When Dressing Up Is a Formality

The two words almost guaranteed to strike fear into the heart of any male first-time cruise passenger are: “formal night.”

On some cruises, however, during the captain’s cocktail party--the dressiest occasion on any ship--males might be surprised to find fellow men wearing everything from designer denims and a short-sleeved knit shirt to a tuxedo and stiff wing collar.

A lot of people who dress up for work every day look forward to an easygoing, casual vacation at sea, and a few retirees say they knotted their last tie the day they retired.

The truth is, there are so many cruise ships around, each with a different dress-code policy, that anyone who feels strongly about dressing up or dressing down can find a cruise to match his or her taste.

First-time passengers who want to be appropriately dressed for each shipboard occasion will find that it’s a lot less complicated than anticipated.

Except on a world cruise or one of the “very dressy” ships listed below, men never need a tuxedo or dinner jacket, and women will want nothing fancier than a cocktail dress or pantsuit.

Chances are good that everything you need for a cruise wardrobe is in your closet now. Jogging suits or shorts and slacks with T-shirts are standard daytime deck apparel, along with comfortable flat shoes such as sneakers, espadrilles or sandals.

You’ll want a bathing suit and cover-up for sunning and swimming, and some nice clothes for evening, the sort of thing you’d wear to a good restaurant or dinner party.

Most ships designate one of three types of apparel for the evening: “formal,” “informal” and “casual.”

The day you embark, for example, or days when the ship stays in port late are usually “casual,” which means dresses or slacks for women, long trousers and shirts with collars for men, worn with or without a jacket; ties are not necessary.

The biggest problem is when the evening calls for “informal” garb, because most new and many veteran passengers confuse it with “casual.” For men, it means wearing a jacket and tie.

On most ships, the longer the cruise the dressier it usually is, with the three-month world cruise providing the maximum opportunity for dressing to the nines.

Here’s a quick rundown on the dress codes for each cruise line for formal nights (because women can get by with almost anything, from a pantsuit to a skirt and blouse, we’ve listed what men wear):

Very casual: Take along a jacket, but nobody will care whether you wear a tie or not. American Canadian Caribbean Line, American Hawaii Cruises, Ocean Quest, Society Expeditions, Special Expeditions, Windstar Sail Cruises, World Explorer Cruises.

Casual: Jacket and tie, ascot or turtleneck are as dressy as it gets. Clipper Cruise Line, Delta Queen Steamboat Company, Salen Lindblad Cruising.

Standard: Suit or jacket and tie are expected; some men will wear dinner jackets or tuxedos. Admiral Cruises, Bermuda Star Line, Carnival Cruise Lines, Chandris Fantasy Cruises, Costa Cruises, Crown Cruise Line, Cunard Line’s Cunard Countess and Cunard Princess, Dolphin Cruise Line, Epirotiki Lines, Norwegian Cruise Line, Premier Cruise Lines, Regency Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.

Fairly dressy: Tuxedos and dark suits outnumber more casual suits and sport coats. Holland America Line, Ocean Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Sun Line Cruises.

Very dressy: Tuxedos and dinner jackets far outnumber the dark suits. Cunard Line’s QE2, Sagafjord, Vistafjord and Sea Goddess ships, plus Royal Cruise Line, Royal Viking Line, Seabourn Cruise Line.