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Men's dress in the Caribbean on SeaDream


Erica@cruisecritic
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OK, one last question before we head out to St. Thomas. Thanks for everyone's already helpful information.

 

My husband is not a dress-up guy. Left to his own devices, he would shop exclusively at REI, but does have some khakis and button-down long-sleeve shirts for work. He does not own much, if any, resort casual attire.

 

Can he wear polo shirts and khakis to dinner on SeaDream, or should he bring his long-sleeve button-downs? A jacket? What kind of shoes do men wear at night -- dressy work/suit shoes or something like boat shoes?

 

I have read the official dress code info, but I find that on cruise lines, nuance is everything as they all claim to be "resort casual" and every line has its own interpretation of what that means.

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OK, one last question before we head out to St. Thomas. Thanks for everyone's already helpful information.

 

My husband is not a dress-up guy. Left to his own devices, he would shop exclusively at REI, but does have some khakis and button-down long-sleeve shirts for work. He does not own much, if any, resort casual attire.

 

Can he wear polo shirts and khakis to dinner on SeaDream, or should he bring his long-sleeve button-downs? A jacket? What kind of shoes do men wear at night -- dressy work/suit shoes or something like boat shoes?

 

I have read the official dress code info, but I find that on cruise lines, nuance is everything as they all claim to be "resort casual" and every line has its own interpretation of what that means.

 

On our voyage last week my husband wore khakis and a casual (collared) shirt every night, with deck shoes. However, we tend to eat on deck most nights. In the dining room, he usually wears either khakis or dress pants with a polo, Hawaiian, or long sleeved dress shirt, with either deck or dress shoes. He does always travel with a jacket, but never wore it last week. In Europe he sometimes wears it on deck for warmth, but in the Caribbean that was not an issue. I do understand your concern about clothing; I feel the same. But it sounds like your husband will be fine with whatever he chooses. Enjoy your voyage.

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I always wear polo shirts and khakis to dinner on SeaDream. I don't think I have ever taken a long sleeve shirt. I would suggest that a jacket, for warmth might be appropriate if you elect to eat on deck (FT always has us eating outside on deck 4 - we haven't been in the dining room on SD in years). As far as shoes, some nights I just wear my "tennis" shoes, other nights a pair of "loafers". No one really cares.

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Sorry, I don't agree with previous posts here.

 

While jackets for men are not de rigueur, my experience is that long sleeve

dress shirts are the norm. Would one usually wear a short sleeve polo

shirt to a five-star restaurant in New York or LA? Usually not.

 

When invited to dine with the Captain, I am happy to don my jacket, as

he is normally in his dress whites and I do it out of respect for his effort.

 

No one on staff will ever chastise you for your dress, but don't this a long

sleeve shirt is too much.

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Sorry, I don't agree with previous posts here.

 

While jackets for men are not de rigueur, my experience is that long sleeve

dress shirts are the norm. Would one usually wear a short sleeve polo

shirt to a five-star restaurant in New York or LA? Usually not.

 

When invited to dine with the Captain, I am happy to don my jacket, as

he is normally in his dress whites and I do it out of respect for his effort.

 

No one on staff will ever chastise you for your dress, but don't this a long

sleeve shirt is too much.

 

CC...you won't believe it, I agree totally:)

A crisply pressed, long sleeved shirt is what I prefer seeing a gentleman wear in the evening. Always pack a sport coat, just in case.

It is just as easy to put on this type of attire as it is a polo.

When in the Caribbean, I also like loafers without socks ;-). Golf tan lines are sexy.

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Darn! Sold my clubs back when we moved aboard our boat. Back to the dress. I will pack a sport coat in Europe but not the Caribbean. Always long slacks or khakis in the evening with a collared shirt. Might be long sleeve in Europe but always short sleeve in the Caribbean. If I wear a polo at dinner, it is a SeaDream polo. As far as socks: Europe, yes; Caribbean, no...:eek::D:D

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On our voyage last week my husband wore khakis and a casual (collared) shirt every night, with deck shoes. However, we tend to eat on deck most nights. In the dining room, he usually wears either khakis or dress pants with a polo, Hawaiian, or long sleeved dress shirt, with either deck or dress shoes. He does always travel with a jacket, but never wore it last week. In Europe he sometimes wears it on deck for warmth, but in the Caribbean that was not an issue. I do understand your concern about clothing; I feel the same. But it sounds like your husband will be fine with whatever he chooses. Enjoy your voyage.

 

I wear what Zimmy tells me to wear. As we are laying out our clothes to pack, she occasionally says, "You're going to wear that?" Back to the closet. I don't wear polo shirts to dinner. Always a buttoned shirt, but may be long or short sleeve. And this trip, never tucked in. Other than sandals and trainers, brought only two pair of shoes. Deck shoes and a nice pair of brown loafers, which were worn most evenings.

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I wanted to report back for any newbies who might find this thread later.

 

In the Caribbean, where we ate outside every night except the first and last night, men wore slacks with either a long-sleeve button-down shirt, short-sleeve button-down shirt or polo shirt. A few older gentlemen wore blazers, but they were not common at all. Lots of boat shoes and loafers.

 

The polo shirts were definitely not out of place when dining on deck. I certainly would not compare the dining atmosphere at the Topside to that of a 5-star restaurant in NY -- even if the food might be just as good! ;)

 

Women wore a range of dresses, skirts and blouses, pants/capris with tops -- as they do. Everyone looked nice and stylish with a summery/beachy look (e.g. white slacks or flowing dresses, etc.).

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I wanted to report back for any newbies who might find this thread later.

 

In the Caribbean, where we ate outside every night except the first and last night, men wore slacks with either a long-sleeve button-down shirt, short-sleeve button-down shirt or polo shirt. A few older gentlemen wore blazers, but they were not common at all. Lots of boat shoes and loafers.

 

The polo shirts were definitely not out of place when dining on deck. I certainly would not compare the dining atmosphere at the Topside to that of a 5-star restaurant in NY -- even if the food might be just as good! ;)

 

Women wore a range of dresses, skirts and blouses, pants/capris with tops -- as they do. Everyone looked nice and stylish with a summery/beachy look (e.g. white slacks or flowing dresses, etc.).

 

Thank you for reporting back, Erica. I'm sure these posts will help newcomers feel comfortable when they're planning their first SD voyage. Glad to hear that you're enjoying yours. I hope you will be able to post a complete review later. I'd be interested to read it.

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I believe it was you who asked for information about attire on board.

 

I, along with others, was simply attempting to provide info to assure

you would not feel uncomfortabe in attire you might have brought with

you. Also mentioned that it was unlikely anyone from SD would

make an issue of your dress.

 

Really don't care what you wear to dinner and am happy you enjoyed

your time aboard.

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I wanted to report back for any newbies who might find this thread later.

 

In the Caribbean, where we ate outside every night except the first and last night, men wore slacks with either a long-sleeve button-down shirt, short-sleeve button-down shirt or polo shirt. A few older gentlemen wore blazers, but they were not common at all. Lots of boat shoes and loafers.

 

The polo shirts were definitely not out of place when dining on deck. I certainly would not compare the dining atmosphere at the Topside to that of a 5-star restaurant in NY -- even if the food might be just as good! ;)

 

Women wore a range of dresses, skirts and blouses, pants/capris with tops -- as they do. Everyone looked nice and stylish with a summery/beachy look (e.g. white slacks or flowing dresses, etc.).

 

Erica

 

Thank you for the post. It is always helpful to new passengers on SD to obtain helpful information that will make them comfortable and the sailing more enjoyable. Glad you enjoyed the sailing. Good for you for enjoying the Bali Bed experience. The 5:30 work crew is a bit distracting but hey, they gotta clean the ship at some point haha.

 

Cheers

 

Mark

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I believe it was you who asked for information about attire on board.

 

I, along with others, was simply attempting to provide info to assure

you would not feel uncomfortabe in attire you might have brought with

you. Also mentioned that it was unlikely anyone from SD would

make an issue of your dress.

 

Really don't care what you wear to dinner and am happy you enjoyed

your time aboard.

 

Sorry, Commander, I didn't mean to sound like I was not appreciative of your advice. I find it tricky to get the nuance of dress codes, as evidenced by the different points of view on this thread. So I just wanted to relay my experience for anyone else confused because my husband and I did carefully read all the suggestions, and in the end, we actually brought a few more nice shirts than he had originally planned (which he wore) and a jacket (which he didn't) based on the feedback here. So thanks, everyone!

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Erica, your question, the replies, and your feedback were valuable. The concept of "yacht casual" is not universally understood, and the idea of not packing a necktie is pretty radical for some who have sailed on other luxury lines. While SeaDreamers are generally a pretty sophisticated lot, we do not want to feel out of place. I contrast this with comments I have seen on the pages for mass market lines (the ones where there is always a thread on the break-even point of the drink package), where writers express their opinion that they have paid for the cruise, it is their vacation, and how they dress on "elegant night" in the MDR does not affect the taste of the food eaten by those in suits, tuxedos and gowns.

 

Glad you enjoyed the cruise, and that you successfully tried sleeping on deck. I expect that this cruise was the first of many on SD.

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