How fancy is formal night?

[Rob1872]

But what trumps everything - for me - is feeling like I "fit in" with what the majority of others are wearing.

I understand what you are saying; the hard part is that it can vary so much between cruises. If you want to ensure that you are in the upper section of the middle of the pack, then stick with the short black dress for formal night and a floral summery dress for semi-formal. You will blend in just fine. There will be a few tuxedo/gowns, and there will be a lot of shorts and T-shirts. But you won't stand out as being over-dressed; you will just be viewed as going with the spirit of formal/semi-formal.

 

[LeiaOfAlderaan]

But what trumps everything - for me - is feeling like I "fit in" with what the majority of others are wearing.

I totally get that and I hope I didn’t come across as dismissing anyone’s feelings/concerns. I obsessively worry about all manner of things—this just happens to be one thing I don’t worry about, lol.

 

[StarSeven7]

I totally get that and I hope I didn’t come across as dismissing anyone’s feelings/concerns. I obsessively worry about all manner of things—this just happens to be one thing I don’t worry about, lol.

It's totally fine - I have a sense of humor about it! I realize I'm being crazy but I can't help myself so oh well!

 

[CampbellzSoup]

I’m totally wearing a tux I think the characters dictate the type of attire

 

[GoingSince1990]

It could be worse. On "Titanic" they had to dress up for dinner every night. At least in First Class. Also, the ship sank.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Long dresses do look elegant but the last time I wore one on a cruise I felt really over-dressed.

 

[insureman]

I was on the Fantasy this past May and people were dressed like you described for a wedding. There were more people than I expected dressed up some even in very formal wear, including children. There were some dressed down, but the majority of people that were congregating in the lobby that night were dressed up to some degree. I imagine there were plenty of people in cabanas eating dinner that were not dressed up, but I didn't head that way.

We saw people dressed up in the lobby for the captains photo but when in the dining room there were more casually dressed people than formal.

 

[JoeFromSeoul]

I had my tuxedo made, primarily for cruising, while stationed in an area where tailored suits are affordable. I always wear it when there is a formal night and encourage my family to dress for photos. I do check out the room at diner, and I see very few formally dressed groups. There is a broad range of dress from casual to formal. About the only consistency are the smiles worn by almost all of the diners. With such a broad range, nobody need feel over- or under-dressed.

 

[CarolynU]

I wear a very formal long gown. It’s my one and only opportunity during the year and I honestly don’t care if I stand out and look ridiculous.
So far I haven’t on DCL, Princess was far more formal, and this year I’m cruising DCL x 3 and trying Celebrity for the first ever time which has replaced formal nights with the term evening chic, which translates as do whatever you want officially.
I’m even determined to cruise Cunard just for the opportunity of experiencing a really dressy old style cruising environment.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

Thanks for your responses! So maybe a short black dress for formal night and a floral summery dress for semi-formal??

You can never go wrong with LBD. Dress it up with some sparkly accessories. The floral summer dress is perfect for semi. This is exactly what I do. I can't bring a gown, I don't own one! LOL. Maxi-dresses pack light, so that is another option. I see some people in gowns and tuxes, not many, and they look lovely. I see some people in shorts and they look happy and comfortable. Do what makes you happy and you will blend right in. Enjoy your cruise!

 

[tarheelz]

I've got a tux in the back of my closet. It was supposed to be a "good investment" when I got it years ago. Never wear it.

I'm strongly considering packing the darn thing tonight. What the heck.

 

[StarSeven7]

I've got a tux in the back of my closet. It was supposed to be a "good investment" when I got it years ago. Never wear it.

I'm strongly considering packing the darn thing tonight. What the heck.

I’m not surprised you don’t wear it - the only time my DH has worn a tux was on our wedding day! We have never been to an event that was fancy enough for that!!

 

[CM Dad]

I've got a tux in the back of my closet. It was supposed to be a "good investment" when I got it years ago. Never wear it.

I'm strongly considering packing the darn thing tonight. What the heck.

I must have gotten a cheap tux years ago. For some reason, after years of non-use it seems to have shrunken and no longer fits

 

[Calantha]

I loved dressing up for dinner every night on our 8 day this summer - I had a dress of various formality for each day (sun dresses for most days and a few fancier things for formal and semi-formal) - and DH and DS put on polo shirts or collared shirts for dinner (even if they stayed in shorts).

 

[vegs1]

Our last cruise this past year on the Dream, there weren’t many people dressed up. Mainly capris or sundresses for women and shorts and golf shirts for men.

Wear whatever you want, that makes you feel good and don’t worry about what others think. It’s your cruise. Enjoy!

 

[tarheelz]

I must have gotten a cheap tux years ago. For some reason, after years of non-use it seems to have shrunken and no longer fits

I didn't say mine fit. That's what the cummerbund is for! It covers many sins.

 

[kiford]

I typically tend to wear a longer dress on formal night. Not floor length, but just above ankle. For semi-formal, I'll usually wear a cocktail length dress. DH wears a suit and tie on formal night and a suit without tie on semi-formal (or suit without jacket but with tie - depends on how he feels).

We usually see suits and ties for formal night and more longer dresses for women than cocktail length. We've seen a few tuxedos and very fancy long gowns but not a lot of them. For semi-formal night, we see a wider range of attire from dress pants and nice shirts on men to more casual clothing but not too many golf shirts (though a number of short sleeved collared shirts). For women on semi-formal night we see a lot of cocktail length, flowy pants and fancy tops or pant suits with pretty tops and summery dresses of all lengths.

 

[CM Dad]

I didn't say mine fit. That's what the cummerbund is for! It covers many sins.

My wife has gotten me a couple of cummerbunds and vests that are Mickey themed that I had been using instead of the ones supplied with the rental. Not sure where she got them. Maybe Etsy?

 

[JoeFromSeoul]

The Boss Lady questioned my reasoning for having the tux made, claiming we would never have reason to dress up. I now drag her to as many military balls and 7-night cruises as I can manage. I still only wear it two or three times a year, but it does give me added incentive to try staying somewhat close to my retirement weight.

 

[CamColt]

Last summer on the Fantasy, I wore a dark, sparkly, cocktail dress for formal night. While not exactly "formal", it fit the bill and I saw others in similar. There were some more dressed up and some less too. As for semi formal night, again I had a cocktail dress, that I would consider semi formal...I felt very out of place! Very few people were "dressed up" that night.