What's "formal enough" for 10 year old boys?

[Crystalcat]

I can't wait to dress up for the formal nights on the cruise. DH has a very nice dark blue suit. Our sons (9 and 10 years old) are well behaved and our expectation is that we will always be dining with them. What will be "dressed up" enough for them?

 

(I'm expecting that I will come prepared with dark dress pants, long sleeve shirts and ties for. I'm not sure how that compares with what others have seen. - I know they would love to get away with new polo shirts instead of ties).

 

Thanks

Cathy

[Ohunion Cruzers]

I can't wait to dress up for the formal nights on the cruise. DH has a very nice dark blue suit. Our sons (9 and 10 years old) are well behaved and our expectation is that we will always be dining with them. What will be "dressed up" enough for them?

 

(I'm expecting that I will come prepared with dark dress pants, long sleeve shirts and ties for. I'm not sure how that compares with what others have seen. - I know they would love to get away with new polo shirts instead of ties).

 

Thanks

Cathy

 

 

The following expectation can be found on RCI’s Web Page:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/custom...I4U:v2mocc7o#8

 

What are the dress codes onboard?

There are three distinct types of evenings onboard: casual, smart casual and formal. Suggested guidelines for these nights are:

 

Casual: Sport shirts and slacks for men, sundresses or pants for women

Smart Casual: Jackets and ties for men, dresses or pantsuits for women

Formal: Suits and ties or tuxedos for men, cocktail dresses for women

 

3 to 4-night cruises include one formal night and the remainder are casual nights.

5 – night cruises include one formal and the remainder casual nights.

6 – night cruises include two formal nights, one smart casual and the remainder are casual nights .

7 to 9-night cruises include two formal nights, one smart casual night and the remainder nights are casual nights.

10 to13-night cruises include two formal nights and two smart casual nights, and the remainder are casual nights.

14+ -night cruises include three formal nights and four smart casual nights and the remainder are casual nights.

 

We appreciate your usual parental guidance and cooperation in observing these easy guidelines with your children.

[atlcple2]

We are going on the Mariner in less than 2 weeks and we have a 10 (almost 11) year old boy going with us. We went shopping this past weekend and got him a black suit with white shirt and tie at Sears and for casual nights, we purchased 2 pair of casual pants (green and gold - painters pants style - NOT DENIM!) and 3 shirts so he can switch them out. He wasn't all that happy, but that's life. We expect the kids (also a 13 year old) to have dinner with us every night in the dining room as well and want him to be appropriately dressed. The suit at Sears was very reasonable ($59 or so) and they had a large selection of sizes, colors and styles.

[MargaritaPlease]

My two boys are 9 and 10 this time around. It's their third cruise. They were 6 and 7 on their first. Each time, they've sat with us in the dining room for most dinners (we've always had one or two "romantic" nights where my wife and I hit the upscale restaurant and the kids get pizza with the club).

 

On formal nights, I've seen small children in everything from the verboten denim to miniature tuxedos. My kids have worn chinos, white or blue shirts, and ties and have been safely middle of the scale. They have as much fun dressing up as we do (at least for a little while) and we always have fun with the ties - don't miss that with the polos though nobody is going to stare if you chose to go that way.

 

Relax and have fun! It's THEIR cruise too!

[merrysunshine320]

When I took my 4-year-old to Alaska last year on Celebrity, I put him in khakis, a white shirt, and a little tie on formal nights. On other nights he wore the khakis or another type of dress pants and a short sleeve polo shirt with a collar (like a golf shirt). For shoes he wore docksiders or loafers He, of course, hated it, but he looked so cute, and people remarked how well-dressed he was, which made him feel great.

 

On the first formal night he fell asleep on his dinner plate through the whole dinner -- he looked so cute lying there with his little formal outfit on. Too much fun at the kids center earlier in the day!

 

I think it's great to show kids that there are different ways of dressing for different occasions. The formal dinners were a little long for him to sit through, but the waiters kept him so entertained (and well-fed with whatever he wanted), that by the time we got home I could tell he missed all the fanfare.

 

Enjoy your trip! I'm sure your boys will look great!

[Weez]

I can't wait to dress up for the formal nights on the cruise. DH has a very nice dark blue suit. Our sons (9 and 10 years old) are well behaved and our expectation is that we will always be dining with them. What will be "dressed up" enough for them?

 

(I'm expecting that I will come prepared with dark dress pants, long sleeve shirts and ties for. I'm not sure how that compares with what others have seen. - I know they would love to get away with new polo shirts instead of ties).

 

Thanks

Cathy

 

There really is no right answer, have them wear what you feel is appropriate. There are posts all over this board about what is and is not appropriate. The vast majority dress in suit and ties and/or tux's on formal nights. Then you have a few who come in jeans and short's etc etc. Personally, I would like to see my kid in a suit and tie but I don't think a a nice polo shirt and dress slacks would be the end of the world. Their behavior is more important IMO.

[PSCruiser]

I think that for 10 year olds, shirt and tie but no coat would put them right in the middle.

[madisonms]

The following expectation can be found on RCI’s Web Page:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/custom...I4U:v2mocc7o#8

 

What are the dress codes onboard?

There are three distinct types of evenings onboard: casual, smart casual and formal. Suggested guidelines for these nights are:

 

Casual: Sport shirts and slacks for men, sundresses or pants for women

Smart Casual: Jackets and ties for men, dresses or pantsuits for women

Formal: Suits and ties or tuxedos for men, cocktail dresses for women

 

3 to 4-night cruises include one formal night and the remainder are casual nights.

5 – night cruises include one formal and the remainder casual nights.

6 – night cruises include two formal nights, one smart casual and the remainder are casual nights .

7 to 9-night cruises include two formal nights, one smart casual night and the remainder nights are casual nights.

10 to13-night cruises include two formal nights and two smart casual nights, and the remainder are casual nights.

14+ -night cruises include three formal nights and four smart casual nights and the remainder are casual nights.

 

We appreciate your usual parental guidance and cooperation in observing these easy guidelines with your children.

 

How did that answer the OP's question about their children?? They were obviously looking for a suggestion from parents who cruised with their children of similar age.

[ciderapple]

Our 14 year old and 12 year old boys will be wearing black trousers (school uniform!) a nice formal shirt and tie.

 

If I see suits for them at bargain prices just before the cruise I may be tempted, but I am not going to bust a gut to get them jackets.

 

I think as long as they are wearing formal trousers, shirt, tie, shiney black formal shoes, clean and tidy everyone should be happy. I know that their behaviour will make me so proud that lack of a jacket will be irrelevent.

[SuiteCruiser]

How did that answer the OP's question about their children?? They were obviously looking for a suggestion from parents who cruised with their children of similar age.

 

I think it was just the last line in RCI's information:

 

We appreciate your usual parental guidance and cooperation in observing these easy guidelines with your children.

 

Our 7 year old twin boys picked out their suits and vests, ties, etc, to turn them into a "tuxedo". (OK well, close enough!) they are very excited about getting all dressed up.

[DesertStarr]

My 3 boys do have suits and loved to wear them on the formal nights. I just scrolled through the pics from our last cruise and I noticed that I couldn't find a dinner pic where they are all wearing suit coats at the same time.

I got the older boys their suits at JC Penneys at the outlet mall, pretty cheap. (my oldest just out-grew his jacket and I just picked up a new one from the JC Penneys online for $16) I got my 3 yo a cheap suit (I do mean cheap) from ebay for less than $25 with shipping. He has since outgrown it and we just got him a new one (the exact same thing) from a store called Toda Moda for the same $25.

 

They will always remember how special it was to dress up on the cruise. I saw a post the other day of a woman who has a pic of herself on her first cruise as a child, all dressed up on formal night meeting the Captian. Aawww, I wish I had taken those pics with my kids. It turns out we had phot op problems, (mostly because we had a 3 yo with us) and didn't buy a single pic from the ship that cruise. (not by choice, but that is another story about cruising with kids)

 

Have a great trip!

 

Starr

 

Splendor 2-13-06

[jodi2227]

My son wears dockers and a nice silk or polo shirt on formal night.

I have also allowed him to wear nice khaki shorts and decent shirt on the non formal nights..

He comes to the table rushes through dinner and joins his friends in the kids program. That way he doesn't have to go back to the room to change.

He looks great and everyone is happy.

[KelJ]

My boys were 10 and 13 when we cruised in December on the Voyager. For formal nights, they each wore Docker-type pants, long sleeve shirt and tie (no jacket). On all other nights, they each wore dockers and either polo/golf shirt or short-sleeve button-down shirt. They each had dark suede sneakers that were in good shape, so that is what they wore as well. They fit in perfectly in my opinion. We saw very few suits on children, although admittedly there were not a ton of kids on our cruise.

[Twinsmomct]

My twin 9 year old boys will be wearing suits on the formal nights and a nice dress pair of pants for some of the others with a button down shirt or a pullover. They are making their 1st communion this year so we bought the suits early so we could get at least 2 wearings out of them before they grow out of them. They were around $35 each at Walmart! BTW, when one of my sons tried his suit on, he checked himself out in my mirror, smiled, and gave himself 2 thumbs up!

[FitzLA]

People are probably just fed up with ohunion copying and pasting the same info over and over. Do a search for a few of his posts and i bet 75% are the same post. He's the self-appointed fashion police. ;)

 

Actually, 99% of his posts are the same thing. Its getting truly annoying when someone justs posts the same thing over and over again with nothing of importance to contribute. I question the intelligence of someone who just sits there lurking to post the same thing over and over. Kinda like a stalker. This person obviously has some serious issues. I bet they even giggle a little bit everytime the cut and paste. Its like a kindergartner who likes to play little games. Stop already of just leave. It is so obvious that you have nothing of importance to contribute.

[zotzer]

My nephews (ages 5 and 7) wore khaki pants, shirt and tie, with a navy blazer on formal nights. They were neither under nor over-dressed, and looked very handsome.

 

Tracy

[siouxks]

There really is no right answer, have them wear what you feel is appropriate. .....Their behavior is more important IMO.

 

True, True!

 

Just back from a cruise & I was torn about this same issue -- ended up w/ Khakis, button down shirts & a tie for my 8 yr old boy. They are little & a tie makes them look dressed up regardless. My 2 yr old daughter on the other hand -- had lots of fun dressing her:D

[Alexis]

I can't wait to dress up for the formal nights on the cruise. DH has a very nice dark blue suit. Our sons (9 and 10 years old) are well behaved and our expectation is that we will always be dining with them. What will be "dressed up" enough for them?

 

(I'm expecting that I will come prepared with dark dress pants, long sleeve shirts and ties for. I'm not sure how that compares with what others have seen. - I know they would love to get away with new polo shirts instead of ties).

 

Thanks

Cathy

 

I think the pants, shirts and ties are just fine. I have done many cruises and most of the children are dressed just like that. They all looked good to me.

I had 4 children to dress for special occasions when they were growing up. It was hard to buy suits and jackets, dressy dresses and such, because they outgrew them faster than they could get use out of them.

Save the suit money and let them have fun on the ship with something that cost extra.

Just my opinion.

[erisajd]

You know, kids are great, I have one myself, but by 9-10 they are old enough on a cruise ship to stay at the kids club . . .

 

my plan, and it works great, is to always get the late dinner seating -

 

Get the kids fed at Windjammer or johnny rockets - around 6-6.30 -

 

then the kids are fed and they can go join the kids club activities - play video games - whatever, and ME nd MY spouse can enjoy a leisurely dining room dinner with wine and mulitple courses and then, when dinner is over, have them come to the dining room around 9.30-9.45 when the activities start winding down, and they can have dessert.

 

We have a nice, romantic dinner all dressed up nice and they can hav fun and we join back up for dessert and coffee . .

[airbysea]

Something I have always done for fancy occasions when the kids were growing like weeds, check out consignment shops!! I do it with my son because he keeps growing up, then out, then up then out!!! I can't keep up with him!!! you can find some nice suits, tux's and sprotscoats for $10.00 - $15.00!

[merrysunshine320]

I think the pants, shirts and ties are just fine. I have done many cruises and most of the children are dressed just like that. They all looked good to me.

I had 4 children to dress for special occasions when they were growing up. It was hard to buy suits and jackets, dressy dresses and such, because they outgrew them faster than they could get use out of them.

Save the suit money and let them have fun on the ship with something that cost extra.

Just my opinion.

 

I agree that they grow out of dress-up clothes so quickly! Especially Easter outfits, as we have very fw formal events to attend in the spring and summer, so anything I buy my son for Easter is usually a waste -- he wears it once and that's it.

 

It's not for everyone, but on occasion if he needs something very formal, I'll check my local children's consignment shop. I can always find something in my son's size that has been worn maybe once, sometimes they even still have the tags attached! And it's usually about 1/3 of the price I'd have to pay in a retail store. Again, not for everyone, but it really works in a pinch.

[Onessa]

If you feel a suit and/or suit jacket is "required" shop the resale shops - Goodwill, Salvation Army, Once upon a Child, etc.

 

If one is to follow the letter of the dress guidelines - a suit (not sports jacket) and tie is required for men and boys. That would put 80-90% of all of the men/boys on any given RCCI cruise out of step with the guidelines. Of the remaining 10-20% about 25% of those are wearing suits or tuxes that are either hopelessly out-of-date or several sizes off. Personally, I'd rather dine with someone who is clean and neat and well behaved that a boor in a moth-eaten tux!

 

What is REALLY scarry is if we were to follow the letter of the guidelines and dress our 7-12YO daughters in cocktail dresses! :D

 

Shirts, ties, and dressier slacks are ok in my book!

[freedom1]

We traveled last year with 8 boys between the ages of 9 and 20. On formal nights, they ALL wore a dress pair of slacks, a dress shirt and a tie. They were fine and did not look at all out of place. In fact, many more "kids" were dressed like they were and did not wear suits. On the other nights they wore kaiki pants with polo style shirts.

[jodi2227]

I feel sorry for our boys. Not too many choices!! we have the universal kaiki pants, the kaiki pants or the kaiki pants. We might also throw in some dark suit pants.

I guess us girls have it made!!!!!

[FlyingPhotog]

Slacks, button-down shirt and tie. No polos, no shorts. A jacket would be nice. Why does everyone want to do the minumum?