Cruise dress codes and what to wear when cruising

What to wear when on a cruise is a common question often asked by new cruisers and even by some seasoned cruisers as cruise lines have different definitions of what they actually mean and will often use different terminology.

To help you along the way we've given you some examples of each type of dress code below:

General Daywear / Excursions
Casual shirts, shorts, trousers and beachwear are perfect. For going ashore and walking on deck, flat comfortable shoes are recommended.  A lightweight jacket or coat and jumper for occasional showers and cool evenings.

Don't forget, essentials such as sun cream, a sun hat and sunglasses as the sun is much stronger at sea.

A spare pair of glasses and a good supply of any medicines you are taking is also a good idea.

Swimwear should not be worn in internal bars, restaurants, lounges or reception areas.  Suitable footwear should also be worn at all times.

Smart/Evening Casual or 'Country-Club Casual'
On many lines the first and last night of your cruise is often a 'casual' night and this is to assist passengers with packing or for those that may not have had time to change for evening dinner after late boarding or late delivery of luggage.

Casual would mean open neck shirts/golf shirts, chinos, sundresses. Jeans, t-shirts and shorts would not be considered appropriate wear for the main dinning room.

Informal / Semi Formal / Smart (Jacket Required)
Things start to get a bit confusing in this category and can often mean different things to different people. You should be thinking of something between formal and casual here. For men, suggested attire would be a shirt, worn with a jacket (tie optional).

The more mainstream cruise lines may also consider just a smart shirt and trousers (no jacket/tie) appropriate. Ladies attire should be along the lines of what you might wear to a lunch function or social event.

Formal / Gala Dinner / Black Tie
Many passengers like to make most of the Gala Evenings / Formal Nights and dress accordingly. Ladies will be wearing long ball gowns and most men would wear a dinner suit and black tie or variation.

If this is not quite your cup of tea, a dark suit for men and a regular tie is quite acceptable. For ladies a cocktail dress or trouser suit is also quite acceptable.

National formal dress is often observed too - such as the Scottish Kilt.

Most cruise lines tend to feature Formal, Black Tie evenings on sea days.

Children, under 18 are not generally required to wear formal evening dress but at a minimum, should be dressed smart casual (no denim).

Passengers wishing not to take part in formal evenings will generally find that the buffet restaurant and deck bars are available.

Frequency:

The above serves as a guide only, as the frequency can change by cruise line or even by ship within a specific cruise line.

For example, you will find the dress code slightly relaxed for P&O Cruises aboard Oceana and Ventura as these ships are more family focused.

Other lines such as Royal Caribbean International will generally have less formal evenings those highlighted above.