Dress code… Stress code??

I’ve recently booked a cruise with my other half who will be a first-time cruiser!  We are sailing at the end of this month on the P&O Ventura.  Just a 4-night cruise and this will include one formal night.  Now, although we do love to dress up a bit, with him having not been on a cruise before he has been worrying about the dress code and is considering buying a tuxedo for the occasion for fear of being turned away from many of the venues!

Could you imagine the embarrassment of getting dressed up but still getting turned away from restaurants for not wearing the correct items of clothing.  For certain cruise-lines this dress code does not just apply to the main restaurants but also to many of the bars and speciality restaurants so it is well worth doing a bit of pre-planning so as not to be disappointed on those formal nights!

Last month we spoke to Captain Nick Bates, a former Cunard captain who aired his opinions on formal nights and probably shares the view of many of you that formal nights are a great thing and many people love the opportunity to dress up and feel extra glamorous for the evening.  As he says, some cruise lines don’t have such strict formal night dress codes as others or even have formal nights at all so some people may be more inclined to book a cruise with them.   Here is a link to his interview:

Dress codes don’t just apply to formal nights but also to restaurant and bar attire on the other evenings and in the daytime in certain areas.  Here is a guide we have produced to properly prepare our customers with packing the right things:

http://www.cruise.co.uk/guides/cruise-information-fashion/?affref=debbiec

I would also recommend for a more comprehensive dress code guide on your cruise to refer to the dress code section which should normally be on your cruise personaliser.

What are your thoughts on formal nights and strict dress codes?  Do you love them or do the make you apprehensive about the prospect of getting turned away if you don’t have certain clothes?  We’d love to hear your thoughts.