First time cruising and not sure what type of clothes to bring

[hikergirl_ga]

I'm trying desperately to find the pages on the RCCL website for "fashion requirements" but can't. Is it absolutely necessary to bring evening gowns and suits on a cruise? Can you get away with wearing more casual outfits for formal events?

 

We're going to Alaska for our delayed honeymoon in August and neither one of us owns any dressy clothing since our careers don't require it of us and we like it that way. My poor husband thinks he has to go buy a suit but I'm hoping he doesn't and I certainly can't afford (being a student) to afford buying a bunch of evening wear that I'll most likely never wear again.

 

Can anyone explain cruising dress etiquette? Do we miss out on events if we don't dress up or is it ok to wear "casual Friday" clothes on board? I'm not even sure what events there are since this is our first time cruising.

 

Any advice is appreciated!

[Lois R]

Hi The Royal Board is full of folks who sail all the time...they may be more helpful but we will try to give you some advice as well.

 

Most formal evenings are just that...formal. But you don't have to wear a long gown. A short cocktail dress or pretty pants suit with pretty accessories will do just fine.

I don't "get all dressed up" for work either but I have found dressy clothes at consignment shops and saved a lot of $$$. They also sell men's clothing. I would say on formal night a dark suit would be the way to go for your hubby.

I don't know which ship you are sailing on...but I do know most of the Royal Ships have alternative dining and buffets. If you absolutely don't want to dress up at all, I would say you would pass up the dining room on formal evening.

Now, informal nights, anything from a pretty dress to a nice pair of slacks and a nice top.

Or a pretty pair of capris and blouse for a casual evening.

 

I love getting dressed up....Enjoy those formal nights....It is something I look forward to whenever I know I am cruising again!

 

Next up...HORIZON Sept 18th to Bermuda!

 

See My Century and Mercury Pictures at:

http://community.webshots.com/user/lovescruising

[lszu]

Like Lois said, formal night is just that. You don't need a gown and a tux, but a nice dress and a dark suit would be a good idea. DH and I have casual jobs and casual lifestyles, but love dressing for formal night. Him in a dark suit, me in a cocktail-length dress. From what I understand you can get some great buys on e-bay. Look for something simple, but stylish, you'll never know when you might need it again!

 

lszu

Sovereign 7/99

Monarch 7/00

Vision 9/01

Voyager 9/02

Adventure 9/03

Brilliance 12/04

[melissa76]

and remember....ONLY 2 nights are formal!

 

melissa

[ryansmemom]

Here is another option. Your husband can rent a tux from the cruise line. It will be delivered to your cabin and waiting for you when you board. You can bring the classic "little black dress" and accessorize it with jewelery or even a dressy scarf and some nice shoes.

 

You will both be set for formal night and not have to go to any great expense this way.

 

Linda

 

Thanks for listening

[StarryBugg]

HikerGirl--

 

My fiance and I are leaving in 7 days for our 1st cruise and we're a bit freaked out by the "formal" night too. I'm a student/doctor's assistant and fiance is a self-employed steel contractor. I am in scrubs all day and he, in jeans, white tee, and long sleeved blue jean shirt. Neither of us have formalwear, as we haven't had the need for it. I do like the idea of us getting out of the norm and dressing up, though. He has a navy coat, so I bought him navy dress pants, dress shirt, and tie to wear. I went to TJ Maxx and found an ivory floor-length formal dress for less than 50 dollars. I figure between the cruises we hope to take in the future, weddings, and (now that we have nice clothes that we can go out in) romantic dinners, we'll get our monies worth.

[Happy ks]

You really don't need to break the bank to look nice for formal nights. There are plenty of sales to be found, all the time. I recently bought a long formal dress for $22 at Nordstrom Rack. If you don't have access to a discount store, try the internet. Many sites to choose from, from department stores to Ebay. I got my daughter a dress on Ebay for $20 plus shipping. Another option would be the black skirt, two separate dressy tops combination. My DH and son have sportcoats and slacks we found for much less than a suit and they fit in nicely. Many people on these boards have found bargain basement prices for nice clothing.

 

You can pretty much bet this will not be your only cruise, so the stuff you buy now can be used again. Having said all that, don't worry so much about your clothing. You will see everything from Sunday best to ballgown on formal night. If you are pleasant, fun loving people, no one will mind if you are not dressed to the nines. Relax and be yourself, don't stress out so much about your clothes. I think it is a shame for people to miss out on the wonderful dinners because they are nervous about their clothing.

 

I wish the first time we cruised I knew that everyone else on the ship were just regular people, like ourselves. You will have a wonderful time.

 

Kathy

[Happy ks]

Sorry, the OT wanted to know more about dress etiquitte. Here is my take on a 7 day cruise:

 

Casual: What you may wear out to a nice restaurant.

 

Informal: What you may wear as a wedding guest (daytime).

 

Formal: As dressy as you want to be, sparkles, gowns, cocktail dresses, dark suits or tuxedos.

 

What I am taking (evening only) for our next 7 day cruise to Alaska:

1 long, 1 short dressy dress (formal)

1 pair black evening pants w/2 dressy tops (informal)

1 pair Chicos travellers pants w/3 tops (casual)

 

3 pair (yikes) black shoes, 1 for formal, 1 for informal, 1 for casual.

 

Kathy

[luvronijean]

I've noticed that if you buy a formal right after prom season (like right now), you can get some great buys. I've been able to get some really nice gowns at JC Penney for about $10 a piece. My last two gown purchases there were a shimmery black cocktail dress and a red, shimmery, floor length gown. Along with those two, I also bought a pretty lavender cocktail dress. The total was $28.00 for all three. I could not believe my luck .

 

Veronica

 

 

[emilymad]

My first time cruising we knew about the requirements for the formal nights and we purposly didn't bring those type of clothes. We just didn't feel like getting dressed up. On those nights we felt a little left out and that we missed a part of what cruising is all about. I would have much rather have found something to wear that I was comfortable with and enjoyed the nice dinner, etc. So go, have fun and don't worry about whatever one else has on.

[Mariposa]

I brought one long formal for my cruise and one basic long tank style dress with a sheer long cover that had exquisit embroidery down the front. On my next cruise I will not take the really formal gown, just the black tank and two different dressy things to wear over it. I did take a pair of long palazzo (wide leg almost skirt type pants)to wear on semi formal nights and looking back, they would have been fine for formal nights paired with really fancy tops. I was happily surprised to see so many nice black pants suits that were dressed up with bold jewelry on formal nights. These looked really classy and fit in very well with the glitzy formals. I call them understated elegance worn by women with lots of self confidence. They looked great.

 

I saw several guys wearing black polos under nice jackets on formal night, but most wore the dark suit or tux.

 

Mariposa

[Charlene]

Most woman where black dress slacks with a dressy top, or a long black dress skirt and a dressy top.

Men always were black suits, tie or a tux!!. So I would say that your husband needs a dark jacket to go with his navy dress slacks and tie!

 

Charlene

~~lvs2cruz~~

Sun Princess - Feb.7/05

 

 

 

[kbt2]

I would too suggest, DH rent a tux since he doesn't want to spend money on a suit.

As in my opinion 'casual friday" is not acceptable attire for any evening in the dining room. Just my thoughts.

You can buy a simple black dress from a place like stein mart, marshall's, etc... and wear both formal nights if you'd like. You don't always have to spend a lot to look good. And on our Alaskan cruise people were more dressy then a caribbean.

Have a great honeymoon.

 

Kim

Dawn Princess

Regal Princess

Grand Princess

Mercury - Celebrity

Windward - NCL

Monarch of the Seas

Voyager of the Seas

Sovereign of the Seas

 

 

 

[hikergirl_ga]

Thanks, everyone! Glad for all the good advice. I'm poking around and looking for some bargains to look nice on the cruise.

 

Going to Alaska in August on Radiance of the Seas!

[the2ofus]

Just one other thought. That suit or dark slacks and jacket for your hubby doesn't have to be expensive, as already suggested above, but he really should have one in his closet anyway just in case a need arises.

 

Both my sons, when in their early 20s, really resisted the idea of owning a suit. Then, each one needed presentable dress (a funeral and an important meeting) and had to go out and buy something in a hurry. The cost was much greater than if they had had time to do some bargain hunting.

 

You each need one special, all-purpose, dressy dark outfit in your closet. Invest a little time and money so that you own comfortable dressy outfits. That way you will enjoy wearing them.

 

Indulge yourselves with feeling special and romantic in your dressy clothes for two formal nights on the cruise. You won't regret it!

 

*--Re-living our last cruise makes the wait for the next one bearable--*

[JennyJudy]

I have been on a few cruises through Royal Caribbean, and have always worn a cocktail dress or buisness suit, with really fancy accessories...and have never felt underdressed. For the cruise we are going on in 2 weeks, I bought 2 formal dresses brand new on Ebay...and got great deals. This is our first wedding anniversary cruise, so we decided we'd dress more formal this time around. My husband has always worn a lovely dark suit, but never a tux.

 

Your husband can rent a tux on the ship too, but that may be pricey. Call your cruiseline for prices, or for ordering. He can order on the ship too.

 

I understand how you feel...for I'm a nurse too, and relate completely to not dressing up for work! But don't worry, most people opt for dark suits and short cocktail dresses instead of ballroom type gowns. Especially for the second formal night, on the cruises I've been on, most people dress less formal the second night. Maybe because it's usually around the end of the cruise already.

 

Don't worry, I'm sure you'll look great!

-Jen

[pcur]

My DH also wears dark, dark navy jacket and slacks to formal night, with a white shirt and conservative tie. He's been doing this for years, and looks just fine. However, the OP didn't want to go out and buy hubby anything that he's not wearing again, and I can agree. Therefore, I vote for the "rent-a-tux" route for him. I've also read that ebay has men's tux's really cheap, too.

 

Peggy - RCI since 1973