<p>When a cruise itinerary says you will have two nights of ‘formal’ dinner wear during a seven-night cruise, and suggested ‘formal’ wear for ladies is an evening dress or cocktail dress, how many ladies will generally follow those guidelines and actually wear an evening dress or cocktail dress? Also, if suits are allowed for men, do they usually just bring one suit and two different shirts? </p>
<p>My husband did nt even take a suit. He did have a very nice sport coat, and several shirts and ties. I had some nicer dresses that I wore with jewelry and a nice sweater or jacket. I did NOT take any evening gowns or formal wear with me. I was not underdressed at all. I even wore black slacks and a silk top one night. We had three “formal” dinners. I don’t believe most cruises are as “formal” as they used to be. Just dress nicely. No flip flops…no sneakers on those formal nights.</p>
<p>I just came back from a cruise last night. Some people loved to dress up and they did. Others just wore nice dresses or cocktail attire. One suit is plenty for a man. Others who didn’t like to dress up just went to the buffet on the top deck.</p>
<p>I just wore nice slacks and a nice top. My Mum just wore a pretty dress (not an evening gown). When my husband and I and the kids went on one, h and son wore slacks and a nice shirt, daughter did wear a long dress because she happened to have one from a school dance. Some people really dressed up. It was a mixture. As Thumper said, just dress nicely, no jeans/sneakers.</p>
<p>My past cruises have been a mixed bag of some completely formal attire to very casual – even on the formal nights. I always dress up for dinner, from basic dressy to formal, because I get to wear casual everyday at home. For me, part of the fun of a cruise is the dressing up and dining “out”. But if that’s not your idea of a good time, then just dress nicley, but not formal. </p>
<p>It depends on the cruise line, and the itinerary. On Alaska cruises, for instance people are very casual, even on formal nights. On some cruise lines, such as Crystal or Regent, and especially on itineraries in Europe or trans-Atlantic both men and women tend to dress up. A really good source of all things cruise related is the other CC, Cruise Critic dot com.</p>
<p>Agree with the other posters. H opted to just pack a nice sports coat, dress shirts and ties. I brought nice slacks and several nice tops. It was fine. Some others preferred to be dressier while others were even more casual. Have a wonderful time!</p>
<p>I don’t understand why a man wouldn’t seize the opportunity to look elegant in a tux and be James Bond for a night. </p>
<p>^^True, my husband and I enjoy getting cleaned up a and dressed up. There are so few social opportunities outside of New Years Eve to glam it up abit even if that is a cocktail dress and a black suit. Although two years ago we took an Alaska cruise and my husband only brought a navy sport coat and gray flannel pants and I brought dresses that were dressier than work, but not quite cocktail. I’ve heard the Caribbean is getting even more casual and as mentioned some lines are definitely down-scale and some are more up-scale with regard to the clothing. </p>
<p>I agree with posters above that it depends on the cruise line and location. I’ve never seen ‘beachy casual’, women usually at least wear what they would wear to a dressy stage show (ie dressy slacks at minimum), and kids have more leeway, so long as they look put together. But even where most dress up, I’ve seen a bunch of the ‘travel dress’ type of gowns, the ‘packable’ long or below the knee dark sheath that people dress up with jewelry or scarves, but which they can wear to a normal restaurant dinner as well. </p>
<p>Oh, and about the two suits… there are some people, imho who are really there FOR the shipboard experience; some are older than would enjoy some of the more strenuous shore excursions, and they and some others who just enjoy it, dress to the nines. It would imho be rude to dress in such a way that they feel out of place… but I sure wouldn’t bring two suits if it were me, I’d need the packing space for more practical clothes.</p>
<p>My husband doesn’t own a tux. Buyi or renting one for a cruise is right up there with wasting money on unnecessary things. The dinners on most cruises are NOT black tie affairs. </p>
<p>I wore a beachy sundress to one of the dinners topped of with a silk jacket. It was quite fine.</p>
<p>Thanks for everyone’s input. FWIW, this is Princess Cruises. I’m asking for two reasons, really. One, I hate to pack anything more than I need to; we will be going a couple of days ahead of depart day to spend some time with my family, so I already have at least two extra days to pack for. At the tail end of the trip, I (without H) may make a side trip down to see other family before coming home, so add in another couple of days for that. Two, due to some health issues, I put on some weight in the last several months, and I’m not sure that the couple of dresses that I have would take even fit me, so I may have to go out and buy something new anyway; and if I have to do that, then I want to have an idea of what it is I need to look for. If I buy something new, then I’m likely to look for something that will be appropriate to wear to two weddings we have this summer.</p>
<p>I thinking renting makes more sense than bringing in airline luggage if a couple wants to really glam it up…and there are plenty (of tuxes) on cruises I’ve been on. Terriwtt, sounds like a perfect opportunity to find something to wear to two weddings.Im a huge fan of the Adrianna Pappell shutter pleat dresses. They can be found relatively inexpensively. They hang out after being packed and they are appropriate for weddings and a dressy dinner and they are neutral enough to bling it up or not. They come in sleeveless or with sleeves. They are classic enough that they last for years. Great wardrobe staples.</p>
<p>The type of dress you would wear to a summer wedding would be perfect, in my opinion! </p>
<p>:-), I crossposted but edited my comment to agree thumper1.</p>
<p>Why should the women “out-glam” their partners? Wear a tux and make the photographs even more memorable during those formal nights. Will most men NOT be in a tux? Yes. Will he look and feel better than most of the other men? Yes! If he wears a tux, a black bow tie is the look now, otherwise it defeats the purpose of wearing a tuxedo in the first place. A colored bow tie to match your dress is too prom-y and a long tie will look like you are wearing a suit.</p>
<p>I have several evening gowns and cocktail dresses,( Ive hosted or attended many benefits) but H doesnt own a suit.
Guess we will stick to the Alaska cruises.
He likely will look better than most of the other men regardless, and if he is comfortable, he will feel better.</p>
<p>We’ve been on four cruises over the past 12 years and the trend is definitely towards the more casual. That said I enjoy dressing up a bit but not to the point of bringing along an evening gown. Last year caribbean cruise on Princess I brought a short black dress with a scoop neck and some beading that I wore to a wedding and on the Alaska cruise I brought a navy blue jersey short dress with some ruching, three quarter sleeves, nothing fancy and easy to pack. DH brought a sport coat, dress shirt and tie. With anytime dining and different dining options, you are not likely to be seeing the same people again so I wore each dress on each of the more formal nights. It’s really more for me an issue of the shoes as you need to bring along a pair of heels or dressy flats, jewelry and an evening bag but I would certainly rather do that than opt to eat casually at a buffet or grab a hot dog or slice of pizza but I have seen people choose to do that. You can do whatever you want to do on a cruise.</p>
<p>@momofthreeboys - The last nice occasion dress I bought for a couple of weddings was an Adrianna Pappell dress in silver. Because that dress, and her style are so flattering (and comfortable), it would probably be the first place I look. Of course, I could still wear that silver dress for the cruise, then wait until later in the spring to get another one for the two weddings. That would make things much easier; and you’re right, they do pack very well! I think based on comments here, I would just take that dress, and not a second; I like that idea! And H would just take one suit and two dress shirts/ties. </p>
<p>@jshain - my H really doesn’t care much about how he looks, mostly how he feels. And he certainly won’t be comparing himself to how other men are dressed. He only has to put on a suit maybe a couple of times a year, so to him, it is very much dressing up. </p>
<p>We cruised to Alaska and H said he wouldn’t pack more than a sportscoat. I was happy and so was he. I would have been cold if I wore a short dress and was glad to have opted for nice slacks and top. </p>
<p>Princess cruises to Alaska definitely has a wide range of clothing on their formal nights, from jeans to formal attire and everything in between. Your attire sounds perfect!</p>