Dressing up for dinner is something that’s always been special about cruising. Ships are their own floating worlds and every night can be a party where people are dressed in their best.
While the glamor remains, the formality has faded on many ships, as generations who have grown up in jeans take to cruising. And with airlines charging for checked baggage and cracking down on luggage weight, there’s more incentive than ever to leave gala outfits and dancing shoes off the packing lists.
That’s led even the staunchest upholders of the formal tradition to loosen their ties, and many lines have now declared all their evenings casual, or they define their gala evenings as some version of “elegant casual” or “formal optional.” But that still means thinking of evenings on a cruise as special events and dressing up accordingly.
However, the baffling array of current dress-code euphemisms: “Smart casual” “country club”, “evening” or “elegant” or “resort” casual can leave even the most fashion-savvy at a loss for what to pack for non-formal nights.
The easy answer: ladies can lift up their casual look with interesting jewelry, higher heels, glittering sandals or an evening handbag and a bit of attitude. Gentlemen can never go wrong with a sports jacket or blazer over an open-collared shirt or polo. Generally speaking, save the T-shirts, shorts and beachwear for daytime.
Here’s a guide to decoding the new cruise line dress codes:
THE FORMAL SET
Crystal Cruises
The line which in the past often featured three formal-dress nights on two-week cruises has relaxed its dress code: Most evenings are now Crystal Casual, which for women means a dress, or a blouse or sweater and skirt or dressy slacks. Men’s Crystal Casual attire can include a sport coat, dress shirt, button-down shirt, open-collar or collared polo shirt and dress pants or trousers. The code adds: “No tie required; no jeans please.” There are still Black Tie Optional evenings and the suggested dress for men is a tuxedo or dark suit with tie, but increasingly guests opt for a jacket or blazer, with tie optional. For women, the recommendations are a cocktail dress, evening gown or dressy evening separates.
Cunard Line
The classic line remains the head of the fashion class. “The glamor of dressing to the nines is a hallmark of travelling with Cunard, and distinguishes us from the mass of cruise operators where dressing up has become a thing of the past,” says Peter Shanks, president of Cunard Line. As many as three Formal Evenings a week require “an evening or cocktail dress or smart trouser suit for ladies. A tuxedo, dinner jacket or dark suit with appropriate neckwear for men or you may wear formal national dress and military uniform.”
However, in response to growing travel trends, Cunard recently adjusted its advice on dress codes for other nights: On Informal Evenings, jackets are required, but ties are optional. The sole exception is on Queen Victoria’s embarkation days in the Mediterranean, where a jacket is optional for men.
P&O Cruises
Upholding the British black-tie tradition, P&O Cruises schedules four Gala Evenings on a two-week cruise in which ladies are encouraged to wear “glamorous evening wear including cocktail dresses, ball gowns or even smart trouser suits.” Dinner jackets or tuxedos are the norm for men, but a dark business suit or “formal national dress” are also considered appropriate.
Other nights are Evening Casual, meaning resort wear such as casual separates or dresses for ladies and open-neck polo shirts and long trousers (not shorts or 3/4 length trousers) for men. A jacket can be worn but it’s not compulsory. Smart dark denim is also fine, but not trainers, football shirts or tracksuits, the line advises.
Seabourn Cruise Line
There were two formal evenings on a recent two-week cruise on Seabourn Sojourn along the coast of Norway. Even though dark suits were an option of Formal Nights for men, many still opted for dinner jackets. And the women had brought cocktail dresses, sequined tops and their showiest jewelry.
Seabourn guests are well-dressed throughout the day Even the evenings described as Elegant Casual were dressier—at least for men–than any dinner party I’ve seen ashore in a long time. Elegance means men wear a jacket, with or without tie, and women wear skirt or slacks with a blouse.
Silversea Cruises
One of the most dressy cruise lines, Silversea is allowing less formality for those dining in its casual restaurants on formal evenings, but even then, jackets are required.
Sailings of nine days or less typically feature one formal night, while longer voyages usually have two or three formal nights. Appropriate formal evening wear for ladies is an evening gown or cocktail dress; gentlemen wear tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits, with tie required. Most other evenings are informal, defined as pants, blouses, skirts and casual dresses for ladies; open-neck collared shirts and slacks for gentlemen. On casual evenings, pants, blouses, skirts and casual dresses for ladies; open-neck shirts and slacks for gentlemen are appropriate.
Things are more relaxed on Silversea’s seven-day sailings in the Baltic, Mediterranean and Alaska, where formal night is optional. Guests may choose to dress informally instead, though a jacket is still required for gentlemen.
For Silversea Expeditions guests, casual resort wear is appropriate at all times when on board, but there are two informal evenings that for men require a jacket, with tie optional.
GET AS DRESSY AS YOU LIKE
Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity says it this way: “Goodbye to Formal Night, and hello to Evening Chic. It’s your time to shine—your way.” Women should feel comfortable wearing a cocktail dress, or skirt pants or designer jeans with an elegant top. Gentlemen can go with a dress shirt, button-down shirt or sweater along with pants or designer jeans. Sport coat or blazer are optional. Other nights are Smart Casual and women should feel comfortable wearing skirt, pants or jeans with a casual top while men can choose slacks or jeans with a short-sleeve sport shirt.
Costa Cruises
Two gala Formal Nights are standard on seven-night cruises and ladies are advised to wear evening gowns or cocktail dresses and men are encouraged to wear tuxedos or dark suits with ties. All other evenings are Resort Casual, with Costa saying “gentlemen generally wear sport coats and slacks, while ladies wear resort attire.”
Disney Cruise Line
Three- and four-night cruises feature one Dress-up Night. A seven-night cruise features one Formal and one Semi-formal Night. “Dress-up” means jacket for men and dress or pantsuit for women. The semi-formal recommendation is a jacket for men and dress or pant suit for women. Formal is the dressiest evening and can include a tuxedo for men or a gown for women, but an option is an outfit similar to semi-formal wear, dressed up with a tie for men. Other nights are Cruise Casual, with the only limits being no swimwear or tank tops.
Holland America Line
The line has a couple of Gala Nights per cruise, but has relaxed its recommendations. Tuxedos and gowns are still welcomed, and men’s rental formal wear can be ordered in advance for use on board, but there’s much less emphasis on them in the dress recommendations. Jacket or collared shirt and slacks for men and elegant dresses, skirts, or slacks for ladies is the new norm for Gala evenings.
Most nights are Smart Casual, and the suggestion is a collared shirt and slacks for men and dresses or trousers and a blouse for women. The only absolute no-nos are shorts, beach wear or men’s tank tops in the fine dining alternative restaurants.
MSC Cruises
There are generally two Gala Nights on cruises and there may be a third on cruises over seven days, in which men are requested to wear a suit or jacket and tie and women a cocktail dress. Casual resort wear is the standard for other evenings, with jeans discouraged and shorts are not allowed after 6 p.m. There are also theme parties, and guests are encouraged to: “bring your finest 60s and 70s floral gear to step back in time at the Flower Glory Party and pack white clothing to join the White Party, as well as something green, white and red to celebrate in true Italian style during the MSC Little Italy entertainment.”
Royal Caribbean International
There was a great deal of confusion in the spring of 2017 when Royal Caribbean eased its dress restrictions and seemed to say shorts were acceptable for dinner on casual evenings. The line did a turnaround after guest protests and the new rules set more elegant standards and a once a week Formal Night recommending “suits and ties, tuxedos, cocktail dresses or evening gowns.”
But formal is disappearing. According to the Royal Caribbean Blog a “Wear Your Best” night with a suggestion to “get glamorous” is replacing formal on an increasing number of ships, including Harmony, Mariner, Navigator, Anthem, and Enchantment of the Seas.
Other nights are Smart Casual, “think of this as a step up from your typical dinner wear and wear collared shirts, dresses, skirts and blouses, or pantsuits.” And early and late in the cruise Casual Nights, have a recommendation that “jeans, polos, sundresses and blouses” are fine, but guests are asked to “keep swimwear to the Pool Deck. Shorts and tanks will be accepted for breakfast and lunch, but not in the main dining rooms at dinner.”
Princess Cruises
You should dress for a cruise with Princess the same way you would for any stylish land-based resort, the line recommends. There’s one Formal Evening per week and the recommendation is evening gown, cocktail dress or elegant pantsuits for ladies; suit, jacket and slacks or dinner jackets for gentlemen. Princess Cruises offers formal wear rental on all cruises.
For Smart Casual Evenings, “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 polo shirt for gentlemen. Shorts and swimwear are not allowed in the restaurant.
ALWAYS CASUAL, BUT HAVE FUN
Azamara
There are no set formal nights, but “In keeping with our friendly yet sophisticated onboard environment, we encourage guests to follow a Resort Casual dress code,” the line recommends.
For women that means: “sportswear, casual dresses, skirts, pants and capris, blouses and knit tops. Light fabrics such as linen, cotton, silk, and wool gabardine are always appropriate.” For men:” sportswear, collared golf and polo shirts, shorts, pants, and a sport coat if desired (not required). Light fabrics such as linen, cotton, silk, and wool gabardine are best.”
It’s casual, but not too casual. “Out of respect for others, bare feet, tank tops, baseball caps, bathing suits, shorts, and torn/distressed jeans are not allowed in the dining room or specialty restaurants. When dining at Windows Café, guests must wear footwear and a cover-up or shirt.”
Formal evening wear is not expected nor required, but “If you prefer to dress more formally, you are welcome to do so.”
Carnival Cruise Lines
It’s Cruise Casual most nights, but two nights a week are generally described as Cruise Elegant. That’s defined as: “Men can wear suits or dress slacks with a sport coat and dress shirt. For women, cocktail dresses, pantsuits or elegant skirts and blouses are appropriate.” You’ll find many couples get very dressy on elegant evenings. Tuxedos and gowns are not unheard of, particularly on evenings when photographers set up for portraits.
For casual nights, suggested wear for ladies are sundresses, casual skirts and blouses, pants, capris, dress shorts or jeans. For men: sport slacks, khakis, full length jeans or Bermudas and collared shirts. Carnival frowns on cut-offs, tee-shirts, gym shorts, baseball hats and bathing attire when dining in a restaurant in the evening.
An option for fun is to bring some ’80s nostalgia gear for the “Rock-N-Glow” party evening and Caribbean festive wear for the Mega Deck Party on cruises of six days or more.
Hurtigruten
The dress code aboard the Norwegian line’s expedition ships is relaxed and casual, and you are not expected to dress formally for meals. Sportswear and sweaters are good options for evenings.
Norwegian Cruise Line
The Freestyle cruise line is casual all the time, but still has some recommendations for what’s appropriate at dinner time in its specialty restaurants. “Dress Smart Casual in our more formal dining room or in our more upscale specialty restaurants. For women, it includes slacks or jeans, dresses, skirts and tops. For men, it’s jeans or slacks with a collared shirt and closed-toed shoes.” A new event is an optional dress up Norwegian’s Night Out. Cruisers might also want to pack an all-white ensemble for the line’s signature White Hot or Glow parties.
Oceania Cruises
Recommended on-board clothing is resort or Country Club Casual day or night. For evening dining, “elegant casual resort wear is suggested.” Passengers tend to be dressy after 6 in the evening; no jacket is required although many men wear them, sans tie, for captain’s receptions and in the alternative restaurants. Jeans, shorts, T-shirts and tennis shoes are not appropriate in the evening.
Paul Gauguin Cruises
Country club casual or Elegant Resort wear is appropriate dress for all evenings and consists of dresses, or skirts or slacks with blouses or sweaters for women, and slacks and collared shirts for men. No ties are required at any time, although men may opt to wear jackets to the Captain’s Welcome Reception. There’s one Polynesian Theme night where tropical wear is encouraged.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
There’s only one dress code every evening: Elegant Casual. On longer cruises of more than two weeks there are two Formal Optional evenings. Men tend to wear sport jackets and collared shirts in the evening and women dresses, skirts or slacks and blouses or sweaters. You’ll want to get dressiest in the alternative Chartreuse and Prime 7 restaurants.
Star Clippers
It’s all casual all the time, but the folks who book these sailing ships also like to clean up after a day of play ashore. No shorts or t-shirts is the evening dress code and it makes sense since the dining rooms are air conditioned. Evening wardrobes tend to be long pants and collared shirts for men and sweaters or blouses for women.
Sea Dream Yacht Club
Yacht Casual is the dress code around the ship after six, meaning no shorts or jeans. “Evening dress for gentlemen includes slacks or pants, closed-toe shoes, pressed collared shirt, jacket (if desired). For ladies, dress or skirt, blouse or casually elegant top, and pants are appropriate.”
Viking Ocean Cruises
Evening dress is “elegant casual” for all dining venues after 6:00 p.m., performances and special events. 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. A jacket but no tie is the best option for the specialty restaurants. The World Café is casual at all times.
Virgin Voyages
Virgin Voyages says cruisers (called “sailors”) will be able to wear “whatever makes them feel comfortable” at any of the more than 20 restaurants, lounges and casual eateries onboard. That may not make it easier to figure out what to pack for a cruise on this fashion-forward line due to debut in 2020. The crew will be dressed in gear with capes, suspenders and red sneakers by UK designer Gareth Pugh. There will be drag brunches and lots of opportunities to dance, so…be creative.
Windstar Cruises
The evening attire on-board Windstar is specified as Casual Elegance— “with the emphasis weighted heavily on the casual” However, the line adds “please note the dinner dress code in AmphorA and Stella Bistro requests no t-shirts, shorts, jeans, hats or flip-flops.” Turn it up a notch to Country Club casual for Candles. The line suggests men pack slacks and collared shirts or polos and women sundresses, slacks or informal cocktail dresses for evenings.
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