DH and I hate to get dressed up. What should we do?

[Kim&Chris]

We just booked a 7 night Western cruise!!! YEAH!!!

Both of us HATE to get dressed up. We're 'jeans and T-shirt' folk, to say the least. I'm pretty sure I can get him to pack a few pairs of tan Dockers & some nice polo shirts for most of the dinners, but how many nights require nicer things, like dresses or suits?

I'm planning on bringing some nice tops & a few pairs of white & tan linen pants. I guess that is OK (ladies, opinions please ).

Thanks!

 

[mark & sandra]

You don't HAVE to dress up. A nice pair of Dockers and nice shirt will be fine. We saw some people at dinner in shorts and t-shirts. If you feel uncomfortable going to dinner on 2 formal nights, not wearing a suit or dress, you can eat at the buffet upstairs or order room service. I wouldn't skip dinner though. Dress as you like, it's your vacation too!!...Mark

 

[lbgraves]

Well, if you wore those clothes you would be over dressed compared to the family at the table next to us last week. They came to formal night in a low cut arm tank top & shorts & she was in shorts & a thin strapped top. They told their waiter that they didn't care. Now, they were in Palo the night before next to us very dressed up so it wasn't like they didn't have the clothes. They were also at least an hour late the nights that they did show up in the dining room. I know this threw our servers since they were also taking care of that table & they had to rush to get them food so that they would be out in time. They didn't show up 2 nights that we were there at least...including the last night & I really felt sorry for our servers because they probably didn't care about the tips either since they only ate there 4 nights.

 

[pearlieq]

There will be two dressier nights on your cruise--one formal and one semi-formal. If you don't feel like dressing up on those nights, why not go to Topsiders--they have a casual sit-down dinner. Otherwise, you could enjoy a room service dinner in your cabin or a nice outdoor meal by the pool with food from Pluto;s or Pinnochio's.

There are plenty of options for nights when you'd rather not dress for the main dining rooms. Enjoy your trip!

 

[MickeyB426]

I'll echo what was previously said.

Your dockers and nice shirts will do fine ANY night if you're really uncomfortable wearing anything fancier.

You paid a lot of money for your vacation. You're entitled to whatever it is you paid for. Among other things, your cruise includes seven dinners at their three themed restaurants. You paid for it, you enjoy it!

I won't be wearing a tuxedo, nor will I be wearing pirate garb to dinner.

Don't let vacationing "peer pressure" get to you. I'll take a neat set of dockers and nice shirt over a loosened tie and sloppy-looking suit any day.

Enjoy!

 

[two-foxes]

We are casual types too, but that is why I LOVE dressing up on formal night! We never have the opportunity to "really" dress up (unless there is a wedding or a funeral, or the rare occasional nice dinner.) I felt real purty dressing up! That being said, polos and khakis will do fine for DH, and although I would not recommend wearing that on formal/semi night, you will see both ends of the dressing up spectrums on those nights. Linen pants/capris with a nice top will do you just fine as well on most nights, but again, I personally wouldn't wear that to the formal/semi nights. But people do it, and you should be comfortable on your trip. Maybe see if you can find a simple black tank dress that you can dress up with some jewelry...DH could pack one (one won't hurt!) tie and a button down shirt and give it a try at one of the dressier nights....you just may like it!!!

 

[Kim&Chris]

Thanks everyone! I knew the DIS people would have the info I needed

 

[AnnaS]

Formal night - how about black dockers and a button down long sleeve shirt? Just a thought. Enjoy, regardless of whatever you decide to wear.

 

[cruisenewbie2004]

I saw one couple in tuxes on formal night. 99% of the men were wearing Dockers and nice shirts and shoes. On formal night the men wore ties and coats, but not all of them.

I think as long as you make some effort (i.e. don't roll in from the pool and think this will do for evening meals) you should be fine.

 

[LynnTarrant]

cruisenewbie2004 did you go on the Magic or Wonder. Certainly on the Magic cruise we were on last year it was more like 90% of men in Tuxes and ladies in long dresses and the rest in suits. I'm surprised at only one man in formal clothes on Formal night!

 

[jrabbit]

On tropical/mexicalli/pirates night I wear my tropical shirt (you know big flowers).

On formal and semi formal nights I wear a long sleave dress shirt, tie and dockers.

On the other nights (normal) I wear a polo shirt, the dockers.

ALL nights I wear sandals to dinner (size 16 dress shoes take up way too much room in the luggage (you know one roller bag for each shoe )

 

[rae519]

It is nice to dress up, but if it's not YOU then don't sweat it. A nice shirt and pants are always welcomed - I think a tie would be required at Palo but I have seen many dine there without suits/ties.

Remember it's YOUR vacation!

Rae

 

[Regina]

That's really surprising Cruisenewbie. We've always seen the majority of guests dressing up with plenty of the men in formal wear.

There are always a few people who prefer not to get dressed up. If you're comfortable with that, then it's fine.

 

[Rob1559]

This comes up every couple of weeks. Just dress up and follow the recommendations of DCL. I fail to understand why some people have a difficult time understanding this. It does and to the atmosphere. The last thing I would want is to dress up on the Captains Gala evening and have my tablemates show up in t-shirts and shorts. It really is not that hard!

 

[ann-e-mator]

When we went in July, I didnt see a single person NOT dressed up on formal night!!! Most people even wore their tuxes and evening gowns to the show. Personally, I like the idea of getting dressed. (Being on a cruise, dressed formally, I feel like I'm on Titanic... Minus the sinking part ) But everyone has their own preferences... I'm sure you would be find in nice pants and a nice shirt for guys, and Maybe a skirt and a nice top for girls.

Nicki

 

[Aisling]

I fail to understand why some people have a difficult time understanding this.

Here's a little magic to help you understand.

 

[tvguy]

cruisenewbie2004 did you go on the Magic or Wonder. Certainly on the Magic cruise we were on last year it was more like 90% of men in Tuxes and ladies in long dresses and the rest in suits. I'm surprised at only one man in formal clothes on Formal night!

We were on the 12-27-03 NYE cruise on the Magic. Very few tuxes, even on New Years Eve, mostly suits, and a lot of dockers, dress shirts and ties. I wore a suit, and we planned on DS 16 wearing a sport coat, tie and dockers....but discovered, THAT night, that he had outgrown his sport coat, so he just went in dockers, tie and nice shirt with dress shoes.
I would suggest nothing less than dockers and a nice shirt with tie. Yes, there will always be a few dorks we dress down. On our cruise, it was a couple 2 tables over who always wore shorts and tank tops to dinner, except on formal night, when they wore matching sweat suits. But they were a royal pain to their wait staff anyway. I think their experience of food was limited to steak, chicken, pork and hamburgers. The man ordered Beef Wellington and was genuinely outraged that is had "a crust" on it. Needless to say, they sent at least one meal a day back.

 

[profdsny]

Well, while more comfortable in shorts and t-shirts, I'm really uncomfortable when I'm underdressed. As the saying goes, you can never be overdressed for an event.

 

[crisi]

I think you tend to notice what you want to see. So if you want to see tuxes (either because it pleases you or because you couldn't get your husband into one and are therefore ready for "everyone else wore them) you see tuxes and formal dresses. If you want to see people dressed more casually - once again, either because it pleases you, or you really are looking forward to coming here and ranting - you will notice Dockers and even shorts.

Rest assured, on a seven night cruise there WILL be others dressed formal for formal nigh - and there will be others dressed Sunday nice - and others dressed "business casual" - and likely at least one person who feels a need to prove a point by wearing shorts and a tank top. With 2000 guests on the ship, there is plenty of room for diversity in dress.

 

[Kim&Chris]

Thanks, everyone. It sounds like we have other options besides the formal dining & dressing up - - based on your posts, it sounds like there are some casual/buffet spots on the boats as well we can visit in lieu of doing the "tux thing".

I appreciate all the info!