The lonely formal night on the Star....

[BLONDIE35]

I know that on NCL there is one formal night and possibly another time that dress atire is needed. Will my hubby look okay in a sports jacket (light color) and tie?? If we decide to dress up I don't want to look too out place. Is there any other time that dressier attire will be needed?

we dont want to pack lots of clothes including a suit but we may want to dress up one night. :eek: thanks!

[johnql]

I know that on NCL there is one formal night and possibly another time that dress atire is needed. Will my hubby look okay in a sports jacket (light color) and tie?? If we decide to dress up I don't want to look too out place. Is there any other time that dressier attire will be needed?

we dont want to pack lots of clothes including a suit but we may want to dress up one night. :eek: thanks!

Your husband will look perfectly fine in a sports jacket and tie. But he wouldn't look out of place either with or without the coat and tie. There will be plenty of men wearing just Dockers and a polo shirt, even on the optional formal night (or whatever they're calling it nowadays).

[Toyz711]

my DH did formal night with black slacks and a pull-over shirt. it's nice to dress up if you are going to do the portaits, but otherwise, clean, casual is fine. very few ties, even with the few that wore suits. say more women dressed up then men.

we leave the ties, suit jackets, dress pants, hose, high heels at home.

if our next possible cruise is not on NCL i don't know what DH will pack..doesn't own a suit?

[POOHISME2]

I know that on NCL there is one formal night and possibly another time that dress atire is needed. Will my hubby look okay in a sports jacket (light color) and tie?? If we decide to dress up I don't want to look too out place. Is there any other time that dressier attire will be needed?

we dont want to pack lots of clothes including a suit but we may want to dress up one night. :eek: thanks!

Freestyle does not require any dress up clothes. My DH has not packed a suit on any NCL cruise we have taken. Black dress pants and Polo are just fine. He wears a suit to work, so he doesn't want to wear one on vacation.

[flowerchild]

On formal night, we plan to dress in the equivalent of "church clothes". Otherwise, it's resort casual all the way. I don't want to spend a minute of my vacation in uncomfortable high heels and stiff, uncomfortable clothes. That's not a vacation to me. Living in NYC, we both dress for work and spend our offtime as comfy as can be. Have you ever tried to run up a subway platform in heels on an icy day? Not fun.

 

I Love NCL and freestyle dining, it is perfect for more casual people wh live in jeans, like us.

 

I keep reading from recent cruisers how more casual than usual the Alaska cruises are. Sounds good to me.

[KeystoneCruiser]

With Freestyle, all formal nights are optional in all dining rooms. No need to dress up in any more than a polo shirt and kahki pants. It runs about half and half between those dressed up and those not.

 

That is the joy of Freestyle, the option to dress as you like!!

[Surfgirl]

Yes, it's true that technically, you do not "have" to dress up for "dress up" night. However.. the vast majority of men wear suits and the vast majority of women wear cocktail dresses, dressy pants or skirts, and dressy tops. We also so a few men wearing tuxes and a few women wearing gowns.

 

So, to answer your question.. no, you would not feel out of place dressing up as most people do. And, no.. there really isn't any other time that you would need to dress up-- unless you like to dress up for the nightclub as many people do.

[johnql]

Yes, it's true that technically, you do not "have" to dress up for "dress up" night. However.. the vast majority of men wear suits and the vast majority of women wear cocktail dresses, dressy pants or skirts, and dressy tops. We also so a few men wearing tuxes and a few women wearing gowns.

 

So, to answer your question.. no, you would not feel out of place dressing up as most people do. And, no.. there really isn't any other time that you would need to dress up-- unless you like to dress up for the nightclub as many people do.

This certainly wasn't the case on any of my 6 Freestyle cruises. While there were certainly some passengers dressed up, it was definitely not a "vast majority". I would estimate that 30-40% of the pax dressed up, less on my cruise to Alaska.

 

That said, the OP should dress however she likes, as long as it meets the minimum standard of resort casual.

[Workmom2]

We just retuned from the Star (you will have a great time. If you feel like dressing up- great- if not-great!

I saw many people in full length ball gowns... and some in jean.

I myself wore a balck dress and hubby pressed shirt- we were very comfortable.

[Surfgirl]

This certainly wasn't the case on any of my 6 Freestyle cruises. While there were certainly some passengers dressed up, it was definitely not a "vast majority". I would estimate that 30-40% of the pax dressed up, less on my cruise to Alaska.

 

That said, the OP should dress however she likes, as long as it meets the minimum standard of resort casual.

 

I think the OP said she wanted to dress up but didn't want to feel out of place.

 

I've been on three NCL freestyle cruises and found that on the Spirit and the Crown-- people were dressed to the nines on formal night. The Dawn, however, seemed to be less so... I don't know why.

 

I just think its unfair for "the jeans set" on this forum to mislead new NCL cruisers into thinking that formal night means putting on a fresh t-shirt.

[johnql]

I don't believe she will feel out of place either way - resort casual OR dressed up. There will be plenty of people similarly dressed either way.

[hotspur]

Yes, it's true that technically, you do not "have" to dress up for "dress up" night. However.. the vast majority of men wear suits and the vast majority of women wear cocktail dresses, dressy pants or skirts, and dressy tops.

This is nonsense. Suits were few and far between on our 2005 Alaska cruise. If there were two tuxes I'd be surprised. On our Majesty Bermuda cruises, maybe 5-10% of men were in suits or tuxes. On our Jewel trans-Atlantic (usually the dressiest of cruises) this past fall, maybe 20-25% of men were in suits and tuxes.

 

Apparently Surfgirl is one of those who insist on browbeating others to dress up when it is utterly unnecessary.

[Holg]

This is the main reason I prefer NCL over the other "big" cruise lines.

 

I shouldn't have to pack (and carry and check) an additional bag just for dinner attire. That's crazy.

 

If people are bothered by other passengers not wearing suits/jackets/etc. then maybe they need to pick a differnt cruise line.

[Surfgirl]

This is nonsense. Suits were few and far between on our 2005 Alaska cruise. If there were two tuxes I'd be surprised. On our Majesty Bermuda cruises, maybe 5-10% of men were in suits or tuxes. On our Jewel trans-Atlantic (usually the dressiest of cruises) this past fall, maybe 20-25% of men were in suits and tuxes.

 

Apparently Surfgirl is one of those who insist on browbeating others to dress up when it is utterly unnecessary.

 

 

OK, you're right.... I've been making it all up. :D Here's the truth about my Spirit cruise a few weeks ago. The men wore boxers and yellowed wife beater t-shirts with arm pit stains. The women had on kitty cat and puppy feetie PJs.

 

On Formal night, the women really were dressed to the nines! They were all dooded up in gorgeous plaid flannel nightgowns. A few even had on a clean one without coffee stains. Most women did their hair up in beautiful pink foam curlers with matching hair nets. The footwear was to die for! I saw some gorgeous bunny slippers.

 

There were a few hold outs on formal night who insisted on wearing their boxers and feetie pajamas, but, they weren't turned away, because.. afterall... you're free to wear "what ever!" :D

[Warmer Climes]

Surfgirl,

 

You are funny! A good laugh this morning even though it's 35 degrees, raining/snowing, and my basement is flooded.

 

Anyway, when we went on the Dream in February most people in the dining rooms were dressed up on the optional formal night. A few tuxes and gowns, mostly dress pants and shirts and ties for the guys and cocktail dresses for the ladies. No one within the dress code will get turned away. Personally, we like to dress up and I wore a cocktail dress and DH wore a dark suit. We dress for dinner every night the same way we would at home going out to a nice restaurant. Other people feel and dress differently and I am dressing the way I like and say live and let live about the other people. So in reply to the OP, your DH will feel perfectly comfortable in what you described for the optional formal night.

 

Have a great cruise!

Barb

[POOHISME2]

This certainly wasn't the case on any of my 6 Freestyle cruises. While there were certainly some passengers dressed up, it was definitely not a "vast majority". I would estimate that 30-40% of the pax dressed up, less on my cruise to Alaska.

 

That said, the OP should dress however she likes, as long as it meets the minimum standard of resort casual.

I agree and I have noticed, the more cruises I take on NCL, the less dressier clothes I am seeing overall. The longer cruises 10-12 days I see a lot more "Formal" clothes than on the 7 day cruises.

[scrinchy]

Surfgirl, I agree with you. Although there were fewer people dressed to the nines than on other cruise lines, most men wore suits and the women were wearing from pantsuits to gowns. In fact I was surprised at how many were dressed after reading the boards and being told that we may be overdressed. You will feel comfortable no matter what you wear. Be yourself and be happy:)

[songanddance]

Surfgirl,

 

You are funny! A good laugh this morning even though it's 35 degrees, raining/snowing, and my basement is flooded.

!

Barb

 

Surfgirl is not far off the real attire on NCL these days even though her post was in jest. Won't be long before everyone's wish for work around the house attire comes true. Keep pushing for it guys.

[flowerchild]

Wow.

 

As long as basic minimums are set (no shorts/tshirts/flip flops) why would anyone care what others are or are not wearing?

 

Reminds me of this office I worked at once where the women would eye each other up and down and gossip about what other people were wearing like old hens. I resigned and took a position in a happier, healthier workplace and am much better for it.

 

Maybe Freestyle dining is not for you and you would enjoy a more upscale cruiseline, where people wear gowns and tuxes, like HAL and others.

 

Who cares what others are wearing? If you want to dress up or down, most importantly, be comfortable and enjoy your cruise experience. With the airlines cutting back on weight allowances for luggage, and all the extra stuff I need to bring on my Alaska cruise, I don't want additional dressy clothes/shoes that I am forced to wear to dine in the restaurants as opposed to the buffets.

[Zeno]

OPTIONAL formal night on an NCL ship (in my experience at least) you will see women dressed in anything from a formal gown or semi-formal dress or a pant suit to pants and a nOnice top or a sundress or a skirt and top. (I have never seen a anyone in jeans or athletic wear on optional formal nights.) You will see men dressed in anything from a good dark suit (I have not seen anyone in a tux yet but I expect that some do wear them) or a more casual suit to docker style pants and a collared shirt. MOST people (about 70% in my experience) will be in the more casual look (resort casual) but you will not feel out of place if you choose to "dress up". When we cruise we usually do the resort casual thing every night including optional formal night. (A nice sun dress is about as dressed up as I get and my husband wears dockers-style pants and a nice collared shirt. Our friend who sometimes cruises with us likes to dress up a little more - she will wear a summery pant suit or a skirt and nice top or a really nice sundress with a nice shawl.

[dwrist]

I know that on NCL there is one formal night and possibly another time that dress atire is needed. Will my hubby look okay in a sports jacket (light color) and tie?? If we decide to dress up I don't want to look too out place. Is there any other time that dressier attire will be needed?

we dont want to pack lots of clothes including a suit but we may want to dress up one night. :eek: thanks!

 

Blondie35--My DH says a nice pair of pants and a collar shirt (he prefers Hawaiian/Carribean) is all he wants for formal. Your DH will be fine. Both of you will not be out of place and as our conceirge said last Aug, you will never see these people again, what do you care what they think!:)

 

Dress nice and enjoy your cruise with NCL and their freestyle of cruising which is more than a dress code relaxation. Do not let the other people on CC that have a glich with NCL and freestyle cruising ruin your vacation and cruise.

[mmdpg]

Quick question:

 

I have seen a couple of places that flip flops are not allowed in the dining room. I am going to Bermuda in July on the Majesty with my two teen age daughters who basically wear flip flops unless there is snow on the ground. Are they required to were some type of shoe or sandal? Are "dressier" flip flops OK?

[Leafpeeper]

This is exactly why we prefer freestyle cruising. DH packed a suit and never felt like wearing it. Lots of women wore gowns, but lots didn't. We really enjoyed making the choice ourselves.

 

When we do wear formal attire, we prefer to dine in the specialty restaurants like LeBistro or Cagney's. Although our favorite restaurant on Star was Teppanyaki. It was definetely one of our favorite cruises. The food was fantastic. We tried to eat in a different venue each night. We did dine twice in the Vesailles DR.

[johnql]

Quick question:

 

I have seen a couple of places that flip flops are not allowed in the dining room. I am going to Bermuda in July on the Majesty with my two teen age daughters who basically wear flip flops unless there is snow on the ground. Are they required to were some type of shoe or sandal? Are "dressier" flip flops OK?

AFAIK, there is NO policy on footwear at all other than "no bare feet". While some will tell you that flip flops are not appropriate, I seriously doubt if your daughters will be refused entrance to the dining rooms, nor will they be the only ones wearing flip flops.

[Surfgirl]

AFAIK, there is NO policy on footwear at all other than "no bare feet". While some will tell you that flip flops are not appropriate, I seriously doubt if your daughters will be refused entrance to the dining rooms, nor will they be the only ones wearing flip flops.

 

That's why I always wear these on formal nights!