Do you see men in jackets with no ties on formal night? (Century - Celebrity) How about nice pants and shirt without jackets or ties?

A friend of mine who has taken X many, many times told me that formal night with them means just that. A tux or dark suit WITH a tie is required.

sodabasil:
Maybe you were thinking of informal--just wear a jacket with tie optional.

I agree with jacketwatch on Celebrity's
formal nights.

You pants/shirt without jackets and without ties would work for casual evenings.

Jacketwatch is absolutley correct. I have cruised with Celebrity 4 times and most people are quite formal indeed. Many tuxes for the gentlemen and long dresses for the ladies.

Dining in the lido is an option.

Well, we leave from Amsterdam in a few weeks on Celebrity for 12 nts, and for formal nights, my husband is wearing a tuxedo. Formal means formal, pants & shirt are for casual nights, dress shirt w/ jacket for semi-formal nights. Really!

Its not that simple. What is accepted on "formal" nights varies among cruise lines. Its not just black or white. Really.

I'm curious to know, jacketwatch, what "formal night" means on "other" cruiselines. And I guess, conversely, if formal night is not a tie & jacket, what is considered "casual"?

The word I used Sue was "accepted" and if you have read the various threads here about this you can see where some lines are more strict about interpreting dress codes than others. On RCCL, Princess and CCL I have seen people w/o dark suits, ties, etc. being admitted in the main dining room on formal nights. Conversely X interprets this code more to the letter. I have never been on HAL though my guess is they are more strict as well though I am not positive. Conversely I am sure about what I saw and not in all cases will you see tuxes and/or dark suits with ties on formal nights. This has not been the case. In fact I do recall someone (male) w/o either a jacket or tie being admitted on the Splendour once and this was in the Med. where I though the codes would be more conservative. Thats the best I can recall. Cheers, Larry

I wore a tie to the office for 20 years. Once retired and living in Fl. I stopped wearing ties. However that all changed while sailing on the Century, I wear a tie on formal nights and enjoy doing so.

There are several cruise lines that do not ever have a formal night. There are others that don't have formal nights in certain locations (such as Alaska cruises). If someone is opposed to formal night, there are the "always country club casual" ships and you should choose one of these cruiselines. Otherwise when it says formal night, that's what it means if you plan to eat in the main dining room. For men, formal night means a dark suit and tie OR a tux. Either one is fine.

Petlover: Not all cruise lines strictly enforce formal dress on formal nights. You can be dressed less than the code prescribes and still be admitted to the main dining room.

Yes,I'm sure that there are lines where they will let you in if you're not adhering to the dress code but IMO, out of respect for others, if people don't plan to adhere to the evening's dress code I think they should eat in one of the other dining venues on the ship where every night is casual. (we've done that many a night when we just didn't feel like dressing up). To me, it is a slap in the face to those who do adhere to a formal dress code on that particular night to see a man allowed in who doesn't even have a tie or jacket on. I personally think dress codes in the main dining room should be enforced.

Petlover,

I'm with you, and for the same reason - out of deference to the other passengers, otherwise, why have a formal night?

I don't know how strictly this can be enforced - I doubt very much if a maitre d' would deny entry to a paying guest. (I am in the hotel business, and have seen that happen in a hotel dining room when a guest was not dressed appropriately. The guest reacted in a very ugly manner.)

In any event, I would imagine that the guests who choose not to comply would feel very out of place - exactly how they look!

Interestingly X spells out clearly about formal night requirements. They expect you to follow the guidelines. Period. However read what HAL has on their website inre to formal nights: "On festive formal evenings, women usually wear cocktail dresses or gowns and men usually wear business suits or tuxedos. There are approximately two formal nights per week. (Gentlemen: Although business suits or tuxedos are suggested attire for formal evenings, they are certainly not required. You are welcome to wear a jacket and tie on formal nights.) Formalwear for ladies and gentlemen can be pre-ordered for your use for the duration of your cruise. Just call Cruise Line Formalwear at 800-551-5091 to reserve and it will be ready in your stateroom when you board."
I found this on the Princess website inre to dress codes:
ONBOARD ATTIRE
Princess makes it easy to know what to pack and what to wear when you're dining onboard. There are two designations for dress codes: Smart Casual and Formal.

Smart Casual Evenings:
Passengers dress as they would for a fine restaurant at home.
• Skirts/dresses, slacks, and sweaters for ladies
• Pants and open-neck shirts for men
In the dining room, items such as cutoff T-shirts, shorts, halter tops, and jeans are not permitted; shoes must be worn at all times.

Formal Evenings:
• Evening gowns and cocktail dresses for ladies
• Tuxedo, slacks with dinner jackets, or suits for men

Princess offers formal wear rental on all cruises; this can be arranged prior to embarkation. Please review the section entitled: formal wear. See below for a general evening attire schedule.

LENGTH OF CRUISE NUMBER OF FORMAL EVENINGS NUMBER OF SMART CASUAL EVENINGS
3-6 Days 1 1-5
7-13 Days 2 5-11
14-20 Days 3 11-17
21-28 Days 4 17-24
29 Days+ 5 minimum 24+


Dress code is subject to change with the ships itinerary. The above is a general guide. The dress code suggested in the Princess Patter may vary from time to time.
Note the part about "general guide."
This I fiound on the RCCL official web site;
What are the dress codes onboard?
There are three distinct types of evenings onboard: casual, smart casual and formal. Suggested guidelines for these nights are: Casual: Sport shirts and slacks for men, sundresses or pants for women
Smart Casual: Jackets and ties for men, dresses or pantsuits for women
Formal: Suits and ties or tuxedos for men, cocktail dresses for women

3 to 4 - night cruises include one formal night and the remainder nights are casual.
5 - night cruises include one formal and the remainder nights casual.
6 - night cruises include two formal nights, one smart casual and the remainder nights casual. 7 to 9 - night cruises include two formal nights, one smart casual night and the remainder nights casual.
10 to 13-night cruises include two formal nights, two smart casual nights, and the remainder nights casual.
14+ - night cruises include three formal nights, four smart casual nights and the remainder nights casual.

Again note where its says "suggested guidelines"
It seems X is one of the few who actually says it does stricly enforce the guidelines. HAL clearly says its doesn't thought encourages you to be so dressed as does Princess and RCCL.
So if you want ALL diners in the main dining room on formal nights to indeed be formal X is your best bet.

At the very least, a dark suit with a tie. If you really want to impress your lady, a tux is just the ticket.

We were on X last fall for Alaska cruise and they were very lax about enforcing the dress code, which I did not appreciate. On formal nights there were people in the dining room in JEANS! No enforcement at all. None. Made us wonder why we drug all that dress up stuff with us - could have got by with couple pair of Levis and sweat shirts. So, regardless of above posts, X DID NOT enforce codes.

I agree with Curt. I've sailed RCCL twice and X twice.Mercury ('99?) and Zenith ('04) and I saw jeans on formal nights,cut offs on casual,and a lot of other "how are they getting away with wearing THAT" in between....kinda like the one couple at every wedding that shows up in jeans and leggings....I skipped formal night once after sunburn made me not want to dare wear pantyhose. I'm not a fan of dressing up on vacation, but I respect those who like to do so.

I agree with Petlover, Suerich68 & Curt. If you can't follow the dress code please eat at another venue. There was a young fellow (20+) on the Mercury who never dressed up & nobody said anything. The cruise line should enforce their dress codes.

luv2cruise: Sorry, I disagree. The cruise line personnel are the only ones who have the right to refuse seating to passengers based on dress codes. No one else can expect a fellow passenger to leave the main dining room once they have been allowed in. Dislike it but its not your call and it shouldn't be.

Jacketwatch,
Luv2cruise is agreeing with you. He (and I agree) think that the cruiseline should enforce the code, otherwise why have one. I don't think he plans to be the dress code police.