clothes on a cruise

Depends on your cabin and how much you want quality rater than cheap and cheerful

Cruises? Far too snobby and socially divisive for me and DH. I know there are less formal ones but - no, still not for us. I could not abide being told what to wear and where I could not go if I was not wearing such and such.......rubbish. The other thing I don't like is being told 'tips are included in the price'. Well, what if I don't want to tip - will I get a refund? Someone once told me they often add an extra tip if they feel they have had exceptional service - an extra tip of '£100 or so'! More money than sense. Rant over but still simmering.

£1500, Penstemmon?! Ouch, ouch, ouch (rock, rock, la, la)!

Our cruise line's t & c say we can take one bottle of wine each on board with us, but can only drink it in our cabin.

We'll be making it last.....

To be fair, we are spending 12 days in Australia before we get on the ship, and I have just been absolutely gobsmacked slightly taken aback when checking out the usual prices there for breakfasts, quick lunches, beer (£5 a pint apparently).

My comment on the holidays thread about coming home and spending the rest of the year in our onesies watching recordings of Pointless now looks less like a joke, and more like a prophesy!

NotTooOld , you have entirely the wrong idea of cruises. Yes they can be expensive but their are all sorts of people on board. Yes there are "snobs" but I have come across that sort of person in many places.most people are normal hard working folk. Can you explain why you think they are socially divisive ?

Many people seem to have the wrong idea of cruises, without having been on one. I was a bit apprehensive, but last year we went on our first one, to Norway. The food was excellent as was the service, and we didnt think the drinks were expensive. The other passengers were a mixed bunch like you find anywhere, and we certainly didn't come across any class distinctions, or maybe we just instinctively avoided any bores as we would avoid them anywhere on land or sea. It was interesting to chat to other people about where they had been on previous cruises, and we certainly didn't interpret any such conversations as boastful, more a case of us asking questions and tips for future use, and many of the stories of missed departures etc were very funny. The cruise we were on was like a UN convention, people of all nationalities and ages, which we liked as I don't like spending my precious holidays with only Brits, but again, that is a personal thing. Dress code is less stressful than many think; just dress smartly as you would for dinner in a restaurant, and it is lovely to have the opportunity to get dressed up once in a while, for me this was a black dress with 2 or 3 different throws/jackets with a bit of costume jewellery, not that great an effort really. The rest of the time, I wore one of several pairs of linen trousers with interchangeable tops, all very comfortable and perfectly acceptable for dinner. Everyone has their idea of the perfect holiday, but it would be a pity if some avoided cruises due to misapprehension and worry about dress codes and snobbery.

Hello, Ginny! Yes, socially divisive because I hear that unless you are wearing the 'correct' clothes you may not eat in certain places on the ship. I understand there are other places where you can eat where 'casual' clothes are 'allowed'. (Dress codes - grrr.) There is also the captain's table thing, where you can be invited to eat but only if the captain wants you to be, as though it were a big deal, major honour etc. You will notice I have written 'I hear that' and 'I understand' so perhaps you will pull me up for quoting hear say. I have friends who cruise and love it but I'm afraid I would not last five minutes before being told to walk the plank. I expect I'm just a stroppy cow who does not like being told what to wear, what to do and so on, but I'd be the first to say 'Enjoy the cruise' to anyone with different views.

I suppose to me it's no different to being asked to wear appropriate clothing when eating in public places. Also it would only be maybe 2 or 3 evenings out of 14. We have never been told what to do in any other way and as for dining with the captain, I would politely decline .

Good for you, Ginny! Tell that captain where to go. With me, it's just the principle of the thing. I'm feeling bad now as I would hate to put anyone off their holiday. Please, Carry on Cruising!

I object to the obligatory photographs on formal nights and then having them displayed later for all to see. My DH and I try to sneak past but we feel conspicuous because everybody else is dutifully queuing up to be photographed with the Captain. No-one asks if we want it done .it is just assumed......

I feel that I want to see as much as possible of the world in the short space of active time left and that sitting around sunning myself in a villa on the costa del something is not my thing. Last year I wanted to go to Sicily and I realised that to see everything I wanted to I would have to keep moving possibly three to four times in two weeks possibly more. I saw a cruise for two weeks on a small boat which covered everything we wanted to see . The food was excellent the service ditto and apart from the travel guides who had never heard of Camilleri and Montalbano(they learnt quickly) it was brilliant not to pack a nd unpack. DH has form for driving around towns and saying we'll go there another time as he hates town traffic so not negotiating the traffic is great. Snobbery is in the eye of the beholder I think.

Choose the right cruise line for your wants / needs and you don't have obligatory anything. I can say "No" as well as the next person. We never have the photo on formal nights. The cruise line I use has two entrances for those that want a photo and those that don't so sneaking isn't necessary. I won't cruise with some cruise lines where you eat is determined by your cabin class. Where people are in fact divided by class. I won't cruise on those lines where they add gratuities to everything you buy.

We cruise on a line that has everyone eating together only one meal has set seating and that dinner but even that is optional, you can eat in the self service restaurant when you like.
Once out of your cabin everyone is treated the same, you are not treated as a cash cow as you are on some lines and you can dress as you like. There are formal nights but again you don't have to attend you can eat the same food in another restaurant and attend all the activities on the ship or not.
We have never been asked to dine at the captains table and have cruised extensively.
The only two dress codes is casual or formal. But you don't have to do formal if you don't want to.

Greenfinch You only have to politely say 'no thank you' and walk on by. We have never found it a problem.

Agreed, I do the same (except its wheel on by)