Anyone else ditch formal and semi-formal nights?

[CatManDoo]

Hate to sound like a killjoy, but the last thing I want to do on vacation is put on a freakin' tuxedo and dress a couple of 5 year olds in their Sunday best. I'm stressing about it though. Anyone else with me or am I just getting old??? Are there other options those nights?

 

[kimpossible]

Hate to sound like a killjoy, but the last thing I want to do on vacation is put on a freakin' tuxedo and dress a couple of 5 year olds in their Sunday best. I'm stressing about it though. Anyone else with me or am I just getting old??? Are there other options those nights?

I am interested in the answer to this as well. I would love to ditch at least one of them.

 

[BeccahRN]

I'm with you. We're going on our first cruise in 2 weeks (back to back 3 and 4 night cruises) so we don't have "formal night", only dress up night. But when I read about the 7 night cruises with formal night I get anxious. If we like our first two disney cruises I would love to do a 7 night one sometime but we're not dress up people and I definitely have no interest in dressing the kids to the 9s while on vacation. I would probably skip those nights and order room service or eat at somewhere else if it's open.

I'd love to know what other people have done.

 

[mmouse37]

Not me....I love formal night. It is so beautiful to see everyone dressed up and you certainly do not have to wear a tux. It is a very nice experience and makes for fantastic family pics.

A simple suit is fine for a man and a cocktail dress for a woman. All kids need to wear is a pair of kahki's and a polo or button up and young girs can wear any dress.

It really is no big deal to dress up and does not take up much room.

But I understand if you choose not to. There is Topsider's open for casual dinner those nights and if you still want to eat in the dining rooms on those nights just look decent, don't wear cut off or t-shirts. There really is not much to getting presentable for formal night. It is not a stuffy night at all and surely not something to stress over.

It certainly is not required that you attend dinner on formal night.

MJ

 

[mommasita]

We did on our first cruise, but realized (too late for that one ) that not everyone is dressed in tuxes and ballgowns. You will see a complete variety on this.

On later cruises we did not skip any nights, really enjoying each and every experience in the dining rooms. We wore clean clothing, as we always did, and did not feel out of place.

It really is not, or should not be, anything to be stressed over. Some families LOVE to dress up, and some don't. IMHO, so long as you are dressed cleanly then you will be fine.

 

[CatManDoo]

Not me....I love formal night. It is so beautiful to see everyone dressed up and you certainly do not have to wear a tux. It is a very nice experience and makes for fantastic family pics.

A simple suit is fine for a man and a cocktail dress for a woman. All kids need to wear is a pair of kahki's and a polo or button up and young girs can wear any dress.

It really is no big deal to dress up and does not take up much room.

But I understand if you choose not to. There is Topsider's open for casual dinner those nights.

It certainly is not required that you attend dinner on formal night.

MJ

So how's that different from SEMI-formal night?

 

[rhondamccollough@hot]

Lots of people skip the dining rooms all-together for times sake. They say the dinners are too long and they "miss out" on other things. You can always eat at TopSiders like the pp mentioned or order room service or get stuff (pizza, burgers, chicken strips, wraps) at the bars by the pools. I am thinking about our next cruise already and am thinking of ordering more room service to eat by the pools or on our verandah! Cruising is about doing what is fun for you!

 

[mmouse37]

So how's that different from SEMI-formal night?

Honestly....not much. Hubby brings the same suit to wear both nights and just wears a different shirt.

I usually wear a pant suit/dress on both nights.

I have been on 17 DCL cruises and believe me it is not a big deal to dress nice...you do not have to wear a tux on formal night. I would say about 10 percent wear a tux...most men just wear suits.

MJ

 

[lds0191]

You do not have to dress up for either night. We usually do not dress any differently for the formal nights than any other night. You will see a little bit of everything from evening gowns to capri's and tuxes to khakis. Do not stress about the dress!!!

 

[pouncingpluto]

Semi-formal and formal used to be more distinct from one another, but they have kind of melded a bit, as more people choose not to go all out (tux and ballgown) on formal night.

 

[CatManDoo]

Just to clarify, when I say "stressed" I mean the "it's-seven-months-until-our-cruise-and-i've-been-over-everything-else-a-million-times-and-figure-I-might-as-well-worry-about-dining-attire-now" type of stress.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

Hate to sound like a killjoy, but the last thing I want to do on vacation is put on a freakin' tuxedo and dress a couple of 5 year olds in their Sunday best. I'm stressing about it though. Anyone else with me or am I just getting old??? Are there other options those nights?

You can always go to Topsiders and have a nice casual meal

 

[5lilfish]

You do not have to dress up for either night. We usually do not dress any differently for the formal nights than any other night. You will see a little bit of everything from evening gowns to capri's and tuxes to khakis. Do not stress about the dress!!!

We don't dress much differently for formal night either. About as far as we go: DH will wear a darker polo instead of a tropical polo. DS will wear a short-sleeved button down tucked in (maybe a sweater vest over it) instead of untucked with a t-shirt under. DD's will wear a nice tunic with black leggings (instead of a bright/tropical skort) and I will wear a skirt (instead of a capri outfit). That's about it.

About the only time I ever noted what someone else was wearing in the dining room was when a man came in wearing an everyday white t-shirt (almost under-shirt quality) and carpenter jeans. Also, I have taken note a couple times when a lady has worn something highly revealing and, IMHO, a little inappropriate for the setting. Even then, it just caught my eye...certainly didn't ruin my dining experience. On formal night, you will see everything from a tux to jeans, from capris/skorts to gowns.

Wear what you are comfortable wearing (within reason) and enjoy your meal/vacation!

Jess

 

[Tent Camping Mom]

Semi-formal and formal used to be more distinct from one another, but they have kind of melded a bit, as more people choose not to go all out (tux and ballgown) on formal night.

Say it ain't so! I hope the 7-night has not toned it down like the 4-night. It's been 2 years since we were on the 7-night and we enjoyed our Formal and Semi-Formal nights. Last June we did the 4-night and I was amazed that it was toned down. There's no longer a semi-formal on the Wonder, just "Dress-up" night. Fortunately, we did see a lot of people dressed in semi-formal attire, my family included.

Our next 7-night is this March and we're going all out...DH and DS will be in tuxes and I'll be in a long formal dress, semi-formal will be DH and DS in dressed-down tuxes and I'll be in a shorter formal dress.

To answer your second question....Yes, there are alternatives to eating in the formal dining rooms. Topsiders and Room Service are highly recommended for those that choose not to dress-up.

 

[5lilfish]

:Yes, there are alternatives to eating in the formal dining rooms. Topsiders and Room Service are highly recommended for those that choose not to dress-up.

That is true. If you are uncomfortable going to the dining room on formal night (if you feel awkward not wearing a tux and gown), there are other places to eat. But...you really don't need to feel uncomfortable. Formal attire is "suggested." It's not required. There will be a percentage of people completely decked out. They look great....but there will also be plenty of people dressed in 'normal' dinner attire or maybe just spruced up a little bit more than on other nights. Don't feel you have to ban yourself from the main dining room if you choose not to rent a tux or wear a gown.

Jess

 

[AlexandNessa]

I will tell you that my husband did not let me hear the end of it when I made hiim bring his tux on our 7-night last May. When we went to the theater and there was only one other guy in a tux, and more than I'd say 30% in shorts and polo shirts, another 50% in polo shirts and dockers, and the rest in suits ... let's just say my husband was not a happy camper.

 

[hockeyprincess]

For what it's worth, I wish we would have known about the photos they take on the cruises, we def. missed out on some great family pics. That being said, we did not dress to the T's so to speak, my husband wore khaki's, a dress shirt and tie for both nights, no coat even. I wore a simple dress, nothing fancy, and our kids were very simply dressed. We did not feel out of place at all! Don't stress, have fun and remember the photo op's!! We definitely will next time.

 

[kimpossible]

Does everyone stay dressed for the entire evening? If we got our Palo ressies for the formal night, would we be expected to be formal their as well?

 

[mommasita]

Does everyone stay dressed for the entire evening? If we got our Palo ressies for the formal night, would we be expected to be formal their as well?

Some change after dinner, but not all. Yes, if you dine at Palo, it is still formal or semi-formal there as well.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

Does everyone stay dressed for the entire evening? If we got our Palo ressies for the formal night, would we be expected to be formal their as well?

You bet...On the other guy's ships the ones with the casino We love to stay dressed up on formal night hit the casino and go then dancing makes for a great evening

Rob