Dressing for dinner and formal nights in Alaska

[jamscckmc]

For those of you who have been to Alaska this year how dressed up are people getting for dinner? Leaving in a month and planning my packing for DH and I. Usually don' t wear jeans in the MDR but wonder if most people change out of jeans for dinner and how dressed up people were for formal night. DH would rather not bring a jacket and not need 2 changes of clothes per day.

[sherryf]

For those of you who have been to Alaska this year how dressed up are people getting for dinner? Leaving in a month and planning my packing for DH and I. Usually don' t wear jeans in the MDR but wonder if most people change out of jeans for dinner and how dressed up people were for formal night. DH would rather not bring a jacket and not need 2 changes of clothes per day.

 

It may depend somewhat on your cruise line and ship, and perhaps also whether you have traditional or "anytime" dining. Last week on the Golden Princess, things were very casual. On regular "smart casual" nights I saw shorts, t-shirts, jeans (which are considered acceptable), sweatshirts, etc. On formal nights I saw only a handful of tuxedos, some jeans and polo shirts, and everything in between. Another member of my roll call who was in "traditional" dining thought that formal nights were more formal. "Anytime" seemed very casual.

 

Pack based on what you feel comfortable wearing and whether or not you give a darn what anyone else thinks.;)

[jamscckmc]

We are on Diamond Princess with anytime dining,1st week in Sept. Went on RC Enchantment last Sept to NE/Canada and it seemed to be 99% suits/tuxes. Have usually found Princess to be more formal than RC but Sept with few kids and mostly over age 50 passengers seem to be more dressed up then summer cruises with lots of kids.

 

So DH will not look out of place with dress pants, long sleeve dress shirt, tie, but no jacket? Thanks

[bonvoyagie]

The answer to your question is more based on the cruise line than AK - I suggest that you ask the same question on the board for your cruise line.

[bearbait]

Seriously? It's your vacation, you paid for it, wear what you want. It's not like you're going to a funeral where someone died.

[chipmaster]

On princess we found everythign form Tux's and suits to some with slacks and a polo shirt. Yes we saw a few in jeans and polo too in the dining room.

 

 

We are on Diamond Princess with anytime dining,1st week in Sept. Went on RC Enchantment last Sept to NE/Canada and it seemed to be 99% suits/tuxes. Have usually found Princess to be more formal than RC but Sept with few kids and mostly over age 50 passengers seem to be more dressed up then summer cruises with lots of kids.

 

So DH will not look out of place with dress pants, long sleeve dress shirt, tie, but no jacket? Thanks

 

Seriously... I'm not a dress snob but in the end you should dress reasonably, not saying you got to do tux's but jeans, t-shirt and flip flops might not be the thing to do.

 

Seriously? It's your vacation, you paid for it, wear what you want. It's not like you're going to a funeral where someone died.

[Keith1010]

I would read the material from the cruise line which is on their web site and dress consistent with their guideline.

 

Keith

[pmjnh]

We were on Coral Princess and found in dress was casual for regular dinners. Some were in jeans, nice shorts , kakhis or capris. Formal night in the Anytime dining, I would say most were dressed in cocktail dresses or nice pants and tops. DH wore his nicest kakhis and a sport jacket and tie and he was in the majority. I saw very few tuxedos on formal night

[Alaskanb]

We were on the Island Princess in Alaska. DH took a light black jacket and slacks for formal night--the jacket spent the evening on the back of the chair! pmjnh's description is what we saw also.

[Finch85]

We chose anytime dining for our upcoming cruise. Are there any differences in menu items between anytime and traditional?

[Putterdude]

My experience on Princess and Celebrity is that there is very little difference in how people dress for an Alaskan itinerary than any other one. On Princess you will however see a few more jeans in the MDR on smart casual evenings. There is no separate dress code for Alaska.

[PennyAgain]

Seriously? It's your vacation, you paid for it, wear what you want. It's not like you're going to a funeral where someone died.

 

I agree with bearbait.

 

I don't haul fancy clothes to Alaska and never will do so. I do not book a cruise line that 'requires' dress up clothes for Alaska. I'm not there for the evening wear.

[portiemom]

Just off the Island Princess. We had late traditional seating. I did not notice jeans or t-shirts in the dining room at dinner. Everyone that I saw dressed up for formal night, but I do not recall seeing anyone in a tuxedo. Keep in mind that I do not consider myself a member of the fashion police, so I really wasn't that focused on what people wore. This was my first cruise and after reading here that Alaska is more casual than other cruises I was not sure what to expect, as I had no basis for comparison. I'm glad I brought my dressier clothes and that DH had his suit because I thought that everyone was dressed very nicely every night, but especially on formal nights.

[tdogcruiser]

Just finished our Radiance of the Seas cruise. From what I could tell, folks dressed how they like whenever they liked. I saw some in formal, not so formal and jeans and tees.

 

My husband for one refused to get dressed up and I called the dining room to cancel our reservation as he had no formal wear. They told me to come down anyway, as long as he wasn't wearing shorts, anything would be fine.

 

He wore his jeans and a sports shirt.

 

If you want to pack light and especially if doing a land tour - leave the formal gown and tux out IMHO.

[smilealot1882]

Just off Zaandam/HAL the first week in July. I really think the dress in the evening was similar to the Caribbean cruises we have taken. We did see a gentleman offered a jacket on one of the formal nights when he tried to get in the MDR. He refused and the couple must have returned to their room and redressed because they came in later and he was wearing his own light colored suit. Through the daytime, people had jeans on (it was chilly all week) but in the evenings in the MDR, business as usual. Smart casual had people nicely dressed and formal had guys in suits and women in pretty dresses. I didn't see any jeans or shorts in the MDR on any evening. JMO

[bearbait]

Haven't owned a suit or tie since 1982. Dress up, seems silly. "Come as you are", that's my motto.

[dreamer976]

Even on formal nights on an Alaskan cruise, I just felt that the dress in the MDR is more casual overall. I would attribute this to the airlines baggage fees and weight restrictions (although I personally could never understand any suitcase packed in excess of 50 lbs.!) and since "dressing in layers" in Alaska = more clothing to begin with, people just can't dedicate as much room to formal wear as in the past. There will still be, for sure, many people with gowns and tuxedos, and an equal amount in sundresses with a sweater for the ladies and khaki pants and a nice polo for the men, or just a sportcoat and khakis would be fine.

 

Enjoy your trip. I'm a Palm Tree and Sand girl for sure, but Alaska is AMAZING!

[bookmama22]

We were on NB Diamond Princess in late June and you did see everything from jeans in the dining halls to ballgowns and tuxes. I was surprised how many people did get dressed up on the formal nights. We had anytime dining and I wore a dress and low heels, my husband a jacket and tie. I was able to wear those same low heels with my dinner dress pants as I hated to pack something just to wear once or twice. Personally I would not wear jeans to dinner in the dining halls. I think it is nice to change for a nice evening.

[travelingla]

Just off Zaandam/HAL the first week in July. I really think the dress in the evening was similar to the Caribbean cruises we have taken. We did see a gentleman offered a jacket on one of the formal nights when he tried to get in the MDR. He refused and the couple must have returned to their room and redressed because they came in later and he was wearing his own light colored suit. Through the daytime, people had jeans on (it was chilly all week) but in the evenings in the MDR, business as usual. Smart casual had people nicely dressed and formal had guys in suits and women in pretty dresses. I didn't see any jeans or shorts in the MDR on any evening. JMO

 

I just found this thread after having asked this question for the Volendam. So, it sounds like a coat and tie are required for men on formal night in the MDR? We will have anytime dining but I know it is still same dress code in MDR.

 

Thank you for clarifying....

[Ernie G]

On our last 2 cruises (1 Celebrity and 1 RCCL) we saw folks denied seating in the dining due to them not being in accordance with the dress code in place. They too were offered coats. On the Celebrity cruise my husband and were doing a b2b and we had Anytime Dining. Went to the dining with him in slacks and a dress shirt (no tie) and me in a pantsuit. He was offered a coat.......not allowed without it, so he went back and changed into his suit for dinner. I in my dressy pantsuit was fine. I've seen more people in Jeans in the MDR on Princess than any line we've been on. We are cruising in Alaska later this month and we'll probably do the fancy thing 1 night and scale back the others, but neither of will wear jeans. Mostly out of respect for those that do take the time and go to the trouble of follow the guidelines.

[cavecreekguy]

As others have said, look on your cruiseline's website for guidance. If they have exceptions to their guidelines for Alaska, then feel free to follow them.

 

But I really don't get some people's obsession with wearing jeans. I see it at my office, too. There are a lot of pants I have that are more comfortable than jeans.

 

You don't need to pack a special pair of pants for every meal. If your DH is only going to wear the pants for a couple of hours each evening for dinner, they can be worn more than once. And since he's not in his jeans all the time, they can be worn a couple of times too. So to me, as far as packing, it's all a "wash" so to say.

[divingbabe]

Haven't owned a suit or tie since 1982. Dress up, seems silly. "Come as you are", that's my motto.

 

I have been to Alaska twice, and both time on Princess.. Its more casual than other cruises I've been on.. I wear jeans and sweaters every day and on formal night, I've worn either a skirt and blouse or slacks. Its what you are comfortable in.. and I personally don't care what other think:p

[mes531]

I also agree that it best to follow the rules of the cruise line. If you want to wear jeans and tee shirts, go to the buffet or select a dining option that is more casual. The MDR is very pretty, table cloths, not plastic tables and benches. No one has to wear gowns or tuxs to be acceptable, my husband usually just has a jacket, and that is fine. I pack nice slacks and several tops, scarfs and it is not sloppy. I like my jeans during the day...but not for the MDR.:)

[smilealot1882]

I just found this thread after having asked this question for the Volendam. So, it sounds like a coat and tie are required for men on formal night in the MDR? We will have anytime dining but I know it is still same dress code in MDR.

 

Thank you for clarifying....

 

All I can tell you is that on one of the formal nights a gentlemen went to the desk to be seated with a dress shirt and pants (can't remember if he originally had a tie on but definately no jacket) and they offered him a jacket from the rack behind them. He declined and the couple left. We later saw them being seated and he had on a light colored suit complete with jacket and tie. Edit to add that we also had anytime dining.

[fattaildog]

Are you taking the September 8th Voyage of the Glaciers with Glacier Bay (Southbound)

Diamond Princess from Anchorage (Whittier), Alaska to Vancouver?

 

We will be on that ship also.