Topsider's On Formal Night

[CurtS]

Okay, I'm quickly getting outvoted at home. We have children who DO NOT want to dress up and spill one piece of food on their clothing for each piece that they eat, so we are seriously debating going to Topsiders on formal night. Does anyone know if it is particularly crowded that night due to others with similar plans or do most people tend to go ahead with the formal night?

 

[BuzzBoyMom]

Considering that we always go to formal night, I can only tell you that the regular dining rooms appear to have the typical crowd and not necessarily less crowded (not that they are crowded at all). I guess what I'm saying is that people aren't noticeably missing from regular dining to assume that Topsiders is MORE crowded.

Just go and have fun!!!!

And there is always dining in your cabin as an option!!!!

 

[FLGalInTN]

On formal night our DS8 was adamant about not wanting to get dressed up for dinner. DH and I usually don't give in to this kind of stuff but we figured, heck, it's his vacation too. Plus, we had late dining and it was really hard on him as we usually eat dinner around 6:30 PM. I let him eat from room service, went to the show, dressed him up long enough to take a formal portrait, and then off to the lab he went (after changing back into his shorts, of course). He was happy and we had a very nice, relaxing dinner.

 

[CurtS]

Thank you both. That's a good idea, FLGalInTN, I had not considered dressing them up for pictures (which was really what disappointed me--I've seen so many wonderful pics on this forum) and then sending them back to the labs. We can enjoy our formal dinner and save enough in dry cleaning for an extra glass of wine!

 

[Susan Prescott]

We were on the July Western and both my 12 year old son and 16 yr old nephew looked very nice on formal night in tan dockers with collared dress shirts and a tie. We couldn't justify buying suit coats for one night. We told the boys they could change back into shorts after we had formal pictures taken after dinner. I think as long as the kids aren't wearing shorts and t-shirts, they'll be fine. We saw a few men in tuxedos but most men had nice dress slacks and a suit coat and some women wore short dresses while others wore long gowns.

 

[muntzfab4]

A suggestion - if you decide to dress only for formal portraits, get there early. The lines are quite long on formal night. The times will be posted in your navigator.

 

[kmiles]

I've never really noticed a decrease in the number of people in the main restaurants on formal or semi-formal nights. As others have said, it sees to be the same as other evenings.

However, I have noticed less-populated restaurants on Key West night and Cozumel night. On one cruise our server said that it's pretty common to have slower nights when the ship is in port late. People are out having a good time at the port and don't want to rush back to the ship for dinner.

I think that's why they tend to have the late buffet on Cozumel night. So that all of those individuals who return to the ship late have something to eat.

 

[Otimon]

We did Topsiders for dinner on formal night on the 4/24 Western. Had a wonderful, relaxing meal. We just don't care to have to dress up while on vacation and this was the perfect solution for us.

We went early, just after it opened, and it still wasn't crowded by the time we finished.

Enjoy your cruise.

 

[Shamus]

A few years back we had dinner at Topsiders twice during the week. The first night was formal night and it was actually less crowded there on that night then for our second visit.

Shamus

 

[PinClubs]

What cracks me up is the fact that most of these "formal dress" posts are about parents writing about their children or wives posting about their husbands, but in my case my wife hates to dress up.

She particularly can't understand dressing up on vacation. She would say something like, "you spend thousands of dollars on a cruise and then you have to pack dress clothes!?" Personally I have to agree; formal night is the only part of the cruise we dread.

We really like the three main restaurants and don't want to miss any meal there just because we have to dress up so we "suck it up" and do what is requested.

Jeff

 

[kpgclark]

I think dressing up is part of the cruise experience and our family enjoys it. My husband recently purchased a tux too. I think if you don't want to dress up then go to Topsiders. I want to say though that it does bother me when I go to the show on formal night or out for a drink with my husband and I see folks dressed down. Disney sets the mood for a formal evening and it does conflict with that to wear casual attire. I recently sailed Celebrity with my husband and folks really dressed nicely for the formal dinner. I hated going to the night club to see people in shorts and T-shirts or casual slacks/shirts when most folks had on formal attire. It just spoils the mood for the folks who take the time to dress up for the evening (and the extra expense involved in purchasing formal attire.)

 

[tvguy]

We packed a sport coat, tie, nice shirt, and Dockers for our DS 16, and when we got on board, discovered DS had outgrown the coat. He looked just fine in a decent shirt, tie and Dockers.
However, it should be noted that tuxes were rare, about half the men wore suits or sport coats and ties, and everyone else, normal clothes. It isn't enforced.
One couple kept us entertained the entire trip. They were two tables away from us. They wore sweatsuits to dinner on formal night!! I gather from the grapevine they were a bit difficult for their wait staff. They didn't get out very often, so anything more complicated than steak, chicken, fish, spaghetti or hamburger on the menu required a detailed explanation from the wait staff, and they usually sent their first choice back because of some problem.....one night the steak came covered in sauce, and the guy wanted to know why anyone would put sauce on a steak!!!

 

[mum of two pirates]

So why would anyone put it on a good stake? my DH said he wont be going if he cant go in jeans while on vacation, he's paying for it and wont get dressed up. He looks good in jeans and a nice shirt so if we get a tie on him that will be doing good.

 

[ksjayhawks]

When we were on our cruise in Feb, a lot of people wore nice dress pants or dockers with a nice shirt for formal night (the same as the other nights). You don't have to wear a tux/formal. Lots of men in suits/sports coats and women in nicer, dressy clothes--dressses and pantsuits.

You don't have to go way out to look nice! You can be comfortable and look nice at the same time.

 

[kpgclark]

From Disney's site:


What do I bring for evenings?
Let's talk about dinner clothes: We kindly request that no shorts, T-shirts or jeans be worn in any of our restaurants in the evening. Evening attire for the Animator's Palate and Parrot Cay dining rooms is casual. Button-down, open collar shirts or polo shirts and slacks are recommended for men. Pants and a blouse or a casual dress are appropriate for ladies. For Lumière's and Triton's restaurants and our adults-only alternative dinner restaurant, Palo, it is suggested that men wear jackets or a button-down shirt and tie and ladies wear dresses or pantsuits. Aboard our 7-night cruises, one dinner is semi-formal. Another evening requires more formal - or "black-tie-optional"- attire. Tuxedo rentals are available, in advance. Other themed evenings aboard our 7-night cruises that adults might want to pack for include salutes to the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

To me this means that on formal night men need to wear either a suit or tux. Black tie optional refers to a tux being optional.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Personally--I am a formal night kind of gal--I NEVER get to do this at home...so I LOVE dressing up.

What would you wear to a nice restaurant at home? And by nice--I'm talking about one of those multi-course restaurants candlelight dinner kind of places. If a shirt and tie is sufficient, then so be it. But heaven forbid--change out the jeans for at least a pair of khaki's.

 

[staylor]

Ok, so let me get this right. You get the same food, for dinner, at topsiders that the restuarants are having? Is it like this every evening? Is it buffet?

 

[kpgclark]

Different food. You might get a buffet at Topsiders and lobster in the dining room that evening. Really you can't wear Khaki's. Minimally men should wear a jacket and tie but Disney says either a tux or suit.

 

[DL_DCA_fans]

What about teenagers for formal night? Our DS's will be 17 and 15 next summer and I'd rather not have to buy jackets/suits that they'll grow out of within a year. Would Dockers, a dress shirt and tie be acceptable?

 

[Cruisin]

You may wear whatever you choose to dinner, preferably not jeans or shorts. Disney's dress recommendations are just that recommendations, not absolute rules of dress.

As long as you are neat, clean and not disturbing other diners by being loud and obnoxious, wear those dockers or khakis or dress pants ......shirts with ties or without .............. jacket or tux or neither..... ball gowns or cocktail dresses or pant suits..... who really cares?

When I go to dinner I am concentrating on my own dinner and my own table companions, NOT on those around me. The rest of the room tends to disappear and become insignifcant.