Dress code

[Skipperdenmark]

Hi! I've looked at the various travel agencies who offering cruises, but I'm still unsure about the dress codes. Hope you can help me because we're planning our first cruise!

[Scrapnana]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

Dress codes vary greatly by cruise line. Some lines have totally casual cruises (no dressing up in the evening) while others have at least two formal nights per week. Almost all cruise lines bar shorts in the main dining room in the evening.

 

Casual clothing during the day is the norm on virtually all cruise lines.

 

Tell us which cruise lines you are considering.

Edited December 9, 2014 by Scrapnana

[Shmoo here]

Hi! I've looked at the various travel agencies who offering cruises, but I'm still unsure about the dress codes. Hope you can help me because we're planning our first cruise!

 

Unfortunately, you'll have to be more specific about which cruise lines you're asking about. Each cruise line has it's own policies - it's not standard across all lines.

[Skipperdenmark]

We're thinking royal Caribbean

[Scrapnana]

Here is some info from the RCI website.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&faqId=255&faqSubjectId=334

[Skipperdenmark]

Thanks!

[cb at sea]

Daytime is ultra casual.....most will be in their swimsuits or shorts/flipflops.....

 

For "casual" nights, for men, long pants and collared shirt (golf/polo/hawaiian) is fine. Women will be in capris, sundress, slacks, etc....

 

RCI has formal nights....some will do the suit/tux-----gown/cocktail dress thing....but many will do much less....it's up to your comfort level.

 

Shorts are fine in the dining room for breakfast and lunch, and in the buffet at anytime.

Edited December 9, 2014 by cb at sea

[BlueRiband]

Cunard has ships that are formal after 6PM. Even on "Informal" nights men are required to wear jackets (tie optional) in the main dining room at dinner. Formal nights for men is black tie or dark suit, for women long evening or short cocktail dress. On QM2, especially on transatlantic crossings, anyone not so dressed should be prepared for disapproving stares.

 

If you want the grand ocean liner experience you'll love it. If that's not your vacation style look elsewhere.

[OCruisers]

Daytime is ultra casual.....most will be in their swimsuits or shorts/flipflops.....

 

For "casual" nights, for men, long pants and collared shirt (golf/polo/hawaiian) is fine. Women will be in capris, sundress, slacks, etc....

 

RCI has formal nights....some will do the suit/tux-----gown/cocktail dress thing....but many will do much less....it's up to your comfort level.

 

Shorts are fine in the dining room for breakfast and lunch, and in the buffet at anytime.

 

To the OP: Since you are thinking of Royal Caribbean, the above should be of help and is the info we would have posted.

LuLu

[wassup4565]

I have noticed a huge dialing back on the fancy dress business on RCI in the past couple of years. If you want to wear your evening gown and tux, go ahead, and many people will admire you. On my most recent cruise there were two formal nights. Aside from some wedding people and some families getting dressed up for group portraits, people were pretty low key. No shorts, or funny hats. Otherwise, just clean and looking like you made an effort was all the attention anybody paid to "formal."

 

I chalk it up to the airlines. If all I get is one suitcase, there is no room in there for a big gown or special shoes. Never mind a jacket for the men. A decent shirt and maybe a tie is all there's room for, even for formal night. If you like getting dressed up, do it. Otherwise, just make an effort...

Edited December 10, 2014 by wassup4565

[Skipperdenmark]

Thanks for the great answers, it helped a lot😎

[Keith1010]

My experience when preparing for a cruise on a cruise line I have not sailed is two fold. I use the information from the web site like the link you were given. It really helps a great deal. I also will ask some question on the cruise line board as in this case RCI.

 

Keith

[CaptainChaos74]

I thought I'd hijack this thread instead of starting yet another one. I'm going for (my first ever) cruise on the Ruby Princess on the 13th. I see that they have two "formal" nights.

 

Now, I can only bring one suitcase (and I'm doing more travelling after the cruise), so I can't really afford to bring a (dinner) suit, or even a jacket. Would dark jeans and a collared shirt with long sleeves be considered acceptable on such nights, on that cruise?

[BlueRiband]

I thought I'd hijack this thread instead of starting yet another one. I'm going for (my first ever) cruise on the Ruby Princess on the 13th. I see that they have two "formal" nights.

 

Now, I can only bring one suitcase (and I'm doing more travelling after the cruise), so I can't really afford to bring a (dinner) suit, or even a jacket. Would dark jeans and a collared shirt with long sleeves be considered acceptable on such nights, on that cruise?

 

What you describe is certainly not formal or even semi-formal. On some lines you would be denied entry into the main dining room on formal nights if you were so attired.

 

If you don't want to dress there is room service, the buffet, and sometimes an alternative restaurant where formal attire is not required. Try asking the same question on the Princess board since they would know if this is acceptable: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=197

[OCruisers]

I thought I'd hijack this thread instead of starting yet another one. I'm going for (my first ever) cruise on the Ruby Princess on the 13th. I see that they have two "formal" nights.

 

Now, I can only bring one suitcase (and I'm doing more travelling after the cruise), so I can't really afford to bring a (dinner) suit, or even a jacket. Would dark jeans and a collared shirt with long sleeves be considered acceptable on such nights, on that cruise?

 

Hi and welcome to Cruise Critic!

Do you think you could bring dress pants and a tie to go with your collared long sleeve shirt to wear on formal nights in the MDR (main dinning room) on Ruby? Most men will be wearing a coat but it isn't absolutely necessary.

What you described wearing would be fine for either a specialty restaurant or the buffet on Formal Nights.

What you described would also be fine for the MDR on Smart Casual nights when short sleeve collared shirts (like golf shirts) are all right as well.

In the MDR for breakfast & lunch it's OK to wear shorts.

Look forward to having a wonderful cruise on Ruby Princess! :)

LuLu

[CaptainChaos74]

What you describe is certainly not formal or even semi-formal.

What you described wearing would be fine for either a specialty restaurant or the buffet on Formal Nights.

Thanks you guys! I'll see what I can take with me, otherwise I'll just skip the formal nights. Do I have to let someone know if I do that, or can I just not show up?

[OCruisers]

Thanks you guys! I'll see what I can take with me, otherwise I'll just skip the formal nights. Do I have to let someone know if I do that, or can I just not show up?

 

If you have Anytime Dining, just don't show up.

If you have Traditional Dining, you don't have to let anyone know but it's nice if you do. (Just tell your waiter & tablemates the night before so they won't be expecting you.)

LuLu

[ger_77]

Now, I can only bring one suitcase (and I'm doing more travelling after the cruise), so I can't really afford to bring a (dinner) suit, or even a jacket. Would dark jeans and a collared shirt with long sleeves be considered acceptable on such nights, on that cruise?

 

A simple solution would be for you to wear your jacket (or blazer) while travelling; that's what DH does, and it cuts down the amount he has to pack. You can tuck a tie into the breast pocket and you're nearly there! I'm in agreement with many others, the jeans/collared shirt doesn't come close to guidelines for formal night. Let us know what you decide!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[nana541]

You can also arrange to Rent a Tux or dinner Jacket on board.... You pre arrange this thru a link on your Princess online account. The Evening clothes would be delivered to your cabin on embarkation day.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Lionesss]

As long as you have a nice casual collection of clothes for around the ship and maybe a dress for formal night, if you are a casual person you should be fine.

 

Use a cover-up over your bathing suit when walking around the ship.

 

At night some of the indoor shows venues could be cold, take a light sweater.

 

Search thru cruise critic and focus on the cruise line and or ship you are looking at for more details.

 

Time of year also can make a big difference.

 

Sea Ya

[BlueRiband]

As long as you have a nice casual collection of clothes for around the ship and maybe a dress for formal night, if you are a casual person you should be fine.

 

Use a cover-up over your bathing suit when walking around the ship.

 

At night some of the indoor shows venues could be cold, take a light sweater.

 

Search thru cruise critic and focus on the cruise line and or ship you are looking at for more details.

 

Time of year also can make a big difference.

 

Sea Ya

 

The OP has not yet booked a cruise or even chosen a cruise line yet. On some lines casual clothes - or even a casual dress - won't be accepted in the MDR on formal nights. The choice depends on what he/she enjoys.

 

Formal for some means elegance and for other stuffiness. Casual for some means relaxed and for others sloppy.

[CruisinHarvey]

Old habits die hard for the cruise industry. On land, it's hard to find a restaurant that requires a jacket anymore, unless paying $500 for the meal. Which, the vast majority of cruisers can't/won't afford. As a result, most folks don't have any exposure to the old fine dining experience. We have lot of fine dining in my town, 4 stars, but no 5 stars, I admit. Not one requires a tie or jacket anymore.

 

Doesn't it seem odd that you have to go to a specialty restaurant on the ship, that doesn't require formal attire, to get the best food? I'd assume it's the best food, or how would they get away with making most folks pay addition for it? Backwards!

 

The culture of requiring formal nights will end. I think we've all seen it creeping into more and more into cruise lines. Dressing up for dinner, like it or not baby boomers, is foreign to most all of the younger generation. Today's older demographic will continue to get smaller and smaller, as will formal nights. It all comes down to how many paying cruisers continue to want it.

 

We just skip them. It doesn't bother us a bit. It's easier to pack. We don't have to come out of our 180 square foot closet, ah balcony cabin, and attempt to act refined.

 

We just check the main dining room menu on those nights. They usually save their best menu on formal nights. If so, we have it delivered to our room. Most mid level lines will deliver it.

[BlueRiband]

Old habits die hard for the cruise industry. On land, it's hard to find a restaurant that requires a jacket anymore, unless paying $500 for the meal. Which, the vast majority of cruisers can't/won't afford. As a result, most folks don't have any exposure to the old fine dining experience. We have lot of fine dining in my town, 4 stars, but no 5 stars, I admit. Not one requires a tie or jacket anymore.

 

Doesn't it seem odd that you have to go to a specialty restaurant on the ship, that doesn't require formal attire, to get the best food? I'd assume it's the best food, or how would they get away with making most folks pay addition for it? Backwards!

 

The culture of requiring formal nights will end. I think we've all seen it creeping into more and more into cruise lines. Dressing up for dinner, like it or not baby boomers, is foreign to most all of the younger generation. Today's older demographic will continue to get smaller and smaller, as will formal nights. It all comes down to how many paying cruisers continue to want it.

 

We just skip them. It doesn't bother us a bit. It's easier to pack. We don't have to come out of our 180 square foot closet, ah balcony cabin, and attempt to act refined.

 

We just check the main dining room menu on those nights. They usually save their best menu on formal nights. If so, we have it delivered to our room. Most mid level lines will deliver it.

 

While it's true that dressing up is increasingly rare in land based restaurants the Black Tie Gala is alive and well. Festive celebrations call for festive dress.

 

While some prefer weddings on the beach or on a park, the majority are still dress up events. Official entertaining and presentations at the White House and Buckingham Palace are still dress up events. Anyone who thinks "nice" jeans and a "smart" jacket will cut it won't get past the first security gate.

 

To each his/her own. With the exception of the Staten Island Ferry, I'm not interested in any cruise line that does not have formal nights.

[CruisinHarvey]

Thanks for making my point. It used to be going out to nice dinner was a festive event. No more. One has to be getting married or going to the white house to dress up. They can't fill all these cruise ships with those folks alone.

[Vacation Elf]

I look forward to pulling out a beautiful gown and wearing it on the ship because I rarely get to wear them anywhere else.:)

 

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