New to Oceania

[PrincessRobbo]

Have been reading this board re dress code on Oceania. I think that Country clubs in England may may different to the US. I will probably just wear clothes that I would wear when I'm on holiday in Europe - certainly no shorts in the evening. Please can someone tell me what capri pants are.

 

Lynda

[dwelsh]

To translate into UK English: Calf Length trousers!!!

[Soccerfan]

Have been reading this board re dress code on Oceania. I think that Country clubs in England may may different to the US. I will probably just wear clothes that I would wear when I'm on holiday in Europe - certainly no shorts in the evening. Please can someone tell me what capri pants are.

 

Lynda

 

Think "pedalpushers":)

[LegalSailor]

Hmm...I enjoy wearing a tuxedo, and am starting to wonder about my upcoming Oceania cruise. I guess the "Country Club" definition aboard varies from the Old South of Charleston, but I'm still looking forward to this - if only to try something new!

 

Curious, why do Oceania cruisers tend to enjoy the "no formal night" thing?

 

Cheers,

[dwelsh]

IMHO it is very nice to dress up and wear all the accoutrement's of formal wear on a cruise but, with today's problem's of air travel, with strict weight control on luggage etc., it is so much easier not to have to pack all the dress clothes. SO, the "O" "No Formal nights" policy, which, I understand is being adopted by some other lines, is just right. All the pax on our last Panama cruise looked very nice in the evenings with smart cocktail apparel for the ladies and a wonderful array of fashionable shirts and slacks for the men. Those who felt more comfortable did indeed wear blazers and sport coats and even a few in tropical weight suits. It was very noticeable that as the time wore on that fewer men were wearing jackets.

 

On "O" you will not feel uncomfortable in anything you wear.

[LegalSailor]

It's good to hear the reassurances that I won't feel out of place - it will seem strange to pack for a cruise and not throw in the tuxedo.

Now dwelsh, you mention that a few wore suits, and still a few more wore blazers - it seems we'd be out of place showing up in anything more than a blazer. When you say "smart cocktail apparel," would you mind elaborating on this? I want to be WELL ARMED with information when I tell the DW about the dress code!:eek:

Cheers,

[dbh62ark]

IMHO it is very nice to dress up and wear all the accoutrement's of formal wear on a cruise but, with today's problem's of air travel, with strict weight control on luggage etc., it is so much easier not to have to pack all the dress clothes.

And to add to that, we have been cruising in Europe yearly for the past 14 years, and we are primarily interested in the ports. On our 14-day Oceania Med cruise, we had only two sea days. So with the busy schedule and full days in port, we had no desire to participate in any formal nights and found the country club atmosphere to be perfect for us. But as others have said, you should feel free to take your finest and enjoy dressing up for dinner, and you won't feel out of place either. Some passenger on Oceania dress up and some do not.

Oceania seems to get it (other cruise lines do not) that it should be about choice while we are on vacation as opposed to fitting the mold designed by any given cruise line.

 

Have a great cruise,

Donna

[rettiga]

Well, now that this string has run to three pages and seems to be chasing its tail, maybe we need to look at the dress thing from a little different perspective.

 

My sense from reading these posts is that pretty much all the people here are ladies and gentlemen. Further, my experience with Oceania is that the huge majority of their passengers are ladies and gentlemen.

 

Armed with the knowledge that suits (including tuxedos), ties and gowns are not required and almost never seen, it's reasonable to simply say that it's right to dress as ladies and gentlemen would dress under those circumstances. The latitude of what is acceptable is wide enough that it's difficult to go wrong within that very general guideline.

 

Like Legal Sailor, however, I have sometimes wondered whether the term "country club casual" is really very descriptive. I imagine that the Sailor is right in implying that at country clubs in the genteel deep South--and maybe elsewhere as well--"casual" might mean something less casual than we see on Oceania--at least for people of a certain age.

 

But I think the real message is not to obsess over this dress stuff. Just enjoy the fact that you can pack somewhat lighter.

[hondorner]

Cruising on Oceania is fun. It means I get to dress up!

 

I realize that while Florida is further south, it is not deeper south, and what is appropriate in Florida is probably not appropriate in Charleston. However, almost any mention of "casual" to any degree in Florida means "shorts". Therefore, when I cruise on Oceania, it is actually several steps UP from Country Club Casual as I know it. I usually have to shop for long pants before a cruise. I own zero tuxedos, zero suits, 1 blazer, 1 light sports coat and a couple of ties. I wear socks at weddings, funerals and the opera (maybe). Wearing socks is my definition of formal.

[digby]

I think RESORT CASUAL might be a better term than COUNTRY CLUB CASUAL.

[lcand1923]

Regarding dress --

We do not belong to a country club and have never been to a resort, so these terms meant nothing to us.

 

What I interpreted Country Club Casual to mean was Business Casual or Festive Business.

 

On our two O cruises the common threads were these:

no shorts or tee shirts in the evening,

no jeans in the evening,

women wore skirts and tops, slacks and tops or dresses,

men wore slacks, golf style shirts or button-down collar shirts,

we did not see any ties on men and only a few blazers,

the only women in cocktail dresses or gowns were the entertainment staff.

 

The men and women on the Western Med cruise were a bit "dressier" than the men and women on the Panama Canal cruise. By "dressier" I mean, I saw more dresses and skirts on the women and more button-down collars on the men.

 

I did not see any Birkenstock style sandals in any dining venue in the evening on either cruise. I did not see capris or shorts in any dining venue in the evening on either cruise. I did see many men without socks, but with closed toe shoes in the various dining venues on both cruises.

 

Jan's suggestion to think of Chico's or Coldwater Creek works. I would also add Land's End and Tilley's for a good variety of typical clothing for both sexes.

 

Regarding the food --

The food on our first cruise (September 2004) was much better than the food on our second cruise (February 2007). On our first cruise the food in all venues was better than we had experienced on HAL, Viking or Orient.

 

The food on our second O cruise had deteriorated a bit. The food tasted as if it had sat under warming lights in Polo and Toscana.

 

We had several conversations with fellow repeat O cruisers. All of us agreed that the burgers and ice cream were still the best at sea. The other foods were decent, but somewhat along the lines of a better banquet room. In other words, nothing was cooked to order and everything tasted mass market.

[LegalSailor]

Wow, thanks to everyone for the replies, I now feel no regrets or worry about the decision. I think Oceania will prove to be an excellent choice, and truth be told, going through the airport with a 22 inch roller will be MUCH easier than a 30 inch!

I talked to DW about the cruise and she was so excited, until I mentioned the dress, but after reading the threads she came away with the same impression I now have - it doesn't really matter what you wear, so long as you look good and you enjoy your cruise. A cruise shouldn't be about obsessing over what to wear to dinner, it should be about having a good time.

Now, if only I can find those socks, hondorner and I will be on the same page!:cool:

Cheers,

[PrincessRobbo]

Obviously one man's formal is another man's informal. I think that I like Don Horner's interpretion of formal being whether you wear socks. I only wear them when it's cold. My husband will be happy not to wear them when he's on holiday.

Capri pants sound so much more exotic than "cut offs" or "pedal pushers" - I like it.

[sailfish1]

I have cruised on Crystal (Harmony) and Oceania (Regatta). Stayed in suites on both and although tha Panama Canal cruise on the Crystal was the most mememorable cruise that my wife and I have taken, I preferred the Oceania to the Crystal. My reasons are one that the Oceania is a newer ship, very nicely decorated and beautiful wheras the Crystal Harmony was showing its age. I thought that the cuisine was slightly better on the Crystal but excellent on the Oceania and I thought that the service on the Oceania was slightly better. My wife and I thought the spa was better on the Ocaenia as well. The passangers on the Crystal were definatly much older than the Oceania, you got the feeling that you were traveling with wealthy very elderly people on the Crystal wheras the Oceania felt like we were traveling with sucessful executives some retired some not but much younger.

Overall we enjoyed the Oceania very much and would definatly cruise with her again.

[Druke I]

Interesting perspective - and very similar to ours.

 

We sailed twice on the Crystal Harmony (which is now Asuka II), and once on Regatta, once on Nautica, and another cruise booked on both the Oceania ships.

 

When we were last on Crystal Harmony, she was in very good condition, but that was back in 12-93.

 

We found many of the mid-managment types on Crystal overly impressed with their positions, and unfortunately, some of the passengers were also over impressed by their perceived social status.

 

We found both staff and passengers much friendlier on Oceania.