As thousands of Brits get ready to set sail on their much-anticipated cruises this summer, passengers are being reminded to adhere closely to dress codes on board. This is especially important during formal evenings and dining times, to avoid embarrassment or being refused entry to certain venues.
Most of their cruises have a relaxed dress code, with the occasional night classified as “Black Tie”. These nights are all about the “glitz and glamour”, according to P&O Cruises’ website: “a chance to dress to impress with your favourite cocktail dress, tuxedo, ball gown, suit or smart jacket and tie”. There are also “Evening Casual” nights, where passengers are asked to bring out their best shirts, dark denims and casual separates, “as long as the tracksuits are left on the hanger”. One item, however, remains off limits for all but one venue on Black Tie nights.
On these nights, tailored shorts should be left in the wardrobe for all passengers intending to visit a dining venue other than the buffet. Even on Evening Casual nights, only a handful of venues allow entry to passengers who show up to their reservations wearing them.
Multiple people on Reddit have shared their experiences of themselves or their partners being turned away from these more formal evenings for wearing shorts – even if paired with a button-down shirt and expensive shoes.
One wrote: “My husband got turned away from the main dining room on Celebrity Equinox (about four years ago) for wearing nice shorts with a collared polo shirt.”
If you do end up bringing a pair of tailored shorts on board, all is not lost. The dress code during the day is your typical holiday dress code, with t-shirts, shorts and sundresses the norm.
Passengers are also being warned to avoid six specific clothing items while onboard. One of the most important bans is camouflage clothing, which is illegal in many Caribbean destinations including Antigua, Jamaica and Barbados, where it is reserved for military personnel.
Passengers should also avoid breaking a key “unspoken rule” of travelling on the high seas, a travel outlet warns. Fodors Travel advised travellers, “don’t be fooled by a cruise ship’s ‘everything’s fun’ and ‘we’re all on vacation here’ vibe, as not adhering to the dress code could see you getting the “side eye or asked to leave the venue — or maybe both”. This includes only wearing swimwear on the pool deck and never wearing your pyjamas outside your cabin.
Finally, in a blog post, Cruise Nation advised that tourists should think twice before packing an extension lead, which could pose a fire risk on board. They said: “Extension leads can also pose a fire safety risk, for this reason, you shouldn’t pack one to bring with you. Luckily, modern cruise liners are designed to be as accessible as possible with plenty of access to plug sockets that usually have USB ports too. If you’re still struggling for sockets, you can purchase a cruise-approved extension lead onboard”.