Everyone asks: What's the dress code for cruise dining?

The dress code only applies at dinner time and it's as varied as what you might wear for a night out. At one extreme you're expected to frock up as for a night at the opera, at the other end of the scale it's what you'd wear for a beer down the local. More than a decade ago Norwegian Cruise Line devised the concept of Freestyle Cruising, which means you just show up. There are no formal nights, resort style clothing will do just fine in any NCL ship's restaurant. NCL also scuttled assigned tables and fixed dining times and hooray for that, the concept took root. At the opposite extreme, Cunard has three formal nights on its trans-Atlantic cruises. On such nights it's dinner jackets, tuxedos or dark suits with ties for men, cocktail dresses or evening gowns for women, and don't spare the bling. Want to opt out? The formal dress code usually applies only in the main dining room. Buffet dining areas are far more liberal and room service is always an option. Most ships with formal dress requirements will hire whatever you need to look the part, but get in early. "Smart casual" or "cruise casual" is the usual requirement for dinner, which means no shorts, T-shirts or thongs, and shirts with collars a must. All cruise operators post their dress requirements on their websites and it's worth paying attention to make sure it's your kind of tailoring. No point signing up for a posh cruise If you're not comfortable putting on the Ritz.