
Cruising began as a means of transportation, a way to cross oceans either as wealthy persons flaunting their wealth and their couture gowns in first class, or as a poor immigrant traveling in steerage, basically traveling with the few clothes you possessed.
Times have changed since the 1920s when long gowns and tuxedos were required after 6:00pm for first class passengers. Cruising in the 21st century is all about our need to feel relaxed on vacation and to get away from the restrictions of “work” dress code. Each of the different cruise lines today offer a range of dress codes from super-casual and “country club” casual all the way to “elegant” dressing. For most cruise lines, it basically comes down to casual attire during the day, bathing suits with cover-ups in the restaurants for breakfast and lunch, and no jeans and t-shirts in the dining room at dinner. On most evenings, men will feel comfortable in nice pants and collared shirts (think Polo shirts) and ladies can get away with almost anything, including dressy Bermuda shorts, capri pants, nice slacks, sweaters, blouses, dressy tees and sundresses.