dinner attire

January 19, 2004

What should a teenager (17 year old male) wear to dinner on a casual, in-formal, and formal nights. we are cruising on the ms. oosterdam on the 25 of january. it is our first cruise. we just recived our "docs" today and i have not put them down yet. :grin: :grin:

DaCruzNut · January 19, 2004

While HAL is a little more "dressy" than Carnival, NCL, etc;, cruising, in general, has become less formal.

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For a 17-year old, male, any type of slacks (Dockers, etc;) and a button sport shirt are fine for "casual" and "informal" nights. The two "formal nights" call for, a dress shirt, tie and sport jacket, at the very least, for a teenager.

JoeyandDavid · August 3, 2006

I know this thread is old ... but I must disagree with Jeff in this discussion...I believe it is important to "train" young people on the proper protocol for dressing for the occasionÃ¢â‚¬Â¦

While the advise of Dockers and a button shirt is fine for casual.. I must submit that on informal nights a sport coat and tie would suffice however on formal night the minimum should be "a suit". TUX preferred but minimum a suitÃ¢â‚¬Â¦the pre-notion that just because it is a teenager, that deviating from the "suggested dress code" sends the wrong signal that the teenager's are the exception to the rules.. And, in life that just ain't soÃ¢â‚¬Â¦.

I am sorry Jeff but IMHO life's training doesn't stop because you reach teenager status.

Am I the one thats incorrect?

respectfully

joey

Joanandjoe · August 3, 2006

I think Jeff's views are right on point. Of course, I've made my position clear: I haven't worn a tux in about 30 years, and have no intention of wearing one*; so I don't see why a teenager should wear one. (*However, if our 31 year old son ever gets married, I would most happily buy and wear a tux, and then I'd take it on cruises. LOL)

I would suggest a dark suit rather than a sports jacket for formal nights; but if 4444 doesn't own a dark suit, I wouldn't buy one just for the cruise. Joe

JohnG · August 3, 2006

My 18 year old son has been cruising for years. He enjoys, only on cruises that is, in dressing in suits and a old tuxedo of mine that doesn't fit me anymore :grin: . He looks sharp it it. Can't get him to dress much even for church at home. My 16 year old daughter loves to dress for formal night and get her photo taken. She wears prom-type dresses.

jbond · August 3, 2006

I'm not sure "train" is the right word, maybe advise or encourage. I'm not familiar with HAL, but I thought that Jeff's suggestion was OK. I think it depends on the line, the parents and the kid himself. While I don't share the "you should wear want you want attitude", I believe that you should wear what you feel comfortable wearing and make an attempt to follow the suggested dress code. I thought Jeff's suggestion was in that manner. Our grandkids love to dress up, so we encourage that. We rent a suit/tux for our grandson and my wife takes our granddaughter shopping before we cruise. We have done this since their first cruise almost 10 years ago. We are very happy that they share our enjoyment of formal nights. On our Adventure cruise, we had complete strangers asking if they could take photos of them.

This is what they looked like. http://community.webshots.com/photo/443215...032533819FUZEyF

jacketwatch · August 4, 2006

:cool: I agree with Jeff. Honestly I see this discussion on others boards too and the truth is guidelines are not strictly enforced. Some people prefer following the guidelines to the letter and some are less strict. I'm in the latter category. As along as cruise lines don't enforce it to the letter there wil be room for variation. That doesn't mean, say halter tops, cut-offs and t's on semi-formal nights however. Be sensible and appropriate. JM2C. :cool: