Formal dress start time?

[jamse]

Hi all, first time cruiser after advice please! By what time should we be dressed up on formal night?

 

We're on our first cruise (hi!). It's day 2, first formal night, and we decided to go for a walk around the promenade - still in tshirt/shorts - before we changed for dinner. It was 5.30/5.45 which feels too early to change, but we got a very dirty look up and down (3 or 4 times!) from a man already dressed to the nines.

 

I fully understand people enjoy when others make a bit of effort and we've purchased tuxes for that purpose, but we thought this was a restaurant only thing?

 

Have we committed that much of a faux pas timewise or was this person just that much up himself? Not going to let it ruin our cruise, but I'd rather avoid another occurence if there's some unwritten rule that you should be dressed up by 3? or 5?

[mom says]

Dunno, since you don't mention what cruise line you are on. Usually the dress guidelines apply once dinner service has begun. But most lines, with the exception of Cunard, don't have formal dress rules; only guidelines. My guess is that the person you encountered was just a self important grumpy old man.

[jamse]

Thanks mom. It's Princess so had thought it was suggested as you say.

[Meander Ingwa]

On Princess FAQ page they  state that formal night is in the dinner room.  

that man sounds like a snoot and probably you know where you dont want to sit.

 

enjoy your dinner and rock your new Tux

[BklynBoy8]

We on the Cunard Line starts Formal Dress on Formal Evening from After 6PM.

 

Those that after Dining can change to more casual dress but are encouraged to visit certain areas of the ship not to conflict those in More Formal Dress.

 

Formal Dress on formal evening sort of set a certain air of Formality with all enjoying the festivities.

[martincath]

4 hours ago, jamse said:

... It was 5.30/5.45 which feels too early to change, but we got a very dirty look up and down (3 or 4 times!) from a man already dressed to the nines.

To be blunt - screw that guy! Even if you had been on Cunard, unless you were in the dining room there's no excuse for that sort of d-baggery. Even on lines with an actual formal night there are alternate dining options without a remotely-fancy dress code required at all, so unless you choose to gussy yourselves up for dinner you could easily have been on your way to the buffet - and on Princess? Dearie me, that guy sounds like he's made a very poor choice of cruiseline if he expects to see anything fancier than sportcoats on most of his fellow dining room pax!

[mrgabriel]

Just ignore him. Sounds like he's an old curmudgeon.

 

We normally dine later - maybe 7:30 or 8:00, and I have never felt out of place walking around the ship in my shorts or jeans after 6. 

 

 

[ldubs]

". . . or was this person just that much up himself?"

 

Yup.  

[Rothko1]

Traditionally, black tie was worn for events after sundown.  The idea being that evening wear was specifically for the evening.  Wearing a tuxedo in broad daylight was considered inappropriate.

 

Of course, given the fact that the sun sets at different times in different latitudes, the concept of black tie being appropriate for 6:00 pm or later was developed.

 

So if you were walking the deck at 5:30 / 5:45 pm, not only were you not violating the black tie traditions, but it turns out that Old Grump was, and you should have sneered back at him.

[Ferry_Watcher]

We were in a bar on HAL just finishing up  a cocktail just after 5:15 PM in our normal clothes on a Formal night, when we noticed that other passengers walking in in their formalwear.  We felt so underdressed, that we finished up our drink, headed back to our stateroom and changed.

 

On the flipside, we were on a Celebrity cruise, it was Chic night, but just before the dinner service started there was a Meet the Captain/Officers event (invitation - not ship-wide).  Passengers began lining up just before the venue opened.  Nearly everyone was already dressed for Chic night, and of those passengers who arrived and not already formally dressed, most decided to not stay (presumably to return after changing), but those who basically said, 'the heck with this dressing up for the Captain', and stayed in their @sea day casual dress, and greet the Captain, really stood out, and not in a good way.

[Rothko1]

 

[broadwaybaby123]

I've never seen a cruise line demand that you ask to be changed for dinner by a certain time.  That said, we usually start to change about an hour before dinner because there's 4 of us in the cabin, so it takes us longer to get ready.

[Sekhmet]

6 hours ago, broadwaybaby123 said:

I've never seen a cruise line demand that you ask to be changed for dinner by a certain time.  

With the not unexpected exception of Cunard - the following request is from their FAQs (my bolding).

 

"Every night on board, after 6pm, we ask that you wear smart attire or Gala Evening attire in most of our bars, restaurants and entertainment venues.

 

Of course, if you prefer to spend your evenings in more relaxed attire, a selection of casual dining and entertainment venues is always available for your enjoyment. Feel free to dress casually as you visit any of the following venues: Kings Court, Lido Buffet (Including Al Fresco), Golden Lion, Casino, Carinthia Lounge, Winter Garden, Garden Lounge, Yacht Club, and G32. Non-ripped, jeans are appropriate, but after 6pm please refrain from wearing shorts, sports attire, swimwear or sleeveless t-shirts outside of the gym, spa and deck spaces"