ADandBsmommy said:
I have some quick questions since we are new to cruising if someone does not mind helping me out!
I am confused on dress code for dinner. It says no tank tops - I wear a lot of shirts that are dresses but are thin sleeves,etc... Is that not ok? I really don't think I own any dresses or shirts with sleeves!
Also can someone explain formal/semi formal night to me? Do we really have to wear formal dresses? What is semi formal? And what do the kids need to wear those nights? Ahh we are going to be the lost family in the corner!
Good thing you asked here on the meet thread and not on the larger forum, as this can be a very hot topic with strong feelings on both sides of the issue. (Seriously! Do a search on formal night in the overall forum.)
On formal and semi-formal nights,
DCL requests that men wear a tux or suit, and women wear a formal gown or semi formal/cocktail gown respectively. Same for kids. That said, they don't enforce it, and you will see people in everything from a full tux and floor length gown to jeans and a t-shirt. Some on the dress up side say it ruins the experience for them to see people in regular clothes on formal night, and the people who don't want to dress up should get room service or eat at the buffet on formal night. Some who don't dress up say they're on vacation and they don't want to have to dress up.
I've always done the full formal gown on formal night and a cocktail gown on semi-formal night and made my DH bring a tux AND suit, much to his dismay, just because I rarely get a chance to dress up like that and I always found it fun. Plus, that's when they have the ship backdrop out and its nice to get a formal portrait in front of it. But I've never cared what others were wearing, outside my own family. We're all on vacation, and we all deserve to have the experience that's best for us. This cruise, I'm toning it down. I've had some health issues for the last couple of years that make sitting very uncomfortable, particularly if I'm wearing anything restrictive, and I recently injured my Achilles tendon, so heels are completely out for me. So for formal night, I'm bringing a sleeveless pants outfit that I've worn to semi-formal night on a previous cruise. And for semi, I'm bringing a dress that I've worn to weddings. Bonus is that they're both that flowy material that doesn't wrinkle, so I can roll them up in my suitcase and skip the garment bag. DH is delighted that I'm only making him bring his suit and no tux for formal/semi/Palo, but he's wondering why, when we don't have to fly, I'm suddenly okay with not bringing two extra bags. lol!
My girls will wear what they usually wear, fancy dresses. I hit up consignment shops and thrift stores and I can usually find great, fancy dresses that look brand new. I used to go to a Jessica McClintock outlet store in So Cal, but it closed last year.
When they say no tank tops, they mean like actual tank tops, not sleeveless dresses. If you have dressy tops with sheer sleeves, you'll be fine. if you want to go full on formal, it would be a tux for the men and boys, a floor length gown for adult women and teen girls, and a similar type dress for little girls. For semi formal, a suit for men and boys, and a cocktail dress for women and teen girls, a less formal dress for little girls. I've always gotten flower girl dresses for my girls. A lot of little girls also wear their princess dresses for formal or semi.
The only time they really enforce it is for Palo. They will not allow shorts or jeans, and they will turn you away. For men, they must wear either a jacket or a tie. Women should wear a nice dress or pantsuit. Dress like you would to go to a fancy restaurant for date night.
And this is all US standards. It's also completely appropriate to wear formal attire from outside the US such as a kilt or sari.
But as I said, it's up to you how far you want to take it and whatever you decide about formal and semi-formal, you will see people dressed similarly to you. So have fun with it!
