Evening attire on Osterdam

[WinnieinWA]

I am a mouse click away from booking HAL for a solo Mexican Riviera cruise the end of March. The only thing stopping me is the thought that I would have to go buy evening gowns.

 

My question is:

 

Is an evening pant suit acceptable? I really don't want to spend money on dresses I'll never wear again. I'm getting a balcony cabin and would even consider dining in my cabin if I thought my evening attire would offend someone as not beeing dressy enough. I'm talking silk evening pantsuits that are classy with lovely jewelry and satin shoes.

Is every night dress up night?

 

Thanks..and I did do a search but just didn't get anything worthwhile.

 

Anyone care to comment on my dilemna?

Winnie

[hammybee]

You will be fine in a silk pantsuit. Book and enjoy. :)

[O2B@C]

I agree with Hammy's answer that your silk pantsuit outfit sounds fine for formal nights. But she didn't answer your question about whether every night is formal. The answer is no. On a 7-day cruise, only 2 nights will be formal, and even on those nights you can wear nice casual clothes if you dine in the Lido or via room service. The remaining nights will be "smart casual" - think daywear dresses, skirts and blouses, or nice slacks and a fine-gauge knit sweater. If you have a "dressy casual" office environment, your work clothes will be just fine.

 

Go for it - have a good time!

[Solstice]

The clothes you have will be more than OK. On the 2 formal nights, you'll see everything from gowns to cocktail dresses to "Sunday" dresses to nice pants and pretty tops. Definitely lots of dressy pantsuits. I tend to wear pants with silk or sparklie tops and never felt out of place or under-dressed.

 

Here's the thing about cruising clothes that I didn't know until I went: It can be a loooooong walk from your cabin to the dining room and you may have to stand around for a while before the doors open. Those pretty high heels that look so good at home can be deadly on board, especially if the seas get a little rough! Be sure to bring a comfy pair of shoes or sandals that will go with your nice clothes. (Even some casual sandals with a few sparkles on them work. It's a cruise!)

 

Have fun!

Kate

[duck tune]

I did a solo cruise on the Veendam in October and wore nice pants with a pretty top to formal night and was just fine. Only two formal nights so don't worry about "dressing up" every night. DH wasn't able to come with me but I enjoyed myself very much. I have been on the Oosterdam as well and your outfit sounds perfect. Go ahead and book the cruise and have a great time.

[Loreto]

Winnie, We were on the Oosterdam last week and I felt the dress code was pretty relaxed on formal nights. Your choice will be perfect ( I agree with the other posters) and comfortable for enjoying the great food! The first formal night was crowded, and the second formal night there were a lot of no-shows...so we got extra attention from our stewards.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[WinnieinWA]

Thank you all soooo much! :) Youve all helped me.. esp. the hint about sandals in the dining room. Thanks

 

Winnie <-----> off to book now :D

[MercedMike]

As everybody else has said, you are going to look WONDERFUL!

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[WinnieinWA]

As everybody else has said, you are going to look WONDERFUL!

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

 

Thanks! I really enjoyed looking at your pics from all your cruises. :)

[twinkletoes4445]

Winnie, We were on the Oosterdam last week and I felt the dress code was pretty relaxed on formal nights.

 

 

We noticed that the dress was much more relaxed on our cruise than I thought it would be. Hubby decided to wear a suit, instead of a tux, and I'd guess there were about 20% in suits, a smattering in tuxes, and the rest wore sports jackets/tie/slacks.

 

Hubby just asked me if it would be okay if he left the suit at home and did the sports jacket/tie/slacks route. He's got some really nice jackets and very nice slacks and likes to wear those more than his suit.

 

Any ideas on this? About the time he doesn't take his suit, everyone on our cruise will be wearing a tux or a suit.

 

Winnie...I think you'll look lovely. Enjoy! :)

[RevNeal]

Hubby just asked me if it would be okay if he left the suit at home and did the sports jacket/tie/slacks route. He's got some really nice jackets and very nice slacks and likes to wear those more than his suit.

 

Any ideas on this? About the time he doesn't take his suit, everyone on our cruise will be wearing a tux or a suit.

 

My thinking on this is precisely what you suggest ... the cruise he decides to not take his suit will end up being the cruise on which most men are in Tuxedos or Suits. It never fails ... when one tries to "get around" things it usually ends up coming back to bite one on the rear.

 

That being said, it is nevertheless the case that you husband will be dressed within the stipulations of the dress code if he's in slacks, dress shirt, tie, and jacket. If he doesn't want to have to pack a suit (jacket and slacks weigh the same and take up the same amount of space) or if he just prefers the slacks/jacket "look," he'll still look fine. However, he should be prepared for Murphy to pull a "fast one" and for most men to be very VERY formal on those nights. That's what would happen to me if I were to try that.

[twinkletoes4445]

However, he should be prepared for Murphy to pull a "fast one" and for most men to be very VERY formal on those nights. That's what would happen to me if I were to try that.

 

Hmmm...that's what I was thinking. I don't know what to tell him. We were surprised how casual the attire was on our 7-day Zuiderdam cruise last Feb., and I was glad that I brought along some extra casual clothing.

 

I'm not sure what to expect on the cruise we're going on...and THANKS for suggesting the cruise. I couldn't believe hubby agreed to a 10-day cruise, so I called the TA's office on Christmas and left her a message. She called the 26th, bright and early, with all the information. I didn't want to give hubby a chance to chance his mind. lol

 

Having not been on a 10-day Caribbean cruise, we don't know what to expect. Do you think that particular cruise might be a little less formal?