When in the dining room of a cruise ship must you wear evening wear?

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Calichic 101

Yes, my mother does every time

FallOutGirl84

Depends who you are going with.
I've been with Thomsons and they print the dress code in the daily newsletters.
There were 4 types of dress code which was,

Casual - Men; Jeans or full length trouser with a polo style t- shirt, short sleeved shirt or similar.
Women - Jeans, Skirt or trousers with a summer style t-shirt, blouse or similar.

Formal - Men; Tuxedo or dinner jacket with bow or tie or similar
women; evening dress, ball gown or similar
(This is for the Captains cocktail evening)

Semi Formal - Mens; Lounge suit or full length trousers, jacket or blazer with a shirt a tie.
Womens; cocktail dress, or similar.

Smart - Mens; Full length trousers with a button style shirt or similar.
Womens; Summer style dress, trouser style suit or similar.

I can't imagine it's that different on other cruise ships.

Violet

depends on ship, and length of cruise. I just got off carnival triumph and formal night was the second night and second to last night.

randall_nd

Most cruise lines highly encourage it, but don't enforce it, just as long as you don't wear shorts and or tee shirts. I have heard that Celebrity is more strict on the dining room dress code. I have seen 'casual night' on Carnival and people were able to wear shorts and or tee shirts to evening dinner. Over all, especially on formal nights, it is a nice courtesy to other guests to dress accordingly.

olliedog

Some cruise lines such as P&O insist on it, but not every night. They issue newsletters every day to tell you what to wear that night (casual, smart casual, evening) Thomson have one or two gala nights in a 7 night cruise, but as long as you are smart, you don't need to be in evening wear. Others like Island (even though they've been taken over by Thomson) you can wear pretty much what you want.

Anonom

It truly depends on the cruise lines.

I've cruised on Princess and Celebrity and they both enforce it well. You come in in shorts or jeans, and you are out of there.

It's part of the experience to dress and most have dress codes.

So, to answer your question, Yes.

OriginalBubble

I think it depends on which ship you are on, and with which company.

MomSezNo

On formal nights. On a 7-day cruise, there will probably be two formal nights. Women can wear a long, black skirt or pants and "sparkly" tops. Men can wear a suit and tie or tuxedo.

If you don't want to dress formally, there are always other options.

The cruise lines don't generally enforce the dress code, however, so as long as you're not wearing cut-offs and a ripped t-shirt, they probably wouldn't refuse seating. Some lines are more strict about this and also some lines have passengers who will follow the guidelines more closely [e.g. Holland America, Celebrity], so you might feel out of place if you weren't pretty dressed up.

This topic is a source of much discussion and contention on the discussion boards, such as CruiseCritic.com. You can click on "Boards" and then go to either the thread for your cruise line or the one about fashion to judge for yourself.

ED M

CLOTHING IS LIKE WINE. USE WHAT YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH. OF COURCE- THE CLOTHING SHOULD BE NEAT AND CLEAN.

rick d

Most cruise lines today NO. They ask that you dress business like but, do not enforce it. They have learned that people want to relax on vacation. Some people do wear suits & dresses but, you can enter if you have jeans on. Been on over 20 cruises and only wear jeans.

Norman O

No. But you should dress nicely out of respect for the other people.

luludoodie

It varies. The word MUST does not normally apply nowadays.

Some lines do not do it, most it is optional anyway, usually the smaller more expensive ships request it.

Rule of thumb is once a week usually on Sunday, never on your first night.

Best bet is to ask the cruise line you decide on.

ctelly22

No you do not have to wear formal wear. I've cruised multiple times and never have worn formal wear. You paid your money wear what you are comfortable with.

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