Shorts on Cruise Tours - Eastern Mediteranean

[banda143]

Hello all - We are going to be on the Solstice on October 30th for a 10-night cruise. I read in the cruise documents that shorts are not allowed on tours. Can anyone tell me from experience if this is true? I understand the dress code for churches, but I would like to be comfortable for other sightseeing.

[Dunmore2]

We cruised the eastern Med last year Oct 23- Nov 3. It wasn't warm enough for shorts too often. We wished that we had packed for the cooler weather. We wore jeans at most ports. My husband wore shorts once or twice and I wore capris a few times. We sailed out of Venice and I had to buy a warm scarf/pashmina.

[bardstowntraveller]

We were on an Eastern Med cruise in August. No problem with shorts on tours. Most churches discourage shorts and no sleeves but other than that there weren't any issues. You may want to keep in mind that Europeans dress more conservatively and that the weather may be too cool for shorts

[jagoffee]

We were on an Eastern Med cruise in August. No problem with shorts on tours. Most churches discourage shorts and no sleeves but other than that there weren't any issues. You may want to keep in mind that Europeans dress more conservatively and that the weather may be too cool for shorts

 

Same experience for us this September. On the days that we visited churches, I used paints with removable legs. It was great.

[Xport]

From an Ancient Empires cruise on Equinox... Without knowing the itinerary for your Solstice cruise, I expect that some of the ports are similar...

 

In Italy, they were really strict--particularly so at the Vatican but the concept prevails at all religious sites--about proper attire [no shorts, womens' dresses/skirts no higher than the knee, no sleeveless tops]... I did see some women carrying large scarves which they tied around their waists or draped around their shoulders to satisfy entry requirements [and they do have people who monitor dress--and enforce compliance--before entry]...

 

In Israel, Egypt and Turkey, very conservative dress seems to be the cultural standard [no doubt, much of it relates to Orthodox Jewish and Islamic influences]...

 

We made three stops in Greece--Santorini, Athens and Mykonos... Dress seemed more relaxed there [you still wouldn't enter a church if not dressed conservatively] but, fact of the matter is, the locals--and visitors from all over the world--just don't seem to dress as casually as we might...

 

I'd go with Celebrity's recommendations [which will be reiterated in the Dailies--as appropriate--as you sail to each port]... During three pre-cruise days in Rome and in ten days of doing Celebrity Tours, I can honestly say that I never saw anyone participating in a guided tour who did not comply with the suggested standards of dress [though I did see self-guided tourists dressed more casually while at the secular sites in Rome]... In those cultures, proper dress is evidently viewed as a matter of respect for the host country...

 

And finally... I suspect that you may be a bit optimistic about the weather at your destinations and encourage you to take a look at the long range forecasts and norm data for your ports... Your embarkation date suggests that you're visiting at the tail-end of the high-season in the Mediterranean... I traveled from September 26 until October 10 and, though we enjoyed glorious weather, it was never unbearably hot--even in Egypt--by day and evening temperatures were routinely in the pleasant, but hardly balmy, sixties... Santorini and Mykonos were both sunny but unbelievably windy... And though we missed it when it mattered [we had a bit of rain the first day at sea and a severe storm as we disembarked at the end of our trip in Rome; otherwise it was crystal clear], it is my understanding that the Med becomes increasingly rainy during October...

 

Have a wonderful trip... Mine was the journey of a lifetime!

[soonerplyr]

They allow shorts even in Church's as long as they are below the knee.

[Bruin Steve]

I always get a kick out of the people who INSIST one wear long pants--due to some sort of cultural norm issue...

I have cruised and traveled through the region multiple times and ALWAYS wear shorts (generally, the over-the-knee "cargo" type) with no real problem...

 

The ONLY difficulty comes in CERTAIN churches (read "the Vatican")...Even most churches don't have a problem with the cargo shorts...For the Vatican (and in general, just in case), I bring a pair of long draw-string/elastic waist baggy cotton pants in my back pack that I can quickly pull on over my shorts just for the Vatican part of the tour...then take them back off right after...

 

We just did a cruise that visited Egypt, Israel, etc. I wore my cargo shorts EVERYWHERE...including holy places in Jerusalem, inside the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, etc. Wearing long pants in that heat would have been crazy...

[hajekfam]

Check the temps for the ports that you are visiting. The temps in Oct for most of the ports that you are visiting will be in the 70's or 60's. I wore lightweight cotton pants, hubby wore docker type pants. The best thing is to plan on layering.

Even though you could probably get away with shorts while touring when warm, I personally believe in respecting the traditions of the country I am visiting - not to be an "ugly American". Since they do request that you do not wear shorts when visiting churches and since in Europe a lot of tours include church visits (the churches usually have a lot of prominent architecture and artwork), I do not wear them. And in October-November, you usually don't need to worry about heat - so there is no need to disregard the requested dress.

[dzcruisers]

In those cultures, proper dress is evidently viewed as a matter of respect for the host country...

 

This is how Americans get a bad rep. and get criticised for being rude. We don't show proper respect for other cultures. I was always taught when in Rome...........

[Bruin Steve]

Ahhhh...the posts I love...the ones that imply that I m not showing proper respect to the host culture by not dressing as they do...

 

Yeah, we were just in the Middle East...including countries where the women dress in birkahs...

 

I guess I could have dressed like this:

 

http://www.ecplaza.net/ecmarket/imageview.asp?imageUrl=http://image.ecplaza.com/offer/h/hasahasan/4279339.jpg

 

Folks, there is nothing "disrespectful" in dressing in your own dress...They KNOW you are tourists...

 

They don't consider you an "ugly American" for your dress style...

People are not that stupid...

It's how you ACT...

If you act well, you are treated well...

If you are boorish and obnoxious, THEN you will be thought of poorly...

 

Again, they KNOW I'm a tourist...they've seen tourists before...they've seen shorts and T-shirts and, oh, my favorite---TENNIS SHOES...Yeah, I have seen thread after thread on these boards with people claiming you shouldn't wear white tennis shoes--that it will give you away as a tourist. Well, I've got news for you...the fact that you're wandering around gawking at buildings, mugging for photos and looking puzzled into your unfolded map or following intently after a guide with a lollipop sign and a PA system...THAT is what will easily identify you as a tourist...

 

And, no, most churches do NOT require you to wear long pants when visiting on a tourist visit...Many will require knees and shoulders covered...We visited some that provided scarfs for the women to put over their shoulders...

 

But, in most cruise ports and tourist areas, they don't care what you wear so long as you come to spend money and support the local economy...If there are locals who hte Americans, they don't just hate the Americans with the short pants...

[Denny01]

I tend to agree with Bruin Steve. I don't think this is a 'showing proper respect to a culture/host country' issue in most instances. We are tourists, they know it immediately and they are not looking for us to 'blend in'. We show respect with our actions. And I'm not taking the side of the shorts-group because I wear them. I don't, in most cases. I wear them around our home, and when I think it appropriate around the ship; notice I say where I think appropriate - subjective opinion. I don't wear them out to dinner, or usually even lunch, over to friends or even shopping. And I usually don't wear them in port. Just not my thing. I don't wear t-shirts in those cases either. I have this self-image that doesn't include showing off my skinny white scarred-up legs and knobby knees. Just me.

 

 

So my comment is, dress in what you find comfortable for that occasion – realize there may be places (churches, plays, ???) that call for pants and blouse. But trying to 'fit in' or show respect by wearing what you think the locals do, maybe nice to do but I don't think is necessary. I agree with Bruin Steve, fitting in isn't going to happen. Show respect with your actions.

 

 

Now, I will say it would be nice if we didn't walk around with some of the more idiot-obnoxious-bad taste phrases on our T-shirts, but then again, that is a subjective opinion and is another can of worms that diverts from the 'can I wear shorts' OP question.

 

 

After all that rambling; To our OP - yes, wear your shorts, but only if you have better looking legs than I do.

 

 

Denny

[hcat]

we took all ships excursions on Solstice in Sept--did not se that rule of "no Shorts" on excursions--DH wore shorts in Greece/ Turkey/Italy -- I prefer capris --we did not enter any churches or mosques. At the synagogue in Rhodes I was given a shawl to cover bare shoulders...

[Duane T]

Hello all - We are going to be on the Solstice on October 30th for a 10-night cruise. I read in the cruise documents that shorts are not allowed on tours. Can anyone tell me from experience if this is true? I understand the dress code for churches, but I would like to be comfortable for other sightseeing.

This is a guideline to follow. However, I was on the Equinox early last month and it was hot (90 to 103 degrees) is some of our ports. So we wore light weight cubana cotton pants and just rolled up the pant legs when we were not in a church, mosque or jewish religious site.

 

I only saw guards stop some girls from entering St Peters Basilica but they were not prepared...they wore tank tops and shorts and apparently didn't bring accessories like a shawl or wrap that they could wear to cover their knees and sholders.

[doktor]

In those cultures, proper dress is evidently viewed as a matter of respect for the host country...

 

This is how Americans get a bad rep. and get criticised for being rude. We don't show proper respect for other cultures. I was always taught when in Rome...........

I agree with you completely! Show some respect! The USA is often times not the favorite child any more on foreign soil. At the Blue Mosque in 2007 a man was not allowed in wearing cargo shorts.

[navybankerteacher]

Two points -

1) An October 30 sailing means November weather - which can be pretty cool in theMediterranean.

 

2) Even if the locals know you are tourists, it still is stupid and arrogant to disregard local customs, particularly when visiting a site of spiritual significance. The Vatican, Orthodox Jews and Moslems are not alone -- Eastern Christians (Greek and Syrian Orthodox, Egyptian Coptic, etc.) are ALL generally more conservative than North Americans --do not follow the lead of Bruin-what's-his-name who has the sadly too typical

" my vacation, my rules" mentality.

 

Of course, if you are not interested in religious sites, dressing for the weather makes sense.

[Bridge Maven]

In October it will probably be cool enough that it won't be an issue but it was quite hot when we did our 13 day Mediterranean cruise in June 2008. As a compromise I wore capri pants, which a lot of other people did as well. This way I wasn't too uncomfortable while sightseeing in the heat and was more conservatively dressed than if I wore shorts.

[Bruin Steve]

...do not follow the lead of Bruin-what's-his-name who has the sadly too typical " my vacation, my rules" mentality.

 

Well...that was obnoxious and insulting!!

It happens that I am very respectful of local considerations...I generally tour in ports with privte local guide and ask them, in advance, what is appropriate...and, as I stated above, I carry longer pants in my backpack to use as a cover-up just in case...

 

And...I have traveled extensively throughout the world...and have encountered only a few exceptions where my LOCAL guides have advised me to don the longer pants...My attitude is NOT "my vacation, my rules"...it is that I dress in appropriate attire wherever I go...and check carefully with LOCAL sources--NOT with internet posters who have no actual basis for their bossy opinions but their own imagination of what they think is proper...

 

navy-what's-his-name, I resent your holier-than-thou attitude...You are very likely to noticing locals thinking you stupid and arrogant, but I doubt it is because of your style of dress...People are most often thought stupid and arrogant because they ARE stupid and arrogant...

 

When I see foreign visitors here in my area and they are dressed differently than OUR local customs, I do not think any less of them...I only think that they are foreign visitors and dressed in accordance with THEIR local custom and I accept them for that...and I am fairly certain they think the same of me when I travel in their countries...

 

 

At the Blue Mosque in 2007 a man was not allowed in wearing cargo shorts.

 

FWIW, I have visited the Blue Mosque twice now...in the Summer of 2006 and again just this past July...BOTH times, I was wearing cargo shorts and BOTH times I was accompanied by a local Moslem guide...I spent a long amount of time inside on both occasions...As IS their local custom, and at the instruction of my guides, I removed my shoes each time before entering. There is an area outide where you can do this...Same thing at the Tomb of the Sultans nearby along the Hippodrome. Each time, I asked the guide PRIOR to the cruise if I might be deemd to be dressed inappropriately for any of the sites to be visited and in each case, the guide responded "absolutley not"...

 

Also, on my most recent Med cruise, visiting Tunesia, Malta, Egypt, Israel and Turkey, among other ports, I, personally, organized the tours for our group of six in Tunesia, Malta, Israel and Kusadasi. I am fairly organized (as could be verified by any of our cruisemates who toured with us) and BEFORE the cruise, I made it a point, among all the other details of the private tours and confirmations, to ASK about dress requirements for both men and women for each tour--with a specific inquiry as to length of pants...In EVERY case, the answer came back that shorts were acceptable so long as they covered the knee...For women, in some sites, shoulders needed to be covered but our Israeli guide, for example, suggested they carry a scarf or shawl in their purse for this purpose since such sites are few and, in general, it was perfectly acceptable to dress exactly as we would here. A specific exception would be the Mea Shearim district of Jerusalem (the Ultra-Orthodox section), but we were only driving through there by van...

 

I would really recommend to everyone that you ASK your guides...Do NOT rely on the "opinions" of the various posters on here who seem to imagine it being some cultural or Anti-American issue...

 

Don't dress in any manner that might be deemed inappropriate ANYWHERE...but, if you have a question, ASK...But, trust me...how they dress is NOT what reflects badly on certain tourists...it is how you ACT...You show respect by lowering your voice when others are meditating or praying, refraining from photos or flash photos when signs are posted asking you not to do this, by leaving donations where appropriate to do so, by talking to people in a friendly manner, by remembering to say please or thank you--in their language if you know how to, by eating or drinking only where appropriate to do so, by showing kindness to people...

 

Wearing Cargo shorts would be WAY down the list--IF IT WERE, IN FACT, actually ON the list...It is NOT...

 

Want to show a little respect in the Blue Mosque? They give you a bag in which to carry your shoes with you. When you drop off the bag outside the East Door, drop a few coins in the box...That would go a long way past wearing long pants...

[Denny01]

Let's see now, those who said shorts are OK, agreed there are occasions (church tours as an example) that may require pants and blouses, and stressed being respectful of the local conditions with appropriate actions. So then we get some guy calling someone 'stupid and arrogant' and chimes in with the ''my vacation, my rules mentality' putdown, but then basically agrees dressing for the weather makes sense. What???

 

 

I'm not aware of any general 'local customs' that preclude shorts. Locals (at least the older people) probably never wear shorts, but so what. I was in Guatemala last year where wearing my new dockers and nice shirt could be interpreted as 'disrespectful' since most of the people were pretty poor and I was wearing much higher quality clothes. This whole 'being respectful' by not wearing shorts is a real stretch of coming up with some excuse to tell people to wear what you wear. Lets not extend the 'what not to wear to the MDR' into port now.

 

 

Denny

[Bridge Maven]

The discussion about appropriate attire for church reminds me of a funny story. I am Jewish and one of my best friends, who is Catholic, frequently slept at my house on Saturday nights when we were growing up. When she did I would go to church with her on Sunday morning and at that time women were required to wear either a hat or scarf on their head. One Sunday morning when she slept over I grabbed the nearest scarf out of my coat closet but when we got to church I realized that I had brought my father's tallit, which is a Jewish prayer shawl, instead of a scarf. By that time it was too late to go back home, so I decided that it was more appropriate to use my father's tallit to cover my head instead of nothing. As I was leaving the church the priest looked at the tallit I was using as a scarf, smiled at me and said it was so nice of you to visit our church today.

[navybankerteacher]

Ahhhh...the posts I love...the ones that imply that I m not showing proper respect to the host culture by not dressing as they do...

 

 

 

"Folks, there is nothing "disrespectful" in dressing in your own dress...They KNOW you are tourists..."

 

To cite the fact that people know you are tourists is, simply put, simple-minded.

 

If you took the time to find out local custom (read: "demonstrated the courtesy") you would know that in Eastern Christian churches as well as Orthodox Jewish and Moslem sites it IS considered disrespectful for men to wear shorts or women to have uncovered shoulders in churches, synagogues and mosques. Your citing the Vatican as the only place that cares is simplistic - the Vatican happens to be the one place with professional guards in place to enforce courtesy.

 

 

"If you are boorish and obnoxious, THEN you will be thought of poorly..."

 

Ignoring local custom IS boorish and offensive. Just because the locals are too courteous to point out to you that you are ignoring local custom is hardly grounds for ignoring local custom.

[Bruin Steve]

Just because the locals are too courteous to point out to you that you are ignoring local custom is hardly grounds for ignoring local custom.

 

I SERIOUSLY doubt my local guides were merely being "courteous"...especially when I have the longer pants WITH me and ask if it is proper to change to them...

 

BTW, one of my LOCAL guides during one visit was actually wearing knee-length shorts HIMSELF...

 

This is really getting tiring...I can really do without the continually insulting posts from YOU...

 

The question was originally can you wear shorts on tours and the answer remains, most definitely, YES...

 

On this last cruise, I arranged private tours in Tunesia, Malta, Ashdod, Haifa, Kusadasi and Istanbul...and asked the guide in each case for a dress code of sorts...We did Shorexes through the ship in Crete, Alexandria, Port Said and Cyprus.., Not only were shorts definitely allowed, but a majority of the passengers on those tours were wearing shorts...The weather was hot...No such restriction was ever mentioned...

 

As I said ealier, bring a pair of longer pants along that you can slip in and out of easily if necessary...You MAY need them for a very few churches--like the Vatican...otherwise, tour in comfort...