Formal nights on Celebrity (Australia & NZ)

[Happy Canadian]

Almost sorry I asked if not for the humourous thread. Who would have guessed such a simple question would have resulted in 50 posts! Sorry to see some of you will be on the Solstice after we leave. I would have liked to have met you! Take care and dress in what makes you (or your better half) happy.

Danielle

Beautiful Prince Edward Island, Canada

[gek]

Take care and dress in what makes you (or your better half) happy.

Danielle

Beautiful Prince Edward Island, Canada

 

I think that should pretty much be the response to EVERY dress code question.

[The_Big_M]

I know tuxs are expensive. My suit was expensive enough. I dont wear it enough to justify buying a more formal one. What I have will have to do for Celebrity and Cunard if I ever travel with them.

 

I can't speak for Cunard, but that's no issue with Celebrity. No need for a bow tie there either.

 

I'd just get a brighter - but not gaudy - tie and say you'd be right to go there (and that's just for formal nights, you don't need to wear suits every night!)

[Sutho]

Almost sorry I asked if not for the humourous thread. Who would have guessed such a simple question would have resulted in 50 posts! Sorry to see some of you will be on the Solstice after we leave. I would have liked to have met you! Take care and dress in what makes you (or your better half) happy.

Danielle

Beautiful Prince Edward Island, Canada

 

Dont worry its a good thing you asked. As you can see there are allot of us Australians that have a different opinion of what formal is. In fact I am glad I saw the post as I am still evolving my dress sense for all these cruises I go on. It always helps to know in advance.

[NSWP]

Mens suits are pretty cheap to purchase these days..I don't mind LOWES. Get those $99 business suits, good for cruisers who put on weight every cruise then lose some again, get rid of your $99 suit to charity and buy another one for your next cruise, way to go.

 

No way would I ever pay $600 odd for a suit, but each to their own, Sutho's suit looks very smart.

 

I donated my 15 year old tuxedo to the OxFam Charity shop in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, not long after I disembarked Arcadia at Southampton, last April. It had shrunk a bit during the 49 day adventure from Sydney, perhaps it was the moisture in the sea air, I am not sure.LOL.

 

No more tuxedos for me any more, cruising Cunard does not interest me at all, all too posh for this little black duck.

[kaseyoz]

I have read allot of posts on here and while allot of the time I can bypass typos etc, allot of the time people will keep making the same typos time and time again.

As per these boards we cannot chastise for allot of mistakes, but please people if you use an incorrect word in just about every post you write it becomes not a typo.

[bazzaw]

I have read allot of posts on here and while allot of the time I can bypass typos etc, allot of the time people will keep making the same typos time and time again.

As per these boards we cannot chastise for allot of mistakes, but please people if you use an incorrect word in just about every post you write it becomes not a typo.

 

You NAUGHTY girl!! :p

 

Barry

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

I have read allot of posts on here and while allot of the time I can bypass typos etc, allot of the time people will keep making the same typos time and time again.

As per these boards we cannot chastise for allot of mistakes, but please people if you use an incorrect word in just about every post you write it becomes not a typo.

 

That could be correct allot of the time! :rolleyes::eek:

[diy dave]

Allot.....should be prefixed by. Lance. .

[gbenjo]

Any one ever wonder why they have so many formal nights on a cruise? Sure a lot ( allot) of people like to dress up ( some may apparently even have their egos boosted... even more) and there is a little bit of tradition involved but did you ever stop and think that maybe the reason for formal nights is financial.

A typical 10 night cruise would have say two formal nights average say 2000 pax or 1000 couples. The vast majority of those 1000 couples would have multiple photos taken and say sixty percent purchase the photo(s) at twenty five dollars a hit. Even if they only buy one photo that's Fifteen Thousand Dollars a night by two nights.... Thirty grand extra in the kitty for making people dress up for a dinner they were going to have anyway..not bad.. they would be mad to give formal nights the flick wouldn't they?

Don't get me wrong I'm not knocking formal nights.. its just my perspective of them

[yatchet]

\

 

Maybe little black penguin might be more apt.:D

[yatchet]

I have read allot of posts on here and while allot of the time I can bypass typos etc, allot of the time people will keep making the same typos time and time again.

As per these boards we cannot chastise for allot of mistakes, but please people if you use an incorrect word in just about every post you write it becomes not a typo.

 

This allot/ alot thing has been driving me nuts for ages, thought about posting something about it once but thought it was just me being crazy.:D

[The_Big_M]

This allot/ alot thing has been driving me nuts for ages, thought about posting something about it once but thought it was just me being crazy.:D

 

Someone needs to go back to their allotment. ;-)

[musicorn]

I have read allot of posts on here and while allot of the time I can bypass typos etc, allot of the time people will keep making the same typos time and time again.

As per these boards we cannot chastise for allot of mistakes, but please people if you use an incorrect word in just about every post you write it becomes not a typo.

 

Yes and if you look at the definitions:

 

A Lot or Allot ?

A lot (two words) is an informal phrase meaning "many." It can take an adjective, for example, "a sizeable lot."

 

Allot means "to distribute between or among." It has the same root as lottery

 

You need to be very careful how you word things when you start your sentence with 'she is allot...' Could be a bit of an embarrassment really as this then reads 'she is distributing between or among'..... Oops!:eek:

[austrish]

I have read allot of posts on here and while allot of the time I can bypass typos etc, allot of the time people will keep making the same typos time and time again.

As per these boards we cannot chastise for allot of mistakes, but please people if you use an incorrect word in just about every post you write it becomes not a typo.

 

Thankyou Karon...That word grates on my nerves every time he writes it.:)

[Sejanus]

ARGGG!!!! Do i need to ring Celebrity to somehow arrange a refund for myself and my travelling group of 17? We will not be wearing a suit. When we booked and paid for this cruise RCC told us and showed us (pictures) that formal was not overboard and that neat and tidy dress was perfectly normal and allowed. They also told my wife and the other 5 women that nice pants were perfectly acceptable on the Solstice and 'Don't believe everything your read on the net'. They told us that jeans and shorts, even board shorts were all ok.

 

Now i have 4 members of our group ring RCC tomorrow to see if they can get a refund because of the tall popping attitude here.

Please for the sake of honesty, someone who has actually been on the boat and knows for sure post your experiences. Sutho, thank you for your pictures and honesty. You look great. I and my friends will NOT look like you at dinner i can assure you. But i appreciate that you want to wear that.

 

And for the record, my wife and i earn over 250k a year. We are choosing to NOT dress like that. Its a a relaxing holiday for us. We bought the drinks package and we are relaxing.

 

Sej

[Sutho]

ARGGG!!!! Do i need to ring Celebrity to somehow arrange a refund for myself and my travelling group of 17? We will not be wearing a suit. When we booked and paid for this cruise RCC told us and showed us (pictures) that formal was not overboard and that neat and tidy dress was perfectly normal and allowed. They also told my wife and the other 5 women that nice pants were perfectly acceptable on the Solstice and 'Don't believe everything your read on the net'. They told us that jeans and shorts, even board shorts were all ok.

 

Now i have 4 members of our group ring RCC tomorrow to see if they can get a refund because of the tall popping attitude here.

Please for the sake of honesty, someone who has actually been on the boat and knows for sure post your experiences. Sutho, thank you for your pictures and honesty. You look great. I and my friends will NOT look like you at dinner i can assure you. But i appreciate that you want to wear that.

 

And for the record, my wife and i earn over 250k a year. We are choosing to NOT dress like that. Its a a relaxing holiday for us. We bought the drinks package and we are relaxing.

 

Sej

 

Celebrity is going to be a first for a lot of us here and not many know what to expect.

 

My dress is based on my previous cruises with P&O UK and Princess. I know for certain that if I did not have that type of suite I would not be welcome in the main dining room, theatre and public bars and lounges on P&O UK on formal evenings.

 

Celebrity is marketed as a premium line and is often described as a notch above P&O and Princess. P&O and Princess are described as "mass market", Celebrity and HAL are marketed as "premium" and Regent and Crystal are marketed as "luxury". Many of us are not sure what to expect with Celebrity but as far as I am aware the dress code is smart casual and formal. I only expect the suit will be worn 2 to 3 nights out of the 12 with the rest being smart casual.

 

I did look at the Celebrity brochure and found the following in their T&C's

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evenings aboard Celebrity include two types of dress: "Smart Casual and Above" and "Formal."

 

"Smart Casual and Above"

 

Ladies: Skirt or pants (no holes, rips or tears) with a sweater or blouse.

 

Gentlemen: Pants (no holes, rips or tears) with a sports shirt or sweater. Shirts must have sleeves.

 

"Formal" attire:

 

Ladies: Cocktail dress, gown, or a dressy pantsuit.

 

Gentlemen: Tuxedo, suit or dinner jacket with slacks.

 

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. The dress code will be enforced at all restaurants. And guests are asked to follow the "Smart Casual and Above" dress code in the Celebrity Theater for all evening performances.

 

The daily program, delivered to your stateroom and available at the Guest Relations Desk, will be your guide to the appropriate attire each evening. A casual dress code applies at all times onboard Celebrity Xpedition®.

[bazzaw]

ARGGG!!!! Do i need to ring Celebrity to somehow arrange a refund for myself and my travelling group of 17? We will not be wearing a suit. When we booked and paid for this cruise RCC told us and showed us (pictures) that formal was not overboard and that neat and tidy dress was perfectly normal and allowed. They also told my wife and the other 5 women that nice pants were perfectly acceptable on the Solstice and 'Don't believe everything your read on the net'. They told us that jeans and shorts, even board shorts were all ok.

 

Now i have 4 members of our group ring RCC tomorrow to see if they can get a refund because of the tall popping attitude here.

Please for the sake of honesty, someone who has actually been on the boat and knows for sure post your experiences. Sutho, thank you for your pictures and honesty. You look great. I and my friends will NOT look like you at dinner i can assure you. But i appreciate that you want to wear that.

 

And for the record, my wife and i earn over 250k a year. We are choosing to NOT dress like that. Its a a relaxing holiday for us. We bought the drinks package and we are relaxing.

 

Sej

 

I think that you would be better off asking your questions in the Celebrity sub-forum (here http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=28 ). I am not sure that many of us here can call ourselves Celebrity "experts)" :D

 

Barry

[Flipper133]

We are choosing to NOT dress like that. Its a a relaxing holiday for us. We bought the drinks package and we are relaxing.

 

Sej

 

Hmmm... I see you use the plural quite a lot...can't help wondering however if your wife actually shares this chauvanistic view. Most women love the opportunity to dress up occassionally, and formal nights on a cruise are ideal for this... and their partners should also dress accordingly.

 

If you feel the need to just relax, wear your board shorts and generally be a yobbo, perhaps you are on the wrong cruise ship.

[NSWP]

Some very nice $99 suits at Lowes, actually I have one and it will be with me when I board Celebrity Solstice. Rules are rules, formal night on a ship is jacket and tie, minimum. No jacket and tie, you go to the buffet on formal nights.

 

I can see that the Fashion Police on the Voyager of the Seas and Celebrity Solstice will be busy at the MDR door on formal nights, perhaps any night.

[ceejay3377]

Hi Sej and welcome to CruiseCritic

 

Don't sweat on the views of what is a small representative sample of cruisers. CC members tend to be passionate about cruising (myself included ;)) and so may hold some strong views.

 

I have sailed P&O, HAL, Princess, Star and soon to sail Celebrity. I have never taken a true "formal" dress on any cruise. And to be honest, I have very rarely seen women in true formal attire (formal is evening gowns, NOT pants and sparkly tops). Plenty of men wear black suits and tuxes, and the odd Scotsman in his Kilt is a great sight! Sutho's travelling partner looks lovely in her jumpsuit, but it is most definitely not formal, and I doubt anyone would have stopped her from entering the MDR! (The Maitre'd is only human ;))

 

The dressiest I go is what I would term "cocktail". A mid length, semi formal "frock", low heels and a bit of "bling". This type of dress is light weight, elegant, doesn't wrinkle and is easy to pack. My husband usually lugs a black suit in a suit carrier as carry-on (we have to fly to our departure port), and it is such a pain in the @#$% that I am considering hiring formal attire for him on board in the future. (HAL offer this service, as do some other cruise lines). Women too, can book formal attire, and it usually consists of black pants or skirt and a sparkly top. So even the cruiselines don't provide true formal attire!! What some people consider formal on board, I would class a semi formal or even neat casual. But that's OK :). What you will see on board will run the full gamut. Funnily enough, the HAL forum has some very fiery threads on dress codes and formal nights, but the reality is that many older folk are not able to dress formally (heels and a walker just don't mix!).

 

We will be dining in Blu on our upcoming Celebrity cruise, so we don't need any formal gear. We will be dressing smart casual every night (woo hoo).

 

Ultimately, you and your group will be fine, as long as you dress neatly and look like you have made some effort to respect the custom of dressing for dinner. I would suggest that you don't wear jeans or shorts to dinner in the MDR, even on smart casual nights. It is generally not considered acceptable attire on US style cruise ships, and while the Maitre'd probably won't turn you away (although I have seen it happen on HAL), you can guarantee that other diners will notice (not saying it is right, fair or acceptable ... just saying ;)). You might feel a bit conspicuous or awkward. Jeans are heavy to pack anyway, and some lightweight chino style pants are better for packing and travelling.

 

Crikey, it is a holiday, and one of the most relaxing in my opinion, so just kick back, relax and enjoy. Happy sailing!

[wjh]

We did Celebrity Century 12 months ago from Sydney.

Formal nights then were inforced in the dining rooms.

One male person next to me when entering the dining room was refussed entry as he was not dressed properly. He had a suit coat and trousers but no tie, hense he was not let in. The rules were inforced on each formal night.

I am not one for dressing up but made the effort and was well worth while.

Just a tip Celebrity have a Brunch towards the end of there cruises, Smart Casual was the dress Dont miss it, the best i have seen anywhere.

[Sejanus]

Hi Sej and welcome to CruiseCritic

 

Don't sweat on the views of what is a small representative sample of cruisers. CC members tend to be passionate about cruising (myself included ;)) and so may hold some strong views.

 

I have sailed P&O, HAL, Princess, Star and soon to sail Celebrity. I have never taken a true "formal" dress on any cruise. And to be honest, I have very rarely seen women in true formal attire (formal is evening gowns, NOT pants and sparkly tops). Plenty of men wear black suits and tuxes, and the odd Scotsman in his Kilt is a great sight! Sutho's travelling partner looks lovely in her jumpsuit, but it is most definitely not formal, and I doubt anyone would have stopped her from entering the MDR! (The Maitre'd is only human ;))

 

The dressiest I go is what I would term "cocktail". A mid length, semi formal "frock", low heels and a bit of "bling". This type of dress is light weight, elegant, doesn't wrinkle and is easy to pack. My husband usually lugs a black suit in a suit carrier as carry-on (we have to fly to our departure port), and it is such a pain in the @#$% that I am considering hiring formal attire for him on board in the future. (HAL offer this service, as do some other cruise lines). Women too, can book formal attire, and it usually consists of black pants or skirt and a sparkly top. So even the cruiselines don't provide true formal attire!! What some people consider formal on board, I would class a semi formal or even neat casual. But that's OK :). What you will see on board will run the full gamut. Funnily enough, the HAL forum has some very fiery threads on dress codes and formal nights, but the reality is that many older folk are not able to dress formally (heels and a walker just don't mix!).

 

We will be dining in Blu on our upcoming Celebrity cruise, so we don't need any formal gear. We will be dressing smart casual every night (woo hoo).

 

Ultimately, you and your group will be fine, as long as you dress neatly and look like you have made some effort to respect the custom of dressing for dinner. I would suggest that you don't wear jeans or shorts to dinner in the MDR, even on smart casual nights. It is generally not considered acceptable attire on US style cruise ships, and while the Maitre'd probably won't turn you away (although I have seen it happen on HAL), you can guarantee that other diners will notice (not saying it is right, fair or acceptable ... just saying ;)). You might feel a bit conspicuous or awkward. Jeans are heavy to pack anyway, and some lightweight chino style pants are better for packing and travelling.

 

Crikey, it is a holiday, and one of the most relaxing in my opinion, so just kick back, relax and enjoy. Happy sailing!

 

Thank you Ceejay, your post has been passed onto all members of our travelling party. I really appreciate your comments and honesty. Something i am unclear of is the American reference. We have traveled on many cruise ships before, all American, with American itineraries. Including NCL, RCC and Carnival, the dress code is fine. Smart casual usually on those ships include Jeans and even Bermuda shorts. Formal on those ships include nice clothes but as you stated, one persons formal is not anothers.

 

Please don't misunderstand me, we will not come into the MDR with board shorts and singlets. And i have many suits ranging from $400 to $1500. Your missing my point. It's my holiday and i don't want to take my suit. I will take some simple black pants and a simple jacket but i'm having fun and i paid $8000 to have fun over 14 nights i will have it how i like. As for the comment about my wife i think its rude and EXACTLY the tall poppy attitude i was talking about. Hope i never meet you on a cruise.

 

Sutho and CeeJay, thank you for comments. Need more people like you posting honest information rather than the other up-themselves opinions i have read.

 

After this cruise i will post pictures and give my own experiences.

 

Thanks

 

Sej

[The_Big_M]

Having sailed Celebrity, I agree with ceejay.

 

Forget the jeans on formal nights.

 

General minimum in the dining room is pleated trousers and dressy shirt, with a smart casual button shirt, and formal being with a tie and jacket as per their website.

 

That said - if you do wish to be in jeans/shorts/t-shirt all the time you are able to use the buffet or room service. But imo you're sailing Celebrity as part of a dressier experience so slumming it in "cas" just isn't getting the full experience.

[NSWP]

Thank you Ceejay, your post has been passed onto all members of our travelling party. I really appreciate your comments and honesty. Something i am unclear of is the American reference. We have traveled on many cruise ships before, all American, with American itineraries. Including NCL, RCC and Carnival, the dress code is fine. Smart casual usually on those ships include Jeans and even Bermuda shorts. Formal on those ships include nice clothes but as you stated, one persons formal is not anothers.

 

Please don't misunderstand me, we will not come into the MDR with board shorts and singlets. And i have many suits ranging from $400 to $1500. Your missing my point. It's my holiday and i don't want to take my suit. I will take some simple black pants and a simple jacket but i'm having fun and i paid $8000 to have fun over 14 nights i will have it how i like. As for the comment about my wife i think its rude and EXACTLY the tall poppy attitude i was talking about. Hope i never meet you on a cruise.

 

Sutho and CeeJay, thank you for comments. Need more people like you posting honest information rather than the other up-themselves opinions i have read.

 

After this cruise i will post pictures and give my own experiences.

 

Thanks

 

Sej

Sejanus, welcome to CC and don't get too stressed out about it all. I am sure you will enjoy your cruise, whatever the way you and your group choose to dress.

 

See you around on CC. I look forward to your pics and experiences on Solstice. Our first Celebrity cruise too.

 

Aaaah, good to see some healthy debate on here.