Formal night on fantasy

[Shadowboxerkd]

is there always a formal night? If so, how dressy is it and do the men need to dress up as well? I'm assuming it's optional?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

is there always a formal night? If so, how dressy is it and do the men need to dress up as well? I'm assuming it's optional?

Yes, formal night is a optional thing. It's usually the second night (first sea day) of a 7 night cruise.

 

[jcarwash]

You may see people in full formal wear (which means tuxedos for men) but for the most part those who dress up are wearing suits for men and dresses for women. But dressing up is entirely optional. I see it as a fun thing to do vs. something you're expected to do.

 

[Sir William]

How dressed up or not you get is totally up to you. At our table (second seating) on our last cruise we had 2 tuxes, a suit and an aloha shirt for the men, and the ladies opted for gowns, cocktail dresses, and a sundress. Elsewhere, I saw men in dress shirts, with and without a tie, and polo/golf shirts, with women tending more toward cocktail dresses, but with a sprinkling of gowns, pant suits, sparkly or silk tops, etc. We also had a few who wore shorts and even a few of those in t-shirts.

Most people seem to make an effort to dress nice, but only a small percentage dress formally, and women moreso than men. Most also seemed to shift back into more casual clothing after dinner (and all the photos were done).

For semi-formal night we saw much the same, though fewer coats for the men. I wear my tux both nights to justify the space and weight in my luggage. DW wears the same dress and shoes but different jewelry.

 

[RedSox68]

We did full formal a couple of times and then were done with it. Now I just wear a dress or blouse and skirt, and my husband wears a shirt and tie, no jacket. The menus are pretty good on formal night. Also I think cabanas opens for service dinners as another option -- which would be casual dress.

 

[MickeyEarrings]

I also enjoyed seeing a good number of men and women in military dress uniforms - including a gentleman whose dress uniform included a kilt! I appreciate seeing people enjoying the opportunity to have a dressy night. You will not feel out of place if you are nicely dressed. Now, as to the man in basketball shorts and a t-shirt........

 

[Stringbean49]

My husband and son wore suits and my daughter and I wore dresses. It's not always easy packing that extra stuff but we got a great family photo that night.

 

[Disneyholic]

My husband and I both dress up for formal night. Him in a Tux and me in a formal, full length gown.

We send his tux out on the first day and have it back dry cleaned and pressed and delivered to our room for less that we pay at home to have it done. We also have them do his jackets if he takes them. They usually get pretty wrinkled on the trip down.

 

[Sir William]

I also enjoyed seeing a good number of men and women in military dress uniforms - including a gentleman whose dress uniform included a kilt! I appreciate seeing people enjoying the opportunity to have a dressy night. You will not feel out of place if you are nicely dressed. Now, as to the man in basketball shorts and a t-shirt........

DW prefers that I wear a tux on formal night, but we have an agreement that I can wear a kilt on cruises going to a Commonwealth country outside the Caribbean. So far that's only been Bemuda but we will be going to Canada this fall.

 

[RedSox68]

The best formal nights we had were in the Med and Transatlantic on our back-2-back cruises. My husband rented a tux with both a black and white jacket. He wore the white jacket for the nights in the Med (a la James Bond LOL) and the black one on the Transatlantic. My daughter and I had formal gowns, the whole bit. A lot to pack, but we had a blast and got some of our greatest pictures. That was in 2007 and that was the last time we did formal. So I'd say we did it on about 5 cruises and enjoyed it. Made for some great souvenir photos, but we just got tired of trying to pack everything.

We really enjoy going down early to the atrium and watching everyone get their pictures taken. Some of the dresses/gowns for both the women and the children are just stunning. I love when some of the men wear their kilts with the family colors.

THE most extravagant dressing we've ever seen, however, was on the Alaska cruise on HAL. The seniors were dressed out in everything from Oscar worthy gowns to amazing jewels to mink stoles. We've never seen such extravagance -- and surprisingly on an Alaskan cruise, where you would expect everyone to be more dressed down

 

[scgustafson]

DW prefers that I wear a tux on formal night, but we have an agreement that I can wear a kilt on cruises going to a Commonwealth country outside the Caribbean. So far that's only been Bemuda but we will be going to Canada this fall.

You should join us on the 12-night British Isles cruise on Disney Magic this summer. You could get a lot of mileage out of that kilt.

 

[Sir William]

You should join us on the 12-night British Isles cruise on Disney Magic this summer. You could get a lot of mileage out of that kilt.

It's on our to-do list but not this year. On our Bermuda cruise 3 of the officers were Scots, including the Food and Beverage Officer who treated me to a very fine single malt. I also had a lot of photo requests which is one reason why DW doesn't allow me to take a kilt on many cruises.