formal dining

[goofysgirl]

Am I the only one who doesn't think that the formal dining is such a great idea? I have two teens and one 7 year old girl to dress along with a Husband who thnks formal includes shoes and long pants. I am starting to dread going on this cruise. When we vacation we vacation, we are casual but neat. Are there any alternatives to these formal and semi formal nights? We don't want to offend those who like to dress up but I don't think I can get my husband in a tux, he wore a cut away at our wedding. I can't see buying gowns for the girls and then having to lug them with me. A disney cruise should not raise your stress level. Anyone else think the way I do?

 

[llachance]

Formal night is as formal as you want it to be - or not. Have seen anything and everything - just don't appreciate shorts on that night and saw that on our recent cruise. Actually saw people more dressed up for the semi-formal night which was strange to me. If you don't want to put long pants on then top siders buffet, plutos or room service are always options. On all nights other then the formal night and my dinner at Palos my family wore capris.....which I also saw on formal night. One boy was actually in shorts because his mom forgot to pack his pants! They didn't have any to fit him on the ship......do whatever your stress level will handle.

 

[ducklite]

Sorry, I can't agree. I ENJOY dressing up. I don't see it being at all stressful. I have a 16yo DS and my DH, both will rent tuxes which will be delivered right to the stateroom--no stress there.

If you don't want to dress up on the formal nights there are other dining options as well, including Topsiders, in room dining, and some fast food type options.

Anne

 

[gobnu]

You can sit next to me. I'll be the one in shorts. And no I won't be at Topsiders or getting room service. I am on VACATION and I will wear what I want when I want. What's next women having to wear hats and gloves, It's America the land of freedom and that includes clothing.

 

[VondaP]

We enjoy dressing up for dinner. It was the one opportunity we had to all "spiffy" up. I love the pictures we took! Now, after dinner we changed back to our "vacation" clothes and enjoyed the rest of the evening.

In all honesty, those that were not dressed up were in the minority. I do not recall seeing any shorts on either formal or semi formal nights. Actually, I did not see any shorts at any time during the dinners.

Having said that, do what makes you feel most comfortable. If you don't mind not being the "norm" then you will be fine.

We figure you have to put some clothes on anyhow, why not formal attire instead of shorts. Unless someone plans to show up naked! Just kidding.

Vonda

 

[Lisa F]

Oh boy, I come back from a weekend trip and the other topics are closed and a new one has started!

I just wanted to say that you shouldn't be intimidated by "dressing up." I don't think anyone will look down on you if your formal clothes don't rival that of royalty. If you plan on being neat and clean for dinner than it shouldn't be too much harder to be neat and clean and put on some nicer clothes. Your husband does NOT need to wear a tux and you and you girls do NOT need to wear gowns. A suit (which he can wear for both formal nights) would work for your husband, and any dress that you love and feel beautiful in would be fine for you and your daughters.

Lisa

 

[Renee']

You can sit next to me. I'll be the one in shorts. And no I won't be at Topsiders or getting room service. I am on VACATION and I will wear what I want when I want. What's next women having to wear hats and gloves, It's America the land of freedom and that includes clothing.

Would this be for formal and semiformal evenings as well? Would the formal photos also be in your plans? If so, that's an interesting strategy as far as finding your pics on the photo wall in Shutters. Hmmmm.....

You are exactly correct though. We are America. You can't dictate values, morals or class either.

 

[goofysgirl]

Okay I did not want to start a war. I dress up 5 out of 7 days for work, Hubby wears a tie everyday. The girls will get dressed up to go to dinner when we go out, but I just think that a tux and gown is a little too much. I will find a suit for Hubby I guess and the rest of us will wing it in our finer attire. I never thought of wearing shorts, but I don't want to feel like I need to wear clothes that I don't have much use for. Thanks

 

[SC Minnie]

You do not need a tux for DH or gowns for you and your DD's. I wore a black cocktail dress that I had worn to a Christmas party and fit right in. I remember seeing other women in nice 'church' or work dresses. I think it was about 1/3 gowns, 1/3 cocktail type dresses, 1/3 regular dresses. Some women even wore pantsuits and they looked great.

My DD8 loved getting dressed up- she wore her 'Christmas' church dress that was bought at WalMart.

There were many men in suits- only about a 1/3 in tuxes.

The pictures you take that evening will be absolutely beautiful and you will be glad you did not wear shorts and t-shirts.

 

[dthogue]

I am using the formal/semi-formal night as a challenge to see how nice of a dress I can find for as little money as possible.

So far I found a long black dress with a jacket at a local JC Penney's for $25.00 on clearance. It was marked down twice and had two small pulls in the jacket so they took an additional $5 off for me. It is by no means a fancy ball gown, but I'm sure it will fit in nicely.

I also purchased a fancy off-white lace dress for my 4yo at a local consignment store that specializes in wedding/pageant attire for $7.50. I plan on shopping the Christmas dress sales for my other 2 daughters to get their formal night dresses. My budget is pushed to the limit just paying for the cruise - I have to be careful on what we buy for the cruise!

Please don't stress the formal thing. I'm sure whatever you decide will be fine. Enjoy your cruise and have fun planning.

Tammy

 

[minniecarousel]

Goofysgirl - Tammy has the right idea! Try checking the consignment stores. Two of my brothers got married within a few months of each other a few years ago, and I didn't want to wear the same thing to their weddings, so off to the consignment store I went! I was very happy with my selection!
My DH does not like to dress up, but wore his summer-weight jacket to dinner on our 3-day cruises. It sounds like the guys don't need to dress up as much on the short cruises, but it also sounds like a suit or sport coat would be appropriate on the week-long cruises.
Ugh! -but don't stress about it - just don't let anyone in the family to wear shorts to dinner!

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by gobnu
You can sit next to me. I'll be the one in shorts. And no I won't be at Topsiders or getting room service. I am on VACATION and I will wear what I want when I want. What's next women having to wear hats and gloves, It's America the land of freedom and that includes clothing.

While I agree with your wanting to be comfortable while on vacation, I also feel that you should also respect fellow vacationers. If the host requests formal attire, then you should respect that request as well as those around you and wear formal attire. If you choose to not do so, ther eare other options for you. You wo'nt be going hungry.

If you really think that all meals should be eaten in shorts, then maybe you might want to rethink your vacation goals, as you might be ahpier doing something other than a DCL cruise. As others have pointed out, DCL is run by Disney, but is not a theme park.

Regretfully your attitude of "I'm going to do what I want when I want because it's my right" comes across as rather rude. It makes one wonder what else you would do because you feel like it. Throw a party in your stateroom at 2:00am? Put your towels on poolside lounge chairs at 5:00am to hold them, and then decide not to swim at all that day? If you think about it, it all boils down to the same thing...having respect for others.

Anne

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by goofysgirl
Okay I did not want to start a war. I dress up 5 out of 7 days for work, Hubby wears a tie everyday. The girls will get dressed up to go to dinner when we go out, but I just think that a tux and gown is a little too much. I will find a suit for Hubby I guess and the rest of us will wing it in our finer attire. I never thought of wearing shorts, but I don't want to feel like I need to wear clothes that I don't have much use for. Thanks

You would be fine on formal and semiformal nights putting your husband and sons in suits--they do'nt need tuxes. JC Penney's often has boys dress clothes on sale for bargain basement prices. I just picked up a set there--dress pants, shirt, tie, and vest--for my friends son for $14.99!

As far as the ladies, "Sunday best" would certainly work. Wear the same clothes that you'd wear to a wedding or funeral.

Anne

 

[Luckymommyx2]

ducklite

Well said!!! I couldn't agree with you more!!

 

[CamColt]

Here we go again!

Its only common courtesy, decency & class, in any situation, to adhere to your hosts requests. If its too tough to do so, then dont attend the event. Part of the cruise experience is the elegance of the ship and its passengers(at least for dinner). If someone doesnt want to dress appropriately, or do the alternatives, then they should rethink their plans.

Renee, good point! On our recent cruise we were in Shutters looking for our picture that was taken at Tritons. While I wasnt examining everyone, it was obvious most men were wearing jackets, or ties, and everyone looked dressed up. Then I came across one of a man in a tshirt and that one REALLY stood out. Did it bother me during dinner? No. But you can be sure my DH wouldnt be showing up like that, or at least I wouldnt be with him if he did. How embarrasing!

 

[peg2001]

Personally, we will abide by the "no shorts, no jeans" request from Disney in the dining rooms and my DDs always enjoy putting on pretty little dresses. However, I am puzzled by the concern over what other people wear. My tablemates can show up in their jammies and fuzzy slippers and as long as they are clean, neat, and polite, I wouldn't care. I am even less concerned with what people at other tables are wearing.

Does it affect your enjoyment of your meal if someone else isn't dressed to code?

Peg

 

[gobnu]

I have always wondered if it wasn't the socially inadequate people who were trying to cover their insecurities by wearing formal clothes and demanding that others do the same.

Personally, I can't see how the way anyone else dresses would affect my vacation. Someone wearing jeans and a t-shirt to a formal dinner isn't going to bother me.... why would it bother you? Is your happiness so dependent on such a trivial thing as what other people wear?

A person's behavior is more likely to bother me. After, you can put a pig in a dress... but you still have a pig, don't you?

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by peg2001
Personally, we will abide by the "no shorts, no jeans" request from Disney in the dining rooms and my DDs always enjoy putting on pretty little dresses. However, I am puzzled by the concern over what other people wear. My tablemates can show up in their jammies and fuzzy slippers and as long as they are clean, neat, and polite, I wouldn't care. I am even less concerned with what people at other tables are wearing.

Does it affect your enjoyment of your meal if someone else isn't dressed to code?

Peg

I am hoping for some wonderful photo's from the cruise, especially on formal night. So in a nutshell, yes, if I end up sitting with people who choose to dress like they are ready to clean the garage, it will affect my enjoyment.

Anne

 

[Fawn]

Of course it will not bother me nor affect my vacation no matter what the "other guy" wears to dinner.

As for me and mine, tho, we will have enough class and social decorum to abide by our host's wishes!

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by gobnu
I have always wondered if it wasn't the socially inadequate people who were trying to cover their insecurities by wearing formal clothes and demanding that others do the same.

Personally, I can't see how the way anyone else dresses would affect my vacation. Someone wearing jeans and a t-shirt to a formal dinner isn't going to bother me.... why would it bother you? Is your happiness so dependent on such a trivial thing as what other people wear?

A person's behavior is more likely to bother me. After, you can put a pig in a dress... but you still have a pig, don't you?

To me not dressing appropriately for an occaision falls into the same category of lighting up a cigarette in a non-smoking home, or using the front door instead of the side door that you've been asked to use because "you feel like it". You have been requested to do something by your host, and you should abide by their wishes or decline the invitation. Common courtesy, that's all. So I equate ignoring the hosts requests with a lack of common courtesy.

Anne