The attire for the "Captain's Gala Dinner" is "black-tie optional". Do most of the men wear tuxedos? Or do most of them wear regular suits? What about children? Do they attend and what do they wear? <BR> <BR> <BR>Also, is it chilly on the boat? I am especially concerned about the dining rooms? At Disney World, we found most of the restaurants to be very cold, and we usually wore long sleeve tops and jackets or sweaters to dinner. <BR> <BR> <BR>

Sheila, Which ship are you sailing? That will have a lot to do with how many men wear a tux. As a general rule, the majority do not. I always take a sweater or evening jacket for the formal nights and take some long sleeves as it is usually cool (sometimes cold!) in the dining rooms and some of the lounges. Yes, children attend the formal nights. They would just wear a nice dressy outfit. If boys have jackets, that is great but if not I would not buy one for the cruise. A dress shirt and maybe a tie would be just fine. No shorts or Jeans though.

<BR>Knowing which cruise line would definitely help in answering your question. If Carnival, RCCL, NCL you will find more suits than tuxs. On the more upscale lines you will probably find all of men in tuxs. Either is fine. Children should be in their Sunday Best. Have a wonderful time.

I found on Royal Caribbean there were more suits than tuxes. On the Dawn Princess in January there were more tuxes thena suits

Since we mainly go NCL I can only talk about their ships.. We have found that a majority of the men wear a tux, but each cruise even on the same ship can change..the children are usually dressed in a cute dress and the boys (and I've seen them in suits and tux suprisingly) in pants a shirft and tie.. It seems to be a great opportunity to take family pictures..Some of the little girls wear gowns which I assume they have had from a wedding party...i have to admit they look adorable and seem to know it..maybe I'm just old fashioned.

If you want to look VERY nice wear a tux. If you want to look NICE wear a suit. If you want to look OK wear a jacket. If you want to look AWFUL wear none of the above. I have seen everything from shorts and jeans to tuxedos. Cruisin' AIN'T want it used to be.

I find all rooms on cruise ships to be chilly, sometimes downright COLD. I'm one of those people who frequently, but not always, needs a sweater. As far as formal nights, I agree with what the rest say that it depends on the cruiseline. On Princess you see suits, but a fair number. On Crystal you may see suits, although you can count the number of them on your fingers. However I also find that the 1st formal night is the most formal - maybe because people are excited about it, or can still fit into their clothes then. <BR>