New dress code

[ronjo]

Just received our tickets and see in the "Setting Sail" booklet that for our 7 day cruise their is 1 formal night, 3 informal, and 3 casual. In the booklet the definition for the evening attire casual dress code is "open-neck shirts,slacks and sports outfits are appropriate". We are confused. We thought that jackets were always required for men in the main dining room. We also do not understand what is meant by "sports outfits" Could anyone who has been on a recent cruise give us an example.

[Nanatravel]

Ronjo, sounds like Siverseas is also trying to step down in their dress formality. The 3 casual nights; usually first, last and Tropical night, would just require as mentioned, nice khaki's or docker type slacks with an open neck golf or sport shirt. The sports outfits probably is their term for ladies dress; sundress, casual skirt, capri's, slacks coordinated with appropriate tops like you might wear to go to dinner at the Outback, Chilli's, family friendly local restaurants, not daytime beachwear.

 

Enjoy your vacation and packing lighter.

[duct tape]

Jackets for men are required on Informal nights, tie optional. Suit/tux on Formal night. Casual requires no jacket.

[dougburns]

As has been said on previous threads, many men wear jackets on casual nights, even though they're not required. I always wear a jacket and my lovely bride always wears a long dress, regardless of the required dress.

[lord of the seas]

I always wear a jacket on casual nights.Bare arms are not what should be seen in a restaurant in the evening.

[TLCOhio]

Jackets for men are required on Informal nights, tie optional. Suit/tux on Formal night. Casual requires no jacket.

 

Duct tape sums it up well from our experiences on the Silver Cloud earlier this month. By the last night at the casual dinner, in the Main Dining Room, virtually nobody had on a jacket or sports coat. Nobody! After 15 days, things do get more relaxed for casual nights than on just a seven-day cruise. Plus, some had packed up those sport coats by that point.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For more details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle Silver Cloud experiences:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[Keith1010]

Just received our tickets and see in the "Setting Sail" booklet that for our 7 day cruise their is 1 formal night, 3 informal, and 3 casual. In the booklet the definition for the evening attire casual dress code is "open-neck shirts,slacks and sports outfits are appropriate". We are confused. We thought that jackets were always required for men in the main dining room. We also do not understand what is meant by "sports outfits" Could anyone who has been on a recent cruise give us an example.

 

While some of us, like me, has mentioned wearing jackets in the main dining room even on casual nights they are not required or recommended and therefore many men do not wear them. The description is the same one that we had last summer.

 

Duct Tape summarized the attire perfectly.

 

Keith

[wripro]

I bet it won't be long before the one formal night is eliminated from seven day cruises. It's a sign of the times and the demographic the luxury lines are pursuing.

[dusababy]

I always wear a jacket on casual nights.Bare arms are not what should be seen in a restaurant in the evening.

 

 

As has been mentioned previously, if the servers are in a jacket the guests should be in a jacket -- if you go to Cheesecake Factory or a fast food chain -- do as the natives do.

 

Bare arms -- make me want to bear arms !!

[TLCOhio]

I bet it won't be long before the one formal night is eliminated from seven day cruises. It's a sign of the times and the demographic the luxury lines are pursuing.

 

dusababy: As has been mentioned previously, if the servers are in a jacket the guests should be in a jacket -- if you go to Cheesecake Factory or a fast food chain -- do as the natives do. Bare arms -- make me want to bear arms !!

 

If I were to place a wager, I would put my money on wripro and that realistic view of where the younger demographics and market demand are moving. At breakfast and lunch, nobody seemed to mind being very casual and being served by a staff that were dressed more formal. It worked fine at those times. Food tasted great, also, while dressed more casual and dining. From my limited experiences on Seabourn (2006), Crystal (2008) and Silversea (2010), I would guess that ultimately it will be moving to two options, the current casual and the new semi-formal (with suit or sport coat/tie).

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For more details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle Silver Cloud experiences:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[CanadianKate]

I'm on a 10 evening cruise in September in New England/Canada and we are scheduled to have 3 formal nights, 4 informal and 3 casual. That seems a lot for 10 nights if 7 nights is only having one formal night. Won't finalize my wardrobe until I get the cruise documents since, lately, they seem to be changing things at the last minute.

[Keith1010]

CanadianKate you are wise to see what the final cruise documents show.

 

Wripro/Terry, time will tell what happens. Yes, we can all speculate on this and the odds say in time things will possibly change but how fast/in what time frame along with how it is rolled out is anyones guess. For example, possibly the Italian alternate restaurant could become casual rather than informal on the formal nights.

 

I have said often I think it is important for cruise lines to differentiate themselves and the additional challenge is how to attract new business while not losing the existing base.

 

This is not easy.

 

Time will tell what happens.

 

In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy the formal nights.

 

Keith

[seagirl2002]

Luckily not all the young ones want to dress casually. I would say I still belong to the younger ones on Silverseas (I am 36) and I love to dress up for the dinners. I will take actually three long gowns for the formal nights on our cruise in October. I still prefer the "old" dress code Silversea used to have.

[lord of the seas]

I think that Silversea will have to go the same way as far as dress code as Seabourn has.No Formal nights on a seven day voyage (only eight days and above) and no formal nights in the Caribbean.Let us see.New guests on the larger ships will dictate what Silversea will do to keep all ships full.

[harbormaster]

Hi Ronjo:

We are on the 8/7 cruise with you. We also are from Maryland by the way.

My husband generally will put a sportcoat on over his collared shirt. Shirts without collars are not enough in the dining room, in our opinion, although one does see them occasionally on casual nights. Now at the pool or on deck if it is hot outside, he won't keep the sport coat on if it is casual night.

You will see men with just collared shirts on casual night. On informal night, jackets. On formal night, suits or tux. But, the only time I ever saw anyone turned away from the dining room on Silversea was on a formal night when they came in casual dress. (Wish all lines would enforce the formal dress code or do away with it. It is a sham on some lines.)

The only time I feel it is awkward is on formal nights when we choose not to dress, and eat in our room or in La Terrazza, dressed less formally. If we then want to use the "public spaces" for a drink or entertainment, I don't feel quite up to standard, so we generally don't do it.

See you onboard.

[brimary]

I'm on a 10 evening cruise in September in New England/Canada and we are scheduled to have 3 formal nights, 4 informal and 3 casual. That seems a lot for 10 nights if 7 nights is only having one formal night. Won't finalize my wardrobe until I get the cruise documents since, lately, they seem to be changing things at the last minute.

 

If it is helpful we have just received documents for Cloud commencing 3 August for 10 days and the split of nights is as you mention. Enjoy your cruise.

[jgrahamiii]

I'm curious if Silverseas has a tux rental program like they have on some bigger ships. My guess is that it would be difficult on the smaller ships, but if they did, it would save some much needed suitcase room! I've certainly seen nothing about it on their website.

 

-John

[wripro]

They do not have a tux rental option.

 

Keith, you are right. Time will tell. But it wasn't that long ago when the thought of no formal nights on Seabourn was heresy. And nothing but seven nights cruises in the Med during the summer months was unheard of on all the luxury lines. Unfortunately, "time" moves much more quickly nowadays.

[Sweetpea711423]

If it is helpful we have just received documents for Cloud commencing 3 August for 10 days and the split of nights is as you mention. Enjoy your cruise.

 

 

Brimary,

 

I'm confused. I'm going to be on the same cruise you are on (Cloud leaving August 3 from London), and I thought the material I received said that there would be 2 formal nights, 4 informal nights, and 4 casual nights. I would love it if in fact there will be 3 formal nights, but I want to make sure I'm not mispacking. (if that's a word). Could you point me in the direction of the information you have that states there will be 3 formal nights?

 

Many thanks.

[unfathomable]

They do not have a tux rental option.

In an emergency (lost luggage), the ship's tailor will attempt to stuff, er, fit a guest into a waiter's tux.

[dougburns]

IMHO if you can afford to cruise you can afford to buy a tux.

[Needhamite]

IMHO if you can afford to cruise you can afford to buy a tux.

 

For some people it isn't a matter of being able to afford a tux, it is a matter of practicality. A tux is not a "mix and match" outfit. It is a jacket, slacks, shirt, tie, cummerbund (and for some, shoes) that can only be worn together and only for a few (evening) hours of the day. If there is only one formal night in a week long cruise, that is a lot of luggage space and weight to devote to limited use wardrobe. My general rule of thumb for vacation packing is "am I going to get enough use out of an item to warrant lugging it around?" One six hour shift out of seven days doesn't meet that test. If a cruise line is going to have formal nights (which we fully enjoy) I would much rather they have several in order to justify bringing the required outfit.

Over the past few years, the cost (both in monetary and aggravation terms) of not packing light has skyrocketed.

-Peter

[Wellseasoned]

If there is only one formal night in a week long cruise, that is a lot of luggage space and weight to devote to limited use wardrobe.

 

-Peter

 

 

There is no rule against wearing the tux on a non-formal night. It might help counter some of the excessively casual dress on other nights. :D

[stevens397]

Another couple sailing on the 8/7 cruise. It is our first cruise and we are very excited. We have not received our papers yet but the online blurb said it was two formal nights. Apparently, according to Ronjo, the paperwork he received indicated only one formal night.

 

There were a host of reasons we chose Silversea but there is not question it was an incredible bargain. Yes, Regent included excursions, but it was almost $4,000 more per couple. We signed up for excursions every day and our total came to only $815! That said, I was not excited at the prospect of the formal nights. I love getting dressed up - just seemed like the Mediterranean wasn't the place for it!

 

We are going with another couple and have vacillated about whether or not to bring along formal wear or just lay low those nights. If it is, indeed, just one formal night, it doesn't make sense to me to shlep all of the stuff for only one night - means I can take an additional sports jacket! Glad I found this board.

[dougburns]

If you don't want to buy a tux then buy a dark suit, which is more than acceptable for formal nights.