Need Help With Dress Code

[catpaw]

Am going on a Med. cruise in Nov on the Mill. Since this is only my second cruise and my first was on the Princess line which seems to be more "casual", am wondering what is really expected of us in terms of dressing for the three formal nights. Also, what is business casual? Cannot imagine taking three formal outfits. Stupid question, but do people wear same outfit more than once? Since I am more interested in the sights rather than the dinners, am thinking of just forgetting the whole formal thing. Will I have regrets?

[BigDogMom]

I have a saying, "no one remembers what you wear except you." For formal nights, I take a basic black floor length dress and change the accessories each time. I take 2 wraps, a couple of small wristlet type bags and different sets of dressy jewelry. It works out just fine. No one is going to be aghast that you're wearing the same dress. They probably have the same thing on also.

[tbelian]

I think formal is the same on Princess or Celebrity. My interpretation of the less formal part of the Princess cruise experience is that they have 2 categories of dress, formal and casual, while Celebrity has 3, formal, informal, and casual. I won't experience this first hand until our Princess cruise in November, but, my belief is that the definition of formal is going to be pretty much the same on either line.

 

As for wearing the same thing more than once, there really is no reason you could not do that.

[ddonalds]

An example of business casual for women might be a pair of slacks, a top and a jacket or sweater (or a skirt). Not a suit, not total casual - something in-between. For men, alot of times they'll wear a shirt or polo and a pair of chinos. No sneakers. That's an example. It makes it REALLY easy to pack for. You take a few pairs of slacks (mine are normally all black or black and khaki), a few tops (nice cotton types are fine) and a few different tops (maybe a jacket, couple nice sweaters) - and you can travel for weeks on that. For formal, I have black long skirt and some nice pants, and I take a couple different nice tops - works great. DEFINITELY don't worry about wearing things multiple times.... (leaves more room in your luggage for souvenirs...:D :D )...

[lucky white heather]

Am going on a Med. cruise in Nov on the Mill. Since this is only my second cruise and my first was on the Princess line which seems to be more "casual", am wondering what is really expected of us in terms of dressing for the three formal nights. Also, what is business casual? Cannot imagine taking three formal outfits. Stupid question, but do people wear same outfit more than once? Since I am more interested in the sights rather than the dinners, am thinking of just forgetting the whole formal thing. Will I have regrets?

 

Just wondered if you are going on the Nov 18th sailing from Venice to Barcelona..if you are, there is a roll call in operation for this cruise..you can join if you wish to get to know some other folks on this cruise ahead of time.

[warmwinds]

I have a very plain black calf length dress which is really not formal at all, but when I add accessories it is. I also bring a pair of silky, flowy black pants with a couple of fancy tops and they're fine, too. All these silky things fold up really tiny for packing. I don't bring any "gowns", although some women do.

 

I love getting dressed up and we think it's a lot of fun.

[dkjretired]

Am going on a Med. cruise in Nov on the Mill. Since this is only my second cruise and my first was on the Princess line which seems to be more "casual", am wondering what is really expected of us in terms of dressing for the three formal nights. Also, what is business casual? Cannot imagine taking three formal outfits. Stupid question, but do people wear same outfit more than once? Since I am more interested in the sights rather than the dinners, am thinking of just forgetting the whole formal thing. Will I have regrets?

 

I am not expressing an opinion but just advising you that the dress code is for the evening and the entire ship with a couple of exceptions, it is not just in the dining room. Enforcement is not consistent however you could be denied entry to some venue because of your dress.

[SusieV]

I know you say you're considering skipping it, but I strongly recommend you don't. Celebrity really does put on their best in the dining room on formal nights, and the whole ship takes on a wonderful ambiance when everyone is dressed formally.

 

It's a wonderful experience and definitely worth doing. If you only want to take one dress and accessorize, I am sure no one else will notice. We do like to bring along a garment bag for formalwear and wear something different every night, but that's certainly not required.

 

I have seen people denied access to the show later because they were not appropriately attired for formal night.

[cruisead]

Will you regret missing out on the dining room? Yes, in a word. You're paying for all that great food, so why miss it just because you don't want to dress up? Going formal isn't all that tough. It's not like you're going to a ball at Buckingham Palace. Nice evening pants with a sparkly top---a simple sleeveless, and lightweight, long dress in black would work. If you get the dress, all you need is a few accessories to change the look.

[sealover155]

The key is accessories. Something basic, not necessarily black but that's always the easiest, with scarves, shawls, jewelry, etc. I agree, no one remembers, or cares, how many times you wear your basic dress, skirt, or slacks.

 

We've found the European cruises to be a bit more formal than Caribbean or Alaska cruises. I've been on Princess and Celebrity and the interpretation of formal seems to be the same. Some people enjoy the more formal, and some prefer less so. The biggest offenders of the requested dress code are always men. Refusal to don so much as a dark suit with white shirt is getting more common and upsetting to those of us who enjoy the tradition.

[Garden Lover]

I fretted over the dress after reading posts here. It wasn't bad at all. I did as was suggested here, took one black skirt and dressed it different ways for formal nights and a less formal top for informal night. I used my best church clothes for the informal nights and took 2 casual skirts w. different tops for casual. I wore most things twice or more for packing sakes. The difference between Princess and Celebrity to me were the casual nights. People tended to dress up more...dressier slacks, etc. One night we just wore what we had on in port because it was a later departure and we stayed in port longer. Many people just walked on and went to dinner before their cabins. The men wore tuxes on the first and last formal night. The middle was another day in port and really rushed and most didn't feel liking dressing up. I would say it was 50/50 wearing tuxes vs. suits althought there were more than on my Princess cruise. ON informal nights, the men wore collared shirts and jackets w. some wearing ties. Casual nights for men were collared shirts w. khaki or nice pants.

 

GL

[GORDONCHICK]

There are a couple of viewpoints for your situation. First, I am assuming you are female. With that in mind, I would suggest maybe a dressy or formal long skirt or flowy pants, and you can put dressy/sparkly tops with that to make different looks. It is perfectly okay to wear something more than once.

 

But look closely at your itinerary. The reason I say that is because you may run yourself ragged touring, and might not want to eat in the formal dining room. Princess has a buffet in the evenings, and I've heard good things about it, not to mention the pizza and burgers available. And there's always room service. Med cruises are usually very port intensive, and it depends on your touring plans. You may come back to the ship exhausted.

 

That being said, if you don't normally eat out a lot in your every day life back home, eating in the dining room can be a treat. I cook a lot (which I love), and we eat at home most of the time. But on a cruise, I enjoy the break from the kitchen and being waited on over a leisurely dinner. It's relaxing to me. To some people, it's not. Evaluate what kind of cruise experience you are looking for. Only you can answer that. Once you figure that out, let us know and we'll try to help you get the most of what you want.

[Ine]

Just answered your questions on this link,

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=585485

[tams531]

Would a black cocktail length dress, with the right accessories of course, work for a formal night? I do not own any full length dresses, and was hoping cocktail length would be fine. Do not want to stick out like a sore thumb, so let me know if that length is seen. We are crusing the Baltics in about a week.

 

Thanks!

[Lois R]

Would a black cocktail length dress, with the right accessories of course, work for a formal night? I do not own any full length dresses, and was hoping cocktail length would be fine. Do not want to stick out like a sore thumb, so let me know if that length is seen. We are crusing the Baltics in about a week.

 

Thanks!

 

Yes, you will be fine in a black cocktail dress:)

[tams531]

Thanks Lois--I have several very nice dresses in that length. Very glad that I don't have to go out last mintue shopping for a long dress!

[Lois R]

Glad I could help:)

 

I will be honest, I usually try and find something new every cruise:eek:;)

call me crazy....LOL

I am sailing in October and looked through my closet...I have things

that still fit that I haven't worn in AGES so they are like new:D

and so they are going with me. The $$$ I would have spent is

going towards Martinis:)