What do people actually wear on Vista European cruise - 2023-2024

[Harters]

10 hours ago, ORV said:

the folks that seems to think Europeans are always better dressed than Americans.

They have never visited my town centre. 😀

 

And I'd sort of take a reverse view about restaurant dress codes. Fairly frequently, on trips to the States, I've had to discount upscale places because of a "jackets required" policy yet it's a long time since I encountered it here or in any other European country. The funniest I can recall was a place in rural New England which offered a hay ride round the farm before dinner. Yep, jacket required. 

[sunlover12]

14 hours ago, ORV said:

Ok, hard to tell exactly what some people are referring to. Truly though, I can’t tell the difference between one pair of pants or another. 

Chino pants. They're made for men and women. They are lighter weight and more comfortable. This is what I wear on warm/hot weather cruises. 

I find them more comfortable than jeans but I realize it's a personal decision.

YMMV

[AMHuntFerry]

7 hours ago, Harters said:

They have never visited my town centre. 😀

 

And I'd sort of take a reverse view about restaurant dress codes. Fairly frequently, on trips to the States, I've had to discount upscale places because of a "jackets required" policy yet it's a long time since I encountered it here or in any other European country. The funniest I can recall was a place in rural New England which offered a hay ride round the farm before dinner. Yep, jacket required. 

I think it's an eastern US thing. Growing up in in the west I never saw a dress code for a restaurant until I went to grad school in New York. They even had them at some bars! (Ahem, I mean "niight club")

[Harters]

22 minutes ago, AMHuntFerry said:

I think it's an eastern US thing

That's interesting. I've only visited states on the eastern side, so that makes sense - and I have come across the dress code in both northern and southern states there. Just seems so old fashioned to me. 

 

At one of our favourite Michelin starred restaurants near home, the servers tend to be the most formally dress in the room. Its dress code - "Please be advised that our dress code is smart and informal. Sportswear, ripped denim or shorts are not accepted."

[rbtan]

Here's our 2 cents worth: Shorts/casual wear are ok for breakfast/lunch in the GDR.For dinner, slacks (dockers etc) are fine. Decent shirts (Long sleeve/Polo/Short sleeve) are fine  Jeans are ok during the day but not really suitable at night, except Terrace. Same goes for shorts.For those who like shorts/jeans, please wear decent & not something that looks like you came off the construction site. Sport coats are fairly common.9but not required) you'll see those more in the specialty rest. Ties & suits are few,though you'll see an occasional suit, they are pretty rare.I will tell you that the Maitre D's will enforce the code quite rigidly. This is NOT Princess where some pax like to dress as sloppy as they think they can get away with. I've seen pax admonish the few that try it on Oceania(yes, I'm one who will speak up if someone looks like a total slob at night.) Remember there are only about 1200 & not 3000 Pax. The staff have more "balls" than those on the big ships. This also goes for the chair hogs out there. Don't think that dropping towel on a lounger at 7AM means you own it for the day. If you leave for 30 min. or more it will be turned over for the next pax to use. The same goes for "reserving" loungers for friends.

 When it comes to the pool...Remember there are other pax using the pool who may become upset if you splash around a lot & bump into them. The pool is quite small compared to other pools. They ARE salt water as well. They also tend to be pretty deep for a small pool so consider that as well.

[pinotlover]

I was on the Vista this past June. I found the attire to be the exact same in the GDR and Specialties as was the case for the last decade. Probably a 100 pages of easily searched discussion of dress codes on Oceania. Zero interest in duplication.

[osandomir]

40 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

I was on the Vista this past June. I found the attire to be the exact same in the GDR and Specialties as was the case for the last decade. Probably a 100 pages of easily searched discussion of dress codes on Oceania. Zero interest in duplication.

That’s what we normally observe too on Oceania. But that being said, a lot has changed over the last decade in cruising and everywhere else as well. So I think it’s time to accept that if people are dressed nicely it doesn’t matter that much what they wear. Let it be nice jeans, sandals or anything we’d observe while we go out on land or at sea.

[question221]

4 hours ago, rbtan said:

Here's our 2 cents worth: Shorts/casual wear are ok for breakfast/lunch in the GDR.For dinner, slacks (dockers etc) are fine. Decent shirts (Long sleeve/Polo/Short sleeve) are fine  Jeans are ok during the day but not really suitable at night, except Terrace. Same goes for shorts.For those who like shorts/jeans, please wear decent & not something that looks like you came off the construction site. Sport coats are fairly common.9but not required) you'll see those more in the specialty rest. Ties & suits are few,though you'll see an occasional suit, they are pretty rare.I will tell you that the Maitre D's will enforce the code quite rigidly. This is NOT Princess where some pax like to dress as sloppy as they think they can get away with. I've seen pax admonish the few that try it on Oceania(yes, I'm one who will speak up if someone looks like a total slob at night.) Remember there are only about 1200 & not 3000 Pax. The staff have more "balls" than those on the big ships. This also goes for the chair hogs out there. Don't think that dropping towel on a lounger at 7AM means you own it for the day. If you leave for 30 min. or more it will be turned over for the next pax to use. The same goes for "reserving" loungers for friends.

 When it comes to the pool...Remember there are other pax using the pool who may become upset if you splash around a lot & bump into them. The pool is quite small compared to other pools. They ARE salt water as well. They also tend to be pretty deep for a small pool so consider that as well.

Thanks for sharing.  .

 

I am attracted to this itinerary on Vista and also have heard that Oceania is great for bridge games on board.  This itinerary has no sea days, so bridge is less of an issue than it would be on a different voyage.

 

I don't think nor have I ever been told that I look like a total slob because I am wearing jeans, a nice top, and a pleasant scarf to dinner.  Once I am seated, you would have to look under the table to even know I am wearing jeans instead of a different fabric - and that is all it is about - fabric choice. 

 

I don't relish bumping into people while I am in the pool - and would be thrilled if no one else were using it at night when I would be using it.  I would not appreciate anyone bumping into me while in the pool even if they are not splashing.  Even if they are just walking.  Or swimming.  Or whatever.  So, I do not anticipate a problem.

 

That said, I am reading that the pool is open to 10, but dinner at the Terrace stops at 8:30.  This is an issue if I want to use the pool before dinner but after an excursion. 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 12, 2023 by question221

[question221]

13 minutes ago, osandomir said:

That’s what we normally observe too on Oceania. But that being said, a lot has changed over the last decade in cruising and everywhere else as well. So I think it’s time to accept that if people are dressed nicely it doesn’t matter that much what they wear. Let it be nice jeans, sandals or anything we’d observe while we go out on land or at sea.

Thank you.  I agree completely.  Lots and lots of things have changed.  Top resorts allow jeans everywhere I go.  I do remember about 20 years ago staying at a resort the did not allow jeans - but upon returning about 10 years ago they had abandoned that rule.  It was weird because it was near some of the best hiking trails in the country - and people typically don't dress up for hiking.

 

The main thing is that people are polite, and interesting is always a big plus.  I used to travel on land tours, and have been very lucky meeting some of the most interesting people on those tours.  Some of them famous.  Some of them very accomplished.  And some of them just interesting without being either.   The purpose is the experience.  For the life of me, I could not tell you what any of them were wearing.

 

One exception - on the cruise down the Nile, they had an Egyptian costume night - and I do remember what people wore for that.  Great fun.  We had a great group.

[pinotlover]

Oceania has had the same dress code for a couple decades. CC has , over the decades, consistently gotten threads “ how slobbery can I go and still get in? What is the lowest level of dress allowable?”

 

Neither the dress codes nor the number of those wanting to undermine them has changed. For 90% of us, our dress hasn’t changed. The other 10% enjoy playing the lcd game. There is NO level of dress code that some won’t attempt to take lower. It’s merely a game for them.

Edited December 12, 2023 by pinotlover

[RD64]

Dockers are fine if you are elderly - that is the general observation where I work

[clo]

2 hours ago, pinotlover said:

There is NO level of dress code that some won’t attempt to take lower.

I'm trying to figure out the words to explain what I'm thinking.  Maybe it's that LCD thing and more. If "nice" jeans are okay, who determines what isn't "nice"? The maitre de'? How about t-shirts? How far is too far? Etc. Just my thought.

[question221]

2 hours ago, clo said:

I'm trying to figure out the words to explain what I'm thinking.  Maybe it's that LCD thing and more. If "nice" jeans are okay, who determines what isn't "nice"? The maitre de'? How about t-shirts? How far is too far? Etc. Just my thought.

wouldn't the same thing be true of "slacks"?   Or pantsuit?  Or sundress?  Are all sundresses okay?  All slacks?  How about loud plaid slacks?  How about purple or other bright colors?  Polyester or silk?  This can all be carried to extremes.  Best to live and let live.  As for the maitre de - don't they receive gratuities?  Seems to me that they would love to keep everyone happy and not cause conflict.

 

As for LCD - for me - LCD is more about behavior and being unpleasant or unfriendly.  Best to relax and live and let live.  It is a vacation after all.  Not a work convention.

[Pandazoo]

I don’t understand the confusion…there are reasons why people get dressed appropriately for occasions like weddings, funerals, employment interviews etc. it is called etiquette.  We are not talking formal on O cruises just not jeans, tees and overly casual in specialty dining.  Why is this so hard to grasp?

[pinotlover]

2 hours ago, Pandazoo said:

I don’t understand the confusion…there are reasons why people get dressed appropriately for occasions like weddings, funerals, employment interviews etc. it is called etiquette.  We are not talking formal on O cruises just not jeans, tees and overly casual in specialty dining.  Why is this so hard to grasp?

It’s not hard to grasp. It’s a childish game some enjoy playing. Kind of like starting another dress codes threads and sitting back and watching the pages of fireworks go up. It’s all a game .

[question221]

2 hours ago, pinotlover said:

It’s not hard to grasp. It’s a childish game some enjoy playing. Kind of like starting another dress codes threads and sitting back and watching the pages of fireworks go up. It’s all a game .

Well - I had a genuine concern regarding dress code.   Sorry if it offended you - but there does seem to be a genuine difference of opinion on nice jeans.  I tried to ask without taking on a TONE.

 

At this point, I am far more concerned with the hours of the pool and the hours at the casual dining.  Also concerned that the pool area and the casual dining area sound overcrowded - with people worried about "chair hogs" and someone mentioned that there was no place to sit at the Terrace Cafe at 7:30 PM - the place closes at 8:30.  Since a balcony on O is more than the grand suite on RC - I would simply expect more access.

 

I have mild arthritis and would like to keep it mild.  This requires exercise and the best time would be early evening. 

 

We all look for different things on vacation.  I do my level best to not JUDGE other people.  In spite of the great itinerary - this might not be a great fit.  One of the things people have told me is that O has bridge on sea days - but since there are no sea days - that is not really an issue on this cruise.

 

I will talk with the booking agent to get the actual rules and hours of the amenities. 

[pinotlover]

37 minutes ago, question221 said:

Well - I had a genuine concern regarding dress code.   Sorry if it offended you - but there does seem to be a genuine difference of opinion on nice jeans.  I tried to ask without taking on a TONE.

 

At this point, I am far more concerned with the hours of the pool and the hours at the casual dining.  Also concerned that the pool area and the casual dining area sound overcrowded - with people worried about "chair hogs" and someone mentioned that there was no place to sit at the Terrace Cafe at 7:30 PM - the place closes at 8:30.  Since a balcony on O is more than the grand suite on RC - I would simply expect more access.

 

I have mild arthritis and would like to keep it mild.  This requires exercise and the best time would be early evening. 

 

We all look for different things on vacation.  I do my level best to not JUDGE other people.  In spite of the great itinerary - this might not be a great fit.  One of the things people have told me is that O has bridge on sea days - but since there are no sea days - that is not really an issue on this cruise.

 

I will talk with the booking agent to get the actual rules and hours of the amenities. 

Not offended at all. There are probably 400-500 posts on wearing jeans already. From my experience here is the best answer possible to your question. The Maitre de at the reception desk decides what is appropriate attire at the time. One Maitre de may allow you in dressed however, and the next night one might be rejected wearing the same outfit. There is no consistency across ships or even aboard the same ship at different venues. No one here can predict what or how any Maitre de will react to any unseen attire on any given night. The rules are neither steadfast nor evenly administered.

 

I have never seen a Restaurant Manager override the decision of the Maitre de. We other guests only request that if denied entry, one doesn’t make a scene; hold up the line; and just either go change or go to the Terrace.

 

I hope this answer doesn’t offend you. 

 

 

[question221]

16 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

Not offended at all. There are probably 400-500 posts on wearing jeans already. From my experience here is the best answer possible to your question. The Maitre de at the reception desk decides what is appropriate attire at the time. One Maitre de may allow you in dressed however, and the next night one might be rejected wearing the same outfit. There is no consistency across ships or even aboard the same ship at different venues. No one here can predict what or how any Maitre de will react to any unseen attire on any given night. The rules are neither steadfast nor evenly administered.

 

I have never seen a Restaurant Manager override the decision of the Maitre de. We other guests only request that if denied entry, one doesn’t make a scene; hold up the line; and just either go change or go to the Terrace.

 

I hope this answer doesn’t offend you. 

 

 

As long as people don't use words like childish or slob - I am not offended.  I am not easily offended and travel to have a great time.  We have been lucky enough to travel our entire lives - even when working.  We are now retired.  We can no longer do the really strenuous trips that we used to do (we used to take hiking trips and remote adventure trips) - and we have come to appreciate only unpacking once.  So, we have one river cruise booked for summer, a relaxing cruse booked for early spring, and now we want to book 2 additional trips for late spring and early fall.  Making a scene or arguing on board with anyone is NOT my idea of a good time.

[Vallesan]

1 hour ago, question221 said:

Well - I had a genuine concern regarding dress code.   Sorry if it offended you - but there does seem to be a genuine difference of opinion on nice jeans.  I tried to ask without taking on a TONE.

 

At this point, I am far more concerned with the hours of the pool and the hours at the casual dining.  Also concerned that the pool area and the casual dining area sound overcrowded - with people worried about "chair hogs" and someone mentioned that there was no place to sit at the Terrace Cafe at 7:30 PM - the place closes at 8:30.  Since a balcony on O is more than the grand suite on RC - I would simply expect more access.

 

I have mild arthritis and would like to keep it mild.  This requires exercise and the best time would be early evening. 

 

We all look for different things on vacation.  I do my level best to not JUDGE other people.  In spite of the great itinerary - this might not be a great fit.  One of the things people have told me is that O has bridge on sea days - but since there are no sea days - that is not really an issue on this cruise.

 

I will talk with the booking agent to get the actual rules and hours of the amenities. 

Not sure what size ships you normally cruise on but Oceania relatively small ship cruising is different.

 

OK dress  code in a nutshell … jeans, ripped are not acceptable in the evenings!

 

You are talking  about ships with 680 of 1250 capacity when full they are nothing like ‘mega ships’. The atmosphere is completely different. There are very few ‘chair hogs’ of ‘overcrowding’ in restaurants…. just remember the number of passengers!

 

There is also bridge on port days. 

 

 

[question221]

1 hour ago, Vallesan said:

Not sure what size ships you normally cruise on but Oceania relatively small ship cruising is different.

 

OK dress  code in a nutshell … jeans, ripped are not acceptable in the evenings!

 

You are talking  about ships with 680 of 1250 capacity when full they are nothing like ‘mega ships’. The atmosphere is completely different. There are very few ‘chair hogs’ of ‘overcrowding’ in restaurants…. just remember the number of passengers!

 

There is also bridge on port days. 

 

 

A few of the people commented about overcrowding in the Terrace Cafe and that it was difficult to get a table at 7:30.  And, another few people commented about "chair hogs".  I had posted a question about the pool hours and depth. 

 

I have done river cruises on small ships.  Very small indeed.  But river cruises are a bit different.

 

I have done ocean cruises that were bridge cruises - so our schedule and dining was pretty fixed.  I have done one ocean cruise on a large mega ship in one of the grand suites - and it was wonderful.  I would definitely do it again but it is hard to get the suites and the itinerary for this cruise sounds wonderful.

 

I am an "excursion" person and would be expecting to do excursions every port day.  Possibly save Santorini - which been there done that and not sure I would want to bother doing again. 

 

I certainly would not expect a lot of amenities compared to the large ships, but then I would not expect crowding as the number of clients is also smaller.  So, I was in fact a bit shocked when people talked about the terrace closing at 8:30 and being too crowded to get a seat by 7:30.  Could be that they just had a bad experience.

 

Thanks for the input.

[basor]

11 minutes ago, question221 said:

A few of the people commented about overcrowding in the Terrace Cafe and that it was difficult to get a table at 7:30.  And, another few people commented about "chair hogs".  I had posted a question about the pool hours and depth. 

 

I have done river cruises on small ships.  Very small indeed.  But river cruises are a bit different.

 

I have done ocean cruises that were bridge cruises - so our schedule and dining was pretty fixed.  I have done one ocean cruise on a large mega ship in one of the grand suites - and it was wonderful.  I would definitely do it again but it is hard to get the suites and the itinerary for this cruise sounds wonderful.

 

I am an "excursion" person and would be expecting to do excursions every port day.  Possibly save Santorini - which been there done that and not sure I would want to bother doing again. 

 

I certainly would not expect a lot of amenities compared to the large ships, but then I would not expect crowding as the number of clients is also smaller.  So, I was in fact a bit shocked when people talked about the terrace closing at 8:30 and being too crowded to get a seat by 7:30.  Could be that they just had a bad experience.

 

Thanks for the input.

We just spent 32 days on Vista and did not experience crowding in Terrace and it did not close until after 9PM...we usually went to dinner around 7:30 and easily found tables inside and outside.  I am sure it depends upon the ship and itinerary (staying late in port and many people coming back late to the ship and all descending upon Terrace at the same time).   The waiters always came around to tell you that the buffet would be closing soon to give you an opportunity to make one last trip.  We then would often stay until 9:30 and enjoy our dessert, an after dinner port, etc. while they were clearing off the food from the buffet.  The waiters never made us feel rushed to leave.

Edited December 12, 2023 by basor

[Tranquility Base]

9 minutes ago, question221 said:

 

 So, I was in fact a bit shocked when people talked about the terrace closing at 8:30 ……..

Indeed.

In my experience it is 9:00 closing.

[Vallesan]

21 minutes ago, question221 said:

A few of the people commented about overcrowding in the Terrace Cafe and that it was difficult to get a table at 7:30.  And, another few people commented about "chair hogs".  I had posted a question about the pool hours and depth. 

 

I have done river cruises on small ships.  Very small indeed.  But river cruises are a bit different.

 

I have done ocean cruises that were bridge cruises - so our schedule and dining was pretty fixed.  I have done one ocean cruise on a large mega ship in one of the grand suites - and it was wonderful.  I would definitely do it again but it is hard to get the suites and the itinerary for this cruise sounds wonderful.

 

I am an "excursion" person and would be expecting to do excursions every port day.  Possibly save Santorini - which been there done that and not sure I would want to bother doing again. 

 

I certainly would not expect a lot of amenities compared to the large ships, but then I would not expect crowding as the number of clients is also smaller.  So, I was in fact a bit shocked when people talked about the terrace closing at 8:30 and being too crowded to get a seat by 7:30.  Could be that they just had a bad experience.

 

Thanks for the input.

Having cruised 9 times with Oceania I can honestly say  we have never had an issue with evening dining. At its worst we have had to ‘queue’ for a few minutes to enter the GDR at 6.30pm when it opens! 
We tend not to eat in the Terrace at night so can’t really comment.

The only thing I can say is one persons ‘queue’ is another  persons ‘opportunity to meet new people’ !

Edited December 12, 2023 by Vallesan

[Acrusa]

48 minutes ago, Vallesan said:

Having cruised 9 times with Oceania I can honestly say  we have never had an issue with evening dining. At its worst we have had to ‘queue’ for a few minutes to enter the GDR at 6.30pm when it opens! 
We tend not to eat in the Terrace at night so can’t really comment.

The only thing I can say is one persons ‘queue’ is another  persons ‘opportunity to meet new people’ !

We have been on O cruise 12 times since 2013. We arrive at the GDR around 7:00pm ask for a table for 2 at a window. Always a 15 to 30 minutes wait so we go to the lounge order our bottle of wine sit and enjoy our wine and when a table is ready they come and get us.

[GrammieK]

17 hours ago, clo said:

I'm trying to figure out the words to explain what I'm thinking.  Maybe it's that LCD thing and more. If "nice" jeans are okay, who determines what isn't "nice"? The maitre de'? How about t-shirts? How far is too far? Etc. Just my thought.

Clo…

  Nice to see you back. Lenny was looking for you. 

k😀🛳