dress on freestyle!

[seabourndt]

just wondered as only done one cruise on ncl if there are dress codes. do they have formal occasions with the captain like other lines? don't want to bring a tux and suit if nobody else will be wearing them.

dave

[Ms belp]

If you want to dress up, go for it! If you don't, go for it! That's what we love about NCL!

[seattle2000]

There are definitely people in tuxes and formal gowns on the dress up night(s). As long as you are wearing presentable attire for a nice evening out, you'll be fine. Think nice resort clothes to dressy wedding guest to cocktail attire to no-holds-barred formal wear. NCL is the only line where I truly feel fine walking the halls in whatever evening outfit I cared to bring with me.

[lambs2]

I also do not feel overdressed on NCL if DH and I choose to wear more formal evening wear. However, there are very few men who are wearing tuxes on formal nights so DH leaves his tux home on NCL cruises and just wears a dark suit. On our recent NCL cruise on the Jewel we were pleasantly surprised to see that the no shorts in the dining room policy for evenings if still enforced (even in the Caribbean!) Most people looked very nice and well dressed at all the venues. Actually it is far less distracting on NCL than on cruise lines with a strict dress code where I feel some folks actually enjoy FLAUNTING the rules and like to shock others by purposely refusing to dress up on formal nights. I guess it is human nature. When there is no pressure to conform more people seem to comply. ;)

[lambs2]

Sorry!

[lambs2]

Sorry! Board acting up.

[BelizePlease]

I noticed on my recent cruise on the Pearl that MANY people still choose to dress up every night even thought it's "resort casual". Which is great for us...because that's one of the things about cruising that we love! :)

[BeachBumMama]

don't want to bring a tux and suit if nobody else will be wearing them.

Other people might be wearing them and others not. Whatever you choose to do, suit or a pair of khaki's, will be fine. As others have said, its all up to you and what you want to wear.:)

[WinterSky]

On the first formal night (first day at sea) on our cruise on the Gem in March we dined in LeBistro and I took particular note that women were in various nice dresses, there were two gentlemen in tuxedos, most men were wearing sports coats and one man was wearing nice resort casual (fine linen - I think - shirt etc.) My husband was wearing a dark suit and I was wearing a simple formal black shot with silver full length dress. It all blended very well. I think the reason it worked was that everyone, despite their degree of formality, was clean, pressed and very well presented. Most nights on the cruise, we observed the same mix of styles at dinner although the only night we saw tuxedos was that first formal night.

 

I love this aspect of 'freestyle' cruising because it allows me to feel comfortable wearing whatever makes me happy.

 

Happy cruising!

WinterSky

[chayisun]

Heck. My Wife just read this post about what to wear....

 

She NOW tells me I gotta bring a sports jacket and a tie..A tie...I hate wearing a tie. Wore one for years..Well, not ALL the time...And I swore that I wouldn't wear a tie again.

 

So, now I have to try and figure out how to "forget" to bring a tie. Next thing I'll discover is that they sell ties on board the ship. Of, course I know they don't.

 

Geez, I hope she missed tha part about the tux.....

[Toyz711]

i pack for DH and i...never pack a tie, maybe a collared button down shirt, but it would be a print or hawaiian shirt. he doesn't own a jacket or suit. i don't pack a dress or anything that gets wrinkled. never felt out of place!

last cruise, there was 1 wedding party taking pictures with the men in tuxs. one night i saw 10 formal gowns...that's not many for the whole ship. very few men with more then a sports jacket, even only 1/2 of them had ties.

it was a very casual cruise.

[flashdog_1]

You guys are really scaring me. A couple of years ago Shore Guy told me my husband who does not want to dress up (he did for Celebrity since I was wearing long evening dresses, but he hated it-altlhough I notice he shows people a photograph of us dressed like that :)), would love NCL. If I could get him into long khakis & a polo shirt with collar he'd be fine, he said. And I believed him. He definitely did not say he'd need a sports coat or linen shirt. If your descriptions about are so, he is going to be very uncomfortable, and think I am a liar (and Shore Guy) if he is surrounded by dressed up people, tux or not. I can't cancel since the cruise is one week from today.

 

Sure DH might like the buffet every night, but I don't and I refuse!

 

Please, some more casual dressers respond!! YOU tell me what it's been like for you!

[CruisnGram]

He will be fine in resort casual dress that you described. He will not need a tie or jacket if he doesn't want one. And you won't be banned to the buffet! Don't worry about it......have a wonderful time!

[Chuckie]

Flashdog,

Your husband does not need a jacket or tie. Most nights men wear something like a golf shirt and casual or dress pants. You just don't want to go to the restaurants in shorts, cutoffs, grungy tees, etc. We have been on many NCL cruises. We like the line, love the freestyle, and had been on a number of more formal lines. So we're at the "been there, done that" stage. We always feel comfortable on NCL. That' what "Freestyle" is all about. If you want to wear shorts, etc. there are places to eat onboard where you will feel comfortable dressed that way. Pack light, don't stress, have fun!

 

Arlene

[flashdog_1]

Thank you Chuckie and CruisinGran, very much. I knew I'd read it would be okay. I guess the first posters just liked to get dressed up (except the DH who wants to lose his tie!). I may alert my DH that some will "overdress" even if they are not really overdressed. It's just freestyle. If this works well I won't have to cancel the next two, already booked, cruises on Sun and Dawn.

[Toyz711]

SG is the master and never lied, he RULES!!

i have a photo of formal night in alaska...DH will kill me to know i posted his photo BUT if it helps.

the 1st photo is formal night on NCL star in '06...the 2nd is formal night on the spirit in dec...both in the main dining rooms. as you can see we do the "optional" part of dress-up or not.

DH was looking at some other cruises, when i told him (about this one cruise) that he would have to wear a dress up suit or eat in the buffet...he passed. NCL has spoiled us.

[wendolyng]

You will see everything on NCL cruises. I think the port intensive cruises like to Alaska are even more casual because everyone is tired, hungry and it is sort of "rugged" and not sophisticated in Alaska. The worst thing I saw in the dining room was a very large woman in tight, neon flowered capri pants. Yikes! They really should have the fashion police.

 

My husband is a totally don't ask me to dress up guy except if he is the father of the bride sort of guy. We eat in the dining rooms EVERY night, never the buffet. We are always comfortable in casual clothes. He wears polos and casual pants. He even brought a suit last cruise for dress up night although he only wore it one time of the two dress up nights. His choice.

 

I have to say I admired the parties with tuxes and gowns. Those tend to be the larger groups that sail together. Most people on our cruises have been just couples.

[Toyz711]

in alaska, my DH notice a woman being seated in the dining room, normally nothing bothers him...but he thought she should have been made to go back and change. she had on a grey, dirty sweat suit with very diry white tennis shoes...

i told him that with the frown and the dirty looks she was giving others , no one dared to tell her to change.

otherwise, it was my FIL...his daughter had gotten him a 99cent sports coat from a local second-hand clothes store. it was an old..well-worn hound's tooth...bless his heart, he thought he looked good and that was all that mattered. we told him his jumpsuits were perfectly acceptable, so he wore them...with the hound's tooth jacket.:D

believe me, just in my family you saw it all...from dressed up to very casual. my nephew-in-law wore a nice suit every night!

last cruise there was a older man who was ticked off at everyone...he had only packed cargo shorts and he was going to wear them no matter what, even the dining rooms. he wife was in tears for most of the cruise.

[coffeebean]

You guys are really scaring me. A couple of years ago Shore Guy told me my husband who does not want to dress up (he did for Celebrity since I was wearing long evening dresses, but he hated it-altlhough I notice he shows people a photograph of us dressed like that :)), would love NCL. If I could get him into long khakis & a polo shirt with collar he'd be fine, he said. And I believed him. He definitely did not say he'd need a sports coat or linen shirt. If your descriptions about are so, he is going to be very uncomfortable, and think I am a liar (and Shore Guy) if he is surrounded by dressed up people, tux or not. I can't cancel since the cruise is one week from today.

 

Sure DH might like the buffet every night, but I don't and I refuse!

 

Please, some more casual dressers respond!! YOU tell me what it's been like for you!

 

Casual dresser here...

 

Just off the Gem two weeks ago and it was our 7th cruise with NCL. Most men do NOT wear ties or jackets. The atmosphere is casual. Slacks and collared shirts for men. Many women wear capris and a nice top in the evening. I feel most comfortable in capris and that is what I wear just about every evening on an NCL cruise. I do not feel out of place with capris and a Hawaiian shirt in Le Bistro and that is a very upscale restaurant on board. Freestyle is casual and you wear what you want with the exception of shorts and jeans in one of the main restaurants in the evening.

 

Not many folks at all were dressed formally on "dress up or not" night on our 3/29 Gem cruise. Dress casually, relax and enjoy your cruise.

[buggins0402]

You are also at your own table rather than a 10-seat. So each little table does their own thing with dress. I would guess some set dining cruise lines would have tables that might make someone feel uncomfortable when some might be in tuxes and others in botton down shirts and khakis (or some in long gowns and others in capris). But it works on NCL because of the individual dining tables. In fact I was wondering why the smaller main dining room was more crowded on our cruise and they told me it was because it allowed jeans.

[flashdog_1]

SG is the master and never lied, he RULES!!

i have a photo of formal night in alaska...DH will kill me to know i posted his photo BUT if it helps.

the 1st photo is formal night on NCL star in '06...the 2nd is formal night on the spirit in dec...both in the main dining rooms. as you can see we do the "optional" part of dress-up or not.

DH was looking at some other cruises, when i told him (about this one cruise) that he would have to wear a dress up suit or eat in the buffet...he passed. NCL has spoiled us.

 

Thanks for the photos. I'll show them to DH and let him read this thread.

 

BTW he would not try to go in shorts and flip flops, much less a bathing suit, so rest assured, we will not get kicked out of a restaurant. Also, he'd wear dress shoes, no problem. I'm hoping he'll love it. I have several itineraries picked out for the future that he will like IF he likes freestyle: Around the horn, Mexican Riviera, Canada/New England.

[DAGVBSB]

She NOW tells me I gotta bring a sports jacket and a tie..A tie...I hate wearing a tie. Wore one for years..Well, not ALL the time...And I swore that I wouldn't wear a tie again.

 

So, now I have to try and figure out how to "forget" to bring a tie. Next thing I'll discover is that they sell ties on board the ship. Of, course I know they don't.

 

Geez, I hope she missed tha part about the tux.....

 

You do not need a tie, you do not need a sport coat. Polo shirts, kahkis (even jeans) and tennis shoes are perfectly acceptable EVERY NIGHT in every dining venue (except one main restaurant which will not allow jeans, but will allow kahkis).

[Terre]

We forgot about the first formal night on our POAm cruise last year. We were VERY casual and I kept wondering why some people were dressed formal. I thought THEY didn't know when formal night was. Turned out it was US who didn't know! Didn't matter, it was about half and half dressed formal and casual.

[newmexicoNita]

Heck. My Wife just read this post about what to wear....

 

She NOW tells me I gotta bring a sports jacket and a tie..A tie...I hate wearing a tie. Wore one for years..Well, not ALL the time...And I swore that I wouldn't wear a tie again.

 

So, now I have to try and figure out how to "forget" to bring a tie. Next thing I'll discover is that they sell ties on board the ship. Of, course I know they don't.

 

Geez, I hope she missed tha part about the tux.....

Tell her you lost all your ties but would be glad to wear a piece of plain rope. That might make her think twice about suggesting you need to dress for the unoccassion!!!

 

I have cruised on NCL several times since the introduction of Freestyle, you can do what you want. Yes, on two nights you will see some dressed a little more formal, but many men will be wearing slacks or docker type pants with open collared shirts. I think the gals dress a little more. Even on other lines, formal nights are getting less formal all the time.

Nita

[chayisun]

Thank you for the information. My Wife says if I wear a piece of rope she would notice....So, no sports jacket, no tie..I am happy.... AND, only one week to go....:)