Formal Night Attire

[JimmyVWine]

... short sleeved dress shirt

Oxymoron.

 

I agree with you although another poster said the difference is being invited versus paying for something I.e., cruise.

This argument doesn't work. If you attend a $10,000 per table benefit where the invitation says "Black Tie", you don't get to show up in a shirt and tie simply because you paid to get in. You follow the dress code irrespective of whether you are "invited" or if you pay at the door to get in.

Edited September 29, 2013 by JimmyVWine

[DebJ14]

I have been invited to numerous occasions where what you wear is suggested or expected i.e. weddings, funerals and other public dinners and functions. If I have been invited to an event where I am expected to wear a tux, I either wear the expected tux or don’t go.

I see it the same as a formal night on a cruise, formal night is an event. My wife loves formal nights so we attend, I will normally wear a black formal suit with a black Burberry tie. If she felt like not going, which I never see happening, we would make other arraignments and stay out area where the formal activities are taking place and the MDR.

I would hate to be the only slob setting at a table for 8 wearing a short sleeved dress shirt with a clip-on tie.

It’s really not that bad throw a dark jacket on.

 

The image of the guy with the short sleeve-dressed shirt and clip on tie brought back memories of my in law's first cruise in 1998. That is exactly what he wore on a Celebrity Panama Canal trip and he had on velcro shoes to top it off. My DH and DS both had on tuxes. DH was mortified when he saw his father. He went back to our cabin and got his Navy Blazer to cover up his Dad. His forearms were hairy like a gorilla and a definite turn off to think of them reaching across the table to get the butter. Then, on Caribbean night his mother showed up at dinner wearing the Costa Rica Tee shirt with a lizard (purchased that very afternoon from a street vendor) and pink polyester pull on pants from K Mart. DH wanted to crawl under the table.

We did some re-educating them on appropriate cruise wear and things improved on future trips.

Edited September 29, 2013 by DebJ14

[Blk_Amish]

Oxymoron.

 

 

This argument doesn't work. If you attend a $10,000 per table benefit where the invitation says "Black Tie", you don't get to show up in a shirt and tie simply because you paid to get in. You follow the dress code irrespective of whether you are "invited" or if you pay at the door to get in.

 

Would they give you your $10,000 back if you weren't dress for the occasion. Oh it's a benefit you are giving money away and more likely need to impress others.

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Forums mobile app

Edited September 29, 2013 by Blk_Amish

[PrincessLuver]

I do not think just a shirt and tie is acceptable on formal nights. I have seen the maître d exclude men because of this. Also for those people who advocate wearing a dark suit rather than a tuxedo because they have to worry about the weight. Can someone please explain to me how a tux weighs more that a conventional suit?

 

Just got off a 27 day cruise and I my hubby wore slacks, shirt and tie every formal night. He was not alone and there was never a problem entering the dinning room. I am sure his clothes cost much more then the guys wearing rented tuxes.

[chipmaster]

we were always fine with that, you'll have a great time and be appropriate.

 

I know this is a tiresome question but here goes... We are going to Hawaii Feb 18th on the Star. We have chosen Anytime dining, so on Formal nights could my husband wear a tie but no jacket? We have a limited amount of space in the luggage.

[JimmyVWine]

Oh it's a benefit you are giving money away and more likely need to impress others.

 

Sorry, but I have no idea what that sentence means.

 

The simple truth is that the most common use of tuxedos is to wear them to events that the wearers paid to attend. And this proably accounts for more tuxedo uses than all other occasions combined. So this idea that if you pay to go somewhere you get to choose the attire is just false. It makes no more sense to say: "I paid for this cruise so I will decide what to wear" as it does to say: "I paid for this ticket to the American Heart Association Ball so I will decide what to wear." In the end, people are going to make their own choices. But trying to distinguish these two situations is nothing more than rationalizing. We know that dressing down will still get you fed on a cruise ship. And perhaps dressing down will still get you seated in the Waldorf Astoria Ballroom. But in neither instance is being a paying customer the litmus test for dictating the preferred attire. I suspect that the biggest motivating factor is that dressing down on a cruise ship no longer makes one stand out. But showing up in less than a tux to a black tie benefit might place you in a minority of one and that would be nothing less than awkward.

[iancal]

I think that people's decisions on what to wear are influenced be where the live.

 

We drove through Wilmington, NC last Sunday. We saw people exiting church services and they all appeared to be dresses in suits/dresses, etc. This is in stark contrast to where we live. Only about thirty percent dress in that manner. The rest are in casual that very much includes jeans and in the summer includes shorts.

 

We no longer bother with formal night in the MDR. They are not special for us any more. We typically do land trips prior to and after a cruise. We decided some time ago not to pack clothing and carry it around for several weeks that we were only going to wear for a few hours.

[eldridchapman]

Since we're at the topic of formal night attire, anyone took a look at the rental Princess is offering? I wonder if significant amount of people rent them, or opt to buy their own instead.

 

Is the "CLASSIC BLACK TUXEDO PACKAGE" good enough?

[AZbeachboy]

Would they give you your $10,000 back if you weren't dress for the occasion. Oh it's a benefit you are giving money away and more likely need to impress others.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Forums mobile app

 

 

No they would not give the money back and I don't think they would be expecting it back. Many people do not give money to impress people, they give it because it's what's in their heart. Some people's moral code says they need to give back because they are successful.

 

Most people are successful because they have some discipline and try to get along with others. That is something people should have learned in kindergarten. And success does not equal money.

 

Everyone has an ego to some point, but that does not mean they use it for show and tell. Please posters, do not push your emotional needs on others by assuming that their motives are the same as your might be.

[AZbeachboy]

I think that people's decisions on what to wear are influenced be where the live.

 

We drove through Wilmington, NC last Sunday. We saw people exiting church services and they all appeared to be dresses in suits/dresses, etc. This is in stark contrast to where we live. Only about thirty percent dress in that manner. The rest are in casual that very much includes jeans and in the summer includes shorts.

 

We no longer bother with formal night in the MDR. They are not special for us any more. We typically do land trips prior to and after a cruise. We decided some time ago not to pack clothing and carry it around for several weeks that we were only going to wear for a few hours.

 

It more dependent of what the culture of the church is. Many churches intentionally develop a culture that is inclusive. Why. Because they want to reach out to as many people as possible. I have searched in Church all over the country and most of the larger churches you can wear anything you wish. Some people just do not have the money to buy nice clothes, yet churches want to be open to all. Even some old time congregations have changed. Yet it is difficult for older small ones to do so.

[iancal]

I think there are many people like DW and I. Boomer, retired early. Our closet is full of suits, dress shoes, ties, what have you. I have no desire to wear a suit, tux, jacket whatever on vacation. Nor do I intend to ever 'rent' one.

 

We don't care what others do. We simply choose a different venue for dining on formal evenings. We are travelling frequently. The more we travel, the less we find that we want to pack. And the less we pack, the more we seem to enjoy our extended travels. I suspect that over the next few years you will see more and more cruisers who have the same preferences as we do.

Edited September 29, 2013 by iancal

[2Ccruisers]

Also for those people who advocate wearing a dark suit rather than a tuxedo because they have to worry about the weight. Can someone please explain to me how a tux weighs more that a conventional suit?

 

I was wondering the same.

If they want to feel a real difference in weight they should lift my husband's kilt! lol He really doesn't want to take it but he was supposed to wear it in our wedding a couple months ago and we ended up eloping so I convinced him he owes me ;)

 

Oops, I just realized I should have stated "carry my husband's kilt" or something similar because "lift my husband's kilt" could have a double meaning :blush:

[melody hounddog]

I was wondering the same.

If they want to feel a real difference in weight they should lift my husband's kilt!

Oops, I just realized I should have stated "carry my husband's kilt" or something similar because "lift my husband's kilt" could have a double meaning :blush:

 

I almost fell off my chair!

[Cruisin' Chick]

I originally bought my tux when the cost of renting for a 10 day cruise exceeded the purchase cost.

 

As suggested, the only times I use the tux and suit now hanging in my closet are Easter Sunday church, Weddings/Funerals, and Cruises. Unfortunately weight changes have made the tux problematic :eek: and retirement income has made replacement not a good use of resources. :(

 

My wife likes seeing me dressed up, and that's what matters. Princess gives us all an opportunity to do something different from our normal lives, escaping completely - even into a dream world on Formal Nights.

 

It is indeed a pity that some do not seize the opportunity, or appreciate it.

 

For many, buying a tux is not practical if they don't have any occasions, other than a cruise every year or every other year, to wear it. I'm guessing my hubby isn't alone in this. We don't go to charity balls. I don't recall our black tie invitations at all in the 18 years. Around here, you don't show up in a tux to a wedding, unless you're in the wedding party, just as a woman wouldn't wear something glitzy as it would be considered bad taste (as a guest, you're taking undue attention from the wedding couple and their attendants). Even his work place doesn't have fancy parties, and since it's a governmental agency, any holiday or retirement parties are not paid for the bosses or the department.

 

I imagine even if we start going on annual cruises (which our about-to-apply-to-colleges teen has warn us against), hubby would still feel buying a tux would be unpractical, especially as suits are considered acceptable by Princess per their dress code. For those who are insisting that passengers should dress to the nines on formal nights, even Princess is fine with suits in the MDR, more casual wear in other dining venues. Now Cunard may be another matter...

[Smokeyham]

Since we're at the topic of formal night attire, anyone took a look at the rental Princess is offering? I wonder if significant amount of people rent them, or opt to buy their own instead.

 

Is the "CLASSIC BLACK TUXEDO PACKAGE" good enough?

 

I rented the classic package in Alaska on the Sapphire Princess last year, and was happy with the clothing. However, the suspenders did not hold up very well (pretty worn out). I should have called and had those replaced as soon as I noticed the problem. Really liked that I had the clothing available, without having to carry it. I was already at the 50 lbs weight limit for luggage.

 

The Cruise Formal Wear website had a lot of choices listed for Princess, but when it came down to what was actually available for our cruise the only choice was the classic package.

 

 

"]Formal Wear on Board Alaska by Smokeyham608, on Flickr"]

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Edited December 17, 2013 by Smokeyham

[Weluv2cruise2007]

My husband normally wears his military dress uniform for formal night and a few years ago there was an elderly Russian lady who had apparently already had several free drinks at the Capt's circle party, and started harassing my hubby to go get her more champagne! "You...champagne!!" Lol! His uniform is bright red, but I guess she thought he looked like one of the waiters!

[oskidunker]

Going from San Francisco to London for a British Isles cruise. I have a suit bag on rollers but I may try to get us into just one suitcase each for this trip. Might be worth the $100 to have everything waiting for me. a little worried about the shoes, however.

[Smokeyham]

Going from San Francisco to London for a British Isles cruise. I have a suit bag on rollers but I may try to get us into just one suitcase each for this trip. Might be worth the $100 to have everything waiting for me. a little worried about the shoes, however.

 

I had a similar concern, but the shoes fit fine. I would have someone carefully measure you to ensure that the information you are putting down on the form is correct.

 

Also, try everything on as soon as it is delivered. They do have the ability to swap some things out, but it is limited.

[Potstech]

You can buy a Tux at Penny's these days for around $100 when they are on sale.

 

So be so kind as to buy one for those of us who see spending that much money on an item we will not wear as a waste of money. Sorry but I have better things to do with MY money then spend it on things I only would wear once or twice in my lifetime. I will stick to wearing a long sleeve shirt and tie and have a great silent laugh at all those who feel the need to dress up for dinner. I have worn a tux exactly twice in over 60 years.

[teltrainer]

I will stick to wearing a long sleeve shirt and tie and have a great silent laugh at all those who feel the need to dress up for dinner.

 

as my handsome tux wearing husband and I laugh at those having the "silent laugh" LOL

[Beachdude]

We are travelling frequently. The more we travel, the less we find that we want to pack. And the less we pack, the more we seem to enjoy our extended travels. I suspect that over the next few years you will see more and more cruisers who have the same preferences as we do.

 

I'm curious to why you think more future cruisers will have your perference?

 

Burt

[Mom33]

I was wondering the same.

If they want to feel a real difference in weight they should lift my husband's kilt! lol He really doesn't want to take it but he was supposed to wear it in our wedding a couple months ago and we ended up eloping so I convinced him he owes me ;)

 

Oops, I just realized I should have stated "carry my husband's kilt" or something similar because "lift my husband's kilt" could have a double meaning :blush:

 

LOL... don't worry, these formal threads can always use some humor.:D

[Potstech]

At least we are all having a good "silent" laugh on the cruise. Each in our own comfort zone.

[Beachdude]

Iancal suggested future trends will be less formal dress for the formal nights. I don't know if that is wishful thinking or observation. Certainly anyone following the Carnival forum would also agree. But Sally and I have not seen a less formal trend on our last few cruises, most notably Princess and Celebrity cruises. Last years RCCL cruise might have been less formal, but not so much so that I remember.

 

We don't cruise enough to see where the trends are going, but I do wonder of the demographic that is trending to less formal dress during evening dining. Excluding the folks who are just expressing wishful thinking, and Carnival cruisers, who else is observing a trend of less formal dress attire?

 

Burt

[Cruise Junky]

Iancal suggested future trends will be less formal dress for the formal nights. I don't know if that is wishful thinking or observation. Certainly anyone following the Carnival forum would also agree. But Sally and I have not seen a less formal trend on our last few cruises, most notably Princess and Celebrity cruises. Last years RCCL cruise might have been less formal, but not so much so that I remember.

 

We don't cruise enough to see where the trends are going, but I do wonder of the demographic that is trending to less formal dress during evening dining. Excluding the folks who are just expressing wishful thinking, and Carnival cruisers, who else is observing a trend of less formal dress attire?

 

Burt

 

It's definitely getting less formal. Some of the higher end lines dropped formal night altogether over the last two years (Regent completely and Seabourn on 7 day cruises). Celebrity, on some cruises one formal night is being switched to "Cocktail" night. And the enforcement just isn't what it used to be on the mainstream lines.