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Formal night- How formal?

PinkRose388

By PinkRose388,
in Celebrity Cruises

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momofmeg

momofmeg

Posted
Posted

I was on the Zenith last Feb. for a 5 night cruise. (Last winter Zenith was doing the cruises Century is now doing) I saw both formal and semi formal. A short cocktail length dress will not be out of place-but I wouldn't wear a pair of black slacks and sparkly top on formal night the way many women do on some of the other lines. Now that would do for informal night-but you need either a formal gown or a semi formal cocktail dress for formal night on celebrity.

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Rev22:17

Rev22:17

Posted
Posted

PinkRose388,

 

Hi All,

Quick question. I am cruising a 5-night cruise on Century and i was wondering if most women wore short or long dresses for formal night? I am ready to start shopping!!! Thanks!

 

Celebrity's passengers tend to be a fairly dressy crowd. It's not uncommon to see ladies turn out for "informal" evenings -- and even for "casual" evenings -- in cocktail dresses and "bling" that would be quite appropriate on the "formal" evenings.

 

IOW, don't worry about overdressing. On Celebrity, you can't.

 

That said, it's also quite possible that Celebrity's first foray into shorter cruises (4 or 5 nights) will draw a somewhat different crowd....

 

Norm.

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lblk

lblk

Posted
Posted

I have to disagree with momomeg's comment "I wouldn't wear a pair of black slacks and sparkly top on formal night the way many women do on some of the other lines". We have been on 11 Celebrity cruises and many many women (including me!) wear silky, full very formal looking black slacks with a glittery top. It is hard to tell at first glance if it is a skirt of slacks. If you're talking about tailored dress slacks, then I agree they are not for formal night, but if the material and flow is correct, they look very sharp on formal night, and you will seem lots of ladies wearing them.

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Dandylyon

Dandylyon

Posted
Posted
I have to disagree with momomeg's comment "I wouldn't wear a pair of black slacks and sparkly top on formal night the way many women do on some of the other lines". We have been on 11 Celebrity cruises and many many women (including me!) wear silky, full very formal looking black slacks with a glittery top. It is hard to tell at first glance if it is a skirt of slacks. If you're talking about tailored dress slacks, then I agree they are not for formal night, but if the material and flow is correct, they look very sharp on formal night, and you will seem lots of ladies wearing them.

 

Thank you, lblk, for saying this. I don't own any formal dresses and don't intend to start now. I just think they are tremendously unflattering on me (or is that just "tremendous?") I prefer wearing dressy slacks and top, which I plan on doing for our upcoming Summit cruise. Hopefully, I won't get thrown overboard.

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Kathie44

Kathie44

Posted
Posted

On my first cruise formal night I wore a pair of dressy black slacks and sparkly top (approved by my cruise-savvy friend) and fit right in. Other women wore similar outfits. Two years ago (after a weight loss), my granddaughter helped me pick out a new formal outfit--a 3 pc. pantsuit with black silky pants, silvery tank-style top and sparkly jacket. I wear these only on winter cruises.

I have a long black tank dress that came with a dressy top. I now have a collection of long and short-sleeved tops to go with it. The dress is comfortable and flattering and I wear it in any season. I've worn it to weddings and other dressy affairs (Xmas parties, reunion dinner/dances). Last cruise I wore an ankle-length flowered dress that was very summery. I also have a poncho dress. It consists of a sheer black poncho with a flower design using tiny, sparkly beads to highlight the flower details worn over a sleeveless ankle-length black sheath with narrow ruffles at the hem. It's very comfortable, flattering and was one of my greatest career bargains--originally $119 for $17.

I have worn other dresses, including my last mother-of-the-groom dress, but lost weight two years ago and the "old" clothes don't fit, except for the tank dress, whose looseness is camouflaged by the tops.

I see a wide range of "formal wear" so don't worry about fitting in.

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Rev22:17

Rev22:17

Posted
Posted

Dandylyon,

 

Thank you, lblk, for saying this. I don't own any formal dresses and don't intend to start now. I just think they are tremendously unflattering on me (or is that just "tremendous?") I prefer wearing dressy slacks and top, which I plan on doing for our upcoming Summit cruise. Hopefully, I won't get thrown overboard.

 

Hmmm....

 

Well, no, you probably won't get thrown overboard, but you might get turned away from the dining room or the theater if you don't conform to the letter of Celebrity's dress standards. Celebrity is striving to enforce dress codes consistently on a fleet-wide basis due to a consistent drumbeat of passenger complaints about failure to do so, though implementation of the enforcement apparently is not going as consistently as the line would like. Thus, I would not recommend deviating from the published standards of dress on Celebrity.

 

Norm.

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Dandylyon

Dandylyon

Posted
Posted
Dandylyon,

 

 

 

Hmmm....

 

Well, no, you probably won't get thrown overboard, but you might get turned away from the dining room or the theater if you don't conform to the letter of Celebrity's dress standards. Celebrity is striving to enforce dress codes consistently on a fleet-wide basis due to a consistent drumbeat of passenger complaints about failure to do so, though implementation of the enforcement apparently is not going as consistently as the line would like. Thus, I would not recommend deviating from the published standards of dress on Celebrity.

 

Norm.

Hopefully, Norm, you won't be on my cruise with me to raise the alarm bells about my deviation from the published standards of dress. If such an alarm is raised, I shall have to remind the powers that be that in the 21st century women are not required to wear dresses even in the most formal environments. If Ellen deGeneris (and many others) can wear pants to the Academy Awards, then I can wear dressy pants on Summit.

 

It seems to me that the rules of etiquette would prohibit you from looking down your nose at me. After all, the point of manners is to make people feel comfortable, not uncomfortable. Remember, you do not know the reasons people have for dressing the way they do. Perhaps someone has a terrible scar or deformity or other handicap which they wish to conceal. It is certainly not up to you to embarrass that person. Nor need they explain themselves or wear a sign explaining their lapse in dress (so to speak).

 

I never said that my clothing was inappropriate, just not a dress.

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kitty9

kitty9

Posted
Posted

Believe me, you're not going to get thrown out of anywhere on a Celebrity cruise. I began to wonder on our cruise last week on Constellation, why does Celebrity even have a dress code? There were women who were wearing capri slacks and blouses on formal night. The table next to ours had a group that wore shorts and t-shirts on informal nights. I saw a woman who was wearing khaki shorts and a tank top on our last informal evening. No one made any comments. I'm beginning to think, "why bother or worry about clothes" when X makes absolutely no attempt to enforce the dress code.

 

momofmeg, I totally disagree with you on the pants on formal nights. The most exclusive designers make ensembles that are very formal which include slacks. I've cruised on all the luxury lines and many of the women wear very dressy pants with beautiful tops for formal nights. Plus, there's the issue of being able to wear nothing but slacks. I'm disabled and I can only wear the fancy slacks with my beaded jackets, and that's how I intend to keep it.

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greatam

greatam

Posted
Posted
Believe me, you're not going to get thrown out of anywhere on a Celebrity cruise. I began to wonder on our cruise last week on Constellation, why does Celebrity even have a dress code? There were women who were wearing capri slacks and blouses on formal night. The table next to ours had a group that wore shorts and t-shirts on informal nights. I saw a woman who was wearing khaki shorts and a tank top on our last informal evening. No one made any comments. I'm beginning to think, "why bother or worry about clothes" when X makes absolutely no attempt to enforce the dress code.

 

momofmeg, I totally disagree with you on the pants on formal nights. The most exclusive designers make ensembles that are very formal which include slacks. I've cruised on all the luxury lines and many of the women wear very dressy pants with beautiful tops for formal nights. Plus, there's the issue of being able to wear nothing but slacks. I'm disabled and I can only wear the fancy slacks with my beaded jackets, and that's how I intend to keep it.

 

I just returned two weeks ago from the 14 night Infinity repo cruise. I was very pleasantly surprised. Saw absolutely NO jeans in the dining room and only a couple of pax not following the dress code (you will always find a couple of eccentrics-one lady had on these poofy shorts with a floor length duster-probably some VERY expensive designer, but they looked ridiculous on formal night and on her). All in all, formal night was pretty darn formal, with about 60% of the men in tuxes and about 85% of the women in long formal gowns. One lady had the most fantastic hats-every night a different one. And the formal hats made her look like Royalty. That must have been a luggage nightmare and I truly commend her.

 

I truly believe the dress codes gets followed more on the longer cruises, which equate to pricier cruises and generally an older demographic. Give me the QE2 or Seabourn any day. There is NO deviation from the dress code and that makes me very happy.

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Drew B

Drew B

Posted
Posted

My feeling is that if you truly think that you have dressed formally, chances are you have (and you will have done plenty to satisfy ME, at least). I like formal nights to look and be special, but I'm a little perplexed by the people for whom this seems to be their BIGGEST issue in cruising! I really don't understand the idea that how other people dress (even if they dress completely inappropriately) can make a difference as to whether you enjoy your cruise or not... Odd...

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mountainmare

mountainmare

Posted
Posted

On our 12 day Med cruise on the Millie many women wore the "little black dress" to formal nights, maybe because packing with weight restrictions was a bit daunting. I didn't think that on our cruise that formal nights were over the top formal, most women in short dresses or dressy pants--most men in dark suits.

On an informal night I did see someone get turned back from the diningroom, the man was wearing jeans and a tee shirt.

As long as dress nicely you will be ok.

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kitty9

kitty9

Posted
Posted

greatam, the cruise I was just on was an 11 day cruise and the average age was well over 60. What surprised me was that the ones violating the dress code were the senior citizens. And, the examples I gave were just a few of the many who didn't conform to the requested code

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greatam

greatam

Posted
Posted
greatam, the cruise I was just on was an 11 day cruise and the average age was well over 60. What surprised me was that the ones violating the dress code were the senior citizens. And, the examples I gave were just a few of the many who didn't conform to the requested code

 

Really sad!!!

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cstrick

cstrick

Posted
Posted

I have been following with interest the string about the dress code. I for one do not own formal wear and I put a lot of effort into persuading my husband to bring a dark suit. I will be wearing a suit with a fancy top. I don't think that we should be relegated to room service or the buffet because we choose not to buy formal wear. I certainly would not wear jeans or shorts to the main dining room but my proposed outfit should not offend anyone.

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  • 2 months later...
Rev22:17

Rev22:17

Posted
Posted

cstrick,

 

I have been following with interest the string about the dress code. I for one do not own formal wear and I put a lot of effort into persuading my husband to bring a dark suit. I will be wearing a suit with a fancy top. I don't think that we should be relegated to room service or the buffet because we choose not to buy formal wear. I certainly would not wear jeans or shorts to the main dining room but my proposed outfit should not offend anyone.

 

Unlike most other major cruise lines, Celebrity does not have a dinner buffet for passengers who don't want to dress for dinner in the main dining room. Rather, Celebrity offers "alternative casual dining" in the buffet dining area -- and there's a big difference. The "alternative casusl dining" features full table service with real table linens, but a menu that's different from the menu of the main dining room. There's a service charge of $2.00 per person, and reservations are strongly recommended.

 

But having said that, the options for "alternative casual entertainment" are very limited at best even with the expansion that's in the works in this area..

 

Norm.

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caviargal

caviargal

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Posted

Well, no, you probably won't get thrown overboard, but you might get turned away from the dining room or the theater if you don't conform to the letter of Celebrity's dress standards. Celebrity is striving to enforce dress codes consistently on a fleet-wide basis due to a consistent drumbeat of passenger complaints about failure to do so, though implementation of the enforcement apparently is not going as consistently as the line would like. Thus, I would not recommend deviating from the published standards of dress on Celebrity.

 

Norm.

 

I was on Century in November. On formal nights, the ladies in my party wore gowns, the men tuxes. About 30% of the rest of the women were in gowns, the majority in cocktail and the rest (about 10%) in jeans, shorts , sweats.

 

There was absolutely no enforcement of the dress code in the dining room on any night and ball caps, cargo shorts and sweat pants were always around.

 

I found it atrocious on the part of the passengers dressed like slobs, and even worse on the part of X to allow it.

 

I will continue to adhere to the dress code on cruises, but there is an ever growining percentage of the population that dismisses it entirely.

 

Dressy trousers with a beaded top or similar will be fine. You will comply and also be well dressed.

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