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Don’t show up underdressed for your next cruise ship dinner.
Don’t be fooled by a cruise ship’s “everything’s fun” and “we’re all on vacation here” vibe. If you adopt the wrong dress code, you’ll either be given the side eye or asked to leave the venue—or maybe both. Yes, you should definitely pack that Hawaiian shirt and tropical-inspired jewelry or cozy sweaters for Alaska sailing, but you should also follow the rules.
What’s intriguing about a cruise ship is that there are different dress codes for specific areas of the ship. If you’re new to cruising or want to do a better job on your next sailing to fit in stylistically, here are 10 unspoken rules to memorize. Also, here’s the biggest one that is actually spoken loud and clear from the ship’s crew and blasted across all ship-wide communications: swimwear is only allowed on the pool deck.
1 OF 10
No Jeans at Specialty-Dining Restaurants
It’s totally fine to wear your jeans—ripped, dark, frosted, imported from Japan, whatever—to casual dining venues, such as the buffet, but the maître’d at a specialty dining restaurant may send you back to your room to change. It doesn’t matter if you’ve paired the jeans, even if they’re your dressiest, with a blazer or pussy-bow silk top and are wearing shiny leather dress shoes or heels. You’re still wearing jeans. For men, the ideal outfit is a polo or button-down shirt and dress slacks, and for women, a dress, pantsuit, or dress pants with a dressy top. Dress like you’re having dinner at your city’s fanciest restaurant.
2 OF 10
Understand Formal-Night Attire
On a seven-night sailing, there will be one or two formal nights. You’re going to see the types of dresses people wear to black-tie events or weddings—in other words, lots of glitter, sequins, velvet, and other shimmery details—and men will be in a tux, matching suitcoat and dress slacks, or suitcoat and pants complimenting each other well. This is your chance to glam it up, so don’t be shy. While participating in formal night is not required, if you decide to dress down, you may be relegated to the buffet for the evening—and easily lumped into the “Who does she think she is?” category as you shimmy past other folks who look like they’re ready to walk the red carpet at an awards show.
3 OF 10
Don’t Wear Pajamas Outside Your Cabin
It can be tempting to roll out of bed and not change out of your pajamas to grab coffee at the ship’s café or load up on a plate of food at the buffet to bring back to your cabin, but please don’t. (This applies to both a pajama’s top and bottom, by the way, and especially ones depicting cartoon characters.) What’s more socially acceptable is a flowy caftan. You can still feel loose and free and casual, going from bed to buffet with ease. Just make sure it’s not see-through and looks like an item from the intimate-wear department.
4 OF 10
Go All in for Theme Nights
Whether it’s ’80s night, white night, black night (the dress code dictates an all-white or all-black look), or masquerade balls, there will likely be at least one during your sailing. This is pretty much an all-ship dress code with a special concentration on dining venues and entertainment spaces (cue the dance floor, people!) that evening. Don’t be the party pooper by not participating. This makes pre-cruise shopping even more fun when you can pop into thrift and vintage stores to pick up florescent hair bows or a cool pair of white jeans.
5 OF 10
Pack Comfy Dress Shoes
Shoes need to be suitable for walking because, unless you’re in a motorized scooter, you will definitely clock several thousands of steps on your cruise. For example, to get to dinner, it’s several flights of stairs (if opting not to take an elevator), plus a long walk down the hallway where your cabin lies. As comfortable as they are, flip-flops are not acceptable in dining venues. Switch to mules or tailored slides for the ladies and closed-toe men’s dress shoes that are as comfy to walk in as they are stylish. Even a pair of non-leather boat shoes is fine for guys.
6 OF 10
Don’t Wear These Kinds of Shorts
If your shorts have a drawstring elastic band or don’t require a belt, or you also wear them in the pool or on the beach, these are not dressy shorts. You also lose points when they depict a Hawaiian motif, as this is not a Hawaii Five-0-themed cruise. Instead, choose khaki shorts with a belt for men (if there’s a pleat or they need ironing, this will do) or a flowy fabric for women that’s paired with a dressy top and shoes (and not too high up on the thighs, please). As long as we’re talking about shorts, denim shorts are also a no-no at mealtime unless it’s a buffet.
7 OF 10
Never Go to a Restaurant, Even the Buffet, Shirtless or Barefoot
We get it. You just sunned on the pool deck and now want to eat lunch. Why put a shirt on or slip into flip-flops if you’re just heading back outside with a plate of food from the buffet? Don’t be fooled by the most casual dining venues (places like the buffet), as they still need to follow rules about cleanliness. Besides, do people really need to see your hairy chest or bare feet while surveying the dessert options or customizing their salad at the salad bar? No. It’s not that hard to pull a T-shirt or sundress over your head and slip into sandals.
8 OF 10
Do Not Wear Offensive T-Shirts
This rule is actually a cruise-wide plea and does not only apply to the ship’s restaurants. We’re in divisive times now, and donning a shirt with a mantra that you may abide by (such as your preferred political party or a dig on the opposing political party) is cool at home, but not among a few thousand people you don’t yet know. Guests on a cruise represent a broad cross-section of ages, family structures, political beliefs, and hometowns. Keep your opinions to yourself—and not just by ditching the T-shirt (but don’t go shirtless, of course!).
9 OF 10
Leave the Hat Behind
A hat’s visor or brim is your BFF while on the beach, on a shore excursion, or lounging poolside to protect from harsh sun rays. However, hats are not allowed in a ship’s upscale dining areas. Not only are hats—and not just ball caps but also cowboy hats and straw hats—considered too casual for an upscale dining experience, it’s considered rude to wear a hat that makes eye contact with staff difficult. It’s a clear sign of respect you don’t want to mess up. If women truly want to cover their hair, invest in a silky head scarf in a fun pattern.
10 OF 10
Change Out of Your Workout Clothes
Maybe you lost track of time on the treadmill and now it’s time for lunch with the family. That doesn’t mean you can stroll into the main dining room looking like a Nike ad. You should not be dripping with sweat—nor should your clothing—and it’s gross for other diners to be in this civilized environment eating off of china and sipping wine while you’re, um, looking the part of “just back from the gym.” If there’s no time to shower, at least wash your face and throw a cardigan (notice we did not suggest a hoodie) over your workout attire or change out of shorts into pants. Lycra and spandex have no place at the table.