How fancy is formal night?

I am one of those odd balls that wish there were strict rules on formal night. I understand that not everyone wants that so I accept it. On our upcoming 7 night western on the Fantasy, I will be packing a fancier cocktail dress with heels for formal night and slightly less formal cocktail dresses for Palo and for Semi formal night. My daughters will also wear fancier dresses. My husband will pack a dress coat and maybe a tie. This is an excuse for me to dress up and I love it. You will see a little bit of everything. If you are going to Remy or Palo do pay attention to those dress codes.
 
I am one of those odd balls that wish there were strict rules on formal night. I understand that not everyone wants that so I accept it. On our upcoming 7 night western on the Fantasy, I will be packing a fancier cocktail dress with heels for formal night and slightly less formal cocktail dresses for Palo and for Semi formal night. My daughters will also wear fancier dresses. My husband will pack a dress coat and maybe a tie. This is an excuse for me to dress up and I love it. You will see a little bit of everything. If you are going to Remy or Palo do pay attention to those dress codes.
No Palo for us (Remy isn’t on the Wonder), just the MDRs!
 
This is the dress I wore for formal night. It had a few sequins interspersed on the dress but it was comfortable to wear all evening for dinner, the show and late night cocktails.
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No Palo for us (Remy isn’t on the Wonder), just the MDRs!
Gotcha. Honestly I also dress up a bit every night for the MDRs. I pack a different outfit. Again I do this because I like to and this is an opportunity for me to get a bit dolled up. I generally wear a sundress to dinner each night.
 


However fancy you want it to be. You will see some people dressed casually and some dressed formal. It's not like it used to be years ago when the majority dressed formally.
 
We're leaving for our first cruise in a week and I'm trying to decide what to pack. I know that semi-formal and formal night are optional and people will say to wear whatever I feel comfortable wearing. But for me, I feel most comfortable if I'm matching what the majority of people are wearing. So if I feel overdressed or underdressed, I will feel pretty uncomfortable that evening. Super formal (gowns, tuxedos) are out for us because we don't own that kind of clothing. My DH actually doesn't even own a full suit anymore because he never wears one (and the old ones don't fit!) What we typically wear to weddings - the most formal occasions for us - are a dress shirt and tie for my DH and a short cocktail dress for me. I was thinking of dressing this way for formal night but my DH is resisting a bit and would rather just wear a golf shirt and dress pants. I realize that whatever we want to wear is totally fine, but I really prefer to match what the majority of people are wearing. So how fancy would you say MOST people dress?


It honestly will be across the board - your plan will have you right in the middle of the road. We don't dress up often, so on our formal nights we go all out (just me and the girls). 2 of the other couples at our table were in attire you are thinking and the other couple didn't realize when they were packing and were in shorts and t-shirts.
 
This is the dress I wore for formal night. It had a few sequins interspersed on the dress but it was comfortable to wear all evening for dinner, the show and late night cocktails.

That's a good point and something I didn't think of until I was discussing this with my friend today! She's been on several cruises (not DCL) and she pointed out that she likes to wear something a bit more comfortable because she doesn't mind dressing up for dinner but after that she prefers to be a bit more comfortable for the rest of the night!
 


Holidays are to relax. If you feel comfortable with fitting in, then listen to the tips given here. If your husband wants to do it his way, let him, he won't be out of place anyway. You will be comfortable, he will be comfortable and that is what it is about. :)

Dont worry so much, no one will notice any difference, besides you ;)
 
Holidays are to relax. If you feel comfortable with fitting in, then listen to the tips given here. If your husband wants to do it his way, let him, he won't be out of place anyway. You will be comfortable, he will be comfortable and that is what it is about. :)

Dont worry so much, no one will notice any difference, besides you ;)
The funny thing is that I'm really not worried that anyone will think strangely of me for wearing anything in particular, this is all about what *I* am feeling! Hahaha!

DH has to match my level of dressiness - that's my rule and he's agreed! :rotfl2:
 
Just got back from the 6 night from Galveston to San Juan on the Wonder. I was shocked how much the formal night has been watered down. Very few cruisers made any attempt to go all out. Saw a couple of suits and that was it
 
Just got back from the 6 night from Galveston to San Juan on the Wonder. I was shocked how much the formal night has been watered down. Very few cruisers made any attempt to go all out. Saw a couple of suits and that was it
Good to know! We’ll be on the Wonder as well so I’m guessing it will be similar for us!!
 
Just got back from the 6 night from Galveston to San Juan on the Wonder. I was shocked how much the formal night has been watered down. Very few cruisers made any attempt to go all out. Saw a couple of suits and that was it

Honestly, the only ship that I've ever had a formal night on was the Fantasy for a 7 night Western. We did not dress up at all. I am not really a dress up person when it comes to cruising and dining room meals. I am never a swimsuits and tank top kind of person in the dining rooms but I don't care for fancy clothes traditionally. My husband and I got married in shorts and flip flops for goodness sake.

That all being said, I do wish I had brought an extra button down or polo for the formal night and dressed up a little bit more since I felt like a sore thumb sticking out. If we had eaten in Royal court or something that night it would have been even worse but we were in Animators so it wasn't too bad and our servers got a kick out of it since we weren't in any kind of formal wear.
 
I've worn the same LBD (little black dress) for 9 out of our 10 cruises on formal nights. It's the only time the dress is out of the closet and the plastic bag. Just change the jewelry up or down for formal/informal dining. Less to pack.
DH wears a sports jacket/slacks, a dress shirt, and a bolo tie. We also enjoy Palo/Remy.
 
That's a good point and something I didn't think of until I was discussing this with my friend today! She's been on several cruises (not DCL) and she pointed out that she likes to wear something a bit more comfortable because she doesn't mind dressing up for dinner but after that she prefers to be a bit more comfortable for the rest of the night!
I am only getting dressed once for the evening. We play all day (sun, sand, etc) and then get back to the room and shower and change for the evening. I am not going back to change AGAIN after dinner. I have some fancier dresses but I would have to wear Spanx and that is just not comfortable, especially with all the food! I was comfy and felt I was the right level of dressy without going over the top. There was an array of style choices on formal night but I would say most were wearing either "Sunday best" or cocktail dresses. Long gowns and full on sequins was definitely the exception and not the norm.
 
OP here - I’ve decided on “beachy wedding chic” vs. “evening gala chic.” 😆 I feel like this is more fitting for the Caribbean and my daughter had already picked out a flowy floral dress so I feel like something with color will match better with the rest of the family than black would. Thanks for all your replies everyone! It definitely helped!!
 
Am I the only non-regular cruiser who would be more inclined to go on a cruise if these events were abolished altogether?

The only reason that they have these formal nights is so they can sell more pictures. They pull out the backgrounds and have the photographers out taking pictures. The ships do not care what you wear and if they did not make so much money from this, it would be abolished. OP, whatever you want to wear is fine. More and more people dress more casually. Slacks and a polo or blouse is just fine. If anyone has a problem with that, then it is THEIR problem and probably should keep their focus on their own plates. Enjoy your cruise.
 
The only reason that they have these formal nights is so they can sell more pictures. They pull out the backgrounds and have the photographers out taking pictures. The ships do not care what you wear and if they did not make so much money from this, it would be abolished. OP, whatever you want to wear is fine. More and more people dress more casually. Slacks and a polo or blouse is just fine. If anyone has a problem with that, then it is THEIR problem and probably should keep their focus on their own plates. Enjoy your cruise.

Formal nights are cruise standard across all reputable cruise lines. Disney is actually the only one I've ever been on that is really relaxed. Some of the more upscale lines (Cunard for example) require formal dress for each meal. It is less that they want to sell you pictures and more of an opportunity to take nice photos and enjoy a nice meal together. Not everything is directed by money.
 
Maybe the solution is to create a formal/non-formal rotation in the MDRs. That way the folks that care about what others are wearing can enjoy the formality, and those that don't can avoid offending.
 
Maybe the solution is to create a formal/non-formal rotation in the MDRs. That way the folks that care about what others are wearing can enjoy the formality, and those that don't can avoid offending.
Pretty clever idea. Assuming non-formal would be in higher demand; don't know if a third of the diners would want a formal rotation. But I'd sign up for it in a heart beat!
 
I took my first ever cruise on Princess last September. They have a champagne fountain type thing in the central area and The Captain pours the first glass and everyone gets to go up and be given a glass and have a photo.
Many folks were very dressed up with long gowns on and quite a few men were in tux. I loved it. It felt quite special and the colours and styles of dress were lovely to look at. I would say that dressy was the norm and non dressy folks tended to be in the minority.
 

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