What type of clothing should we bring?
 

We are going on the Majesty of the Seas early next year and wish to know what kind of clothes we should bring, particularly for evenings. We are going on a 4 night cruise. What is appropriate for casual nights and what is appropriate for formal night? What is appropriate for children (boys, ages 7 and 11) for those nights? Must men/boys wear jackets on formal night or would a nice sweater and tie with khaki's work? I am assuming a dress for me...must it be a cocktail type dress or will a dressy sundress be alright?

I am going on the Majesty Labor Day weekend for a 3 night cruise. For casual nights capri pants and a nice top/blous is fine. I just bought a mid-calf black dress for formal night. It is simple and elegant - you don't need a fancy ball gown. I don't think a sundress is appropriate, but I can be wrong. When I was on their 4 night cruise, most of the people did dress up. I don't think that a sweater and khakis are appropriate at all for formal night. They don't have to wear a tux, but they should definitely wear a suit or jacket and a nice pair of black slacks. Hope this helps

Prior to every cruise that I have ever taken I have received information from the cruiseline as to what is appropriate clothing on each type of night. In general, on the short cruises (such as a 4 day cruise) you will have more cheapskates who don't follow the rules. Bottom line, on a formal night, a man should wear a tux or a dark suit. So, no, a nice sweater and tie with khakis is NOT appropriate for formal night. Khakis are appropriate for casual nights.

Must men and boys wear a dark suit or would a suit jacket and dress pants with a shirt and tie be OK?

snorkelman,

I am no cheapskate - as a matter of fact, 10 days after my 3 night I will be cruising the Greek Islands. However, I do know what you mean about the class of people on short cruises - but it is a nice weekend get-a-way.

Mass Mom,
If you have a suit jacket, what happened to the pants from the suit? Formal means formal!!

Jeeeezzzz Anitafla...I was just asking a question. My husband has a navy suit jacket and often wears it with dark grey dress slacks (with a shirt and tie, of course). He has worn this to evening affairs and has always been dressed appropriately. I was just wondering if RCCL cruises were so much more formal that this would be unacceptable. Must the jacket and pants be of the exact same color?

Mass Mom,

The jacket and slacks outfit you have described for your husband to wear will be quite appropriate for a formal evening.
I have often thought that a nice blazer or jacket and dress slacks have looked a lot nicer than some of the TACKY Tuxes I have seen worn for formal occasions. Enjoy your cruise.

I think the confusion might be that Mass mom is talking about a blazer and has referred to it as a suit jacket. Simple mix-up, but many people wear blazers on formal night and technically that is NOT appropriate, although people who do not own a suit will not realize this.

If your husband THOUGHT that he was dressed appropriately wearing a blazer on a formal night on a different line, then he will have the same impression on RCCL. Although if you read the paperwork, I think that it will say that a blazer is actually appropriate for casual or another type of night. I think that the paperwork is clear that on formal night a tux or a dark suit is what is expected.

If you don't own one and don't want to buy one, then wear the blazer or eat at the windjammer.

It's not necessary for children to be dressed up in a suit and tie. They will be fine with a sweater and khakis.

The usual stuff.

The cruise line requests a dark suit or tux for men on formal night. A simple request to follow. A blazer with contrasting pants is not a suit.

As to kids, nowhere is it written they are exempt. Some on my previous cruise wore tux as did their fathers. It is a good thing for children to learn at an early age that society has expectations of them.

I will be on a RCCL cruise in August. The dress guidelines they lay out for men is:

Casual: Khakis and polo style shirt
"Smart" Casual: Jacket and tie
Formal: Suit or Tux

I find it interesting that they can use tie and casual in the same tone with "Smart" casual. To me, once you put on a tie, you are no longer in the realm of casual.

This will be the 2nd cruise me and my wife will be taking. On our first cruise I wasn't even aware that there was a dress code for dinner. If there was, it was never enforced. My wife and I wore to dinner pretty much whatever we felt like which was usually whatever we were wearing on shore. Most of the time that was a pair of shorts and a polo or tshirt for me and a summer dress or shorts/tshirt for my wife. No one gave us any looks and we never felt uncomfortable while dining. It was a 4 day cruise so maybe it was more laid back but yet still, I SERIOUSLY doubt you will be denied food because you don't match their dress code guidelines.

I will wear khakis and a polo for casual... I will wear a suit for formal... but I will not wear a jacket for "smart" casual. I do not like blazers and as such, do not even currently own one. I will wear dress slacks and a shirt/tie which to me is dressed up for something called "smart" casual...but I will be coming sans the jacket.

The more cruises I go on, the less I stress about dress. Wearing a sport jacket & tie and (gasp!) khakis, I didn't feel at all out of place on formal nights: plenty of people dressed up more, but many were less-well-dressed.

"I SERIOUSLY doubt you will be denied food because you don't match their dress code guidelines."

Stay on RCCL. You will find other cruise lines DO enforce their dress code.

"Stay on RCCL. You will find other cruise lines DO enforce their dress code."

Which ones? People I have spoke with that have been on numerous cruises tell me they have never seen anyone denied food because they didn't match the dress code.

Argumentative, aren't we? I've talked with people who say the world is flat.

Try HAL, Cunard, Princess, Seabourn, Radisson, Celebrity. On each, I have seen [not heard] people turned away by the maitre d'. Granted, it depends on the maitre d'hotel, and does not happen on all cruises.

I agree that people will continue to ignore the dress code. Until they start enforcing it by turning people away, it will never be respected. RCCL and Carnival simply attract more people who do not dress appropriately and they need to start turning people away. They will not go hungry, because there are other locations to eat.

The first step is the hardest, but picture this. If Carnival started enforcing the dress code policy then people would come back from their cruise complaining and posting stuff on these boards and everyone will realize that Carnival takes it seriously. Within a year, travel agents will know about the new enforcement policy and they will tell their customers. It will become as standard as the life-boat drill and people will talk about REMEMBER WHEN THEY USED TO LET PEOPLE IN THE DINING ROOM UNDERDRESSED?