Help me avoid formal nights, please

[dkjretired]

We did a TA on Solstice a year ago and the dress code for specialty restaurants was smart casual and above every night. Many people on these boards claimed that this was not the case, so I looked back at the dailies to be sure. Some people were dressed formally anyway.

 

I did Equinox last November and it was not smart casual every night but depended on the dress code in the MDR. The relevent portion was put in the web site only a couple of months ago...

[Sun&Sand52]

Don't worry, "packedandready."

You will never have to miss a show if you want to avoid formality.

 

Here is the pertinent part of Celebrity's dress code information:

"Note: T-shirts, swimsuits, robes, bare feet, tank tops, baseball caps and pool wear are not allowed in the main restaurant or specialty restaurant at any time. Shorts and flip flops are not allowed in the evening hours. Additionally, guests are asked to follow the 'Smart Casual and Above' dress code in the Celebrity Theater for all evening performances."

 

[source: http://www.celebritycruises.com/beforeyourcruise/faq/home.do;jsessionid=0000yV7DJBqdz6qztm4-GyYt_LX:12hdebcnj?faqSubjectName=Dress+Code&faqId=478&pagename=faq_answers]

 

Enjoy yourself! :)

.

 

I was on the Solstice a few weeks ago and I remember hearing the cruise director say that formal attire would be required in the main theater on formal night. The cruise director (Paul Bayan) stated this at the end of the show the night before the formal night show. I will say that I did see a few people at the formal night theater performance not in formal wear. So I guess they might not adhere to the policy.

[teajak]

I have a little different question. We too are looking to skip formal nights, so plan on the buffet or room service. But, I am wondering about the theater. GENERALLY, what type of show takes place on formal night? Is it a production show (singers and dancers), or would we have to miss some decent entertainment?

On the Solstice last month there was a sign at the entrance to the theater that requested formal attire to attend. First time I ever saw that.

[Redtravel]

On Millenium, is it okay to wear sports jacket and open shirt on the formal night?

If we eat at the buffet or specialty restaurant can we avoid the formal night attire?

Ever since my luggage was delayed for a week on a past cruise, I try not bring anything good. My luggage arrived with all my really good formal clothes missing. 2 week Med cruise and no clothes. I try to carry on and pack light, take old inexpensive clothes, and toss them out if I need room for souvenirs. I'd rather not lose my stuff again. It's amazing how little you can bring, wash out, and still have a great time. I only wish Celebrity had a launderette. I wash in my cabin and send out.

[SusieV]

On Millenium, is it okay to wear sports jacket and open shirt on the formal night?

If we eat at the buffet or specialty restaurant can we avoid the formal night attire?

Ever since my luggage was delayed for a week on a past cruise, I try not bring anything good. My luggage arrived with all my really good formal clothes missing. 2 week Med cruise and no clothes. I try to carry on and pack light, take old inexpensive clothes, and toss them out if I need room for souvenirs. I'd rather not lose my stuff again. It's amazing how little you can bring, wash out, and still have a great time. I only wish Celebrity had a launderette. I wash in my cabin and send out.

 

The dress code is the same for all classes of ships. What you might be able to get away with is not the same as what is requested. A sports jacket and open shirt is not even close to the definition of formal.

 

There is no buffet in the evening on Millennium. There is a pizza, pasta, sushi bar but that's it or room service.

 

You can rent formalwear if you wish.

[dkjretired]

I was on the Solstice a few weeks ago and I remember hearing the cruise director say that formal attire would be required in the main theater on formal night. The cruise director (Paul Bayan) stated this at the end of the show the night before the formal night show. I will say that I did see a few people at the formal night theater performance not in formal wear. So I guess they might not adhere to the policy.

 

We were on the Solstice probably the week before and I remember Paul making the announcement but he said no shorts and something else were not permitted. They also had a sign at the entrance and actually enforced it...

[See Norway]

DJKretired, thank you for confirming that the dress code for Blu is smart casual every night. We are looking forward to trying Blu this November and are very happy to know we do not need to take formal wear. (But of course, we will dress very smartly, in a casual way).

 

Lauren

[See Norway]

I forgot to say hello to you BigHairTexan - I do love your user name!

[Peteymil]

I was on the Solstice a few weeks ago and I remember hearing the cruise director say that formal attire would be required in the main theater on formal night. The cruise director (Paul Bayan) stated this at the end of the show the night before the formal night show. I will say that I did see a few people at the formal night theater performance not in formal wear. So I guess they might not adhere to the policy.

 

I am certainly willing to abide by Celebrity's rules, but if they are going to require formal attire in the theater, they should change the website, because that could impact what people pack.

Also, if they allow smart casual in the specialty restaurants on formal night, it seems silly that those people cannot get into the theater.

It also surprises me that Blu is considered a specialty restaurant. That surprises me, but I guess you learn something new each day (or each cruise)!

[FortyNinerLiz]

I am certainly willing to abide by Celebrity's rules, but if they are going to require formal attire in the theater, they should change the website, because that could impact what people pack.

Also, if they allow smart casual in the specialty restaurants on formal night, it seems silly that those people cannot get into the theater.

It also surprises me that Blu is considered a specialty restaurant. That surprises me, but I guess you learn something new each day (or each cruise)!

 

We are the same kind of people who do not cruise to "do" formal nights......We have learned that the best approach is to go to the specialty restaurant management, upon boarding, and explain your situation. They have jackets, etc, for "special customers" for "formal nights" available, by "arrangement". They have always been most gracious to us and worked with us to maximize our great dining experience. You can probably negotiate the "theater" problem.(A gratuity may be in order). They want to make you happy and good luck!!!

[dkjretired]

I am certainly willing to abide by Celebrity's rules, but if they are going to require formal attire in the theater, they should change the website, because that could impact what people pack.

Also, if they allow smart casual in the specialty restaurants on formal night, it seems silly that those people cannot get into the theater.

It also surprises me that Blu is considered a specialty restaurant. That surprises me, but I guess you learn something new each day (or each cruise)!

 

They do not require formal wear in the theater, they simply request no shorts, that is what the sign said on the Solstice.. The dress code on the web site is smart casual.

 

I made a mistake in my previous post about Blu being a Specialty restaurant, I didn't proofread it. Celebrity does consider it a Specialty restaurant. Here is the relevent part of the web site..

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/whyceleb/specialtyDining/Blu.do;jsessionid=0000exkBXcEQMRQQQ9-WY7pI_NS:12hdebdrn?pagename=sl_blu_detail

[Peteymil]

They do not require formal wear in the theater, they simply request no shorts, that is what the sign said on the Solstice.. The dress code on the web site is smart casual.

Right, but a previous poster said that on their cruise an announcement was made by the cruise director that formal wear would be required in the theater on formal night. My point was that this didn't seem right because it was not in agreement with the website. I dress in formal wear for formal night so it does not affect me, but it would certainly affect others.

[Meena]

We just came off the Century and never went to the dining room once even though we signed up for select dining and prepaid the tips. It was a Med cruise and when you finally get back to the ship from being out all day, the last thing you feel like doing is getting all dressed up. We ate either at the buffet line or the pasta bar and loved every night. As far as the theatre went, we went on formal night and no one said anything to us. One night we sat right up front and another in the balcony. We were not wearing shorts, etc., but casual dress. Surprisingly, the pasta bar and buffet line was very crowded every night. I think more and more people are not doing formal nights.

[Spf12]

Right, but a previous poster said that on their cruise an announcement was made by the cruise director that formal wear would be required in the theater on formal night. My point was that this didn't seem right because it was not in agreement with the website. I dress in formal wear for formal night so it does not affect me, but it would certainly affect others.

 

Nor is it stated in the passenger/cruise contract that everyone signs,nor does the contract state anything about dress codes.

[bplazo]

Isn't there a grill, to, or is that the bistro?

 

I've heard you can get whatever they are serving in the MDR as room service. Here's a question...if you don't want to eat in your cabin, can you get it delivered to a quiet place outside on the ship?

 

I really doubt that they will deliver anywhere on the ship. Can you imagine the difficulty of finding the right person who ordered room service.

[packedandready]

I really doubt that they will deliver anywhere on the ship. Can you imagine the difficulty of finding the right person who ordered room service.

 

I can certainly understand why it wouldn't be done, but it sure would be nice!!!

[dkjretired]

Nor is it stated in the passenger/cruise contract that everyone signs,nor does the contract state anything about dress codes.

 

That is a red herring, if you go through the contract you will find somewhere a coverall clause that you sign which states you will abide by the cruise rules and be responsible for those in your party...

[jt1120]

I think the OP has two choices: choose NCL or stay home. For every person that is in the "I refuse" club, there are at least that many and more in the "aren't cruise traditions grand?" club. That would be me. I have two tuxes (mostly for business, but also for cruising), and planning a cruise entitles my wife to go buy a new formal. What woman doesn't like formal shopping?

 

Sorry, call me old fashioned, but formal nights are our favorite parts of the cruise.

 

 

(For the record, am I the only one who is tired of the constant battle between formal/no formal night threads? Enough already)

[tally10]

I think the OP has two choices: choose NCL or stay home. For every person that is in the "I refuse" club, there are at least that many and more in the "aren't cruise traditions grand?" club. That would be me. I have two tuxes (mostly for business, but also for cruising), and planning a cruise entitles my wife to go buy a new formal. What woman doesn't like formal shopping?

 

Sorry, call me old fashioned, but formal nights are our favorite parts of the cruise.

 

 

(For the record, am I the only one who is tired of the constant battle between formal/no formal night threads? Enough already)

 

If you are tired of the formal/no formal night threads, then you should also be tired of the "choose NCL" line that also is stated ad nauseum. Formal nights are just a very small part of the Celebrity experience. There are many more reasons why people choose Celebrity.

[City_Woman]

I think the OP has two choices: choose NCL or stay home. For every person that is in the "I refuse" club, there are at least that many and more in the "aren't cruise traditions grand?" club. That would be me. I have two tuxes (mostly for business, but also for cruising), and planning a cruise entitles my wife to go buy a new formal. What woman doesn't like formal shopping?

 

Sorry, call me old fashioned, but formal nights are our favorite parts of the cruise.

 

 

(For the record, am I the only one who is tired of the constant battle between formal/no formal night threads? Enough already)

 

I love cruising and I think Celebrity is terrific. I would never switch cruise lines just because I have decided not to do formal nights. What kinds of things I do on formal night may change because I'm not partaking, but that doesn't mean I should be ostracized for it.

 

Can't wait for my upcoming cruise, with or without formal nights.

 

Remember: There wouldn't be a hundred flavours of ice cream if everyone liked vanilla.

 

Judy

[Opinions]

I am slightly confused from reading these posts...Is there a buffet available on Celebrity for dinner on formal nights?...Is this a casual alternative to dinner in the main dining room?

[mgmigs]

If you are tired of the formal/no formal night threads, then you should also be tired of the "choose NCL" line that also is stated ad nauseum. Formal nights are just a very small part of the Celebrity experience. There are many more reasons why people choose Celebrity.

 

i 100% agree, cruising has a little bit of everything :cool: and is a very easy way to travel/vacation. many want or need a cruise to relax, get away from the everyday formalities and stresses of work and for those people and others, dressing up for formal night is not on the list of priorities. on the other hand, others do enjoy dressing up and that's great too, but neither type of cruiser should be criticizing the other for thier choice to dress or not to dress. to each his own!

[GeorgeL]

I am slightly confused from reading these posts...Is there a buffet available on Celebrity for dinner on formal nights?...Is this a casual alternative to dinner in the main dining room?

 

There is no dinner buffet available on any night, including formal.

[Onessa]

I think the OP has two choices: choose NCL or stay home. For every person that is in the "I refuse" club, there are at least that many and more in the "aren't cruise traditions grand?" club.

Based upon my observations on these boards and my observations on cruises, I would be inclined to believe that the numbers are skewed a bit more toward the "I refuse" club vs the "strictly formal" club - but on the two extremes the numbers are pretty similar. However the number where the concept of "we don't really care" (we will participate in formal night because it exists but would not be heartbroken if it did not exist) are by far the majority.

 

As others have noted, there is much, much more to a Celebrity cruise than simply formal night.

 

If formal night was strictly enforced on lines I think the backlash would be very vocal. There are a lot of cruisers who opt out of dining in the MDR on formal nights, and a lot of cruisers who at the very minimum "bend" the rules of formal in the MDR on formal nights.

 

. . . planning a cruise entitles my wife to go buy a new formal. What woman doesn't like formal shopping?)

That would be me -- I enjoy shopping, but shopping for formalwear is VERY low on my list. A quick poll of the women in my office area validates my feelings - no one here likes shopping for special occassion wear. My DD's high school had homecoming last weekend and based upon her and her friends comments -- shopping was fun, but "shopping for a really expensive dress they were only going to wear once" is not.

 

. . .(For the record, am I the only one who is tired of the constant battle between formal/no formal night threads? Enough already)

You must be the only one because it seems that every formal wear thread seems to be very popular!

 

Why the OPs question as to what their options were got interpreted as a stand that there should not be formal nights, I don't understand.

 

Had the OP said that they did not gamble and what were their options if they did not want to participate - I would not have intrepreted it as a comment that casinos on-board should be abolished. Similarly the OP said they did not want to dress formally so what were their options for dining. It seems that the OP is fine with others participating in Formal night, but instead wants to make certain that his non-formal dress does not impede anyone else's enjoyment of their formal night.

 

I was on the Solstice a few weeks ago and I remember hearing the cruise director say that formal attire would be required in the main theater on formal night. The cruise director (Paul Bayan) stated this at the end of the show the night before the formal night show. I will say that I did see a few people at the formal night theater performance not in formal wear. So I guess they might not adhere to the policy.

I've heard announcements stating that adherance to dress code was appreciated but generally that has been clarified to mean that adherence to the theatre's posted dress code rather than adherence to the formal wear guidelines.

 

The posted guidelines do not state that formalwear is required in the theatres on formal night. If a pax did not care to go to the show the night before formal night, how would he have heard this announcement had he not been at the earlier show?

[emileg]

...I had heard the opposite (of what you stated) SO MANY times that I at first assumed that you were mistaken. Giving you the benefit of the doubt, however, I went to the "X" site and found the following there (at http://www.celebritycruises.com/beforeyourcruise/faq/home.do;jsessionid=0000XvVP4BSRQCqvrz0EpYJzEcI:12hdebcnj?faqSubjectName=Dress+Code&faqId=2728&pagename=faq_answers):

 

What is the dress code for the specialty restaurants?

Subject: Dress Code

The dress code in Celebrity's specialty dining restaurants is "Smart Casual and Above" for every night of the cruise, regardless of the evening dress code in the main restaurant.

 

 

So, I thank you for setting me straight!.

Well, thank you for setting me straight too. So I guess for now on we will dine in the MDR on formal nights and go to the specialty restaurants on casual nights. On a recent Summit cruise, most men wore at least jackets and all women were elegantly dressed at the Normandie restaurant on casual nights.