Optional Dress Up Night: What Do People Wear?

[HWFerry2000]

Hi,
Our family is planning a Disney Cruise for a short vacation and we were wondering what people tend to wear for the Optional Dress Up Night. Is it a variety of everything? Do men wear jackets and/or tuxes? Do women wear dresses and gowns? Any information would be helpful! Thank you!

 

[Debby7]

MY husband and SIL wear a suit or khakis and sport coat. Daughter and I wear dresses( long or short, but not considered a"gown")

 

[OKW Lover]

You'll see a wide range of "dress up" that night. Everything from "this is my clean shirt" to suits & Long dresses. Seldom do you see a tux or gown.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hi,
Our family is planning a Disney Cruise for a short vacation and we were wondering what people tend to wear for the Optional Dress Up Night. Is it a variety of everything? Do men wear jackets and/or tuxes? Do women wear dresses and gowns? Any information would be helpful! Thank you!

You'll see everything to full blown formal wear to tee shirts and shorts. DCL only "suggests" formal dress. And there are those who don't take the suggestion.

 

[CScott095]

My husband wears a dark suit and tie while my DD (12) and I wear cocktail appropriate dresses. We use the opportunity to get family photos that we use for Christmas cards!!

 

[apathetic]

If you are the kind of person who likes to dress up and get frustrated when other don't, I highly recommend you skip this night. I did 1 cruise with the "optional" night and most people were suit or shirt/tie. However, a good potion were in jeans with t-shirt and some shorts and t-shirt. It didn't bother me, but it will kill those who want there to be a true formal night. It is not a formal night and they probably should drop the optional part because it is a wide range of attire. Make it formal or cruise-casual. Putting the optional label can give people false expectations.

 

[HWFerry2000]

Thank you everyone for the replies. It sounds like a large variety of clothes are worn for the Dress Up Night. I'll probably have the guys wear tuxes and the girls wear gowns/dresses, even if we are one of the very few who do. We love an excuse to dress up and we will probably want to get family photos.

 

[Kriisikka]

It is not a formal night and they probably should drop the optional part because it is a wide range of attire. Make it formal or cruise-casual. Putting the optional label can give people false expectations.

True that, the "optional" is maybe a bit too ambiguously put. It easily stresses out those who don't want to do formal and bums out those that really put effort in it. Maybe if they would advertise more as a "good opportunity to get That Special Photo of your family in their finest" or something along those lines. Or maybe... I know it would break the rotation system completely, but maybe if one of the restaurants would have the formal and semi-formals and the others two wouldn't, then those who really want to enjoy it would get the opportunity and those who just want a normal dinner could do that without stressing out. Not the formal type myself, but I really feel for those who want to dress to the nines when there is an opportunity for it. The cruise is a very special occasion for many, after all.

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

You'll see a wide range of "dress up" that night. Everything from "this is my clean shirt" to suits & Long dresses. Seldom do you see a tux or gown.

On our cruises I never saw a gown or tux in the MDR. Don't hate....we wear shorts and nice tops. For this next cruise I broke down and bought a casual dress, DH will still wear shorts. After 32 years active duty USMC and now retired he wears what he wants to.

 

[MPS516]

We see Tux and Gown all the time. In the service we had to wear Class A to most functions, yes younger guys would complain that others would not be at our level, Captain would tell them "you can never over dress". Optional gives everyone a choice but I have never been a shorts to dining room guy. On longer cruises they have formal and semi formal nights, I enjoy both and whole family gets into the spirit of the night, reception, dinner and then dancing in the club. We don't dress for pirate night and no one chastises us so we certainly don't chastise those who choose not to par take in dress up or formal nights.

 

[Rob1872]

Resurrecting an older post for the same question. My wife and I enjoyed the tuxedo/gown for formal night and suit/fancy dress for semi-formal night last year. I was on the fence for our upcoming 4 night with the "optional dress-up night" if they meant more of the formal or semi-formal. Would love an excuse to break out my dinner dress blues (Navy equivalent to tuxedo) since I just paid $150 for a new set of mini-medals; however, I would probably feel a little uncomfortable if I didn't see ANY other tuxedo level cruisers. (I don't care if some people are in shorts; I just don't want to be the only one dressing up.

For those who have recently done the cruises with an optional dress up night, would you say that the people who participated were closer to the formal or semi-formal level of evening wear?

 

[coast2coastmickey]

I wore a black suit with dress shirt (no tie). My wife wore a knee length cocktail dress. Our little one wore a Minnie dress.

I feel we were dressed slightly above average, but it was fine, we got some nice pictures. I saw only a couple of men with ties (no tuxes), I saw some tea-length dresses on women but they weren't too fancy, and there were a ton of poofy princess dresses for the little girls, obviously.

There were also a few "clean t-shirt and clean shorts" folks but most seemed to go for something between business casual and semi formal.

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

Resurrecting an older post for the same question. My wife and I enjoyed the tuxedo/gown for formal night and suit/fancy dress for semi-formal night last year. I was on the fence for our upcoming 4 night with the "optional dress-up night" if they meant more of the formal or semi-formal. Would love an excuse to break out my dinner dress blues (Navy equivalent to tuxedo) since I just paid $150 for a new set of mini-medals; however, I would probably feel a little uncomfortable if I didn't see ANY other tuxedo level cruisers. (I don't care if some people are in shorts; I just don't want to be the only one dressing up.

For those who have recently done the cruises with an optional dress up night, would you say that the people who participated were closer to the formal or semi-formal level of evening wear?

Although I don't fit in my dinner dress blues any longer , DW and I go formal on the formal/optional dress up nights. We also go formal at Remy, though Palo I usually just wear a suit.

I still will break out the gold cummerbund, though!

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

I usually wear a cocktail dress. Husband will wear dress pants with a button down and tie. On actual formal night, we do gown/tux.

My interpretation is that people are a lot less formal on optional dress up night. I don't think I have ever seen a tuxedo - even on formal night, there are only a handful.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

Suit for me, cocktail dress for DW

 

[phinz]

I change my underwear and put on a clean pair of shorts and a nicer Aloha shirt. Same flip flops, though. I wear nice flip flops.

 

[Spiffy MacSpiff]

For optional dress-up night on our four-night Dream cruise in August, I wore a dress/heels and DH + sons wore dress pants, button-down shirts, and ties. I'd say that was pretty much in line with what most people were wearing. There were a couple of people in shorts / jeans and a fair sprinkling of men in suits and a few ladies in cocktail dresses. I saw nobody wearing a tux or a gown... but why let that stop you?

 

[remlap]

Dress how you want. I don't understand how/why some people let how "other people" are dress affect their evening. I have never seen a tux/gown on an optional dress up night on the 4 night. Not saying it doesn't happen, but it's infrequent. On the 7 night cruises with a true formal night, you'll see some, but mostly suits/semi formal dress. If you want to dress to the nines and take advantage of all of the photo backdrops, go for it. If you want to wear shorts, its July, you're in the Caribbean, and on vacation, go for it.
If you're looking for a dining room full of people dressed up, Disney is not the cruise line for you. Beyond that, you'll have a great time no matter how you dress.

 

[GoingSince1990]

Dress how you want. I don't understand how/why some people let how "other people" are dress affect their evening. I have never seen a tux/gown on an optional dress up night on the 4 night. Not saying it doesn't happen, but it's infrequent. On the 7 night cruises with a true formal night, you'll see some, but mostly suits/semi formal dress. If you want to dress to the nines and take advantage of all of the photo backdrops, go for it. If you want to wear shorts, its July, you're in the Caribbean, and on vacation, go for it.
If you're looking for a dining room full of people dressed up, Disney is not the cruise line for you. Beyond that, you'll have a great time no matter how you dress.

Yep. The word “optional” should really prepare the tux-and-gown wearers not to need a fainting couch when they see someone in shorts and a T-shirt.