difference between formal and semi-formal

[imgoingtodisney]

Is there really a difference between both nights?

If DH rents a tux it will be worn to both the formal and semi-formal nights. If we buy him a suit it will again be worn to both formal and semi-formal nights. And most likely will be wearing it to Palos.

I will be wearing a black print long skirt, hopefully with silver top, to the formal night. If I cant find a silver top, it will be the matching top. On the semi-formal I will be wearing a different black print long skirt with matching top. I have another blue print long skirt with matching top for Palos.

DS10 will be wearing pants and a button down shirt (different outfits) to both the formal and semi formal nights. And Im planning on hopefully buying him black sneakers (yes I said sneakers) to wear both nights. I will not be buying him outfits just for the formal and semiformal nights. Ive learned from his communion that once that day is over the shirt and shoes never get worn again and they wont fit him in another year or two.

 

[ducklite]

Buy your DH a dark colored suit to wear both nights and you'll be fine. Keep an eye on JC Penneys, they often have suits on celarance for under $150. That way he'll have the suit to wear again. Yes, it'll cost more than the tux rental, but I'm sure he'll wear it to weddings and funerals in the future as well. I would stay away from the four button suits, they'll be "out of style" soon enough. Look for a 2-3 button or double breasted if it's right for his shape, and look for a traditional cut and fabric.

As for your son, I'd add a tie to that button down shirt, again, JC Penneys or even Wal-Mart have boys ties under $10. And for shoes, look at Payless or Wal-Mart for boys shoes in the $10-15 range.

We're renting a tux for DS and DH for the formal night. Semi-formal night DH will wear a dark suit and DS will not attend--and eat at top-siders on his own (he's 16).

Anne

 

[Debbie in Townsville]

Our last cruise I packed WAY to much, so I'm really trying to cut down for our next one. I'm bringing ONE long black formal skirt, and three different tops - one for formal, one semi-formal, and one for Palos. DD is doing the same thing. DH & DS will have one suit and three different shirts and ties for the three nights.

Debra

 

[mmouse37]

That's what I did....I brought one nice pair of formal, dressy slacks and paired it with three different tops for the formal, semi and Palo nights. It worked out great. One pair of shoes worked with all three outfits.

MJ

 

[Doctor P]

Thanks for this advice!

 

[mikeymars]

Can't speak for the ladies, but coming from a guy, this really isn't that complicated (ergo, it's "dress basics 101" for gentlemen) nor arguable:

FORMAL = TUXEDO

SEMI-FORMAL = SUIT WITH TIE OR DECENT SPORTCOAT AND SLACKS WITH TIE

Does one have to adhere to these guidelines? No , the Disney requests are just that -- requests. However, if one cares about being tasteful and "in vogue" on these nights on board, I'd recommend adhering.

 

[ruvidu]

I opted for a new black suit last year. On formal night I wore it with a white shirt and tie. On semi-formal night I wore the same suit with a gray shirt and tie. I also took a pair of kacki slacks and blue blazer for other eveings.
I think the suit cost me about $150 last year and I still have it for this year's cruise.
I think what I wore was in the majority. There was some Hawian flowerdy shirts and some golf shirts. There were a lot more suits than there were tuxs so the tux wasn't in Vogue.

There are lots of opinions on this subject and you will probably see most of them.
Enjoy, look the best you can and don't sweat it.

 

[Mtdewbuzz]

This thread has been a big help! I liked the idea of just switching shirts & ties! I think that's what I'll do. I already have a dark suit to wear, so all I need is one new shirt & one new tie. I'll take one of those dry cleaning things that you use in the dryer too in case anything happens to my suit the first night.

I think I'm booking Palo's on the formal night to kill two birds with one stone too.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Disney Cruise Line suggests "formal" and "semi-formal" -- but doesn't supply definitions.

I recall reading years ago that "formal" and "semi-formal" properly refer to different kinds of tuxedos. Now, I really don't think that anyone brings two different tuxedos.

Through the magic of Google, I found "Cracking the Dress Code" at http://www.modernman.com/clothes/59-1.html -- here's how this site defines the terms:

"EVENING FORMAL: (The Opera, charity ball) White tie and tails (black tailcoat), black
trousers with two satin seams on the outside leg, white pique vest, white bow tie,
white kid gloves, white boutonniere, black top hat, white silk scarf, black or gold
cufflinks and studs."

"EVENING SEMI-FORMAL: (weddings, theatre opening nights) Black dinner jacket or
white in summer (tuxedo), black trousers with one satin seam on the outside leg,
black vest or cummerbund, black bow tie, white silk scarf, black or gold cufflinks and
studs."

I think there was 0% compliance with those definitions on the 3/23/02 Disney Magic.

What did Horace Horsecollar do? On the "formal" and "semi-formal" nights, I wore a blue-back suit with a white shirt with french cuffs and cuff links, and shiny wingtips. I bought two new George W. Bush style neckties. No tuxedo for me. I fit right in.

At Palo, I wore a summer sportcoat, dress slacks, blue or white shirt and tie.

The sportcoat also came in handy the first few nights of the cruise when the air conditioning was set too cold. I wore it to the shows and to casual dinners.

 

[dave54]

so on the 7 day Magic (eastern) which nite is formal and which nite is semi-formal?

 

[mikeymars]

Originally posted by Horace Horsecollar
Disney Cruise Line suggests "formal" and "semi-formal" -- but doesn't supply definitions.

I recall reading years ago that "formal" and "semi-formal" properly refer to different kinds of tuxedos. Now, I really don't think that anyone brings two different tuxedos.

Through the magic of Google, I found "Cracking the Dress Code" at http://www.modernman.com/clothes/59-1.html --

Great link, but if one drills into the details in it, they specifically refer to these definitions only as they apply to dress for a wedding, not dinner or evening events on a public cruise. I sense the more "usual" definitions (ergo, the ones stated in my prior post) are in all likelyhood the ones Disney has in mind.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by mikeymars
Great link, but if one drills into the details in it, they specifically refer to these definitions only as they apply to dress for a wedding, not dinner or evening events on a public cruise. I sense the more "usual" definitions (ergo, the ones stated in my prior post) are in all likelyhood the ones Disney has in mind.

Actually, the link isn't specifically about dress for weddings. It's about how to dress properly -- truly properly -- when invitations specify attire. The part I quoted provides as examples the Opera, a charity ball, and theatre opening nights, as well as weddings. I don't doubt that the definitions at this site are how traditional etiquette perfectionists would define "formal" and "semi-formal."

Offically, a business suit (such as I wore) is considered "informal."

That said, I agree that Disney Cruise line is not really requesting that gentlemen show up looking like they just stepped out of a big budget movie about 19th century society -- complete with white kid gloves, white boutonniere, black top hat, and white silk scarf. (But if you enjoy dressing this way, go for it!)

I certainly ignored these rigid definitions.

Here's my advice for men and woman on a 7-night Disney cruise:

• If a man brings (or rents) a tux or brings a dark suit, he might as well wear it on both the formal and the semi-formal dinner nights. There's really no reason to bring a tux and a suit.
• If a woman brings two nice dresses (or suits or gowns), she'll want to wear the "dressier" one on formal night. Although my wife insisted on bringing a different dress for each of the two nights, it would not have bothered me if she had worn the same dress both nights.

 

[trishy]

According to page 65 of the DCL brochure (current):

"Aboard our Seven-Night cruise one dinner is semi-formal. Another evening requires more formal - or "black-tie-optional" attire. Tuxedo rentals are available, in advance."

I'm sure a dark blue or black suit will look wonderful. I won't frown at anyone wearing a suit instead of a tux. I won't frown at anyone for wearing the same suit twice (or more). Unless you're dressed in a sweaty tank and swim shorts, I probably wouldn't notice you anyway - maybe because I'll be too nervous about what people are saying about my attire!!! Just kidding. Have fun and keep on cruisin'

"Bond, James Bond" - Wish there were more of him for all of us!

Edited Version: The formal night is on Sunday, the semi-formal was on Thursday. Tropical night was Tuesday (yes, you can wear shorts - and boy, was it nice!) This is from Eastern itinerary - don't know yet about the Western (but can't wait to find out in July)

 

[dianthus]

We are just back from 4/13 cruise. Here's what I saw:

My DH wore his black Tux for Sunday's Formal night. About 50 to 60% wore Black Tuxes. We must have been with a very dressy bunch of people. You would not feel out of place with a dark suit, dress shirt and nice tie either. We saw many military officers in their dress blues too. They looked so nice! 10% didn't have a clue...

Thursday is semi formal night- Captain's Gala ( lobster night!) DH wore a dark suit, dress shirt and tie.The majority went the same route. About 10% of the men wore Black Tuxes, or White formal dinner jackets. Looked nice, but too dressy for that evening- IMHO. The Ship's Officer we dined with wore his dress whites. He looked very spiffy!

Dinner in Palo- Suits, or Sport Coats are appropriate. DH wore a sport jacket, dress gab pants & a nice knit polo shirt. He was very comfortable. 70% of men dressed that way- very GQ. 20% suits + ties. 10% were clueless once again...

Ladies were all over the place, but most were dressed up on Sunday. Thursday- a little less formal. Generally-15% of ladies are usually clueless, or fashion victims! I agree with Debbie in Townsville & MMouse37- a long black skirt, or dressy black pants with dressy tops works very well, + one pair of dress shoes- black! A little black dress works well on Semi Formal & Palos too.

Most little boys had oxford shirts, khakis, or dark dress pants & ties on for Formal & semi formal- few jackets, or suits. A few had Tuxes & looked so cute! Go for the black sneakers for your son. He'll hate the tie, but his feet will be comfy!

Here's another tip- Send your Tux, suit or dress to be pressed with your Steward on SAT. afternoon, right after the drill. Costs about $7.00 for a suit. Well worth it, as the irons on ship are not good & will ruin fine clothing. Your suit or dress will be back in your stateroom Sunday around 1PM. If you wait until Sunday morning, you will pay double the price to expedite it. They did a nice job pressing our clothes and we were stress free. The line for the iron seemed long when we walked by at about 5PM.

Hope this helps!

 

[tkd lisa]

Dianthus: It was neat to see that some military guys wore their dress uniforms. I work for the Navy (as a civilian) and our office does formal events every year or so. In my opinion, military dress uniforms are SOOOO much nicer looking than normal suits/formal wear.

So, any military guys out there, I'd love to see you pack your dress uniforms! Just my two-cents worth!

 

[mikeymars]

>>I agree that Disney Cruise line is not really requesting that gentlemen show up looking like they just stepped out of a big budget movie about 19th century society -- complete with white kid gloves, white boutonniere, black top hat, and white silk scarf.<<

Bingo - we are on the same page now - I just didn't want people to presume that DCL was actually expecting men to show up dressed like Fred Astaire in white tie and tails.

Probably the only thing we may still disagree on is whether to wear a tux on both the "formal" and "semi-formal" nights.

I was also on the 3/23 Magic cruise, and only wore my tux on Sunday night, as did perhaps 35-% of the other men I saw that night. Perhaps another 55-60% or so wearing either a suit or a decent coat and tie, with a tiny minority not "dressing up" at all.

On Thursday, I dressed in a jacket and tie (I didn't bring a whole suit, the tux was enough to pack). What did other men wear? It was all over the place. Perhaps another 25-30% had on a suit or coat and tie. Another 50% or so just had a jacket on, but no tie). A tiny minority -- less than 10% -- wore a tux (In fact, I only recall seeing two families at dinner where the men were in tuxes).

This didn't surprise me, given the night was labeled "semi-formal" (which again I feel to most "laymen" means "look nice, but not a tux.") This is also supported by your point of "If a woman brings two nice dresses (or suits or gowns), she'll want to wear the "dressier" one on formal night."