Formal Night

[bridgetmck]

We are sailing to Alaska at the end of August. Having never done a 7-night cruise, can anyone help me decide what to bring for Formal Night? We have 2 boys, ages 7 & 5, and DH and myself. I know people say it's as formal as you want it to be, but honestly, what is the average? We have a lot of packing to do and want to keep it as minimal as possible. Also spending 3 days in Vancouver prior to boarding.
Thanks!

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Boys can really wear they like seen a few in suits, one or two in a tux most in smart pants and smart shirt.

Men mixture from Tux to Business suits, to smart pants and smart shirt and jacket.

Ladies.....anything goes.

Girls often dress up as princesses.

 

[SailingSeas]

Bridget, there really is no 'usual' on the DCL line, so that's a tough question to answer. Like Fantasy said, we've seen everything from sundresses and simple collared shirts and dress pants, on up to tuxes and gowns.

When we travel internationally, we try and pack items that will work for a few things. Don't yell at me, but my daughter found these really elegant long black beach wraps that with hair up, glittery earrings and necklace, and strappy sandals, also pass for gowns on formal night. They are of a knit material that can easily hang out. I feel bad for my son - he always has to have his stuff pressed when we get there. Guys seem to have fewer options, and you've got three to pack for.

 

[JW9DVC]

Even seen shorts and cruise casual in the MDR on formal nights. So beware.

You can also rent suits and or tuxes online for length of cruise for men.

JW

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Whilst I have seen everything, as a rule in the USA about 75% of people dress up, in Europe its more like 50%.

 

[Marthasor]

As PP's said, it's anything goes. We were on the 11 night Iceland/Norway cruise and there were people in gowns/tuxes and people in sweats. You will be served dinner regardless. I wore a maxi dress and DH and DS wore pants and a collared shirt. I would pack what you feel comfortable in

 

[RedHatDisney]

We're on your cruise! Maybe we'll meet!

 

[amanda ek]

I agree, wear whatever you will be comfortable in. my grandmother took us on many cruises as children and teenagers and dressing up for formal nights was always the worst!
on the dis cruises, i mostly see young boys in slacks/khakis and polos for formal night.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Once on formal night one man turned up in just a vest, yes underwear a vest, no shirt, and didnt cover any arms. He clearly didnt care.

 

[grantclaire]

We were on the Fantasy this past Christmas, formal night was Christmas Day. My DS15 and I wore dress pants, shirt and tie no jackets. The DW wore a skirt. The table next to us have a man in shorts and the table behind us had a man in jeans so you do not have to go all formal. The boys could where shorts no problem. Some families do dress up if they are having pictures taken. Just wear what you feel comfortable in. Have a great time!

 

[DISGRL13]

On formal night we get a family picture done with the photographers so I like to dress up a little. But we still just wear clothes that we can mix and match for other nights. So my husband wears same dress pants but a nicer button down shirt, maybe a tie, my 15 year old would wear khakis and a button down instead of a polo. Whenever possible I am all about being able to dress up or dress down outfits that can be used for double duty.

 

[seelyt2]

We're sailing the week before you . DD and I are wearing maxi skirts and pretty tops: comfortable, pretty and easy to pack. DH&DS will wear slacks or khakis with a buttoned down/collared shirt and tie. No jackets for them as packing for this trip will be hard enough! If the shirts need ironing then we'll just send them out. I understand that the service is inexpensive.

 

[Marthasor]

We're sailing the week before you . DD and I are wearing maxi skirts and pretty tops: comfortable, pretty and easy to pack. DH&DS will wear slacks or khakis with a buttoned down/collared shirt and tie. No jackets for them as packing for this trip will be hard enough! If the shirts need ironing then we'll just send them out. I understand that the service is inexpensive.

It isn't very expensive and they also have irons you can use for free in the laundry rooms!

 

[MunFam]

I think it also depends on where you are sailing...the Panama Canal Cruise we were on...just about everyone was "dressed up" and I would say a good 30-35% of the men were in tuxes, maybe more. Women had on ball gowns. I was specifically watching because there is so much debate about it on these boards. Perhaps a more casual cruise like the Bahamas would have less but I was quite impressed with the turn out of really nicely dressed people on our cruise.

 

[Peggytc]

My husband doesn't dress up much normally, so for formal night he wore a dress shirt and black pants and shoes. I think we also brought a jacket for him but most men weren't wearing them so he didn't. I wore a dress and heels that I might wear to say a holiday party or New Year's Eve type of thing. There were s few couples dressed much more formally (ball gown and tux) and many dressed less formally. I think nothing is out of place, go as formal as you like! I'm tempted to bring a more formal dress this time around... Something about dressing up and being on a cruise ship, is just romantic and nostalgic. Even though it was way before my time, I love imagining people "back in the olden days" doing the same thing don't get to experience that much in regular life nowadays, so I like feeling a little throwback! Does that make any sense? Lol I may be over-romanticizing things

 

[PrincessTrisha]

On Disney, formal night is optional. You'll see a few in Formal clothes, a lot in wedding/church attire and some in casual wear. Don't worry so much about what other people think and pack and wear what's best for your family.

 

[bridgetmck]

Thanks everyone!

 

[Sir William]

I'm one of those who like to dress up. On most cruises I take my tux, which I bought some of my wife's business functions before we even began cruising. On a couple of cruises I've worn a dress shirt with tie (with or without a sports coat), and on one cruise I wore a kilt with the jacket, tie, etc equivalent to a tux. DW brings a LBD that she wears.

For casual nights, I take two golf/polo shirts and two pairs of pants, which I alternate. Following that practice, I wear my tux for both formal and informal night so that I can justify the weight and space of taking it. One night I wear it with a cumberbund and the other night I wear it with a vest so that I get a slightly different look.

On our last cruise (7 nights in the Caribbean) I only saw 3 or 4 tuxes, and about 1-2 dozen suits, the rest of the men wore dress shirts (with or without a tie), polo shirts, and even a few aloha shirts. I've usually seen a few military uniforms but not on this particular cruise. As a general rule, the women tend to get more dressed up than the men, with LBD being most common, and children can be seen in almost anything, including princess gowns.

Bottom line: wear what you like (within good taste of course), but don't be afraid to get all gussied up if that is what you want to do. You won't be alone no matter what you do.

 

[Fuzzywuzzy]

I failed to pack a sportcoat on my last trip. On formal night I wore khakis, a dress shirt with tie and dockers. Upon getting to the table the other 2 men there were wearing polo shirts. I was the one overdressed!

 

[Grammy4Lizzy]

We were in Alaska this summer, and it was a pretty casual evening. I don't recall any ballgowns, but there were dresses and suits. More than half were just in nice clothes, not formal.