Cruise Line Dress Code Policies

Hi, I just wanted to let you know that I looked around at some of the cruise boards to see what people are saying about Fred Olsen’s dress codes. They said that the dress codes a very much adhered to and that it was rare to see a male passenger dining with-out a coat a tie. Also some of the casual nights are theme nights like “British Night” or “Island Night”. Also be sure to check your cruise documents carefully because it does seem that there is more information there about the evening dress codes. Hope you have a great cruise.

I found the information on Cunard’s site, I’ll put it here quickly, and then I’ll add have my expert programmer add it to the chart later:

“Although shorts and swimsuits may not be worn in the ships’ main restaurants, casual attire (including shorts) is welcome during the day at the Kings Court on QUEEN MARY 2 and at the Lido Café on QUEEN ELIZABETH 2. Swimsuits, brief shorts and exercise clothing should be reserved for poolside lounging, deck activities and the spa.

One of the great thrills of a Cunard voyage is the sheer glamour of the evenings. Evening attire for the ship’s main restaurants, effective from 1800hrs, will be specified in your ship’s Daily Programme and will be required to dine in the restaurants.

Formal: Black tie or formal dark suit for gentlemen. Evening dress or other formal attire for ladies. (A range of gentleman’s formal wear is available to hire or purchase onboard ship).

Semiformal: Jacket and tie for gentlemen. Cocktail dress or trouser suit for ladies. No jeans.

Elegant Casual: Jacket, no tie required for gentlemen. Dress, skirt or trousers for ladies. No shorts or jeans.”

Cunard, is definitely one of the most formal.

Maria, generally the dress code for kids in the main dining room is the same as what you would have for adults. NCL specifically makes an exception to this, and some cruise lines are more likely to look the other way when it comes to kids, while others are more formal when it come to what is expected for kids.

First, you need to decide if the boys will be dining with you every night or will they eat at casual dining with the youth program. (sometimes there is a baby sitting charge for this, depends on the line)

Here’s waht we have done on our Celebrity cruises, which tend to be a bit more on the formal side. My son is 11 and has been on three cruises so far. We always dine in the main dining room together and we look foreward to dressing up for the experience. We bought my son a tuxedo for the formal nights, but I realize this may not be for everyone. You can also rent a tux either from your home town, or through the cruise line. A dark suit is also acceptable. For the informal nights, I got my son a navy blazer at a thrift shop of $5. He wears this with a dress shirt and tie set that I got for him at Walmart of about $11. I pack two or three pairs of nice dockers type pants to wear with the sport coat. The pants with stain repel fabric treatment are great because they won’t get dirty if they spill food on them. On casual nights he usually wears these same pants with a polo type shirt.

For day time t-shirts, polo shirts, shorts and swim wear are the norm.

One of the boys in my daughters school class recently just went on a cruise and they chose to do the casual dining every night. That family just packed casual clothes and loved their casual cruise. We really enjoy the formal dining, so as we look forward to dressing up. However, there are always people in the formal dining room who are not complying with the evening dress codes.

I hope this helps, I might be able to help you even more if you let me know on which line you’ll be on. Enjoy your cruise.

Hi John,

I’ve done some quick research about daytime wear, and it really depends on what you’re doing as to whether or not you are supposed to wear the polo shirt and slacks during the day.

“Although shorts and swimsuits may not be worn in the ships’ main restaurants, casual attire (including shorts) is welcome during the day at the Kings Court on QUEEN MARY 2 and at the Lido Café on QUEEN ELIZABETH 2. Swimsuits, brief shorts and exercise clothing should be reserved for poolside lounging, deck activities and the spa.”

It looks like they want you to wear the slacks and a collard shirt if you are going to take lunch in the main dining room, but your are fine in the casual dining venue.

You may see people more casually dressed during the day, but technically they should not dine in the main dining room.

Lor,

In my opinion the amount of jewelry one wears does not necessarily determine formality.

I sometimes wear only earrings with my formal gowns, or a single simple necklace.

What is more important is the overall look you are presenting. A cocktail dress is fine on Royal Caribbean for the ladies, though many women wear long gowns. The best way to describe a cocktail dress would be a shorter dress that is way to fancy for work or church and something that you would never wear with flip flops. For the men a suit or tux is great, and in that case my recommendation would be no gold chains with the suits or tuxedos.

I just wrote an article with a few suggestions for the formal nights. It might have some helpful hints for you.

Stress Free Guide to Formal Night

Hi, Larry, I have never seen white tie and tails on a cruise. I’m sure there is some reason for this, but I just don’t know. Perhaps because the formal evenings are more akin to a cocktail party and dinner, rather than a very formal gala or wedding.

I’m sure that it would be acceptable, but people might ask if you just got married or if you’ll be performing selections from Rigoletto? Just Kidding there.

I would much rather see you in the white tie rather than a tanktop, running shorts and flip flops.

Thanks for your questions Carolyn

When I originally put this list together I had a hard time finding the Disney Information, but they have improved their web-site, and I found it under the dinning FAQ’s:

cruise casual — no shorts, swimwear or tank tops

Looks like any thing else is OK.

Generally topless sun bathing, if allowed at all, is only permitted on one upper deck for most American owned cruise lines. I’ve never seen that thongs are not permitted, but have seen very very few, if any on my cruises. When in doubt, around Americans, it would be better to be more covered than less covered.

Paula,

Unfortunately, I have never cruise Fred Olsen.

I am hoping one of our readers can do a better job of filling you in than I can. I did a quick search and found basically the same information that you did, that Caribbean is more casual, but could not find specifics as to what is acceptable and what is no.

I am going to suggest that you call FO’s customer service and see if one of their service people can help you with more specifics.

If you find a good answer, please let us know so that we can share the information.

Thanks.