Regent Dress Code and Cabins - What's the real deal?

[Living Life Large]

The wife and I are taking our first cruise with Regent in May, traveling to Alaska on the Mariner. So in reviewing this website last night for the first time, I have some real concerns. I understand Regent is an upscale line, not a party boat and that's a good thing. Evaluations are always subjective, got it.

 

After 6PM, it is my understanding there is some type of dress code, be it "recommended or imposed," which is it? My idea of Business Casual is a nice pair of "dress jeans," and a collared dress shirt or collared dress Polo shirt and dress shoes. I'm NOT talking everyday Levi jeans, that's fine for the daytime, I'm talking $200 dress denim pants and a nice shirt and optional blazer. Is this acceptable for the steakhouse or other fine dining restaurant?

 

I have booked a Penthouse suite, paid good money for it. In perusing this site last night, I come across a guest who posted a legitimate complaint about the condition of her cabin WITH PICS. It looked horrible, ghetto, jacked up carpets, furniture and bathroom. This was just a couple of months ago!

 

Does anyone have any thoughts or comments? I'm very concerned; Thank you in advance.

[Pamela1]

The wife and I are taking our first cruise with Regent in May, traveling to Alaska on the Mariner. So in reviewing this website last night for the first time, I have some real concerns. I understand Regent is an upscale line, not a party boat and that's a good thing. Evaluations are always subjective, got it.

 

After 6PM, it is my understanding there is some type of dress code, be it "recommended or imposed," which is it? My idea of Business Casual is a nice pair of "dress jeans," and a collared dress shirt or collared dress Polo shirt and dress shoes. I'm NOT talking everyday Levi jeans, that's fine for the daytime, I'm talking $200 dress denim pants and a nice shirt and optional blazer. Is this acceptable for the steakhouse or other fine dining restaurant?

 

I have booked a Penthouse suite, paid good money for it. In perusing this site last night, I come across a guest who posted a legitimate complaint about the condition of her cabin WITH PICS. It looked horrible, ghetto, jacked up carpets, furniture and bathroom. This was just a couple of months ago!

 

Does anyone have any thoughts or comments? I'm very concerned; Thank you in advance.

 

 

Fear not, i think there is someone here that can answer every single thing you need to know about Regent cruises...just don't criticise them or your head will be on a plate haha..kidding! :)

Pam.

[Kwaj girl]

We have been on board the Mariner since 1/13/16 for the Grand Voyage around South America. While there may be a few bits of normal wear showing, we have not noticed anything of real concern cosmetically. We are in a "standard" suite and yes, there are a few furniture scratches (perhaps like the furniture at home?) and a little rust around the bolts on the balcony dividers....but this is a common occurrence when salt and sea air are involved. But I would hardly call any of this "ghetto."

 

As far as the "after six" attire is concerned, no jeans of any type are appropriate dress for dinner in any of the venues. The daily Passages specifically states: "GOOD EVENING- DRESS CODE: ELEGANT CASUAL... A skirt or slacks (no jeans) with a blouse or sweater, pant suit or dress for ladies; slacks (no jeans) and collared shirt for gentlemen. Sport jackets are optional."

 

Hope this helps.

[RachelG]

Currently onboard Navigator. It is going in for a complete makeover in 2 weeks, but even now it is very nice. Just needs an update.

 

No jeans means no jeans. You can wear them all you want during the day, but not after 6 pm anywhere in the public areas of the ship. We are in the Caribbean currently, and I have seen lots of fancy sparkly dresses and lots of suits even here. My son wears khakis and a long sleeve collared dress shirt to dinner, but he is more casually dressed than most on board.

[Living Life Large]

Ok on the evening dress jeans not allowed. So Dockers or similar pants are acceptable? After years of suit and tie being my daily wear before retirement, I loath the thought. I retired at 54 and haven't worn anything such since, I don't mind a sports coat and a tie if I really have to, but I traded my dress slacks for very nice, custom tailored denims (not jeans). However, I will go with the flow and force myself to buy some Dockers if that works. Thank you all for your help, rock on.

[Travelcat2]

Regent's "Elegant Casual" dress code is on their website and is pretty clear - no jeans after 6:00 p.m. The cost of your jeans does not matter. Slacks and a collared shirt is what the majority of men wear. Other men wear slacks and a sports coat while other men wear suits (particularly in specialty restaurants and the night of the Captain's Reception).

 

We were in on the Mariner in December and it is far from a ghetto. Regent crew members clean the ships 24 hours a day but, some wear can be seen on the wood furniture (that will be replaced during dry dock) and possibly on the carpets (although I did not see worn carpeting on the ship). Banisters and railings are routinely refinished and chairs reupholstered. Items like the built-in furniture and tiles cannot be replaced while the ship is at sea. Still, the ship is in beautiful condition (most people agree).

 

It is possible that the post and pictures you saw (not sure where the post was) was taken in a cabin that had a broken water pipe or something which would account for "jacked up carpets".

 

In any case, you should have a great time on the Mariner. Just keep your expensive jeans at home - go and enjoy yourselves!

Edited March 16, 2016 by Travelcat2

[Suite Travels]

On some luxury lines when tours return late or are on overnights with long days as well as the night before disembarkation they will not deny you as long as you are presentable. No shorts or baseball hats and a collared shirt required.

 

I own three pair of Versace jeans that are soft black material and nobody here or anywhere could tell they were jeans. The night before disembarkation we wear nice jeans as that is what we fly home in. I Have seen horribly dressed people in slacks that were dirty and sloppy. Dockers are just as cheap looking as jeans and soooo outdated with a frumpy pulled out collared sport shirt. No fashion sense whatsoever these people need to read GQ and see what is currently being worn as casual.

[fluckey]

O, dear! You've just described my dress-up wardrobe as "outdated and frumpy". What will I ever do?

[RachelG]

Well, my son's khakis are not Dockers. Much nicer than that. They are what guys are wearing when going out for a fairly nice meal that is not formal but where jeans would not be appropriate. They don't look frumpy at all, so I am not sure what that comment is about.

[Travelcat2]

Well, my son's khakis are not Dockers. Much nicer than that. They are what guys are wearing when going out for a fairly nice meal that is not formal but where jeans would not be appropriate. They don't look frumpy at all, so I am not sure what that comment is about.

 

I would much rather see Dockers or khakis than polo shirts (as you know, this is also acceptable according to the Regent dress code).

 

In terms of this thread, what people do on other cruise lines is irrelevant. This is not about Crystal, it is about Regent.

 

I "kind of" understand where the OP is coming from as my DH did not want to wear suits, ties or jackets after retirement. After a very few years without wearing them, he is happy that he can dress up on Regent (or not). Having said that, Regent has a dress code for a reason and it needs to be respected. Regent has the most lenient dress code of any luxury cruise line. If a person cannot abide by it, there is Regent's sister cruise lines, Norwegian or Oceania where shorts (ugly ones), overalls, jeans or ??? can be worn in their buffet restaurant at night.

 

P.S. Regent does allow jeans on the last night OR if a Regent excursion returns to the ship late (late meaning not enough time to change before the dining venues close).

[gnomie1]

Brooks Brothers sells the most amazing khakis that most of the men wear during "casual Friday" during the summer months. They do not require ironing and with a nice button down shirt, they look great. In the event that they need to need to "get dressed in a hurry", a tie and sport jacket and they are ready to go.

 

They look nothing like dockers, more like nice dress pants that are comfortable to boot - I know on the first sale day at BB, many people are stocking up on these pants, which by the way come in other colors.

 

gnomie :)

[mrstanley]

Why is it so difficult for men to wear dress pants and a sport coat? I don't think that's asking much. I've been cruising since 2001 on Regent and there has been a big decline

on the way people dress. Jeans or khakis are not appropriate for dining in the specialty

restaurants or Compass Rose. Short sleeve shirts with collars look awful unless worn

under a sport coat. Regent doesn't enforce the dress code. We had dinner at Signatures and there were people dressed in sweat pants, hoodies and sneakers! No kidding.

[gnomie1]

Why is it so difficult for men to wear dress pants and a sport coat? I don't think that's asking much. I've been cruising since 2001 on Regent and there has been a big decline

on the way people dress. Jeans or khakis are not appropriate for dining in the specialty

restaurants or Compass Rose. Short sleeve shirts with collars look awful unless worn

under a sport coat. Regent doesn't enforce the dress code. We had dinner at Signatures and there were people dressed in sweat pants, hoodies and sneakers! No kidding.

 

Little off topic but I have to laugh when I hear men complaining about wearing a tie or nice clothes - I have worked at and there are still many businesses in NYC that have a no bare leg policy - meaning all women MUST wear pantyhose, even on the those NYC summer days when it is 100 degrees outside and the humidity is approaching 100%.

 

I too have noticed a huge decline in the enforcement of the dress code, esp among the men. I actually like to get dressed for dinner (w/o the pantyhose!) and believe it spoils the atmosphere for others when people enter the restaurants dressed as if they are going to TGIF or the Olive Garden and not a fine restaurant.

 

gnomie :)

[mrstanley]

RachelG… why couldn't your son wear a sport coat over his khakis and shirt? That would have been much more appropriate. Khakis are khakis…no matter what the brand or the cost. No matter what age every man or boy should own a sport coat and a pair of dress

pants.

[mrstanley]

gnomie… Men should be required to wear a sport coat in all the restaurants except in

La Veranda. I just don't understand why so many men onboard can't get dressed.

Slobs!

[poss]

Oh, my. If I were a newbie, just considering Regent and not knowing that CC members are a very small fraction of cruisers, I'd be turned off by now.

Edited March 17, 2016 by poss

[Zqueeze1]

RachelG… why couldn't your son wear a sport coat over his khakis and shirt? That would have been much more appropriate. Khakis are khakis…no matter what the brand or the cost. No matter what age every man or boy should own a sport coat and a pair of dress

pants.

 

IRT RachelG's son's attire, why wear a sports coat if it is not required attire? As a card-carrying member of Men are Slobs club, I can personally confirm the fact that he more than met the standards of Regent's evening attire. I wore a short-sleeved collared shirt last night and looked more informal than just about anyone, but I was also within standards. Let's not put all khakis into one bin. As Gnomie mentioned, his BB khakis looked more like dress pants.

 

Z and TB

[Travelcat2]

mrstanley: Not sure if you were reading CC when Regent changed their dress code from "Formal", "Informal" and "Country Club Casual" to "Elegant Casual". The change occurred after overwhelming requests from passengers. While I was in favor of doing away with "Formal" nights, I did not envision men in polo shirts in Signatures. It would be nice if the current dress code was tweaked a bit - requiring dress shirts instead of polo shirts but I suspect that this would make a lot of passengers unhappy.

 

It seems that Europeans dress up the most on Regent and people from the U.S. the least. While some areas of the U.S. (Washington state and Florida being two areas), jeans and a jacket is considered dressed up, other areas (NYC and Washington D.C.) still wear suits, ties, sports jackets, etc.

 

As mentioned, Regent is the least formal of the four major luxury cruise lines. Silversea is the most formal while Crystal and Seabourn are somewhere in between so there is a cruise line for everyone (in terms of dress codes). Since Regent is a U.S. based company, I feel that their dress code represents a good cross-section of the country. It isn't perfect but it allows passengers to wear a tuxedo or suit if they are comfortable dressing up, slacks and a sports jacket or slacks and a collared shirt.

 

Side note: If you see people dressed like they just got off of an excursion (as in a post above), it generally means that the Regent excursion arrived back late and the passengers are told to go directly the dining venue without changing clothes. Regent does enforce their dress code (most of the time). I have personally seen many people asked to leave a lounge when they are still wearing shorts or jeans after 6:00 p.m. They are asked politely and can finish their drinks before leaving.

[Living Life Large]

I asked a simple question about dress codes and it has started a S### storm. Look, before I get off this horse let me say my wife and I have no desire to dress and act like Mr. And Mrs. Thurston Howell III from Gilligan's Island because I'm on a Regent cruise. I get that it is an upper class, first cabin cruise and not a party Love Boat outfit. That is why I booked a Penthouse. But what I and others were simply making a point, "dress jeans" that we speak of are not faded Levis, they are not rock star jeans with custom holes in the knees. They are very expensive, soft, custom tailored denim material that make Dockers look like gym shorts, sweat pants, etc. others refer to. I have a dozen of them in my closet and they cost around $200 a pair. Those pants with a nice collard shirt and (optional) blazer, I guarantee you would put anyone with Dockers and a Polo shirt in a different game. But Geez, the comments made to "leave your jeans at home, this is a Regent cruise," etc, is a bit over the top. To paraphrase what someone just posted, "If I were to judge Regent based on these posts, I'd be turned off." Sheesh, I will go buy a $50 pair of Dockers so I can dress for success and "fit in" with the elites who think that is dressing up. But I am also going to bring a couple pair of my dreaded "dress jeans," and if they are allowed, I'm going to wear them. You can't miss me, I'll be the tall and handsome lad wearing a beautiful and COMFORTABLE pair of dark blue or black denims, a white collard shirt and blue blazer sipping a Grey Goose martini, feeling good, looking good and enjoying myself with my beautiful wife, having a blast with my best friend and her boyfriend, Living Life Large. I won't be calling my wife "Lovey" and she won't be calling me "Poopsy." So let's move on, we are all going to have a great time, a great cruise a great experience. Drinks are on me.

[fluckey]

Living Life, welcome to the Regent board on Cruise Critic. You hit one of the topics that get people going. There are a few others. But don't worry, people are much nicer, less confrontational and less openly judgmental on the ships than here.

[JMARINER]

gnomie… Men should be required to wear a sport coat in all the restaurants except in

La Veranda. I just don't understand why so many men onboard can't get dressed.

Slobs!

 

 

And a tux on formal nights too.

 

j

[DaveFr]

I agree completely with Poss. Regent has decided that appropriate dress for dinner does not require that men wear a sport coat. While everyone is entitled to his or her opinion on this issue, the only opinion that counts is Regent's. Calling anyone who adheres to Regent's dress code a slob is simply beyond the pale.

Edited March 17, 2016 by DaveFr

[forevertravel]

I guess I'm old fashioned but jeans (whether they look dressy or not) have no place in restaurants in my book. I totally dislike it when I see men wearing jeans and a sports jacket. Neither my husband nor I are jean aficionados so I guess that explains my thinking. Why do some men have such an issue with dressing a bit? We have no problem with Regent's dress code, in fact, I preferred the "Country Club Casual". Polo shirts have no place in the restaurants in my book. I love to dress up so I enjoy putting on nice clothes at dinner. My husband usually wears a sports jacket when dining at the specialty restaurants and always nice dress pants and collar shirts in CR. He always wore coat and tie when he was working but has no issue with dressing up for dinners. We live in Florida (in Chicago before retirement) and I'm not of the "shorts and t-shirt" school because is hot in Florida). That said, we all have different views. I'm just glad no jeans are allowed after 6pm. I saw a couple (first time on Regent) during the S Pacific cruise where the man wore a Hawaiian shirt to Prime 7. That was totally inappropriate in my book. If I had been the Maitre'D, I would had asked him to change.

 

Incidentally, we were on the Mariner last November and the ship looked as nice as ever. Sure, there may be some scratches on the cabin furniture but nothing that makes look worn down. The crew is constantly cleaning and also painting when we are in port. I'm not sure what photos someone could post that made the cabins looked dirty and bad. I have not seen any such pictures in Cruise Critic.

Edited March 17, 2016 by forevertravel

[Suite Travels]

Living Life, I've got your back and I agree. I wear a very expensive leather jacket from Milan with black soft fabric jeans and a nice long sleeve shirt...not a fan of short sleeve Polo shirts either. I can get by very well dressed dressed up Versaces sans jacket and a elegant shirt.

 

I am sure you will look elegant. People that have cruised with us know we are meticulous and always receive compliments. At one time my partner and myself modeled when we were younger for major stores and we have seen fashion move forward while others remain stuck in time. You absolutely can look handsome or stunning in jeans that are dressy...no holes or the faded over washed. If you have the body and taste to accessorie dress jeans why not.

 

I am absolutely appalled at people who wear a tacky Hawaiian shirt with a pair of dockers that don't pair together with black tennis shoes and to finish the outfit off a sports jacket that makes no sense.

 

We still dress up on BTO on Crystal and we are a shrinking breed as most people wear just a sports jacket with slacks with or without a tie. The tux crowd are very few but almost everyone looks nice.

 

Trust me the so called fashion police will not throw you off the ship and you will still enjoy your cruise and meet very nice people. We met nice people when we sailed Regent when it was still formal. No worries.

[PinkMEB]

I would not consider wearing blue denim jeans at night, but are black or white jeans ok for ladies with a pretty top? Unless you look closely, you wouldn't know they were jeans.