Formal Wear On Cruises?

Question

I am going on a Royal Carribean cruise, more specifically the Mariner of the Seas. How often does formal night occur and how strict are the guidelines?

Also, is dinner on the boat always assigned or does the company give you more latitude on where and who you sit with?

Answer 1

Your 7 day cruise on the Mariner will have two formal nights. The formal nights will generally be on the "at sea" days when the ship does not have a port stop, usually the second day and the fifth or sixth day.

The Formal nights mean that they REQUEST that everyone dress in formal attire, but its is not REQUIRED attire. The dress on ship will be casual all day until 6:00 PM when they REQUEST that you not wear shorts and swim wear around the ship but dress in "sports/business casual" attire. That simply means slacks/pants, skirt/Capri, and blouse or shirt with a collar like a dress shirt or a pullover with a collar. That is the minimum dress requested every evening. So on formal nights you can wear the same or put on a tux, suit and tie and the the woman a party dress or gown.

If you do not dress up on formal nights you will not be denied access to the main dining room or shows or lounges. In fact about half of the people will be walking around in sports casual after 6:00 (some even in shorts) because they have the late dinner seating. Or, like me, they go change to something comfortable after dinner and the photo.

Tables are assigned and you cannot just go sit at a different table. BUT, you can request a table for two if you want, or request a small table (seats 4 or 6) instead of a large table (seat 8 or 10). If you did not do this when you reserved your cruise you can call the cruise line and put in a request, OR, as soon as you board the ship your table number will be shown on your cruise card so go to the main dining room (there are 3 of them) and find your table and if you do not like its size or location, go to the MatreD or attendant who is there and request a table reassignment. They will accommodate you if they can. If after your first dinner there you have a problem with table mates (like they are obnoxious), go request a table change.

Answer 2

Go to the website and there is all kinds of information. a seven day cruise has two formal nights. They are fun and a great chance to have your picture taken. You can wear a short dress, a fancy formal gown, or a pair of dress pants with a nice blouse...if you don't want to dress up, there is a buffet always available on the upper decks. There are guidlines with the dining rooms such as no sandels or shorts, but check out the website and there is even a number you can call. You have an assigned table, but you can call and re-arrange it to be as big or small as you feel like sharing, there is also an exclusive restaurant at a fee that is available on most cruises for a romantic or more private diner. If you want to switch tables you might be able to.

Answer 3

Formal night usually occurs twice - within 2 or 3 days of each other. I would not recommend showing up in jeans, it looks horrible and is quite rude. If you aren't a fan of dresses or skirts, I suggest dress pants and a nice dressy shirt(especially if you're a guy - skirts are a no-no! ha ha).
Too formal is something like a prom dress - so don't wear that! I've seen it on cruises before and it just looks overdone. I'd stick with something simple yet elegant, also something that will pack well and does not crease easily.
Dinner is usually assigned at certain times and at certain tables. You are allowed to choose your dining time but the table you are at you do not choose. If you have a smaller party, you will most-likely be sitting with people you don't know. I'd suggest sitting at your given table the first night, and if you do not get along with the other people at your table, you could kindly suggest maybe moving to another table although it may come off as rude. Not too sure.
Good luck, and enjoy your cruise!

Answer 4

there are so many places to get dinner that you never have to worry about the time. in so far as apparel, you are not required to wear formal wear. you will not be turned away for any dinner so long as neither of you are in shorts. jeans are even allowed on some cruises now. i've seen some men in business dark suits / some in just dark slacks / white shirt / some where a tie / some don't . there are some that will come in a tux and a few with the tails / etc. women wear their prom dresses / bridesmaid dresses . i personally bring one black cocktail dress and i bring a black pants suit. under the pants suit you can wear a sparkly camisole . this works out great because you can wear your pants suit on the plane if you have to go back to work same day or you might wear your pants suit coming in if you have left following work. the rest of the time i wear sportwear to dinner. pack good fabrics that don't wrinkle . the simplest peices can be accessorized / necklace /earings and shoes make all the difference in making a 9-5 outfit go right to suitable evening wear . i've never felt out of place. under or over dressed. i personally get a table for 2 for cruises whenever possible. if it's not possible, we've had a great time with others. if we have tablemates, i usually inform them if we know we won't attend certain nights as a courtesy. if you do not like your tablemates for any reason , you just simply ask if you can be reassinged , tell them you prefer to sit closer to the window or want a smaller OR larger table (whatever will do the job ). do not stress about clothes. as long as it's not shorts / you should be fine. on formal night some kind of a dress for the ladies and at least dark slacks and white shirt are perfect. explain to your tablemates that you just aren't formal wear type of people / hope you don't offend them. candidly, who really cares if you do . lol. but if you detect any of them are unpleasant / just change your dinner time and/or table assignment. no worries. have a great time and don't miss formal night as the menu is usually better than the informal nights.

Answer 5

For a weeks cruise probally 2 formal nights. Yes, people dress up in tuxedos, cocktail dresses, suits & tie ect. You will be allocated a dining time, its either 7pm or 9pm. You enter allocated main dining room, and are seated with other people. I have never seen any tables ofr 2. But, if you do not wish to eat in the main dining room (which has a al a carte menu) you can allways eat in other resteraunts, with fab menu, free. (The are also specialist resteraunts too, which you pay small surcharges towards)Food is available somewhere 24 / 7 ! and its all gorgeous !

Answer 6

Formal is strict in the dinning room during formal night.
However you can always go to the buffet and wear almost anything. Just about the same food only you get it yourself and sit where you want.

Answer 7

On formal nights they are more strict but a good rule is, wear what you would on New Year's Eve. They have assigned seating and times but you can always stay casual and eat all your meals in the buffet

Answer 8

This ship is the BEST!!! I recently went on it with my friend. If you are going for a week, formal night is normally two times. Its optional to go though, but if u do go, u mush look decent. Yes, you do have assigned seating, but if u are not happy with it, on the first day before dinner time, u can talk ot them and change it. Hope I helped, i would love "best answer"!!!!

Answer 9

Its a lovely ship and the cruise is gorgeous. You could wear black slacks and a blazer. or carry a nice formal suit.
Check out www.oxemberg.com and their Facebook page for formal wear and casual wear tips. They also have a lot of semi formal trousers and shirts.

Answer 10

I went on the Mariner of the Seas June 3-10th, 2007. It's a great ship! You will love it!

There are two formal nights. Guys wear tuxes and women wear evening gowns, or long dresses. Some girls wore their prom dresses. My family did not attend the formal nights because we did not want to lug around suitbags and such on the plane. All of the people I talked with on MoS LOVED the formal nights and its food.

You will love Mariner, there is so much to do. The food is wonderful! On the other nights to dinner my mom and I just wore skirts and a nice top with heels or slides. The first night however, there is no dress code and our table mates (newlyweds) came in with flip flops, neon shorts and their "honeymoon" t-shirt.

You are randomly put with table mates, when you get your SeaPass card at check in at the pier, it tells you what dining room you are in, Top Hat and Tails, Sound of Music and Rhapsody in Blue and which table number. My family sat at a table for 6, and there are four of us, so we got two table mates from Louisiana, they were wonderful! When I was on Adventure of the Seas we were at a large table for ten. However, there are tables for two, four, five, six, eight and ten, so its totally random :)

Hope you have a blast and hope this helps!
Contact me if you have any other questions!