FORMAL Night on the Magic ..... so sad .....

[lmhall2000]

im going on my first cruise next week and i want to know if it is oke to wear 3/4 pants because im going for 2 weeks and not wanting to bring too much stuff with me

I live in those on the ship! Would not wear them to MDR on formal or semiformal, but all other nights, yes!

 

[BestDadEver]

Well I hope it didnt ruin your entire cruise for you....and how can you say it ruins it for everyone ....would not have bothered me thats for sure...I am gold as well and I do not judge people by what they are wearing....as long as they have clothes on ..... i cant blame them for they just spent umpteen thousand $$$ for a vacation and want to be comfortable while on vacation thats how i see it.

OMG I was waiting to see a post like this took 23 .

Imo I try not to worry about others in general . So long as what they do doesn't directly effect me .

I have to agree that CM would have a tough time forcing people to wear formal attire , after someone payed a lot of money to be there on vacation.

In palo I think that the rule should be strict . Being you dont have to go there.

I personal never wear a suite unless I am at a wedding , and would find packing it to be a pain . With that said I had no problem with slacks/kakis and a nice polo or button down. I actualy wore a button down with kakis , and felt a little underdressed .

The biggest problem I have with it is the last thing I want to do in a warm climate is wear paints .

 

[kerstfan1]

I live in those on the ship! Would not wear them to MDR on formal or semiformal, but all other nights, yes!

ty i will also bring some skirts but have mainly these pants

 

[BestDadEver]

Its not just on the cruise ship its everywhere. We enjoy going to the theater and that is something you use to always dress up for and now more than half the theater is in jeans and t shirts looking liked they rolled out bed.

I really don't think its the i don't want to pack it, its more they I don't care and its not what we want to do. everything is about me, not being polite or respectful.

So you want everyone to dress up every night to go to the theater . Seems like a lot of work on vacation to me, plus it's not comfortable . Also it's more of a move theater experience with all those kids . I stilll dont understand why that ruins your night

 

[BestDadEver]

My family has always dress up for formal and semi formal night, but I have never paid attention to how many were not dressing up. This year we were on the June 10th Magic cruise out of NY, we had just a semi formal night. I looked around and there were just a few people who did not dress up. I was very surprised because by reading these boards you would think that is was more than half the people not dress up. On semi formal night in our dining room only one young couple had on jeans they were with a large party who were all dresses nice.

I was on that same cruise they had a a formal and semi formal. I know cause I was upset there was another formal night , cause I just want to dress the way I want .

I noticed a few not dressed up but no one wearing a greatfull dead shirt and cutoffs .

 

[WikiWiki]

So you want everyone to dress up every night to go to the theater . Seems like a lot of work on vacation to me, plus it's not comfortable . Also it's more of a move theater experience with all those kids . I stilll dont understand why that ruins your night

She is talking about theaters not on the cruise ship, like broadway. People used to wear evening gowns to the theater, now they show up in jeans. I still dress formally and my husband wears his suit to the theater, even though we live in Tulsa and are literally the only people dressed that way under 70.

 

[Danmangto]

We were on the Alaska cruise last week. We are Gold Castaway Cay members and our whole family really looks forward to dressing up for dinner. My boys have tuxedos (they are reasonably priced on eBay). When we went to Formal Night dinner there were probably more people in BLUE JEANS than formal wear !! SO SAD !!! Lot of newbies on this cruise but come on people........can you just wear a tie and khakis ??? We were VERY disappointed. Even people with shorts on. It just ruins it for everyone (in my opinion). Go and eat at Beach Blanket if you want to wear shorts on Formal Night.

It's a Disney Cruise, not a Cunard or HAL. Only the rare minority wears a tux on a Disney formal night. It's hard to get guys to even wear a suit.
Personally I wouldn't let what others wear ruin it.

 

[Danmangto]

She is talking about theaters not on the cruise ship, like broadway. People used to wear evening gowns to the theater, now they show up in jeans. I still dress formally and my husband wears his suit to the theater, even though we live in Tulsa and are literally the only people dressed that way under 70.

Sorry to say, the last few broadway shows in NYC I've been to, know one dresses up. The opera is slightly different. In fact even high end restaurants in Manhattan, you will see people in jeans.. that is just the way it is today, whether it's good or bad.

 

[Danmangto]

Yes that is very much true. And not just the formal nights, it was on pirate night too. I felt over dressed at almost every dinner.

Yes, I even wear a suit on the semi-formal night and I"m in the rare minority. Most people didn't have jackets on.

 

[Danmangto]

Its not just on the cruise ship its everywhere. We enjoy going to the theater and that is something you use to always dress up for and now more than half the theater is in jeans and t shirts looking liked they rolled out bed.

I really don't think its the i don't want to pack it, its more they I don't care and its not what we want to do. everything is about me, not being polite or respectful.

The dress code on Disney is only for the dining rooms. On Cunard, starting at 6pm, all the public areas are supposed to follow the dress code.

 

[sambycat]

i never understand why the “non-dress up” people don’t understand how what they “do” can “affect” (if you will) the “dress up” people? i guess i do “judge” others in this situation, not about the fanciness of their clothes (and by inference their wealth or status or what not) but by their inability or choice to not follow a guideline/suggestion/rule. that’s what i think for the 8.3 seconds (or however long i’m standing behind you and your family waiting for dinner), then i don’t think about it again. it doesn’t ruin my night, but it’s probably the same annoying-ness level as apparently clothing oneself in possibly “fancy” cloths can be (gotta love spanx NOT!!!!) and yet some people feel the choice for them is to not deal with that particular annoying vacation peccadillo. which is fine.

i just always want to say in these threads that it isn’t like the “dress up” people are just spontaneously independently deciding everyone should dress up out of thin air. yes, i know DCL doesn’t fully enforce their own “guidelines”, but think about a work dress code or, heck, the speed limit! if you set it at 55, people gonna drive 70. when it’s 70, how fast do peole think they can get away with?!?

in any event, just my 0.02 and i’ve got to work on planing my outfits for the cruise now!!! woooohoooooo!!!

 

[miry]

My son and I do dress up because we think its fun and don't get the opportunity to do so in a small town. I normally buy him a tux from ebay and he uses the same pants with couple of different shirts and several different pants. I usually take two dinner dresses, a formal and a simple black dress with several different pashmina scarves. One pair of dress shoes, one pair of heels. They don't seem to take up all that much room in the suitcase.

 

[jahber]

I completely understand not wanting to dress-up on a vacation--to the beach, no less! Especially if money is tight, less baggage is a great way to save money.

On the other hand, it seems to me that Disney is trying to strike a balance between its parks on one end and a fancy old-fashioned cruise line on the other. Case in point, the ships are decorated from stem to stern in a unified Art Deco/Nouveau theme reminiscent of a Cunard ship. Cunard=super fancy.
So what's the compromise? The MDRs are fancy, like a traditional ship, and Cabanas/Topsiders is casual, like a park. We wear our shorts and flip flops to dinner, then jump into the pool--it's vacation! Seems pretty straight forward to me.

I can also see arguing that the MDRs are a major part of the cruise experience. However, and how can I say this tactfully and without sounding elitist--trust me, we are no Rockefellers!???, if you literally can't afford to follow the cruise line's guidelines, maybe it's not the best match for you? I don't travel on Regent or Crystal because a) can't afford it the cruise fare (seriously!), but also b) can't afford the dress code requirements! I'd have to buy a new one-time-use wardrobe. To me, it's like buying a house without thinking about the other details, like maintenance. Sure, I can afford the mortgage...but I can't afford lawn care, power, electricity.

This will probably be an unpopular opinion, I know. But I DO want to have a vacation that's both family-friendly and somewhat "classy." Whatever that means. Although, I do know it doesn't mean workout clothes at dinner! Ugh!

 

[johnlatte]

Weeeeell....

I'm not the biggest fan of dressing up. I know. Gasp. The horror. I know. Hear me out.

Snip

I'm with you sweetpee, I wear shorts and t's 365, I don't wear jeans, as I have found that they just aren't comfortable anymore. I do however, pack 1 pair of khakis and a nice belt that I hang up as soon as I unpack. These are my "dinner pants". That's the extent of my dressing up even on the "formal" nights. I spent 30 years in the corporate world wearing buttoned up shirts, ties, hard shoes, suits, khakis & polos etc. It's a drag and an expense that now, since I am semi-retired, I don't have to even think about. I am taking a nice jacket to wear to Remy's this time out though.

I have seen people getting turned away from Palo in jeans so don't understand what might have changed there. I also have seen quite a few young ladies wear extremely short shorts and flip flops in the MDRs. I'm not sure what that is all about, because they aren't really attractive. It doesn't ruin it for me, but I do wonder what they were thinking when they put something like that on.

Disney has to walk that fine line of not denying their paying customers access to the MDR based on their dress. But, I can understand why those that go all out get a bit upset when they see others that schlump into the MDR in shorts and t's. If my tablemates where all dressed down and we were all dressed up, I'm sure I would have great amount of fun at their expense. Maybe it would be nice for them to put something a in the pre-cruise docs or the Navigators about "how to dress" for dinner, or maybe a cute video with Mickey and crew to run on the ships channel or planning DVD about how dressing up is fun.

Anyway no matter what you wear, have a great cruise.

 

[chateau]

OMG I was waiting to see a post like this took 23 .actually 22, but stated more low key. Imo I try not to worry about others in general . So long as what they do doesn't directly effect me.

.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

As another poster mentioned, it's not that we cannot afford dress-up clothes because the money isn't my issue with it. It's the wasting of said money for clothing that gets worn barely at all.

I wish I had the luck others do at Goodwill. I often wonder because I donate nice stuff there but never seem to find anything even close to what I send in on the racks. Lol! Maybe now that we live right here next door to Houston I'll have better luck in resale shops. Where we were living was a much smaller city kinda out on its own.

Don't get me wrong, still wouldn't dream of sending my guys into the dining rooms for dinner without at least a pair of khakis and polo. I just don't see me buying or renting full-on tuxes or suits, especially for the kids.

And I want to know what y'all's trick is with hanging stuff & it de-wrinkling itself! I can carefully fold, pack in a garment bag, use spray wrinkle-release, etc. and everything still looks like its been slept in. Is it because we live in such a humid climate that the fabric behaves so differently????

 

[angelinaxox]

I have seen a big change in the way people dress in the dining room in the years I have been traveling and quite honestly I am glad that people don't get as dressed up as they used to. I remember feeling underdressed on formal nights if I was in a cocktail dress and not a gown so I used to take gowns. Packing a gown is not very convenient and I am glad that I have done my longer European cruises before they started limiting the weight allowances and number of suitcases you take on the plane. Those type of cruises tend to be fancier and you see a lot of men in tuxedos. It's just so hard to pack a lot of fancy clothes when you do a longer cruise and you have to fly.
The Disney cruise I go on next week out of NYC I don't have to fly so I don't have to worry about how much I pack as much. I just took a RCCL cruise in April and I felt overdressed in nice dresses but I really didn't care. I have never seen as many dressed down at dinner in the dining room, as I did on that cruise, except maybe an NCL cruise which I have found to be very casual.
The first night and last nights of any cruise I wear jeans due to the traveling on the first day and packing on the last night. I would be mad if they turned me away because of a snooty dress code. It's my cruise and I don't want to be told how to dress to be served in a restaurant. I am not doing a buffet. I prefer the dining room for breakfast, lunch and dinner. When I first started cruising, you went to your assigned table for all three meals and I miss that.
One more note, when I did Alaska on a Princess cruise, the nights the ship was in port, there were lots of people in jeans, including myself at the early seating for dinner because the tours would end and we had to rush to get to the dining room right from the tour to eat. So it was not practical to expect people not to be in jeans.
Just stop worrying what other people wear and have a good time on your cruise.

 

[ilovetexas]

I only read the first page or so of replies and was impressed that so many were not happy with the lack of correct dress code. I was reading a review of a P&O ship the other day and told DH that I would like to cruise with them. This is a direct quote from the Cruise Critic review page:

Adonia Dress Code

Think traditional: smart casual during the day, followed by a strict dress code at night. There are three dress codes, recently renamed and simplified by P&O Cruises across its fleet: Evening Casual on six nights out of a 14-night cruise (which, on most cruises, incorporates theme nights -- black and white, tropical, sixties or seventies); Smart, which means jacket for men (but not necessarily ties) and happens four nights out of 14; and Black Tie, on a further four nights, which is tuxedos (or dark suits) for men and posh frocks for women. Everybody tended to dress up for formal nights, although more women wore short than full length. There isn't really an option to avoid formal night, as casual dining is only offered a few nights per cruise. Room service is also a bit sad in the not overly spacious cabins -- and the offerings are fairly rudimentary.

Pictures are displayed at the entrance to each dining venue, just in case anybody needs reminding. Passengers who do not conform won't be allowed into the bars and main restaurant. The dress code comes into force from 6 p.m., which is a good idea, as the smart atmosphere isn't diluted by people still in their shorts.

While this would obviously be a bit rigid for a DCL ship (we wouldn't want the youngsters to have to stay in their suits all evening), I love the idea of returning to an era of cruising when after 6:00 p.m., everyone was dressed very nicely.

 

[auntie]

I don't think it's too much to ask to wear a collared shirt to dinner, or a pair of dress pants. Shorts, for kids are just fine. That being said, we saw plenty of people in T-shirts and jeans as well.

We sailed the Magic end of April/early May and I agree it was pretty casual. We didn't wear some of the dressier clothing we brought, as it wasn't really necessary and we would have felt over dressed. Can't say my husband was dissapointed either.
In my opinion the dining experience (other than Palo) was really more assembly line, and didn't especially lend itself to formal attire. I suspect that from the way most of the guests were dressed (more cruise casual, and jeans..than suits/tux's) they felt the same.
I think a nice and enjoyable solution for those that are looking for a more formal experience would be to reserve Palo/Remy for dining. For a small up charge you will experience a better meal, superior service and more formal atmosphere which also lends itself to more formal attire.

 

[GoofyTwinDad]

I have been on 2 dcl cruises so far. On the last cruise we dressed appropriately for each themed night. We enjoyed dressing up for cruise due to celebrating my MIL's retirement. My wife and I both agree it was too much money and work to get gussied up each evening. Our next cruise we decided we are going for the casual dining experience. I will be wearing shorts and polos most evenings. If this upsets you, remember I will be enjoying my vacation with my family and I won't be worried if you are standing in line behind me fretting about my shorts.