Sailing in Europe vs Caribbean advice

[SarahD112]

We have cruised many times, but always Caribbean. With about 90 days to go...thoughts are turning towards what to pack for sailing out of Southampton on May 29, headed to France, Norway, Belgium and Germany. I get that it won’t be as hot, but what else do I need to know? Should we avoid shorts altogether - some churches require covered knees, yes? Am I wrong to think the general dress on and off ship will be more formal than in the Caribbean? And are there any Quantum class (Anthem) things we need to know? For instance, on freedom class we usually take little battery nightlights for the bathroom so I don’t blind myself in the middle of the night. I think Oasis class has night nights...what about Quantum class?

[grapau27]

20 minutes ago, SarahD112 said:

We have cruised many times, but always Caribbean. With about 90 days to go...thoughts are turning towards what to pack for sailing out of Southampton on May 29, headed to France, Norway, Belgium and Germany. I get that it won’t be as hot, but what else do I need to know? Should we avoid shorts altogether - some churches require covered knees, yes? Am I wrong to think the general dress on and off ship will be more formal than in the Caribbean? And are there any Quantum class (Anthem) things we need to know? For instance, on freedom class we usually take little battery nightlights for the bathroom so I don’t blind myself in the middle of the night. I think Oasis class has night nights...what about Quantum class?

The weather should be good at the end of May around mid 70° with only mild humidity.

Most people including us wear shorts during the day and it is only mosques that require knees covering but feel free to wear trousers if you wish to visit any churches.

Night lights in the bathroom sounds a  good idea.

Formal nights on European cruises are well respected with most people dressing up but every other night most people are very casually dressed.

 

[Norwich Cruiser]

The weather should be very pleasant at that time of year  to visit such countries and I’m almost certain shorts and t shirts will be needed.

Some cruises from Southampton have more formal dress in the evenings not so much daytime but depends really on time of year and sometimes how many children on board regarding evenings but you should wear what you are comfortable in we've seen ball gowns and dinner jackets to the sometimes shorts and t shirts in the evenings as per the Caribbean. 
There’s a few churches that may require shoulders and knees to be covered.

A battery night light is always a good idea to pack.

If you were thinking of a drinks package it may not be worth it to you as the Mediterranean and Northern European cruises tend to be more port intensive.

 

 

[little britain]

Anthem has the low level lighting in the bathroom for nighttime use. 
 

 

 

[Jasukkie]

I love Anthem. I agree with the poster above who said you may not want the drinks package in Europe. We ate and drank well in port and just kind of crashed back on ship each evening. To each their own though. As for Anthem, do not miss 270, both day and night time. I love the cafe there too, very convenient. My only criticism are the table sales they place in the main promenade area, making it very crowded at dinner time. Anthem has a lot going on but some of the activities are quite restricted in terms of times and availability. The early bird gets the worm. 

[Stokie33]

I'd make sure you pack a thin rain coat as we did 4 ports in Norway last year and it rained in all of them and that was in August. To help with packing we just made sure we had a few layers to cover any eventuality 

[rimmit]

3 hours ago, grapau27 said:

Most people including us wear shorts during the day and it is only mosques that require knees covering but feel free to wear trousers if you wish to visit any churches.

 

4 hours ago, SarahD112 said:

We have cruised many times, but always Caribbean. With about 90 days to go...thoughts are turning towards what to pack for sailing out of Southampton on May 29, headed to France, Norway, Belgium and Germany. I get that it won’t be as hot, but what else do I need to know? Should we avoid shorts altogether - some churches require covered knees, yes? Am I wrong to think the general dress on and off ship will be more formal than in the Caribbean? And are there any Quantum class (Anthem) things we need to know?

 

Many Catholic Churches require knees covered as well as shoulders.  In Rome there are people selling paper pants and shawls sometimes before you go into St Peters to assist with that situation lol.  Some churches are more lax with those requirements.  I know you are not going to the Vatican but it’s just something to be aware of.
 

Europeans tend to be a little more fashion conscious than the US.   How well you dress depends on how much you care about looking like a tourist.  Personally, I don’t care and wear tennis shoes, shorts and a tshirt half the time.  If you are pickier about fashion, avoiding tennis shoes and wearing more comfortable walking shoes may have you stick out less.  If you are in a tour group it won’t matter, as the whole group sticks out like a sore thumb when you go somewhere.

 

Norway can get a little cool,  especially if the wind picks up.   Dressing in Layers in Norway would be your best bet.

 

 

[cloud_nine]

As others have said, on a cruise out of Southampton formal nights tend to be more dressy than Caribbean cruises. There are still some that don't dress up, but it's the minority. I'd say that at least 70 - 80% of people onboard dress up on formal nights (even kids), even if it's just shirt, trousers, jacket for men and cocktail dress for women. Many do however wear tuxes, and long evening gowns (you may even see some kilts from the Scots).

[h20skibum]

I agree with @cloud_nine, that you will find at least 80% dressed for formal nights.   Much, much different than what you find in the Caribbean.   

 

Sailing from Southampton, you may only find 5% from the US and Canada.  At least that was our experience last summer.  We rank our sailing from Southampton as one of our best cruises, and we met the nicest people onboard.

 

Spend some time exploring Southampton, if you have the time.  Although we did the Italian Med, you may find some information on our experiences in the UK helpful.  There is a link to a report I did in my signature.   Enjoy your trip.