Not a fan of formal nights. I hate dressing up!

Just returned from 7 day cruise. 2 formal nights. Ordered tux and had it sent to room. Everything worked out well. After 3 cruises now, and formal on each one, from now on I will opt for just a good dark suit and tie. Although I do enjoy the formal thing I is such a hastle with the tux. Feel really bound up so to speak. Next cruise I will bring a dark suit for one of the formal nights, but will order room service on the balcony for the second formal night. Since most people enjoy casual dining for the most part, you all have the option to eat in your cabin or in one of the other restraunts on the ship.

I think it would be a lot easier if each 7- 10 day cruise was limited to one formal night. That would give the people who really enjoy formal evenings to get all decked out at least once and give the ones who do not, like myself, more of a relaxed cruise if wanting to eat all their meals in the main dining room. I also prefer the cruise lines that only require casually elegant attire. It sure makes packing luggage a lot easier.

My husband wore a sport coat without a tie to dinner each night on our NCL Sky cruise. They have freestyle dining and no formal nights. He HATES to dress up because he has to wear a suit and tie to work each day in NYC. He welcomes just a nice shirt and sport coat. He would never wear jeans etc. though...we still enjoy getting freshened up before dinner and I normally wear a casual dress or nice pantsuit. Works best for us.

NoFormal... I guess thats why its &quot;different strokes for different folks&quot;.. not all of us can afford &quot;The Yacht&quot; to cruise on.. but the Mass Market cruises must be doing something right.<BR>Everytime I read things on this forum, even with all the differences people have, it seems the Cruiselines are still going strong.<BR>Just a thought.......<BR>

I really don't like the formal nights - too much packing for the entire family (my job), not to mention the additional hassle involved in taking so much luggage with the new (Jan 1st) security procedures. We just flew for the first time this year and the lines at the airport were much, much longer than last year. The airport was a nightmare.<BR><BR>I wish Seaborn had a kid's program!

Nina, can you please elaborate on the new rules as of 1 Jan? I am flying for the first time out of Newark this Sat. I know there isn't any locked luggage allowed but what else may I be missing? I checked on the web site of the airlines and did not see any secifics. Thanks.

I meant &quot;specifics&quot;. (type error) I also meant I was flying for the first time since 03. Not for the VERY first time.

I'm not sure of the specifics of new security measures, other than they are searching checked luggage (you can no longer lock your luggage), and this seems to have slowed the check-in process considerably. They finally had check-in speeded up to pre 9-11 schedules and now were back to long lines and increased searches the way it was immediately following 9-11. Ugh!

No, my teenage son and I do not enjoy<BR>formal nights. We already feel like<BR>we're dressed up on the &quot;casual&quot; nights<BR>since we can't wear jeans and tennis<BR>shoes. After the formal night dinner,<BR>we can't get back to our room fast <BR>enough to get into some comfortable<BR>clothes for the rest of the evening.<BR>As my son said, &quot;Two hours in that<BR>monkey suit is enough!&quot;

one of the last bastions of glitz and beauty are the formal nights of cruise lines. if cruise travel doesn't continue such evenings...then what would be the attraction? one might as well go to Playa or D.R...and just lay on the beach. the glamor of las vegas disappeared when families and t-shirts arrived...so we don't go there anymore.