Acceptable clothing in dining areas...

[Sun Queen II]

Hi all, starting to do the packing, and trying to figure out what to pack, and what to leave behind.  Have seen many posts regarding the wearing of jeans in restaurants (don’t worry - this is not a jeans questions 🙂

 

For specialty restaurants and La Reserve, we are planning on DH wearing jacket, and dress pants, and dress/or skirt for me.

 

We are wondering what acceptable clothing is for the following:

 

Breakfast/lunch in GDR:

Breakfast/lunch in Terrace:

Breakfast/lunch at Waves: assume bathing suit with cover up works.

 

Assume that DH needs to be in pants in GDR for dinner - what about for dinner at Terrace, are men’s dress shorts and golf shirt acceptable, or must DH be in pants?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

[Mura]

There are many threads on this subject ... perhaps so many that you are still unsure!

 

So ... no jacket needed for specialties unless your husband wants to bring one along.

 

Breakfast/lunch in both Terrace and the GDR are pretty much the same -- the main thing is that shorts are okay for both sexes.  No baseball caps as I recall, although these things seem to be fluctuating these days.

 

Is a coverup necessary in Waves?  I'm not sure!  Never having lunched there after sitting around the pool ... I suspect it isn't in Waves although in Terrace it would be.

 

Dinner in Terrace is much more casual.  I think DH in dress shorts (not a speedo, though 😋) would be fine.  My DH always wears pants which is why I'm not positive about that.  But I'm 99% sure I'm right.

 

People DO dress somewhat better for the specialties -- well, most do!  But jackets and ties are NOT necessary, although you will see more men wearing them in the specialties than you will elsewhere.  Dressing neatly with a collared shirt and nice looking pants should be more than acceptable.

 

I usually wear dressy pants with a nice top ... If I still wore dresses, they'd be okay, too!  Even since my knee surgery years ago, I avoid them ... oh, I forgot ... I also retired!  So while I'll wear casual pants (even jeans) with a nice t-shirt to the GDR for breakfast or lunch, I wouldn't dress that way at dinner.

 

Mura

 

[Hokapontas]

On our second cruise, my hubby left all his long pants on the bed after rushing through his packing...we realized when we unpacked, with our first night's dinner booked in a specialty. He rushed down to the O shop and lo and behold a white pair of linen Polo trousers in his size was available, with only one other! You can guess what he wore for the rest of the trip. He never brings a jacket, shirt sleeves and an open neck always goes fine.

 

Enjoy your trip, and as my mother says "leave the pearls behind".

[Classiccruiser777]

32 minutes ago, Sun Queen II said:

Assume that DH needs to be in pants in GDR for dinner - what about for dinner at Terrace, are men’s dress shorts and golf shirt acceptable, or must DH be in pants?

 

GDR and specialties dinner: Long pants and a collared shirt, no sandals for men. Terrace   is always very casual, shorts, sandals tee shirts all OK all the time (but not that common at dinner).

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

Just off Insignia and saw a lot more jackets in GDR, Polo, and Toscana that I expected.  I took a blue blazer but never wore it as it was to warm most of the time.  Slacks and a nice collared shirt after 6:00 PM worked everywhere.  Waves is open deck pool side and just about everything goes a cover up would be more than enough.  

[Best Cat Mom]

I knew when we booked our first Oceania cruise that there would not be any formal nights and that business casual was more the norm. However, I was hoping that we wouldn't stand out too much when we will 'dress up' for dinner. I travel all the time for work and am looking forward to having my hubby with me for all those nights in a row for a change. We like to get dressed up and go out to dinner the few times we have a chance and I was not going to alter our behavior for this cruise. Will we really look 'off' if I'm in hose and heels every night and he is in a blazer and dress pants most nights, with a few nights of suit and tie?

 

I know not to expect formal dress from others. We never felt out of place on NCL when we dressed formally -- even when others in specialty restaurants were in cargo shorts and flip flops. We just like to make our time together feel "special." Am I crazy to think that this will work out okay??

Edited February 12, 2020 by Best Cat Mom

[clo]

1 hour ago, Mura said:

But jackets and ties are NOT necessary, although you will see more men wearing them in the specialties than you will elsewhere. 

In our five dinners in specialties I saw two men at one table in jackets. They looked so nice. Bob wore nice slacks and a dress shirt, dark socks and loafers. That was about as dressed up as any. 

[Mura]

That's what I have seen as well!  Gentlemen should NOT worry!

 

If you have a La Reserve dinner (only on the "O" ships) you may well see more jackets.  Even so, NOT required.

 

 

 

[pna]

Best Cat Mom:  My husband and I too like to dress up a bit.  We are new to Oceania and realize it is a bit more casual than some cruise lines.  We will probably be overdressed but that doesn’t bother me. He is bringing a jacket for the special RR.  I would rather see passengers overdressed than not following recommendations of the cruise line 

[CintiPam]

43 minutes ago, Best Cat Mom said:

I knew when we booked our first Oceania cruise that there would not be any formal nights and that business casual was more the norm. However, I was hoping that we wouldn't stand out too much when we will 'dress up' for dinner. I travel all the time for work and am looking forward to having my hubby with me for all those nights in a row for a change. We like to get dressed up and go out to dinner the few times we have a chance and I was not going to alter our behavior for this cruise. Will we really look 'off' if I'm in hose and heels every night and he is in a blazer and dress pants most nights, with a few nights of suit and tie?

 

I know not to expect formal dress from others. We never felt out of place on NCL when we dressed formally -- even when others in specialty restaurants were in cargo shorts and flip flops. We just like to make our time together feel "special." Am I crazy to think that this will work out okay??

Of course it will!  I enjoy looking at those dressed up provided I still can dine anywhere onboard in black slacks and a nice top. Those men insisting on wearing baseball caps to dinner really bother me but those who dress up are a pleasure to observe. 

[clo]

55 minutes ago, Best Cat Mom said:

I know not to expect formal dress from others.

I consider "formal" for a man to be black tie and we didn't see that. We also didn't see any men in suits and I can't remember if the two men in blazers had on ties. I'm kinda guessing that the fact we were in S. America (in their summer) likely contributed to lighter clothes.

[Twiga]

Best Cat Mom and pna:  I appreciate passengers who dress up for dinner.  A jacket for men always looks great.  (My husband takes a jacket only on colder weather cruises.)  Women who wear nice dresses or pants and a special top look lovely.  I frequently compliment passengers who make the effort to look extra nice.  No, it is not required, but I love seeing such wonderfully-dressed couples!  You will not look "off." To the contrary, you will look special!

[clo]

3 minutes ago, Twiga said:

I frequently compliment passengers who make the effort to look extra nice.

I did that. The woman at the table could have been the mother of one or both. They were pleased.

[Mura]

1 hour ago, Best Cat Mom said:

I knew when we booked our first Oceania cruise that there would not be any formal nights and that business casual was more the norm. However, I was hoping that we wouldn't stand out too much when we will 'dress up' for dinner. I travel all the time for work and am looking forward to having my hubby with me for all those nights in a row for a change. We like to get dressed up and go out to dinner the few times we have a chance and I was not going to alter our behavior for this cruise. Will we really look 'off' if I'm in hose and heels every night and he is in a blazer and dress pants most nights, with a few nights of suit and tie?

 

I know not to expect formal dress from others. We never felt out of place on NCL when we dressed formally -- even when others in specialty restaurants were in cargo shorts and flip flops. We just like to make our time together feel "special." Am I crazy to think that this will work out okay??

Of course it's okay!  When we were on our first Renaissance cruise (1999) there were four couples going into the GDR in formal wear.  I thought it was wonderful watching them.  No, I didn't want to bring formal gowns on the cruise but I loved seeing them having a good time.

 

The complaints I see here on CC are about people who dress DOWN ... not those who dress UP.

 

I'd love to cruise with you and admire your attire!

 

Mura

[Best Cat Mom]

Thank you to pna, CintiPam, clo, Twiga and Mura !!! I am so relieved. I did not want us to look pretentious. Thank you SO much. I will have on white jeans most days (we'll be in the Caribbean) but will feel good when I get to dress up with my guy later. Vacations are our fun time. 🙂

[Twiga]

Best Cat Mom:  Have a wonderful cruise!  Please post afterwards and let us know how you enjoyed the cruise and, especially, dressing up!  Bon voyage!

[Paulchili]

5 hours ago, Best Cat Mom said:

Will we really look 'off' if I'm in hose and heels every night and he is in a blazer and dress pants most nights, with a few nights of suit and tie?

You'll be just fine - enjoy 😊

He may be the only one wearing a suit & tie but if he doesn't mind he'll be fine - it's your vacation.

[Best Cat Mom]

10 hours ago, Twiga said:

Best Cat Mom:  Have a wonderful cruise!  Please post afterwards and let us know how you enjoyed the cruise and, especially, dressing up!  Bon voyage!

Thank you!

 

I intend to post our thoughts, here and on the MSC boards as well. We had recently discovered MSC's Yacht Club and love the exceptional service and intimate feeling of their European-style ship-within-a-ship. We're looking forward to trying a cruise line where the whole ship is a 'ship-within-a-ship.' Whenever we would leave the YC on MSC, we couldn't wait to get back to the  sanctuary of it as soon as possible. We're looking forward to being on a smaller ship so we feel the movement more as well. Sometimes a ship large enough to hold 4.5K+ guests doesn't even seem to moving and I need to find a view to the outside to make sure that I'm not just in a big hotel. 🙂 

[bigmjh]

15 hours ago, clo said:

I did that. The woman at the table could have been the mother of one or both. They were pleased.

That "mom" raised her two sons the right way and taught them the principles of social etiquette. 👍

[kibutzer]

Bathing suit cover ups are requested in all dining areas including waves.  In Terrace men tried to come in "swim" shorts and were kindly asked to change at dinner hour.  Also please be sure suits are dry if dining in waves Terrace, no fun sitting on damp cushions after someone has dined wearing damp suit. 

 

Food for thought.

[clo]

22 minutes ago, bigmjh said:

That "mom" raised her two sons the right way and taught them the principles of social etiquette. 👍

Oh, I don't know. When I booked our first O cruise I asked here about sports jackets as I'd seen that in O's site and was told "oh, they're models."  Nice pants and shirt looked just fine.

[AlaskaNewbie68]

I stressed SO much about appropriate attire before our recent cruise (first time on Oceania) and realized quickly that stress was for nothing. In general, many were dressed way more casually than I expected. Enjoy!

[bigmjh]

3 hours ago, clo said:

Oh, I don't know. When I booked our first O cruise I asked here about sports jackets as I'd seen that in O's site and was told "oh, they're models."  Nice pants and shirt looked just fine.

I just meant that mom had taught them respect for certain situations. Agree that "Nice pants and shirt looked just fine." When they chose to exceed those minimums it's just a bonus star in her bonnet.