I'm skipping formal night! Help a man out.

[DirtyDawg]

Tonight was formal night on Navigator. Many men wore suits,very few wore tuxes, some men wore a dress shirt and tie. There were no men wearing polo shirts in the MDR for assigned seating.

 

Susie, you're on vacation - get off the darn internet!:eek:

 

Geez, some of you folks are as bad as the kids these days.:p;)

[LMaxwell]

Suggested is used as "for example" so that people from different cultures have a base understanding of the terminology used. Suggested is in no way a request.

[GTO-Girl]

So we want to skip formal nights on the ship. Frankly I hate dressing up and live in a city where most restaurants no matter how nice allow shorts and casual (Austin, TX). We get amazing food in a laid back atmosphere. Anyway my wife and I talked it over and we are both simple people and about as nice as I get dressed up is a Tommy Bahama shirt and docker type pants. I don't own any suits or dress clothes. On a warm caribbean cruise the last thing I want to do is put on a tie but I also don't want to distract in the MDR on formal night.

 

So where does a couple go given that I am willing to wear a Tommy Bahama and tan pants? We were thinking about Sabor and maybe Johnny Rockets for dinner on those two nights. Also there is Windjammer but I am guessing I'll be sick of it by the time we get towards the end of the cruise. What are the other options and what is the level of dress at those places?

 

Don't skip the MDR.......khaki's and a Tommy Bahama shirt is my husband's formal attire....LOL. We have always been welcomed on formal night! I dress in black slacks and a nice top and we look just fine!

 

Go and enjoy!!!

[beachnative]

I've heard some reports of higher prices in specialty venues on formal nights, because there is increased demand from those who prefer to avoid the MDR. Can't vouch for that personally, but I've seen that mentioned a couple times on a thread about the increasing cover charge at Chops.

 

We are just back from a Back2Back on the Allure. A discount for speciality restaurants for the first night and both formal nights was offered.

[davenew]

So we want to skip formal nights on the ship. Frankly I hate dressing up and live in a city where most restaurants no matter how nice allow shorts and casual (Austin, TX). We get amazing food in a laid back atmosphere. Anyway my wife and I talked it over and we are both simple people and about as nice as I get dressed up is a Tommy Bahama shirt and docker type pants. I don't own any suits or dress clothes. On a warm caribbean cruise the last thing I want to do is put on a tie but I also don't want to distract in the MDR on formal night.

 

So where does a couple go given that I am willing to wear a Tommy Bahama and tan pants? We were thinking about Sabor and maybe Johnny Rockets for dinner on those two nights. Also there is Windjammer but I am guessing I'll be sick of it by the time we get towards the end of the cruise. What are the other options and what is the level of dress at those places?

Like others have said - anything goes now.

[slyster]

We always skip formal too, and last cruise, we went to Portofinos. We wore slacks and a nice shirt and it was just fine. I didn't feel we stuck out at all there. In fact, if I remember correctly, though it's formal dining in the dining room, it wasn't in the speciality restaurants, at least on our Jewel cruise.

[Paul65]

We always skip formal too, and last cruise, we went to Portofinos. We wore slacks and a nice shirt and it was just fine. I didn't feel we stuck out at all there. In fact, if I remember correctly, though it's formal dining in the dining room, it wasn't in the speciality restaurants, at least on our Jewel cruise.

 

That is correct. The specialty dining is usually suggested as "Smart Casual" on all nights. Of course, technically, smart casual traditionally meant something like sports coat and tie, as opposed to a tux or formal suit, but in practice these days, it's more like what you describe - slacks and a nice shirt.

[gerif]

Suggested is used as "for example" so that people from different cultures have a base understanding of the terminology used. Suggested is in no way a request.

 

That's what I've always thought. They give suggestions for what to wear on the various "theme" if you will nights because there are people who really don't understand what terms like "casual" or "formal" mean and what clothing is appropriate for the designated nights. It doesn't mean that the second night is suggested to be formal, it means that it has been designated formal and this is what we suggest people wear to be appropriate.

 

 

On one cruise, a couple from Texas did not come to the first formal night since they had not packed formal clothing. They were encouraged by the waiter and tablemates to come to the second anyway. DH wore a dark suit and I wore a long skirt and beaded top while the third couple wore a tux and full ballgown. We had a nice evening but I could tell they felt a bit uncomfortable.

[Paul65]

That's what I've always thought. They give suggestions for what to wear on the various "theme" if you will nights because there are people who really don't understand what terms like "casual" or "formal" mean and what clothing is appropriate for the designated nights. It doesn't mean that the second night is suggested to be formal, it means that it has been designated formal and this is what we suggest people wear to be appropriate.

 

On one cruise, a couple from Texas did not come to the first formal night since they had not packed formal clothing. They were encouraged by the waiter and tablemates to come to the second anyway. DH wore a dark suit and I wore a long skirt and beaded top while the third couple wore a tux and full ballgown. We had a nice evening but I could tell they felt a bit uncomfortable.

 

We had a similar situation on one of our cruises, when our table-mates said they were thinking of dining elsewhere on formal night, because they had not packed any formal clothing. We told them it would be okay, if they wanted to just wear what they had to the dining room. We were all dressed up, and they came in the nicest casual clothes they had packed, but in our case, I don't recall them seeming uncomfortable.

[LoveyHowell]

As others have said, you are not required to dress formally for the dining room; it is a requested attire.

 

Formal night is just a theme night for those who want to participate. It is not requested. No theme night is actually requested. Purely optional. This is what was explained to me by the Crown and Anchor phone center.

 

My husband often wears either khakis and polo or khakis and a button up short sleeve (similar to TB style) when we used to sail on Explorer out of NJ. Some were dressed more fancy. Some dressed less. The way your husband will be dressed is just fine for vacation.

[yogimax]

I've heard some reports of higher prices in specialty venues on formal nights, because there is increased demand from those who prefer to avoid the MDR. Can't vouch for that personally, but I've seen that mentioned a couple times on a thread about the increasing cover charge at Chops.

 

Untrue. They do not raise prices for specific nights.

 

FWIW, the vast majority of men will either be wearing a suit, jacket & tie, shirt & tie or sports coat w/o tie.

[ummgood]

We always skip formal too, and last cruise, we went to Portofinos. We wore slacks and a nice shirt and it was just fine. I didn't feel we stuck out at all there. In fact, if I remember correctly, though it's formal dining in the dining room, it wasn't in the speciality restaurants, at least on our Jewel cruise.

 

Thanks that is what I was wondering about the specialty restaurants.

 

That's what I've always thought. They give suggestions for what to wear on the various "theme" if you will nights because there are people who really don't understand what terms like "casual" or "formal" mean and what clothing is appropriate for the designated nights. It doesn't mean that the second night is suggested to be formal, it means that it has been designated formal and this is what we suggest people wear to be appropriate.

 

 

On one cruise, a couple from Texas did not come to the first formal night since they had not packed formal clothing. They were encouraged by the waiter and tablemates to come to the second anyway. DH wore a dark suit and I wore a long skirt and beaded top while the third couple wore a tux and full ballgown. We had a nice evening but I could tell they felt a bit uncomfortable.

 

That is what I was concerned about. It is awkward if your table mates are dressed to the nines and we aren't. That is why we might skip the MDR and have a nice dinner at one of the upcharge places. The reason I said Johnny Rockets is because by the end of the cruise we are usually tired of eating haha and it seemed simple.

[Paul65]

Untrue. They do not raise prices for specific nights.

 

FWIW, the vast majority of men will either be wearing a suit, jacket & tie, shirt & tie or sports coat w/o tie.

 

I was basing that on what I saw reported here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=45596890&highlight=formal#post45596890

 

and in some other posts on the same thread.

[tahqa]

Also there is Windjammer but I am guessing I'll be sick of it by the time we get towards the end of the cruise.

 

As for the Windjammer... at dinner time they will have some of the same items from the MDR menu. So it's not at all the same exact experience as it is at lunch. :)

[poncho1973]

I've stopped wearing anything more than just khaki pants and a nice collared shirt ANY night in the MDR.

 

You won't stick out in that.

You won't be stopped at the door.

You won't even be noticed by 99% of people.

You will simply have dinner.

 

There will be a few people in tuxes/gowns.

There will be some people in suits/long dresses.

There will be quite a few people in sport coats/cocktail dresses.

There will be plenty of people dressed like you and whatever your wife is wearing.

[ehfl]

All the other restaurants are fairly casual. We usually do the Windjammer if we don't want to dress up. They have a great variety there. I don't think you'll be bored, especially if you mix in a few other restaurants.

[BallFour4]

You are totally fine in pants and a button up Tommy bahama shirt. As in you will see quite a lot of that. Don't go pay for a burger and miss out unless you want to. Really.

 

The way you will be dressed is actually fine for any restaurant on any night, so enjoy. [emoji568]

 

22 cruises, standard fare for me and a growing army at dinner every night.

 

If you post "I've heard, I've read, I saw, I've seen other threads..." then share the link.

 

Enjoy your vacation!

 

.

Edited March 24, 2015 by BallFour4

[mil76]

We have been doing specialty restaurants on formal night since the days when it really was an issue if you didn't dress to the nines, and we'd even get dirty looks on the Royal Promenade if we were not dressed up on formal night. It seemed silly for us to lug all that extra clothing to put on 5 minutes before dinner and change out of immediately after leaving the MDR. I'm glad it's changing slowly and I wish they would do away with it completely, but there's still a negative vibe on formal night from some people (just read this forum) so we just skip it. It's more of a tradition for us now, and we figure we were going to do specialties anyway, so this just makes it easier for us to determine which nights to do it.

 

I also heard the rumors of higher prices in the specialties on formal nights, but we're already booked for next week on the Navigator at the same price as any other night. If they do go with the higher prices on formal nights, the dress code police will have to deal with 4 more of the unwashed masses in the MDR on formal night.

[ummgood]

We have been doing specialty restaurants on formal night since the days when it really was an issue if you didn't dress to the nines, and we'd even get dirty looks on the Royal Promenade if we were not dressed up on formal night. It seemed silly for us to lug all that extra clothing to put on 5 minutes before dinner and change out of immediately after leaving the MDR. I'm glad it's changing slowly and I wish they would do away with it completely, but there's still a negative vibe on formal night from some people (just read this forum) so we just skip it. It's more of a tradition for us now, and we figure we were going to do specialties anyway, so this just makes it easier for us to determine which nights to do it.

 

I also heard the rumors of higher prices in the specialties on formal nights, but we're already booked for next week on the Navigator at the same price as any other night. If they do go with the higher prices on formal nights, the dress code police will have to deal with 4 more of the unwashed masses in the MDR on formal night.

 

Thanks that might be the plan. Or I could buy this t-shirt...

[poncho1973]

All the other restaurants are fairly casual. We usually do the Windjammer if we don't want to dress up. They have a great variety there. I don't think you'll be bored, especially if you mix in a few other restaurants.

 

While it's certainly an option to go to the WJ for dinner any night... OP... never be guilted into eating the WJ because you are told by some poster here (see quoted message above) that if you're not formal, you're not welcome. You are. You can ask anyone working in the MDR and you will be told you are welcome.

Edited March 24, 2015 by poncho1973

[Paul65]

While it's certainly an option to go to the WJ for dinner any night... OP... never be guilted into eating the WJ because you are told by some poster here (see quoted message above) that if you're not formal, you're not welcome. You are. You can ask anyone working in the MDR and you will be told you are welcome.

 

There is nothing in the message you quoted that says "if you're not formal, you're not welcome."

[cruiserider444]

Thanks! Will we stick out if we are not dressed formal? I guess I don't want to be a disruption. I don't mind going to the other venues on those nights if needed. I don't want my wife to feel uncomfortable.

 

I don't plan on wearing shorts in the MDR just didn't want to dress fancy smancy.

 

no one will care or notice. and if they do, they have too much time on their hands..

[TheTruthCanHurt]

Thanks! Will we stick out if we are not dressed formal? I guess I don't want to be a disruption. I don't mind going to the other venues on those nights if needed. I don't want my wife to feel uncomfortable.

 

I don't plan on wearing shorts in the MDR just didn't want to dress fancy smancy.

I dont think you will stick out. I usually wear dress pants and a button down shirt. There will absolutely be people in suits and tuxes, and (if they dont get removed) a few in shorts. so I would say you would be right in the middle. Dont forget, sticking out is not only dress it's attitude and how much attention people choose to draw to themselves.

I am sure you will be fine. Enjoy.

[Husney]

We have not brought formal clothes in years on cruises. Never feel like we stick out. My husband wears chino type pants and a colorful shirt; I wear pants and a nice top. Especially on the bigger ships you will see everything from tuxedos to dress jeans. Enjoy your trip and relax the way you want to.

[Havingfun2010]

How does wearing a tie, and dressing up and the weather related? I often wear ties in the middle of summer, and it does not change it being hot. It's hot with or without a tie and the tie does not change it.