driving21 Posted May 9, 2011 #1 Share Posted May 9, 2011 We are cruising on the Fantasia on the 16th of July.We haven't cruised with MSC before.Could anyone tell me what people tend to wear on Med cruises on formal nights? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmoMondo Posted May 9, 2011 #2 Share Posted May 9, 2011 We are cruising on the Fantasia on the 16th of July.We haven't cruised with MSC before.Could anyone tell me what people tend to wear on Med cruises on formal nights? Hi driving21 A small percentage wear very formal (tuxedos and full length gowns0 some don't bother in the slightest but the vast majority are somewhere in the middle with ladies wearing cocktail dresses or summer dresses glammed up with accessories or skirt or trousers with sparkly or fancy tops. me wear lounge suit with or without ties, some were sports jackets with smart trousers and some just smart trousers with long sleeved smart shirt with or without a tie. There is a fair mixture to behold that is for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayhawk Posted May 10, 2011 #3 Share Posted May 10, 2011 AmoMondo - Do you know what ports the formal nights will be for the Fantasia? Also, is it required to only have pants or skirts in the main evening dining rooms, or are nicer shorts allowed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmoMondo Posted May 10, 2011 #4 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Sorry it was a while since I was on the fantasia and I don't think the itinerary is the same now, so I don't know for sure which will be the formal nights. They tend to have the first on the second night and the last on the second last evening of the cruise generally speaking and that idepends on you boarding at the official start of the cruise (i.e. Genoa)& not at one of the other ports. I've just had a quick look at your itinerary and the first may be on the Sunday at Marseille but it is possible they'll wait to Barcelona as you leave port early that day. I'd be very surprised if the final gala were not on the Thursday at Messina as that fits in with the "norm" for them and again you leave port early that day. the last night at Rome you don't leave until 19.00, so really don't think they will have it then. Officially no shorts are to be worn in any public area after 6pm and on the whole, particularly in Europe, people stick to that. You could "get away" with them if they were smart tailored shorts and on a casual evening, otherwise I'd say no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisingcanadian Posted May 10, 2011 #5 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Shorts are definitely inappropriate in MDR in the evening on any cruise line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driving21 Posted May 11, 2011 Author #6 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Hi AmoMondo, Thanks for the info.As you have sailed with MSC on numerous occasions perhaps you could help me. Are there many british or english speaking passengers onboard MSC ships? Are all english speaking passengers seated together at dinner? Whats the entertainment like in the evenings? Thanks in advance. Regards driving21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmoMondo Posted May 11, 2011 #7 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Hi AmoMondo, Thanks for the info.As you have sailed with MSC on numerous occasions perhaps you could help me. Are there many british or english speaking passengers onboard MSC ships? Are all english speaking passengers seated together at dinner? Whats the entertainment like in the evenings? Thanks in advance. Regards driving21 Hi again No of Brits/English speakers really depends on the cruise area/length and departure port. The US and UK sailings have a lot of English speakers and I'd imagine the UK sailings would have a lot of Brits. The baltics cruises tend to have more English speakers but a lot are as a second language (Scandinavians and Russians). On a week cruise in summer out of Italy9especially on the newer bigger ships) there will be very few Brits and English speakers. For some reason there are more on the longer cruises. particularly the really long repositioning cruises. I've known there to be as few as 10 Brits and as much as 400-500. They always sit you at dinner with people who speak the same language as you. They also try to put the same nationalities togather if there are enough on that seating to do it. I prefer second sitting and for some reason a lot of Brits prefer first, so I've occasionally had very few table companions, Dutch or Scandinavians or none at all. Entertainment in the evening varies slighty depending on the size of the ship (larger ones having more options than the smaller) and where the ship is cruising, but generally speaking there will always be:- 2 performances of the evening show (one for each dinner seating) which will be mainly visual/musical. there will be some that will be either entirely or large aprt classical music (instrumental numbers intersperesed with Operatic arias from the onboard tenor and Soprano. Some will be varity style shows, others will be musical numbers. they last 30-45 minutes Live music in the bars and lounges, some have dance fllors. They will always have one bar (usually the Martini Bar) that is a paiano bar where you'll get a mixture of a pianist singing easy listening international songs, inter spaced by hour slots of the classical group (trios or quartets); larger ships have a jazz bar; others will be playing stuff to dance to and more uppbeat numbers - in the main show lounges there will be a mixture of games and activities like Mr Musica or Miss magnifica or whatever, music quizzes; themed nights like (grease Night or Michael Jackson night) or whatever - disco will start later and go on until late there will be a bar more like a pub - large (fantasia Class ships) have sports bars, wine bars etc too - depending on season/eweather there may be the occasional party on the pool decks - there will always be a captain's cocktail party on the first and last gala night of each cruise. feel free to ask anything else you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driving21 Posted May 12, 2011 Author #8 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Hi AmoMondo, Thanks for your help.If we think of anything else we will be in touch. Regards driving21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satincruz Posted May 13, 2011 #9 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Also, is it required to only have pants or skirts in the main evening dining rooms, or are nicer shorts allowed? You probably will be just fine with the nice shorts. Here's the latest review from Fantasia: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=82271 In practice, MSC actually isn't too strict with the dress code. They want everyone to look "presentable", but they also want everyone to be comfortable enough to enjoy their dinner :) Have a great cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisingcanadian Posted May 13, 2011 #10 Share Posted May 13, 2011 You probably will be just fine with the nice shorts. Here's the latest review from Fantasia: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=82271 In practice, MSC actually isn't too strict with the dress code. They want everyone to look "presentable", but they also want everyone to be comfortable enough to enjoy their dinner :) Have a great cruise! I cannot imagine to be comfortable wearing shorts for dinner-in MDR on the top of it:eek:. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janderra Posted May 18, 2011 #11 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Hi driving21A small percentage wear very formal (tuxedos and full length gowns0 some don't bother in the slightest but the vast majority are somewhere in the middle with ladies wearing cocktail dresses or summer dresses glammed up with accessories or skirt or trousers with sparkly or fancy tops. me wear lounge suit with or without ties, some were sports jackets with smart trousers and some just smart trousers with long sleeved smart shirt with or without a tie. There is a fair mixture to behold that is for sure. Hi We will be doing our very first cruise ever on MSC Orchestra out of Barcelona in October and after booking the cruise we were told there would be 4 formal nights where tuxedos and formal evening wear is expected. This has really been worrying me as we are travelling for 12 weeks through Croatia, Greek Islands, and Turkey prior to the cruise with a minimum of luggage. In fact in Turkey 15 kilos is the limit on check in luggage, so it is almost impossible to carry mens suits etc. I had planned to wear black evening trousers and perhaps an evening top or lace top in the evenings or perhaps a cocktail frock one night, but whatever I pack has to be lightweight and suitable for nights out in our other stops. However my husband normally wears dress trousers and a long sleeved smart shirt in the evenings and in fact, coming from Queensland in Australia where no one dresses in a suit does not own a suit. Would he be admitted to the formal nights in these type of clothes. I know we could dine in the buffet but we would enjoy the formal nights in the main restaurants as that to us is all part of cruising. This has been really worrying me and I wondered if he should try to buy or get a suit made in Instanbul though he would never wear it again in Australia. Advice welcome please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capricruiser Posted May 18, 2011 #12 Share Posted May 18, 2011 There are two formal nights on 7 night cruises, three on 10-14 night cruises, and four on 18+ night cruises. Only 5% of men wear tuxedos on formal nights. Most wear suits or sport coats and ties. Many men, particularly Australians, wear just a dress shirt with or without a tie. Whoever told you that tuxedos are expected has never cruised MSC. You wear whatever you're comfortable with (and can pack), but never very casual clothing or shorts. p.s. The buffet is closed on formal nights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmoMondo Posted May 18, 2011 #13 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Hi We will be doing our very first cruise ever on MSC Orchestra out of Barcelona in October and after booking the cruise we were told there would be 4 formal nights where tuxedos and formal evening wear is expected. This has really been worrying me as we are travelling for 12 weeks through Croatia, Greek Islands, and Turkey prior to the cruise with a minimum of luggage. In fact in Turkey 15 kilos is the limit on check in luggage, so it is almost impossible to carry mens suits etc. I had planned to wear black evening trousers and perhaps an evening top or lace top in the evenings or perhaps a cocktail frock one night, but whatever I pack has to be lightweight and suitable for nights out in our other stops. However my husband normally wears dress trousers and a long sleeved smart shirt in the evenings and in fact, coming from Queensland in Australia where no one dresses in a suit does not own a suit. Would he be admitted to the formal nights in these type of clothes. I know we could dine in the buffet but we would enjoy the formal nights in the main restaurants as that to us is all part of cruising. This has been really worrying me and I wondered if he should try to buy or get a suit made in Instanbul though he would never wear it again in Australia. Advice welcome please Having spent 4 very lovely holidays in Queensland, i can appreciate what you are saying. Coming all that distance, you certainly don't want to be paying for excess baggage. As capricruiser says, everything you've described for your hubby will be fine as well as what you're proposing to wear yourself. If you are going to get anything in Turkey for evening wear - I'd get some very nice and reasonable Turkish jewellrey and silk pashminas for yourself, to glam up a more casual outfit that you can wear on the other parts of your holiday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janderra Posted May 22, 2011 #14 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Hi Thanks for the information. I was really worrying and thought that we may have to buy a husband a sportscoat during our travels. My travel agent said that if my husband didnt have a jacket to wear to dinner then the maitre d would lend him one when he arrived at the entrance (I have seen that done and it is usually very embarrasing and also normally doesnt fit etc) so didnt want to put my husband through that. The problem is that we are travelling for 12 weeks and some of the airlines we are flying with only allow 15 kilos of check in luggage so we normally try to leave her with about 10kilo each so that I can shop a little on the way. I will be fine as I have some nice black silk evening trousers that I always travel with and I will add 2 or 3 evening tops which I will be able to wear for dress up evenings in places like Santorini, Mykonos and Instanbul. When we leave Turkey for Spain our luggage allowance changes to 20 kilos so I hope to do some shopping in Instanbul and Spain before we leave. Thanks again. I will just make sure he has 3 or 4 long sleeve dress shirts in his luggage along with his 1 pair long trousers and 1 pair dress jeans which he normally lives in when we travel anyway. I know they wont be suitable on the cruise but he may need them in Spain for the ports of call because I have told it can be quite chilly in October. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmoMondo Posted May 22, 2011 #15 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Hi Thanks for the information. I was really worrying and thought that we may have to buy a husband a sportscoat during our travels. My travel agent said that if my husband didnt have a jacket to wear to dinner then the maitre d would lend him one when he arrived at the entrance (I have seen that done and it is usually very embarrasing and also normally doesnt fit etc) so didnt want to put my husband through that. The problem is that we are travelling for 12 weeks and some of the airlines we are flying with only allow 15 kilos of check in luggage so we normally try to leave her with about 10kilo each so that I can shop a little on the way. I will be fine as I have some nice black silk evening trousers that I always travel with and I will add 2 or 3 evening tops which I will be able to wear for dress up evenings in places like Santorini, Mykonos and Instanbul. When we leave Turkey for Spain our luggage allowance changes to 20 kilos so I hope to do some shopping in Instanbul and Spain before we leave. Thanks again. I will just make sure he has 3 or 4 long sleeve dress shirts in his luggage along with his 1 pair long trousers and 1 pair dress jeans which he normally lives in when we travel anyway. I know they wont be suitable on the cruise but he may need them in Spain for the ports of call because I have told it can be quite chilly in October. You are very welcome. Sounds like your TA has no real knowledge of MSC and is making a lot of assumptions based on his/her knowledge of other lines. maitre D' definitely does not "lend" jackets to men not wearing them. I've only twice seen someone refused entry to the MDR - once when a guy rocked up in flip flops and swimming trunks at lunchtime and the other was on a gala dinner when a man tried to come in wearing shorts, vest, baseball cap and sandals looking to all intesnt like he'd come straight from the beach (stray bits of sand and all). What a wonderful experience to be on holiday for 12 weeks. Longest I've ever done was 8 weeks and that was around Australia ages ago when Qantas and BA didn't have a strop until your case started getting over 35 kilos and they coyuld not care less what your hand luggage weighed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janderra Posted May 31, 2011 #16 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Hi Thanks for all the encouraging information about what to wear, especially for my husband. We were thinking about buying a suit in Turkey for him to wear, but sounds like it isnt necessary. But perhaps a good place for him to stock up on some nice dress shirts and shoes. Oh and perhaps a few "small" pieces for me. Yes it is a real challenge to travel for 12 weeks, especially to 7 countries. In Turkey we are only allowed 15 kilo of check in luggage with some of our domestic flights. But leaving Instanbul and Barcelona it is 23 kilos so that will be my chance to shop. Last year we travelled Italy and Sicily by train, ferry and bus for 11 weeks and I managed to travel with 12 kilos of luggage each. Just as well as we had to heave the luggage on the train, carry them up the stairs in the small villages in Italy and Sicily and get them on and off the ferries. No small feat as we are now in our 60/70's and not quite as strong and fit as we once were. This trip should be a breeze. No trains, no buses and only 4 ferries. All the rest will be taxis and flights. Also I will celebrate my birthday on board the cruise, so hoping that we will find some english speaking, fun dinner companions. Sounds like I will need to brush up my basic italian again for the maitre d etc. It managed to get me lots of good tables and service in restaurants etc in Italy and Sicily last year, so maybe will help us on the cruise. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayhawk Posted June 9, 2011 #17 Share Posted June 9, 2011 The people at our table had a 6 month old who was really tired, so they only came 3 nights. But one of them was a formal night and he had on jeans! No one said anything to him, he said he didn't bring nice pants. (As a side, wife and baby were dressed up.) So I think you can get away with almost anything :) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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