Dress code

[Ja21]

Hi, sailing for first time on P&O in Jan.  Need some dress code advice please, booking info says black tie for a celebration night, is this really necessary? Other ships Iv been on are more relaxed about this and shirt and jacket suffice.  Also, other nights, is it very formal or can you get away with general holiday wear? Will my husband be ok wearing tee shirts for dinner etc

[dgs1956]

There are countless threads and replies on this subject. Have a look for them. He won't be able to use the Main Dining Room on any evening wearing a tee shirt but will get away with it in the buffet. 

[jeanlyon]

definitely won't be allowed in the Main Dining room.  Even in the bars, a t shirt won't be allowed.  Just a shirt and jacket would be fine.

[Bazrat]

This question gets asked roughly every couple of weeks, the dress code is adequately explained on there website

[kalos]

5 minutes ago, Bazrat said:

This question gets asked roughly every couple of weeks, the dress code is adequately explained on there website

 Which is here ... https://www.pocruises.com/what-to-wear   

[wowzz]

4 hours ago, Ja21 said:

Hi, sailing for first time on P&O in Jan.  Need some dress code advice please, booking info says black tie for a celebration night, is this really necessary? Other ships Iv been on are more relaxed about this and shirt and jacket suffice.  Also, other nights, is it very formal or can you get away with general holiday wear? Will my husband be ok wearing tee shirts for dinner etc

Basically,  your husband needs to wear a jacket and shirt and tie for formal nights. 

[FangedRose]

T shirts are not allowed in mdr any night. 

 

If your husband wishes to eat in the mdr, and go to certain venues (vary according to each ship, but always includes The Crow's Nest, or equivalent) on formal nights, a jacket and tie is the bare minimum. Others will be wearing dinner suits or a tux with a bow tie, or a dark formal suit with shirt and tie. National dress (eg a kilt with accompanying accessories) is also permitted.

[davecttr]

This is from the P&O site

 

Iona
Main Dining Restaurant, The Crow's Nest, Gala Lite, The Epicurian and Sindhu restaurants.

 

What the heck is Gala Lite?

 

What about polo shirts on normal nights, there were plenty of them on Iona

Edited October 10, 2022 by davecttr

[lincslady]

I agree re polo shirts versus T shirts - I don't think the latter are suitable for evening wear, and polo ones are just as comfortable, and especially in a plain darkish colour are fairly smart looking.

[david63]

Please don't forget that trousers, not shorts, are also required on all nights😉

[pete14]

On my last cruise  couple of years ago, I forgot to pack my jacket. I had my smart trousers, a couple of dress shirts and bow ties but no jacket. I went to see the maitre d / head waiter and told him of my predicament. He told me not to worry because he could lend me a black jacket for the duration of the cruise. They keep a limited stock for such occasions. Not the ideal solution but it did mean that on formal nights I could use the MDR. My jacket will have pride of place in my suitcase when we join Ventura at the end of this month.

[Red Leicester]

First time poster and commenter on such things...

 

On Britannia a couple of weeks back I didn't take my suit as I'm not one for dressing up really.  I took either (very) dark blue jeans or smarter trousers and casual shirts / polos with a pair of smart black Skechers.  Never had any problem or issue, bar the odd look of disgust from my fellow passengers.  Only the Crow's Nest, Sindhu, Epicurean and main dining rooms were out of bounds.  Possibly theatres and shows too, almost certain they would have been.  I was expecting more to be honest including bars in the Atrium.

 

Although the dress code isn't for me and I dodge it I respect those who want to follow it and wouldn't even dream of venturing into somewhere that is out of bounds.  It's my choice not to do it so I live with the restrictions.  I have seen people asked to leave establishments onboard.

I would add there were more on my last cruise who didn't dress up and the proportion seemed to be higher.  But I'm talking the vast vast vast majority still go formal.  Something like 85% formal / 15% not.

 

Away from formal nights the dark blue jeans and polo sufficed, no problems.  Never saw anyone in breach with shorts etc.

[pete14]

4 minutes ago, Red Leicester said:

First time poster and commenter on such things...

 

On Britannia a couple of weeks back I didn't take my suit as I'm not one for dressing up really.  I took either (very) dark blue jeans or smarter trousers and casual shirts / polos with a pair of smart black Skechers.  Never had any problem or issue, bar the odd look of disgust from my fellow passengers.  Only the Crow's Nest, Sindhu, Epicurean and main dining rooms were out of bounds.  Possibly theatres and shows too, almost certain they would have been.  I was expecting more to be honest including bars in the Atrium.

 

Although the dress code isn't for me and I dodge it I respect those who want to follow it and wouldn't even dream of venturing into somewhere that is out of bounds.  It's my choice not to do it so I live with the restrictions.  I have seen people asked to leave establishments onboard.

I would add there were more on my last cruise who didn't dress up and the proportion seemed to be higher.  But I'm talking the vast vast vast majority still go formal.  Something like 85% formal / 15% not.

 

Away from formal nights the dark blue jeans and polo sufficed, no problems.  Never saw anyone in breach with shorts etc.

I presume the dark blue jeans were not noticeably jeans and did not have holes in the knees and slashes on the legs as seems to be essential for some people these days, prepared to pay extra for the ‘mutilation’ of their clothes.

[AchileLauro]

My preferred dress of an evening would be described as smart casual, I don't particularly like wearing a dinner jacket. I consider it would be disrespectful to others not to adhere to the dress code so I live with it when sailing with P&O (much prefer the dress code on Marella).

[Red Leicester]

31 minutes ago, pete14 said:

I presume the dark blue jeans were not noticeably jeans and did not have holes in the knees and slashes on the legs as seems to be essential for some people these days, prepared to pay extra for the ‘mutilation’ of their clothes.

Correct, they weren't anything like that.  Can't get away with that fashion trend sadly!

[Yorkypete]

4 hours ago, lincslady said:

I agree re polo shirts versus T shirts - I don't think the latter are suitable for evening wear, and polo ones are just as comfortable, and especially in a plain darkish colour are fairly smart looking.

On non-formal nights t shirts are commonly worn and jeans.It is only on formal nights when the bars hope you wear tuxes. If you were banned from bars then they would lose tons of money.Theatres were OK on formal nights as to wearing casual dress (but as others have said, not jeans with holes in!)

 

[Red Leicester]

I found the evening of port days to be the most casual casual.  Probably understandably, especially if it's a late-ish back on board time.

It's probably done the rounds enough before I joined this but to me not sure what I wear matters as long as it maintains decency.  That's a definition in itself.  Ripped jeans... decent?  It might not look good but is it really offensive?  What I wear or don't wear doesn't change who I am.  I don't wear a tie to work any more, does this make me work less hard? No.

 

I believe times are changing and we may well see less of the formality as the demographics change.  Slowly, very slowly, I've spotted that it's becoming more relaxed.  Doesn't mean standards should slip though, don't get me wrong.  It's a tightrope.

[dgs1956]

Why can't everyone just read the dress codes before booking their cruise and adhere to it thereafter? The majority of people are happy to adhere it and probably actually enjoy that aspect of the cruise and a minority want to go about pushing the boundaries to see what they can get away with. There are plenty of other cruise lines with a less "demanding" dress code so why don't those people select them instead? No doubt there will be a number of people will disagree but hey ho!

[Red Leicester]

I did.  It's coded as "Celebration Night gives you the option...".  I read that as it doesn't mandate. It goes on to state many locations may be out of bounds if you don't.  For the three cruises I have done I did dress up but found I didn't have to so did less and less.  I don't go on holiday for formality like that, it stresses me out and was my only real worry about cruising with P&O.

 

I don't partake, my choice, I avoid everywhere except the Buffet and Brodies.  I accept my movements and choices will be restricted.

 

Interestingly it does also state the Glass House on Britannia was out of bounds but I don't recall that.  Only ate there one on a normal night so couldn't say 100% for certain.  It didn't state as such in Horizon from memory but I could be wrong.  I'd have expected that to be black tie.

 

The Beach House was actively promoting "You don't need black tie if you fancy dining here tonight"

[Harry Peterson]

26 minutes ago, Red Leicester said:

I found the evening of port days to be the most casual casual.  Probably understandably, especially if it's a late-ish back on board time.

It's probably done the rounds enough before I joined this but to me not sure what I wear matters as long as it maintains decency.  That's a definition in itself.  Ripped jeans... decent?  It might not look good but is it really offensive?  What I wear or don't wear doesn't change who I am.  I don't wear a tie to work any more, does this make me work less hard? No.

 

I believe times are changing and we may well see less of the formality as the demographics change.  Slowly, very slowly, I've spotted that it's becoming more relaxed.  Doesn't mean standards should slip though, don't get me wrong.  It's a tightrope.

You make some very good points there, and as these threads have returned over the years the views expressed have, bit by bit, evolved.

 

Not that long ago, any suggestion of anything other than a DJ or - at a push - a dark suit would have been shot down in flames. Now there’s at least some acceptance that there are competing viewpoints.

 

The age profile is changing, and even within the same age groups people have changed.

 

I stick by the rules (suit, though, not DJ) because it’s simply good manners, but we may be reaching the point long ago reached in onshore restaurants where customers will wear pretty much whatever they want to wear. Once P&O have established that the dress rules are losing more customers than they’re gaining, that will be that - and it may not be far off.

[Adawn47]

13 hours ago, wowzz said:

Basically,  your husband needs to wear a jacket and shirt and tie for formal nights. 

Eerrmm....... I think trousers are also required😉😁

Avril

[dgs1956]

18 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

Eerrmm....... I think trousers are also required😉😁

Avril

......... or kilt of course.

[davecttr]

3 hours ago, dgs1956 said:

Why can't everyone just read the dress codes before booking their cruise and adhere to it thereafter? The majority of people are happy to adhere it and probably actually enjoy that aspect of the cruise and a minority want to go about pushing the boundaries to see what they can get away with. There are plenty of other cruise lines with a less "demanding" dress code so why don't those people select them instead? No doubt there will be a number of people will disagree but hey ho!

Unfortunately the dress codes published on the P&O site can be confusing. On there it states that the Glass House on Azura and Ventura require formal dress on black tie nights. My experience onboard shows this was just not true and confirmed by the bar manager. The code remained evening casual which is what you would be what you would expect in a venue that was 'a relaxed casual bar that also sells food'.

 

Location of the venue is also important. The Azura/Ventura Glass House is a transit area between the theatre and the atrium so hordes of the great unwashed pour through. They could not  be forced to use the prom deck, especially when it is windy. Britannia has its Glass House sharing the atrium with Java which means it has to be formal for the captains talk etc. However if those talks do not resume the code may change. Iona has few formal venues and Arvia will follow with even less as its two smaller main dining rooms have been repurposed as the Olive Grove and an american diner.

 

M&S no longer sells mens suits, this is a sign of changing fashion.

 

I just follow the dress codes but don't bother with formal wear any more as I am not trying to impress anyone or am 'under instruction' to comply.😉

[Happy afloat]

29 minutes ago, davecttr said:

Unfortunately the dress codes published on the P&O site can be confusing. On there it states that the Glass House on Azura and Ventura require formal dress on black tie nights. My experience onboard shows this was just not true and confirmed by the bar manager. The code remained evening casual which is what you would be what you would expect in a venue that was 'a relaxed casual bar that also sells food'.

 

Location of the venue is also important. The Azura/Ventura Glass House is a transit area between the theatre and the atrium so hordes of the great unwashed pour through. They could not  be forced to use the prom deck, especially when it is windy. Britannia has its Glass House sharing the atrium with Java which means it has to be formal for the captains talk etc. However if those talks do not resume the code may change. Iona has few formal venues and Arvia will follow with even less as its two smaller main dining rooms have been repurposed as the Olive Grove and an american diner.

 

M&S no longer sells mens suits, this is a sign of changing fashio.

 

I just follow the dress codes but don't bother with formal wear any more as I am not trying to impress anyone or am 'under instruction' to comply.😉

Sorry, incorrect regarding M&S not selling suits. Bought one less than a month ago. Tuxedos also readily available, certainly in the larger stores.

[Ja21]

Thanks all, some good insights here, my husband isn’t one for dressing up on holiday, he wants to relax and be comfortable so will probably pack a tie for the “special” night and polo shirt / casual shirt for the rest of it, I don’t much like spending hours getting ready myself on holiday so we can be the ship scruffs together ! Personally I think the idea of black tie and long glittery dresses for a cruise is a bit old fashioned