Research on dress code is giving me a headache

[babs135]

I truly am sorry for yet another thread about dress code.  I love doing research but this is one I should have left alone because I'm getting such conflicting comments.  We will be on the Symphony next week, have plumped for my time dining but what to wear?  Is 'dress to impress'  the same as formal? Does DH need a suit and if he does wear one will he be in the minority.

Please help!!

[spookwife]

Wear what you want.  The suggested attire is anything goes as they do not enforce it

[eric2011]

Youre on holiday, wear what ever you want on holiday. Go casual or dress up, you are not in a fashion parade or on show. You wont be judged

[awestover89]

Generally speaking, just don't worry about it. Wear what you'd be comfortable wearing. Dress to Impress is the new formal night, but it's not strictly enforced. I personally wear a polo shirt and khakis for formal/Dress to Impress nights and a t-shirt and jeans for regular nights. No way to tell if you will be in the minority or not. I've been on cruises where probably 60-70% of the cruisers dressed up significantly (suits or tuxes for the gentlemen, gowns for the women) and I've been on cruises where probably less than 10% were dressed up significantly.

 

Wear what you want and don't worry about the rest of the diners.

[Cruiser_1977]

On my Navigator sailing from the Compasses.

Day 1 - Embarkation

Day 2 - CocoCay

Day 3 - Nassau

 

[Another_Critic]

No speedos or string bikinis in the dining room.

[Tulsacoker]

4 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

No speedos or string bikinis in the dining room.

pity 

[M-H-B]

The conflicting advice is indicative of the fact that there is no ‘norm’ anymore. From what I understand only those who enjoy dressing up are doing so - if you enjoy it, join them and if not, look respectable and enjoy your dinner 🙂

[DaniDanielle]

There was a mix of everything on our last Anthem Cruise.  From tank tops and shorts to long gowns and a few tuxedos.

[fredflint]

Just be comfortable with whatever you are wearing

[mskaufman]

It's your vacation - do what you want.  Was on Grandeur last month and there was a wide variety of dress, even on nights where dressing up was supposed to be the norm.  A couple of people even had tuxes, but most of the men had slacks and a button down shirt.  

[Cruise a holic]

Recently on the Harmony.  Most people followed the guidelines regarding dress code.  They did dress formally on two nights.  Most ladies in long or short cocktail attire or fancy pants suits.  Men, few tuxedos, mostly suits and jackets.  Of course some people for whatever reason decided not to dress at all.

 

But to each his or her own.  We always try to be respectful of the code.

[paradise4me]

people dress the way they want to. I see jeans to formal gowns. We are never concerned and just bring what we want to wear. 

[SRF]

17 hours ago, babs135 said:

Does DH need a suit and if he does wear one will he be in the minority.

Please help!!

 

Need one?  NO

 

If he does wear one, he may be underdressed or overdressed, depending on the particular cruise.

 

I have seen many tuxes, and suits.  And then there were those in shorts/tshirts/ball caps.

 

Wear what makes YOU happy.  Some people dress for work every day and want to NOT dress up.  Others like to dress up.  If you like to dress up, IMO, he should dress up also. 🙂

 

I typically wear a blazer, tie, dress shirt.  

 

Women wear from casual to full gowns.

[SuiteLady]

True story....on my Harmony sailing, somehow I missed that it was formal night.  I have sailed many times and am not sure how this happened, but got caught up in doing stuff and never paid attention!  Fast forward to dinner time in the MDR.....walking there I noticed all the photographers and some people dressed up (first clue)...then we got to the MDR and were walking through to our seats and noticed people had lobster (2nd clue)....then we got our menus and it said something like welcome to formal night (3rd and final clue!).  Moral of the story:  we DID NOT feel out of place or made to feel out of place at all!  Mind you, we were dressed smart casual, but there were actually a few with jeans on!!  So I will not stress at all about dress code, going forward!!  Wear what you want and enjoy your cruise!!

[MericaAR15]

I've been assured by several people on this board that your level of class and respect is directly proportional with how dressed up you are.

 

No matter what you do, people will be silently judging you, so it's probably best to just have a drink or two and proudly be yourselves.

[Balsam12]

Personally, we like to dress up for formal night. Not a tux, but definitely a suit and tie for me.
What others wear in the MDR isn't a huge thing for us, although I do think some effort isn't too much to ask. 

A pair of trousers and a polo shirt with decent shoes shouldn't be too much to ask. Singlets/tank tops should not be allowed in the MDR. Shorts, if they are dress shorts worn with a collared shirt and decent shoes would not be a concern for us.

At the end of the day, our meal and service are not affected by the dress of the people at another table. We also do MTD, so probably won't be seated with the same people again on our cruise, so if someone at our table is "underdressed", it's only for one meal, and they may just provide interesting conversation.

At the end of the day, everyone has different standards, but as I said, someone else's dress doesn't affect my meal.

 

[rbell]

JUST WEAR WHAT YOU WANT!!

[marci22]

Do not worry about this at all. He does not 'need' a suit. He can wear one if he wants. Wear what makes you feel comfortable. On the two 'formal' nights, typical on a 7 night cruise, there will be two 'dressier' nights. Regardless, I have seen shorts on all nights. No one cares. 

 

#2020

[Tulsacoker]

For dinner in MDR/Specialty or Coastal Kitchen I wear pants since that is the suggested attire. On formal nights i wear tie and sport coat. I do not care what anyone else wear. I wear what I feel is appropriate 

[danv3]

If RCI would just pick a rule and go with it (instead of using confusing terminology with widely varying enforcement), the OP and many others wouldn’t have so much anxiety over dress expectations. 
 

Of course, the number of threads on this forum would drop by 50% too. 

Edited January 29, 2020 by danv3

[Merion_Mom]

27 minutes ago, danv3 said:

If RCI would just pick a rule and go with it (instead of using confusing terminology with widely varying enforcement), the OP and many others wouldn’t have so much anxiety over dress expectations. 
 

Of course, the number of threads on this forum would drop by 50% too. 

 

I do not think that there is “widely varying enforcement “.  

 

I think that there is no enforcement. 

[danv3]

12 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

I do not think that there is “widely varying enforcement “.  

 

I think that there there is no enforcement. 

I thought so too until I saw someone excluded from the MDR for wearing shorts on formal night two weeks ago. 

[Merion_Mom]

4 minutes ago, danv3 said:

I thought so too until I saw someone excluded from the MDR for wearing shorts on formal night two weeks ago. 

 

 

Seriously!?!?!?

 

which ship???

 

😲

[ticketsunlimited]

Showed up in nice Khaki shorts and a nice button down shirt with my wife and parents at the MDR on "dress up night" and was held at the door for several minutes.  The Maitre D' that night I had'nt seen all week but was bound and determined to not let me in.  He spent a few minutes on his walkie Talkie and finally let us in.  Our wait staff was watching and waiting for us to come to the table and where laughing there Ass off.  They thought it was quite funny that he picked me out of the blue to to enforce "no shorts".  We passed by several other men in shorts.  It was on our Bermuda, Serenade cruise this past September.  Didn't bother me a bit and I wouldn't have made a stink about it right there.  I would have just stepped outside and ask them to remove the other 100 people wearing shorts and we could form a line and head to the Windjammer single file. 😉