Casual Dress on Alaska Cruises

[DreaminofOz]

My father, 18 yr old daughter and I are planning on going on an Alaskan cruise in 2011. My question is, my father is a very casual dresser-jeans, long sleeve t's, sweatshirts, and flannel shirts are the norm for him in cool/cold weather. On which cruiseline do most people tend to dress more casually? This is a dream trip for my dad and I don't want him to feel 'out of place' based on his wardrobe.

 

Thanks.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

I would check out Norwegian Cruise Line.

[Yukon]

You probably want NCL - no formal nights at all.

[trophy_23]

I had no hesitation to walk around the shipin sweat or jeans during the day on HAL, but come dinner time I would clean up a bit. If your looking for an all around casual experience NCL as mentioned above.

[c-cruise]

The dress you described will be fine during the day on any of the major lines in Alaska either onboard or in port. it is more in the evening and in the dining rooms that any sort of dress code would apply. If he would want to stick to jeans and sweatshirts for dinner then yeah, NCL would be the way to go.

[GranMona]

My father, 18 yr old daughter and I are planning on going on an Alaskan cruise in 2011. My question is, my father is a very casual dresser-jeans, long sleeve t's, sweatshirts, and flannel shirts are the norm for him in cool/cold weather. On which cruiseline do most people tend to dress more casually? This is a dream trip for my dad and I don't want him to feel 'out of place' based on his wardrobe.

 

Thanks.

My husband is also a casual dresser. Your Dad will feel right at home on any of the Alaska cruises! For the dining room at night my husband will where a pair of slacks and a casual shirt. We do not take any formal wear anymore, we are very comfortable going to the other dining choices on cruises when it is 'formal' night. Make your choice of cruises based on ports and price, not on what you have to wear for dining!

[PennyAgain]

Especially since all the baggage fees for flying went in, people in general are not dressing up on Alaska cruises.

 

I have never, ever dressed formally on an Alaskan cruise even on HAL and never was turned away from my dinner!

[ellbon]

i hit Chico's for pants and tops for Alaska for dinner. formal night comes right from Chico's. .with a 3 week trip i am over dressing up.

[Assateague Island Princes]

Others are right - during the day on the ship, he will be right at home in his chosen wardrobe - even on HAL. And if you don't mind eating dinner in the Lido, that same wardrobe is fine at night on HAL. We've given up formal nights on HAL for Alaska - the Lido or room serice works well for us, and we have no interest in getting dressed up. We do take dockers and a nice shirt for my husband, and I'll wear black pants and a pretty blouse w/blazer for casual nights in the MDR, but even then, we'll only go to the main dining room once or twice, most likely on a day with a short port time. We happen to love the Lido after a long active day in an Alaskan port, and we so enjoy room service on our balcony as well, particularly on formal nights. Don't discount HAL, or Celebrity or Princess, but NCL is certainly a no-dress up option to consider.

[Yukon]

Don't discount HAL, or Celebrity or Princess, but NCL is certainly a no-dress up option to consider.

 

While you may not get tossed off at the next port, most cruise lines have a policy that's similar to HAL's:

 

"On festive Formal evenings, ladies wear a cocktail dress or gown and gentlemen wear a suit and tie or tuxedo. ... In order to complement your fellow guests, Holland America Line asks that you observe the suggested dress code throughout the entire evening."

 

The full document is at http://www.hollandamerica.com/assets/cruise-vacation-onboard/KBYG.pdf

[mr green]

NCL. However, you only get what you pay for.

 

john

[buddy&bella]

we went to alaska 3 years ago on princess, my husband is a levi guy only. he wore his 501's in the anytime dining room on casual nites and was fine as others wore levi's also. on the formal nites we went to the specialty rest. and the other nite we did room service. btw, leiv's were new and clean. :D

[luvwdw]

I can't live without Chico's Travelers! That's all I take on cruises for dinner wear and I get along just fine.

[luvwdw]

Just told my husband that we're not taking dressy clothes on this cruise and that we will just eat in other locations. He's thrilled!! I'm thinking it's going to be hard enough to keep to one suitcase per person with taking warmer clothes and heavier shoes (always cruise the Caribbean, so this is quite different). I'm already in a panic over how I'm going to do this! LOL

[1Alaska]

i was absolutely fine on HAL last August with only casual clothes. I ate in the Lido each night and avoided the main floor of the showroom in case my nice, but casual clothes offended anyone (Which they did not). As a solo traveler on a 14 day cruise, I could not fit any more clothing into my suitcase. I travel HAL because of the benefits of the line and the expertise with which they sail Alaska. Casual will be fine on HAL in Alaska.

[DreaminofOz]

Thanks for all the feedback. Sounds like my dad will be fine regarding wardrobe. We will just make alternate plans if we go with a cruiseline that does have formal nights.

 

We are just waiting for everyone to get their 2011 itineraries out. From another thread on here sounds like most of them should be out by the end of this week:). Hopefully we will be able to make a decision when I am at their house over Easter weekend.

 

Again thanks for the info:)

[mkinmidtn]

I would add Carnival to the mix. They are more casual and instead of a formal night they have elegant night. There Alaska 2011 cruises are out now. Have a great time which ever line you choose!!

[ParrothdJH]

While you may not get tossed off at the next port, most cruise lines have a policy that's similar to HAL's:

 

"On festive Formal evenings, ladies wear a cocktail dress or gown and gentlemen wear a suit and tie or tuxedo. ... In order to complement your fellow guests, Holland America Line asks that you observe the suggested dress code throughout the entire evening."

 

The full document is at http://www.hollandamerica.com/assets/cruise-vacation-onboard/KBYG.pdf

Operative word here is "suggested".

[kg4pit]

my husband and I have been on several cruises. Only on one of those did we "dress up" as in evening gown and suit. On the others, I wore a nice dress and my husband wore dress pants and shirt. Don't miss out on the formal night if you really want to go, your dad can wear dress pants and shirt. It is an experience you don't want to miss. On nights other than formal, my husband wore nice jeans or khakis and a polo shirt. I tell people as long as you don't go in with a tank top and your "daisy dukes", you will be fine.

BTW, the cruise lines we have been on: Royal Caribbean, NCL (Hawaii) and Carnival.

Go and have a great time.

[slumdogtexan]

I am a TOTAL casual dress guy. Jeans (good one) and Polo shirt everyday. I will be on Princess. Am I going to be odd man out ?

[Rosieo]

We were on HAL last summer and the first night I got dressed up, nice pants and blouse but many people were in jeans. From then on we wore jeans every night like many others. But on the formal nights we did not see any jeans at all and we did dress up on the formal nights.

[Jen1000]

Include Carnival too. Based on 2 cruises to Mexico I think he will be fine by day for sure. In the main dining room at night people dress up a bit more but I saw people in jeans. The buffet is open each night for dinner so you can eat there, especially on cruise elegant night (people are not to wear jeans those nights in the MDR). You can wear what you want to the buffet. I was just having this conversation with my Dad regarding our upcoming Carnival cruise to Alaska in Sept. and I said I even saw someone in a bathrobe at the buffet a couple of times!

 

My Mom cruised HAL to Alaska and they did not eat dinner at the MDR at all so that they could dress casually for dinner. She said the food was excellent at the buffet.

 

I have heard mixed reports on NCL. So investigate the itinerary you want and then the cruise line to make sure it meets your expectations. I know what I am getting on Carnival but it may not be what everyone looks for in a cruise.

 

Jen in SoCal

 

My father, 18 yr old daughter and I are planning on going on an Alaskan cruise in 2011. My question is, my father is a very casual dresser-jeans, long sleeve t's, sweatshirts, and flannel shirts are the norm for him in cool/cold weather. On which cruiseline do most people tend to dress more casually? This is a dream trip for my dad and I don't want him to feel 'out of place' based on his wardrobe.

 

Thanks.