Dress codes About This Page:

[rjh]

We're going on the 10/27 - 11/3 Eastern Caribbean cruise, and aren't sure what we need to pack, beyond the obvious (swimsuits, crocs, shorts, tees, etc). We'd like to try Palo out, but don't want to have to get all gussied up if we can help it. We're taking 3 kids with us, and their stuff takes up plenty of room without adding dress shoes, slacks, coats, dresses, etc. We're a very casual family and like shorts & t-shirts most of the time. Are jeans acceptable at Palo? Is Palo the only place we'd have to be concerned about dressing up? If they're not okay, how about sneakers with dress slacks & a dress shirt? Shoes take up lots of luggage space we can use for souvenirs...

Given the above, should we just cancel our Palo reservations now?
Thanks!
Rich

[Dave Marx]

Jeans are only marginally acceptable at the regular shipboard restaurants (a few years ago, I'd have said unacceptable), and definitely not cool at Palo unless (maybe) you're overdressing in all other regards - the designer jeans/Bally loafers/silk shirt/tasteful bling look. Just plain old theme park casual... you may feel more uncomfy at Palo dressed casually than you would if you dressed things up a bit - you'll almost definitely feel out of place. Sneakers at Palo? It doesn't happen, even when the sneakers cost $250/pair.

Part of the reason Palo is a special experience is because people treat it as a special experience - people bring their expectations with them. There are certainly upscale restaurants in most cities and major towns that cater to people who dress casually, but the idea there is that great food ought to be an everyday experience (even if it's outside most people's budget). Palo, however, is specifically setup to not be an ordinary experience, and it's clear that the vast majority of cruisers want it that way.

My dirty secret is that I wear sport sandals constantly on cruises and when traveling to warm places (black footbed, black straps - so they "wear" sporty but don't look sporty until someone looks closely). However, at dinner, from the ankles up, I'm wearing something dressier. The exceptions are formal nights (I do tux-up) and visits to Palo when I'm wearing a sport jacket - then I've got appropriate shoes. I usually travel with just two pair of shoes (including the shoes on my feet) - my sandals, and one pair of dress loafers. In colder weather, I also have a pair of casual shoes. Imelda Marcos would have considered me a barbarian, I'm sure.

I've got a wardrobe full of linen slacks and shorts, so even though they feel light and casual, I can still dress them up with the right shirt. For me, it's a basic matter of comfort. Jeans are the second thing I leave behind when I travel during the summer or head south (coats are #1). I think jeans are uncomfortable when compared to light summer trousers - the fabric is relatively stiff, has less "give" and feels uncomfy in humid conditions. Yeah, I grew up in jeans, and once fall and winter weather hit Michigan, my jeans get a real workout, but on a cruise, or at the parks? No way.

So, my recommendation is, ditch a pair of jeans in favor of one pair of linen slacks. Bring a nice buttondown shirt or two. You'll be comfy and be dressed well enough for nearly any circumstance, and it won't over-stuff your suitcase.

[dmpyron]

A little secret I have is that you can usually double up on slacks. You'll likely only be wearing them for a few hours, so why take so many? I do pack a suit for the formal nights, since I think of it as fun and we get a lot of formal pictures taken that way. I think we're taking a cruise on the MSC Lirica in December and I plan on renting a tux for that one.

I pack one pair of dress shoes for the whole week. They aren't "real" dress shoes, just a very comfortable and attractive pair of black SAS loafers.

t-shirts and underwear usually take up a great deal of our luggage space. We may wind up wearing two pairs of t-shirts a day and after a hot day on the island, putting on the same undies after a shower just doesn't seem right.

[marianne e cornett]

This is always one of my bugaboos. Formal nights and fine dining are just what the names imply. If you don't want to dress up, there is always the 24 hour buffet or the pizza spot or the Bistro to eat at and stay casual. Some of the cruise lines are getting firm about their dress codes now. I still always ask the question, why would anyone want to wear jeans in the tropics? When the boys were little for formal night we put them in khaki pants and tropical shirts and sandals. Now that they are grown, they love to throw on a gorgeous suit and tie and dress to the 9s. It is one of the great pleasures of cruising to show off your best clothes on formal night. In fact, I am a little dressy every night. It's nice to get out of those all day clothes and clean up. Plus I love to look great for all of those formal pictures we have taken. All in all, getting all dolled up makes for great memories. Bigred

[dmpyron]

We were on a Celebrity cruise last year and there were two boys, 10 and 12, who wore tuxes (or what we call tuxes, for the pedantic) on formal nights, and school blazers the other nights (one "dresses for dinner" on Celebrity).

Most of the AIs, like Sandals, Couples, Beaches, Reef Club, Iberostar all require slacks (not jeans) collared shirts and close toed shoes for men at dinner in the formal restaurant. And usually flat out turn away anyone not properly dressed.

All of these rules are in the brochures and on the websites, it's not as if people don't have a chance to see them. This is a case of terieny of the minority. Read the rules and don't ruin it for most of us.

[chezp]

I just wanted to say that it really is worth taking the extra clothes so that you can go to Palo - it is an amazing restaurant and, in our book, a not to be missed experience.