Some input from the pro's re: men's dress please!

[RickinNYC]

Hi gang. I'm kind of a cruising newbie with only three cruises under my belt over the past 8 years. In that span of time, I've noticed a huge difference in dress code expectations for men.

 

Although I fully support what people choose to dress and don't make judgments, i.e. jeans in the dining room at dinner, nice shorts with a polo, etc... I honestly don't care what anyone dresses like. Not my business, not my place to judge, but more so, I'm far more interested in enjoying myself and my partner's company, than whether someone deigns to bend the rules to suit their own needs. As long as it's not illegal or hurting someone (one's fashion sense doesn't count!), I don't mind, care, nor give a second glance.

 

Be that as it may, I do care about what I and my partner wear. Yes, it does come across as a bit of a double standard, I'm aware of that. But I do fully expect to follow "rules" or expectations. Never said I wasn't a complex guy.

 

So here's my conundrum. I had assumed that NCL had the standard formal night and called my cruise person asking about onboard tuxedo rentals. Mind you, the very idea of wearing a tuxedo, let alone a suit, makes me itchy from the get go, but as I said, I follow traditional expectations. I was quickly told that onboard rentals no longer exist and that I should simply dress as I see appropriate in the dining room, provided I do follow a few basic rules, i.e. no shorts at dinner, etc... she breathily and airly told me I could wear a suit, or I could wear a polo shirt/chinos, that I could "y'know... whatever."

 

Frankly, that makes things even more difficult for this guy. I want to "whatever," but "whatever" is confusing. I want someone to tell me "'whatever' but here's what it really means," nudge nudge.

 

So, here's the big question, perhaps to the guys, or to the ladies that tell your guys what to wear. What would you pack for a B2B cruise aboard the Epic? I have in mind dress shoes (for alternate dining or "dress up" nights), flip flops (poolside), sneakers (excursions), and casual shoes (for all other night time dining). Of course the obligatory chinos, polo shirts, shorts, but what about the rest.

 

Yes, I want you to validate me. Tell me "you poor fashion conscious gay New York City dweller, leave all that other nonsense at home." Tell me I only need a couple of dressier pants with a couple of button down dress shirts. Tell me to leave the life sucking ties at home, that I don't need a jacket, that suits are for business and this aint bidniz baby!.

 

Am I off track?

 

Guys, hook a brotha up. Ladies, make like Mom (or a wife in an alternate universe) and tell me what to do.

[Don Haynes]

I usually pack two pairs of Dockers shorts and one pair of Dockers slacks, while wearing another. Three pairs of boxers, three pairs of socks, one Hawaiian shirt, two Golf shirts, plus whatever shirt I am wearing, and wear a pair of Hush Puppies, very comfortable shoes. I leave my jeans at home as they are heavy to lug, and usually too warm to wear in the tropics. In summary three more shirts, pants, boxers, and socks than what i am wearing for a total of four days worth of clothing. I use the ship's laundry midweek for more days of clothing. I pack very light as I don't care to lug any more clothing. Resort casual, or smart casual is the key. I leave my suits and sports jackets at home. Like you said, this isn't business...

[Toyz711]

unless you want to wear a suit or tux..leave them at home. even with dress up nights, you see a couple of tuxes, a few suits..mostly polo shirt and nice slacks. with all the airlines restrictions and fees (baggage), more people are packing less.

for the most part: forget the dress shoes, buttoned-down dress shirts, ties and suit/tux. if you want to dress up the polo shirt, take a sport coat.

that is unless you want to dress up (like for photo ops)

[RickinNYC]

Thanks to you both!

 

So not even dress slacks, dress shirts, or ties?

 

It is perfectly acceptable to wear nicely pressed chinos, shoes, polo shirt and belt on "dress-up night" or in the specialty restaurant, eh?

[Don Haynes]

With NCL resort casual, or smart casual is welcomed in every restaurant and dining room every night... Leave your formal or semi-formal clothes at home unless you wish to dress up.

[SeaShark]

One suggestion that I always make to people wondering "what to wear/pack"...

 

 

Go to webshots (or a similar photo uploading site) and search for cruise pictures for ships from the line on which you will be sailing. Look through a few of the albums. That should give you a really good idea of the kind of clothing that people are wearing on the ship.

[RickinNYC]

Thanks again Don. And WOO HOOOO!

[RickinNYC]

One suggestion that I always make to people wondering "what to wear/pack"...

 

 

Go to webshots (or a similar photo uploading site) and search for cruise pictures for ships from the line on which you will be sailing. Look through a few of the albums. That should give you a really good idea of the kind of clothing that people are wearing on the ship.

 

That is a pretty sneaky trick. But because I like sneaky, I think that is one very awesome tip! LOL! Thanks for the heads up. Off to find pics.

[gb58]

 

It is perfectly acceptable to wear nicely pressed chinos, shoes, polo shirt and belt on "dress-up night" or in the specialty restaurant, eh?

 

 

Absolutely. And if you wear your shirt untucked, you don't even need a belt (so long as your trousers stay up on their own!!)

 

If you are dressed to your own satisfaction, and that of your partner, that's really all that matters.

[RickinNYC]

Absolutely. And if you wear your shirt untucked, you don't even need a belt (so long as your trousers stay up on their own!!)

 

If you are dressed to your own satisfaction, and that of your partner, that's really all that matters.

 

Trust me. My pants will stay firmly in place. The floor show will be provided by the Epic staff only! Then again, I do recall yanking my pants down and running through the audience the last time we played the scavenger hunt. The horror of it all.

[mousey]

Thanks to you both!

 

So not even dress slacks, dress shirts, or ties?

 

It is perfectly acceptable to wear nicely pressed chinos, shoes, polo shirt and belt on "dress-up night" or in the specialty restaurant, eh?

 

Yep! That's the beauty of NCL's do what ya like policy!:D On our recent cruise (1st week of Apr.) on NCL's Pride of America around Hawaii my DH and DS did wear nice, clean shorts and polo shirts (in the 14yr DS's case, sometimes nice new t-shirts) into both of the main dining rooms and even into the pay-to-eat steakhouse. The DH called ahead and asked if it would be okay to wear his shorts to the steakhouse because we were coming back from a late excursion and didn't want to change clothes before we ate. The response was, "No problem." That's the facts. Even on the one dress up if you want night people were dressed really casual. I don't know if the advice about looking at pictures of how other cruisers dress is the way to go. You have to do your own thing and dress how you feel comfortable. Not that we are young, the DS is 57 and I'm 64, but we don't really dress like most people our age do. We are from the West Coast where casual dress is the norm no matter how exclusive the restaurant. We only dress up when we feel like it. On other cruise lines where they request you dress for "formal night", we do dress up more, but the DH has never worn a tux and stopped wearing suits on cruises years ago. We love NCL's flexible dress code.

 

I would say if you took a couple pr. of khakis, nice dress shorts, and some collared polo-type shirts you would be fine. My DH never wore any dress shoes the whole time. We had a wonderful cruise.

 

When NCL says their dress code is casual, they mean casual.:D

[SuiteTraveler]

Rick,

We were on the Jade in Europe last year for 2 weeks. My husband wore mostly business shirts, polo shirts, slacks and he took one dark colored sports coat (which was useful because it was still quite chilly in Europe in early May.) We didn't dress up for dinner - I wore a casual maxi dress on the first "formal night" and day dresses or pants and tops the rest of the time. He wore a dress shirt and his sports coat. A very tiny number of people were dressed up on the formal nights on the ship. We mostly ate in the specialty restaurants and even there, men wore slacks and a business shirt mostly.

 

The sports coat, btw, is also good for protecting your wallet from pickpockets while on land. People in Europe dress up more than people in America. We dressed to blend in with Europeans. No white sneakers, no fanny packs, no backpacks, no warm up suits, no shorts, no t-shirts. In fact, I mostly wore dressy black clothes with some well chosen accessories (obviously costume jewelry) and my husband looked like any European businessman. We never had any problem with pick pocketing because we looked like we belonged and weren't obviously tourists.

[billys mom]

are flip flops allowed?

[2inTul]

are flip flops allowed?

 

At the pool....yes!

[garycarla]

That had to be the longest "what do guys wear" question by the OP in the 3 years I have been on this board! (just a little humor, okay?)

 

Anyways, no tux rentals cause so very very few wear them. A few more might wear a suit. And a few more wear sports coats. But, I would guess all three of those groups might amount to 20-30%, possibly less.

 

I have never taken a sport coat on an NCL cruise. I always wear button down shirts and slacks at night, and usually loafers - and that is pretty much the norm.

[HMK8273]

One word of advice - froms someone who practically dresses his partner for going on a cruise - is if you want pictures from formal night bring what you want to wear in them. Take it from someone who owns a tuxedo and hauled it to the Eastern Med cruise on the Jade thinking we would take pictures - darn thing never left the closet - due to circumstances beyond our control. We blew off the second dress up night. Our better pictures that came out with us dressed business casual/slight dressy - but no jackets, no ties - do what you wish.

 

It is easier to bring tuxedo when you drive to the port than fly - but we won't bring them ever again. Espeically after another guest thought we were part of the staff when we were dressed up. That was sort of odd - but what the heck - went with the flow.

[sparks1093]

I wear business casual at work (dress shirt and pants, no tie) and that's what I wear to dinner on the ship, except this year I decided to dress up on the dress up or not night. Made the whole family dress as this was our last family cruise together for who knows how long and I wanted a picture of everyone dressed up.

[numberguy]

Rick,

 

From a "poor [not so] fashion conscious gay Chicago dweller", here's what I wear for dinner each night: khakis and a polo.

 

Here's what I wear on a "dress up or not" night, or in Cagney's or Le Bistro: khakis and a button down shirt.

 

My partner thinks I dress too well for dinner. Because you'll be in the Caribbean, I think [almost] anything goes. (Don't anyone flame me on that--I haven't cruised the Caribbean yet.) When we were on a European/TA cruise on NCL, they did turn my hubby away from the larger MDR for wearing jeans, but they were OK for the smaller MDR. I think a lot depends on the itinerary, and the ship.

 

--Michael

[trish1c]

Rick

NCL is not NYC. Whatever really means whatever. Alas formal also means "whatever".

If you are cruising from NYC you will find more dressed up people then if your cruise leaves from elsewhere. If you cruise over New Years Eve you will find more dressed up people. Actually on the Dawn out of NYC in 2007 I think everybody was dressed to the nines for NYE, even the little kids. Other than that you really are free to dress as you please.

Last cruise on the Jewel, DH was one of only about 5 men on the whole ship in a tux. I didn't really see anybody in a suit; I saw a few sports coats but I suspect those same gentlemen wore them every other night b/c that is simply their style. DH was getting hi-fives & lots of compliments as we walked down the hall. Truth be told I was a bit jealous b/c I was afterall wearing an beaded cocktail dress but nobody commented on my attire . . . except DH, of course. ;)

[STARFISH*4]

Rick

 

 

If you are cruising from NYC you will find more dressed up people then if your cruise leaves from elsewhere. ;)

 

i didnt find that at all on my cruise on the Spirit out of NYC in Sept 08...least amount of people dressed up..and the one cruise i thought there would be MORE dressed my PC cruise last dec...again i was surprised so i think it just all depends ....

hubby takes a pair of dress slacks, shirt and tie cos we TRY to get a NICE pic at least once...he wears khakis and polos and island print shirt also jeans the rest of the time-wears loafers or his sandals and FITs right in with EVERYONE else:)

[msny]

Thanks to you both!

 

So not even dress slacks, dress shirts, or ties?

 

It is perfectly acceptable to wear nicely pressed chinos, shoes, polo shirt and belt on "dress-up night" or in the specialty restaurant, eh?

 

I think the theme is like "business casual".

 

Nice dress jeans, dockers, polo shirts, shorts, casual collar shirts.

I'd wear those to dinner minus the shorts, that would be for

on deck and excursions. A soft leather, or hush puppy shoe

and tennis shoes.

 

I plan on doing just that in Alsaka (minus the shorts) very soon.

[Duff Man]

So, here's the big question, perhaps to the guys, or to the ladies that tell your guys what to wear. What would you pack for a B2B cruise aboard the Epic? I have in mind dress shoes (for alternate dining or "dress up" nights), flip flops (poolside), sneakers (excursions), and casual shoes (for all other night time dining). Of course the obligatory chinos, polo shirts, shorts, but what about the rest.

 

 

As far as shoes, that is EXACTLY the four pairs I bring. :)

 

As for other dress, I am probably not much help because I tend to dress nicer. I have never brought jeans on a cruise. T shirsts are for the pool. I will always wear a button down shirt at dinner, but I think a nice polo with chinos works. I bring a suit or at least a sport coat & tie on "formal" nights (no tux!), as DW likes the portrait photo.

 

It sounds to me like your luggage will be packed just fine. Happy cruising! :) :cool:

[RickinNYC]

Thanks again folks! Very heartening to see the responses I admittedly wanted to see. I spent 12 years in the corporate sector so I have a LOT of suits and ties and shoes. But wearing them just gives me the heebie jeebies. I work in the non-profit sector now and I get to be pretty casual at work (insert big sigh of relief and comfort).

 

If I have to dress the part, I can, but if I can avoid, you can bet I would rather run screaming into the night than put on a monkey suit.

 

The other half is much the same way. I told him your responses and all he said was "oh thank God."

[terrymtex01]

Rick... For us, we take jeans and dockers. Jeans for daytime stuff and dockers for nighttime. Every once in a while I will sneak back to the cabin after dinner and change from my dockers to shorts or jeans for the casino, but most of the time I don't. I have never cared what others wore as long as it was clean and odor free. 8-)

 

I really never noticed that much what folks wore on any cruise until I started reading so much about it here on CC. Then I just tried to make myself remember to notice so if folks talked about it here on CC I would have an idea of what they were talking about.. LOL.

 

One night, on our last cruise, we sat at a table in the MDR and right next to us there was a table of five or six, all in old ratty jeans and tshirts. When I remembered that night to "look around and see what folks were all wearing" I noticed what they all had on. They were all very clean and neatly dressed.. just not dressed very "nice". Now I really do try to mind my business when I am out in public. I don't like to hear what folks are talking about, driving down the road I am one of those that always looks straight ahead, never into the car next to me (don't want to get shot, etc). Guess that is just the city boy in me. Well.. this group of people were a little bit loud so I could hear almost their entire conversation.. and the whole night, before and after I noticed what they were wearing, I kept thinking how neat it would have been to sit with them because they were such interesting people and had such interesting conversations. Rick, I am very much like you in I don't care what others wear. 8-)

 

 

Espeically after another guest thought we were part of the staff when we were dressed up. That was sort of odd - but what the heck - went with the flow.

 

That was cute.. thanks for sharing and giving me a chuckle.