Just how formal is formal night?

[irishgirl]

Thanks to everyone who said they like my "little silver dress". It was actually a surprise (along with the cruise) from my wonderful fiancee! I think its perfect for a cruise & formal nite. I'm not a person who looks really good in long, flowing ball gowns but I DO want to be formal. I think cocktail dresses are appropriate. I'm getting ready to go one my first cruise though, so I could be wrong!

 

That dress will be just fine for formal night. You will see all kinds of dress in the dining room on formal night. Anything from long gowns to nice slacks and tops. Some tuxes, some suits, some just dress slacks and a white shirt.

 

Everybody is having pictures taken all over the ship, so get dressed early and go get in line for pictures. There will be all kinds of backgrounds so check them all out. Have your picture taken at all of the stations and choose which one you want to buy. That's the fun part.

[PFV]

Hey Judy, its Paul from Connecticut! Chuck and I have decided to bring black suits for the Miracle cruise next week. For Chuck's 50th in 2009, we are thinking of doing a QM2 caribbean cruise from New York in March. I have been reading the posts in the Cunard forum and I would not step foot on their ships without a tux!:D

 

Oh I guess you can see I'm getting alot of work done here?????:eek:

[LolaBunny]

I'm getting the sad but distinct feeling many cruisers haven't dressed formal since high school prom.

 

Are dressing manners so diluted nowadays that we celebrate our ignorance of dressing versus our knowledge of it?

 

Your point is well stated but needs to be elaborated as to why this is the case: formal on a boat does not seem to approximate what is expected on land because the cruise lines allowed it to be.

 

 

Hmm, the why, that is a great question. My only guess would be that the cruise lines, like many others have laxed in their standards in order to please the masses coming on board. I would immagine they figure that if they made the policy extremely strict then they might loose business to other cruise lines who don't have as strict of dressing policies. Which I would agree is a shame.

 

I really do like to get dressed up to go to dinner and wouldn't dream of wearing jeans and a tshirt to any nice restaurant, wedding or any other venue that isn't my local tavern, but I don't think I am the norm. I will also say that I will almost certainly wear a dress to dinner everynite saving my nicest one for formal night because, again, that is just me.

 

From reading this site, there seem to be a lot of folks who simply don't like dressing up and will push the envelope of what is expected on board simply because the cruise line allows them to for perhaps the reason I listed above. :idunno:

[dec2007w3boys]

The first time I saw jeans at a wedding about 10 years ago, I about fell over. That is one time I really look forward to shopping for a new outfit. Luckily, just because a few did it - not that many follow. At least in our area. Now on the ship, I will be wearing a cocktail dress and my husband a jacket and tie. At leaset at he walks in anyway. ;)

[kiraryker]

This is my first cruise, but I don't get a chance to dress up very much being a nurse! I'm bringing nicer clothes and plan on dressing up every night for dinner & to do late nite "things". Now I'm not talking formal every nite. I have a silver sequined cocktail dress for formal nite. But I would MUCH rather be over dressed than under dressed. I don't find it a pain - I find it is nice to look nice!

 

Here's a link to the dress I am wearing for formal nite!

 

 

No its not me in the pic!

 

WOW that looks fabulous!!!!! Where did you find it???

 

I hope you post pics after your cruise

[neatokimmo]

I also do simple cocktail dresses. This is black chiffon over a light blue liner and it hits a little below the knees (I am tall).

 

 

This time I've decided to wear a dress every night. On my Legend cruise last May there was a group of people that wore cocktail dresses and suits to every dinner and they looked nice all the time. I am going to try that this time, I have 4 cocktail dresses and 3 normal ones. I think it will be fun :)

[tnrnchick74]

WOW that looks fabulous!!!!! Where did you find it???

 

I hope you post pics after your cruise

 

We are back from our cruise!!! The dress is from Cache. It was wonderful for the formal nite. We had some great pics taken on ALL the nites onboard. I'm sure my fiancee (Mr. Cameraman) will post pics when he gets home/settled