What is the minimum I need to buy?

We are going on our first cruise soon (7 night Alaska). I'm trying to figure out what is the minimum amount of clothes I need to buy for dinner. I don't own a jacket or any slacks and I only own 1 collared shirt (I'm a programmer, so I'm in t-shirts and shorts every day ;-)

The cruise will have 2 gala nights and the rest will be smart casual (which apparently means jeans and a collard shirt?).

So, do I need to buy a jacket? I've never bought a jacket. Where do I buy one from? Are there different kinds?

How many collared shirts do I need to buy?

Does slacks basically mean any pants that aren't jeans?

Thanks for any insights!

I have a feeling this is a wind-up--I know that there are some men who do not own a jacket, but how does anyone not know where to buy a jacket????? It's clothing, go to a clothing store or clothing website. But you don't even need to bother to do that.

In case you're serious, here are some answers. No, you do not need a jacket for gala nights. Don't need a tie, either. The minimum for the dining room is a collared shirt and slacks--yes, slacks are long trousers that are not jeans. Unless you're inclined to spill, you can wear the one collared shirt for both gala nights. If you're traveling with someone who might prefer you to dress up more, ask him/her if it's OK to wear the same shirt for two dinners.

Or, if you don't want to dress up that much, you may have dinner at the buffet, which does not follow the dining room dress code. So you can wear jeans and a t-shirt to dinner there on gala nights.

The dress code for men for Gala Night on HAL is pretty straightforward--slacks and a collared shirt. ("Slacks" does not mean "jeans"). You don't need to buy a jacket or even a tie for HAL.

And you can easily get by with just one collared shirt. You'll only be wearing it for about an hour at dinner and unless you have an unfortunate accident on the first Gala Night, that shirt should be clean enough to wear again on the second Gala Night.

DH now wears chinos and a collared long sleeve shirt (sometimes a tie) for Gala. He's a programmer also, and I'm going to venture to guess a bit older than you.😉

I'm smiling inside about your wardrobe, and how business cultures are so different. I was preparing for my first Developers workshop at Microsoft HQ (Paul Sheriff on WPF* 😀) and had decided to wear a suit. (That's what I would wear to my primary professions conferences). DH said no- wear jeans or chinos and tshirt. I went in chinos and polo shirt. He was so right.... and culture shock #2 came a little later at a break when I realized there were some 300+ men and less than 6 ladies in attendance.

* yep- it was awhile ago.

I have a feeling this is a wind-up--I know that there are some men who do not own a jacket, but how does anyone not know where to buy a jacket????? It's clothing, go to a clothing store or clothing website. But you don't even need to bother to do that.

Thanks. No, I'm not joking ;-) I work as a developer for a large sporting goods manufacturer, so I typically do all of my clothes "shopping" at employee sample sales or the employee store. I probably only go clothes shopping in a real store maybe every 5 years when I'll stop by someplace like Old Navy to pick up a new pair of jeans.

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

You will not want to wear shorts ashore in Alaska.

So buy a couple of pair of slacks and a couple of colored shirts. You can send laundry out and have them washed and pressed for a small fee.

If you have Open Dining, you probably won't sit with the same people each night. I have found that other passengers don't really take notice if you repeat your wardrobe.

Have a great cruise! We did Alaska and the Mexican Riviera last year. This year we cruise the Baltic Sea.

I always suggest you invest in a pair of pants with zip-off legs, so you can go from shorts to slack in little more than an instant. EM

I suggest you take 1-2 pairs jeans, 1-2 pair dockers for dinners, a pair of shorts in case the weather is very warm, probably 4 polo shirts, and a dress shirt with long sleeves for gala nights- it's only a week! The jeans/ shorts are for on shore and the dockers for dinners in the dining room.

The more I read, the more I think I should sell 6 of my 7 suitcases on EBAY and buy a lunch pail. Any takers? :D

You will not want to wear shorts ashore in Alaska.

Culture shock... when I interviewed for current job (ERP Software Developer) I was wearing suit & tie but when I drove on campus and parked and observed employees walking between buildings I quickly shed the jacket & tie. Was still severely overdressed when I talked to the CEO who was wearing rumpled cargo pants and old white t-shirt (undershirt really).

Alaska is casual like Washington only more so. No need to buy anything special unless you want to. Especially not a jacket, save the money for excursions or souvenirs.

Culture shock... when I interviewed for current job (ERP Software Developer) I was wearing suit & tie but when I drove on campus and parked and observed employees walking between buildings I quickly shed the jacket & tie. Was still severely overdressed when I talked to the CEO who was wearing rumpled cargo pants and old white t-shirt (undershirt really).

Yes, I work for a Fortune 150 sporting goods company and the CEO typically wears jeans and a t-shirt.

Depends on where OP is from. Weather here near Puget Sound is similar enough to most of SE AK. Where I work a significant number of people wore shorts all Winter and it was the 4th coldest on record. I wore shorts well into January even on snow days.

 

Culture shock... when I interviewed for current job (ERP Software Developer) I was wearing suit & tie but when I drove on campus and parked and observed employees walking between buildings I quickly shed the jacket & tie. Was still severely overdressed when I talked to the CEO who was wearing rumpled cargo pants and old white t-shirt (undershirt really).

 

Alaska is casual like Washington only more so. No need to buy anything special unless you want to. Especially not a jacket, save the money for excursions or souvenirs.

Could not agree more (WA state native and have lived here most of my life).

Our son had the same experience 16 years ago when interviewing for a position as IT director of a large gaming company. Except he got all through the interview, was offered the job and then told to "ditch the suit".

:D

Are Alaska cruises more casual than other destinations?

The dress code for men for Gala Night on HAL is pretty straightforward--slacks and a collared shirt. ("Slacks" does not mean "jeans"). You don't need to buy a jacket or even a tie for HAL.

 

And you can easily get by with just one collared shirt. You'll only be wearing it for about an hour at dinner and unless you have an unfortunate accident on the first Gala Night, that shirt should be clean enough to wear again on the second Gala Night.

When people talk about a "collared shirt" for gala nights, would that include a polo shirt, which has a knitted collar? Or does it only mean shirts that could be worn with a tie (even if you don't)?

When people talk about a "collared shirt" for gala nights, would that include a polo shirt, which has a knitted collar? Or does it only mean shirts that could be worn with a tie (even if you don't)?

A polo shirt has a collar and thus acceptable for gala nights.

Passengers in any attire can consume the same Gala Night meal in their stateroom by calling Room Service during the dining hours and ordering it. Dinner on your veranda is a nice way to end the day.

After perusing my extensive HAL MDR and Lido Market dinner menu collection, with only a few exceptions (lobster tail and filet mignon on Gala Nights), the same dinner items are available in both the MDR and the Lido marke

If you eat all your meals in the Lido or Dive-In you can go the whole cruise with just tees and shorts/jeans.

I am a big fan of eBay for special occasion clothes - many people use them only a few times and often sell them for very little - best if you know the brand and your size in that brand, but once you do there are great bargains to be had this way. Pick easy care fabrics that you can launder once you get them - even men's wear.

But then, I have always been a great thrift store shopper - my sister and I when we were teens, would comb the shops for Lanz dresses and Capezio shoes which is a dead give-way for my generation.

After perusing my extensive HAL MDR and Lido Market dinner menu collection, with only a few exceptions (lobster tail and filet mignon on Gala Nights), the same dinner items are available in both the MDR and the Lido marke

On Oosterdam in March, the lobster and filet were available in the Lido on gala nights.

I also work in high tech where most people where jeans or shorts and printed T shirt w/ flip flops or athletic shoes. I don't wear shorts or flips, but dress super casual including jeans, plain T shirts and sneakers.

Shorts are not allowed in the MDR but you can wear them around the ship and in the Lido for dinner. I agree - it will likely be too cool in Alaska to wear them. You can wear jean (nicer ones w/o holes) on any night except for Gala nights. For those, just long pants w/ a collared shirt is acceptable.

Bring 2 pairs jeans, 1 -2 pairs of Docker type pants and a few polo or button down shirts (long or short sleeve is fine). Don't spend a lot of money. Shop on sale at any clothing store and find something you are comfortable in. I would also bring hiking pants for excursions in Alaska and a fleece plus rain resistant jacket.

On Oosterdam in March, the lobster and filet were available in the Lido on gala nights.

Sounds like a good change to me. For early diners, it could be a chance to pick up a lobster or two for a bedtime snack. Make sure to bring a few Ziploc bags.

On Oosterdam in March, the lobster and filet were available in the Lido on gala nights.

On Zuiderdam this winter, too.

Plan to take zip off pants for our trip this year. Can get good prices and quality shirts and pants at Costco or Walmart. We have slacks and polo shirts or zip pants and shirts that we have for cruises only. Pack, wear, unpack, wash and ready for packing for the next trip.

All of our cruises to Alaska have been in late July into early August. I wore shorts every day. I wore Dockers (khakis) to dinner. The minimum number of pairs of long pants I've taken has been two. No one really notices. I remember on one Celebrity cruise noticing that one of the women at our table wore the same outfit on both formal nights--but only after getting home and looking at my photos.