Formal nights-the truth how I saw it

[we2cruze]

When we first started cruising, I was so excited about formal night. I have lost some of that excitement with multiple cruises. Now I get mostly excited about the lobster. (Please tell me they serve lobster on one of the formal nights on HAL!) That being said, for us formal night breaks down to this: On longer cruises with Princess, and now HAL, we plan to dress for formal night. My husband doesn't own a tux, but a dark suit and tie is completely appropriate for formal night. I have a multitude of long, formal gowns that I've collected and one tea length, so no problem there. On shorter cruises with Carnival and Royal Caribbean, we dress less formal. My husband wears a shirt and tie with dress pants and I wear slacks/skirt and dressy shirt. The reason for this is that I have found that this is the prevailing dress for the different types of cruises. I've never done a short cruise on Princess and am just now trying HAL, so I don't know what they do on shorter cruises.

People seem to be very passionate about this subject and it often becomes an argument on Cruise Critic. I do understand the problem with current airline baggage policies, particularly for bigger people. My husband is bigger and his clothes fill a suitcase much faster than mine. Also, multiple shoes can really fill up a suitcase.

Another observation, for what it is worth, I have found that when you cruise with a lot of Europeans, they generally wear much dressier clothing to dinner, even on the smart casual nights. Americans tend to dress more casually as a whole. Cultural thing, I'm sure, but worth noting when trying to decide what to pack.

[anniegb]

When we first started cruising, I was so excited about formal night. I have lost some of that excitement with multiple cruises. Now I get mostly excited about the lobster. (Please tell me they serve lobster on one of the formal nights on HAL!) That being said, for us formal night breaks down to this: On longer cruises with Princess, and now HAL, we plan to dress for formal night. My husband doesn't own a tux, but a dark suit and tie is completely appropriate for formal night. I have a multitude of long, formal gowns that I've collected and one tea length, so no problem there. On shorter cruises with Carnival and Royal Caribbean, we dress less formal. My husband wears a shirt and tie with dress pants and I wear slacks/skirt and dressy shirt. The reason for this is that I have found that this is the prevailing dress for the different types of cruises. I've never done a short cruise on Princess and am just now trying HAL, so I don't know what they do on shorter cruises.

People seem to be very passionate about this subject and it often becomes an argument on Cruise Critic. I do understand the problem with current airline baggage policies, particularly for bigger people. My husband is bigger and his clothes fill a suitcase much faster than mine. Also, multiple shoes can really fill up a suitcase.

Another observation, for what it is worth, I have found that when you cruise with a lot of Europeans, they generally wear much dressier clothing to dinner, even on the smart casual nights. Americans tend to dress more casually as a whole. Cultural thing, I'm sure, but worth noting when trying to decide what to pack.

 

Thanks- that explains why I , as a European who does not do European formal, feels overdressed when wearing smart casual!

 

Now I get it - as a European - I have no worries!

 

:):)

[sail7seas]

For us, the baggage allowance issue is not just "a bit of an excuse". Try managing with one 44 lb bag for a 10-week vacation, which is what we have to do, because of baggage restrictions on our flights from the South Pacific.

 

To get to our cruises, we have about 24 hours of flying time, so we usually travel for as long as we can while we are overseas.

 

There is simply no room in our baggage for a tux or formal evening gowns. On formal nights, DH wears a dark suit and I wear black pants and a pretty top.

 

 

I don't mean to be argumentative...... just (I hope) a reasonable question.

 

You are traveling for 10 weeks (lucky you :) ) but are unwilling to bring along an extra bag so you can have a few more choices to wear than can be managed at 44 pounds? How much can a second bag cost to bring? $50.... ?

I know for sure if I were going away for 10 weeks, I'd have to bring two suitcases and would slip a LBD into one of those bags. With baubles and bling, an LBD can take you to formal night on the cruise or a romantic dinner in Tahiti. Sigh.....

 

In any case, hope you have an amazing adventure and enjoy every moment of your vacation.

 

 

I'm really happy to read here there are still plenty of us who intend to continue with tuxedos and ladies dressed for formal nights. May be short lived but while it exists, we shall participate.

[VermeulT]

just be neat and clean!

 

I did see a younger man (about 20) on my last cruise with a t-shirt on in the MDR and it said very clearly on the back FU@K THIS (it actually had c not @)

 

A tux might be too formal for some - but that really floored me.

Clean, neat, and nice... presentable...

[innlady1]

For us, the baggage allowance issue is not just "a bit of an excuse". Try managing with one 44 lb bag for a 10-week vacation, which is what we have to do, because of baggage restrictions on our flights from the South Pacific.

 

To get to our cruises, we have about 24 hours of flying time, so we usually travel for as long as we can while we are overseas.

 

There is simply no room in our baggage for a tux or formal evening gowns. On formal nights, DH wears a dark suit and I wear black pants and a pretty top.

 

This is what we have done. But next cruise, DH is thinking of leaving his suit behind and wearing his navy blazer and dress pants for formal evenings as well as smart casual. I'd prefer he bring his dark suit as he looks so handsome in it, but he's a big boy...he can do as he wishes! I wear black dressy pants and interchange with dressy tops...I have one silk beaded jacket that's particularly light weight that works great.

[iancal]

If you were travelling for 10 weeks would you like to haul around another suitcase?? We travel a fair amount. Cutting down on luggage to the point where one has one managaeble suitcase GREATLY reduces the hassle of travel...particularly if you are lifting those bags on to trains or pulling them across cobblestones, or carrying them up stairs as we frequently do. Not everyone has a personal valet. This is not about doing a cab, plane, cruiseship gig. Bringing another suitcase is NOT a money issue for many travellers. Those that do not have that experience or preference should not make it out to be one.

[anniegb]

If you were travelling for 10 weeks would you like to haul around another suitcase?? We travel a fair amount. Cutting down on luggage to the point where one has one managaeble suitcase GREATLY reduces the hassle of travel...particularly if you are lifting those bags on to trains or pulling them across cobblestones, or carrying them up stairs as we frequently do. Not everyone has a personal valet. This is not about doing a cab, plane, cruiseship gig. Bringing another suitcase is NOT a money issue for many travellers. Those that do not have that experience or preference should not make it out to be one.

 

I completely agree with you - and my longest trip has been 6 weeks. One suitcase is enough!

 

 

 

:):)

[SwissMyst]

I......

 

The luggage allowance issue is used as a bit of an excuse to be honest. I manage with one 50 lb bag for a 2-3 week vacation, it's not that hard just takes smart planning ;)

 

Agree. Today's sparkly dressy fabrics for women are some of the most packable garments out there. No more heavy beaded or sequined jackets, but that has been about the only change for dressy nights for me. Except our Christmas cruise were we got to drive to the San Diego port for the Oosterdam and along came that favorite festive sequined jacket for Christmas Eve but that is now the exception.

 

Packing a tux is no different than packing a dark suit for men. And HAL rents them anyway so one does not even need to purchase or pack one. We packed for 42 days and still met airline baggage limits and I was way over-packed because a lot of "must have" items went unworn.

[Napi's Mom]

I would agree with all of the above, I recently arrived back from a Noordam cruise...I am happy to dress up and I love a man who does the same and it is so enjoyable watching everyone...but for those who only have a tie or for the women that just use some sparkle around their neck...you all look fanatastic and as long as you are enjoying yourselves....Who Cares:D

Yes! this is the attitude that is appropriate, appreciate the fact the people took the time to make themselves presentable for dinner, and then appreciate their company. I've met more folk whom I really liked, who hadn't the fancy dress clothes, and really didn't like some that were dressed to the 9's that thought that made them better somehow. Enjoy dressing up, if you love it, and accept the ones who don't. (You should have been on our New Z./Aus cruise that at the last min. sold really cheap cabins in both countries...the Aussies especially dressed like they were on their back patio..flip flops, Hawaiian type shirts and even saw shorts on formal nights, and as it was in '08 actually having people onboard was more important than the code for Celebrity:D)

[Denverbri69]

Sail7seas, I totally agree with you...formal nights are special, you"re not going to Outback Steakhouse or wherever you go for a special dinner, you're on a cruise where you can really step it up and wear something you would not wear at home, and feel really good about it....try it, you won't be sorry.

We are all children of the 'revolution' and eschew rules and formalities. BUT! There is something romantic about dressing up. There is no denying it. And, as a newbie, I maybe wrong about this, but I think cruising is romantic. At least that is how I sold the idea to DW ;)

[bepsf]

I really do not like or want to pack formal clothes and with the luggage restrictions with the airlines these days, it is really a pain.

 

That's a lame excuse.

Some folks were ignoring the dress codes years before there were airline luggage fees...

...and a luggage fee is by no means a "Restriction" - it's merely a different way to charge for air travel versus the former "luggage included" fares. If a person wishes to bring 5 checked bags along, they still can - One merely has to pay the fee.

[secretadvisor]

The way I see it, the formal nights are part of the spirit of cruising. You can choose to sail with lines that don't require the formal dress, and they do 99% of the destinations that HAL sails to.

My point is that, HAL is a more formal cruise line in general, and if your choosing to sail with them, why start complaining about the idea of formal dress. Would much rather see people looking their best, then sat around in string vests swigging beer!

[travelgenie]

That's a lame excuse.

Some folks were ignoring the dress codes years before there were airline luggage fees...

 

...and a luggage fee is by no means a "Restriction" - it's merely a different way to charge for air travel versus the former "luggage included" fares. If a person wishes to bring 5 checked bags along, they still can - One merely has to pay the fee.

 

You are so right about the luggage fees, sorry for using the word "restriction" and using it as an excuse for not wanting to pack formal attire. I have been on 3 cruises this past year, RCCL, Celebrity and just back from HAL and what I have discovered is that there is less formal wear than not, just an observation. While in no way am I suggesting that people are showing up in jeans and sweats or that they should be able to. My point is that you can still have a classy look without all the fuss and extras and by all means if you want to wear a tux or gown, go for it. I am going to save my money for more shore excursions and buying more bling.

[Opinions]

The way I see it, the formal nights are part of the spirit of cruising. You can choose to sail with lines that don't require the formal dress, and they do 99% of the destinations that HAL sails to.

 

HAL doesn't "require" formal dress...They welcome on board those who don't dress formally and provide the Lido for dinner...They have eliminated in-formal nights and most nights are casual...No need to look for another cruise line.

[marylandcrab]

DH retired a year ago and now we have more time for cruising. He went out and bought a new Dinner Jacket. He bought the last one at age twenty five when he joined the Foreign Service. He still gets a kick out of dressing up for dinner and I think he looks great. For some it is nice to keep up old traditions.:)

[we2cruze]

[quote name='we2cruze']
People seem to be very passionate about this subject and it often becomes an argument on Cruise Critic. [/quote]

Ha, ha, like I said! :p The one thing I've noticed is that people get all excited and upset about this subject on cruise critic, but it seems to me that most people don't really concern themselves with policing other passengers formal dress while actually on a cruise. I know I don't. As long as I'm dressed appropriately, I don't really pay attention to everyone else's clothing. Although there are probably some who spend a great deal of time checking out the other passengers and giving them passing or failing grades... perhaps discussing among themselves how the other passengers should be sailing one of the other cruiselines.;)

[Lady Chew]

It seems to me that if a woman can get away with wearing "black dressy pants" and a sparkly, dressy top, a man should be able to wear a sports jacket/blazer with nice slacks & shirt, with or without a tie. Neither one is really Formal, but pass for it on cruise lines.

[celle]

[quote name='sail7seas'][B]I don't mean to be argumentative...... just (I hope) a reasonable question.[/B]

[B]You are traveling for 10 weeks (lucky you :) ) but are unwilling to bring along an extra bag so you can have a few more choices to wear than can be managed at 44 pounds? How much can a second bag cost to bring? $50.... ? [/B]
[B]I know for sure if I were going away for 10 weeks, I'd have to bring two suitcases and would slip a LBD into one of those bags. With baubles and bling, an LBD can take you to formal night on the cruise or a romantic dinner in Tahiti. Sigh.....[/B]

[B]In any case, hope you have an amazing adventure and enjoy every moment of your vacation.


I'm really happy to read here there are still plenty of us who intend to continue with tuxedos and ladies dressed for formal nights. May be short lived but while it exists, we shall participate.[/B][/quote]

Thank you for your suggestion. I have no objection to dressing formally for formal nights and I'll try not to offend, however . . .

Unfortunately, it's not just a matter of paying once for an extra bag. At last count, we will have 7 different flights, three train journeys, 2 cruises, a rental car for a week, and several moves from one place to another in the UK (in a small car owned by our son or daughter, when 4 adults plus lots of baggage presents a serious logistical problem). Somehow, lugging an extra bag seems out of the question.

In addition, we have to consider extreme temperature variations:

[LIST]
[*]New Zealand in mid winter to the UK in summer (late June, early July),
[*]UK summer (mild) to Mediterranean summer (hot),
[*]UK summer to transatlantic crossing, followed by New England to Canada cruise (autumn/ fall),
[*]Nova Scotia (definitely cool) to Australia (very hot) in early October.
[/LIST]

We will be attending a niece's wedding in Australia in early October. Now, it may be possible to wear the wedding outfit on formal nights on board (and DH's dark suit will be possible for both), but somehow mid-Atlantic temperatures in September and Australian temperatures (35C - about 90F) in early October don't seem compatible. I might manage with the wedding outfit and a wrap, and will do so if I can. However, the LBD you suggest wouldn't be appropriate for a wedding.

Yes, thank you, we'll enjoy our 10 weeks' holiday. When we raised our 3 kids, we both worked long hours (DH sometimes 80 hours a week). I worked night shifts at the hospital, so one of us was always around for the kids and we didn't have to pay for child care. We worked hard and we were frugal - family holidays consisted of loading up the car with kids and tent, and we camped.

Now the kids are grown and settled, 2 of them married and living in the UK (so we don't have to pay for accommodation there :)). We're both retired now and lucky to still be in good health.

So, as long as the (saved) money and our health hold out, we're working down our "bucket list" and travelling as much as we can!

[AZNative2000]

[quote name='celle']There is simply no room in our baggage for a tux or formal evening gowns. [COLOR="Red"]On formal nights, DH wears a dark suit and I wear black pants and a pretty top[/COLOR].[/QUOTE]

[SIZE="3"]Sounds like formal attire to me ... just the way it's described on HALs site.:)[/SIZE]

[sail7seas]

[quote name='celle']Thank you for your suggestion. I have no objection to dressing formally for formal nights and I'll try not to offend, however . . .

Unfortunately, it's not just a matter of paying once for an extra bag. At last count, we will have 7 different flights, three train journeys, 2 cruises, a rental car for a week, and several moves from one place to another in the UK (in a small car owned by our son or daughter, when 4 adults plus lots of baggage presents a serious logistical problem). Somehow, lugging an extra bag seems out of the question.

In addition, we have to consider extreme temperature variations:

[LIST]
[*]New Zealand in mid winter to the UK in summer (late June, early July),
[*]UK summer (mild) to Mediterranean summer (hot),
[*]UK summer to transatlantic crossing, followed by New England to Canada cruise (autumn/ fall),
[*]Nova Scotia (definitely cool) to Australia (very hot) in early October.
[/LIST]
We will be attending a niece's wedding in Australia in early October. Now, it may be possible to wear the wedding outfit on formal nights on board (and DH's dark suit will be possible for both), but somehow mid-Atlantic temperatures in September and Australian temperatures (35C - about 90F) in early October don't seem compatible. I might manage with the wedding outfit and a wrap, and will do so if I can. However, the LBD you suggest wouldn't be appropriate for a wedding.

Yes, thank you, we'll enjoy our 10 weeks' holiday. When we raised our 3 kids, we both worked long hours (DH sometimes 80 hours a week). I worked night shifts at the hospital, so one of us was always around for the kids and we didn't have to pay for child care. We worked hard and we were frugal - family holidays consisted of loading up the car with kids and tent, and we camped.

Now the kids are grown and settled, 2 of them married and living in the UK (so we don't have to pay for accommodation there :)). We're both retired now and lucky to still be in good health.

So, as long as the (saved) money and our health hold out, we're working down our "bucket list" and travelling as much as we can![/quote]


[B] Wow .......... Sounds amazing. You certainly have some fabulous plans in place. Travel safely.

[celle]

[quote name='sail7seas'][b] Wow .......... Sounds amazing. You certainly have some fabulous plans in place. Travel safely.[/quote]

Thank you.

[twinkletoes4445]

[quote name='secretadvisor']Well, the way I see it, you have a lot cruise lines to choose from. If you want formal sail with a cruise line that offers formal, if you don't like it, sail on Carnival! You have a choice![/QUOTE]

I'm not following this at all. We sailed Carnival (our first cruise) and they have formal nights, unless that's changed. We recently checked out Regent Seven Seas, which is a luxury line, and they've gone to country club casual. :)

You don't have to do the formal nights on HAL. There's always the Lido or room service, so there's no need to go elsewhere if you prefer to not participate in the formal evenings. :)

We love HAL and will most likely stick with them, but I personally think the formal nights are eventually going end, or be modified. That's just my opinion. :)

[Cruising-along]

[quote name='twinkletoes4445']I'm not following this at all. We sailed Carnival (our first cruise) and they have formal nights, unless that's changed. We recently checked out Regent Seven Seas, which is a luxury line, and they've gone to country club casual. :)

You don't have to do the formal nights on HAL. There's always the Lido or room service, so there's no need to go elsewhere if you prefer to not participate in the formal evenings. :)

We love HAL and will most likely stick with them, but I personally think the formal nights are eventually going end, or be modified. That's just my opinion. :)[/quote]

And I agree with you as always. HAL wouldn't have the Lido (casual dress) open on formal nights if formal is [I]required of everyone. [/I]I really wish some posters would "get it" and stop harping that HAL isn't for you if you don't love formal nights. There's much more to HAL than a dress code!

We have found that it depends on the itinerary, location and length of our vacation (like adding land travel to a European cruise) whether we bring formal wear or not. [U]Sometimes we do and sometimes we don't[/U]. But we [B]always [/B]dress appropriately in the MDR.

Good to see you again Twinkletoes!

[startwin]

[quote name='Cruising-along']And I agree with you as always. HAL wouldn't have the Lido (casual dress) open on formal nights if formal is [I]required of everyone. [/I]I really wish some posters would "get it" and stop harping that HAL isn't for you if you don't love formal nights. There's much more to HAL than a dress code!

We have found that it depends on the itinerary, location and length of our vacation (like adding land travel to a European cruise) whether we bring formal wear or not. [U]Sometimes we do and sometimes we don't[/U]. But we [B]always [/B]dress appropriately in the MDR.

Good to see you again Twinkletoes![/quote]

Couldn't agree with you more - sanity prevails in a forum where insults seems to be OK as long as you are dressed formally, LOL:D

I really don't care what others wear and the only time I take notice is if it's a particularly lovely dress or colour that catches my eye. We dress appropriately for a fine dining restaurant. No tux for my hubby though, he wears a dark suit.

Our tablemates on one cruise were lovely people but very old-guard and made comments about the fact that quite a few were not dressed formally enough. Not nasty, but other conversation was interrupted for it. She wore a beautiful beaded lavendar dress and he wore a white tux. Both had seen far better days and the dress had several stains. It was quite sad.

[trailercruiser]

[quote name='travelgenie']Just back from a 17 day Panama Canal cruise. There is so much posted about formal nights on these boards, and I just wanted to share my experience. I agonize about packing and really do not like or want to pack formal clothes and with the luggage restrictions with the airlines these days, it is really a pain. There are those here on CC who defend the guidelines on the HAL site, how many times have we had it copied and pasted, we get it, however no where does it say "mandatory" only a suggestion as to what is "usually seen". My observations on this cruise, was that most passengers, although dressed nicely on formal nights, saw very few gowns and tuxes, a great number of men in just shirts and ties and women in pants and a little bling around their neck. No big deal, no one refused entry in the MDR, no one that I heard, huffing and puffing about what others are wearing or not wearing. Times have changed, like it or not, we are a more casual society, look at what people are wearing to church. My advice, to those who are worried about formal nights, no need to stress, gentlemen, take a tie, ladies, add some bling and enjoy![/quote]
It's actually an insult nowadays to wear a tux, it shows disrespect for your fellow cruisers. Casual is in and HAL accepts it, that is a fact. To all the nose in the air crowd I guess HAL isn't for you anymore.;)