kittysoul Posted August 10, 2019 Report Share Posted August 10, 2019 I'm sorry, I know this has been hashed and rehashed a thousand times, but I think the more I read different posts and other sites even, the more confused I get. I have down what I am bringing for myself, but now am trying to help my adult son prepare (I am basically buying his cruise wardrobe as his christmas present, lol). So, as I am shopping online today, I am trying to nail down the 'bottom line' for him. So , is this correct...: He can wear khaki pants and a polo in MDR or other restaurants at night for dinner on casual nights and look appropriate, but then on formal night in the MDR, he could wear maybe like a pair of blue slacks and button up shirt and look fine? Would he really need to wear a tie for formal nights in the MDR, or say in Chops? ellcee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted August 10, 2019 Report Share Posted August 10, 2019 Yes. That will be more than adequate kittysoul and sk8erguy1978 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXcruzer Posted August 10, 2019 Report Share Posted August 10, 2019 both outfits you have described would be more than acceptable in any venue on any evening kittysoul 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdixon22 Posted August 10, 2019 Report Share Posted August 10, 2019 Remember you are on vacation, so dress comfortably. I wear khakis and a button down shirt for dinner every night and have never felt under dressed. I have seen others wear khaki shorts and jeans to dinner as well as tuxedos. It all depends on your style! kittysoul 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YOLO Posted August 10, 2019 Report Share Posted August 10, 2019 @kittysoul I agree with @WAAAYTOOO & @TXcruzer. I used to wear a suit & tie, but as time went on... then a jacket & tie, then a tie, now I am down to just a dress shirt and dress pants on formal night. For smart casual khaki pants (not the color) and polo/short sleeve button downs are what I wear now... kittysoul and Yo2slick 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellcee Posted August 10, 2019 Report Share Posted August 10, 2019 Tie not necessary! kittysoul 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChessE4 Posted August 10, 2019 Report Share Posted August 10, 2019 3 hours ago, kittysoul said: I'm sorry, I know this has been hashed and rehashed a thousand times, but I think the more I read different posts and other sites even, the more confused I get. I have down what I am bringing for myself, but now am trying to help my adult son prepare (I am basically buying his cruise wardrobe as his christmas present, lol). So, as I am shopping online today, I am trying to nail down the 'bottom line' for him. So , is this correct...: He can wear khaki pants and a polo in MDR or other restaurants at night for dinner on casual nights and look appropriate, but then on formal night in the MDR, he could wear maybe like a pair of blue slacks and button up shirt and look fine? Would he really need to wear a tie for formal nights in the MDR, or say in Chops? I would ask your son what he wants to do; how does he like to express himself? We also buy our adult son a sport coat, if he needs one. (Being in college, he is still a dependent.) If it is too wrinkled by the second formal night, he'll just wear a bow tie. He learned to tie a bow tie in high school, so that is kind of his way of expressing himself. When my son was a bit younger, he palled around with a group of teens and liked looking good for the girls on the ship. Now he is at a different stage in life - has a steady he doesn't need to impress, and is thinking about careers and grad school. We let him do what he wants, but if we need to, we pack his sport coat in our suitcases so he has it "just in case". Other than these comments, I agree with what has already been posted. kittysoul 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mworkman Posted August 10, 2019 Report Share Posted August 10, 2019 @kittysoul Closed toed SHOOOOOSSEEEEE and socks are required....don't let that boy go in their barefooted. kittysoul and WAAAYTOOO 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted August 10, 2019 Report Share Posted August 10, 2019 @kittysoul, you're on a 9- or 11-night sailing as I recall, right? So you'll have two formal nights, maybe 3 if it's an 11-night sailing. A nice thing about any "dress your best" option is that one pair of dress pants / slacks / jeans is enough; pair that with as many matching shirts as you think you'll need and you're good to go; and that could be just one if you're confident he'll keep it neat and can re-wear it on the second night! People really don't pay attention to what's worn on first formal night vs. second; well, unless they're on the level of Thurston Howell III, or whoever that lead character from Clueless (aka Pride and Prejudice) was. For myself, I've found my position evolving. First cruise I absolutely wore a suit for both formal nights. Partly because I like chances to get dressed up now when my work has gone 100% business casual, partly because I feel like it's a tradition of cruising that I'd like to uphold (without going so far as to wear a tux). But my second cruise I had to be pragmatic; it was a 5-night sailing and I wanted everything to fit in a carry-on, and the carry-on suitcases I owned at the time were too small to fit that and my suit without stuffing the suit in there. So dress chinos and a button-down shirt it was for formal night; basically the same as every other night at dinner. This year, same 5-night sailing but I've got a new carry-on that's larger and has a suiter pocket; I'm on the fence, but I think I'm going to bring my suit this time. And next year, where it's the big blow-out 14-night sailing, you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be wearing that suit every formal night! YOLO and kittysoul 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittysoul Posted August 10, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2019 Thank you all so much for all of the advice and thoughts...I think I got it now, as far as what he should bring. @ChessE4 ... as far as him deciding.. he will be clueless . lol He just graduated college in may and is still at his summer job right now trying to decide if he should look for a job or go to grad school.... or both... He tends to not be a very dressy sort of person, mostly jeans and tee shirts in his regular life and works for the parks dept so wears a uniform to work. He is just now trying to 'find' a style as an adult I think....honestly... and so you guys are a great help to us both! lol I am sure he will be thrilled to hear that a tie isn't necessary. @JLMoran ... well, the first cruise I am taking is an 8 night holiday cruise, but he will not be going on that one, he is going on the second one, which is just a 7 day Eastern Carib... so i guess 2 formal nights and we have established now that we are going to eat at Chops on night two, so really only one formal night. Also,just in response to your comments about work wear... it is interesting... I have been with my company for 12 years and the first 8 years or so, we had a strict dress code. I had a full wardrobe of work clothes for that. Then, we had an administration change, and more of a focus on 'health and wellness' and so they changed to a pretty business casual dress code with jeans and tennis shoes on friday. Two years ago, I was sent home to work and so now I wear shorts and a tank top ( or PJ's ) to work ...and no shoes... is funny how things have changed.... JLMoran and cdixon22 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted August 10, 2019 Report Share Posted August 10, 2019 7 minutes ago, kittysoul said: Also,just in response to your comments about work wear... it is interesting... I have been with my company for 12 years and the first 8 years or so, we had a strict dress code. I had a full wardrobe of work clothes for that. Then, we had an administration change, and more of a focus on 'health and wellness' and so they changed to a pretty business casual dress code with jeans and tennis shoes on friday. Two years ago, I was sent home to work and so now I wear shorts and a tank top ( or PJ's ) to work ...and no shoes... is funny how things have changed.... Similar here. Never had to wear a suit to work (benefit of working in IT, where I never see a customer's face), but still had to wear "high end" business casual -- chinos, button-down shirts (short-sleeved allowed in summer), nice shoes (sneakers were forbidden), etc. Once in a while you'd be allowed to wear jeans to work on Friday, but were required to donate $5 to a local charity, collected at the office lobby as you walked in. This was across 3 jobs spanning over 20 years. Fast forward to the current employer at the start of this year. Also a change in leadership, seems to be more of a focus as you said on "health and wellness"; and all of a sudden every single employee who doesn't directly interact with clients is allowed to dress full casual every day. Jeans, sneakers, mock turtlenecks in the colder weather, t-shirts (without massive print / logo or NSFW art), etc. are all fine. I still wear my old wardrobe just because I'm used to it and I feel like I become a bit of a slacker when I don't, but that will probably erode over time as making the effort to pick out the matching outfit gets more and more tiresome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittysoul Posted August 10, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2019 3 minutes ago, JLMoran said: Once in a while you'd be allowed to wear jeans to work on Friday, but were required to donate $5 to a local charity, collected at the office lobby as you walked in. YES!! lol We went through that 'pay to dress down' thing too for a few years, then the dress code just got so lax that there was no point anymore. JLMoran 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YOLO Posted August 11, 2019 Report Share Posted August 11, 2019 @kittysoul Sorry, I thought of a bit more after reading @JLMoran's comments. Maybe you already made your purchase, but if not... Here's my NO suit/jacket/tie example, but not including outerwear: Formal attire for 1-3 nights - I bring 1 pair of black dress pants & 2 dress shirts (1 white, 1 colored). We like to take pictures, so the contrast of colors is nice, but 2 (or 3) colored dress shirts work if you prefer. I usually wear the shirts twice at most. Smart casual for 7-9 nights - I bring 2 (or 3) various colors of long khaki pants and 3 to 6 matching button down shirts. I often at some point wear some of my day polo shirts in the dining room. That way I have overlap and backups if weather or moods change. Embarkation & Departure - I usually wear blue jeans to travel to port and pack a nearly new very dark pair of black jeans for disembarking. In a pinch, those back jeans can be my dining room back-up. This works well for me. Both pairs can be used for other purposes either day or night. Day attire - Pants/Shorts/Workout/Swimwear and matching button downs/polos/tshirts, type and quantity as per itinerary. I usually wear sneakers by day. Also, consider water shoes / sand shoes if appropriate. Shoes - I wear a pair of nice black Bass shoes with a thick tread rubber soul on all nights. Normally I only wear them at night, but they could be used in a pinch for hiking if needed. They are in great shape, I only wear them on cruises and polish them before I embark. From one of @Matt's recent podcasts, I'll be transporting them going forward in a hair net from the dollar store. Thanks Matt! Socks - White socks by day and black socks by night. Here I splurge and bring one pair of each per day. kittysoul and JLMoran 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittysoul Posted August 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2019 @YOLO Thank you so much for taking the time to go through this list, this DOES help me a lot! I have bought some things, but , what i have bought already still works with your list, and the list will help me put the rest of it together! So far I have got him 2 swimtrunks and a white rashguard swim shirt, 3 polo shirts, 2 cargo shorts, 2 Docker's khaki pants (one navy and one true khaki color), 2 button up camp shirts , some dark brown leather shoes that can work for daytime ' or night time, and some light tan and black canvas Nike tennis shoes and a pr.of Nike pool slides. ( i might pick him up some black pants too..he does have a pair of black dress shoes he could bring ). I figure Ill also buy him some new casual T-shirts too Thanks for reminding me about the black socks, i can see us forgetting those and him having to wear white gym socks with his black shoes and pants hehe YOLO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted August 11, 2019 Report Share Posted August 11, 2019 One other option to consider for footwear: a pair of black all-leather sneakers with no or very minimal logos. New Balance has a number of these, I’m sure other brands do as well. They pass for dress shoes at a casual glance, and like they said in The Shawshank Redemption, who really looks that hard at a person’s shoes? I mention this because this is what I wear all the time, even with a suit. My one leg is an inch shorter than the other after multiple foot surgeries; between needing a shoe modified with a rocker lift, having to wear orthotics, and needing a new pair of sneakers every 6-8 months, it’s not cost effective or comfortable for me to wear “proper” dress shoes of any stripe. kittysoul 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittysoul Posted August 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2019 @JLMoran , thanks!.... that is another great idea! I personally think that everyone should go for comfort always, especially on vacation! I am excited all to pieces, that Sketchers now makes these shoes that look like strappy dress shoes for ladies... but have memory foam and treads on the bottom like their athletic shoes... I got a pair to wear with my dresses on board, and they go perfectly...even with the more cocktail-y formal night wear~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USCG Teacher Posted August 12, 2019 Report Share Posted August 12, 2019 21 minutes ago, kittysoul said: @JLMoran , thanks!.... that is another great idea! I personally think that everyone should go for comfort always, especially on vacation! I am excited all to pieces, that Sketchers now makes these shoes that look like strappy dress shoes for ladies... but have memory foam and treads on the bottom like their athletic shoes... I got a pair to wear with my dresses on board, and they go perfectly...even with the more cocktail-y formal night wear~ Uhm, my wife is requesting a link to said shoes post haste! kittysoul and KristiZ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittysoul Posted August 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2019 @USCG Teacher here is a link to the pair that I bought... hopefully this link thing works~ lol https://www.amazon.com/Skechers-Womens-Rumblers-Sci-Fi-Wedge-Sandal/dp/B00N120CR0/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=sketchers+womens+sandal&qid=1565572079&s=gateway&sr=8-8 once you click on it, if you scroll down to the bottom, their are other models.... and note, it doesnt 'say' memory foam on there but it sure feels like there is, and i am pretty sure there is... lol USCG Teacher 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USCG Teacher Posted August 12, 2019 Report Share Posted August 12, 2019 17 minutes ago, kittysoul said: @USCG Teacher here is a link to the pair that I bought... hopefully this link thing works~ lol https://www.amazon.com/Skechers-Womens-Rumblers-Sci-Fi-Wedge-Sandal/dp/B00N120CR0/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=sketchers+womens+sandal&qid=1565572079&s=gateway&sr=8-8 once you click on it, if you scroll down to the bottom, their are other models.... and note, it doesnt 'say' memory foam on there but it sure feels like there is, and i am pretty sure there is... lol Even if it's not actually Memory Foam, if it's close enough to fool you, it's close enough to make her happy! Thank you from the both of us! JLMoran 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaosgirl426 Posted August 14, 2019 Report Share Posted August 14, 2019 I can't even begin to fathom changing my clothes so many times a day... i bring a (even though i hate them with every being of my soul) dress, and then a nice shirt for our other formal night/ nice dinner... but you will find me in shorts/ capris and a t shirt in the MDR every other day. same with my husband.. he has a nice shirt/ pants/ tie, hell i may even bring a button down with a tie for me.. because im more comfy in that than a dress.... but t shirt and shorts/ capris, always. one outfit, one WHOLE day. done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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