12 yr ol boy on formal night/princess

[lizi116]

We are going on the Caribbean Princess soon, and I was planning on my 12 year old DS wearing a white shirt, tie, and khaki pants (no jacket) on formal night. Is this OK? I wasn't worried about it until a read some posts on the Princess boards and some grouchy sounding people said that children should be held to the same standard as adults. Just wondering what some family's experiences have been. He will be dressed neatly and has good manners, just don't feel like spending $$ on a jacket that will be worn maybe 2 times.

[abitaturbodog]

You son will be perfectly fine with a shirt and tie. Heck, he'll probably be dressed better than some of the adults!

 

Don't bother with purchasing a jacket--it's not necessary.

 

But if you're still not sure you can always buy it, but keep the tags on until you're onboard and have seen what other children are wearing.

 

Hope you have a blast on your cruise!

[DukeFamily]

Or you could pick up a jacket super cheap at a thrift store - GREAT places to get "dress up" clothes for kids, since most people had some reason they HAD to buy them, then used them once and were outgrown!

[nu2cruises]

We got a jacket at a thrift store in great condition for my DS 9 when we went on Princess in late June. We paid $6 for it and then had it cleaned. On our previous cruise he just wore a button up shirt. He LOVED his jacket because he got to look like his dad and asked to wear it every night. (He is a very casual kind of kid, but wanted to dress up like everyone else). You will be ok without one, but if you can find one without too much hassle for a great price, he might really enjoy wearing it! Have a wonderful cruise!:)

[Keith1010]

We have always had our children wear the same attire as that called for by the cruise line.

 

So, if formal nights call for a suit or tuxedo in the dining room then at a minimum I would think your son should wear a sports jacket.

 

Now in our case, we had our son at that age either wear a tuxedo or a suit but we would never had thought of him wearing just a shirt. Our last cruise with Princess was in 2000 so maybe times have changed but we always thought that it was appropriate to follow the dress code and also wanted our children to experience getting dressed up, etc.

 

Keith

[Warm Breezes]

My son wore just a shirt and tie on our last two cruises and was just fine. I have a hard time buying him jackets because boys jackets fit him in the shoulders but never in the sleeves and mens can fit him in the sleeves but never in the shoulders. My mother tailered a boys jacket for his uncles wedding last month and she barely made the sleeves long enough with the material she had to work with. He has now out grown it in a months time. Too much money and too much hastle for me to worry about getting him one for a cruise.