Croisi Gala Evenings

Can anyone help me find the definition of "casual dressy" as stated in the Croisi FAQ on dress codes as it relates to evening meals and gala events?

I've always managed to find these spelled out with the big ocean cruise lines, but am struggling here.

And if anyone has any first hand knowledge of passenger dress on these nights, I'd appreciate it.

This doesn't sound like "formal" nights, but this may be in the spirit of that, in which case I'm not sure if we are talking about suits and ties, a sport coat, a ban on jeans or anything of that nature.

Thanks

We've not been on a Croisi cruise but when we were scouting around for our first river cruise, I looked at all the companies so I'm familiar with all the websites. Croisi doesn't seem on the formal side so I'd hazard a guess that when they say "casual dressy" they mean--at least in my eyes--for men nice quality polo shirts or button down shirts and maybe khaki pants or better dress jeans or Dockers pants? Not t-shirts for dinner. And for women, silky or knit tops and nice pants and heels if you like them or dresses. In other words, pretty much what you're used to on ocean cruises. When we were on Viking (our first river cruise) we found people dressed for dinner the same as they did on ocean cruises.

Casual dressy for ladies I say think Chico's and for men a nice pair of slacks or chinos and a button down shirt or other nice shirt.

We say no ties and maybe a jacket but frankly I remember no jackets and zero ties. I packed my DH and he was more dressed than most with his button down Oxford shirts

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One caveat is that Croisi is a French line, and most posters here have experience with American or American-focused lines. I would be able to explain dress standards on AMA, but would not want to mislead you by extending that to Croisi.

Host Jazz makes a good point. As an English speaker you may well also find yourself in a very small minority.

Well, we don't mind being among the best dressed but we don't want to pack more than we have to or feel out of place. Dress codes are supposed to be about comfort for all but in this case it doesn't seem to be helping. Early May cruise on the lower Danube for what it's worth.

I have been on 4 Croisi trips with the 5th in August. Normal evenings ladies wore smart dresses or trousers and tops with most men dressed in casual trousers and normal shirts. On my first gala night I wore smart trousers, long sleeved shirt, tie and jacket. I was in the minority and now no longer pack a jacket. In fact my last 2 trips Douro and Po I was in the minority with a long sleeved shirt and tie on the gala evening. Ladies semed more dressier on the gala nights with many in longer dresses (regret I am not an expert on female fashion). The interesting thing is no one batted an eyelid over what was worn. On the Douro trip in 2014 the majority of the passengers were English speakers with just one couple from the USA. At dinner the man always wore shorts and a tee shirt apart from the gala when he wore shorts and a short sleeved normal shirt. Hope this is of some help to you

Am going on my 3rd Croisi trip in Oct. All have been with Road Scholar. We have our own guide and do our own tours. Dress is like any of the lines which cater to pax from many countries. Never saw shorts on the dining room at dinner. People tend to dress comfortably. The gala evening was the last evening on board and only saw one gentleman in a jacket. IMO it is not practical to get all dressed up for dinner when you have a very early flight the next morning. My own rule is dress for myself and DH--will probably not ever see anyone from the boat again. Also am most comfortable in slacks and nice tops. DH wears the pants that can convert to shorts during the day and dockers and a polo or dress shirt at nite.. Enjoy. Pat

Thanks folks, I think that's what I needed to know.

Hi exbiologist,

First, thanks for taking a cruise with CroisiEurope!

I thought I would clarify this point if I may! During the day, casual dress is best as you will be moving around and taking our tours. In the dining room, we recommend slacks, but there is certainly no requirements such as Suit and Tie. Simply dress how you would be comfortable going out to eat in a Restaurant.

I hope that is helpful, and please don't hesitate to give us a call with questions of this nature.

Best,

CroisiEurope America Team

800 768 7232

Thanks, so how does a "gala" night differ from a regular night?

Hello again!

The Gala Evening is a special occasion - a farewell to the ship, the crew, and your new friends. Guests tend to dress up a bit more this evening - so if you do bring a blazer or a special dress, this would be a good time to wear it. Again, it is not required, but wouldn't be out of place.

Enjoy!

CroisiEurope America Team

Thank you!

I'll just resurrect this to say that on my cruise, my wife definitely felt like she didn't pack anything nice enough after seeing how the other men and women were dressing. We read this and thought it would be pretty casual, however, nearly every single man had at least a tie and Or sport coat, including several in full suits on gala night.

I did fine, and was not over dressed with sport coat and tie.

I'll just resurrect this to say that on my cruise, my wife definitely felt like she didn't pack anything nice enough after seeing how the other men and women were dressing. We read this and thought it would be pretty casual, however, nearly every single man had at least a tie and Or sport coat, including several in full suits on gala night.

I did fine, and was not over dressed with sport coat and tie.

I really am shocked. What was the nationality make up of your cruise? Even last year on the Seine where a lot of French were on board there was still a casualness about the restaurant even on Gala Night.

I don't remember exact numbers, but we were the only Americans, one German, two Argentines, some Belgians, and basically everyone else was French. No Spanish, British, Italian or Eastern Europeans.

It was a 12 night cruise if that matters.

Hello again!

We hope you enjoyed your cruise with us, and many thanks for following up. The dress on the Gala Evening can be skewed based on who is traveling, and we are sorry if you felt under dressed! We never want to encourage people to pack more, and we never want anyone to feel over burdened, so we don't set dress requirements on our Gala Evenings. This can lead to a variety of options, but our message is: Dress how you are comfortable! Most important is to enjoy!