Cruise attire - What I saw

[HJackson]

OK, I'm usually a live and let live kinda gal... but those pics are just gross. I want to put bandaids on her; they'd cover more. Glitter and sequins or length do not a gown make. Those were flashy swimsuits. :(

[mdnikki]

Well I want to thank you for your post. I wondered if I would even get my DH in the dining room if he knew on vacation he would need to wear a tux or suit and tie.

 

He will not be a slob but I don't see why a nice dress shirt and pants won't work.

 

Thanks again for your post. I can tell you I was very intimidated but many of the posts on here regarding dress codes.

[clcurry]

How's this for formal attire. :eek: :eek: :eek:

 

These pics were posted by a cruiser on another thread showing "formal wear" on the Carnival Miracle.

 

 

Hahahaha, this is the first time I've seen these photos. OMG, great! That has made my day. I think I'd cry if I saw those people on my ship.

[Maraprince]

If I may offer 2 suggestions that may save everyone's sanity on this topic:

 

1. the always appropriate "little black dress or pants suit" for women or

the black slacks, black jacket for men.

 

2. all cruise lines have formal wear for rent -- no need to overpack if

weight is a concern for the airlines.

 

Having a black dress/pants suit that you can dress up or down accordingly can serve you for the entire cruise! You can add a nice scarf or a colorful shawl or a beach parareo (in a sheer fabric) to make it look different. Same thing for the men. On non formal nights, no need to wear the jacket -- just a nice shirt (knit or cotton).

 

Believe, me before the dress code was relaxed, I went to Europe with one suitcase and needed to be dressed for 3-4 nights formal nights during a 2-week sailing. I had one pair of white slacks (not cotton) and one pair of black slacks for the nights. I took some dressy tops and alternated with the white and black slacks. On the non formal nights, I had decorated knit tops (embroidery and some beading/sequins with tropical/nautical motifs) because they travel well, don't weight much, don't wrinkle, and can be easily washed if something gets spilled on them. And the ever present, white blazer jacket to keep me from freezing in the dining rooms and the public rooms. If you have a basic wardrobe for travel, it can be dressed up or down accordingly. You do not have to buy new formal wear for a cruise. But you should want to look pulled together and appropriately dressed for your age and the occasion. Don't forget, you may want a ship photo taken to look back on in later years.

 

 

MARAPRINCE

[cdog7]

"For me I love dressing up in a long gown and seeing my husband in a suit so it isn't an issue for us. However it makes no difference to us if our table mates are in jeans or shorts. Hey, if they get to the table before us I would never even realize they had shorts on!

 

Honestly I think the only thing that would turn me off would be a guy sitting at the table with a wife beater shirt on and his pit hair hanging out.:eek: Other than that, I'm good!"

 

 

I have noticed over and over that posters state that what others wear to the DR has absolutely no affect on them. I agree with that sentiment as long as a grossly dressed person is not at my table on a formal night. If he is close by, like it or not, Mr. Baseball Cap is part of the scenery and is incongruous with the surroundings.

 

Imagine a beautiful RC DR on formal night. A violinist is playing near the grand staircase. The tables are impeccably set with real tablecloths and napkins. The awesome chandelier fairly sparkles. Your feet feel happy resting on the lush carpeting. A magnificent sunset is the window view. DW lookss stunning (or DH looks dashing). Other people look great (especially the ladies). Etc. The evening you looked forward to is indeed special. Now Mr. Baseball Cap arrives and is sitting across from you in his tee-shirt. His appearance amounts to an "Ambience Ambush"!

 

I mean this post to be light in tone. An occasional appearance by Mr. Cap to the table would add to the fun, if not the elegance. He would provide a good story and picture. Mr. Cap would not have the power to ruin my evening simply by his presence. I would however, consider Mr. Cap to be a clod. He would likely consider me a snob. We both can live with that.

[fireofficer5]

Did you look in the mirror before you went out? This is all that is necessary. For the dress code and the pics. She is nasty looking.

[sparkymarky]

Again.. (and again)... YES, NO ONE is disputing that it IS fun for SOME of us to get dressed up... but WHO are WE to judge why they should eat somewhere else and NOT enjoy the food in the dining room because they do NOT want to adhere to YOUR standards of dress?????????? Maybe someone cannot AFFORD the extra money for a tux or a beautiful gown (and dont say if they can afford the cruise, they can afford another few hundred bucks for nicer formal wear), because some people just CAN'T. OR maybe they are not comfortable in a tux or gown, which may be a personlity trait... yet ANOTHER reason why they should not join us in the dining room.... What are we missing here???????

 

OK first of all if buying a tux sends somebody into financial problems then they shouldn't be on the cruise secondly the clue is in the title FORMAL INFORMAL CASUAL etc etc

[cruisinmama2]

OK first of all if buying a tux sends somebody into financial problems then they shouldn't be on the cruise

 

I'll get the popcorn....:eek:

[shadowtiger]

Judgement is an ugly thing, folks. Live your life to YOUR fullest satisfaction. Looking to others to satisfy your vacation dreams is the fastest way to disappointment. FWIW, I'll be wearing a J Peterman cocktail gown, black silk and no jewelry. And I'll have a crying infant drooling on it and I'll be tired because I will have been on the track and hiking all day. The most important thing is to do what makes you happy! Those in capris are far more likely to have a fantastic trip than those worrying about the women who wore capris.

Nicely done amel from Orlando. I also will be wearing a gown and DH will be in a tux. However, I am also the one who has posted seeing many in nice jeans and a button down shirt and that it was fine with me. Times are changing and if people are wanting to dress casual on formal nights it's fine with me and I would have no problem doing so myself. I just haven't yet but I have worn capris in the dining room and skorts. (those skirts that have shorts underneath) on other nights even though they are listed as not allowed in the dining room. Yes, I am knowingly breaking the "suggested" attire rules but they are only suggested rules, not punishable offenses. I see hundreds of ladies in skorts and capris, they couldn't possibly ask us all to leave. I also break the rule about not bringing water on board, and save my husband a seat at the show when I go an hour early to get a good seat even though it's clearly posted: "No saving seats". Yes, he always arrives before the show starts but I'm still saving a seat. I sometimes take 2 pool towels even though the sign states: "one per person please" I'm also guilty of taking more food from the buffet than I can eat. When my DD was under 12 I also allowed her to go to the buffet to get another roll unattended, Come on folks, lets stop the "holier than thou" attitude. We all break some rule on the ship. We can't dictate which ones are breakable and which ones aren't. If you are honestly not breaking ANY of the ship rules than my apologies to you. Lets just let everyone dress as they wish.

[ldbucha]

"For me I love dressing up in a long gown and seeing my husband in a suit so it isn't an issue for us. However it makes no difference to us if our table mates are in jeans or shorts. Hey, if they get to the table before us I would never even realize they had shorts on!

 

Honestly I think the only thing that would turn me off would be a guy sitting at the table with a wife beater shirt on and his pit hair hanging out.:eek: Other than that, I'm good!"

 

I love it!!!! My sister and I (ages 55 & 62) also love to dress up for formal nights. We never get the chance to do so at home so our cruise formal nights are our only chance to shine -- if you can still shine at our age! :D

 

I agree with the above post, Mr. Cap would definitely STAND OUT but I would not let him ruin my meal or chance to visit with my table mates and enjoy the food, company and friendship. At our ages, you don't get a chance often to "feel pretty" and formal nights let us do so.

 

But again, please wear what you feel comfortable in. Although I think the person in those pics was a little too "comfortable" for my taste! :eek:

 

Enjoy yourself, that's whey you're there!!!

[Amarna01]

For me, it's the only time I can get DH in his nice military uniform. heheh:D and for me to go buy a great looking gown. :)

[FitzLA]

How's this for formal attire. :eek: :eek: :eek:

 

These pics were posted by a cruiser on another thread showing "formal wear" on the Carnival Miracle.

 

 

 

 

HOLY CRAP! I would have a hard time keeping my dinner down after looking at that.

[cdog7]

I love it!!!! My sister and I (ages 55 & 62) also love to dress up for formal nights. We never get the chance to do so at home so our cruise formal nights are our only chance to shine -- if you can still shine at our age! :D

 

I agree with the above post, Mr. Cap would definitely STAND OUT but I would not let him ruin my meal or chance to visit with my table mates and enjoy the food, company and friendship. At our ages, you don't get a chance often to "feel pretty" and formal nights let us do so.

 

But again, please wear what you feel comfortable in. Although I think the person in those pics was a little too "comfortable" for my taste! :eek:

 

Enjoy yourself, that's whey you're there!!!

 

 

Actually, I goofed up on my quote in post #80. Your post quotes 'ready to lose' in the first part of my post. The Mr. Cap stuff is mine however.

 

Lets face it, on the importance scale, the DR attire issue ranks a tad below world hunger relief and a cure for cancer. But, it is fun, or at least it should be.

[ssolomon56]

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.

 

I've been trying to wrap my brain around a $1200 dinner bill for 7 people! We were out to dinner last night with a group of 8 (several had cocktails) at Red Lobster, and the total came to $195 (including a $30 tip). I just can't even imagine where you could go that would have such casual attire and spend nearly $200 per person for dinner!

[SusieV]

I've been trying to wrap my brain around a $1200 dinner bill for 7 people! We were out to dinner last night with a group of 8 (several had cocktails) at Red Lobster, and the total came to $195 (including a $30 tip). I just can't even imagine where you could go that would have such casual attire and spend nearly $200 per person for dinner!

 

Well, I seriously doubt that most people would consider Red Lobster a "nice" restaurant.

 

What that poster fails to note is that although there is no written dress code for many five star restaurants, there is certainly an unwritten one. My husband and I have eaten at five star restaurants all over the world, including French Laundry and Jean Georges, and every patron there was dressed appropriately for the venue. Ladies were all wearing lovely dresses or pantsuits and men were in suits or sports jackets.

 

Believe me, it's very easy to run up a $200+/person bill in a place like that. :eek: But I would consider the meals a once in a lifetime experience that everyone should do.

[MakinGold]

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.

 

 

See there . . . I guess we all have our prejudices, so perhaps you shouldn't be so quick to bash other people for their opinions about proper attire. As for your original post, I agree that you will see a certain amount of "anything goes", but it can vary depending upon the crowd. As someone else said, it's probably much more casual during spring break. Formal nights were generally pretty formal on our Voyager cruise. A few people get rude about it, but really not many. Everyone should be allowed to express their opinions, if they can do it in a reasonable fashion, even those who believe shorts are inappropriate for the dining room. Plus, your advice could actually be bad for some people. Not everyone wants to dress as casually as they can get away with. For some people, if they read your advice and thought that the dining room was really filled with people in shorts and jeans, and dressed accordingly, they might actually ended up feeling underdressed and out of place.

 

On most ships, the majority of passengers will follow the suggested attire guidelines, so that's really the most appropriate thing to recommend to those who ask. If someone wants to know if they can get away with jeans, then the answer is yes. If someone wants to know if they can get away with shorts, the answer is maybe yes, maybe no.

[MakinGold]

Well, I seriously doubt that most people would consider Red Lobster a "nice" restaurant.

 

What that poster fails to note is that although there is no written dress code for many five star restaurants, there is certainly an unwritten one. My husband and I have eaten at five star restaurants all over the world, including French Laundry and Jean Georges, and every patron there was dressed appropriately for the venue. Ladies were all wearing lovely dresses or pantsuits and men were in suits or sports jackets.

 

Believe me, it's very easy to run up a $200+/person bill in a place like that. :eek: But I would consider the meals a once in a lifetime experience that everyone should do.

 

I don't think you can even have lunch at French Laundry for $200pp. Dinner is closer to $400++ per person. Still, there are probably only a handful (or two) of restaurants in the entire US on that kind of level. $1200 for seven diners is a pretty hefty sum.

 

Unless you're in a particularly pricey area, what I consider a "nice" restaurant tends to run more like $50 - $80 pp. Even some pretty nice places I've been to in San Francisco and NYC weren't much more than that. Of course, I could easily spend big bucks in one of our favorite local restaurants, if I wanted to buy one of their several-hundred-dollar wines from their extensive wine cellar, but I'm not that into expensive wines, when they have some very good selections for much less.

[KStevens79]

Well, those were some interesting dresses; I'm speechless!

I, too, have seen all kinds of dress in the DR. The only thing that bothers me (yes I'm ready to get blasted) is men wearing ball caps or any kind of

inappropriate hat. I've seen beanies, ball caps, cowboy hats, (all on adults) etc... I was always taught that a man removes his hat when entering a room (military upbringing).

I have seen jeans and dusters on formal night on the cruises out of Galveston. It all depends on the person and what they consider to be formal. For me it's a long gown and DH in a suit or tux. It looks nice in the pictures.

I have seen the "stuffy" people, and they glared at us when we laughed and had a good time. They must've been jealous of us having a good time, cuz we never saw them smile once.

The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy your cruise!

Karen

[Mark_K]

THANK YOU! At 59 and 61 (respectfully) my sister and I still like playing dress up. But we both believe in dressing to please ourselves not strangers sitting at or near our table. People should wear what they feel comfortable wearing - PERIOD!

How about dressing to please your host? It may surprise a lot of people, but dressing appropriately and being uncomfortable are not synonymous.

[MakinGold]

How about dressing to please your host? It may surprise a lot of people, but dressing appropriately and being uncomfortable are not synonymous.

 

Sorry Mark, but this thread is about having an "ALL ABOUT ME" attitude. Considering the desires of your host is passe'.

[shadowtiger]

While we are on the subject of manners in the dining room can I add another. When I see people blow their noses into the cloth table napkin, it really turns my stomach. Gives new meaning to "you can dress them up but you can't take them anywhere". If you are guilty of this please think about it. Cloth napkins are not disposable, someone will be using them again!! That thing in your pocket is removable, use it. Once heard it discused on a radio talk show, thought no way. Now I've seen it too many times.

[CROOZFREAK]

While we are on the subject of manners in the dining room can I add another. When I see people blow their noses into the cloth table napkin, it really turns my stomach. Gives new meaning to "you can dress them up but you can't take them anywhere".

 

ROLFL!!! Shadow, you should start a new post on nasty habits in the dining room. I bet there is all kinds of fun things to bring up.... like breastfeeding, nail picking with knives, combing your hair, applying makeup, talking on the cell... ha!! It would never end....

[hoop4321]

ewwww to the nose blowing at the table. My host father from Germany did this every meal. I felt like asking if that was his stamp of approval as "Holy cow! That meal was awesome" I see the winkled bald men with more hair from their ears and nostrils doing this. Is there a club? EWWW!:(

[Cruise Junky]

I don't think you can even have lunch at French Laundry for $200pp. Dinner is closer to $400++ per person. Still, there are probably only a handful (or two) of restaurants in the entire US on that kind of level. $1200 for seven diners is a pretty hefty sum.

 

Unless you're in a particularly pricey area, what I consider a "nice" restaurant tends to run more like $50 - $80 pp. Even some pretty nice places I've been to in San Francisco and NYC weren't much more than that. Of course, I could easily spend big bucks in one of our favorite local restaurants, if I wanted to buy one of their several-hundred-dollar wines from their extensive wine cellar, but I'm not that into expensive wines, when they have some very good selections for much less.

 

Believe it or not, it was a chain restaurant ! It was Mortons. Steak and Seafood for two was $119....three couples = $360...the solo guy probably spent around the same $60...so now we're at $420...three bottles of wine at $120 each...$780.... pre dinner drinks, after dinner drinks, bottled water with dinner....I think the tab before tip was around $1,050.

 

It was a very male oriented crowd. Our 10 year anniversary dinner was at Picasso at the Bellagio, with tip $400. Didn't see any jeans, but there were plenty of Pants and Shirts, no jackets or ties. We asked about the dress code when booking and they said Jackets are preferred, but not required.

 

French Laundry is $240 pp not including wine. And their dress code says....Jackets are required. No Jeans, Shorts or Tennis Shoes please.

[Cruise Junky]

What that poster fails to note is that although there is no written dress code for many five star restaurants, there is certainly an unwritten one.

 

I'm thinking I'm "that poster". It was Mortons, they sure as hell don't fit into my "Five Star" restaurant rating system ;)