Cruisewear

above is a response to aonk (previous page)

Of course we are!!

We did the Norway fjord cruise a few years ago and loved it. During the day I wore ordinary casual clothes. In the evening we dressed up. I had a few posh frocks. We had to buy OH a bow tie from the shop as he’d forgotten his.

MOnica I’m sure you’re the kind of people who deserve this way of life!

aonk we absolutely do not intend to miss the Gala Nights. DD has made herself two dresses specially to wow the assembled multitude!! We are going on this cruise to revel in the discrete (and at times, not so discrete) luxury and imagine we are the kind of people for whom this is our usual way of life.

Monica We have done that same cruise as yourself in February 2015. The only difference is we flew from Bristol to Trömso and picked up the ship from there. We had good weather apart from the whiteout at the airport where visibility was so poor I wasn’t even aware we’d landed. The snow in Kirkenes was so beautiful. Breakfast on the Finnmark was really good but didn’t think much of the evening meals. I was given spectacularly overcooked reindeer which is supposed to be served fairly rare. I don’t recall anyone particularly dressing up. A few hardy souls braved the small outdoor pool which was heated.

jenniferEccles
I remember my OH waking me up for that. ?

Give them time aonk!

I went to the fjords on the QM2 on May 30th this year. It was wonderful! People were very casually and practically dressed during the day. A bit smarter in the evenings and even smarter on the gala nights. The clothes you plan to take sound perfect to me. Please don’t miss the gala evenings. They are so enjoyable and you have some suitable dresses. Have a lovely time. At least there are no “petri dish” comments on this thread!

So much depends on what type of cruise ship you're on. We've dressed up on Cunard but won't go with them again. Viking Ocean is very calm and relaxed. No dressing up. No casinos, pubs, constant photo selling or 'art' auctions. We dress comfortably and for the weather. In Norway I'd suggest layers and a good lightweight waterproof. Comfortable footwear is a must.
Enjoy yourselves but beware - cruising is addictive!

We too opted out of formal evenings, I had a couple of skirts, smart jeans, mixed the tops. MrJ wore chinos and short sleeved shirts. Only rule was no shorts in the dining room.
Have a great cruise.

I will remember the rain. I am a chilly mortal and go nowhere without a good thick warm sweater - and bedsocks!.

We have been up the Norwegian coast once before, on a Hurtigruten ship, when they were more like glorified ferries than cruise ships. It was February and our suitcases were packed with warm waterproof clothes. We went from Bergen to Kirknes in the Artctic Circle. The temperature on board seemed to match the recent heat wave and on only one day did the temperature outside fall below zero, despite a completely white landscape. We brought most of our clothes back unworn - too warm!

This time it is Summer/Autumn and the southern Fiords. I will make sure that I am prepared for anything.

Yes, I know about the prices. DH used to go to Norway on business!

I echo that it rains a lot, even September so take a mac and a few woolies. Prepare that Norway is very expensive. Ten years ago 4 cups of tea and two small buns came to £25 in a cafe in Bergen. From then on we went back to the ship fir all meals and wear what you feel comfortable in. Enjoy.

M0nica
So lovely that DD is able to go with you!
We’re going with Cunard too but on the QV. DH & I will definitely be very casual during the day, & I refuse to spend a fortune on new clothes for evenings which I won’t wear in our normal lives.
I’m sure some people will choose to dress up every time they leave their cabin (& good for them if that’s what they enjoy) but we want to be comfortable & I’m expecting “people watching” to be part of the fun & we will enjoy every minute of the trip and we’re both really looking forward to it!
I shan’t be going on any of the shore trips with DH, but will be enjoying afternoon teas & hopefully other entertainment he’s not into on the days he’s not there!!!
I’m sure you will have a fantastic time!

Yes, I have bought one that way - £25 - I am also pleased with it.

When it comes single use or occasional use clothes, I am a real skinflint. I hate spending money when I can only get limited use out of something.

I bought all my evening dresses on eBay . Really pleased with them.

Monica wear what you are comfortable in

We are going on Cunard. DD treated us to a day trip and and lunch on the QM2, in 2019 and we so enjoyed the 27 star luxury of the ship that we booked to go on a short cruise in 2020. Well we all know what happened then.

It is because of the formality on the QM2 that I am doing the checking. I wondered whether passengers spent a lot of money on cruise wear, not that any of us, would do so, but it might affect my choice of clothes to wear.

The delay has had one good effect, during COVID, DD made a major career change, with a salary rise to match, and decided she could afford to come with us now it was delayed until this September.

I am all prepared for the dressy dinners, they cause no problems at all, it was more the day to day wear I was a bit concerned about. I have read the Cunard advice, but you know what it is like, they give thr reassuring advice, but the passengers choose to ramp up the ante!

Comfort is key imo.
Regardless where you are or what you are doing.

Don’t forget the oil rigs in the North Sea.. Very early morning and they are all lit up. One week cruise you will have two dressing up dinners. Lovely to see and last time we went some man tried to get in in his shirt sleeves. He was sent to get dressed properly. Jeans, warmish jacket etc are fine. We went to the Arctic last time and a Norwegian chap said he could tell we were English as we had too many clothes on. Have a fantastic time, just enjoy everything. Good luck.

How lovely! I love cruises. We have had quite a few over the years and I have enjoyed every one.
Regarding evening wear as a general rule, Cunard and P and O (a totally different company to the ferry one by the way) tend to have more of a dress code some evenings whereas other cruise lines are more informal. We’ve never been with Saga but I would guess they could have a couple of formal nights too in a week.
We’ve been with Princess, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity and none of them had formal nights.
I do remember noticing though that with those lines, women usually looked as if they had made a bit of an effort in the evenings but were sometimes accompanied by men in shorts and tee shirts ! A shame.

During the day of course what you wear is weather dependent.
Norway can be very wet even in the summer and it’s usually a few degrees cooler than here even in a good year.
Having said that, we did a Norwegian cruise in June about six years ago and had a week of unbroken sunshine. All the tour guides kept saying how incredibly lucky we were !

Have you got a balcony cabin? The ship starts sailing up the fjords early morning and as that’s a big part of the holiday it’s lovely to sit on the balcony in your dressing gown with a tea or coffee watching the scenery.
Of course it’s not essential as you can enjoy the view when you leave in the evening from elsewhere on the ship, but in my view our own private space is worth paying a bit extra for.
I am sure you will love your holiday!

Have just returned from our first ever cruise and it was to Norway.

We opted out of the formal nights, smart casual will be fine. One evening I wore my distressed designer jeans with a linen shirt. Two nights I wore linen maxi dresses, smart jeans on another evening then capri pants on the others.

I didn’t take my swimwear out of the case.

I hope you have a fabulous time, feel free to PM me if you would like more info.

It can also depend on the cruise line! Some much more informal than others. Cunard being the more formal, MSC not.
Norway can be bloomin cold, we went one August and it snowed. We needed woolly hats.
As for during the day - jeans are fine. Some restaurants at lunchtime don’t like very casual clothes, think beachwear.
In the evenings I have a trusted pair of dressy black trousers that you can pair with posh tops.
Handy tip - the walls of your stateroom are metal, so I have some heavy duty magnet tools that you can hand coats, jackets, etc. on. Never enough hooks in the rooms.
If you haven’t got enough hangers ask the steward when he comes to introduce him or herself.
We are cruise veterans, ( 5 cruises booked ahead ATM) and queries just ask!

I’m also going on a Norwegian cruise but in October - I have read & reread the “what to wear” guidance on the company website which has been really helpful as we’ve not done this before. Different companies will have different dress codes so maybe check yours online?
For us, until 6pm dress is very casual, but after that it seems to be more dressy if you want to use the more formal restaurants & public areas. There’s 3 gala evenings which are black tie, but I’ve got 2 very nice dresses I’ve worn for weddings which I’m hoping will do! We’ve bought some accessories as suggested as each gala has a theme. I’ve also bought 3 new maxi length jersey dresses which I hope will be okay on the other evenings - disability (& to be honest my plus size) limits my dress choices. Men have it easy don’t they - OH is packing his DJ (20 years old but still fits), a suit, and we’ve been and bought him a new jacket, 2 pairs of chinos and 3 new shirts! I shall agonise over my choices for the next 2 months!!

MiniMoon ? cross posts ?