No formal night???

[Dug720]

Just because it's not on the schedule doesn't mean you can't dress up. The way people assume that they can't dress up without a formal "formal night" confuses me greatly. As long as you're within the dress code/suggestion, dress however will make you happy!

 

[RACHEL_GB]

Chances are the Disney Jr Characters aren't well known in Europe. It also throws folks a bone who have school age children (particularly) who watch the shows and will not have an opportunity to see them. Littles cannot always patiently wait 10 minutes before Mickey's scheduled time in line, and then the extra 10 minutes for being further back. Coupling a meal with characters would at least allow them to be fed and happy while characters come by to say Hi. To keep demand for it down, they removed the popular characters that you can see any old time.

All of that said, I loved character breakfast without kids on the Magic a few years ago. Mickey and the gang came by, just like they would at Disney. We will be doing Disney Jr characters on our next cruise.

We may not be typical in my house but I would still guess Disney Jnr characters are fairly well known in the UK (probably not for the rest of Europe tho) - most families that have Sky TV will have the family package and have all the kid channels included as standard. I see Doc McStuffins merchandise all over the place. My two love Sophia (me not so much, the songs drive me mad!) and Miles from Tomorrow so I am hoping there might some appearances from Disney Jnr ones.

 

[Expatriat]

Will they continue a formal night - last time they were calling it 'dress up' - on the Fantasy?

I sail often on the Fantasy. Formal night is always FORMAL night. The front page of the Personal Navigator reads "Attire: Formal." However, they can't force anyone to wear what they suggest/recommend, so the "dressing up" is "optional" but is certainly encouraged and desired. I would expect to see less "dressing up" on any more port-intensive itinerary though.

 

[elena_n2o]

We may not be typical in my house but I would still guess Disney Jnr characters are fairly well known in the UK (probably not for the rest of Europe tho) - most families that have Sky TV will have the family package and have all the kid channels included as standard. I see Doc McStuffins merchandise all over the place. My two love Sophia (me not so much, the songs drive me mad!) and Miles from Tomorrow so I am hoping there might some appearances from Disney Jnr ones.

Same in our house, my daughter knows all the Disney Jr characters. Sofia and Jake are also present in Disneyland Paris (admittedly only in the Studios), and judging by the amount of merchandise, I think they're known well enough...

 

[disneyholic family]

you can dress up for dinner if you want to...
on several of our cruises, there were people who dressed up rather formally every single night...

 

[disneyholic family]

We may not be typical in my house but I would still guess Disney Jnr characters are fairly well known in the UK (probably not for the rest of Europe tho) - most families that have Sky TV will have the family package and have all the kid channels included as standard. I see Doc McStuffins merchandise all over the place. My two love Sophia (me not so much, the songs drive me mad!) and Miles from Tomorrow so I am hoping there might some appearances from Disney Jnr ones.

we have the disney channel here as well, but there are at least 10 other children's channels, most of which are 100% home grown..
so the (dubbed) disney channel comes in a distant last to all the others...
i don't even know why the cable company continues to pay for it, unless they get it for free...
that's probably it....disney probably gives it to the cable company here for free in an attempt to indoctrinate the kidlets...
makes sense, since we get the channel and don't have to pay extra...

 

[Bambi D.]

We've been back from our Disney cruise for two days and I miss my ship!!!!

I didn't even pack formal attire for our cruise and had originally planned to skip the dining room on that night and eat on top deck BUT our dining team begged us to come and not missed the food. When I explained that we didn't bring dress up clothes, they still insisted. He bent over to look my in the eye and said "please do not miss it ~ dress how you like"
So, we dressed like pirates on that night and paraded through the dining room. It was kind of cute and fun. Disney just wants you to have a GREAT time - so you come back. They're theory is to smile and 'not say no'. They may say "we can find you something else" or something to that effect but they are trained to avoid the word "no" as much as possible.

 

[eva]

Can someone that has taken a Med cruise this year verify this?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Can someone that has taken a Med cruise this year verify this?

Well, I don't think the Med cruises have actually started yet. I think they start in July. Until then the Magic is doing northern Europe.

 

[eva]

Well, I don't think the Med cruises have actually started yet. I think they start in July. Until then the Magic is doing northern Europe.

Thanks! Yeah, I just looked and the first Med cruise starts August 1. I'll start a thread in August to ask a few Med questions. I am wondering which terminal DCL will be at in Barcelona too.

 

[gwmort]

I've just phoned DCL and the lady pulled up both my bookings (Aug 13 and Aug 20)and this is the schedule for my two weeks so guessing all the 7 night Meds will be the same:
Saturday - Casual
Sunday - Frozen
Monday - Casual
Tuesday - Casual
Wednesday - Casual
Thursday - Pirate
Friday - Casual

a bit disappointed there's not a formal night but I reckon the majority of cruisers won't realise and we'll still dress up anyway.

Thanks for this. We are on the Aug 13 sailing too and weren't aware there was a frozen theme on it (we weer aware of the pirates).

My mother and aunt are going on the same cruise and have been hounding me about taking formal wear but we're traveling elsewhere the week before and I really don't want to lug it around. Its my first cruise but from what I've found I should be fine with khaki's and polo shirts.

 

[disneyholic family]

Thanks for this. We are on the Aug 13 sailing too and weren't aware there was a frozen theme on it (we weer aware of the pirates).

My mother and aunt are going on the same cruise and have been hounding me about taking formal wear but we're traveling elsewhere the week before and I really don't want to lug it around. Its my first cruise but from what I've found I should be fine with khaki's and polo shirts.

there's no formal this year on the med cruise....they've eliminated it..

 

[gwmort]

there's no formal this year on the med cruise....they've eliminated it..

What about palo? I read the official dress code, but am I going to feel out of place without a jacket?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

What about palo? I read the official dress code, but am I going to feel out of place without a jacket?

A jacket is not required at Palo. Although there are many who wear them.

 

[eva]

What about palo? I read the official dress code, but am I going to feel out of place without a jacket?

We did the Med cruise a few years ago and no one really dressed up much, not like the Caribbean cruises. DH wore khaki's and a button up shirt for Palo on the Med. He normally does a suit (cause I ask him to) we when go to Palo on 7 night Caribbean cruises. You will even see a lot of shorts/capris during first seating in the main dining rooms.

 

[CM Dad]

there's no formal this year on the med cruise....they've eliminated it..

I don't think they have eliminated it for all the Med cruises this summer. We are going on the 12-night and I just got email from DCL with Subject; Some Helpful Details Before You Sail!

Under Onboard party it said:
Magical stories will come to life at very special deck parties-filled with fun and surprises for everyone to enjoy. It's all hands on deck for Pirate Night with a party starring Mickey Mouse and his pals-and featuring a fireworks spectacular at sea! And don't miss the Freezing the Night Away With Anna, Elsa and Friends interactive show for a truly thrilling and chilling experience for everyone!
Under Formal Attire, it said:

Your voyage includes at least one formal evening. On these special nights, most women wear a gown or dress, and most men wear a jacket and tie. If you prefer a tuxedo, men's formalwear is available for rental during your cruise. In addition, If you'll be dining in one of our adults-only restaurants, we recommend a dress or pantsuit for women and a jacket and tie for men.
I had earlier checked with our TA and she replied "I checked with Disney and all nights are Casual except, night 2 is Formal, night 6 is Frozen Themed, night 10 is Pirate and night 11 is Semi Formal."

 

[disneyholic family]

I don't think they have eliminated it for all the Med cruises this summer. We are going on the 12-night and I just got email from DCL with Subject; Some Helpful Details Before You Sail!

Under Onboard party it said:
Magical stories will come to life at very special deck parties-filled with fun and surprises for everyone to enjoy. It's all hands on deck for Pirate Night with a party starring Mickey Mouse and his pals-and featuring a fireworks spectacular at sea! And don't miss the Freezing the Night Away With Anna, Elsa and Friends interactive show for a truly thrilling and chilling experience for everyone!
Under Formal Attire, it said:

Your voyage includes at least one formal evening. On these special nights, most women wear a gown or dress, and most men wear a jacket and tie. If you prefer a tuxedo, men's formalwear is available for rental during your cruise. In addition, If you'll be dining in one of our adults-only restaurants, we recommend a dress or pantsuit for women and a jacket and tie for men.
I had earlier checked with our TA and she replied "I checked with Disney and all nights are Casual except, night 2 is Formal, night 6 is Frozen Themed, night 10 is Pirate and night 11 is Semi Formal."

sorry - you're right - i should have specified, they've eliminated it for the 7 night med cruises..
however, for anyone who's not interested in shlepping along formal attire in their very limited luggage, there is really no need to bring anything...
i have never ever ever ever ever worn anything formal on disney, formal night or not...
and DH always wears khakis and a polo shirt to every dinner, formal or otherwise....
the dresscode on disney is suggested, not enforced....

 

[CM Dad]

sorry - you're right - i should have specified, they've eliminated it for the 7 night med cruises..
however, for anyone who's not interested in shlepping along formal attire in their very limited luggage, there is really no need to bring anything...
i have never ever ever ever ever worn anything formal on disney, formal night or not...
and DH always wears khakis and a polo shirt to every dinner, formal or otherwise....
the dresscode on disney is suggested, not enforced....

I won't be shlepping along formal attire for our cruise. I may go ahead and rent a tux, since my wife likes to get our pictures on formal night.

 

[disneyholic family]

I won't be shlepping along formal attire for our cruise. I may go ahead and rent a tux, since my wife likes to get our pictures on formal night.

and those pictures do always look lovely!! a good opportunity for family photos.....
from what i understand, the rental tuxes are quite nice....and certainly very convenient..

don't use us as an example...we live in a very informal country (as hot climate countries tend to be).....
the only time my husband has to suffer a suit at all is when he's so unfortunate as to find himself in the US or Europe at a conference (a fate he has gotten very good at avoiding)....
he did rent a tux once, when we were in the states for a wedding a few years back...
pretty amazing that the rental place had a tux in his size (those 39 inch sleeves of his are nothing to sneeze at)....
but more amazingly, they had size 15 shoes for him!!! not that they were comfortable, but he certainly doesn't have shoes that go with a tux...
so my niece-in-law (who wanted the formal wedding) was happy, and we were thrilled that the rental store in detroit (where the wedding was) was able to accommodate his rather unusual size requirements.

i suppose the nice thing about disney (and royal for that matter) is there's something for everyone....the formal and the not so much.....

 

[disneyholic family]

correction - the med cruise does have a formal night....at least they had one on the september 3rd sailing...
it was on the second night of the cruise (the sea day)...

.