Evening dress code

[PantyLiner]

Can anyone tell me what the dress code is for dinner please? Are some companies more relaxed than others? We have never cruised but quite fancy trying it this year. People we know who have been on several cruises to different destinations all say you have to dress smartly (evening dress) for dinner. This puts us off really as we are slobs more comfy in smart, casual clothing

It will depend on the company and type of cruise, but information will be included in the holiday details so have a look at the specific company/cruise and it should tell you.

Generally, you have the choice of the waiter-service restaurant or the buffet restaurant. In the waiter-service one you are expected to be reasonably smart, just as if you were going to a niceish restaurant at home. In addition to this there are usually a few 'black tie' nights, when it is suits/tux for guys and cocktail dress/evening dress for ladies. The buffet restaurant is much more relaxed and usually only has rules like 'no swimwear and please wear shoes and a top'.

I wouldn't let dress code put you off. If you don't fancy dressing up, just stick with the buffet restaurant or room service.

Thank you Nuff. That's great 😊

As Nuff said. Some cruise ships are more informal and relaxed than others but generally speaking people do tend to dress up a bit for dinner when eating in the waiter service restaurants. Not full ball gowns (except on formal nights!) but dresses, smart clothes such as tailored trousers and nice tops, men wear shirts and trousers (not necessarily a tie) or a suit. They tend to say no denim, no sports gear, no shorts, no very revealing clothing.

The buffet is much more casual but they may still stipulate no swimwear, sports gear, etc in the evenings.

Don't let it put you off (I've been on 2 cruises now and am converted!) but it would be a shame not to eat in the restaurants for some of the evenings, the food is amazing and IMO superior to the buffet!

Thanks Sidge. We would wear trousers and a smart top out for dinner anyway. My concern was more about wearing dresses (I don't do dresses). We wouldn't wear jeans or sport stuff for dinner - Honest :) The impression I got when friends have relayed their cruising experiences is that we would have to doll up to the nines every evening for dinner. We could make an exception once or twice but the thought of having to dress up (over the top) every evening really put us off.

Thank you. You have been helpful :)

It does vary with the different companies, we have only sailed with Royal Caribbean and on formal nights it was everything from black tie/ball gown to lounge suit/jersey maxi and everything in between, trousers and smart top would be fine. There were three formal nights in a 14 night cruise. We are total casual dressers but it was ok and we changed straight back into more comfy clothes after dinner, as I can't walk in smart shoes and you can cover a fair distance of an evening, but most people stayed dressed up for the rest of the evening.

This site gives details of the various companies' dress codes:
www.cruisecritic.co.uk/articles.cfm?ID=545

Perfect! Thanks Tricky :D

I've been NCL and Thomsons (wouldn't really recommend thomsons though) and don't think I dressed up all..
I want to do royal caribbean next..
I'm too scared to try the other lines as I'm scared they're too posh. I don't want to get dressed up and I don't want to have dinner served to me in a fancy restaurant where u have to sit next to people you don't know. Ha ha

MSC are more relaxed compared to some cruise lines, you can dress up or dress casually and you can eat in the main dining room - buffet at a time that suits you and not get dressed up or in the other dining rooms that have 2 sittings and have theme nights.

MSC are more relaxed compared to some cruise lines, you can dress up or dress casually and you can eat in the main dining room - buffet at a time that suits you and not get dressed up or in the other dining rooms that have 2 sittings and have theme nights.

MSC are more relaxed compared to some cruise lines, you can dress up or dress casually and you can eat in the main dining room - buffet at a time that suits you and not get dressed up or in the other dining rooms that have 2 sittings and have theme nights.

MSC are more relaxed compared to some cruise lines, you can dress up or dress casually and you can eat in the main dining room - buffet at a time that suits you and not get dressed up or in the other dining rooms that have 2 sittings and have theme nights.

MSC are more relaxed compared to some cruise lines, you can dress up or dress casually and you can eat in the main dining room - buffet at a time that suits you and not get dressed up or in the other dining rooms that have 2 sittings and have theme nights.

MSC are more relaxed compared to some cruise lines, you can dress up or dress casually and you can eat in the main dining room - buffet at a time that suits you and not get dressed up or in the other dining rooms that have 2 sittings and have theme nights.

MSC are more relaxed compared to some cruise lines, you can dress up or dress casually and you can eat in the main dining room - buffet at a time that suits you and not get dressed up or in the other dining rooms that have 2 sittings and have theme nights.

Oops I don't know why my post has been duplicated so many times, I've reported this issue.

We have cruised with royal Caribbean a few times.

They have formal nights when we did full on long evening dresses and black tie. We tended to get changed for dinner every night but not everybody does. I dressed mainly in cocktail dresses or evening trousers and top for the non formal nights. There were people who were very casual. The main formal dining room may require a jacket for men.

There are lots of restaurants on board and some are more formal than others - some people eat in the buffet lounge in the evening.

Our cruises had a white night - perhaps something to consider.

My impression is that P&O are the most formal. Royal Caribbean are next. Thompson are the least formal. I am tempted to try a P&O cruise although we now have a baby and RC are great for families

P and o are very informal compared to Cunard,which is most formal and you will see full length gowns and tuxes on there.