Regent, or Azamara will get my cruising $: I didn't realize that Celebrity was "old school" w/ formal nights to Alaska!

[Lois R]

Looks like Oceania, Regent, or Azamara will get my cruising $: I didn't realize that Celebrity was "old school" w/ formal nights to Alaska!

 

Looks like you have lots of choices which is a good thing:)

Many of the mainstream lines have Formal Nights for all the itineraries

(not just Alaska).

The 3 you mentioned are supposed to be higher end, premium lines.

Glad you found what you are looking for:)

[9ersRule]

Looks like Oceania, Regent, or Azamara will get my cruising $: I didn't realize that Celebrity was "old school" w/ formal nights to Alaska!

 

 

Have not cruised Alaska but my trips to Med, MR and Caribbean had people dressed formal but also many of us in TB shirts and dockers. I wear a tie at work and do not need it for vacation and am paying for the MDR and not a buffet. One alternative is to go to the specialty restaurants.