The Ultimate Cruise Formal Night Guide is here to help you if you don’t know what to wear on a formal night on a cruise.
A formal night on a cruise is a subject that a lot of people are unsure of as it is a feature of old-style cruising that is still around.
Formal night can be the part of a cruise that you are nervous about as you don’t know what to wear. In the ultimate cruise formal night guide, I’m going to walk you through it.
I wrote about cruise formal nights last year, but I have been asked a lot again through emails and Facebook messages about this subject, so here is an updated version.
Cruise formal nights are something I go to more than the average cruiser, being a travelling wife of a cruise ship officer. (Read more about my cruising life on my About page).
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I average around 2 formal nights a week over 3/4 months, twice a year so approximately 60 formal nights a year. I spend two months of my life all dressed up!
Most cruise lines have at least one or two formal nights on a seven-day cruise, more on longer cruises. Just check the information on your cruise itinerary with the cruise line you are sailing on.
If you like dressing up or never get the chance at home this is your chance to dress to impress. But if you are a little unsure this will guide you whether it is your first cruise or you have not cruised for a while.
The ultimate cruise formal night guide will guide you on what you can wear on a cruise formal night, so you can enjoy the night and not worry.
The Ultimate Cruise Formal Night Guide
Cruise Formal Night Guidelines
Each cruise line has its formal night guidelines, which normally sound like this:
Ladies: Evening gown, cocktail dress or elegant pantsuit
Gents: Tuxedo, dark suit or dinner jacket and trousers
What Should I Wear on Formal Night?
So you have read the guidelines but are still unsure, what really is acceptable?
For men, a tuxedo or suit is the best option and it can be worn again on the second formal night.
For ladies, an evening gown or cocktail dress are the best options. If you never wear dresses and prefer trousers wear trousers with an elegant top/blouse that looks fancier than a smart casual night.
What to Never Wear on a Cruise Formal Night
The formal nights are nights to dress to impress and look gorgeous, so make the effort and enjoy the evening.
What you should never wear on a formal is jeans, shorts, leggings, trainers/sports shoes, flip flops, beach attire, tees, polo shirts, gym clothes, and casual outfits.
If you are going to wear these types of clothes and not take part in the formal night you will not be able to dine in some parts of the ship, so do not be surprised when you are turned away.
What do I Wear on Formal Nights?
Usually, I bring three formal dresses with me and I rotate them. Sometimes I will wear the same dress twice and no one notices. So if you want to just bring one formal dress, do it!
I prefer cocktail dresses as I’m short and I find it hard to buy long dresses. Also, cocktail dresses are easier to pack as they are smaller. I try to buy dresses that do not wrinkle too much when you pack them.
My Current Formal Night Outfit
My current dresses are one royal blue cocktail dress, one navy cocktail dress and one gold/pink long evening gown.
I bring one pair of shoes to go with all three dresses as that saves space in the luggage too. I bring a pair of stilettos in nude as they go with everything and I pair them with my smart casual outfits as well.
The evening bags I have are two small zip-up purses one in bronze and the other is a Kate Spade multi-coloured stripe. These two combinations work well with all my formal and casual night outfits.
CRUISE ESSENTIALS
Here are some cruising products from Amazon you may find useful on your next cruise. To see more, have a look at my Amazon shop page and click here.
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Happy Cruising!
