Curiouscruiser has a post below, attempting to learn the dress code(s) on a given cruise several months in advance of sailing. This is an example of what I see as a problem of not being able to get "hard" information on this well in advance, before the docs arrive. There's a good reason for this. Some of us may find that parts of our wardrobe that will be needed have become a bit worn, or out of style, or no longer fit as we've lost weight (yeah, right). So we need to shop for clothing for the cruise. Of course, readily available info tells us (i.e.) that the PG and Navigator to Alaska and Bermuda are all CCC. But for many cruises and itineraries, it's a mystery to me until docs arrive.

So does anybody know how to get this information at time of booking ---- or at least a couple of months before sailing?

Thanks,
Richard

Richard,

Don't forget that those of us sailing Navigator to Bermuda got a surprise when the docs arrived. We expected CCC and ended up with 3 Informal nights. Changed the packing considerably since sportcoats take a healthy amount of space in the suitcase.

So, we can't even count on the readily available info.

Kathy

Kathy:

I see. That makes the need to know the dress code in advance even more important. At least they didn't thow a formal night in on you!

Surely, there must be a way to get this info in a more timely manner. Anybody know?

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

Richard:

Go under information on Ngaire's site . It is slightly outdated in that it doesn't show the new Bermuda policy. Otherwise, I believe it is accurate. I think you are trying to come up with more excuses for standardized dress at a less formal level. Your TA should have documents 3-4 weeks before cruise. You will know number of formal nights. Yes, there are times when it is changed onboard. For example, we went from four to three on one cruise. I think most people can work this out on the fly. All of us going to Bermuda on this site now know there are three informals even before our documents arrive. For those not on line, they or their TA can check with Radisson and find the same information. Seven day cruises in Europe or Caribbean have one formal and "even" mix of informal and CCC. Alaska and FP are always CCC but men are "encouraged" to have jacket for parties. 280 pounds of luggage domestic, 360 if flying first class, and 360 (usually) international (including connecting domestic segments) is enough to account for formal clothes (as long as you stay away from the 20 pounds of beads); just migh not enough to always cover our snorkel gear.

I'm not so sure how valid the info is, even when the docs arrive. On our Voyager cruise last October in the Med, our docs said two formal nights and when we boarded we discovered there would be only ONE formal night. Had we had that info earlier (like when we were packing!) I think we would have opted out of any formal clothes. In any case, timely AND accurate info is always helpful!!!!!

Thanks to both Richard and Marc for the question and the link to the information. It probably seems obsessive to want to know so far out, but I'm one of those planner/listmaker types. Not an issue on our next cruise, but it just seems odd that the information isn't available and reliable. Thanks Again!

Sue,

I don't think you're being obsessive at all. I think RSSC should at the very least provide accurate and timely information for the formal nights. So far, I've heard it happen 2 ways. Bonnie packed for two and ended up with one. Richard and his wife had an extra one thrown in and only found out after boarding.

Personally, I hate hate hate getting dressed up and having to bother packing for anything more than Informal. We take exactly the amount of clothing we need for the formal nights and not one piece more (or less). Both Bonnie and Richard's situations would have infuriated me. Both were easily avoidable via better coordination between RSSC front-office and the ship.

Kathy

I'm with you, Kathy! But then if I had a second formal night sprung on me, I'd probably just wear the same outfit again! And pack an extra shirt for my husband!

Richard - my husband has done a wonderful job getting physically fit and loosing weight this year. He is retired so that gives him time to put into his new routine. He no longer has high blood pressure and if off both that medication and the CPAP machine he used for sleep apnea for two years. He has lost over 30 pounds! Anybody on the PG August 21 to September 4 will be able to recognize us - he'll be in all new clothes while I'm in a mixture of new and old clothing! Hooray for CCC on the PG.

Marc:

This is NOT part of any effort to rid ourselves of formal nights. That is a speparate topic, which has been covered in other threads on this board. This is only an effort to know what is required on a given cruise so, if I book it, I'll know what to pack (and oftentimes acquire), as inspired by curiouscruiser's situation.

I do howerever agree with you advice that men take a sports coat along, even if the dress is CCC. As Lawrence says, it is sometimes cold in the dining room. Then too, on many CCC cruises I've noticed the majority of men wearing jackets anyway, so it might make one want to join in.

Thanks,
Richard :) :)

My husband found his jacket quite handy on the Mariner Alaskan cruise for the very reason Richard mentioned. However, it is not going to FP with us.

Kathy:

For what it may be worth, I would recommend the jacket (but not a tie) follow you to FP. On the night of the Captain's reception and on the last night (especially) a lot of men wear jackets. One does not HAVE TO do so, however, and many do not. But it's nice to have the option after one sees what fellow guests are wearing.

Hope this helps,
Richard :) :) :)

Here is the basic rule of thumb. CCC is truly totally casual in Tahiti although they still try and say "you may want to bring a jacket for the Captains welcome aboard" so even there they like jackets at least once it is just that the passengers wont co-operate.

Bermuda, Alaska they have done away with FORMAL nights but still like to have informal nights and at least two. One for the welcome aboard one for the farewell and often one for society night. So they are not REALLY CCC cruises they are more NO FORMAL night cruises.

A Regular cruise, Europe, Caribbean Panama Canal you can count on 7 days - 1 formal, 2-3 informal rest casual. Then just double that for a 14 nighter.

Kathy and Wendy,

I'm with you on the clothes issue. I bring things that can be dressed up or down. Period. Works well for me and I adhere to the dress code.

I believe one of the casual nights on VOF, last year, changed to informal. That came as a surprise. If need be, and I have to repeat an outfit, dry cleaning is fast and reasonable.

kathy Z - You must be so proud of your husband and I bet he feels great!! Joanna

French cuff shirts are a good solution to overpacking. On VOF, I just handwashed the collar and cuffs in the sink when they got too dirty and let them dry out. You can get away with fewer shirts but look and feel "crisp."

And why is the laundry not open after 10pm? Liability concerns?

Laundry closes at 10.00 pm in consideration of those people who have cabins close by.

Me in black to make things easy for packing - really???

Not only that...you are on vacation - who does laundry after 4 pm????? - J

Ngaire:

I tried the "little black dress" as a solution for all the dress codes, but it was not well received!

Seriously, the situation is much more complicated for men, where dress codes remind me of the "uniform of the day" I used to know in the US Air Force. Men can't "accessorize" dress slacks and a dress "T" and get away as formal. Or even informal. We have to take a lot of "stuff" for three dress codes on a cruise. And with the growing airport jams and lack of porterage available, about the only solution I can come up with is to take only 7 night cruises. Like Steve Bear, something in me rebels about little things when I pay Radisson prices for a cruise. Like when Radisson says there are laundries for my "undies" and wash and wear casuals, but I find the laundries unavailable and always in use. Sure I send dry cleaning and wash that need ironing to the ships laundry. But no iron stuff? When Radisson says they have machines guests can use for this? To my experience on the VTC with the vibrating suites in the stern, a solution would be to take these suites and turn them into laundry rooms, where the vibration might serve some purpose.

I think the VTC showed us many things. First, the Voyager is not up to a totally full guest load in many respects, one of which is the laundry facilities.

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

Yes, Joanna, I am proud of my husband. Our doctor told him that he is his first patient to get off of high blood pressure medication by way of loosing excess weight. Our long time physician (who retired 2 1/2 years ago when he turned 70) had tried to encourage Bill to loose weight for several years, but while he still worked as a manager at Ford there was never enough time in the day to do anything about personal fitness. Since his early retirement almost five years ago he has finally been able to do things that he never had time for while employed, and in December he decided that he was going to loose weight. (Having reservations for the Paul Gauguin in August also added incentive!) He feels really great.

Richard - my husband is still not taking a jacket to FP. As Ngaire mentioned "the passengers just won't co-operate". We will be on a back to back plus 3 days on Manihi. That Air Tahiti flight only allows 44 pounds of luggage per person. We're sure to be somewhat over but don't want to have to pay too much extra for our luggage. (If only we could take a note from the doctor verifying how much weight my husband lost personally, maybe they would give us a break ;) on the luggage weight!)

I noticed that there were the same hours on the Navigator for doing laundry. Not being a shy one I just opened the laundry room door after hours and turned on the lights and did my laundry. The door was not locked. I don't see how the machines making a noise would be a reason for closing the laundry room as I found them to be very quiet. My butler saw me in there so I asked him if it was okay and he said sure.
I also think it would help some people decide on an itinerary if they knew months in advance how many formal nights etc there were on a particular cruise. If they didn't like the dress code then they could shop for an itinerary that was more CCC.

Richard, I need to come and pack for you.

Ken my husband takes the following on cruises for 7 or 14 nights. We may pop in a few extra casual shirts on the longer cruise.

ONE Black Suit.
One white shirt with Two ties. That is formal night done.

2 pair of extra slacks (now he has 3 pair with the black ones from the suit.

2 - 4 silk tees
Worn with suit jacket on informal nights.

Enough undies and socks to last 14+ days. They do not take much room. I will NEVER do laundry on a ship I am on vacation.

Then CCC nights he wears a shirt and then 2 days later he wears that same shirt during the day.

We ONLY BRING the ONE jacket. The suit jacket since it is black it goes with everything.

We are bringing two pairs of shoes now, one black one brown. He rebelled on his multi colored brown/black shoes!!! He wears his walking/tennis shoes on the plane.

On rare occassions I may use the ships laundry (not self service ships laundry) for the white shirt or other shirts but not often.

I roll in the suitcase nothing ever gets wrinkled I never need to iron a thing.We have this down to a system.

He is never over weight (luggage wise I mean) and he always looks nice. It is just a matter of mixing and matching and in some ways men have it easier because honestly no one remembers what you wear.

I will rent out!! Purchase your clothes and pack only $1000's of a trip!

Another quick thought.

I also have larger soft side suitcases by the way but they are always half empty. I find having space does not in my case cause me to pack more, it just makes packing easier because I dont have to squeeze.

Also, I prefer soft sided luggage, I can't even pick up hard sided when they are empty! Since they weigh about twice as much as soft sided, you are using one of your alloted 50lbs of luggage just on the suitcases themselves. I just make sure I pack of the smashables (shampoo, etc) in the carry on.

Pat, Ngaire has a forumla on another post that helps you determine months in advance how many formal nights there might be on your sailing.

Jan and I have finally settled in on what we like for luggage.
We each take a 25 inch soft side with rollers.
We each take a 16 inch satchel.
Those we check thru.
Then we take a 16 inch satchel as carry on. Sometimes we each take one.
The 25" is lighter so we do not worry about the 50 pounds. The 16" satchel is perfect for putting all the shoes, and things like that in. Plus it hooks over the luggage handle so you are only pulling one suitcase around the airport etc.
So far it has worked well for us.

03/22/80 MS Caribe
02/15/03 Paul Gauguin
02/22/04 Norwegian Dream
11/12/04 "MINT" on Mariner
02/15/05 "ADRIFT" ON Diamond

I call RSSC to confirm the formal nights. But Ngaire's rule of thumb also works just as well.

Comment: 'Men can't "accessorize" dress slacks and a dress "T" and get away as formal' Gentlemen, you can dress up/down dress slackes with accessories too: by choice of belt, use of suspenders, by choice of shoes and by choice of socks...try it, you'll like it! Obviously, your choice of top and use of the appropriate jacket will dress up/down a pair of pants as well!

Ngaire and Karen S:

Your posts on packing, and the way to do it, brings up a need for a new board on this forum called "Packing for your cruise" or something like that. I don't want to get off the topic of this thread so far as to discuss all the items we take and don't take, but it would be good to have a proper place to discuss it. Just let me confess that I probably do take things I don't need and don't take things I do. But I'm far from alone. All I wanted and needed to do on the VTC was to wash some undies and polo shirts and the like. But the laundry rooms were full of people who were actually doing MAJOR wash and IRONING! So I am not alone in my problem.

Ngaire, thanks for the current info on the present dress codes on Radisson. Let me close by saying I wish Radisson would furnish accurate info at time of booking and stick to it, so we'd know the dress code and number of each type of night from the beginning. Shouldn't be that hard to do.

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

Just thought I would add my two cents. The lack of accurate information on number of informal versus casual nights is a pet peeve of mine. In the documents, it mentions the number of formal nights, then states the rest are informal and casual. This is not helpful to me unless there are specific numbers. I have expressed this to Radisson every chance I get. I may be picky, but I don't want to take more than I absolutely have to. I would not miss formal nights being done away with.

docdresdin - Your screen name looks very familiar - welcome to luxurycruisetalk!

Not mentioned yet is the consideration that always bedevils us - packing for the pre or post cruise extension. Travelling on land following a cruise is usually a completely different animal. The formal stuff becomes dead weight along with other things that are not needed. And, if the extension has unique requirements(dive equipment or specialized photo gear)the weight increases geometrically! A few years back a cruise on the Diamond from Rome to Venice was part of an around the world trip (best bargain in air travel) all the cruise stuff got shipped home from Venice! We have learned that the only "hard" information on dress is available when you read the sailing day schedule. There should be a better way.

I have a rolling garment bag which I love. It's heavy, but sturdy, and once it's packed, it rolls like a dream. That carries everything for the cruise that needs to look decent, plus room for shoes, cosmetics and lots of other things. My husband still uses an old-fashioned soft-side suitcase with the little wheels on the bottom and a leash (I hate it, but he won't part with it.) This will hold most of the T-shirts, underwear, shoes, pants, shirts, cosmetics and shoes that don't fit into the suit bag. :p

Then there's my overnight bag, which clips to the top of my garment bag for easy transport. It will come on the plane with us, and after we leave Athens for our land trip in Greece, it will contain shorts, t-shirts, etc. for 6 days. The rest of our luggage remains in Athens, except for small satchels carrying cameras, books, etc. Once we get to Istanbul, the whole mess sits in our hotel room for 6 days, and we can wear whatever we like! :cool:

That sounds great Wendy, a rolling garment bag. Did you purchase it locally? Care to part with the name of the store? I live in the burbs to the east but a shopping trip downtown is overdue. I have soft sided luggage that expands when needed by opening up another zipper but it is starting to get mangled looking.

I still don't see why it can't be listed with the itinerary. If I love formal nights, I then wouldn't plan a late excursion on the day of formal night. And in the months before a cruise, when I shop I shop with that in mind. I also try to pack light - on our last cruise we had a flight change and had to schlep all the luggage through Newark - because that leaves more room for shopping in places I may never get back to!

Yes, changes in dress code after one is already onboard can be a problem in many ways. I understand that some changes in a cruise are for good reasons and beyond the line's control, such as weather port strikes, high seas, and the like. But the dress code does not cause the ship or crew to have to do anything different than if it were a different code! Unless I am missing something, there is "zero" reason for the number of nights in each code to change after docs are issued. And there is "zero" reason why these things can't be planned in advance to give guests the info at the time of booking.

Thanks,
Richard

Life is too full of stress. When on vacation, I suggest not getting too worried about the dress code issue. Beautiful, simple clothing with well-chosen accessories will go a long way in keeping your luggage light, your life simple, and your enjoyment complete.

Amen. Were I a new visitor to this board, and this and other threads regarding clothing, I would be stressed already about the dress code issue, and it just isn't worth it!

Well said, Margo.

MarnaLou

Pat,

My rolling garment bag is a Skyway. I researched it online, and then found a place downtown that sold it. I'm pretty sure it was Gold's Luggage, on Queen St. West, north side, a couple of blocks west of University. Great store.

I am now in semi-frantic mode--wondering if we have room for all of the OTC medications, cosmetics and shoes!

Margo....well said and oh so true!! Joanna

Thanks, Wendy I'll be sure to check it out on my next shopping excursion to the Eaton Centre. You know, that is what gives me all the problems too...........packing shoes and meds. Have too many of each that we have to bring along. Good Luck! :)

I don't really think anyone said this issue stressed them out. It just seems silly that it's not available and reliable. It would never deter me from cruising any line, least of all Radisson. However, in an effort not to scare folks off, I'll not mention it again. :eek: :D