Cruises, formal or informal?

[dave50]

Has anyone been on a cruise, if so what sort? There seems to be two types now, the informal where there is no dress code for dinner and anyone can wear what they want at all times and the more formal where people are expected to dress up for dinner. I have never been on a cruise yet but I am thinking about it, so I just wondered what people's thoughts were. If I were to go on the first option, would it be all football shirts, chavs and Benidorm on a boat? I couldnt think of anything worse if that was the case, I think I would be tempted to go for the more formal one where at least there might be a better class of people. Am I correct or am I being a snob and have I got it all wrong?

[rowanwitch]

Do you want to go with Hyacinth Bucket or her dodgy brother Which would be more fun I think the difference is more the age of the cruisees informal younger (under 80) formal older 'we're celebrating Henry's 90th you know...'

[Celticv11]

Princess cruises or carnival fairly informal, mostly americans. For more formal in the evenings go cunard

[andy-hughes]

Like anything else, you get what you pay for.

I have cruised several times on P & O liners, and they do have formal dress nights, as well as semi-formal and casual nights.

It is explained throughly in the ship's info log in your cabin, but as a guide -

'Formal' means a dinner suit for men and an evening dress for ladies. Bowtie colour is optional, but a dinner jacket and trousers are expected. If you turn up underd-ressed, you will feel seriously conspicuous, as about 1% of diners do not conform to the dress code.

'Semi-formal' means a suit with a tie for men, and a nice dress for ladies.

'Casual' means open-necked shirts for men, and a dress or trousers for ladies, but it does not mean jeans tee-shirts and trainers, that is considered a bit too casual!

If you want a high-end cruise, but not to dress for dinner, then there are plenty of otjher eateries on board which have no dress code at all, so you only have to dress for the formal dining rooms on the nights indicated.

I can't speak about the 'no code' ships, i am very ,ucky enough to be able to afford to the 'formal' cruises, and we regard the formal and semi-formal nights as a part of the pleasure of cruising.

As i said, some people do flout the rules, but the do get stared at, and must feel uncomfortable being in a seriously small minority - or maybe not, if you ignore a simple courtesy to your fellow diners, you probably don;t care what they think of you!

The high-end cruises attract seriously monied travellers, most of who cruise five or six times a year. Speaking as a 'once every few years' after some hard saving, I do enjoy rubbing shoulders with the seriously wealthy, and chatting with them - you will be placed on a dinner table for four, six, or eight, so you dine with the same people each night. If you don;t get on, you can ask to be moved.

Have a great time!

[tootyhoo]

My husband has done lots of them. I have done one. Usually the cruise line sends you information on which nights are formal, which are informal and which nights are casual. You can always go to an informal restaurant on board if dressing up is not for you. I don't think I would go on a cruise where there was no dress code. Not because I am snobby, but because the type of person going for that option and the type of cruise would not suit me.
Cruise lines vary so much and the internet site Cruise Critic is worth signing into. It then allows you to select the cruise line you have in mind and the ship and you can see what others think of it. You can also ask questions about it on the forum site.
I didn't think cruising would be for me. I am a free spirit and don't like packages. But, we went last year with a company called Oceania and I didn't want to get off the boat at the end of the holiday. - We are going again next year.
Dressing up in formal evening attire is not so much for me, but smart casual did me fine and we had plenty of restaurants on board to choose from. A dress code ensures that you have certain standards on board.
Hope this helps.

[jno]

it varies from line to line so check brochures first. Usually, you can avoid the formal nights by eating in one of the smaller restaurants on board (bow ties and ball gowns are only for the main restaurant).

I haven't sailed with NCL cruises but they are quite upmarket; but they don't have formal nights, you can just eat when and where you please.

http://www.ncl.co.uk/...tyle-cruising/dining/

You can check out reviews of individual cruises here

http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/
http://www.cruise.co.uk/cruise-reviews/

[dasiagrayson]

I ll suggest you to go with formal look, rather than a funny and casual look.
If you have plans to go on evening party on cruise them you must go in formal evening gowns. for the day wear you can have casual wear. knee length dresses, summer dresses could be the good option for daily wear, but prefer formal outfits for evening event ...read here to know how to get into proper formal look http://www.gownsexpre...-new-formal-look.html