Totally Resort Casual On NCL Freestyle

[Dancinfeet]

Hi

We will be cruising on the Jewel March 4th (our 6th with NCL) Since we have experienced the formal nights many times we are going totally resort casual this trip. No dresses for me or heels, only nice capris, slacks ,nice tops and comfy shoes and sandles. My DH is not bringing a suit, only nice slacks and shirts.

 

I am looking forward to being totally comfy th entire trip.We love the freestyle concept for all the reasons...dress the way you want, eat when and where you want and with who you want.

[caviargal]

It seems like you have found the cruise line that suits you best.

 

My cocktail dresses, formal and heels are just as comfy for me personally as any other type of clothing and dressing for dinner is a pleasure, not a chore. It is nice that there are options for those who prefer not to do so.

 

Freestyle was not my cup of tea for many reasons. I like having late dining and do not have a need for so many choices of restaurants. Great food and service is more important to me.

 

Sounds like you are happy with your decision to cruise NCL. Hope you enjoy your cruise.

[BlueHerons]

It seems like you have found the cruise line that suits you best.

 

My cocktail dresses, formal and heels are just as comfy for me personally as any other type of clothing and dressing for dinner is a pleasure, not a chore. It is nice that there are options for those who prefer not to do so.

 

Freestyle was not my cup of tea for many reasons. I like having late dining and do not have a need for so many choices of restaurants. Great food and service is more important to me.

 

 

The same for me.

[Farmerlaine]

We loved the Jewel for that reason too. I had plain dress pants, a couple of plain sweaters, plain shirts, nothing flashy or super dressy. Looking back, I would pack a little different and include some of my fancier stuff. I was thrilled to not have to pack cocktail dresses and such, I had a simple dress that travelled well.

 

However, I was disappointed at what some people figured was resort casual. Seeing men at dinner in khakis and a polo shirt was great, the women in pants a blouse was great, those who really dresses up looked beyond fabulous! But there were always those who really just dressed like beach bums. I am a very relaxed person, so NCL works great for me, but it's like some people couldn't even be bothered to put a little effort into their appearance!

 

My husband and I have a saying about how somebody's mirror must be broken. You know, broken so they couldn't see what they looked like before they left the house. There were quite a few broken mirrors on that boat. I understood the meaning of resort casual and thought it was pretty clear to other people what it meant too.

 

Next time I'll pack a few super nice things, and dress up even more. I never get to do it at home! And if everyone else isn't dressed up, well, so what. I am!

 

Happy travels!

Elaine

[momofmeg]

We loved the Jewel for that reason too. I had plain dress pants, a couple of plain sweaters, plain shirts, nothing flashy or super dressy. Looking back, I would pack a little different and include some of my fancier stuff. I was thrilled to not have to pack cocktail dresses and such, I had a simple dress that travelled well.

 

However, I was disappointed at what some people figured was resort casual. Seeing men at dinner in khakis and a polo shirt was great, the women in pants a blouse was great, those who really dresses up looked beyond fabulous! But there were always those who really just dressed like beach bums. I am a very relaxed person, so NCL works great for me, but it's like some people couldn't even be bothered to put a little effort into their appearance!

 

My husband and I have a saying about how somebody's mirror must be broken. You know, broken so they couldn't see what they looked like before they left the house. There were quite a few broken mirrors on that boat. I understood the meaning of resort casual and thought it was pretty clear to other people what it meant too.

 

Next time I'll pack a few super nice things, and dress up even more. I never get to do it at home! And if everyone else isn't dressed up, well, so what. I am!

 

Happy travels!

Elaine

 

 

You are so right Elaine. I like being dressed casual alo-obut not like I just walked off the beach or I have been scrubbing floors or something. Many people just don't have a clue how to dress and confuse casual with sloppy.

 

To the OP-I do enjoy formal night myself. Even though I prefer dressing casually it is fun to dress up once or twice during a cruise.

 

Two years ago we cruised on Disney Wonder and it being a 4 day cruise-there were no formal nights-but you did dress up for Palos. the night we ate at Palos wereally enjoyed and had a great family portrait made before dinner. What really surprised me though is many people came up to us and said how nice we looked and were almost wistful about it-I felt many actually missed not dressing up.

 

I have never cruised NCL but if I did I would still opt for one formal night so we could have our portrait taken dressed up nice.

[Happy ks]

I enjoy both styles of cruising and don't care to limit mysef to just one choice. When we cruise on traditional lines, I take the formal wear they request. When we've cruised Freestyle a couple of times, it was a pleasure to not have to pack along a bunch of dressy clothing.

 

Both of our NCL cruises were just me and my husband, other times we have cruised with friends and family. I do think that traditional works well for a group, better than Freestyle. The great thing we found when cruising just as a couple was we didn't have to discuss dinner choices with other people and we just ate when and where we decided to go that evening.

 

Some of our best meals at sea have been in the specialty restaurants on NCL Star. Just stay away from the buffet and the large main dining room for dinner, all other choices are fine. I consider us to be relatively picky eaters, in that we enjoy a better quality of food, not that we limit our choices to only the familiar. We can be adventurous with our meals and love to try new dishes. Most of the main line cruise ships don't have really great food, until you eat in the specialty restaurants.

 

Enjoy your NCL cruise and enjoy dressing resort casual, I know we have :)

[smoothdancer]

We sailed NCL last year and we did dress on formal night. We chose to go to a specilaty resturant. I wore a cocktail dress, my husband a suit. Most people in the resturant were dressed similar to us.

 

What we found is that even though formal is optional, many did choose to go semi-formal on this night. Not many full length gowns but many cocktail dresses. On the nights that I dressed somewhere in between formal and casual we did not feel out of place., and visa versa for thoes who chose to go casual. I found it was a nice mix.

 

I have to agree the food in the main dining room was not that good, but the specilaty resturants were very good. I found the buffet on par to other lines. As long as you understand in advance what atmosphere the ship offers, it is a nice time.

[Lookin2Cruise]

As a first time cruiser on NCL I am very disappointed that there is no formal night! While I do understand the concept of "Freestyle cruising" my husband was really looking forward to wearing his military blues, and myself a very formal gown that I have only had the pleasure of wearing one time! I think that people don't dress enough for dinner anymore, and they always have a great time when they realize how fabalous they look!

[johnql]

As a first time cruiser on NCL I am very disappointed that there is no formal night! While I do understand the concept of "Freestyle cruising" my husband was really looking forward to wearing his military blues, and myself a very formal gown that I have only had the pleasure of wearing one time! I think that people don't dress enough for dinner anymore, and they always have a great time when they realize how fabalous they look!

As others have noted, you can and should dress up if that's what you want to do. That's the beauty of Freestyle - it's your choice! On my past several Freestyle cruises, I saw plenty of people dressed up on most nights, not just on the optional formal night. Mind you, it's not the majority of the pax, but you will definitely have company if you decide to dress up.

[caviargal]

As a first time cruiser on NCL I am very disappointed that there is no formal night! While I do understand the concept of "Freestyle cruising" my husband was really looking forward to wearing his military blues, and myself a very formal gown that I have only had the pleasure of wearing one time! I think that people don't dress enough for dinner anymore, and they always have a great time when they realize how fabalous they look!

 

I have done five "Freestyle" cruises on NCL. I did dress up a bit for formal nights as that is my preference but IMO you will feel out of place dressed so formally on this cruise. While you are certainly free to dress however you wish, I saw no "very formal" gowns nor military dress or tuxes on any of these cruises.

 

Women that did dress up wore sparkly tops and such, men were in sportcoats with a rare suit and tie.

 

I agree that people do not dress up much for dinner anymore and this is one of the reasons NCL does not work for me. I find it odd to be dressed up and sitting next to someone in jeans and flip flops.:(

 

Enjoy your cruise whatever you decide to wear:)!

[Happy ks]

I have done five "Freestyle" cruises on NCL. I did dress up a bit for formal nights as that is my preference but IMO you will feel out of place dressed so formally on this cruise. While you are certainly free to dress however you wish, I saw no "very formal" gowns nor military dress or tuxes on any of these cruises.

 

Women that did dress up wore sparkly tops and such, men were in sportcoats with a rare suit and tie.

 

I agree that people do not dress up much for dinner anymore and this is one of the reasons NCL does not work for me. I find it odd to be dressed up and sitting next to someone in jeans and flip flops.:(

 

Enjoy your cruise whatever you decide to wear:)!

 

We don't take the formal stuff along with us, but we still enjoy dressing nicely. The last time I was on NCL Star, I took what I consider to be slightly less than semi-formal, so I would "fit in" during formal night, not be too casual. Well, I ended up not wearing that outfit on formal night, because I would have been considered one of the more formally dressed! Instead, I saved it for the next evening and I wasn't so, well, not out of place, kind of hard to say, just dressed up. My husband did not bring formal clothes, not even a sportscoat and most of the men in "formal" attire had short sleeved shirts on :rolleyes: , like tropical shirts. I didn't want us to be mistaken for attempting to be formal :o .

 

The whole thing was weird, but we were far more comfortable in resort casual wear that night. I swear I only saw maybe 2-3 people dressed in what I'd consider formal on the whole ship. Most looked as if they were going to the office or Sunday school.

 

In the specialty restaurants, we saw no one in jeans, more or less people dressed in the same resort casual wear like we were wearing. We were quite comfortable there.

 

But, you're right, it is a bit disconcerting to see some of the too casual clothes people wear to dinner, not just on NCL, but all cruise lines. Whatever happened to a luxury vacation????

 

Casual does not = sloppy or daytime type of clothing.

 

Casual evening = nice clothes that are not formal, but intended to wear in the evening.

 

It doesn't take a rocket surgeon (love that line, from (I think, I hope it's not David Lee Roth!) Sammy Hagar interview, tongue in cheek) to figure it all out :rolleyes:

[bovs]

(Quote)I have done five "Freestyle" cruises on NCL. I did dress up a bit for formal nights as that is my preference but IMO you will feel out of place dressed so formally on this cruise. While you are certainly free to dress however you wish, I saw no "very formal" gowns nor military dress or tuxes on any of these cruises.

 

Women that did dress up wore sparkly tops and such, men were in sportcoats with a rare suit and tie.

 

I agree that people do not dress up much for dinner anymore and this is one of the reasons NCL does not work for me. I find it odd to be dressed up and sitting next to someone in jeans and flip flops.(Unquote)

 

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Yeah, it's kind of like stopping in late night from a great evening out on the town to your local McDonalds or White Castle for a burger, isn't it? Not a very "special" cruise ambiance, that's for sure. That's why my wife and and I, who are NCL Captains Club members, will never cruise on NCL anymore. It no longer was anything special to eat in their dining room anymore..... I eat "casual" 51 weeks of the year at home, so I look forward to dressing up for dinner a couple of evenings on ship, and sitting down in a dining room full of people that did the same. That's ambiance, and that's what I pay the couple of thousand bucks to cruise for, not a McDonalds ambiance. If you can't live one week a year out of bluejeans, what does that say about you?