Oceana : Smart casual dress code help please

[Single Cruiser]

IMO I think Dinosaurs aren't extinct!! :D:D

 

Out of curiosity would you say this guy was wearing smart casual...

 

I only ask as its collarless and the kind of thing I own/wear on smart casual nights..

 

Guess I'll stick to RCI and NCL then.. :)

[Quercus]

I have said this before but being "smart" & dressing according to a dress code is not always the same thing.

Cruising is a different type of holiday, those of us who are experienced it a few times understand it & realise the way it is, it must seem odd to newcomers. Dressing how others dictate & giving what seems vast sums as tips must be an unnerving experience, some go with it, some rebel against it, just depends.

[lancashire_cruisers]

IMO I think Dinosaurs aren't extinct!! :D:D

 

Out of curiosity would you say this guy was wearing smart casual...

 

I only ask as its collarless and the kind of thing I own/wear on smart casual nights..

 

Guess I'll stick to RCI and NCL then.. :)

 

Craig

 

You'd be absolutely fine wearing that sort of style. My husband does and as of yet we've not been banned by P&O for not being correctly attired:cool:.

 

Debbie:)

[Denarius]

I dont have a problem standing out that has never bothered me.What is much more important is feeling comfortable.

What would be a problem would be if I had hassle getting in bars because I had the wrong type of shirt on.

Just checked the brochure and it says for smart casual nights

"stylish resort or leisurewear is ideal, open necked polo shirts and casual trouser(not shorts).Smart dark denim may be worn however we request the following are not worn: sportswear e.g. trainers.football shirts,tracksuits"

Designer t shirts not mentioned either way

Take the point about denims it's just that most nights in the bars the air con is cranked up that much you could do with a fur coat on:)

At one time the dress code asked you not to wear "abbreviated clothing such as tee shirts" or something to that effect, but that was dropped a couple of years ago, the implication being that P&O have moved with the times (for once) and recognised that this mode of dress is now regarded as acceptable smart casual. On my August cruise on Ventura, tee shirts were worn on casual nights - with jeamns - by a number of mainly younger passengers. On Oceana in Dec, however, I do not recall seeing any. It probably depends on ship and season.

[Denarius]

Thanks for the vast majority of the comments they are really helpful. It is going to be new to us and I'm certainly not going to let any dress code spoil the holiday in any way. Wanted to check out the situation on here, and find out the current position, so as to avoid problems later.

 

It does sound as though P&O are more "formal" than other lines and Im beginning to think Oceana may be more "formal" than other P&O Ships, Ventura for example?

 

I don't think we would ever had tried a cruise if it hadn't been for OV and now we love the concept of cruising which is like staying in a four star hotel and waking up in a different resort every morning. All we need to do now if find a style of cruising that suits us which hopefully will be Oceana. If it doesn't I suppose there are plenty more to try because land based holidays have no appeal whatsoever.

I think that P&O are trying to be less formal but are meeting strong resistence from a very vocal section of their established customer base who choose to interpret P&Os present dress code with not a little wishful thinking. If you adhere to the dress code as printed you will be OK.

As regards ships, Ventura is much more relaxed on this than the other ships, probably because she attracts a wider clientelle and less P&O veterans, who tend to prefer Oriana and Aurora.

[macca46]

IMO I think Dinosaurs aren't extinct!! :D:D

 

Out of curiosity would you say this guy was wearing smart casual...

 

I only ask as its collarless and the kind of thing I own/wear on smart casual nights..

 

Guess I'll stick to RCI and NCL then.. :)

 

That style looks fine for a metro sexual or gay man.

Not that there is anything wrong with that.

[Merlin7]

IMO I think Dinosaurs aren't extinct!! :D:D

 

Out of curiosity would you say this guy was wearing smart casual...

 

I only ask as its collarless and the kind of thing I own/wear on smart casual nights..

 

Guess I'll stick to RCI and NCL then.. :)

 

That's fine, it's a casual top.

 

T-shirts make me think of beachwear/poolside.

[cruiseanywhere2]

Looks fine to me.

[hobnob1871]

IMO I think Dinosaurs aren't extinct!! :D:D

 

Out of curiosity would you say this guy was wearing smart casual...

 

I only ask as its collarless and the kind of thing I own/wear on smart casual nights..

 

Guess I'll stick to RCI and NCL then.. :)

 

 

It's about time he shaved . And did his mother never tell him to take his hands out of his pockets ?

 

Not the sort of behaviour one would expect on OV !

[fue-fue]

My other half wore either a shirt or a polo but didn't see anyone in a t-shirt!

[steelerannie]

We've just come back from Oceana (on Tuesday) and never saw anyone in the MDR wearing a t-shirt or a polo shirt. Also never saw anyone like the guy was dressed in the photo!!! Most of the men wore open necked shirts and looked very nice and relaxed!!!

[leedslad]

This is where this has all gone a bit wrong.

 

MDR will give formal nights a whirl in my £200 worth of Moss Bros gear

I cant see it working it there for us if Im honest.

My much better half is a veggie and a picky one at that. Rice and salad and cheese and biccys and she's sorted...some bizarre tarte with asparagus and wild fennel and crushed whatever just will not hit the spot.

 

So if its buffet for us....and then a few drinks....thats where I thought I would be OK more dressed down. Will want to use the bar most similar to Connextions on OV...comedians/kareoke/ and the usual stuff

 

For anyone that been on both OV and Oceana how poor in comparison is the Oceana evening buffet??

[steelerannie]

We only used the buffet when it was the Indian night. It was absolutely stunning. The food was as good as our local indian restaurant. You can tell it's good when the captain and senior staff come to eat there!:D

[lancashire_cruisers]

This is where this has all gone a bit wrong.

 

MDR will give formal nights a whirl in my £200 worth of Moss Bros gear

I cant see it working it there for us if Im honest.

My much better half is a veggie and a picky one at that. Rice and salad and cheese and biccys and she's sorted...some bizarre tarte with asparagus and wild fennel and crushed whatever just will not hit the spot.

 

So if its buffet for us....and then a few drinks....thats where I thought I would be OK more dressed down. Will want to use the bar most similar to Connextions on OV...comedians/kareoke/ and the usual stuff

 

For anyone that been on both OV and Oceana how poor in comparison is the Oceana evening buffet??

 

Leedslad

 

As a fellow Veggie I can sympathise with your other half, however P&O do have a separate Veggie menu which is quite good. You just need to speak to your waiter on the first night and the Headwaiter will bring the Veggie menu plus the next night's main menu for your OH to look at.

 

I've never gone hungry on a P&O ship (unlike RCI where I actually lost weight on a cruise - when does that EVER happen:eek:) and the buffet always has a good selection of salads too.

 

Debbie:)

[leedslad]

Thank you...thats great news about the buffet

 

I suppose everyone is just different. I get the feeling that to alot of people the MDR evening meal bit is a major part of the cruise. To us it just isn't,

A nice long day in the sun on board doing whatever on sea days or exploring ashore when in port and a good lunch on board or ashore.Some time in the gym and then maybe a swift beer at 6 ish then showered changed and something to eat then sort the entertainmment you want to see(or avoid!!). The thought of two hours doing 3 or 4 courses every night and a couple of hours eating isnt what we want to do.

If the buffet is anything like as good as OV the MDR will be off our map I would imagine

[dsrdsrdsr]

This is where this has all gone a bit wrong.

 

MDR will give formal nights a whirl in my £200 worth of Moss Bros gear

I cant see it working it there for us if Im honest.

I can tell you from personal experience, a £45 suit form Asda is quite adequate for formal nights. It's black, it covers you up, and an ordinary tie with it is fine. You can even hang the jacket over the back of the chair when you sit down.

 

If I've ever received any disapproving looks for doing it, I didn't notice.

[leedslad]

Ive still got ther receipt and must admit Ive considered taking it back.

 

Would love to know what percentage of passengers eat in the buffet on formal nights?

And also is it possible to get a beer anywhere and access any entertainment on formal nights in very smart casual wear(collar etc:)) ?

[OldJerseycruiser]

Leedslad

 

My DH and I ate in the buffet on one of the formal nights on Oceana last month as we didn't fancy the menu in the MDR, and surprisingly 90% of the people there were wearing formal clothes. They don't call it casual in the buffet, but "a more relaxed dining experience". We were on Freedom dining and loved having the choice of a nice restaurant for a meal, which I can assure you didn't take 2-3 hours (you can be in and out in an hour if you want), or going to the themed evenings in the Plaza after a lovely day ashore. Happy cruising!

[daiB]

Thank you...thats great news about the buffet

 

I suppose everyone is just different. I get the feeling that to alot of people the MDR evening meal bit is a major part of the cruise. To us it just isn't,

A nice long day in the sun on board doing whatever on sea days or exploring ashore when in port and a good lunch on board or ashore.Some time in the gym and then maybe a swift beer at 6 ish then showered changed and something to eat then sort the entertainmment you want to see(or avoid!!). The thought of two hours doing 3 or 4 courses every night and a couple of hours eating isnt what we want to do.

If the buffet is anything like as good as OV the MDR will be off our map I would imagine

 

Leedslad,

 

I think you have hit the nail on the head. Most people cruising with p&o see the evening meal as an event and therefore Luke everyone to follow the code.

 

We have only been to the buffet once. For a Indian meal. It was not full. I have passed the buffet during first sitting and saw very few people.

 

Gan canny

 

Dai

[Presto2]

Leedslad

 

My DH and I ate in the buffet on one of the formal nights on Oceana last month as we didn't fancy the menu in the MDR, and surprisingly 90% of the people there were wearing formal clothes. They don't call it casual in the buffet, but "a more relaxed dining experience". We were on Freedom dining and loved having the choice of a nice restaurant for a meal, which I can assure you didn't take 2-3 hours (you can be in and out in an hour if you want), or going to the themed evenings in the Plaza after a lovely day ashore. Happy cruising!

 

Same here - on formal nights we saw the folk who had used the buffet restaurant every night (and sometimes ate at the pool side in shorts and t shirts) all dressed up at the poolside on formal night. It was lovely to see them enjoying their holiday their way ----------- casual but still joining in and having great fun!

[Denarius]

Leedslad

 

My DH and I ate in the buffet on one of the formal nights on Oceana last month as we didn't fancy the menu in the MDR, and surprisingly 90% of the people there were wearing formal clothes. They don't call it casual in the buffet, but "a more relaxed dining experience". We were on Freedom dining and loved having the choice of a nice restaurant for a meal, which I can assure you didn't take 2-3 hours (you can be in and out in an hour if you want), or going to the themed evenings in the Plaza after a lovely day ashore. Happy cruising!

Curious. On Ventura the info in your cabin re. evening meals in the buffet specifically mentions that the evening dress code is smart casual. On formal evenings most who dined there on my cruises on her were dressed casually. On Oceana in Dec however, I saw very few people in casual dress on formal nights, although I did not use the buffet in the evening so there may have been some there.

A case of two different ships, two different cultures - or just the time of year?

[davecttr]

Curious. On Ventura the info in your cabin re. evening meals in the buffet specifically mentions that the evening dress code is smart casual. On formal evenings most who dined there on my cruises on her were dressed casually. On Oceana in Dec however, I saw very few people in casual dress on formal nights, although I did not use the buffet in the evening so there may have been some there.

A case of two different ships, two different cultures - or just the time of year?

 

Possibly the time of year as apparently Oceana's dress code changes for some cruises to include semi-formal. I need the definitive answer to this as I am considering a Oceana cruise for next year.

[leedslad]

I will post a honest and balanced summary of our first experience on board a P and O ship.

I hope its as good as its made out to be and we can find a new cruising home. Must admit Ventura is starting to sound attractive as well so will be giving that a blast sometime last spring

[OldJerseycruiser]

Possibly the time of year as apparently Oceana's dress code changes for some cruises to include semi-formal. I need the definitive answer to this as I am considering a Oceana cruise for next year.

 

There weren't any semi-formal nights on our cruise just 4 formal ones, the others smart casual.

[William Dean]

You can even hang the jacket over the back of the chair when you sit down.

 

Not if there are Ladies present.

 

WD