Why not just end formal nights altogether?

[teajak]

You can't be serious about the amount of tuxs on formal nights :confused:

 

Tuxs have all but disappeared from Formal nights.

 

And Kathy..... please tell me the difference bewteen suggested and required

The didn't disappear on the last 3 RCI cruises we took last year.

[Big_G]

....wear the same thing every night????...boy it must be quite aromatic on the last day..:eek:....but it makes packing easy I guess....

 

LMAO!!! Love it Joe. Keep up the good work.:D

[frantic36]

Several of the luxury cruise lines (Regent, Seabourn and I think Crystal) do not have formal nights. It is country club casual all the way. Most of the men wear open color shirts with sports coats in the main dining room. Woman in nice dressy pants and tops. Of course these ships do not have photographers for those formal night pictures. It certainly made packing for those cruises a lot easier.

 

 

I am not sure if this has already been corrected but having traveled on Seabourn and about to travel on Crystal this is not correct. Seabourn has formal optional nights where you are still expected to where a tie in the main dining room and in fact the majority wear dark suits. In fact on our cruise in February around the Andaman Sea I was surprised at the number of Tuxedos worn as it is a tropical sailing. The atmosphere with everyone dressed nicely as well as the formal table settings was lovely. It was a fun atmosphere which continued when we all went dancing till late at the club. Some of the photos taken then (by the passengers) are hilarious. Formal doesn't have to mean stuffy.:D

 

My upcoming Crystal cruise has three formal nights in nineteen days and I am hoping for the same good fun.

 

Cheers

 

Julie

[CruiseLover15]

The reason to do away with formal nights is that most of us don't want them. It's a tradition from the past that should go away. The more RCCL focuses on international markets, the faster formal nights will go the way of the dinosaur. Please try to find a way to enjoy dinner that doesn't depend on how the rest of us dress.

 

i agree with the last line for sure!!!!!

[KathyPet]

The following is the dress code from the Seabourn web site. As you can see there is a "formal optional" dress. Formal is not required or even suggested. If you want to fine If not then don't. Purely optional

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

 

 

 

• How Should I Pack?
  
• Are There Restrictions On How Much Luggage I Can Bring?
  
• What Is Seabourn's Personal ValetSM?
  
• Should I Bring A Carry-on Bag?
  
• Is There A Dress Code?
  
• Will I Need To Bring Toiletries?
  

 

 

 

How Should I Pack?

 

Attire During the Day:

 

• During the daytime, casual, resort-style attire, including shorts and jeans, is welcome in all lounges and dining venues. Swimsuits, brief shorts, cover-ups and exercise attire should be reserved for poolside, on deck or in the spa and fitness center.
  

 

 

Attire For Evenings:

After 6:00 p.m., suggested attire for all venues on board will be one of the following:

 

• Resort Casual: Slacks and a sweater or shirt for men; sundress, skirt or slacks with a sweater or blouse for women. Jeans are not considered appropriate in The Restaurant.
  
• Elegantly Casual: Slacks with a jacket over a sweater or shirt for men. Dress, skirt or pants with a sweater or blouse for women. Jeans are not considered appropriate in The Restaurant.
  
• Formal Optional: While Elegantly Casual is always appropriate during the evening, a Formal Optional evening will be provided for guests who wish to dress more formally at least once each seven days. Formal Optional attire includes a tuxedo or dark suit with tie for men, cocktail dress or other formal apparel for women. On Formal Optional evenings, we request no jeans in any of the lounges or dining venues.
  

[rubrrick]

I agree. And with the airlines charging for luggage, we like to keep the luggage weight down. And it is easier traveling without extra luggage to hold the jacket and other dressy items. Although the very first time we left the dressy clothes home we were invited to the captain's table and had to pass.

 

Jan

 

Why would you have turned it down?? We have had dinner at the captains table, where one lady wore a pink t-shirt.

 

For awhile, I just said, I want to leave my formal wear at home. We don't know the captain, we won't be invited to his table.

 

After the third occasion of having to borrow a jacket, or rent a tux, that did not really fit properly, I gave up a long time ago.......not including a tux in the suitcase.

 

Again, it's old school, and I'm an old fart, who can remember back to the 50's where one would wear a suite and tie, when flying first class, but there were no rules regarding "dress code". It was just done.

 

Today, first class is filled with jeans, flip flops, shorts, t-shirts, and very few with a shirt and tie. I'm comfortable in a tommy and slacks.........see, times have changed.

 

This being the Royal Caribbean thread, and not Regent or Crystal, or Oceania, all which have other dress codes, I still feel that my last post, where I will either wear what the cruise line suggests in public places, or not appear.

 

The code of ethics, as well as the country (good ol USA) is on the down hill slide, and it's minds like the ones that say......"It's my vacation, and I'll dress any way that I want" that might as well enjoy their freedom now, because in a few years........the freedom may no longer be here, nor will the ships be here. Something to think about.:rolleyes:

 

Rick

[yarlenna]

On the FOS B2B recently; 4 formal nights (2 each week) saw maybe 15 guys in a tux on week 1 (and 1 in a kilt) and slightly less on week 2.

 

No shorts of flip flops though.

 

Not taking sides - just what I observed 2 & 1 week ago.

 

Each year you see less and less guys wearing the full penguin suit.

 

Baggage fees or just a changing of the guard?

 

how about both

[Big_G]

LMAO!!! Baggage fees? How much do we pay for cruises and we're worried about baggage fees?:rolleyes:

[marci22]

I like that 'formal optional'.

[iheartbda]

How about one dining room for formal and strickly enforce the suggested attire of tux, dark suit, and at the very least, sports coat and tie for men, long gown or cocktail dress for women?;):)

 

If many of the lines are going casual and so many seem to want to dress casually, maybe they should make the whole dining experience casual. No white linens, china and silverware and no individual serving of plates. Maybe red and white checkerd table clothes, plastic wine glasses, waiters dressed in jeans and courses served family style.

 

Just kidding about the second part......well, sort of.:p:D

 

I do wonder how people would feel if the dining atmosphere was changed to casual. Do they want the fomality of the atmosphere but at the same time, not dress to match it?

[jonbgd]

when flying first class,

with jeans, flip flops, in a tommy

As a FF thats what I wear. While I dont book 1st I get upgraded alot:D The thongs are because its quicker thru security. The jeans and TB is comfort;)

When you fly often as I do it gets old taking off shoes, jacket and a belt

[Beachin2]

LMAO!!! Baggage fees? How much do we pay for cruises and we're worried about baggage fees?:rolleyes:

 

Considering that folks here fight over $10 price drops ..........:rolleyes:

[BBT]

I like doing the formal thing. That's just me. Find I I am getting less hung up by what others do. My observation is that it is less observed than in the past, though.

 

I avoid the hassle of dragging a tux & all it's ancillary items through airports by renting on the ship. Works well for me.

 

But after my last cruise where 'smart casual' was not observed at all by the majority of men, I won't bother with hauling a jacket & tie & such around anymore.

[Jsim2011]

I enjoy formal nights, I also enjoy dressing nicely for dinner every night on board - just as I do each time we go out for dinner at home.

 

It is part of the cruise experience for me.

[rubrrick]

As a FF thats what I wear. While I dont book 1st I get upgraded alot:D The thongs are because its quicker thru security. The jeans and TB is comfort;)

When you fly often as I do it gets old taking off shoes, jacket and a belt

 

You are right..........as I used to be in the air every week, based out of Honolulu, and most of my flights were to the mainland, but I would also head to the South Pacific every other month, and also to the outer Pacific, including Guam, Saipan and other outer islands every other month.

 

But in those days, we dined in the upper part of a 747, on Pan Am, and there is much that I cannot talk about. In those days, I was also a part 135 pilot.

 

So, congratulations on your flying.......and with todays TSA regs......I don't blame you for wearing flip flops. TB's are my shirt today.......no matter what.........I just have not been able to make the jeans........but glad that you can!

 

Rick

 

PS.........back to the formal wear on formal nights!!

[tanelicus]

for the sake of discussion, I am surmising that the lack of strict enforcement of the dress code, especially concerning the formal night garb has a great deal to do with the cruise line's needing to fill up the larger cruise ships.

 

Having such large cruise ships forces the cruise lines to have to make concessions, because they need to get the large crowds. Having to get large crowds forces them to be flexible as they are getting a larger variety of people.

 

While most of the people "seem" to follow the suggested dress code, there are many as well, who either don't or won't follow the suggestions.

 

So keeping the formal night, but being loosey goosey with enforcement is a way to make everybody happy. It may make some strict tradionalists upset. It may also bewilder people who don't get that the cruise lines have formal nights at all.

 

In my opinion, NCL's freestyle dining actually diminishes or cheapens the concept of the formal night. If only a segment of the ship is going to dress up, then the whole experience is trivialized.

 

Keep the traditions. The world keeps becoming culturally homogonized, with a slow degradation of culture. Lack of culture is boring. Occasional pomp in your life adds flavor.

 

NCL may have other strengths, but I think the freestyle concept for clothing in my book is a weakness. I am sure many others disagree.

[Poorplaya]

I know I am getting to this posting late but I like the formal nights. My wife and I love really getting dressed nicer than we normally do for dinner and really making a night of it on our vacation. My wife always dress night to dinner but the formal nights we really go all out. We also like to see everyone else in their wonderful dresses, tuxes, and do forth, the atmosphere in my opinion is better and it isnt something we get to do very often outside of a cruise so we really try to make the most of it. I would be very sad to see formal night eliminated if they ever did it.

[pcur]

I've said this before: it depends on where you cruise. Passengers are more casual on Caribbean and shorter cruises. I just finished up with a Spring Break Western Carib, followed by a Transatlantic. Two extremes.

 

There were many, many dressed up people on the Western Carib, as this was a big vacation for lots of families. The TA was mostly the 50 - 80 group, with many Europeans, and it was a much dressier group. Most dressed smart casual every night, and the formal nights were very dressy.

 

As far as luggage weight is concerned, I don't agree with that point of view. The only extra weight for us was DH's jacket and tie. He wore the slacks, shirts, and shoes the other nights on the cruises. My dressy tops were almost all chiffon or very lightweight materials, and I would wear the tops on other nights, then dress them up with a black chiffon jacket for formal nights. My shoes and pants were the same that I wore on other nights.

 

So, dressing for formal night (without a floorlength formal dress), is probably about an extra 2 - 3 lbs in the luggage.

 

We had 6 formal nights on these two cruises and did just fine. I think a majority of passengers still dress up, but maybe not on the Caribbean itineraries.

[Pushka]

How about one dining room for formal and strickly enforce the suggested attire of tux, dark suit, and at the very least, sports coat and tie for men, long gown or cocktail dress for women?;):)

 

If many of the lines are going casual and so many seem to want to dress casually, maybe they should make the whole dining experience casual. No white linens, china and silverware and no individual serving of plates. Maybe red and white checkerd table clothes, plastic wine glasses, waiters dressed in jeans and courses served family style.

 

Just kidding about the second part......well, sort of.:p:D

 

I do wonder how people would feel if the dining atmosphere was changed to casual. Do they want the fomality of the atmosphere but at the same time, not dress to match it?

 

 

I don't see why we shouldn't be able to be served by waiters with cutlery and china just because we aren't dressed in Tux's and cocktail dresses. And on your idea, only two dining room experiences per 7 day cruise.

[seasearider]

Here is the reality, on Royal Caribbean there will be some dressed formally, some dressed smart casual and others really casual. The cruiseline has taken the position of not restricting the suggested dress on formal nights to tuxes and dark suits.

 

We can all debate this topic numerous times, but Royal has made the decision to let passengers dress as they please on formal nights. It's a good compromise and I truly hope that those dressed formally or informally will not let others attire ruin their evening.

[temple1]

I've only been on 3 cruises[1 Princess and RCCL EOS] and I wear the same thing every night, even for formal nights. I wear very nice pants, a nice shirt but no tie, no tux, no black suit and have never been denied dining service. I respect anyone who wants to dress up all the way, to each their own but why not follow the NCL model of every night is formal night and casual night. Its the best of both worlds because lets face it, there are no real formal nights anyway. They won't deny you if you look half decent. By the way I think I've seen jeans in the dining room one or twice.

 

The staff has been trained to over look how most guests choose to dress for dinner.

 

With all the homogenization in the cruise market isn't it nice RCCL is trying to differentiate themselves from NCL by continuing the tradition of formal nights in spite of the lack of cooperation from some passengers?

[galavant3]

Several of the luxury cruise lines (Regent, Seabourn and I think Crystal) do not have formal nights. It is country club casual all the way. Most of the men wear open color shirts with sports coats in the main dining room. Woman in nice dressy pants and tops. Of course these ships do not have photographers for those formal night pictures. It certainly made packing for those cruises a lot easier.

 

Crystal does still have formal nights. And I don't really think you can compare Regent. They might not have a formal night but there is an enforced dress code every night. We had just returned from an excursion and were relaxing in the lounge (wearing jeans). At 6:05 PM, we were approached and asked to change. There is no way we would have been permitted to enter the dining room dressed that way. Even though the dress is Elegant Casual, each night people were, as a rule, dressed very, very nicely.

[egamigal]

Two hours ive been wanting to ask this but havent got up the nerve.I dont mind formal night wouldnt mind if it went away either.But i wonder if this splits on an age bias.Older more experianced cruisers remembering the glory of days gone by and younger cruisers looking to simply melt away from the rat race.Dont drag me into street and stone me.The real problem will be realizing we and i mean we are the older ones.

 

I'm only 26 and I LOVE formal night. I have loved it since I was 12 when I experienced my first cruise. I also know of many people my age who have cruised and they love Formal nights as well. If I could I would get dressed up every night. SO I doubt it's an age thing. On my last cruise ( I was 17) some of the people that I met that did not get dressed up for formal night did so because of sheer laziness. The others just didn't care about their appearance, and their parents didn't either. I'm not saying everyone is like this, but this is my experience.

[sjb317]

When packing for our recent Freedom cruise my husband decided not to take his tux and take a black velvet jacket with dark dress pants. When getting dressed for formal night, he realized he had not packed the dress pants. So instead he wore a pair of black JEANS with his jacket. I don't think anyone noticed!:D And we had a great time!

 

Sherri:)

[Heidils]

When packing for our recent Freedom cruise my husband decided not to take his tux and take a black velvet jacket with dark dress pants. When getting dressed for formal night, he realized he had not packed the dress pants. So instead he wore a pair of black JEANS with his jacket. I don't think anyone noticed!:D And we had a great time!

 

Sherri:)

 

Other peoples husbands do their own packing? ;)