Is a formal dinner a must?

[loty]

Hi all.

I would like to know is a formal dinner a must do, when u are aboard a cruise ship? I'm taking my first cruise this summer (july), but the problem is, that I don't have room for dress or formal wear, since I'm planning to go to Alaska cruse and than drive to Vegas (cold, warm) and I'm from Europe (limited baggage and so on, and I'll also have to drag it around by myself since I won't have rental car around all the time).

So, is it possible to eat in other Cafes on the ship, and like never go to a dinner in a big dinning room or is that a must do thing? We are both under 30.

Thank you for all your advices!;)

[kitty9]

What cruise line are you on? That makes a huge difference. To be honest, one of the biggest parts of going on a cruise is the dining experience. Look at it this way, you've paid a lot of money to get the entire cruise experience, and if you don't go to the main dining room, you're not getting what you paid for. Yes, there are other places to dine, but the food is not nearly as good and you miss out on a very important part of cruising. While I understand the whole luggage issue, believe me it's not going to be all that cold in Alaska in July. You could have temps near 80 in July. Also, depending on the cruise line, you might not even have a formal night on your cruise. If you're on NCL or Carnival, there are no formal nights. You can wear a pair of slacks and a nice top and your husband can wear slacks and a shirt.

[loty]

Hey, we are on Holland America Line.

Well we are young and formal requires dress... and for him a tux or an jacket and a tie, but he's not that kind of a guy... (jacket sure, but no tie) ;) He's a photographer and they are a special species :D

So it's kind of hard decision... And our trip is more than 3 weeks long, so a lot of luggage... :) and his photo stuff and than u have more than u can handle :) Well, anyway, thank you for your advise. Will think about what can be done, maybe attend an informal dinner :)

[eh2zed]

Holland America is a bit more formal than most. On a 7 day Alaska you will have 2 formal and 5 Smart Casual dinners. Formal does mean some type of cocktail outfit for a women and at a minimum a jacket and tie for the man. Smart casual is pretty broad. A simple shirt or polo and khaki type pant for men is fine. HAL has other dining possibilties if you choose to skip formal nights. One of them is in cabin dining at no extra cost. You can order anything off the Dining Room menu when the DR is open. We enjoy formal nights but in your case you have to make your own decision.

[CowPrincess]

The Lido buffet is open in the evenings for dinner. You can dress casually there, even on formal nights.

 

I would definitely go to the dining room on "smart casual" evenings. The Alaska itinerary is a bit less "dressy" than others, you'll see lots of men in Docker-style pants with nice tops. Women in pants and tops. You will see dressier stuff, too, but not a lot of people got "gussied up" on smart casual nights in Alaska.

[trish1c]

For us it is. One of the resaons we cruise is b/c we love to dress up. Vegas can also be a dressy town so I don't see the packing problem. Some of your casual outfits can do double duty & in Alaska you need to dress in layers so the t-shirt you wear for warmth by itself becomes a casual top in Vegas. Many comapnies make more packable friendly formal wear. There has to be a place you can squeeze in an LBD.

[LuckyStar]

No, it is not a must. But it is FUN! It's like grown up prom...Seeing some of the clothes was great. You can find some really nice dresses that can be rolled up for packing.

 

www dot travelsmith dot com is a great site for travel ready clothing. I found a really cute cocktail dress that rolled up for packing. I unrolled it and it look fantastic.

 

Otherwise the buffet is open.

 

Jenny

[krystalkruzer]

No.There are many who enjoy the cruise without it and not missing out on the cruise experience.

[kitty9]

Holland America is a line that's known to be more formal than other lines as the average age of the passengers is higher than on other lines and the older passengers do dress up more. If you can fit a little black dress in your bag, you can dress that up for formal nights with jewelry and fancy shoes--and yes, you can wear that dress on more than one night--no one will care. And, that dress can go with you to Las Vegas when you go out for a fancy dinner or to one of the evening shows. A nice pair of slacks, sport coat and tie doesn't take up much space in a suitcase for the gentleman and he can also wear that in Las Vegas. A person's job really doesn't matter. I've cruised with farmers, cowboys, steel workers and lawyers and they all were able to handle the dining room. OK, if he won't wear a tie, then just have him wear the sport jacket.

 

But don't miss out on what's one of the biggest parts of a cruise and I'm repeating myself, but something you paid a lot of money for. You're not going to get the great food in the buffet that you get in the main dining room. It's a shame to miss this just because of a tie or jacket. And, formal, nowadays, doesn't mean a long gown. Like others have said, if you have a simple dress, you can dress that up with a lot of accessories to make it look really nice.

[WOWJr1]

Hey, we are on Holland America Line.

 

I agree with the other comments that HAL is one of the more serious adherents to formal nights. And, since this is your first cruise, you might want to experience at least one of the two formal nights you will have, if for no other reason than it will be a new experience.

 

That said ... Having done many of them, we are now "over" formal nights. On our last HAL cruise we packed no formal clothing. We ate in the main dining room on the 5 smart casual nights. On formal nights we also dressed smart casual and ate in the Lido. We were VERY impressed. In some ways, we preferred it to the main dining rooms.

 

First, most of the same entrees are available in the Lido AND you can actually see them before ordering PLUS they are cooked to order rather than being part of the banquet-style service in the main dining rooms. Some of the "special" formal night entrees (e.g., lobster) will not be available in the Lido, but we didn't care as the food that was available was excellent.

 

Second, the Lido atmosphere at dinner - unlike breakfast and lunch - is quiet and intimate, MUCH more so than the main dining room. Our second formal night was on Valentine's Day. We had a lovely, romantic dinner with cloth-covered tables, candles, excellent service, and no annoying photographers interrupting us.

 

Third, if the time to finish dinner is an issue (e.g., want to see a show or just go elsewhere), YOU control the pacing in the Lido while the wait staff controls it in the main dining rooms. MDR duration on formal nights are usually 1-1/2 to 2 hours while the Lido is whatever you want - about an hour in our case.

 

The Lido is not your only choice. You can order any MDR selections during the first 1/2 hour of dinner service and have them delivered to your cabin via room service any time you specify. This is not a good choice if your cabin is small / cramped but could be a good choice if it's larger, especially if you have a balcony and it's warm.

 

So, you have LOTS of choices. Whatever you decide, have a wonderful cruise! We truly enjoyed our last HAL cruise.

[cb at sea]

Men can rent formalwear onboard, so you don't have to carry it. For women, there are so many evening dresses that are NOT ballgowns...jerseys with sequins or beading...that don't wrinkle or even weigh much....

 

But, there are quite a number of folks who never set foot in the dining room...why, I don't know!!! Seems a waste to me! You don't have to do the formal evening if you don't want to.

[julieanne]

I always have a black skirt (tea length) and a wrap with sequins, both are so light and take up no room in my suitcase. Neither wrinkle and they are great staples. I agree with the men it is a bit more difficult, but a simple dark suit can be worn multiple times and they have dry cleaning on board. I have seen men wear the high collared shirts without ties and they look very nice also. I really enjoy the formal experience and for the most part, my dh does also :).

[loty]

Thank you all for all your answers. U really helped and I hope this cruise will be really great - with your help! :cool: Thanks again! :)