newtocruiseinblue Posted November 12, 2022 #1 Share Posted November 12, 2022 Just disembarked from 7 night on Nieuw Statendam Eastern Caribbean. For every person on this board that insisted and argued that they wear golf shirt to chic night (and many insisted they wear shorts), there were a large number of people wearing suit jackets, long sleeve shirts with ties and even tuxedos. I saw several women in beaded (even long) dresses. If you don't like to dress up for your vacation, this message is not for you, but for those of us that DO - go for it! Enjoy dressing up and have a glamorous, relaxing evening on board. I didn't bring a jacket, tie or even long sleeve button down for my husband and really felt bad that we did not. Next time I will know better from my own personal experience. Cheers! 13 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PACD_JG Posted November 12, 2022 #2 Share Posted November 12, 2022 BLUF. Dress for yourself and no one else. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare FlaMariner Posted November 12, 2022 #3 Share Posted November 12, 2022 Enjoy the journey.......no matter what you wear. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OVgirl Posted November 12, 2022 #4 Share Posted November 12, 2022 Very sad that you got bad advice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newtocruiseinblue Posted November 12, 2022 Author #5 Share Posted November 12, 2022 6 minutes ago, OVgirl said: Very sad that you got bad advice. It's ok - we lived! ☺️ I think I should have followed my instincts instead of following the crowd. Moral of the story / wear what you want and don't look back! 😘😘 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florida_gal_50 Posted November 12, 2022 #6 Share Posted November 12, 2022 It’s the casual people that usually suggest that I find. Even heard people say they’ve seen shorts in the mdr. I’ve seen everything but. There will definitely be people that are dressed up but I find it’s getting to be fewer and fewer. I used to bring long dresses and fancy clothes. I’ve scaled that down a lot. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Banditswife Posted November 12, 2022 #7 Share Posted November 12, 2022 Hubby doesn't like to dress up, but I do. So I tell him that is the rules. Then he sees someone in casual clothes & gives me a dirty look. Oh well. For casual nights we wear nicer clothes, slacks for him, dress or slacks for me. On dressy nights: me-cocktail dress or slacks & sparkly top, him-suit jacket, tie & collared shirt. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infi Posted November 12, 2022 #8 Share Posted November 12, 2022 I think it's the people on either extreme (very dressy or very casual) that tend to speak up the most for their respective side. Keep in mind that this board is such a tiny segment of the cruising population at large, and isn't always representative of what the broader cruising public thinks. OP (and others who are curious), I hope on your next cruise you'll dress as fancy as you like, and don't ever get too caught up in what others or this board thinks. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Banditswife Posted November 12, 2022 #9 Share Posted November 12, 2022 This is my opinion: Personally my meal will taste the same whether the table next to us has on shorts or formal wear. Dress how you wish & are comfortable, within reason. On our last HAL cruise (2021), my son was told "no shorts." But was still allowed in the MDR with shorts after telling them this is what he brought to wear. I think the rules have been relaxed a bit to coincide with what the majority want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florida_gal_50 Posted November 12, 2022 #10 Share Posted November 12, 2022 (edited) 8 minutes ago, Banditswife said: This is my opinion: Personally my meal will taste the same whether the table next to us has on shorts or formal wear. Dress how you wish & are comfortable, within reason. On our last HAL cruise (2021), my son was told "no shorts." But was still allowed in the MDR with shorts after telling them this is what he brought to wear. I think the rules have been relaxed a bit to coincide with what the majority want. It’s not about the meal tasting the same. Do the majority want to wear shorts in the mdr? I know I’ve never seen any kind of survey about that. Hal used to ask for a collared shirt. That’s too high of a standard. I do not want to see pj’s in the mdr. It’s like me saying the majority want to dress up. For sure I know that isn’t true. Edited November 12, 2022 by Florida_gal_50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Banditswife Posted November 12, 2022 #11 Share Posted November 12, 2022 1 minute ago, Florida_gal_50 said: It’s not about the meal tasting the same. Do the majority want to wear shorts in the mdr? I know I’ve never seen any kind of survey about that. Hal used to ask for a collared shirt. That’s too high of a standard. I do not want to see pj’s in the mdr. That's why I said "within reason." My son's shorts were nice dress shorts & collared shirt. I do not want to see PJs or bathing suits either. And there are some outfits that I consider distasteful, but try to keep my mouth shut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mosaic Posted November 12, 2022 #12 Share Posted November 12, 2022 This is my opinion: It tastes the same with paper plates and sporks also... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChinaShrek Posted November 12, 2022 #13 Share Posted November 12, 2022 This is why I always eat in the Lido on Dressy nights. I do not want to dress up and many people on HAL dress up for these nights. I can still wear slippers and PJs and the lido without anyone batting an eye. 🤣 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea42 Posted November 12, 2022 #14 Share Posted November 12, 2022 25 minutes ago, ChinaShrek said: This is why I always eat in the Lido on Dressy nights. I do not want to dress up and many people on HAL dress up for these nights. I can still wear slippers and PJs and the lido without anyone batting an eye. 🤣 As long as you're wearing a nice bathrobe! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oaktreerb Posted November 12, 2022 #15 Share Posted November 12, 2022 39 minutes ago, Mosaic said: This is my opinion: It tastes the same with paper plates and sporks also... No it doesn’t! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oaktreerb Posted November 12, 2022 #16 Share Posted November 12, 2022 4 hours ago, newtocruiseinblue said: Just disembarked from 7 night on Nieuw Statendam Eastern Caribbean. For every person on this board that insisted and argued that they wear golf shirt to chic night (and many insisted they wear shorts), there were a large number of people wearing suit jackets, long sleeve shirts with ties and even tuxedos. I saw several women in beaded (even long) dresses. If you don't like to dress up for your vacation, this message is not for you, but for those of us that DO - go for it! Enjoy dressing up and have a glamorous, relaxing evening on board. I didn't bring a jacket, tie or even long sleeve button down for my husband and really felt bad that we did not. Next time I will know better from my own personal experience. Cheers! We just got off the Koningsdam. Up until the day before boarding the Navigator App listed Smart Casual as every evening’s attire. Because of that we just took Smart Casual for every evening and didn’t feel uncomfortable on “Dressy” night. My DH felt like he should have taken a long sleeve shirt and tie (easy to pack) but his Tommy Bahama worked fine for our sail up the Pacific Coast to San Francisco. No shorts in the dining room though, ever. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare albingirl Posted November 12, 2022 #17 Share Posted November 12, 2022 For me, cruises are special and I dress accordingly. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StLouisCruisers Posted November 12, 2022 #18 Share Posted November 12, 2022 2 minutes ago, albingirl said: For me, cruises are special and I dress accordingly. same here. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevingastreich Posted November 13, 2022 #19 Share Posted November 13, 2022 I've seen the head guy in the MDR offer loaner jackets to guests. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevingastreich Posted November 13, 2022 #20 Share Posted November 13, 2022 5 hours ago, ChinaShrek said: This is why I always eat in the Lido on Dressy nights. I do not want to dress up and many people on HAL dress up for these nights. I can still wear slippers and PJs and the lido without anyone batting an eye. 🤣 I've seen eyes bat. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Mary229 Posted November 13, 2022 #21 Share Posted November 13, 2022 (edited) I think many of us did warn that we have seen guests asked to return dressed appropriately. The only time I have seen leniency is when a guest’s luggage was lost. Shorts? Not on any of my cruises and certainly not on gala night. I don’t recall seeing that many formally dressed people either but I think that is mainly a late dining experience. Edited November 13, 2022 by Mary229 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruising-along Posted November 13, 2022 #22 Share Posted November 13, 2022 1 hour ago, kevingastreich said: I've seen the head guy in the MDR offer loaner jackets to guests. Since jackets haven't been required for years now, I'm guessing this was a long time ago... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Charlene1985 Posted November 13, 2022 #23 Share Posted November 13, 2022 (edited) I love dressing up. I wear a boring, ugly uniform to work. I wear a long evening dress on gala nights and I wear dresses with heals every other night. He wears suits on gala nights, and dress pants with long sleeve shirts on other nights. I’m going on a 10 day cruise in January. I will have 8 knee length/above the knee dresses and two full length gowns. And probably 8 different pairs of shoes. But again, I wear the same two ugly uniforms every single work day of my life. Edited November 13, 2022 by Charlene1985 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trivia addict Posted November 13, 2022 #24 Share Posted November 13, 2022 There are so many threads on this topic. The best advice I see, and what I give is wear what you are comfortable with. My husband and I always bring cocktail attire for dressy nights, and in the past even did tuxes and long gowns which we do not do now, but enjoy seeing those others that do. My comment recently on one of these topics was that I feel that seeing people dressing for the occasion brings a certain civility to our world, and I was totally flamed on the board, for this opinion. Do I wear a dress when I go to the beach? No. Do I wear a nice outfit when I go to a nice restaurant? Yes. Just the way I was brought up many years ago, I guess. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevingastreich Posted November 16, 2022 #25 Share Posted November 16, 2022 On 11/12/2022 at 5:48 PM, Cruising-along said: Since jackets haven't been required for years now, I'm guessing this was a long time ago... True, but in this case it was a courtesy to the guest because he felt underdressed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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