Formal Night gets LESS formal each time I sail...

[OliverTheCat]

Just returned from Legend yesterday, and had to comment that I was pretty disappointed in the lack of formal dress on the 2 formal nights on our ship. Polo shirts, tropical shirts, and SUNdresses are NOT formal, and never will be. I saw only a handful of women in formal dresses and the rest were definitely casual or semi formal. Navigator had less formal dress than Disney (the main ship I sail) and I forgave it as a fluke, but this cruise was just so casual they mine as well not have had a formal night. We didnt eat in Dining Room, but hung out in the public areas around dinner enough to see what was being worn that night. The second night was a bit better than first, but still not formal. A lot of hootchie mama dresses on the girls too, tsk tsk. The bottoms of those dresses laid right below the buttocks!!

 

Is this getting this way on all the RCI ships? If so, I am just gonna forget formalwear next cruise when we sail on Mariner, where we plan to do dining in Chops and Portofino on formal nights. It is silly to carry all this formal wear around if barely anyone participates.

 

Maybe others have noticed this declining formalwear trend also?

[5soonerfans]

We were on the Voyager last week and would have to say that most of the people were dressed up on both formal nights and of those that weren't dressed up weren't too casual. The other nights were when we saw more people not dressed "appropriately". I had to explain to the five boys with us why I had them wear pants on the non-formal nights when they saw a guy about twenty walk in with shorts on. They did enjoy dressing up on formal nights.

[mrgabriel]

We just came back from our first cruise today - on Mariner. I wore cocktail dresses, just because I don't have any need for formals and wasn't going to buy them for one night.

 

We ate in the dining room both formal nights. There were some women in full length gowns, and many men in tuxedos. I would say that the majority of women were in cocktail attire.

 

Personally, I think women can look terrific in a cocktail dress and nice shoes. What bothered me were the guys in muscle shirts (yes - on formal night), the women in flip flops, and the teenagers in shorts.

 

I tended to "dress" for dinner every night, just because it is fun to wear something different. But I don't know if I would go to the dining room if I was forced to wear a formal gown. Just my opinion.

[OliverTheCat]

Muscle Shirts...gasp!

 

That is really my point. Maybe that is why so many less dont like dressing formal and maybe they should do away with it on ships like Carnival and Royal. Celebrity and the more expensive ships probably have many that LOVE to dress up, and therefore its a non issue. We didnt wan to dress up either for dining room this cruise, but we also ate only in Windjammer the entire cruise because of it...so I COULD wear flip flops, jeans, and shorts if I wanted to. I knew it wouldnt be appropriate to wear jeans and stuff in dining room. And that is fine.

 

Cocktail dresses are fine of course...but not sundresses on formal nights.

[Cruz4Days]

I was on the November 26, 2005, sailing of the Navigator of the Seas and almost everyone was dressed in formal wear and everyone looked fabulous! I don't like to dress in formal wear when I'm on vacation so I'll usually bring a pair of black slacks, a fancy top and fabulous sandals, and we'll do alternative dining on formal nights.

[OliverTheCat]

I was on the November 26, 2005, sailing of the Navigator of the Seas and almost everyone was dressed in formal wear and everyone looked fabulous! I don't like to dress in formal wear when I'm on vacation so I'll usually bring a pair of black slacks, a fancy top and fabulous sandals, and we'll do alternative dining on formal nights.

 

Maybe I just had 2 "flukes" Could be!! I am glad to read more people saw lots of formal wear than less like I did. That is a good sign I will be in the "norm" on Mariner next year :)

[Kathy130]

On the Voyager last July 2005, there were two formal nights on the 9 night cruise. My group of 6 dressed for both. I wore a long gown the first night followed by a long palazzo pants/glitter top the 2nd night. All the men in our group wore suits/ties, not tuxes. Many were dressed the same, but did see the "muscle shirts " on some men as the previous post stated. Because the first formal night is the Captain's Welcome, I found that to be the more "formal" of the two. But walking through the promenade, while sipping the champagne they served on silver trays, and listening to live music certainly made you feel like dressing up for dinner. However, two is the limit I would want to do. Other nights we were dressed appropriately in nice capri pants/tops for women and regular slacks for the men.

[SuiteCruiser]

We just got back from the Monarch cruise and we found the formal dress was 25%, semi-formal 25% and casual 50%. At least for our late seating. There were people in the dining room on formal night wearing jeans. Also saw lots of polo shirts.

 

I don't understand why they have the rules if they don't enforce them. On a land based trip, if there are no shorts in the dining room, you are told to go put on pants. If people show up and are not following the dress code, they should be sent to eat in the Windjammer. Obviously there has to be some leeway as one might consider a sundress and cocktail dress, etc. But a polo shirt is NOT formal wear nor are jeans or shorts.

 

I have definitely seen a downward turn in the dress for formal nights over the years.

 

I do not let other people's attire ruin my vacation, I just don't understand why they have the rules and then let anyone in?

 

We overheard someone ask "when did formal wear for women turn into dressing like a sleaze?" There were some doozies out there, but at least they made the effort to dress up.

[cb at sea]

Don't forget that this time of year gets alot of "spring breakers" onboard, and most are just there to party. Lots of younger folks, too, that don't have, or want, or, in some cases, know what formal is! It's their vacation, too, so I guess it's just best to let them be! If you must be surrounded by formalwear, maybe Crystal Cruises is the spot for you! I like getting dressed up, but if others aren't--hey, that just makes me look even better!!!(LOL)

[PhinsAndGills]

We noticed on our Mariner trip over Thanksgiving that formal night were more like the smart casual of old. Only saw one completely inappropriate outfit. (Hot pants and a t-shirt that said "Tell Your Boyfriend I Said Thanks" on a teenage girl...) Other than that, the hoards of kids I saw on the ship were at least in nicely pressed slacks and long sleeved shirts. Didn't notice too many tuxes but shirts and ties. I wore cocktail attire as did many women. I did see one lady at the table next to me just absolutely dressed to the nines on formal night and she looked absolutely FABULOUS. She really out-classed everyone in the room. So, are they going to kick you out for not dressing formal? No. I do consider it respectful to follow the set "guidelines", as you would for a party you're invited to, but again, that's just me.

[rubrrick]

Muscle Shirts...gasp!

 

That is really my point. Maybe that is why so many less dont like dressing formal and maybe they should do away with it on ships like Carnival and Royal. Celebrity and the more expensive ships probably have many that LOVE to dress up, and therefore its a non issue. We didnt wan to dress up either for dining room this cruise, but we also ate only in Windjammer the entire cruise because of it...so I COULD wear flip flops, jeans, and shorts if I wanted to. I knew it wouldnt be appropriate to wear jeans and stuff in dining room. And that is fine.

 

Cocktail dresses are fine of course...but not sundresses on formal nights.

 

I'm afraid that dressing up in a Tux for a gentleman, and a gown for the lady is becoming a thing of the past.

 

We have posted before that some years ago, everyone that was invited to dine with the captain wore tux's. Not so today. At the last captians table , I was the only one in a tux. The cruise before, only two of us in tux's.

 

The days of dress up...............are pretty much gone, along with Pan Am and some other elegant modes of transportation. Take note...........at one time the Romans dressed elegantly..........then they turned to togas, then nothing at all...........and then they were gone. Will we repeat this??

 

Rick

[skypilotks]

Was on Nav ots last Apr. and would say that about 40% were in Tux on formal nights, Was on a Princess cruise last Oct. and I'd say alittle over 50%. Was on Grandeur a month ago and I'd say less then 10%!

And yes my 18y/o son and I were in tux's and will still keep wearing even if we are the only ones!!

[Andipanda1]

Was on Nav ots last Apr. and would say that about 40% were in Tux on formal nights, Was on a Princess cruise last Oct. and I'd say alittle over 50%. Was on Grandeur a month ago and I'd say less then 10%!

And yes my 18y/o son and I were in tux's and will still keep wearing even if we are the only ones!!

 

We were treated to a real formal night on our Empress cruise in January--I would say 90% were dressed formally, although there weren't many tuxes, lots of beautifully tailored suits on the men, and gorgeous cocktail dresses/gowns on the ladies. And folks stayed in their formalwear throughout the night.

 

It may have something to do with the fact that the majority of people on this sailing were from South America and Europe. All around, it was an awesome cruise, and I'd sail that Empress itinerary again.

[teajak]

I think cocktail dresses have alwasy been considered appropriate for formal nights.I also believe jackets and ties or dressy shirts are fine for the men. I do object to sport shirts or shorts. It would be different if there was no where else to eat but there is. Choose your dining area as you choose your attire.

[Schplinky]

I find that the second formal is always less formal than the first. Do any of the ships actually do "smart casual"? When we were on navigator, they had two formals and 5 casuals.

[Nitra]

I dress up every night on a cruise, I think jeans are not appropriate wear for women except when working in a garden or outdoors activity like hiking. I love to dress up personally. My question is why do we care how others dress?? I dont. I am there for me and really dont care what others do or how they dress. I am not like in general with how people dress, men wearing hats indoors now (do they now know this is considerably rude and tacky?) but then I hate men in baseball caps, go into any 5 star eating establishment and you will see a lot of jeans and casual wear, people just dont dress up anymore. Flip flops are for the pool and beach, yet people wear them everywhere. BUT at the same time if they have no pride in how they look, why do I care? If people want to be slobs, I dont care. I was raised differently. Heck I never even owned a pair of jeans until I was old enough to work and pay for them myself, and no longer lived at home. To this day I think I only have maybe 1 pair of blue jeans, that I wear maybe 1 time a year and 1 pair of tan jeans that I wear a little more. Personally I may not like the manner of dress but I am all I have to be concerned about and I dress every night because I enjoy it.

 

I love the tradition of the formal nights, I love the old policy that you HAD to dress for dinner or you were turned away at the door of the dining room, I love the old policy, no jeans in the dining room. It takes a bit more effort to put on something a little nicer I guess. Cant see the difference in time it would take between jeans and dress slacks for women, or jeans and khakis for men, but oh well, guess that is just me.

[caviargal]

One of the reasons I have abandoned RCI after RCI is the total deterioration of the dress standards. They are a joke.

 

This takes away a lot from my enjoyment of the cruise.

 

So, for the future, it looks like X, HAL and land based vacations.

[aring75]

I agree with cb at sea about the spring breakers. I was on Legend the week before you, and although I saw a fair few "dressed down," the majority of cruisers seemed to look quite nice on formal night. In fact, quite a few women were in floor-length gowns and many men were wearing tuxes. Unfortunately, the trend seemed to be to change clothes after dinner in many cases.

 

I'd say 30% FULL FORMAL, 50% SEMI-FORMAL, 15% SO-SO, 5% YUCK.

[crusinmama06]

I have a different experience going from RCCL to DCL. On Magic, we were dressed up way more than our DCL sailing friends. I was kind of shocked when we started to make our way to formal night when I saw many women wearing pants and a dress top while I was in an evening gown.

 

I guess since I haven't been on RCCL since '98, I'll get to see for myself on the FOS.

[OliverTheCat]

I have a different experience going from RCCL to DCL. On Magic, we were dressed up way more than our DCL sailing friends. I was kind of shocked when we started to make our way to formal night when I saw many women wearing pants and a dress top while I was in an evening gown.

 

I guess since I haven't been on RCCL since '98, I'll get to see for myself on the FOS.

 

See, that worries me. All of my past Disney Magic cruises have been VERY formal on BOTH formal nights, and I loved it. Everyone looked wonderful! I havent sailed Magic since 2004 though, and the fact you recently saw a decline in the formal dress on there saddens me that this ship, too, is getting more casual on formal nights. :( darn...

[wanda1101]

We just got back from the Monarch cruise and we found the formal dress was 25%, semi-formal 25% and casual 50%. At least for our late seating. There were people in the dining room on formal night wearing jeans. Also saw lots of polo shirts.

 

I don't understand why they have the rules if they don't enforce them. On a land based trip, if there are no shorts in the dining room, you are told to go put on pants.

 

I think part of the problem is RCI's description of formal. Following is a quote from their FAQ's - What is the dress code on board - Formal: Suits and ties or tuxedos for men, cocktail dresses for women

 

Cocktail dresses are semiformal, not formal.

 

I do think they somewhat try to enforce the code. In Windjammer, I saw them ask a woman to put a shirt on over her swimsuit top (had a sarong on the bottom).

 

But, everyone is right, people do not "dress" anymore. Americans are generally the worst offenders. I say this from living overseas and watching fellow Americans enter fine dining establishments.

[Travelgrrl]

I've been on over a dozen RCI cruises, dress up for dinner every night and fancy schmany gowns on formal night. In my experience, the vast majority of people IN THE DINING ROOM have dressed up for formal night on all cruises, including one last month. But as you wander around the ship at night, many will have abandoned their formal clothes and are now casual.

 

It doesn't bother me - just as it probably doesn't bother those already gussied up for early seating captain's cocktail party at 5:00 when they see me returning from the solarium looking like heck at the same time. Later, when I'm all decked out, they might be back in shorts themselves.

 

Also, the OP lost my support a little with the catty remark about "A lot of hootchie mama dresses on the girls too, tsk tsk. The bottoms of those dresses laid right below the buttocks!!" All of sudden I was in Mr. Blackwell world. Was your point that people are not dressing up enough for your taste, or also that you disapprove of the fashion choices for some of them that do? :rolleyes:

[syndyj]

Speaking from personal experience, I did dress up in formal wear for the first dinner, but for the second formal night I wore cocktail attire.The other nights the rules were somewhat hard to interpet, what is "smart casual"anyway ?:confused:

I remember wearing a summer dress, capris and poncho on casual/caribbean night, sequined cami top and black pants, black wrap dress and blackpants with a white linen shirt on our last night at dinner.

 

We ate in the dining room every night, and I never saw anyone in jeans, with the exception of the first night, most people were pretty well dressed. We sailed on the AOS out of San Juan Puerto Rico and in general the Puerto Ricans were always well dressed on the ship. :)

[OliverTheCat]

Also, the OP lost my support a little with the catty remark about "A lot of hootchie mama dresses on the girls too, tsk tsk. The bottoms of those dresses laid right below the buttocks!!" All of sudden I was in Mr. Blackwell world. Was your point that people are not dressing up enough for your taste, or also that you disapprove of the fashion choices for some of them that do? :rolleyes:

 

 

My point was that SOME OF the dresses were so short on girls that if she even leaned forward a tad, her buttocks or panties would be showing to all of the world to see. Its not very tasteful for formal attire, no, and I stand by that comment. Now, my other point was that I ALSO saw many people not dressed formal at all, in addition to the short short dresses that barely covered a rear end, literally. As I said before, polo shirts and khakis are not appropriate for formal night, and, again, I stand by my comment.

 

Sorry if I seemed catty... :rolleyes:

[Travelgrrl]

Hahahaha, I missed the connection between Oliver the Cat and "catty". Apropos, nonetheless!

 

BTW, my sister had a siamese cat named Oliver!