Cruise ship dress code warning as passengers turned away for wearing common item | Cruise | Travel
Many British tourists will be looking forward to setting sail and spending a week on a cruise this winter. They offer countless opportunities for delicious meals of many cuisines on board and amazing cultural experiences in destinations across the world.
However, P&O Cruises have highlighted one rule that passengers need to be aware of so as not to risk being turned away at your dinner reservation.
Most of their cruises have a relaxed dress code, with the occasional night classified as “Black Tie”. These nights are all about the “glitz and glamour”, according to P&O’s website: “a chance to dress to impress with your favourite cocktail dress, tuxedo, ball gown, suit or smart jacket and tie”.
There are also “Evening Casual” nights, where passengers are asked to bring out their best shirts, dark denims and casual separates, “as long as the tracksuits are left on the hanger”.
One item, however, remains off limits for all venues except the buffet on Black Tie nights – tailored shorts. Even on Evening Casual nights, only a handful of venues allow entry to passengers who show up to their reservations wearing them.
Multiple people on Reddit have shared their experiences of themselves or their partners being turned away from these more formal evenings for wearing shorts – even if those shorts were paired with a button down shirt and expensive shoes.
“My husband got turned away from the main dining room on Celebrity Equinox (about four years ago) for wearing nice shorts with a collared polo shirt,” one wrote.
Although it may be tempting to try to argue with staff denying you access, it is not recommended as it is considered poor etiquette. Dressing incorrectly is one of the most common mistakes made on a cruise.
Etiquette expert Grant Harrold, on behalf of Spincasino.com, explained that this is just one of several mistakes first-time cruise-goers may make. “This is really important,” said Grant. “It’s making sure you’re dressed in the right outfit in the right area.”
“On a lot of the big ships you will be given notice of formal evenings or casual evenings, so casual evenings can be anything from jeans and t-shirts to smart shirts, jackets and chinos to the formal evenings where it’s going to be black tie or national dress and officers wear their uniforms.”
But not to worry – passengers should not chuck their tailored shorts from their suitcases. The dress code during the day is your typical holiday dress code, with t-shirts, shorts and sundresses – though not recommended if you are headed for Northern Europe this winter.
“Away from the pool, we ask for shoes to be worn and no pool wear in the ship’s lounges, inside bars, restaurants or reception.”
P&O also recommends flat shoes for strolling the decks and light layers for chilly and breezy evenings on deck. For those headed ashore, the company also reminds passengers of air-conditioned museums or cooler churches.
“Please remember that some cultures may require you to cover up too,” including many religious buildings.
Tailored shorts are not the only clothing item that is restricted: “Fancy dress, novelty clothing or outfits that feature any inappropriate or offensive language or images are not permitted on board.
“We reserve the right to deny embarkation to guests who are inappropriately dressed. The only exception to this is official P&O Cruises theme nights, where guests are invited to dress up in line with the theme.”