Cruise Wear

Currently on one of the travel groups I follow, there’s a huge discussion on cruise wear. It always amazes me to read some of the comments that people post! I believe there is a time and place for everything. And that includes proper attire, whether heading to the local store or cruising the seven seas. Gone are the days of tuxedos and ball gowns in the main dining room! Or is it?

Please acquaint yourself with the following terminology, as described on the website from each cruise lines listed below:

• Cruise Casual
• Smart Casual
• Informal
• Cruise Elegant
• Formal
• Evening Chic
• Gala
• Country Club Casual
• Resort Casual
  Who knew there were so many types of attire?

Carnival – undoubtedly the most specific!
Cruise Casual for Men – polo/sport shirts with sport slacks (dockers, khakis), jeans (cut-offs are not permitted), pressed long dress shorts with collared sport shirts and proper footwear (you’re likely to be in the minority), jackets.
Cruise Casual for Women – casual dresses and skirts (including summer dresses), pantsuits, Capri pants, pants and blouses, dress shorts, and again jeans (but no cut-offs or rips). Cardigans and blazers are also OK.
Cruise Elegant for Men – dress slacks and shirts, a sport coat and a jacket is suggested (but not required), same goes with the business suit (tie or no tie).
Cruise Elegant for Women – cocktail dresses, pantsuit, elegant skirts with blouses. Although this level of dress is not required, on elegant nights guests may choose to dress more formally (suit and tie, tuxedo, and the evening gown).

Princess
During your cruise, you should dress the same way you would do ashore. (Well, that could be interpreted many ways!) Leisure wear such as shorts and t-shirts is appropriate on board and on shore excursions in a warm climate. Depending on your itinerary, we advise you to bring sweaters and jackets for chilly evenings. Keep in mind that it could rain and that you need correct clothing for visits to religious sites. On deck, sandals with rubber soles and sneakers are ideal.

There are two recommendations for evenings and dinners:

• Smart casual:
  Dress the same way you would do for a visit to a restaurant at home. Skirts, dresses or trousers with t-shirt or blouse for ladies, trousers and shirt or poloshirt for gentlemen. Shorts and swimwear are not allowed in the restaurant.
• Formal:
  Evening gown, cocktail dress or pantsuits for ladies, suit, combination or dinner jackets for gentlemen. Princess Cruises offers formal wear rental on all cruises.

Celebrity
Evening Chic attire has replaced Formal attire. While dressier than Smart Casual, Evening Chic is intended to be less dressy than Formal attire. Women may feel comfortable wearing a cocktail dress or skirt, pants or designer jeans with an elegant top. Men may feel comfortable wearing pants or designer jeans with a dress shirt, button-down shirt or sweater, Sport coat or blazer are optional. If you would like to still wear a tuxedo or formal gown on Evening Chic nights, you absolutely should.

Holland America
Holland America has formal optional and smart casual evenings. The line calls its formal nights “Gala Nights” and its formal dress “Gala Attire.”. This attire includes collared shirts and slacks for men in all fine dining restaurants, and dresses, skirts or slacks for women.

Royal Caribbean
Casual: You’re on vacation – relax! Jeans, polos, sundresses and blouses are all the right amount of laid back. Please keep swimwear to the Pool Deck. Shorts are welcomed for breakfast and lunch.

Smart Casual: Think of this as a step up from your typical dinner wear. Dress to impress with collared shirts, dresses, skirts and blouses, or pantsuits. Jackets, sports coats and blazers are snazzy and welcomed. 

Formal: Make it a night out in your best black-tie look – suits and ties, tuxedos, cocktail dresses or evening gowns. There can be 1-3 formal nights during a sailing and is at the ship’s discretion.

Viking
Dress during the day is casual including shorts (if the season is warm), pants or jeans and comfortable shoes for walking tours. Swimsuits, brief shorts, cover-ups and exercise attire should be reserved for the Fitness Center, pool areas and Sports Deck. There are no “formal nights” in the evening; evening dress is “elegant casual” for all dining venues after 6:00 PM, performances and special events. On these occasions, required attire for ladies includes a dress, skirt or slacks with a sweater or blouse; for gentlemen, trousers and a collared shirt. A tie and jacket are optional.

Oceania
Recommended onboard clothing is resort or country club casual. For evening dining, elegant casual resort wear is suggested. Oceania requests that jeans, shorts, t-shirts or tennis shoes not be worn at dinner.

MSC

Gala – Dressy outfits, formal gowns or cocktail dress for women and tuxedo, dinner jacket or dark suit and tie for gentlemen. Informal – More casual dress or trousers and blouse for women and jacket and trousers for men. Jeans are not to be worn.

Silversea
Evenings rotate among casual, informal and formal dress codes. On casual nights, open-neck shirts and slacks are appropriate for men, while women wear casual dresses, blouses and skirts or pantsuits. On informal nights, dresses or trouser suits for women and jackets (ties optional) for men are recommended.

Disney
In general, most onboard dining locations are “cruise casual,” so casual attire, such as shorts and T-shirts, is permitted, with the exception of swimwear and tank tops. Most cruises have special theme nights that provide opportunities to dress up for a one-of-a-kind family photo. See website for special breakdown.

As you can see by the above information, the wearing of bathing suits, shorts, tank tops, t-shirts, flip flops and assorted beach-type clothing is not allowed in the dining room or specialty restaurants during dinner. Should you wish to dress and dine more casually, there is the buffet, lido deck eateries and room service available. While it is your vacation and you paid good hard-earned money for it, please respect other passengers and crew by dressing and behaving appropriately.

Typically, Karen will wear a cute cruise worthy dress and I will wear black slacks with a sweater, blouse or jacket in the MDR. While we choose not to dress formally for dinner, we do love to see those passengers that do ‘deck’ themselves out. And we applaud them for doing so! Whatever you do, make your cruise experience memorable – in a good way – for you!

NOTE:
All cruise dress code information provided by the online website for each cruise line.
MDR is the abbreviation for Main Dining Room.

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