Dress Code for Nautica

[ftrplt]

Dear Friends; We are planning our first cruise on Oceania. In reviewing the brochure, it appears that dinner pictures show gentlemen in jackets. I have read the reviews in cruise critic and get mixed messages. Would experienced Oceania cruise veterans let me know your opinion on whether jackets are, or are not, suggested for dinner. Your reply would be appreciated.

[digby]

Jacket are NOT required on any Oceania ship. I found most men wore sports shirts and slacks. However, you certainly may wear a jacket, a suit, or even a tux if YOU wanted to.

[dallasite]

Jackets at dinner are indeed optional on the Nautica (and I am sure that goes for the other Oceania ships). On a typical night in the grand dining room, probably more than half of the gentlemen will be wearing jackets — which means, of course, that many are not wearing jackets.

[Rat]

When you say sports shirt, does that mean polo shirts?

[lcand1923]

On our cruise, the men who wore polo shirts tended to wear jackets. The men who wore button front sport shirts, tended not to wear jackets. The above seemed to be followed in Polo, Toscana and the Grand Dining Room.

 

Polo shirts without jackets tended to be the rule in Tapas on the Terrace. I did see men with button front sport shirts and no jacket in Tapas, also.

 

What did I see the most? Men with button front sport shirts, slacks and no jackets. (Our cruise was the Western Med in September. The weather was warm. I'm certain THAT had something to do with the lack of jackets.)

[digby]

The wonderful thing about Oceania is that one can wear just about anything within reason and feel comfortable. I don't think I'll even pack a jacket for my 3/16 cruise. Last year I carried one, but never put it on.

[cruisin'cats]

I just got the new brochure and the photos show ladies in some pretty stylish outfits. That's for PR purposes--what's the real deal?

 

I want to be comfortable and not weigh down my bags with bulky fancy outfits but don't want to look like I just stepped off the farm...or the boat, as it were.

 

Thanks.

Helene

[joan24]

cruisin'cats,

Women wore what you'd wear to go out to dinner at home. Really, anything goes as long as you don't wear jeans or shorts. Most wore pantsuits or dresses, nothing very formal. I'm a Chico's devotee and mixed and matched pants and tops. As long as you're comfortable, don't worry about it and have a wonderful time.

Joan

[Druke I]

On Regatta into the Baltic this past August, I did see one or two gents in dinner jackets one evening, but most of us wore slacks and collared shirts (no ties), without jackets. Several gents with polo shirts did wear sports jackets.

 

I did take a blazer with me, but never wore it. I did wear a cardigan sweater several evenings, as I find the dining room a little cooler than I like.

 

Although the term "country club casual" may be off-putting to some, I thought it described the dress very well.

 

There were some women in dresses every night, but the majority wore pants/blouses, and looked fine, I thought.

 

We'll be on Nautica in Nov., Istanbul to Singapore, through the Suez. I plan to take one blazer with me - who knows, I might even wear it this time.

[jfb128]

I have always taken a blue blazer along on our European and Asian Oceania cruises. I usually wear it to the Captain's reception, the Oceania Club reception and nights at the Polo Grill. If it is cool I will wear it in the Grand Dining Room for dinner. I would note that at the Captain's reception and in the Polo Grill at least two thirds of the men don sports jackets.

 

Having said that on our Black Sea cruise when the outside temperature was in the 90's the entire time, sports jackets were more the exception than the rule other than at the Captain's reception.

[Jane110]

I just got the new brochure and the photos show ladies in some pretty stylish outfits. That's for PR purposes--what's the real deal?

 

I want to be comfortable and not weigh down my bags with bulky fancy outfits but don't want to look like I just stepped off the farm...or the boat' date=' as it were.

 

Thanks.

Helene[/quote']

 

 

I think that generally Oceania caters to a sophisticated crowd, so in general the ladies will be stylish. I think they just wear what they wear to a local upscale casual restaurant. Don't bother with anything bulky or fancy.

 

Typically for dinner, I wear a pair of "nice" pants (silk, microfiber) and a slightly dressy top (not "evening wear", but something I woudn't wear during the day - example, silk or rayon knit twin set, tank top with some subtle sequins, silk print halter blouse) My pal Claudia here has a pastel silk knit sweater with some silk flowers on it that she looks great in. Then I wear a pair of kitten heeled sexy sandals. With that kind of look I'm right in the mid range - some women are a little less dressy and some a bit more dressy.

 

No one fusses over it. Be stylishly comfortable.

[Jancruz]

I too wear a lot of Chicos travelers line..its great for travel..also Stu has not taken a jacket on our last 10 Oceania cruises..he takes a sweater if it is cool and throws it over his shoulders..

Jan

*****

[Bruin Steve]

I keep going back and forth in my thoughts from "bring a sports coat" to "don't bring a sports coat"...

 

I'm starting to think, "Hey, I'm going to the MEDITERRANEAN in the middle of SUMMER...am I crazy? Why take up the room in my luggage for something that's NOT REQUIRED...Who am I trying to impress?"

 

I think I'm going to bring some Dockers khaki slacks and a selection of short-sleeve, buttoned cotton sport shirts--stripes, plaids, patterns, suede Merrell loafers...and THAT'S IT!!

 

Should be "nice enough", huh? And it won't take up as much luggage space...

[ClaudiaF]

You might want that blazer if you are planning to dine off ship anywhere memorable in Europe as they are not as casual as we tend to be in L.A.;)

[Jane110]

Steve,

 

Claudia makes a good point. My husband generally takes one blazer with him because we know that we might be in a restaurant pre-cruise (or overnight in a port) where a jacket is required. So because he has it with him, he usually wears it on one or two nights of the Oceania cruise.

 

Jane

[cruisin'cats]

I want to thank you all for your responses. It will be good to be on a cruise where there are less mother of the bride and maid of honor type dresses being worn to dinner. Besides, with the new and stricter luggage weight standards, it will be nice to not be over burdened with the added outfits. I think the general idea I got was that if I was comfortable and looked good (no jeans, no shorts, capris OK--I got that), I'll be fine. Thanks.

 

Neil has been reading over my shoulder on this thread and is pretty convinced that a dark blue blazer might be worth schlepping along for all the reasons (pre-cruise nice place, last night in Athens nice place, etc.) but will be doing the dockers and sporty button down shirts as he does for the casual/informal nights of our other cruises.

 

I do like to dress up on the formal nights and I don't think that this aspect of the Oceania experience was a deciding factor in our chosing the line but it should prove interesting to see how it works out. The dress code is one new idea for us. The other is this whole open seating/no set dining time thing. That might take some getting used to but I'm looking forward to meeting new people and mixing with different people after cruising for years with friends from home. We're on our own this time--and I talk to everyone so we have no worries.

 

By the way, Steve (UCLA), I read your discussion regarding the wine and drinks pricing, etc., on another thread and I UNDERSTOOD your point completely!!! We're wine drinkers (see my note under the Celebrity Secrets thread) and it's not elitist to decide that money can be well spent for pleasures appreciated. You are always on the ball with your calculations but I think that the other poster missed the point. Bottom line--it's yours, spend it wisely, spend it well, and let others make up their own minds as to the way they want to go. You can't take it with you! (There's a saying that this is the reason why a shroud has no pockets.) It's a darned shame that you and your wife aren't on our cruise--I have a feeling we'd get along famously!

[Jane110]

 

I do like to dress up on the formal nights and I don't think that this aspect of the Oceania experience was a deciding factor in our chosing the line but it should prove interesting to see how it works out. The dress code is one new idea for us. The other is this whole open seating/no set dining time thing. That might take some getting used to but I'm looking forward to meeting new people and mixing with different people after cruising for years with friends from home. We're on our own this time--and I talk to everyone so we have no worries.

 

 

Helene,

 

Glad you found everyone's comments helpful.

 

After your cruise, come back and let us know what you think of the non-formal dressing and open seating policy's.

 

While I love to get dressed up, not having to schlepp formals on my vacation is wonderful. And, like you, I talk to everyone, so while we have some favorite dining pals on Oceania (they *know* who they are!), we also love having dinner with others and going to the dining room when we want. I find that Oceania often attracts an interesting crowd. Enjoy!

 

Jane

[schooltchr]

don't you think that if the ladies are dressed well, the gents should be also? a navy blazer is a good alternative, and can be casual if paired with khakis or slacks and a polo underneath........or, wear a button shirt with a sweater over the shoulder........makes the outfit a bit more "finished."

[digby]

don't you think that if the ladies are dressed well, the gents should be also? a navy blazer is a good alternative, and can be casual if paired with khakis or slacks and a polo underneath........or, wear a button shirt with a sweater over the shoulder........makes the outfit a bit more "finished."

 

Or the ladies could 'dress down' to make the gents comfortable! That is an alternative which never seems to be considered. LOL! This gent will not be wearing a sports jacket on my upcoming Nautica/Regatta cruises. That is one of the things which attracted me to Oceania in the first place. I have never understood why what other people are wearing should influence my pleasure. Clean, neat, and not smelling is all I ask from my fellow passengers at dinner.

[shoshona2]

Hi Digby,

 

Just wanted to make sure you know that United has now limited the weight to 50 lbs per bag to go out of the country. We usually take one suitcase a piece, but will go to three between the two of us since we will have to layer on this cruise. (Different temperatures).

 

Sheila

[digby]

"Just wanted to make sure you know that United has now limited the weight to 50 lbs per bag to go out of the country"

 

Is that for all classes of travel? We upgraded to Business Class. I guess I better check with United.

[cruisin'cats]

Jane, thanks for the comments. I'll let you know what we do and how it works for us. Everybody is different and reacts differently. Friends were on the NCL Pride of America (hated it, but that's another story) and disliked the open seating policies. Tough for them but they're not us and we'll see how it goes.

 

Hey Digby--smelling good is fine by me! LOL. Oh, yeah, that and clean clothes. Frankly, I LOVE a guy in a suit and fall head over heels for a guy in a tux but my guy wears both whenever he wants to or needs to--so vacationing without either will be fine for him and me. I do think he's bringing a blazer just to have for any occasion he deems that he wants to wear it. It's quite a long ride back to NJ just to pick it up if he changes his mind.

 

As to the weight limitations, I believe that this is the same for all classes on the planes, though I might be wrong. Someone was saying something when we were in CA on our Mercury cruise two weeks ago that different frequent flyer status members (as in Medallion status or the like) could carry more weight but I didn't see any confirmation of that.

 

With this weight consideration in mind, it makes it worthwhile to carry the two suitcases per passenger that you are allowed rather than just carrying one full suitcase. Think of it this way--if you are only allowed 50 lbs per bag but two bags per person, that's 100 lbs allowable weight. If you carry only one bag and overpack, well you're either charged for the overweight amount or you have to buy another bag to redistribute the weight (SWA charges $25 for overweight bags or $25 for one of their bags for you to redistribute the weight--and if you're adding a third bag, then you have to pay an extra charge! No wonder they're still making money!). So, my point is, pack two bags, even if you don't fill them both up with 50 lbs of weight--and have wiggle room for bringing home goodies. Of course, whenever possible, I like to ship purchases home so that I don't have to carry anything if I don't have to.

 

Bottom line--pack two bags, take advantage of the weight allowance to bring home goodies, and don't get caught over packed in one bag at the airport coming or going.

 

Digby--you could start a nudist cruise line and not have to worry about getting over dressed. Talk about having a relaxed vacation!

[shoshona2]

Hi Digby,

 

We're going B.C. on the United flight from SFO to Beijing on the 12th -- my husband was told there is NO difference in classes any more -- every bag is a maximum of 50 lbs.

 

Sheila