First time cruisers - questions =)

[Piglet822]

My DBF is taking me on a cruise for my birthday and neither one of us has ever cruised before.
We will be on a 4 night, 5 day cruise on RCI.
My question is, what is acceptable dining attire for the evening? I know they have the one formal night where the guys wear suits or a tux and recommended attire for the ladies is a cocktail or evening dress.
I have purchased a pantsuit for one night and a cute little skirt and jacket outfit for the dressy night. What about the other 2 nights?
Thanks guys, you're the best :thumbsup:

[TheDuckRocks]

Hi Jeanne,
We just did our first ever cruise with DCL, we enjoyed it so much we are cruising with NCL in Sept/Oct to Canada/New England and have made reservations with Carnival for Oct/Nov 2009 to go Europe and then make it a back to back by doing the Transatlantic crossing. I'm trying to make up for lost time that we didn't cruise.:D When you're our age you tend to not put things off for "someday". My kids are probably steaming as we're spending their inheritance. Oh well, to bad.
Well, back to your original question. It is my understanding that cruises are getting less formal by the day, NCL and Carnival have both issued new guidelines in the past month or so that even allows jeans in the main dining rooms.
For the most updated info there is a discussion board on the Cruise Critic website that is very similar to Intercot. But beware they often times don't play as nice as we do here. There are forums for each individual cruise line and they really talk about everything.
If you have any other questions let me know and maybe I can help you find answers.
Have a super-duper cruise.

[Tick-Tock]

We cruised RCI in the Med last year. I felt comfortable wearing khaki pants and a nice T-shirt type shirt (it was patterned, no writing on it) in the dining room on non-dressy nights. I also had a long-sleeved, lightweight blouse that I threw over the top because it was cold in those dining rooms!

You're probably going to see people wearing whatever (shorts, jeans, baseball caps). We just decided upfront that we weren't going to act as if "anything goes." Plus it was nice to change out of our "touring" clothes after a port stop and put something else on.

Have a great time!

[Disney Lynn]

I hope you & DBF love cruising as much as we do! We took a 5 day RCL cruise two months ago (our 4th with RCL, but close to 20 cruises total). (We were on the Enchantment OTS).

RCL has (over the last few years) become less formal, especially on the shorter cruises. There will be one "formal" night, which used to be listed as "tuxs & gowns" but is now listed as "coat & tie and cocktail dress" (listed in that day's newsletter). As such, you will see very few tuxs or gowns (unless the cruise is over Christmas). This year, DH wore a sports coat, dress shirt and tie (OK- pants too) rather than a suit. I wore a slightly-below-the-knee, black knit dress and jacket (with some fake, but still dressy, jewelry). We were among the "dressiest" at that dinner.

All other nights are resort casual- DH wore chinos and collared knit shirts. I wore either a sundress or casual slacks (like chinos) or decent capris paired with a knit top (not one with sayings across the chest LOL). Sandals are fine. (DH wore boat shoes without socks- except on formal night, when he added socks). Daytime wear is whatever you like depending on the weather. They do ask that you do not wear shorts to dinners (not always enforced). Also, they request that you remove hats when entering the dining room.

Its sounds like you have selected great choices so far, so don't go out of your way to shop too much just for the cruise. I do suggest several bathing suits (at least two) if you'll be using the pools, hot tubs or beaches- it takes a while for suits to dry due to the humidity. Also, dining rooms can be chilly- take a sweater or wrap.

We also look at www cruisecritic dot com. As someone mentioned, some posters are not too nice at times, but overall it's a great site for cruising info. Have a wonderful cruise!

[Piglet822]

Thank you for all the info - I was worried about what to wear. My usual attire is jeans and a t-shirt when I'm not working. Then I wear a uniform :)
I'm going to check out the website a couple of you mentioned - I'll try not to compare it to INTERCOT ;) Nothing can compare to INERCOT anyway :)

[Spaceship Tigger]

RCL has (over the last few years) become less formal, especially on the shorter cruises. There will be one "formal" night, which used to be listed as "tuxs & gowns" but is now listed as "coat & tie and cocktail dress" (listed in that day's newsletter). As such, you will see very few tuxs or gowns (unless the cruise is over Christmas). This year, DH wore a sports coat, dress shirt and tie (OK- pants too) rather than a suit. I wore a slightly-below-the-knee, black knit dress and jacket (with some fake, but still dressy, jewelry). We were among the "dressiest" at that dinner.



I had been wondering what to wear for the formal night on our first RCL cruise coming up in July. Looks like I can just get away with buying a sport coat to go with some pants, shirts, and ties I already have. I was afraid that I would need to buy a full suit. DW already has a nice dress to wear to it.

[Disney Lynn]

Tigger- Don't buy a suit just for this cruise. Unless, of course, your DW insists (since you're married to her, not to me LOL!). A July cruise will probably have more families than retired (seniors) couples (like DH & me) and could therefore be even less formal than during the winter months (not that we seniors are that formal anymore!).

However, if your DW is planning on having a family picture taken, she may want you in a suit (sorry).

Enjoy your cruise! We alternate between trips to WDW and cruises (as prices permit). For us, the greatest vacation is 2 weeks in FL- one for a cruise, one for a week at WDW.

[Tick-Tock]

Also, RC offers a rental service. My DH rented a tux from them so that he wouldn't have to bring nice clothes in his already-full suitcase.

[thrillme]

We're "thinking" about taking a "cruise" next year. My bestest buddy and my soon-to-be are very excited about them. My DS (who'll be 13 by then) and I have never tried them.

She packed a LOT of clothes for the trip. Something like 3 outfits a day and several swim suits. I don't want to be changing all day. I'm really more of a blue jeans and capri's sort of girl.