Lovely cruise icelandFaroes and Norway

Well formal dress was obligatory on just 2 evenings but if you really didn't want to then there was the casual dining!

Any mostly people wore just suits and tie not so much dinner jackets not at all stuffy nowadays.

I personally enjoy chance to dress up!

Even on Cunard a lot of people don't bother. It's only in the grills that people tend to be more formal.

She would have been in the minority on the lovely cruise I went on, number!

Thanks everyone for your replies and helpful remarks. The formal dressing for dinner was bothering me, because someone I know, although not particularly posh, has been on a few cruises now with her husband, and she`s really disgusted at the odd few people who didn`t dress up in formal evening wear, she thought they were letting everyone else down. We may not go on a cruise yet, it depends on our financial situation by next year, also on the health of us both, as things aren`t too great right now, but I will be looking into them.

number we went on a fabulous Royal Caribbean cruise around the Med and it was not posh at all, just luxurious. If people want to dress up, there are captain's table nights and formal dinners, but plenty of other dining rooms to choose from, too. We spent much of the time casually dressed, and if we used our table in the formal dining room, I just wore something a bit smarter, but not an evening dress. Try it - I avoided cruising for years, as my sister would return with photos of her and husband in evenng dress and black tie, looking very stiff and formal with the captain. Not for me, but suits some people.

My cruise consisted of lazy breakfasts looking out at the port we had anchored in before we woke, coffee and a read on deck, excursions for wine-tasting or to explore the area we had cruised in to, meals out in French and Italian olive groves or vineyards, pizza in Naples watching passers-by, back on board to shower and go through the book of cocktails, dinner watching dolphins leaping alongside the glass-sided dining room, roulette in the casino, a show, then round the evening off with people of all nations, singing our heads off in the piano bar. Great fun, and lots of quiet places when you just want to relax (I had a snooze on the sofa in the library one afternoon). Go on, go on, go on......!

Can't understand destination point we cruised 5 times twice Caribbean Canada and Alaska med and last one Faroes Iceland and Norway cross section of people on all of them.
Possible tad posher on our Alaska cruise but agree really wealthy people are usually polite enough not to mention it!

we enjoy formal nights but if you don't on Thomson ships the alternative casual dine is good . Never been with saga but we do like younger age groups.

There were 2 formal nights and is lovely chance to wear pretty frock and oh looks good in his suit only appears for work or weddings normally!

Stansgran is right, its all about the destination. But also, can honestly say on our two cruises (have only done 2) we met such a broad spectrum of folks. Yes, there are a few real snooty types who do think they are better than everyone, but they are few and far between and quite easy to spot and avoid. Most people have the good manners to be inclusive and just jump in and be very friendly. In fact some of the truly grandest people (you find out later that they really do come from privileged backgrounds) are often the most jolly and non judgemental.
At meal times on the two Saga ships there are a few who book their places but the vast majority of us go for open seating and you just turn up when you feel like it within the set times....evening meal 6.45 to about 9.30 I seem to remember. You can ask to sit at a table for 2 if you prefer, a 4 or the larger ones if feeling gregarious. If the latter everyone just pitches in with introductions and gossip....all very diverting. I only heard of one disaster where a couple were seated next to a couple of real miseries but somehow the waiters picked up on this and tactfully moved them to another table. In a 2 week cruise they have 3 'formal' nights but apart from insisting a gentleman is wearing a jacket and tie, there are few real dress rules. Some of the ladies are 'sequined up' as I put it but I just wear a well cut Maxi dress rather than an official posh frock, and a bit of extra bling.

Don't feel like that number! We went on celebrity cruise as was supposed be 5 star was ok but people did not dress up only for 2 for al nights and we preferred smaller ships I just not keen on cruises as had tried so hard to lose weight and put on 9lb!

Thomson ships have best evening entertainment in our opinion and their casual dining is far better than the celebrity so that would may be good one try?

We found quality meals superior on smaller ships I guess feeding over 2,000 must come into it!

We also had to change cabins had payed for ocean view de luxe with balcony and it was not even clean!
They were embarrassed but bad start! we got moved and 100 dollars also meal speciality restaurant which was fun. Still very bad start.
the hygiene on board was excellent though just not in our first cabin!

All sorts people go to all sorts places so destination. Does not really come into it but definitely don't think all cruisers are posh they aren't!

Number If you go on a cruise because the boat is going where you want to go ie Murmansk or Syracuse or wherever you will find like minded people. At the moment my SIL and husband are off to the Northern lights, my hairdresser and partner to the Med and my cleaner around Italy. They are on respectively Fred Olsen p&o and Thomson . Go for a taster cruise. I know the hairdresser who is a very kind man went on the taster one from Newcastle with one his customers because she wanted to travel but was nervous on her own . I think it was about two days. I love not having to pack and unpack. My DH has just arranged a yomp over northern Laos which seems to involve a dozen packing and unpacking s when I thought we were looking forward to a voyage of Antiquity (so appropriate ) around the Black Sea . I must have missed a conversation somewhere along the line.

We`ve never been on a cruise, although hubby has always wanted to. One thing that puts me off, apart from the cost, is that people on cruises always seem to be ultra posh, and as we are decidedly "un-posh", I can`t see us fitting in. Are there cruises for folk like us, where you don`t dress up in evening gowns for dinner, and take "ordinary" folk, rather than rich, posh people?

Cunard! I tend to live on molluscs and crustaceans when cruising. Oh! And loads of smoked salmon!

Or unaired or princess.

Mishap...I felt that way too but even though I have little will power I just went down the route of being really choosey. When there is so much really good food available you don't feel you have to stock up as it were...so I would just be very selective...I actually find myself eating less and much healthier because they have done all the hard work. The most amazing salads (those things that take ages to prepare at home) lots of wonderful fruit and at dinner there were many really delicious 'diet' alternatives. I could be a proper greedy guts I know, but when faced with so much choice I sort of go for the 'little and good' choice rather than the huge great plateful of stodge.

P.S definitely no searching for contraband on Saga! and on our first cruise they gave us a 'welcome' gift of £50 each per week on our on board account...thankfully you could spend it on anything on board as I would have had a job drinking that much...OH is a non drinker...so I had a manicure and several cocktails (not at the same time).

Nonu......the price was what one would expect to pay in a run of the mill restaurant which I thought was very fair as the food was what one would expect in very good restaurant!

That is another reason we don't do cruises or hotels - we simply do not have the stomach capacity!!!!

Galen yes we could have but were told would mean queuing

Thanks mishap yes was good just don't think our digestion copes with overeating for 12 days!

We had drinks package included was brilliant so wine unlimited with meals whatever sort preferred and delicious speciality coffees cocktails etc no doubt that hot choc and whipped cream did my weight no favours!
Glad we did a glass wine was over 9 dollars.

We were advised by the rep on our Saga Nile cruise to buy beer on shore as it was pricey on the boat. We also had duty free gin and brandy. Did the week ok!

Not being cheeky here , but what would you class as "fair".

Well we were told by some friends that you were not allowed to take your own drink aboard .

They checked them as they re-boarded the ship after being on land !!

Achtcherly.....I found the booze prices on Saga pretty fair, and as all cabins have a fridge some folks would order a bottle and keep it in that.

What happens if one wants a glass of wine /

The inflated charges ?

Always thought I'd never warm to Cruises...too much like institutionalized fun and I'm a natural Grump...see other thread.
But......having had two Saga cruises on their little ships I am quite content to go again. There are plenty of opportunities to just hide away in a corner somewhere if you feel less than jolly. I was also impressed that on the days you might be feeling either anti social or under the weather ( Saga folks ARE over 50 but many of them are full of the joys of spring - but sometimes a health issue does rear its head) the room service was totally free and very prompt and friendly. So all in all you can be as social or unsociable as you like.
Next is the a Mediterranean Adventure.... be quite a change from the last one ...Arctic Circle...whole different wardrobe

We never do cruises or hotels, but opt for self-catering. OH is not great at times after his meds and it means we can tailor our day around that and make sure he can rest when he needs to.

So glad that in the main your cruise was good and look forward to seeing the pics.

Didn't they have anytime dining?