if not formal, what do you wear?

[lyjima07]

First cruise and don't have a clue what to expect. If it is not a formal night, what are most people wearing?

[espmass]

You'll see people in everything from "business casual" to super formal. Sometimes my husband wears a tux and I wear a formal gown and other times he opts for a suit and I wear a cocktail dress. I'm cruising with my adult daughter in a few weeks and am wearing silk slacks with a beaded shell.

[dkjretired]

You'll see people in everything from "business casual" to super formal. Sometimes my husband wears a tux and I wear a formal gown and other times he opts for a suit and I wear a cocktail dress. I'm cruising with my adult daughter in a few weeks and am wearing silk slacks with a beaded shell.

 

I agree, it really is now running a wide range of clothes. The outfit that I have seen most on men lately is sport jacket with or without tie. Although not within the official dress code nothing is said. YOu will still see many in suits and a diminishing amount of men in tuxes.

[Breezey]

On nights that are not formal, it's pretty casual in the main dining room

 

Men - Dockers and casual shirts or golf shirts for men. On our last two cruises, I found that while some men wear sport jackets with shirts and no ties, they seemed to be in the minority.

 

Women - Capris or pants with nicer tops (not t shirts). While I personally like wearing skirts or casual dresses for the comfort, on our last cruise to Alaska, if it wasnt formal night I seemed overdressed in just a skirt.

 

If you are not having dinner in the MDR then people are more casual than what I described above.

 

I remember our first cruise, spending so much time worrying about what to pack, what new clothes I needed to buy., etc. In the end I way overpacked and now know that its no big deal to wear the same outfits a couple of times or keep mixing up the tops.

 

Enjoy!

[terp4life]

I agree, it really is now running a wide range of clothes. The outfit that I have seen most on men lately is sport jacket with or without tie. Although not within the official dress code nothing is said. YOu will still see many in suits and a diminishing amount of men in tuxes.

 

You seem to always give very clear concise, honest advice without denegrating posters. Thanks for that. I see too much where I think the advice is what responders want to see, not the truth or the rules. I have read the dress code and am not familiar with the term sports shirt. Confused if they mean golf shirt or a more sporty-casual button down shirt. I am wondering, on non-formal nights, will my husband be okay with nice chino pants (pressed and slightly dressier than say dockers) and a nice polo or lacoste type golf shirt? Or would he better in a long sleeved collared shirt? He has to be dressed up every day for work, and while he has no problem dressing appropriately on formal nights, he'd like to look good, but still maintain some comfort on smart casual nights. I'll wear a dress every night, because I never get to dress up. I live in my mom unifrom of jeans and t-shirts;)

[terp4life]

Oops! Breezey answered my question while I was posting it, thanks!:)

[packedandready]

Why is this dress code a little more relaxed on the Alaska itinerary? I've noticed this in just about all "dress" discussions I've read so was just curious as to why.

[dkjretired]

You seem to always give very clear concise, honest advice without denegrating posters. Thanks for that. I see too much where I think the advice is what responders want to see, not the truth or the rules. I have read the dress code and am not familiar with the term sports shirt. Confused if they mean golf shirt or a more sporty-casual button down shirt. I am wondering, on non-formal nights, will my husband be okay with nice chino pants (pressed and slightly dressier than say dockers) and a nice polo or lacoste type golf shirt? Or would he better in a long sleeved collared shirt? He has to be dressed up every day for work, and while he has no problem dressing appropriately on formal nights, he'd like to look good, but still maintain some comfort on smart casual nights. I'll wear a dress every night, because I never get to dress up. I live in my mom unifrom of jeans and t-shirts;)

 

No problem with what you suggest, basically I think they are looking for a nice shirt with a collar, doesn't matter if it is long or short sleeve. I would bring both as sometimes the AC can be pumped up in certain areas.

[espmass]

I misread the question and thought you were asking about formal nights. Sorry. On non-formal nights I wear cotton capris or slacks with nice tops or I wear lightweight dresses. My husband wears khakis with golf shirts or casual collared cotton shirts. A sports shirt generally means a cotton shirt with a collar; basically a short sleeved dress shirt.

[QueenDido]

For non-formal nights, I tend to wear business casual or even cocktail attire. For me, dressing up is part of the fun of vacation - it is a chance to pull out all of the clothes I love and never get to wear day-to-day.

 

That said, I'm typically the most dressed up person on casual nights!

[Breezey]

Why is this dress code a little more relaxed on the Alaska itinerary? I've noticed this in just about all "dress" discussions I've read so was just curious as to why.

 

Good question. I was suprised to see that too. The guidelines are no different but I do know that the Alaska cruise we went on was very port intensive and there were many tired people at the end of the day who just wanted to relax. Guess that meant relaxing in more casual clothes like someone would do at home.

 

Plus with an Alaska cruise it's a whole different way of packing. We dragged layers of clothes, heavy socks, hats, gloves, rain gear, rain boots etc etc so the packing for the on cruise meals seemed more of a hassle (IMHO).

[eandj]

NON formal nights bring an array of outfits. Men in genereally khakis or other casual pants with polo or short sleeved casual shirts. Some Tommy Bahama type shirts.

 

Women wear capris, pants, skirts, sundresses ( when in the Carib) etc. Just a nice put together look. I always pack a pair of white and black capris and black dressier pants with an asoortment of mix and match tops. Of varying "dressiness". Depends on my mood.

Formal nights I wear cocktail dresses and the extra high heels and "jewels" :D Very few long dresses show up any more. More fancy pants outfits than long gowns. Men on formal night...majority in suit and tie. Some tuxes and sports coats.

[Redtravel]

Cruises are what you want them to be. Great excuse to buy new clothes if that's your thing. Or, bring your old stuff and just relax. I rarely bring new clothes. I've been the victim of luggage being lost. You will see everything on board. Be neat and comfortable. I like Travelers clothes form Chicos and casual clothes from LLBean. I bring an assortment of tops and a few basic bottoms...one skirt, one twill trousers, knit pants, capris, a few shorts, and a simple black dress (formal night), a sweater, a pareo. Keep the tops interesting with bright colors, and pick dark bottoms. One color usually dark like navy or black works well for bottoms. Solids work best for mixing. I wear everything more than once. Flat shoes and sandals. Suntan lotion,bathing suit, sunglasses and a hat. Some basic toiletries and costume jewelry. Pack light and use the ship's laundry. My best advice is to be yourself. Dress smartly and enjoy the cruise.

[darsam32]

Hello folks first time poster here, just wanted to say great site and the wife and I have garnered a great deal of info in the past couple of weeks.

This topic sure gets a lot of play and my thoughts are wear what you are comfortable wearing as long as it conforms to what is normally acceptable i.e sorta business casual Dockers golf shirt kinda thing, if you want to wear a suit or a jacket and a tie on formal night that should be fine.

if you feel like wearing shorts and a t shirt then perhaps the buffet would be in order!

 

We are sailing January 15th on the Summit.

[dwjoe]

I wore long sleeved collared shirts and khakis on non-formal nights.

[lyjima07]

You have all been very helpful. Thanks!

[bbappel]

I think Alaska (and Norwegian itineraries) are more casual because the ports themselves tend to be more casual. Just my hunch. When I'm packing for a cruise that includes Italian ports, I pack dressier stuff to go ashore, so I wear dressier clothes in the evening - more like "out to dinner" outfits. When I go ashore in Alaska or Norway, I am more likely to be wearing jeans and an anorak. It would require a whole extra wardrobe it I were wanted be dressier on the ship than on shore. So I think it is a luggage space issue.