Formal Nights for Men

[dafne]

Was told my Seabourn that Formal Nights for men is optional and can wear just a jacket with no tie. ( don't need a suit)

 

Is that correct?

 

If so, do many men do this?

[secoma4]

Formal is optional. Suit and tie is the norm although jacket and tie becoming so.

 

My experience is that no tie is ok particularly in warmer climes. My guess is this will become more common.

 

Jeans are out although some slip through. They have some jackets which I have seen provided to guests who present at MDR without one. But this is dependant on the staff to enforce.

 

They did, in my view, err one night when a Bermudan resident presented in Bermuda shorts, blazer and tie and they asked him to wear long trousers.

 

 

This was the "national dress" and no different to a Scot wearing a kilt, which does happen.

[tv24]

We are currently on the Sojourn's World Cruise. There have been several formal nights. We did not bring our tuxes; Ron has a couple of suits, but I brought only a black blazer and black trousers. I have added dress shirts with ties. Most men do indeed wear ties, bus some do not and are not shunned. I did notice a bit of snobbery around dress on formal nights. People are really checking each other out, sort of like teen agers in the high school cafeteria. Nevertheless, I felt secure with my fashion statements and no one tripped me while I was walking with my tray full of food. Note that a lot of the ladies dress to the nines; I think they are dressing for each other.

[dafne]

So I think he will be more in line with everyone else if he wears at tie with his blazer!

I have convinced him to take a tie!

[Emperor Norton]

Was told my Seabourn that Formal Nights for men is optional and can wear just a jacket with no tie. ( don't need a suit)

 

Is that correct?

 

If so, do many men do this?

 

I've done it with and without a tie. It depends upon how I feel after my excursion. However the one time I forgot to don a jacket Richard (the restaurant manager on Pride) offered to bring one to me and hang it on my chair. Seabourn isn't nearly as formal as Crystal/Silversea were back in the '90s/20x0s.:cool:

 

On the cruises I've been on I haven't broken the bell curve. It's still nice to see the women in cocktail dresses or ball gowns.

[barcrab]

We are going on our first Seabourn cruise in April. Do any of the men wear tuxedos??

[Nigella]

We are going on our first Seabourn cruise in April. Do any of the men wear tuxedos??

 

My husband always wears his on Formal Optional night, irrespective of what part of the world we're cruising in.

[Mr Luxury]

We are going on our first Seabourn cruise in April. Do any of the men wear tuxedos??

 

 

Yes,I always have worn a Tux on formal evenings on any ship.

 

The ladies always look so nice so I think the Gentlemen can make an effort to compliment the ladies.

 

A dark suit and tie would also be acceptable or if you want to dress down then the Patio Grill is ideal but you will miss out on a lovely evening if you choose not to go to the main dining room.

[lincslady]

The answer to the original question is yes, men do need a jacket but do not have to wear a tie on formal nights, even in the main dining room.

 

However, I do rather agree with those who are trying to persuade otherwise that it is a shame if they do not at least bother to bring a tie and business type shirt to wear that night.

[wripro]

The big complaint about tuxedoes is that they take up too much room and weight in suitcases with all the airline restrictions nowadays, The same certainly cannot be said about a tie.

[Mr Luxury]

The big complaint about tuxedoes is that they take up too much room and weight in suitcases with all the airline restrictions nowadays, The same certainly cannot be said about a tie.

 

We all know that the airlines are being blamed by some men who just cannot be bothered to dress properly.:D

 

It would be much better if they told the truth about thier lazinesssssss:eek:

[kiskadee]

Formal is optional. Suit and tie is the norm although jacket and tie becoming so.

 

My experience is that no tie is ok particularly in warmer climes. My guess is this will become more common.

 

Jeans are out although some slip through. They have some jackets which I have seen provided to guests who present at MDR without one. But this is dependant on the staff to enforce.

 

They did, in my view, err one night when a Bermudan resident presented in Bermuda shorts, blazer and tie and they asked him to wear long trousers.

 

 

This was the "national dress" and no different to a Scot wearing a kilt, which does happen.

 

Seabourn staff did indeed err in asking the Bermudian to change into long trousers. The very smart Bermuda shorts in varying colours with shirt, tie , blazer and long knee socks is the traditional costume in Bermuda similar to a Scot wearing a kilt. It is worn for business and often in formal weddings. Just this week it was voted the top attire worn by the teams entering the stadium at the winter Olympics.

[wripro]

I disagree completely that it's laziness, Mr. Luxury. A tuxedo requires an extra pair of shoes, different shirt as well as the suit itself. It takes more room and weighs more. And many people travel pre and/or post cruise so in order to avoid carrying all that extra weight they'd have to ship it home.

[Mr Luxury]

I disagree completely that it's laziness, Mr. Luxury. A tuxedo requires an extra pair of shoes, different shirt as well as the suit itself. It takes more room and weighs more. And many people travel pre and/or post cruise so in order to avoid carrying all that extra weight they'd have to ship it home.

 

Anything can be overcome if you put your mind to it,

I never have a problem taking everything that a gentleman will require on his travels.

 

Another issue is that when people sail on a first class luxury line they do not always look for a first class way to get to the ship.

 

I have never understood why people sail luxury but fly economy,ok if you are sailing with carnival or costa or the like but surely not Seabourn or Silversea.

[Laylam]

Anything can be overcome if you put your mind to it,

I never have a problem taking everything that a gentleman will require on his travels.

 

Another issue is that when people sail on a first class luxury line they do not always look for a first class way to get to the ship.

 

I have never understood why people sail luxury but fly economy,ok if you are sailing with carnival or costa or the like but surely not Seabourn or Silversea.

Maybe they can't afford to do both. Are you equating being a gentleman with wealth? IMHO a true gentlemen would prefer to be judged on reputation rather than overt displays of wealth.

[johnnycruise]

It is odd that people complain about the airline baggage charges ($100 for a second 50lb bag on a transatlantic flight in economy), but will gladly shell out $50 for the privilege of shoving and stuffing as many clothes as possible into a tiny bag for Seabourn to slowly launder over the course of two days.:rolleyes:

[tv24]

Back to Barcrab original question: Here on the Sojourn, about 20% of the men had tuxes on last night for optional formal night. The vast majority of the rest of the men had jackets and ties. Everyone was well-behaved, except for poor misguided me!

[Emperor Norton]

It is odd that people complain about the airline baggage charges ($100 for a second 50lb bag on a transatlantic flight in economy), but will gladly shell out $50 for the privilege of shoving and stuffing as many clothes as possible into a tiny bag for Seabourn to slowly launder over the course of two days.:rolleyes:

 

It's amazing. Almost like different people spend their money in different ways and what may be a priority to one is irrelevant to another.

 

Further that analogy is fairly bad. Besides paying extra for another bag you have to transport the bag to/from the airport as well as from the airport to a hotel/ship then back again.

Edited February 12, 2014 by baychilla

[barcrab]

Our cruise is 12 nights and I was a little surprised to find out today that only 2 nights are formal. We love black tie, but will have to assess whether it is silly to bring a tux for 1 night.

[seabournaddict]

It is odd that people complain about the airline baggage charges ($100 for a second 50lb bag on a transatlantic flight in economy), but will gladly shell out $50 for the privilege of shoving and stuffing as many clothes as possible into a tiny bag for Seabourn to slowly launder over the course of two days.:rolleyes:

 

and of course you are only relating to Trans Altantics from the US? probably using a US carrier? I have NEVER EVER seen an extra 50lb bag for $100. Don't forget MANY people who sail Seabourn are NOT Americans and don't get those perks! Any overweight luggage for us is charged per kilo and I'm talking about a LOT per kilo! So YES, luggage restrictions on airlines does play a very big part in what people can or cant carry!

[johnnycruise]

and of course you are only relating to Trans Altantics from the US? probably using a US carrier? I have NEVER EVER seen an extra 50lb bag for $100. Don't forget MANY people who sail Seabourn are NOT Americans and don't get those perks! Any overweight luggage for us is charged per kilo and I'm talking about a LOT per kilo! So YES, luggage restrictions on airlines does play a very big part in what people can or cant carry!

 

You must not check extra baggage. British Airways (which transports a lot of passengers, not limited to Americans) charges $85 for the second 50lb bag on its system (not just transatlantic).

 

http://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/baggage-essentials/extra-overweight-baggage

 

Seabourn doesn't require formal attire and I, personally, would not pack formal attire for a 7-night cruise with one formal-optional evening. But, using the "weight" issue as an excuse is, indeed, lazy.

[johnnycruise]

Further that analogy is fairly bad. Besides paying extra for another bag you have to transport the bag to/from the airport as well as from the airport to a hotel/ship then back again.

 

You make it sound like many passengers drag their luggage from the carousel to the pier. Until about five years ago, checking two bags (no charge at that time) was the norm. A reasonably fit person can retrieve two medium-sized bags from the carousel and place them on an airport luggage cart just as easily as one bag (or solicit a porter for $5-10 to do the same). Unless you are taking a public bus and/or staying at a hostel, the taxi driver and hotel bellman will provide minimal, but appreciated, assistance with luggage.

 

Wear your formal attire or leave it at home, but there is no need to make excuses. On Seabourn it is "formal-optional."

[Able Seaman H]

I always wear formal attire on formal night.

 

Between the family an extra suitcase or large hold all takes care of shoes, hair dryers and all the other stuff which compromises your suitcase. Many airlines will allow a suit carrier in addition to your luggage allowance. If not then providing you pay for the extra luggage at time of booking it is not overly expensive.

 

When flying business or first class the luggage allowance is far more than you could ever need as a family. I think we could have taken 6 32kg (70lb) cases, 6 carry on pieces, 3 suit carriers, 3 laptop bags and so on !

 

Henry :)

[markham]

I don't know what happened to my message of yesterday but here it is again...

 

Gentlemen should wear their formal wear with pride. No, one of your usual business suits won't cut it when your partner has gone to the trouble of looking the part expected on a formal night, the captain and senior officers are so well turned out- as are many other gentlemen.

 

Don't let yourself down! Pack it- shirt, bow tie, dinner jacket, trousers and polished shoes. Wear the loafers on a loafer night. You are on a Seabourn cruise, for goodness sake.

 

Happy sailing!

[rols]

We are going on our first Seabourn cruise in April. Do any of the men wear tuxedos??

 

I always wear mine, sadly (in my opinion) less and less do. The first formal night we were at a hosted table and of the 8 of us, all 4 gentlemen were wearing tuxedos, we all remarked at the time that it was by far the most dense concentration of dinner jackets in the room.

 

It was nice.

 

Worst I saw on that cruise was elegant casual night. A gentleman arrived at the restaurant, he did have a jacket over his rather eloquent shirt and his trousers did cover all the way down to his trainers. Certainly obeyed the letter of the law and ended up on table 1 by the kitchen.

 

Please do what makes you comfortable to have a great cruise. We enjoy a little dressing up, we don't get to do it here in Singapore, if you have a tux, bring it, you won't be the only one, and you will get a very nice table in the restaurant.