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Do people still dress up for dinners, photo shots these days?

JerseyBird

By JerseyBird,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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JerseyBird

JerseyBird

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Hi!

 

We haven't been on a cruise for three years due to Covid, very excited for our upcoming November Mediterranean trip! 

 

I know NCL is Free Style, probably more on the casual side. do people still dress up for dinners, photo shots etc. these days?  What's the overall dress code/atmosphere alike, please enlighten me😀.

 

TIA!

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laudergayle Holiday Sharing Rare

laudergayle

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Dress up, dress casual…just be sure to dress.  You will see all types.  There are photographers onboard who would like nothing more than take your pictures.  Do whatever you’re envisioning for “your” cruise.  On a Mediterranean cruise you will find more guests who tend to dress up vs a Caribbean cruise.  Enjoy.

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9tee2Sea

9tee2Sea

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some do, some don't.  I always enjoy seeing many passengers dress up on Formal Night ( or Dress up Night).  Ladies in sparkling dresses, or fancy dresses.  Men in suits with ties ( occasionally a Tuxedo).  Families posing all dressed up getting the photos taken.  I always wear a sport coat and turtleneck on the fancy nights.  Formal/Dress up night just brings back memories of how cruising used to be way back then.  A special occasion.  The food in the MDR is just a bit more elegant on the dress up night.  Even in the Buffett. 

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complawyer

complawyer

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dress code is "EXTREMELY" casual!. you can dress up if you wish, when there are nights designated for photos, but mostly, you will  be in the minority. jeans and t shirts mostly for men, women also very casual. le bistro requires men to have collared shirts, but thats the extent 

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laudergayle Holiday Sharing Rare

laudergayle

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Ok…this is a silly question for as many cruises we’ve taken since restart.  We typically dress smart casual for dinner (slacks/club shirt for DH, non wrinkle dress for me)…but never formal nor for pictures. Therefore, I have never paid attention to the dailies.  Is there really a Formal Night where there are more photographers?

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schmoopie17

schmoopie17

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Some do...most don't. In these days of high baggage fees, it doesn't make sense to waste valuable suitcase space/weight with suits, tuxedos, ball gowns, dress shoes, etc.

 

Heck, even the U.S. Senate now allows people to "come as you are" (big mistake, in my humble opinion).

 

But if you like to dress fancily on a cruise...go for it.

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cruiseny4life Holiday Sharing Rare

cruiseny4life

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14 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

Ok…this is a silly question for as many cruises we’ve taken since restart.  We typically dress smart casual for dinner (slacks/club shirt for DH, non wrinkle dress for me)…but never formal nor for pictures. Therefore, I have never paid attention to the dailies.  Is there really a Formal Night where there are more photographers?

I haven't noticed a fancier night on my cruises. As you know we don't exactly dress up either. I have observed more photographers out, being annoying on sea days than on port days. 

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mking8288 "Live from...." Rare

mking8288

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Smart, resort casual is the motto these days, as I can state that for the Escape that we just disembarked on Sunday on a "modified" New England-Canada cruise out of NY - for all but 2 of the specialty restaurants (we didn't go to the large (and, noisier) Manhattan MDR) where for men, long (and clean/neat) slacks, pants or equivalent and a collar (polo will do) shirt is expected/required (not sure how strictly they enforced it) - with a voicemail reminder into our stateroom ahead of the reserved date onboard.  

 

Onboard photographers no longer roam the MDR at all, unlike many years ago and are either stationary, or are seen in specialty restaurants only - approaching diners & asked nicely if one wish to take photos, and if declined, respecfully move on.  We have tons of dining photos in Cagney's, Le Bistro, La Cucina, Moderno, etc. over the decades and don't really need any more, despite the 25% discount for our Latitudes tier.  Besides, server(s) will cheerfully help take photos from one's iPhone or smartphone when they are free & not busy serving other guests.  

 

Welcome back to cruising, BTW.  We always pack and travel light, whether it's for a week or 3 weeks including land extensions pre- and post-  and whatever we can wear, carry & fit into our backpack or carry-on and that single 22" or 24" rollerboard are what come along, no extra dress shoes or heels for the Mrs.  - and we try to stay with 23 kg / 44 lbs on the big piece (leave a 5 lbs allowance for gifts & souvenir(s) or shopping items picked up along the way.  It makes getting around in places overseas much easier, as some of the cities & towns abroad aren't always access friendly,  I leave behind that navy blue blazer, shirt & tie and Dockers khaki years ago at home when we travel, unless it's an out-of-town wedding trip. 

 

But, if you can "handle" it with ease, fits and you feel good about bringing a nicer outfit along - and there's space in the suitcase - just do it.  (and, we roll, stuff & use compression/packing cubes - amazing that a 19" junior carry-on tipped the scale at 30+ lbs easily ... with digital gadgets loaded)

 

Have a great cruise and cheers ! 

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D_And_K_gocruising

D_And_K_gocruising

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We are planning on "dressing up" for for 1 or 2 of our nights dining.. Now, let's be clear.  For us, dressing up means I will have dress pants and either a nice polo shirt or a long sleeve button up shirt.. No jacket or tie.  For the Mrs, some sort of dress.   Sooooo... that's probably what many consider normal going out for dinner clothing 😄  but for us, that's fancy schmancy.. 😉 

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JGmf Great Review Rare

JGmf

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On 9/20/2023 at 11:09 AM, laudergayle said:

 Is there really a Formal Night where there are more photographers?

 

Formal night?  Nope.  No more, no less photographers seen by me, at least in my experience, 3 times this year on NCL.

 

As for formal NCL photographer's photos, um, don't people have enough photos of themselves in this age of the smartphone?

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eileeshb "Live from...." Rare

eileeshb

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Generally night 2 is “dress up or not” night assuming it’s not a late departure from a port. So you see a few more people dressed up and a few more photographer stations setup with backdrops or key spots around the main decks. On the breakaway/+ class ships there’s usually one by the glass staircase and sometimes the captain is there for a while to pose with guests. 
I’ve yet to buy any pictures on the ship, but I kinda liked a couple on my last cruise so if there’s any that nice this time around I will order them as I’ve a reasonable discount now.  I will have friend with me on her first cruise so I’ll be advising her to use my cabin number with the photographers. 

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  • 7 months later...
Joan18

Joan18

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On 9/20/2023 at 10:54 AM, JerseyBird said:

Hi!

 

We haven't been on a cruise for three years due to Covid, very excited for our upcoming November Mediterranean trip! 

 

I know NCL is Free Style, probably more on the casual side. do people still dress up for dinners, photo shots etc. these days?  What's the overall dress code/atmosphere alike, please enlighten me😀.

 

TIA!

How was your November Med Cruise? I see you went in 2023 and we are planning to go this year in 2024. How was the weather? Any recommendations on excursions. 

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N-8

N-8

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You'll see a wide range of dress attire. Some casual, some business casual, some dress up. The last two cruise post COVID, we still saw people dressing up for photos but its in the atrium or by the stairs. We didn't see photographers wandering around the MDR but there was one a Cagney's the night we ate there (that was one of the pics we bought).

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