Dressing for Dinner

[Cruisepm]

We will be sailing on Explora in the Caribbean, which usually is more casual than other destinations.  Are people dressing up for dinner (at the restaurants, not the Emporium Market Place)?  Is a sports coat necessary for dinner?  Will my husband regret not bringing a sports coat because he will be one of the few men not wearing one at dinner?  Or, do most of the men wear long sleeved, collared dress shirts (no tie) and nice slacks? Do you see polo shirts at dinner?  Do women wear dressy dresses or just resort casual? Your answers will be very helpful in deciding what to pack.

[Hlitner]

The dress code is smart casual.  Men are not required to wear a jacket and on our 18 days a majority did not wear jackets.  The one faux exception is if you plan on dining in Anthology (dinner with wine will cost couples 530 Euros).  When we booked our reservation for Anthology, the reservation desk folks "suggested" that I wear a jacket.  Since I had a Blazer on the ship, I did put it on (without tie) for that particular meal.  That being said, technically a jacket is not required...even in that venue.

 

I think the overwhelming majority of men wore collared shirt and slacks at all the dinner venues.  On our cruise there were also a substantial number who did wear a jacket (some with a tie) although they were not in the majority.  DW primarily wore nice resort casual, although we did see some women in dressier outfits.  

 

One humorous moment happened one lunch in the Emporium.   Two ladies came for lunch wearing the cruise line's white bathrobes.  We assume they had just come from the spa.  They were told to leave the Emporium.  They would have been fine with a nice cover-up, but the bathrobe was deemed inappropriate by management.

 

Hank

[Waltershipman]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

The dress code is smart casual.  Men are not required to wear a jacket and on our 18 days a majority did not wear jackets.  The one faux exception is if you plan on dining in Anthology (dinner with wine will cost couples 530 Euros).  When we booked our reservation for Anthology, the reservation desk folks "suggested" that I wear a jacket.  Since I had a Blazer on the ship, I did put it on (without tie) for that particular meal.  That being said, technically a jacket is not required...even in that venue.

 

I think the overwhelming majority of men wore collared shirt and slacks at all the dinner venues.  On our cruise there were also a substantial number who did wear a jacket (some with a tie) although they were not in the majority.  DW primarily wore nice resort casual, although we did see some women in dressier outfits.  

 

One humorous moment happened one lunch in the Emporium.   Two ladies came for lunch wearing the cruise line's white bathrobes.  We assume they had just come from the spa.  They were told to leave the Emporium.  They would have been fine with a nice cover-up, but the bathrobe was deemed inappropriate by management.

 

Hank

I wore collared shirts or nice sweaters similar to what a man might wear to a nice restaurant on land. While a jacket would have been comfortable to wear i never felt i needed it. I actually thought the dress code would be more dressy than it actually was which in the end was and is fine with me. Seemed like people wanted to be comfortable and also look nice 

[LostAtSeaForever]

We are sailing Nov 3 in Caribbean. My husband packed 3 sports coats, collared shirts and slacks. We live in Florida where life is always casual. We booked this cruise two years ago. It feels special to us and we want it to be.  Will he wear a jacket every night…..No but he will wear one on occasion. 
 

 

[florisdekort]

Explora has no dress code. Wear what makes you happy. People focus way too much on what others do and don’t do. Regarding Anthology, nobody suggested that we wear a jacket, and hardly anyone does. 
 

 

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, florisdekort said:

Explora has no dress code. Wear what makes you happy. People focus way too much on what others do and don’t do. Regarding Anthology, nobody suggested that we wear a jacket, and hardly anyone does. 
 

 

When we dined in Anthology there was a total of 7 diners, 4 men and 3 ladies.  All the men were wearing jackets and the ladies looked quite nice :).  It was not required but did seem to fit the venue.  The EJ FAQs deal with the issue as follows" We don't have a dress code onboard but we suggest an Elegant Resort Casual style.

 

[uktog]

DH will take a jacket and he will travel in a blazer - thats just his preference partly because he feels the cool from air-conditioning and partly because the early stages and later stages of the return journey in particular need something and it saves dragging a fleece for its holiday.  I will have smarter evening clothes - after all these days I get less and less opportunities to wear them and I love changing early evening and heading for a drink before dinner..

I am relaxed what others wear, I cannot understand why people say their dining experience was spoilt because someone else was not dressed smartly enough.  However, I do struggle to understand those who argue they just wear the same thing day or evening regardless of venue.  Wherever I am I want to wear a change of clothes at dinner time

[Whipsnade]

One thing for sure, you won’t need any formal wear. In our 30 days there was only one person who wire a tux and that was me. I will nit bring it in my next Explora cruise. 
I just wouldn’t go to Fils Rouge in the evening without a jacket out of respect fir the venue. I was in the minority. 

[LostAtSeaForever]

33 minutes ago, Whipsnade said:

One thing for sure, you won’t need any formal wear. In our 30 days there was only one person who wire a tux and that was me. I will nit bring it in my next Explora cruise. 
I just wouldn’t go to Fils Rouge in the evening without a jacket out of respect fir the venue. I was in the minority. 

That’s classy I appreciate when people put their best forward. 

[Arizonasunshine]

21 hours ago, Whipsnade said:

One thing for sure, you won’t need any formal wear. In our 30 days there was only one person who wire a tux and that was me. I will nit bring it in my next Explora cruise. 
I just wouldn’t go to Fils Rouge in the evening without a jacket out of respect fir the venue. I was in the minority. 

Agree totally. This was the most casual cruise, as far as dress is concerned, I have taken ever been on. We went to Anthology the other day and there were men in there in t-shirts and jeans. At a 200+pp restaurant, go figure.

[Whipsnade]

Appalling. 

[Nunagoras]

3 minutes ago, Whipsnade said:

Appalling. 

If true, that is totally appalling, really. Ok, I concede that with the current flight luggage restrictions and the general societal trend to informality, one would do well with less formal clothes. It's a fact of life, and I'm partaking on the trend from where I live. But now: One wouldn't go on a Casino like one goes to the beach... And one wouldn't go to the beach like one would go on a Casino. There are societal basics one should to follow. Those on Tees an Jeans would have been politely asked to change and return. A prime venue that should to be honored as that.

[uktog]

25 minutes ago, Whipsnade said:

Appalling. 

Why. 
I couldn’t give a fig what others wear round about mr. 

[Whipsnade]

As usual Nun hits it on the head. There need to be rules that are enforced if we have any hope of retaining  sone sort of civility. 
What one wears affects their respect or lack of it for their fellows. It also shows their self respect or lack of it. 
 

[kool kruiser]

Just back from our cruise. IMHO, wear what YOU want, don't fret about others and enjoy !! FWIW, I always wore a collared half-sleeve shirt with slacks and casual shoes and DW wore a summery dress. My jacket neither packed or needed. A wide variety of clothing choices was observed but no real scruffs. !!

[Whipsnade]

The Whip at his best. Only wear this one at sea!!!
 

[Mr Luxury]

44 minutes ago, Whipsnade said:

The Whip at his best. Only wear this one at sea!!!
 

Does it look better after a few drinks.

[uktog]

On this cruise it’s everything from very casual to people like my husband who is more comfortable in his jacket. Most ladies have pretty dresses or dressier tops. It’s very much wear what you want 

[RICHARD@SEA]

On 11/22/2023 at 1:21 PM, Whipsnade said:

The Whip at his best. Only wear this one at sea!!!
 

Great look all around - you certainly have PANACHE & STYLE!!!!

 

I have an  assortment of cruise clothing that I only wear at sea - love linen and usually wear a sports jacket - to ward off the AC and the pockets are handy.

 

There is a man named ROSCOE over on the Cunard board that does WC & others - he is a star among the fashion plates...check out his posts & blogs.

I live in NYC & people tend to be very stylish - outside that I am pretty appalled at what some people consider appropriate !!!

 

Really guys - enough w the baseball caps..

[ronrick1943]

Sounds good to me—-dress neat, but not over dress unless you want that.