Clothing: The Real Scoop?

[Bakincakes]

Agree!! The only "fashion police" who might be concerned about what you wear are those who read "suggested" dress code as a "rule" and the photographers because I believe the main reason for formal nights is to generate revenue. Once you've paid for your cruise, most cruise lines generate revenue from - Booze, Bingo, Gambling, and photos. Without formal nights, that cuts out one big source of revenue.

 

I also find it interesting that the dress codes are different in the first place. After all, we are eating in the same restaurant every night! (Except that my wife, who doesn't like to dress up refuses to eat in the MDR on formal night 'cause we're breaking the rules!:D). I can understand different dress codes for McDonald's vs a 4-star restaurant, but on a cruise we're eating in the same place every night - what's the point of having different dress rules for each night???

 

 

For fun?? For something different than just eating in the same place every night?

[UandMe4Ever]

I just got of the Explorer a week ago.

I would say that 95% of the people were dressed in formal wear for dinner. By that I mean suits and ties for the men, gowns or cocktail dresses for women. I did check around where we were seated and I could not find anyone that was not dressed this way.

For smart casual and casual the dress is the same, just like other people have said --polos and slacks for men, and a variety of clothes for women. If you read the write up in the compasses, it normally says the same for smart casual and casual.

 

Please remember that most people that cruise are not on cruise critic and have never heard of cruise critic, so if they read any information it is what is sent to them by RC.

Glad to hear that! We enjoy dressing up for Formal Nights and looking nice at dinner all other nights. It's no big deal. Gotta shower and dress anyway, so why not look and feel good!

 

Can't wait for our Explorer cruise: 11/7/10 - 12 Nights from NJ to Southern Caribb. Even chose MTD for this one. Tired of eating dinner at 8:30 p.m.(too over hungry) and not getting out of the MDR till at least 10:00p.m. It Makes the evening just go to quickl and we like the 'night time" feeling.

 

Thanks for posting!

[lcguy]

It also depends on the voyage as to how people typically dress. It's been my observation that on Baltic and Med cruises, the pax are more formal and practice "smart casual" attire in the MDR. The Caribbean is a different story. The length of the cruise has a lot to do with it as well.

 

Remember, there too was a time when people would dress up to fly on an airplane. :rolleyes:

[Happy ks]

The real scoop on clothing is that you are cruising with other people just like you (for the most part). Look around while at the mall, Sunday church services, work (unless you wear a uniform) and you have it pretty much figured out. There are the unusual, eye catching people, I love seeing them, but for the most part no one is attending a fashion show. It's just real people.

 

Formal nights, people get more dressed up than they normally do (not really formal, but I don't argue the point after the last 10 years). Casual night most people clean up and wear decent clothes. During the day, people just wear what they normally do in their weekend life at home.

 

The only thing that changes is the weather, you wear more clothes in Alaska than you would in the Caribbean. So, check the weather, pack directly from your closet, or spoil yourself with a couple new outfits.

[loralei]

My only comment is if you're a first time cruiser, or have a growing family, the one nice thing about formal night is that it is a good excuse to get a good family portrait for a reasonable price.

 

You can always go to as many places as you want and get as many poses as you want and then only buy the ones you like.

 

For that reason we do dress for formal night (although this year my DH moved to a suit instead of a tux.) And it might be fun to do something closer to smart casual for a family portrait or two.

 

So my suggestion, wear (and pack) what is comfortable for you. And then bring one set of clothes that you'd like to have a family picture taken in.

[sailingawaysoon]

What's the real scoop on clothing? I am going a bit daffy with trying to plan for three adults...we're first time cruisers....so I am not sure who to believe. I understand the casual and formal nights, but what about the smart casual night in th MDR? Can my husband and adult son get away with a shirt and tie without a jacket? Can I wear a nice outfit that are dressy capris? I just think we are going to have way too much to pack...thank goodness we are driving!

I haven't read what others posted, but one recommendation I have is to bring things that you currently own that fit nicely, and also bring some things that are bigger because even when you are watching what you eat, in some cases things get tighter. I ate very well on my last cruise and I had my feet swell up from either the drinks or salt that's in the food that I did eat...I'm not sure. I've read on the boards speculations of what causes this, but I was careful and still got the water weight. It came off when we got home, but it's very uncomfortable. For me it was mainly uncomfortable when I tried wearing my dress shoes on the last formal night. I couldn't do it. I had to go w/a different pair of shoes. Have a great first cruise!

[Prof 100]

Thanks everybody!

[GSuitesailing]

Thanks everybody!

 

 

Just curious...Which ship did you choose for your first cruise?

[waterbug123]

IMHO: Nothing can ever surpass the elegance of a Military Uniform!!

 

I agree! I rarely see one on a cruise, but when I do, I really enjoy it. Another look I really like on a man on formal night is a white dinner jacket. My BF usually takes his tux and wears it for at least one of the formal nights, and I'm trying to convince him to get a dinner jacket to wear on the other formal night, just to change things up a bit.

[katiel53]

I also agree with you. You paid for your vacation and you should dress in what makes you comfortable.

 

Have a wonderful cruise and don't stress the dress!! ;)

 

My husband is most comfortable in a shirt that he has cut the sleeves off and gym shorts. Based on what you are saying, I am guessing that it's ok for him to wear these to dinner as he paid for his vacation and should dress in what makes him comfortable. Yippee!!

[starlake]

My husband is most comfortable in a shirt that he has cut the sleeves off and gym shorts. Based on what you are saying, I am guessing that it's ok for him to wear these to dinner as he paid for his vacation and should dress in what makes him comfortable. Yippee!!

 

Good one----thank you!!!!!

[lcguy]

My husband is most comfortable in a shirt that he has cut the sleeves off and gym shorts. Based on what you are saying, I am guessing that it's ok for him to wear these to dinner as he paid for his vacation and should dress in what makes him comfortable. Yippee!!

Sorry... sign in front of MDR says no shorts or tank tops....

[BallFour4]

More critics of dress are here than at sea...

 

Smart casual = be smart enough to take all casual clothes except for a coat and tie for the formal nights.

 

The balance of the evenings for men are khakis and polos, madras and Hawaiian style shirts. Sneakers are allowed at every meal, at every venue. Jeans are allowed everywhere on the ship except the dining facility on formal nights. Even then you will see some wear them.

 

I'm not sure who "they" are and what "sport casual after 6pm" is, but it has never been on a RCCL cruise since I first sailed with them in 1996, and it's not true now.

 

As others have posted, don't hesitate to return to casual clothes for the balance of the evening. The theater and casino will have those with t-shirts and shorts also.

 

 

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[bandybo]

We were on the repositioning of the Voyager (14 night cruise) recently and were not the only ones that packed according to the info provide by RCI which included several smart casual nights. We were surprised that all these were actually casual. This misrepresentation caused many to pack a lot of things that were not needed. This gets to be a pretty big deal when you have to fly home from Europe. We extended our stay and ended up dragging more luggage than was necessary around Spain and France.

 

This and the tours we booked through RCI were our only disappoints. It was a great cruise.

[Bakincakes]

We were on the repositioning of the Voyager (14 night cruise) recently and were not the only ones that packed according to the info provide by RCI which included several smart casual nights. We were surprised that all these were actually casual. This misrepresentation caused many to pack a lot of things that were not needed. This gets to be a pretty big deal when you have to fly home from Europe. We extended our stay and ended up dragging more luggage than was necessary around Spain and France.

 

This and the tours we booked through RCI were our only disappoints. It was a great cruise.

 

 

You aren't the frist person to get "stung" by this kind of thing.

 

May advice would be to drop RCI a ine and let them know that you didn't appreciate being duped by their own policy on acceptable dress aboard their ships.:)