how formal is formal?

[dsmini]

going on the 7 day june 29th cruise, i was wondering how formal is formal for the 2 night?any one have answers? thanks

 

[Kaa]

You will see a broad definition of formal on the formal night. For ladies, it ranges from long gowns with sequins to what I call Sunday best. I wore a black calf-length "After Five" dress with a few beads around the neckline.

For men, you will see tuxes to pants and sport coats. My husband wore a very nice black suit for the formal night.

 

[Gramma]

We went on the 7 day cruise in March and my husband rented a tux from CruiselineFormalwear.com. The cost was $85 and we didn't have the hassle of packing a suit. They deliver everything to your room and can even make alterations if needed on board ship. It really is up to you on how formal you want to dress. Some people had tuxs and other just suits and then some people just wore shirts. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. That is an excellent night to have your pictures taken in the atrium. Have a wonderful cruise.

 

[dsmini]

thank you very much forthe reply !
i am having such a hard time with this , hubby and i love our jeans and t-shirts so not to sure about this thanks

 

[herrmfam24]

I know what you mean about the jeans...it sounds like us! it is actually fun to dress up because it gets you in the mood!

 

[dsmini]

i know its fun but hubby is not so excited about the tux! lol if you know what i mean lol lol

 

[herrmfam24]

lol! yea i know what ya mean...sounds exactly like my husband!

 

[Werner Weiss]

Originally posted by dsmini
i know its fun but hubby is not so excited about the tux! lol if you know what i mean lol lol

On the March 23, 2002, Disney Magic cruise, the majority of men did not wear a tux on the formal and semi-formal nights.

I wore a new blue-black suit, a French cuff white shirt, silver cufflinks and a new, ridiculously expensive necktie. Some dressed more formally than I did, and other less formally. Just about everybody made an effort to dress up in some way. (But, as someone on this board wrote, a few people seem to be "clueless" about appropriate attire.)

My original plan was to bring a black blazer, charcoal dress slacks, white shirt and tie for the formal nights. (I planned to wear the same blazer at Lumiere's and Palo, with different slacks and shirts, probably without a tie.) When I mentioned this plan to the Very Proper proprietor of the local men's clothing store, he shook his head and said it would be Most Inappropriate to wear a blazer to a formal dinner on a cruise ship. I'm sure he was right... but ya know what? If I had gone with my original plan I would have fit right in on the formal nights too. After all, the men's store proprietor wasn't on the cruise.

Dress up. Have fun. Don't worry about the fashion police, but make an effort to look formal.

And don't spend as much on a necktie as I did.

 

[tchrmom]

Ddsmini..........my husband is NOT looking forward to formal night! I think a dark suit is about all we can manage. I might need to check and see how I look in my little "black number". It has been a while, and control top pantyhose MAY not cut it! LOL if you can relate!

 

[4nana]

I might need to check and see how I look in my little "black number". It has been a while, and control top pantyhose
MAY not cut it! LOL if you can relate!

tchrmom...
You are too funny and yes, I can surely relate as after a few lbs. my 'LBD' may be a 'BBD'....LOL!

I read a very good thread on this very board for those who do not want to invest a fortune in formal attire - to try going to a 'Thrift Shop' or shop on Ebay. I had never been in a 'Thrift Shop' and thought... why not give it a try? Low and behold, I hit a couple and to my surprise found 2 nearly new sequin jackets for $4 each....which after cleaning will be perfect for our upcoming cruise formal! For our last cruise I really stressed over the formal and finding the perfect long blk. dress (which I never wore again). To my surprise, as other have posted, I saw everything and wondered why I had even worried!?!?
Go, enjoy, have fun and dress in whatever your best maybe

 

[tchrmom]

You have at least a while to MAKE that little black # work for you! I'm trying to figure out if that Oreck vacuum in my closet is strong enough to do liposuction! They advertise it is POWERFUL! Wouldn't THAT be a testimonial! HAHAHAHAHAHAH

 

[imgoingtodisney]

Our dining table is linked with another DISers dining table so there will be 10 of us. (3 guys, 3 ladies and 4 kids).
The other 2 guys have tuxes from E-Bay. Im planning on renting DH a tux from the cruise. For myself, I have 3 long skirts with matching tops. The long skirts are comfortable and noone knows I dont have on nylons and high heels. If I can find a silver top I will wear that with one of the long skirts on formal night.

 

[Michelemouse]

We're the ones linked to imgoingtodisney (Hi Barb!). We got both tuxes on eBay...one for $41 and one for $49. The $41 tux is beautiful and fits my father like a dream. The $49 tux is a Ralph Lauren Chaps tux and is stunning. We also got bowties ($6.50 each) and cummerbunds ($9.99 each) on eBay. The guys already have black shoes. Now all I have to get are dress shirts - which sell, new, on eBay for about $18.00. So my grand total for the entire outfit should be about $80.00 for each tux. That's less than renting one!

Oh, and we are also most definitely jeans and t-shirts people. This will be the first tux-wearing experience for my husband. And I don't see him wearing one much in the future (except maybe on the Western? hope...hope) but now he'll have one in his closet if the need ever arises.

 

[4nana]

tchrmom...
I am trying ...hehe. My son in law has lost 25 lbs in 8 wks on "The Body for Life" program. The ladies in the family are so amazed at his new body in such a short time we decided to follow suit. As encouragement he surprised us all w/the book!
I have changed my eating habits, am walking a mile every morn and doing the bowflex 20 min every evening. In 7 wks. I am minus 7" with 6 mos to go...so, maybe there is hope..LOL

 

[ducklite]

I was always taught that formal meant black tie (tux or at minimum dark suit and conservative tie) for men and formal dress or gown for women.

Semi-formal is dark suit for men, dressy dress (long or short) or formal pantsuit for women.

Personally I feel that DCL should either ditch formal night, or require formal dress in the dining rooms on that night. Other cruise lines will turn away an unappropriately attired cruiser. It comes down to setting a particular feel for the evening.

IMHO if your hosts requests a certain manner of dress, you should comply. Not complying with their requests is IMHO boorish at best. Kind of like being invited to a costume party and showing up in "regular" clothes because you didn't feel like dressing up. It just kind of puts a damper on things for the other attendees.

If you are invited to a prty in a non-smoking home, would you light up anyway? IMHO it's the same thing. If you don't want to follow the hosts requests, stay home or go to another party.

Anne

 

[Gillian]

Can anyone who has cruised both DCL and others compare the "compliance" of the cruisers with formal dress?

We have only cruised once (RCCL) and most people did dress in tuxes & long gowns on the formal night. I thought it was a lot of fun & I love the pictures of DH & I all cleaned up From what I have read here, DCL dress is a lot more mixed.

DH gets so few occassions to wear his tux that he was actually disappointed that the 4 day doesn't have a formal night!

 

[dijid]

When we cruised RCCL for our honeymoon, DH wore an olive colored suit and looked a bit under dressed for formal night (only one at our table not wearing a tux). I really wanted him in a tux for our DCL cruise and so I got one off ebay for $4.00. That's not a type - it was only $4.00 and fit him perfectly. (It had moth damage and had been repaired by the previous owner.) I was able to put the whole she-bang together for only $23 including shipping. Got my beautiful beaded dress of a clearance rack for an amazing $9. A LBD for DD at a second hand store for $4 and a vest/pant/shirt combo (with a borrowed bow tie) for DS For $6.50. I thought we looked fantastic and no one would have ever guessed we spent so little on our outfits. I had a ton of fun bargain shopping and my excitment got DH excited about wearing the tux.

I only saw two other tuxedo wearing men at dinner that night. We had the APL rotation (tons and tons of kids) and maybe that was the reason. Don't know. But, we've still got the tux and I promise to make DH wear it again.