MW Luxury cruise lines are relaxing their evening dress codes. But is denim at dinner too much?
By Charles Passy
So much for the Titanic era of dressing up for dining at sea
You can likely leave those tuxedos and ballgowns home when packing for your next cruise vacation - but you might want to bring an extra pair of jeans.
Increasingly, cruise lines are relaxing their dress-code policies, especially when it comes to evening wear. The latest example: Regent Seven Seas Cruises, an upscale line that's a subsidiary of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH), just announced it will now allow passengers to sport denim and sneakers - well, "refined denim and dress sneakers" - in all public areas after 6 p.m.
In an email sent to guests, the cruise line said the decision to change its policy was made "to reflect today's wider interpretation of sophisticated fashion." Regent also noted that guests may still dress up if they choose. "No matter if you are in slacks and a collared shirt, a cocktail dress, gown or even a three-piece suit, you will never look out of place," the cruise line said.
Other luxury cruise lines have made similar moves in recent years. Crystal Cruises implemented changes in 2014, allowing passengers to embrace a more casual look if that's their preference - and its current policy allows "dark-wash jeans with no rips" in the evening. Silversea, part of Royal Caribbean Group $(RCL)$, also announced a more relaxed dress code fleetwide in 2024.
Some travelers and travel experts say it's about time, and that the buttoned-up formality of cruise life is a relic of the Titanic era.
"The folks who can afford to travel on a cruise line like Regent have retired from successful careers and are looking to enjoy life. The idea of dressing up after 6 p.m. turns a lot of them off," said Bobby Laurie, a Washington, D.C.-based travel adviser who assists clients with booking luxury cruises.
At the same time, others wonder if something is being lost when ships go too casual.
Count Pennsylvania resident and Regent customer Dana Newbauer among them. While he doesn't strictly object to seeing passengers in denim, he says what makes cruise travel intrinsically appealing is the formality that's been associated with it - tuxedos and all.
"I like to have that fantasy James Bond-type moment and enjoy a nice dinner in the company of people who are dressed the same way," he said.
A new MarketWatch poll found that a majority of people felt similarly. Of the 400-plus respondents, 41.5% said they preferred dressing up on cruises, while 28.3% said they would rather dress down and 30.2% said they had no preference.
Cruise passengers who want the ultimate in formality can still find it. Some cruise lines continue to offer special nights when guests are encouraged to dress to the nines. Cunard, part of Carnival Corp. $(CCL.UK)$, is often considered the epitome of this approach. A Cunard spokesperson said that on gala nights, guests "are invited to dress in evening wear and to refrain from wearing non-collared shirts, T-shirts, polo shirts, jeans, or shorts."
At the same time, many cruise lines, particularly in the nonluxury segment, have long made casual dress their hallmark - day or night. Some travel experts say Norwegian Cruise Line, with its "freestyle" approach, has solidified this idea in the mainstream part of the industry.
Still, there's a bottom-line reason luxury cruise companies may be going more causal, and it's not just about wooing those well-heeled retirees looking to kick back, experts say.
If anything, it's about attracting younger passengers who have grown up in a culture of casual attire and who are becoming a more dominant segment of the cruise scene. According to the Cruise Lines International Association's most recent annual report, the average age of passengers has gone down - today, it's 46.5 - and about 67% of today's passengers are Gen X members or younger.
Cruise lines may figure they have more to gain financially by going after this not-ready-for-retirement denim-sporting set.
A policy like the one Regent has set "will surely turn away some clients, but I am quite sure the new policy will bring them more clients than they lose," said Andrew Satkowiak, co-founder of the Luxury Travel Agency, which is based in Nashville and Toronto. "Changes like this do not come lightly, so I can almost guarantee there was extensive research done before announcing this change."
But even for Regent passengers who like the idea of going more casual, the question remains: How do you define terms like "refined denim" or "dress sneakers"?
Teresa Tennant, senior vice president with Cruise Specialists, a travel-planning company, says the wording is indeed confusing. She looked at Regent's expanded explanation of what qualifies clothing-wise and found it even more perplexing, pointing to the requirement that sneakers must be in "classic colors."
"They're going to have to create a clearer definition," she said.
Regent said it will stay on top of the situation.
"While we trust our guests to embrace the spirit of the updated dress code, staff will continue to monitor adherence," the cruise line said in a statement.
Meanwhile, some cruise passengers argue that denim is still denim, refined or not - and that it just doesn't constitute appropriate evening wear on board.
At least that's what one commenter said on Cruise Critic, a popular website devoted to cruise travel.
"Refined denim. Really. Talk about putting lipstick on a pig!" the commenter observed.
-Charles Passy
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 01, 2025 16:01 ET (20:01 GMT)
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