Tuxedo or suit- Marina??

[geegeecruiser]

Hubby and I are on the Marina Feb.26 cruise. I understand that "dressy nights" have been scaled down on most cruises. We have taken many cruises (Regent, RCCL, Oceania) and my husband has gone back and forth on taking a tux. In the past, sometimes he does and often he doesn't. Any news about the Marina's dressy evenings? The decor is so absolutely stunning, we are thinking that we may need to re-think those dressy evenings and dress accordingly. I never have a problem with some sparkly top and black slacks or long skirt, but for the first time ever, it is my DH who is wringing his hands! What is the consensus??

[digby]

Oceania's ships have NO formal nights. No tux, suit, nor jacket is needed any time! Resort Casual 24/7. It's one of the best things about Oceania!

[Mura]

Maybe hubby wants to bring along a sports jacket? Sans tie?

 

He doesn't need more! In fact, he probably doesn't need the jacket. MY hubby doesn't!

 

Mura

 

(Of course, he will want to have a pair of pants to go along with the jacket ... and maybe a shirt.)

[2kiwis]

We have cruised with Oceania many times and now my hubby doesn't bother to bring a jacket as when he did he never wore it

[oceansandseas]

There are no formal nights on Oceania so your husband does not need his tux. However, if he is accustomed to wearing a jacket and tie it is quite appropriate. We have found that on every O cruise the dress code is different. On some O cruises the passengers are more dressy and then some cruises the pax dress very casual. My husband prefers to dress in a shirt and tie and suit jacket for dinner. He does so every night and he feels comfortable. I usually wear a dress or skirt and top with heels. However that is our preference.

 

At home I wear casual clothes for dinner. I like to dress for the occasion when we are being served a lovely dinner in the Grand Dining Room.

 

Therefore your husband is free to wear a jacket if he wishes. Also you might want a sweater or a wrap. It is sometimes cold in the dining room if you are sitting near an air conditioning unit.

[LHT28]

Any news about the Marina's dressy evenings? The decor is so absolutely stunning, we are thinking that we may need to re-think those dressy evenings and dress accordingly. I never have a problem with some sparkly top and black slacks or long skirt, but for the first time ever, it is my DH who is wringing his hands! What is the consensus??

He could wear a tux if he wants but he will be in the minority

We have seen a few men in suits or Tux on Oceania

Many men just wear a shirt to dinner maybe a jacket no tie required

 

My DH wears a blazer for the specialty restaurants but it is his personal choice

 

Wear what you feel comfortable in

No fancy dress required on Oceania

 

see you on board

Lyn

[Jancruz]

There are no formal nights on Oceania so your husband does not need his tux. However, if he is accustomed to wearing a jacket and tie it is quite appropriate. We have found that on every O cruise the dress code is different. On some O cruises the passengers are more dressy and then some cruises the pax dress very casual. My husband prefers to dress in a shirt and tie and suit jacket for dinner. He does so every night and he feels comfortable. I usually wear a dress or skirt and top with heels. However that is our preference.

 

At home I wear casual clothes for dinner. I like to dress for the occasion when we are being served a lovely dinner in the Grand Dining Room.

 

Therefore your husband is free to wear a jacket if he wishes. Also you might want a sweater or a wrap. It is sometimes cold in the dining room if you are sitting near an air conditioning unit.

 

Dress code is the same on EVERY O cruise it is just the oassengers that dress differntly...

Jancruz1

[oceansandseas]

Jancruz - You are correct in saying that the dress code on all O cruises is the same. I worded it incorrectly. The way that pax dress can be very different from cruise to cruise by the way that they translate "country club casual".

[wripro]

If your husband wears a tuxedo someone may ask him to take him to their table.

[Bruin Steve]

Yeah...there really is no "dictionary definition" of "Country Club Casual"...what someone might where at their country club somewhere in the Northeast may not be what we feel is appropriate here in my country club in SoCal...

 

HOWEVER...I don't think anyone's definition of any kind of "casual" includes TUXEDOS!!!

 

Heck, not even a SUIT is considered "casual" in any sense of the word...

 

Casual might range from the very casual shorts and T-Shirts--though I think most agree that that end of the "casual" range is inappropriate for the main dining room on ANY cruise ship (though it might be an upgrade from some of what I'd seen on Carnival!)--all the way up to slacks and a SPORTS COAT...

 

I'd say that the fair standard for men would be something in the range of slacks or "Dockers" and a sports shirt (meaning a shirt with buttons and a collar, be it long or short sleeves)...I have seen variations down to those wearing a "Golf Shirt" (more informal fabric with a collar but buttoned only two or three buttons down)--though I think this might be a bit too casual at dinner for my personal tastes...up to those wearing the similar slacks, sports shirt WITH a CASUAL sports coat (something in the line of a tweed or a blazer)...

 

What I've noticed is that many of the men opting for a sports coat of some sort tend to be a bit older--perhaps with a hard time losing what may be more of a traditional look...or maybe it's just guys who find the air conditioning turned up too much for their personal comfort!

 

Another factor that might contribute to the fashion choices is the itinerary and time of year...When traveling to the Mediterranean or Caribbean in the summer, it's really hard to want to pack anything in the way of a coat...

 

With all of the new airline luggage requirements and limits...and the length of the cruises and the amount of stuff one needs to pack, I am so thankful that there are no formal nights...We need that luggage space for other things...and all of that formal wear takes up far too much room...And, therefore, I can't see the utility in schlepping along a bulky sports coat either...

 

PLEASE DON'T BRING A TUX OR SUIT!! I do not want Oceania even start to be thinking their customers WANT formal nights back...

[Wannaknow]

Might I sneak in a question here as a newcomer to Oceania? We are going in June on Regatta's 1st year cruising to Alaska. Never have been in Alaska either. I know no bluejeans are allowed in DR, but what about nice denim pants of other colors?

The whole thrust of this cruise is more casual than other destinations. What do you think?

[LHT28]

Might I sneak in a question here as a newcomer to Oceania? We are going in June on Regatta's 1st year cruising to Alaska. Never have been in Alaska either. I know no bluejeans are allowed in DR, but what about nice denim pants of other colors?

 

The whole thrust of this cruise is more casual than other destinations. What do you think?

 

This is just me but denim of any colour = jeans in my book

Others will disagree

 

I did wear jeans during our Norway cruise this summer but not to the GDR for dinner.

You can wear them for lunch or breakfast there but for dinner we went to the Terrace if too tired(lazy) to change

 

Lyn

[Mura]

I'm slow to think of these things but I'm wondering if style isn't changing. Not necessarily style as Oceania defines "country casual" but as far as style is working "out there".

 

I've come to watching How Do I Look on cable. One "staple" that appears to be in a woman's wardrobe (as far as this show is concerned, which IS a make-over show) is that denims are considered basic to a woman's wardrobe ... just as is a leather jacket or a blazer.

 

So I'm just wondering to myself if Oceania might come to change its standard somewhat.

 

I've seen plenty of jeans that I thought looked just fine. My husband has a pair that he wears on board and I think he's worn to dinner in the GDR (with a nice shirt) with no problem. Coming into the GDR with hole-y jeans or well-faded jeans, well that's one thing. And coming in with an "elegant" pair may come to be something else.

 

It's easier from O's standpoint to just say NO JEANS. I understand that. I just wonder if they might come around to a more moderated view ...

 

I myself don't wear jeans period! Well, not to a nice dinner venue anyway. But I really like the way Howard looks in those jeans ... Quite frankly, those jeans look a lot nicer than other pants that are NOT jeans.

;)

[Wannaknow]

Mura, the interesting thing is you can hardly go to any big-name store here in SoCal without seeing racks and racks of all type of jeans. I don't mean in the teenage dept. either. It is, here, arguably the predominant pants choice.

However, I am certainly not one to challenge a dress code & although I have worn practically nothing but various denims for the past 15 years, I have actually found an acceptable non-denim pair of black pants. I haven't tried them on since I bought them though, so I'll keep my fingers crossed.

[tanny18]

Just a thought. Don't forget jeans take up much more room than a pair of dressy slax...another thing to remember when packing!! Arlene;)

[LHT28]

So I'm just wondering to myself if Oceania might come to change its standard somewhat.

 

 

It is slippery slope:D

 

Maybe they will allow sweatsuits also...not the baggy ones but ones that look nice :eek:

 

I wear jeans or sweats all the time at home but when I go on a cruise I do take dress slacks or cotton slacks they are much easier to pack and look nice

If I was going on NCL maybe I would just take jeans

 

I think dress codes have become too relaxed in North America ...remember when you wore a nice suit to work ...even the ladies

Now you are lucky to see anything other than jeans & t-shirts

 

I think when you dress up not fancy but nice you feel good as well

 

Just my opinion

I will shut up now :D

 

Lyn

[dolphinmar]

I completely agree with you Lyn. I grew up overseas in the '60's and I remember my Mom dressing my sister and me up for all of our flights. Dresses and black patent leather Mary Jane shoes. Later, we wore slacks but we were still dressed up. The truth is that you are treated better when you take the time to make yourself look "presentable." Whether or not that is right, it is human nature. I do believe that Oceania staff treats everyone the same, regardless of how they are dressed, so my comment above doesn't apply in that situation.

 

I like dressing up for dinner. I like the whole ritual of it. I don't do it at home where I do wear sweats, flannels and jeans, so it's a nice change of pace.

 

I think there are vacations when you just want to be totally relaxed and wear jeans for dinner. Backpacking is a good time for that. ;)

[Mura]

Lyn, I agree with you, too ... and I think I addressed the slippery slope aspect in what I said. At least I tried to!

 

If they say "some jeans are okay", who knows what people might think is okay. I wasn't advocating a change in policy. I was wondering if one might take place down the road -- but that assumes people complain about the policy, and I don't know that anyone has ... or will.

[vaitape]

VACATION is the operative word here! PLEASE......let's keep the casual look on O. After a busy day of sightseeing, the last thing we want to do is fuss about getting ready for dinner.

 

One can look nice without a coat and tie or a cocktail dress! Plus with weight restrictions and the cost of excess baggage these days, do we want to lug that stuff with us? NO!

[Rickey 88]

VACATION is the operative word here! PLEASE......let's keep the casual look on O. After a busy day of sightseeing, the last thing we want to do is fuss about getting ready for dinner.

 

One can look nice without a coat and tie or a cocktail dress! Plus with weight restrictions and the cost of excess baggage these days, do we want to lug that stuff with us? NO!

 

Thank goodness that the days of "dressing for dinner" are just about completely behind us. However, some still feel the necessity of getting dressed up for dinner, and that is their prerogative.

 

Some of us still remember the days when we "dressed up" - suit, tie, etc. before taking a flight!

[Archie's Mom]

On the first night of our recent transatlantic crossing on Regatta, my husband wore a pair of slacks made of dark blue denim. He is a physician,age 75, who wears these slacks comfortably in his office with a sport coat or sweater. The maitre d' asked him to refrain from wearing denim in the MDR. DH said that was not a problem (and it wasn't)and he wore wool slacks every other night. Actually, he was impressed with how charming the maitre d' had been about it!

[jerimiah37]

On the newest ship, Marina, tie racks were left out of the closets at the direction of Frank Del Rio.

[TERRIER1]

You can wear jeans and shorts in the MDR during breakfast and lunch but not dinner.

[orchestrapal]

On the newest ship, Marina, tie racks were left out of the closets at the direction of Frank Del Rio.

 

We love FDR, no question of where he stands on the subject of Country Club Casual.:)

[raffeer]

On the Marina TA I noticed a subtle change in attire in the specialty restaurants -

 

men dressed for comfort i.e. sweaters, collared T-shirts, long sleeved colored shirts sitting across from women wearing definitely dressy (sparkly etc.) clothes

It was the first time I've seen this and I liked it. The men looked comfortable and the woman looked great.

 

I hope it speaks to the new O casual.