For Those Who Followed the "Informal" Dress Code.

[lucky white heather]

Like Ma Bell and Pat C who have already commented on what they noticed regarding standards of dress on a very recent cruise..we have just returned too , and saw to our surprise the standard of dress was much better than we experienced (specifically in the Med./ NOV. 08 ) when the dress code appeared to us to have read "smart casual and dress down" rather than "smart casual and above"...

Formal nights are a different story...most people did dress appropriately apart from the few who did it "their way" and were more noticeable because they did it "their way".

 

We noticed very few wearing jeans on any night... unlike our fairly recent Med. cruise..perhaps too warm for jeans in the Caribbean ??

 

A quick hello to both Ma Bell and Pat C!

[hcat]

I am curious about the jeans thing also... all these reference to "nice restaurants" (ie: on land) are confusing... jeans, albeit dressed up, seem to be the staple everywhere. Having never been on Celebrity, and leaving this week, I'm very curious as to what I'll find the "average" cruiser to be wearing. We prefer not to get too dressed up, so we skip the MDR, but I'll be watching to see.

 

Jeans will be few & far between on X in the evening...it's more country club attire-- No more required jacket & tie bit not jeans . Most seemed in synch & there were some very nicely dressed people on board.. They may let you in but the OP asked what most are doing...

[spearmint]

We just returned from a cruise on Constellation and found that most people were still well dressed, at least at second seating. I was pleasantly surprised.

 

We also noticed the same thing on Constellation at the end of November.:)

[SuzCruise]

I think Celebrity's new dress code is a very smart change. In general, I think people will dress appropriately for their cruise. And what is appropriate is sometimes pretty subjective. And the fact is that a 4 night Caribbean cruise is different from a 7 night Alaska cruise, which is different from a 12 night Baltic cruise. Not just in what is appropriate temperature wise, but what is reasonable to pack for your cruise. I won't be bringing flip flops for my Baltic cruise the same way someone on an Eastern Caribbean cruise can't fathom bringing jeans to wear in port. We'll be packing for 3 weeks and toting our luggage around on trains for our pre and post cruise travels. DH won't be bringing various jackets other than his tux because there isn't room. I'll bring 3 cocktail dresses, but not any long gowns, because there isn't room. And I won't be wearing many dresses on smart casual nights because it is more practical to bring several pairs of dress slacks and skirts with different tops to mix and match. And don't bother looking at our feet, because shoes will be packed based on what can get the most wear with the most outfits and look decent, not what I really like to wear with a particular outfit. ;)

[eandj]

Reading the description of "Smart Casual and Above" I too would assume that jeans are allowed.

 

Also, it only states no "flip-flops". Does this mean my wife may wear regular sandals with a skirt most nights?

 

By regular sandals, I mean nice dress sandals. I won't be wearing sandals myself.

 

 

Yes, your wife can wear any sandals. hey just don't want the soooo casual rubber flip flops you'd wear at the pool. Nice leather flat sandals are fine...don't have to be heels or wedgies.

[eandj]

We as well have always cruised with Royal Carribean and I have worn dress capri pants with a nice top. Is this going to be a no-no on Celebrity?

 

 

Capris with a nice top are very popular, especially on the Carib cruises. Easy to mix and match. I always take a white and black pair and can get 4 smart casual nights out of them with 3 or 4 nice tops and a pair of wedge sandals. EASY is my motto. ;)

[Nonna and Papa]

We as well have always cruised with Royal Carribean and I have worn dress capri pants with a nice top. Is this going to be a no-no on Celebrity?

 

On a recent cruise, I saw a woman wearing a lovely shantung capri set in the main dining room at second seating. Her jewelry was simple, yet well chosen, and set off the outfit beautifully. Her shoes were a matching pair of strappy sandals. She looked casual, yet elegant.

 

So depending on the type of outfit you choose, I don't see why a capri set couldn't be appropriate.

 

Mary

[Napi's Mom]

Wow! Just what I hoped to hear. I did not know it read, "...and above". That should be an encouragement for folks to dress up a bit. I guess we will dress as we always have. Thanks, all, for the responses. And did you notice, no flaming or "it's my vacation, I'll dress as I like"?

While on our Millennium cruise we were in NZ/Aust. and they were VERY casual, but then thats what WE preferred. We had 3 Formal nights...very few Tuxes and several wore no suit...and were served! Casual meant neat clean and fairly attractive....but then this was a 14 day cruise and the people were on for the Ports NOT the fancy dress, plus we hada lot of Aussies and Kiwis and they stated they held no truck with fancy dress and appeared accordingly. Then the food wasn't worth the dress up either, not even the Formal night! And I didn't expect to say that when boarding the ship!

[Spygirl13]

Maybe because we live in a big city (Philadelphia), things are different here. We go out to every weekend to the city for dinner and I always wear nice jeans and a fancy top even to Le Bec Fin (a 5 star michelin rated restaurant). It is really the norm here! Now I am getting worried about dressing for the non formal nights!! :confused:

[Peteymil]

Maybe because we live in a big city (Philadelphia), things are different here. We go out to every weekend to the city for dinner and I always wear nice jeans and a fancy top even to Le Bec Fin (a 5 star michelin rated restaurant). It is really the norm here! Now I am getting worried about dressing for the non formal nights!! :confused:

This would be perfectly acceptable, and within the rules, on non formal nights.

On our recent Solstice cruise, there were others with the same idea.

[jojop]

Maybe because we live in a big city (Philadelphia), things are different here. We go out to every weekend to the city for dinner and I always wear nice jeans and a fancy top even to Le Bec Fin (a 5 star michelin rated restaurant). It is really the norm here! Now I am getting worried about dressing for the non formal nights!! :confused:

 

I wouldn't worry. Just as NorCalCruiseGuy mentioned about his docs, Our cruise documents for our upcoming Solstice Med Cruise doesn't mention anything about jeans. I think as long as you are presenting yourself well you should be okay.

 

To take it even further, any new person who is new to Celebrity, doesn't have internet access to cruisecritic or the Celebrity website and books their cruise through a live travel agent would never know about the jeans issue. Why?? Because their travel documents don't mention a word about "jeans"...just "pants"

 

Celebrity is very unclear about this and the documents are not consistent with the website. So, as long as this is the case, people will keep bringing it up as an issue.

 

I've mentioned on similar threads, I'll be wearing nice dark "pants" (of the denim type:p) and a blazer on some of the SC&A nights. And yes, I'll be in a tux on formal nights!

[J&F]

We still follow the old rules for "informal" dining - the cruise is a real treat, so why not get dressed up for the special occasion? If we aren't in the mood to get dressed (or don't have the time) there are always plenty of dining venues throughout the ship where casual dress is just fine. One of our favorites is dining on our veranda, and nobody cares how you dress for dinner! ;-)

[phoenix_dream]

I've cruised Celebrity twice in the last six months, and I find most people in the dining room dressing like they would for a decent restaurant back home. There is no reason your DH can't wear a nice golf shirt and a pair of khakis - just keep to the more upscale looking golf shirts in conservative colors, and nicely pressed khakis and he will be fine. There are probably more posters in this thread who say they wear shirts, ties, and jackets than I actually saw on the ship. Nothing wrong with that if they want to - but the majority of men I saw did not wear either a tie or a jacket. Women wore both nice pants outfits or casual dresses.

[bububr]

The majority dress in Country Club Casual.....We tend to dress "And Above" or Informal....Its just habit and we already have all of our cruise wear from previous cruises.

 

We are big guys and never feel uncomfortable in Jackets and ties or tuxedos....we buy what fits well, have it altered slightly if we gain or lose, and buy clothing that is timeless and not trendy.

 

While I have never minded jeans in the diningroom during breakfast and lunch...there will be a note in the dailys asking that jeans NOT be worn after 6 pm in the main diningroom. The daily IS the suggestion for the dress code of the day and the crew and staff ask kindly that you adhere to it. Will someone be turned away for wearing jeans...most likely not, but whats the point of taking a special vacation when do dress and do as you do at home when you are not on vacation? for us dressing up seperates the ordinary real lilfe from the " We're on vacation and need a special change" life.

 

IMHO...no flaming anyone. But jeans regardless of the price are CASUAL and WORK wear by definition reardless of the price. Speaking of which, does anyone know where I can buy a pair of plain regular fitting blue jeans that aren't acid washed or have designer holes, cut so low my butt crack shows...or looks like something that came from a thrift store...I'm talking good old fashioned indigo dyed blue jeans....

 

Dave:eek:

[Shirley and Les]

...We just received our documents for our upcoming transatlantic on the Solstice. There is NO mention of jeans anywhere in the information regarding dress...

Somewhere earlier in this thread, someone provided a link to the FAQ section of the Celebrity website. The following is a copy of some of the website information on requested dining attire. Note the last few sentences about dining room clothing before and after 6:00 pm.

 

Examples of "Smart Casual and Above" and "Formal" attire include:

 

Smart Casual and Above

Ladies: Skirt or pants (no holes, rips or tears) complemented by sweater or blouse.

Gentlemen: Pants (no holes, rips or tears) with sports shirt or sweater. Shirts must have sleeves.

 

Note: T-shirts, swimsuits, robes, bare feet, tank tops, baseball caps and pool wear are not allowed in the main restaurant or specialty restaurant at any time. Shorts and flip flops are not allowed in the evening hours. Additionally, guests are asked to follow the "Smart Casual and Above" dress code in the Celebrity Theater for all evening performances.

 

Formal

Ladies: Cocktail dress, gown or dressy pantsuit

Gentlemen: Tuxedo, suit or dinner jacket with slacks

 

Before Six

Dining options abound aboard Celebrity. For breakfast and lunch, jeans, shorts and casual daywear are allowed in all dining venues before 6:00pm. After 6:00pm, this attire is allowed only in casual restaurants and cafés.

[sunlovermtl]

Wow! Just what I hoped to hear. I did not know it read, "...and above". That should be an encouragement for folks to dress up a bit. I guess we will dress as we always have. Thanks, all, for the responses. And did you notice, no flaming or "it's my vacation, I'll dress as I like"?

 

This is one of the things I love about cruising. The dressing up. I work in a casual office but still wear a pant suit are skirts. I think it just makes me feel more professional. On a cruise I feel more elegant and therefore dress informal on almost all nights then formal on the others. If you want casual book an all inclusive.

 

happy sailings

Claudette

[wildescapade]

I know that this is very BAD...but My whole group and I wore jeans to the MDR on the last night of the cruise....we do this every time we cruise and we wear them with "nice" white shirts.(not t shirts) And all the women wore heels.....we do this for the photo opportunity,(this combination always looks great!) and because it is easier to dress in the morning, you just throw the same jeans on to get off the ship. We do get some funny looks, but I think it is because people wish they thought of it...and one ouple told us that we looked great and they offered to take our picture! By the way, I was on the ultra sophisticated Solstice and no one told us to leave the dining room!

[NorCalCruiseGuy]

Somewhere earlier in this thread, someone provided a link to the FAQ section of the Celebrity website. The following is a copy of some of the website information on requested dining attire. Note the last few sentences about dining room clothing before and after 6:00 pm.

 

Yes, I'm sure the website has a lot of inconsistencies, but the travel documents I received from Celebrity (the contract) says nothing about jeans.

Happy Cruising!

[Ma Bell]

You can be sure no one will ask you to leave the dining room. Most people will still be well dressed.

[DrivesLikeMario]

So, if my husband wears dress slacks, dress shoes and a polo shirt for dinner on the non-formal nights, will that be okay? On other non-formal nights, he might wear a dress shirt and/or tie.

 

I always wear dresses, so that's not a problem, but he hates wearing jackets except when wearing a tux.

[Ma Bell]

Yes, absolutely fine.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Thanks - I think we may be cancelling the Ocean Princess & booking the Equinox instead. :)

[Ma Bell]

I think you'll be pleased.

[New Hampshire]

We recently returned from the March 29 sailing of the Solstice. The majority of the women, including me, seemed to dress the same way they always did on Celebrity sailings. The main change is in the men's dress. Few were wearing jackets, most men were wearing dress pants, dress shoes and nice shirts, either polo or shirts with buttons. The ambience was as classy as always. The few people in jeans or VERY casual dress in the evening stood out as being out of place.

[S1drfl]

Maybe because we live in a big city (Philadelphia), things are different here. We go out to every weekend to the city for dinner and I always wear nice jeans and a fancy top even to Le Bec Fin (a 5 star michelin rated restaurant). It is really the norm here! Now I am getting worried about dressing for the non formal nights!! :confused:

 

I hate to pick, Le Bec Fin is a very fine restaurant, but I don't believe Michelin has reviewed any restaurants in Philadelphia and their top award is only 3 stars. Maybe a new regional red guide is due out soon?