Cruise attire - What I saw

[CROOZFREAK]

I am hoping this should answer some questions and help those who are unsure of what to wear when cruising. Although my family and I dressed appropriately in the dining room each night, we saw ANYTHING GOES..... Most men were in Khaki's and polos, women in nice capri's and sandals. Yes, there were men in shorts, there were kids in shorts, and although no one ever really looked like slobs, I was not offended in the least by ANYONE's attire (mainly because I am not stuffy enough to let that sort of thing bother me, nor do I judge people how they dress).. so please do not let anyone on these boards intimidate you into what you CAN and cannot wear in the dining room... people who were under-dressed were NOT asked to leave NOR were they frowned upon. As far as formal night... the only women who stood out were the ones in long gowns. There were only a few. .... and at least HALF the women were in short cocktail dresses, the other half in nice sun dresses and VERY few men in tux's. We even saw people dressed casually in Chops. This was a 5 night cruise. Also, for the people on these boards who claim to be allergic to children... Of the 1500+ kids we saw, none were ever running around wild, misbehaving or annoying anyone. The kids we sat with and in the vicinity of were on their best behavior no matter how old they were, and there never appeared to be any major issues with kids or teens at all... sometimes the hot tubs were filled with little ones splashing, but if you can't handle that scene, you can always go to the solarium pools where it is 16 and older. Hope this helps.

[Sarvowinner]

Thanks for the info. It's great to hear of positive experiences.

[pmfan]

Thanks for posting this. :) I feel many are intimidated by what they read here. :(

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Might I ask what ship the OP was sailing?

[CROOZFREAK]

Might I ask what ship the OP was sailing?

 

Absolutely... It was Navigator of the Seas... just came back last week.....

[pcur]

Yes, you will find that Caribbean cruises, especially around Spring Break time (late Feb to early April) are a lot more casual.

 

On most cruises, however, the ladies in long dresses and formal gowns are not the exception: they are the more common attire on formal nights. Also, the European cruises tend to be dressier, too.

 

As long as everyone is dressed decently, I agree it doesn't make much difference. However, I really prefer not to see shorts on adults in a nice restaurant....ANYWHERE, not just a cruise ship.

[bedfordshireluby]

I totally agree, i like dont like to see people dressed in shorts for dinner, a nice pair of trousers and shirt look so much better. They can always eat in the Windjammer if they dont want to take ther shorts off.

[juniorsmom]

As long as people don't look like dirty slobs (dirty ripped clothes), I really don't care what people wear. Most people on the cruises I have been on look quite presentable.

[shadowtiger]

I am hoping this should answer some questions and help those who are unsure of what to wear when cruising. Although my family and I dressed appropriately in the dining room each night, we saw ANYTHING GOES..... Most men were in Khaki's and polos, women in nice capri's and sandals. Yes, there were men in shorts, there were kids in shorts, and although no one ever really looked like slobs, I was not offended in the least by ANYONE's attire (mainly because I am not stuffy enough to let that sort of thing bother me, nor do I judge people how they dress).. so please do not let anyone on these boards intimidate you into what you CAN and cannot wear in the dining room... people who were under-dressed were NOT asked to leave NOR were they frowned upon. As far as formal night... the only women who stood out were the ones in long gowns. There were only a few. .... and at least HALF the women were in short cocktail dresses, the other half in nice sun dresses and VERY few men in tux's. We even saw people dressed casually in Chops.

Thank you for posting this although I believe you will be slammed for it. But I believe, because of your message, some people who don't visit the dining room because they don't feel like dressing in anything other than casual while on vacation will probably be happy to read they can get to experience the dining room and be "properly" dressed in whatever they wear. So I thank you for that. We always see many in shorts and jeans even on formal night but whenever I posted that on these boards I would have others tell me how wrong I was. :eek: What, I didn't see jeans/shorts in the dining room on formal nights? Silly me, should have taken pics. I always thought it amusing that ladies who wear their 20 year old prom gowns somehow thought they looked better than someone in a fashionable pair of Capri's and nice shirt. lol. Now I'll get slammed, but I hope not, because no offense was meant. I was pointing out that what we think looks good may not be everyones opinion. But again, I thank you for telling it like it is.

[Katink]

Of the 1500+ kids we saw, none were ever running around wild, misbehaving or annoying anyone. The kids we sat with and in the vicinity of were on their best behavior no matter how old they were, and there never appeared to be any major issues with kids or teens at all.

 

So glad to hear this. I believe children rise to the level of expectation set by their parents. Kudos to the children and their parents on your cruise.

 

Katink

[Cruise Junky]

There's always comparisons to "What would you wear to a nice dinner on land". Well we went out for a nice dinner last night, $1,200 with tip for 7 people and I think it's safe to say, there is no dress code anymore. The men at our table were in open neck shirts with jackets, the women were either pants and blouse or skirt and blouse. The place was packed with Jeans, t-shirts, sweaters. It looked like only people on dates had made an effort. But I didn't see one suit in the whole place. Certainly seems like it's moving that way on cruises as well. And it's Vancouver, too cold to wear shorts in April, but I'm sure we would have seen some if it had been July.

[debs2028]

I think having children in smart shorts and nice top should be ok, was thinking of this for my little one for a med cruise. He is used to eating out and well behaved and I would like to use the dining room as myself and older children will enjoy the food. What does everyone think?:)

[Mark_K]

I am hoping this should answer some questions and help those who are unsure of what to wear when cruising. Although my family and I dressed appropriately in the dining room each night, we saw ANYTHING GOES..... Most men were in Khaki's and polos, women in nice capri's and sandals. Yes, there were men in shorts, there were kids in shorts, and although no one ever really looked like slobs, I was not offended in the least by ANYONE's attire (mainly because I am not stuffy enough to let that sort of thing bother me, nor do I judge people how they dress).. so please do not let anyone on these boards intimidate you into what you CAN and cannot wear in the dining room... people who were under-dressed were NOT asked to leave NOR were they frowned upon. As far as formal night... the only women who stood out were the ones in long gowns. There were only a few. .... and at least HALF the women were in short cocktail dresses, the other half in nice sun dresses and VERY few men in tux's. We even saw people dressed casually in Chops. This was a 5 night cruise. Also, for the people on these boards who claim to be allergic to children... Of the 1500+ kids we saw, none were ever running around wild, misbehaving or annoying anyone. The kids we sat with and in the vicinity of were on their best behavior no matter how old they were, and there never appeared to be any major issues with kids or teens at all... sometimes the hot tubs were filled with little ones splashing, but if you can't handle that scene, you can always go to the solarium pools where it is 16 and older. Hope this helps.

All that really answers is what you will kicked out of the dining room for wearing. The answer to that is, and has been for a while - it takes a lot to get you kicked out, even at dinner on formal night.

 

My view is that their are three main types of question askers, those who want to know what's appropriate to wear, those who have genuine questions about what is appropriate, and those who just want validation for dressing inappropriately. Personally, I think the first two groups should be given the guidelines as advice. And I see no reason to give the third group want they want.

[CROOZFREAK]

Thank you for posting this although I believe you will be slammed for it. But I believe, because of your message, some people who don't visit the dining room because they don't feel like dressing in anything other than casual while on vacation will probably be happy to read they can get to experience the dining room and be "properly" dressed in whatever they wear. So I thank you for that. We always see many in shorts and jeans even on formal night but whenever I posted that on these boards I would have others tell me how wrong I was. :eek: What, I didn't see jeans/shorts in the dining room on formal nights? Silly me, should have taken pics. I always thought it amusing that ladies who wear their 20 year old prom gowns somehow thought they looked better than someone in a fashionable pair of Capri's and nice shirt. lol. Now I'll get slammed, but I hope not, because no offense was meant. I was pointing out that what we think looks good may not be everyones opinion. But again, I thank you for telling it like it is.

 

ITA.... And I certainly won't slam you!!!! It's nice to know others saw what I did!!!:) Don't understand why so many make a huge deal... I have seen so many RUDE comments about how people should stay home and eat "in their trailer", etc. if they cannot dress properly.... Wearing a ball cap at the table.. now THAT is disrespectful... but wearing a nice pair of shorts or jeans and a smart shirt, sorry but that just doesn't constitute the nasty comments I have seen on these boards. And it usually all comes from the same folks who call children "larvae" among other terrible things.

I just wanted to tell it like it is so people can feel comfortable wearing what suits them rather than letting others here dictate their attire.

[clcurry]

Thanks so much for this post. It's nice to hear!

[pcur]

Just to politely clarify my previous post:

 

I'm not trying to slam anyone, either, and I am a poster who frequently posts "wear what you would wear in a nice restaurant". However, I should word it: "wear what YOU would wear in a nice restaurant". That eliminates any doubts about whether I am enforcing any rules, which I am not.

 

My posts anywhere on cruisecritic are to inform, not preach (well, most of the time.....I get prettty feisty when people are rude and insulting to others). So, my information is based on what I see, have seen, on many cruises in a lot of places. The Vision and the Monarch out of Los Angeles were suprisingly dressy in the DR, considering that CA is a pretty casual place in general. Europe is a lot of "classic" clothes in the evening. The Caribbean is more casual with a lot of tropical shirts and sundresses.

 

So, just be informed and wear what YOU are comfortable wearing in a nice restaurant!!:D

[cruisinmama2]

I just wanted to tell it like it is so people can feel comfortable wearing what suits them rather than letting others here dictate their attire.

 

Thank you for this... wish you had posted this before our cruise... it would have been great to see... we were on the Navigator recently also, saw the same thing you did... very laid back, NO stuffiness at all..... we worried alot about formal night too and wound up fitting right in with what we were wearing. Great info and NO slamming from me!;)

[iuki]

I am hoping this should answer some questions and help those who are unsure of what to wear when cruising. Although my family and I dressed appropriately in the dining room each night, we saw ANYTHING GOES..... Most men were in Khaki's and polos, women in nice capri's and sandals. Yes, there were men in shorts, there were kids in shorts, and although no one ever really looked like slobs, I was not offended in the least by ANYONE's attire (mainly because I am not stuffy enough to let that sort of thing bother me, nor do I judge people how they dress).. so please do not let anyone on these boards intimidate you into what you CAN and cannot wear in the dining room... people who were under-dressed were NOT asked to leave NOR were they frowned upon. As far as formal night... the only women who stood out were the ones in long gowns. There were only a few. .... and at least HALF the women were in short cocktail dresses, the other half in nice sun dresses and VERY few men in tux's. We even saw people dressed casually in Chops. This was a 5 night cruise. Also, for the people on these boards who claim to be allergic to children... Of the 1500+ kids we saw, none were ever running around wild, misbehaving or annoying anyone. The kids we sat with and in the vicinity of were on their best behavior no matter how old they were, and there never appeared to be any major issues with kids or teens at all... sometimes the hot tubs were filled with little ones splashing, but if you can't handle that scene, you can always go to the solarium pools where it is 16 and older. Hope this helps.

 

You summed it up perfectly. I couldn't have said it any better about our previous cruises (4 of them).

 

iuki

[platty192]

now im really stuck , ive borght a long evening gown for my first cruise to try to blend in , and now im worried told if i wear it im going to stick out ? its a mine field knowing what to wear !!!

[Merion_Mom]

I am sick and tired of people defining wearing nice clothes to dinner as being STUFFY.

 

:mad: :mad: :mad:

[MiniMom57]

Platty -- wear your long gown....you will NOT look out of place! You will look as though you know how to dress properly for a formal occasion! ;)

[dinomac]

We recently sailed on the Sovereign (4 night) and the dining room hosted all types of dress. There were a few formal dresses on formal night and a few tuxes, but lots of suits and nice dresses. There were a few in shorts and even t-shirts, but hey... it doesn't matter. My wife and I were dressed up and it was fun, but I have no problem with wearing what you want.

 

The night after formal night... it was like someone put out a memo for everyone to wear tropical shirts and dresses. It was more regimented that night, when there were no guidelines for dress. It was hilarious... and glad that I had packed my tropical shirt.

[jlswisc]

I am confused as to why dark nice jeans are not ok for females on all but formal nights.

 

For the age group of 20-25 dark jeans and a nice dress shirt is the fashion and seems apprioate for females.

 

In every major city all but the most formal places accept that as proper attire. Go to any upscale club in NYC and you will find the majority of females in designer jeans and dress shirts. Same with the restuarants.

 

Can someone explain why this is not ok?

[Sheils65]

now im really stuck , ive borght a long evening gown for my first cruise to try to blend in , and now im worried told if i wear it im going to stick out ? its a mine field knowing what to wear !!!

 

You wear whatever you feel fabulous in, if it is capris and a nice top with sandals, if it is an evening gown with heels, if it is shorts and a tee shirt, wear it proud and don't be bothered what everyone else is thinking unless they paid for your cruise!!! ;)

[hoop4321]

I think that if the dark jeans are trouser cut jeans it would be fine. It is more about the cut and quality of the item not the fabric. No one can tell what the fabric is an arms length away.