Tell Me About Formal Night....

[ChicosWife]

Sounds like a lot of fun, no matter how formal your attire!

 

[Aanna]

Is it true that only about 25% of folks dress up for formal night, though? If that's the case, I'm going to feel like an idiot in an evening dress and asking my menfolk to wear suits. We actively avoid photos, so the photo ops are not an inducement.

I like dressing up. I do NOT like over-dressing.

<sigh>

So, if 25% of folks dress up, and, say, 25% of folks eat in shorts and flip-flops, what would be considered "average" clothing in the MDRs for Formal Night?

 

[Dug720]

Is it true that only about 25% of folks dress up for formal night, though? If that's the case, I'm going to feel like an idiot in an evening dress and asking my menfolk to wear suits. We actively avoid photos, so the photo ops are not an inducement.

I like dressing up. I do NOT like over-dressing.

<sigh>

So, if 25% of folks dress up, and, say, 25% of folks eat in shorts and flip-flops, what would be considered "average" clothing in the MDRs for Formal Night?

Resort casual.

 

[mich723]

I've been on one 7 night cruise so far and all our table mates were formally dressed for formal night. Everyone at our table was in their late 20s and early 30s. For semi-formal night, we dressed up again, but some of our table mates did not. I see everything go, but I don't bat an eye, we're all on vacation after all.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Is it true that only about 25% of folks dress up for formal night, though? If that's the case, I'm going to feel like an idiot in an evening dress and asking my menfolk to wear suits. We actively avoid photos, so the photo ops are not an inducement.

I like dressing up. I do NOT like over-dressing.

<sigh>

So, if 25% of folks dress up, and, say, 25% of folks eat in shorts and flip-flops, what would be considered "average" clothing in the MDRs for Formal Night?

I always take along my long gown for formal nights. If anyone else wears one, great, but I'm happy with what I've chosen to wear. I don't know that 25% is a good number. "Dressed up" has a large variance in clothing. It can be total long gown/tux to dress slacks with a sparkly top/shirt & tie.

My husband wears a suit for formal nights. But, usually foregoes the jacket for semi-formal night.

 

[Geomom]

We did a DCL Alaskan cruise last year. Below is our attire for formal night--I did not feel out of place at all, but I really was not paying attention to others. We don't dress up often, so it was fun to do it for a night on the cruise. For semi formal night, I wore a jersey swing dress, DD16 wore a cami fit and flare dress, and DD12 wore a black jersey dress--all from Old Navy.

 

[2-pointdoe]

This was our formal night attire on our last cruise. That is as formal as I am going to get DH

 

[jrabbit]

First cruise about 18 years ago - 4 nights on the Magic - the Only Ship in the Fleet - I wore my suit from my room to dinner then back to the room - and said Never Again!!

So now for formal and semi formal nights I wear a dress shirt and tie (usually the ties have Mickey and the Gang or other Disney characters) and slacks.

On our two week long cruises I have rented a tux and wore it on at least four evenings, usually more - got my money's worth!!

DW will wear a dress, a cocktail dress and infrequently a Blouse and Skirt.

In the time that we have been sailing with the Mouse, the number of people wearing "Real Formal Clothes" has dropped dramatically (I don't have room in my suitcase for those formal clothes). On the other hand, people dressing up for Pirates night is up to at least 75% of the passengers (hey if I leave my nice clothes at home, I will have room for all of this pirate crap)

Unfortunately, In My Opinion, all of the other "casual" nights "dress code" has really gone into the dumpster as has formal nights (yes I know that I usually am NOT dressing formally as well). People have equated "cruise casual" to be the same as "resort casual" (which they are) BUT they have also equated the WDW "Resort" middle of August Theme Park clothes as Cruise Casual as well - which it's really not.
... ... and I'm off of the soapbox

Back to "Formal" clothes
Anyone else here that that was on the August 2005 PC cruise back to Florida and the "Lady" dressed in clingy gold. Now that was ...... well ..... not quite formal but nice to look at.

 

[LSUfan4444]

what would be considered "average" clothing in the MDRs for Formal Night?

dress pants with a jacket or a suit for men, and dress or pantsuit for women

 

[LSUfan4444]

My husband wears a suit for formal nights. But, usually foregoes the jacket for semi-formal night.

Very similar to what I do...I do a suit or tux for formal night but I forego the tie on semi formal night but still wear a jacket

Formal Nights

Semi formal or optional dress up nights

 

[PlutoIsHerFav]

Our first cruise we had formal and optional dress up. For formal night we wore a suit, cocktail dress and my daughter wore a fancy dress. For dress up my husband wore a shirt and tie (no jacket) and my daughter and I were in dresses. For our most recent cruise, a 5 night, we only had optional dress up. My husband did not wear a tie or jacket this time, just a button up and dress pants. We'd participate again in a formal night if we're back on a 7 night, although it was nice not dragging that extra attire along. It was fun! There was definitely a mixture, but I'd say on both cruises we saw more people participating in the suggested attire then not. However, formal night probably wasn't as formal as when we went on Princess - just a different (more traditional) crowd!

 

[Ralph&Pam]

We don't really care what other cruisers choose tomwear, but we enjoy the opportunity to dress up a bit when on a cruise. On the seven night and longer cruises, I have taken along my tux and DW wears a fancy dress (I don't know one fancy dress from another, but it's not what she wears other nights) for formal night(s). I sometimes wear the tux again when we do Palo dinner, replacing the formal bow tie with a colorful Disney-themed regular necktie. I'm slowly amortizing the cost of the tux and accessories (purchased some 12 years ago), and we do like to get formal night pictures taken on board. For semi-formal or dress up nights, I might put on a sport coat/blazer over my polo shirt and khakis, but I routinely wear polo shirt and khakis to the MDRs, so this is not too much different. I still haven't brought myself to wear shorts to dinner on a cruise although now that I'm retired I can go entire weeks at home during the warmer weather where I'm in shorts all the time except that I put on long pants for Sunday morning churchgoing.

 

[phinz]

I've taken a tux and I've worn a Disney Aloha shirt, shorts and a nice pair of flip flops. Anymore, the only time we dress up is for Palo or Remy.

 

[saxmangeoff]

First cruise, we dressed up for formal night, but didn't quite qualify as fully formal. As others have said, you'll see the whole spectrum of formality.

For our upcoming cruise, my wife found a long gown she really liked, so we decided that I should rent a tux with a tie and vest that matches her gown. And as long as I'm going for it and going formal, I rented a tailcoat. So Goofy and I will be the guys in tails on formal night. And I'm definitely getting a picture with Goofy.

(Since I didn't go white tie, I'm technically still a notch below "all the way formal" )

p.s. That's one of the things I love about Disney. Where else can you get all dressed up and then pose for a photo with a cartoon character in tails?

 

[GPaLarry]

On Pirate night the suggest dress code is "Cruise Casual or Pirate".

I was kidding in a way. Some only wear a bandana and an eye patch...some (like me) cobble stuff together and look more like a goober than a pirate...and then there are a few who go all the way, like they got the adult BBB treatment. My son, at 6' 4" and almost 50, last year dressed like Jack Sparrow with makeup, dreadlocks, boots, etc. He was stopped by people in the hall to take photos. Then he went to the place where the "real" Jack was to go for photos and people lined up thinking he was it. I guess I would consider him formal...me, informal. Hay, you're on vacation!! Do/pack what you want.

 

[ChicosWife]

p.s. That's one of the things I love about Disney. Where else can you get all dressed up and then pose for a photo with a cartoon character in tails?

And it all seems completely normal!! LOL

 

[Rabb it]

We were on a 5 night that had formal night, we dressed up nice. I had suspenders and a bow tie But, some people opt to just wear a nice polo or something. And some people don't dress up at all lol. It's in your normal dining room, whatever is in your rotation for that night..

 

[Pandafamily]

On formal night do many men wear tuxes? Or do the majority wear a nice suit. I am try to decide which to wear.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

On formal night do many men wear tuxes? Or do the majority wear a nice suit. I am try to decide which to wear.

It seems the longer the cruise, the more formal wear is worn. My husband brought his tux on our first two 7- then 8-nts. Then our last 7-nt he just brought a suit/tie. Now he is going khakis/button down (tie only for Palo) on our upcoming 3- and 4-nts. I've heard on the longer TAs and repositioning cruises, people tend to wear more formal garb.

 

[ChicosWife]

It's hard to find formal gowns that don't seem to be too "prom".