|
| Oh My God, its Formal Night! |
Formal night is one of the best parts of the cruise. It?s a real experience that you should jump into head first. Dressing for formal night should not be scary either. Dress as you would for church or some other nice place.
Men, if you want to wear a tuxedo, fine, do that. If you want to wear a shirt and tie, that's fine too. Jeans and casual wear are NOT fine. You can wear that stuff to dinner but stay out of the dining room that night. That goes for boys too. In the olden days of cruising you were expected to keep your fine clothes on for the rest of the night and be seen with one arm propped on the rail overlooking the ocean saying suave, international playboy-type stuff. FORGET THAT. I high tail it right back to the cabin to get my shorts or jeans back and I am not the only one. There ARE guys that DO like that stuff and spend some time in the cigar bar or walking around looking cool. If you are one of them you will fit in very nicely also. Just stay away from me; I will think you are trying to sell me something.
Ladies, see below for what to wear, I look lousy in a formal gown so I will defer to one of the ladies for specific recommendations, although I could help with makeup and hair styling tips.
See the thing is that "Formal Night" is, to me, Prime Rib and Lobster night in the dining room. That's when they serve that for sure. Other than that you won't notice a whole lot different with the menu and the way it is served. That's pretty much the same every night.
If you still feel uncomfortable about formal night after you get done with reading all this email me and I will console you.
What should you wear at formal night?
Duh, Formal wear.
But what kiiiiind? You could wear anything from khakis and a nice shirt to a prom dress really. Don't wear your shorts and bud light racing tee... Don't wear your swimsuit. Don't wear your birthday suit even if it is your birthday- that would be inappropriate (Your fellow diners and waiting staff might be a little uncomfortable hehe). You could wear a cute pair of dressy capris... If you choose to wear a tank top, make sure it is classy and isn't your pajama top from old navy. I usually wear a skirt with tights or hose, and a dressy shirt. Sydney usually wears one of her dresses from school dances. My mom wears a very classy dress-suit type thing that is white and matches my daddy's suit very nicely.
What ever you chose to wear should be dressier then your everyday attire, but it doesn?t have to be like you are dining with royalty.
Now here is what Royal Caribbean has to say:
Dress Suggestions
During the day, casual clothes are fine for the main dining room. In the evening, there are three distinct types of dress on board: casual, smart casual and formal. 7-night cruises include two formal nights, one smart casual night and four casual nights. Suggested guidelines for these nights are:
Casual: Sport shirts and slacks for men, sundresses or pants for women.
Smart Casual: Jackets and ties for men, dresses or pantsuits for women.
Formal: Suits and ties or tuxedos for men, cocktail dresses for women.
Bare feet or bathing suits are not allowed at any time in the dining room and shorts are not permitted at dinner. Each ship also offers a variety of casual dining options, for example the Windjammer Cafe.
|
During the day its shorts and a polo shirt or t-shirt for men and for ladies shorts outfits or a bating suit with a cover-up is what you will see all around you. To fit in with the crowd wear stuff like that. That is probably not what you might wear to do housework on a hot day at home or work on the car but nice stuff. They call it "resort casual" which basically means to leave behind your "I'm the next American Idol" shirt and those favorite jeans that have been around maybe a little too long.
At the pool a swimming suit works out well with all the water. A personal note: please bring one that fits. The old saying "You're not fooling anybody but yourself" is soooo true about swim suits. You know all those attractive people you see on TV enjoying the heck out of themselves? Those are actors. I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were plenty of people just like me with, shall we say, "less than perfect" bodies.
If you're going on a shore excursion shorts should still be good but if you're going horseback riding on the beach long pants would be the order of the day. If you have a question about what to wear on an excursion, call the shore excursion desk, they'll be happy to help. ....with suggestions, they won't help you dress.
Night time wear is about the same as daytime with a couple possible exceptions. I'd bring along a pair of jeans and maybe a light sweater as it does get cool sometimes at night.
Buy A Tux OnlineFor about the price of one tux rental you can own one. If you plan on more than one cruise, it will pay for itself over renting either locally and bringing it with you or on the ship. Plus- you know where it is and that all the parts are there. I remember one time I saw a huge kid with huger feet telling the tux people on the ship that they incorrectly gave him a size 8 shoe when he wore an 11. Unfortunately they were out of his size. I doubt they had an airlift operation from Borneo, the closest land mass, so I'm not sure what that kid did.
I must say that I was a bit apprehensive about that but when onboard it seemed quite appropriate to remain in formal wear for the evening.
I've always been a big proponent of making the most of formal night as an enriching part of the cruise experience. It was nice to see so many more passengers participating than I had on other cruises.
I recall thinking of the two young men who came into the dining room without even ties how out of place they seemed.
I was especially impressed with the lovely gowns the ladies were wearing. Many seemed to have a different one for each night and had planned the coordination of their ensembles well in advance.
One of my daughters first comments on the subject was "I feel like I always have to look nice on this cruise", whereas other cruises were less formal by nature. At first I think she thought of that as a negative but as the week progressed she was really getting into it and finally, after 8 cruises, used many of the clothes she brought for a change.
This was a good thing
| LENGTH OF CRUISE |
 |
NUMBER OF
FORMAL
EVENINGS |
|
NUMBER OF
SMART CASUAL
EVENINGS |
| 3-6 Days |
1 |
1-5 |
| 7-13 Days |
2 |
5-11 |
| 14-20 Days |
3 |
11-17 |
| 21-28 Days |
4 |
17-24 |
| 29 Days+ |
5 minimum |
24+ |
| Dress code is subject to change with the ship's itinerary. The above is a general guide. The dress code suggested in the Princess Patter may vary from time to time. |
Easy Packing
by Mary Ann Hemphill
Packing for a cruise should be as easy as a sea breeze. What you regularly wear to the beach, around a pool, walking around town, dining out or going to a fancy cocktail party are the same things you'll need for a cruise.
Casual is the word for daytime dress. T-shirts, polo shirts, shorts, slacks, such as white capri pants, sneakers and sandals are the basics. You'll need swimsuits and colorful cover-ups for the pool. Toss in a hat, some sunscreen, sunglasses, a windbreaker, a tote bag and workout gear for the spa.
Evenings in the dining room come in three flavors: casual, smart casual and formal.
Casual is what you'd wear to your favorite supper club at home: sundresses in the tropics, a casual dress or pants outfit elsewhere, sport shirts and trousers for men. Just remember that on a cruise ship, a casual evening in the dining room never means jeans.
Most evenings will be smart casual. A silk dress or a smart pants outfit are on the mark. For him, a blazer or sport coat and trousers are fine, tie is optional.
Expect one or two formal nights on most seven-day cruises. Baubles, bangles and beads are out. Slinky, simple and strappy are in. You don't need a long gown, anything dressy is suitable. Pack some strappy high heels and a filmy shawl, as air conditioning seems to be perpetually set on high. For men, it's usually an even split between dark suits with ties and tuxes.
You'll see fancier evening dress on the larger ships, a style that wouldn't be appropriate or comfortable on some of the smaller ships. Dinners on ships such as the Paul Gauguin and the Windstar fleet call for "casual elegance." Think silks and linens (his and hers), chic resort wear and sundresses.
BE FASHIONABLE, BE COMFORTABLE, BE YOURSELF.
Copyright © 2000 - 2005 , Mary Ann Hemphill. All rights reserved.
|
 Thanks for visiting our web site. When you're in the market for buying a cruise, let me know. I can help you compare different offerings to find the one that is best value for you. Our team of experts can make the difference between a vacation and a fabulous cruise experience.
Happy Cruising,
Chris
Chris Owen, MCC
Chris@YourCruiseDream.com
407-889-8947 In Florida
866-604-4658 Rest of Planet
|
| |
