Formal nights

[nosapphire]

Thanks for that.

++

On the 2018 Christmas cruise on Saga Pearl II, it was announced by Captain that traditionally formal wear applied on Christmas Day.

He said that this year a vote would be held whether tradition continued, or whether smart casual would apply. Passengers had to hand in their voting form to reception a few days before, and it was later announced that "by a resounding majority" the vote was for smart casual.

 

[Denarius]

19 hours ago, nosapphire said:

Formal attire applies in the theatre on formal nights, so he may want to pack a jacket and tie anyway just in case. Be a shame if there was a show that you really would like to see on a formal night but you couldn't get in (cabin TV is not quite the same for some shows).

Formal does not have to be the full DJ. And if he is a tie-hater, find somewhere that sells clip-on ties.

Or do like I do and wear a formal bolo tie (pictured below) instead of a bow tie.

Edited September 19, 2023 by Denarius

[Denarius]

17 hours ago, nosapphire said:

Thanks for that.

++

On the 2018 Christmas cruise on Saga Pearl II, it was announced by Captain that traditionally formal wear applied on Christmas Day.

He said that this year a vote would be held whether tradition continued, or whether smart casual would apply. Passengers had to hand in their voting form to reception a few days before, and it was later announced that "by a resounding majority" the vote was for smart casual.

 

Cannot say that I am surprised.

[Banjo an]

On 9/19/2023 at 11:37 AM, Denarius said:

Or do like I do and wear a formal bolo tie (pictured below) instead of a bow tie.

 

On 9/19/2023 at 11:48 AM, Denarius said:

Cannot say that I am surprised.

On formal nights, is a white tux jacket acceptable?

[JoJo1947]

5 minutes ago, Banjo an said:

 

On formal nights, is a white tux jacket acceptable?

Yes

[Denarius]

15 hours ago, Banjo an said:

 

On formal nights, is a white tux jacket acceptable?

Yes. Used to be quite common amongst regular cruisers when I first started cruising in the 1990s. I had one myself. Some men used to take both black and white DJs. Nowadays you still see them occasionally, but most wear black. Not quite sure why.

[twotravellersLondon]

57 minutes ago, Denarius said:

Yes. Used to be quite common amongst regular cruisers when I first started cruising in the 1990s. I had one myself. Some men used to take both black and white DJs. Nowadays you still see them occasionally, but most wear black. Not quite sure why.

 

In the days of older drafter ships it used to be that the black jackets were heavier and warmer and white jackets were lighter and cooler.

[lincslady]

White jackets were I think originally intended for wear in the tropics.  But I think they look good, for a change, anywhere especially warm weather cruising.

[Banjo an]

Thank you for all your replies.

[Banjo an]

On 7/24/2019 at 6:09 PM, IbizaLover said:

I would say that of the four cruise lines we have sailed with, Saga have been the most formal on their formal nights. Not a bad thing though, and my husband really enjoys it, and I get a chance to dress up for once, although as others have said, it doesn’t have to be long dresses.

Having read several of the negative comments about formal dress on this posting, I have to disagree. My wife and I have cruised for many years and with several of the “better” cruise lines and feel that once a company drop the strict formal code in favour of smart casual then you quite often see passengers trying to take it even further by trying to enter the MDR in jeans, tee shirts etc just to push the boundaries. Before retirement in my line of business I didn’t have to wear a suit so I  rather enjoy dressing up smart. Long may Saga keep up their standards which is one of the reasons we moved from Aramark.

[JMMKUK]

When we started sailing with Saga 20 years ago formal nights were very formal & they had an extra dress code that meant men had to wear lounge suits. Smart casual nights were as rare as hen's teeth.

Now on smart casual OH often wears a polo shirt when we dine in the grill. On formal night one half of the Grill isn't formal. If they don't think you are dressed up enough you will get seated there.

We always dress up for dining in the speciality restaurants whatever the dress code is that day.

[tobykim1]

Thanks for the replies, we like to relax on holiday so the idea of having to dress up isn't something we'd look forward to, still each to their own 😉

[Denarius]

To dress formally or not to dress formally, that is the question. A thorny one, as regulars on the P&O board will attest!

When the subject is raised on these boards, formal nights are always defended vociferously. My own personal experience however, is that on the occasions when the topic is raised onboard more people tend to favour smart casual. I was interested therefore to read post #26 which recalls a ballot being held on a Saga ship in which given the choice, a "resounding majority" opted for smart casual.

 

[Windsurfboy]

I like formal nights, but I  do think they will die away unless cruise lines make them more special,  should be more to it than just every one in formal dress.

[Denarius]

4 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

I like formal nights, but I  do think they will die away unless cruise lines make them more special,  should be more to it than just every one in formal dress.

Whilst not being a fan of formal dress I concur with your sentiments. I have always been happy to don black tie onshore on special occasions which demanded it, such as professional dinners. At sea, I am happy to wear it on special occasions like the captain's reception. I cannot however see the point of wearing it where there is nothing to distinguish that evening from any other, just because someone has decided that there must be so many formal evenings during the cruise.

[tobykim1]

On the previous cruises we've been on I noticed that the men donned their formal attire for dinner then rushed to their cabins after to get changed 😕

 

[FatBoy20]

30 minutes ago, Denarius said:

Whilst not being a fan of formal dress I concur with your sentiments. I have always been happy to don black tie onshore on special occasions which demanded it, such as professional dinners. At sea, I am happy to wear it on special occasions like the captain's reception. I cannot however see the point of wearing it where there is nothing to distinguish that evening from any other, just because someone has decided that there must be so many formal evenings during the cruise.

My experience of Saga is that their are enhanced Menus on the Formal Nights.

[twotravellersLondon]

55 minutes ago, tobykim1 said:

the men

 

 All "the men?"