Casual? Formal? Can I wear my Jammies?

[bettyonboard]

I have read what the differences in casual and formal are, and my BF is ready to jump ship before he boards! He is a jeans and t-shirt guy. (This is the only way after six years I will have ever seen him in a tie!) Could some one please be more specific...can you wear jeans on shore excurisons? We are going to be in Alaska in the Fall of '07. I am a first time cruiser, and know these questions must seem silly, but I don't want to show up to a black tie event in my bunny slippers and jammies! :o

Also, I saw the menu for the C.C. breakfast! WOW!! Does the breakfast in your room cost extra? We are in CC. How could you ever pick? I would need a 30 day cruise! (and bigger pants)

And probably not the least, can you pick where you stay on shore for the cruise tours? I am in Fairbanks, and Denali, and am staying at the Talkeetna Lodge.

Thanks to everyone. I am still new at responding, so if I have not directly to those that have helped, I'm trying!:confused:

[Sillyjilly]

I have read what the differences in casual and formal are, and my BF is ready to jump ship before he boards! He is a jeans and t-shirt guy. (This is the only way after six years I will have ever seen him in a tie!) Could some one please be more specific...can you wear jeans on shore excurisons? We are going to be in Alaska in the Fall of '07. I am a first time cruiser, and know these questions must seem silly, but I don't want to show up to a black tie event in my bunny slippers and jammies! :o

Also, I saw the menu for the C.C. breakfast! WOW!! Does the breakfast in your room cost extra? We are in CC. How could you ever pick? I would need a 30 day cruise! (and bigger pants)

And probably not the least, can you pick where you stay on shore for the cruise tours? I am in Fairbanks, and Denali, and am staying at the Talkeetna Lodge.

Thanks to everyone. I am still new at responding, so if I have not directly to those that have helped, I'm trying!:confused:

 

Jeans or shorts are fine during the day. You only need to dress up for dinner. On casual nights, a pair of dockers and nice shirt will do fine for your BF.

 

All room service food is FREE, but it is a limited menu. We usually give the deliverer a small tip.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

Jill

[tarheelmjfan]

We wore jeans during the day in Alaska last June, just not at night.

 

The CC room service breakfast is very good. The granola berry parfait on Infinity was wonderful. I had that every morning. It was nasty on Century though. :confused: We always had breakfast on our balcony. Our cabin was in the extreme AFT though. I wouldn't count on being able to eat on your balcony on the sides. Which ship did you book? You've selected a fabulous 1st cruise. Save up lots of money for shore excursions. Most of them are worth every penny. :)

[agabbymama]

I know I will get flamed for this, but gotta do it.

 

Bettyonboard - My husband and I have been married for 41 years. The only time I saw him in a suit was high school graduation and our wedding. He wore jeans on our Alaska cruise on Holland America all the time. We did not go to the main dining room. We ate at the alternative dining. HAL had a nice buffet type restaurant at the back of the ship, and he loved it. Everyone else may have thought he looked out of place, but we sure never realized it. We were on vacation and dressed as we dress at home. Just because you want to cruise, doesn't mean you have to be uncomfortable or dress the way anyone else would like you to dress.

 

Of course if you plan to participate in the formal nights, that's another thing altogether. I just knew ahead of time that we wouldn't be attending the main dining room.:p

[C 2 C]

I know I will get flamed for this, but gotta do it. Just because you want to cruise, doesn't mean you have to be uncomfortable or dress the way anyone else would like you to dress.

 

Here we go again.:eek:

[bettyonboard]

Thank You for the info, now I know I won't be cruising alone.

[cavkc]

We have just come off Millennium on a Med cruise and on the casual nights the majority of men wore chinos / t-shirts or polo shirts. I wore a summer dress or casual pants.

 

The one difference we did see this time on Millennium was the wording for the Informal nights - On Celebritys website it recommends jacket and tie but on board it just recommended a jacket - we even checked that this wasn't a typing mistake and they confirmed no tie.

 

You do however need a jacket/tie for the speciality restaurants, no matter what the dress code is for that evening.

 

On formal nights probably 99% of men wore either a tux or dark suit and tie

[woodofpine]

I can't see why anyone would have a problem with the post of the HAL cruiser whose DH is a blue jeans fan. Poster made a point of saying that they didn't wear jeans to the dining room and that formal night is a "different matter". Particularly on an Alaska cruise where folks are excursioning and in an outdoors spirit - what could be the problem with that...?

 

Lets face it, blue jeans are simply heavy cotton trousers of a particular color and chinos are what - light cotton trousers of some other color. Perception otherwise is simply a cultural head trip.

 

Its best to be considerate of the overall scheme that's desired, but the nit picking gets a little insane. I had a Nigerian friend that used to wear these elaborate African caftan costums to certain formal club events, he looked "maa-vulous"; but I'm sure his gear would have failed CC code reader muster!

[Happy ks]

Actually, most people think formal ethnic clothing is wonderful.

 

I don't understand why formal clothing needs to be uncomfortable, if you buy it to fit. I'm one who likes to dress nicely and while I don't care for the formal nights, think it would be great if everyone dressed nicely every night.

 

It's true that there is a buffet and you need not eat in the main dining room. However, not every night is formal or semi formal, several evenings are casual. There is absolutely no reason to miss those nights because of your clothing.

 

It's great that there are alternatives for everyone to make their own choices. We've always eaten in the dining room, not caring for buffet food or the hassle of room service. I think I might feel differently if we had a suite with a dining table, though :) .

 

During the day time, there are no dress codes that I know of, with the exception of no bathing suits (uncovered) in the buffet, shoes must be worn in the restaurants and men not go shirtless. Even in the dining room for lunch, jeans and T shirts may be worn.

 

I honestly don't know why people fret over clothes so much. After going on a number of cruises, I think only the people here on CC and other cruise boards worry about it. What you see on a cruise ship are average, everyday people with the same type of clothes you see people in at your local mall.

[masterbaker]

We saw many people wearing jeans on our Alaska cruise. I brought a pair along and wore them ashore one day when it was warmer and sunny. Most of the time I wore warmer clothing or windpants. I found jeans to be either too cool in the chilly wind or not waterproof in the rain. Alaska is a rainforest so rain is not unusual there and wet jeans would not be as comfortable as windpants that are water resistant IMHO. Being a native Floridian, I'm more sensitive to cold than most people though.... ;)

[tarheelmjfan]

 

I honestly don't know why people fret over clothes so much. After going on a number of cruises, I think only the people here on CC and other cruise boards worry about it. What you see on a cruise ship are average, everyday people with the same type of clothes you see people in at your local mall.

 

I think it's mostly 1st time cruisers who do worry about it, & that's mostly because they read so many differing opinions on here. Some people seem to have a problem relaying what is expected & feel the need to interject their personal preference, which can be confusing to newbies.

 

I have to agree that I don't see what is more uncomfortable about dressier clothes. IMHO, my slighty tighter jeans are the most uncomfortable articles of clothing that I own. Actually, I guess it would be a tie with high heels. The posts that really blow my mind are the ones who complain that jeans aren't allowed in the dining room at night, & argue that they should be able to wear their $200 designer jeans w/ a sparkly top, & stilleto heals. :eek: What could possibly be more uncomfortable than that? I guess I'm really showing my age. :o I sometimes think it's more about resisting change than actually being uncomfortable. For ladies, a skirt & top, or dress is the same no matter how casual or formal they are. You don't see too many corsets around any more. :p For guys, pants, tops & jackets are all the same no matter what material they're made of. Do they freeze in the winter, because they think a jacket is uncomfortable? The only difference would be the tie, & I don't see it killing anyone to wear something a bit uncomfortable for a few hours. Personally, I love seeing my DH dressed up, so he can just deal with it. :D Fortunately, he doesn't complain though. I really don't think it's so much the actual article of clothing as the frame of mind.

[Leela]

I had a Nigerian friend that used to wear these elaborate African caftan costums to certain formal club events, he looked "maa-vulous"; but I'm sure his gear would have failed CC code reader muster!

Not at all! Those kind of outfits go over really well.

 

My husband, who is not Indian, owns a set of formal Punjabi clothes (he got them because he goes to a lot of formal Indian events, both in India and the US). The funny thing about them -- and I mention it because of the title of this thread -- is that they are basically loose-fitting pyjama bottoms with a loose-fitting tunic over them, topped off by a calf-length loose-fitting vest with a a small stand-up band collar. They are gorgeous and comfortable, the jammies part is a pearl grey silk and rayon blend, and the vest is navy blue with wonderful grey and burgundy embroidery around the collar and hems of the vest. I don't know if he'd ever wear them on a cruise, mainly because he hates cruising and after two tries I will probably never get him on a cruise ship again. But I digress.

 

My main points here are that (1) styles of formal dress from around the world are delightfully welcome and (2) not all styles of formal dress are uncomfortable.

 

I've got a couple of saris, they are basically big lengths of cloth that wrap around your body. They always fit and are always comfortable, because they have no seams or zippers etc. and you wrap them to yourself. Also, they fold up rather small and flat. I think I'll bring one on my upcoming Panama Canal cruise.

[caviargal]

On my recent RCI cruise, there was a young woman (mid to late 20s) in long sleeve flannel mickey mouse pjs at lifeboat drill.

 

Not only did she look silly, it was 95 out there!

 

I will never understand the choices some make when it comes to clothes.:eek: