Should I pack a sports jacket/blazer?

[shifty]

I'm about to start packing, and can't decide if I need a sports jacket. I know Oceania is "Country Club casual", and on Ren in Tahiti I certainly didn't need one, but I'm not so sure about this Greek Isles/Italy cruise.

 

Any thoughts??

 

Mike S

[Jancruz]

My husband doesnt usually take a jacket (we are from CA) but I see many men wearing them..if you need it for comfort (in case you have dinner with the Captain) than take it..BUT you dont need it..

 

Jan

*****

[Jancruz]

My husband never takes a jacket..BUT we are from CA and he rarely wears one here..it really depends on how you would feel if everyone at the table was wearing a jacket and you are not..it wouldnt bother Stu at all!!

 

Jan

*****

[goeurope]

I took one on my REGATTA cruise, and I wore it most nights except during one or two open-air meals in Tapas where it would have been too warm to wear a jacket even if Tapas hadn't felt more casual than the other restaurants.

 

Polo and Toscana are a bit dressier than the main dining room, if my memory is accurate.

 

I'd take a jacket or blazer just in case. (You never know when the air conditioning might be cranked up or the weather might turn cool on deck!)

 

--

Durant Imboden

Europeforvisitors.com

[ClaudiaF]

If you are planning to go off the ship to dinner you might want one.

 

Barcelona to Venice on Oceania - "Insignia"

Buenos Aires to Rio Oceania - "Insignia"

 

 

 

[twine]

Shifty

My wife and I find it much more fun to get dressed up when we feel like it rather than when we are told to. This is one of the many reasons we booked with Oceania. We took casual and formal clothes on our cruise on Regatta and found the perfect nights for us to wear both. No one looked at us strange no matter which way we dressed. We did notice quite a few people dressed in the 9s in all of the venus at night but again, no one really cared they all seemed to be enjoying themselves.

 

PS I don't think anyone returned their clothes to the place of purchase after the curise. No visible price tags showing through tucked inside the gowns on this cruise. LOL Just kidding.

[JMBobB]

I packed a single sport coat and wore it two nights in Polo and Toscana. Other than that I wore slacks, long sleeve shirt and leather shoes at dinner and some lunch meal in the GDR. I too am from CA - the north part where the locals often do good to wear shoes of any kind when dining out.

 

Bottom line: if you are close to your bag weight limit, leave the jacket home and don't worry. Just please no jeans or Ho Chi Min sandals in the better eateries on board. Depending on the staff working the venue they may or may not say something to the uber casual types but they won't appreciate it - or many of the diners as well.

 

JMBobB

[wave time]

I just returned from an Eastern Med cruise on Riviera for 10 days. I did not take a jacket/blazer or a long sleeve shirt and saw very few men wearing a jacket/blazer or even a long sleeve shirt. I ate in every venue on the ship and never felt out of place or underdressed. My estimate is that about 1 out of every 20 men wore a jacket/blazer to dinner and I never saw a suit or tux in 10 days on the ship. It is indeed country club casual with emphasis on casual. I wore leather shoes, slacks, and a nice polo or button-up Tommy Bahama shirt every night and fit right in.

[Palmetto Lady]

My husband usually takes a blazer on a cruise. While he wears it in the specialty restaurants, it is his choice. One of the main reasons to bring one is if one believes one may be dining in one of the ports either before or after the cruise or even during the cruise, we do not want to feel that we cannot choose an upscale restaurant.

[Paulchili]

Talk about "resuscitating" an old thread ;)

The first several post here go back to 2004.

JMBobB - where and how did you dig this one up? :D

[digtexas]

On a Caribbean cruise I took a blazer but wore it only once. I do like long sleeved shirts most evenings but many guys never wore more than golf shirts. Your world, your way!

[JMBobB]

Guilty! Dangnabbit bein' a newby c'here are tuff. Didn't notice the date on the thread. Kin a guy order a G&T at the reception point so he ain't so anxious to jump an' show his ignorance frum the gitgo?

 

JMBobB

[DrHemlock]

From a purely practical standpoint regardless of dress code or anyone else's opinion, the answer may lie in how well you respond to air conditioning. There's a thread on that very topic listed just a few below this one at the moment.

 

Personally, I always take and wear a sport coat because of getting cold without it. Not that the various dining venues are over-airconditioned; most people seem quite comfortable. But for us tall, skinny, somewhat older cruisers who live in warm climates precisely because they never want to be cold again, what's comfortable for other people may nonetheless require that we don a bit warmer attire especially when seated (inevitably) in the draft of the A/C vents.

 

Nothing ruins an otherwise relaxed and enjoyable dinner more than sitting with one's arms crossed, hugging the chest, trying to stay warm. But that's just me. YMMV.

[digtexas]

From a purely practical standpoint regardless of dress code or anyone else's opinion, the answer may lie in how well you respond to air conditioning. There's a thread on that very topic listed just a few below this one at the moment.

 

Personally, I always take and wear a sport coat because of getting cold without it. Not that the various dining venues are over-airconditioned; most people seem quite comfortable. But for us tall, skinny, somewhat older cruisers who live in warm climates precisely because they never want to be cold again, what's comfortable for other people may nonetheless require that we don a bit warmer attire especially when seated (inevitably) in the draft of the A/C vents.

 

Nothing ruins an otherwise relaxed and enjoyable dinner more than sitting with one's arms crossed, hugging the chest, trying to stay warm. But that's just me. YMMV.

 

True, but I often throw a light sweater over my shoulders, loosely tied under the neck. Then if it gets really cold in a dining venue, I put it on.

[Travelcat2]

From a purely practical standpoint regardless of dress code or anyone else's opinion, the answer may lie in how well you respond to air conditioning. There's a thread on that very topic listed just a few below this one at the moment.

 

Personally, I always take and wear a sport coat because of getting cold without it. Not that the various dining venues are over-airconditioned; most people seem quite comfortable. But for us tall, skinny, somewhat older cruisers who live in warm climates precisely because they never want to be cold again, what's comfortable for other people may nonetheless require that we don a bit warmer attire especially when seated (inevitably) in the draft of the A/C vents.

 

Nothing ruins an otherwise relaxed and enjoyable dinner more than sitting with one's arms crossed, hugging the chest, trying to stay warm. But that's just me. YMMV.

 

You bring up an excellent point. People who are not used to living with air conditioning find the ships quite cold while the rest of us are comfortable. A jacket would definitely help. Also, the specialty restaurants are lovely and, IMO, deserve to have people dress up a bit to dine there. On our only Oceania cruise on the Riviera in May, about 75% of the men wore jackets.

[brian_uk]

I only wear a jacket for BED. Its when we like to put on our finest !!!

 

Brian

[turnip eater]

I only wear a jacket for BED. Its when we like to put on our finest !!!

 

Brian

 

 

 

:rolleyes::rolleyes:

[digtexas]

You bring up an excellent point. People who are not used to living with air conditioning find the ships quite cold while the rest of us are comfortable. A jacket would definitely help. Also, the specialty restaurants are lovely and, IMO, deserve to have people dress up a bit to dine there. On our only Oceania cruise on the Riviera in May, about 75% of the men wore jackets.

 

On my 10 day Riviera Caribbean cruise, I would estimate that 10-20% of the men wore jackets, and that was only in the specialty restaurants. I might also add that even someone like myself, who grew up in hot and humid Houston, Texas, with the a/c always running, can still be cold in restaurants and other venues on a ship.

[traveler916]

Guilty! Dangnabbit bein' a newby c'here are tuff. Didn't notice the date on the thread. Kin a guy order a G&T at the reception point so he ain't so anxious to jump an' show his ignorance frum the gitgo?

 

JMBobB

 

Haha. You're forgiven!

 

As to the question...the posters that have said about 10% - 20% of the men wear blazers is correct. It's whatever you feel comfortable with. And there may - repeat may - be more blazers in Polo (think Steakhouse) but again, it's up to you. It's one of the nicest parts of Oceania - the lack of a formal dress code.

[RJB]

I take one sport jacket and wear it a few nights to Polo or Toscana and the Captains cocktail party. Other nights a pair of slacks and an open shirt.

[PaulMCO]

I wonder if the OP is still packing -- must have a lot of luggage since he has been doing it for 9 years.

[corpkid]

I wonder if the OP is still packing -- must have a lot of luggage since he has been doing it for 9 years.

 

Can I "like" this post, Paul? There needs to be a "graveyard" feature for very old posts, right? Either way, stuff the jacket into the bag and have it pressed when you get on board. Covered. Pairs with everything besides a Cosby sweater. :)

 

PS - MCO - where so? We are by Lake Eola downtown.