Just the information I was looking for, thank you.

On the cruises I took 25 years ago I took a tux I owned and found when aboard that tuxes were available to rent. More recently folks seem to dress down (sadly). Perhaps they still rent tuxes but probably not as much as a few years back so size selection and quality may be down. I would check with the cruise line. Crystal and Silver Seas may still as they are higher end but Carnival is another matter.

We dress for dinner but it's suit and tie, and dressy blouse and slacks. We saw a couple in complete western wear and heard them comment that it was nice to dress up occasionally. We have seen people in t shirts and jeans at dinner. When we first started cruising, they would have turned them away.

I don't know when you started cruising, but I went on an NCL cruise 30 years ago. There was a guy who wore a tee shirt and shorts every day, all day. He wore it to the captain's dinner and to all format events and was never turned away. It's one thing to have a dress code, but quite another to actually enforce the code.

Started cruising in the 70's on Holland America and Princess. They enforced the dress code and turned people away. As the ships got larger (and Carnival set the casual standard) those days are gone except for the smaller lines. We sailed the Queen Mary 2 on their second transatlantic and our dining room was all dressed in suits for the guys and classy dresses or slacks and blouses for the women. We did see casual during the day but not at dinner or the shows or the lounges. Formal night was tuxedo or you didn't get in. That was back in 2004 and have no knowledge of what do on that ship today

The permissive attitude of the day has affected most cruise ships we have been on recently with an "extreme" wide range of attire.

I still prefer smart casual as the low end...and a tux and gowns for formal night(s).

Cruising and air travel used to be fairly exclusive endeavors. People used to dress for both. As both industries expanded, they became less exclusive and your average person prefers casual. The last time I wore my tux on a cruise was 2004. I don't think it has anything to do about a permissive attitude. They are simply responding to market dynamics and cruising is now for the masses. You can probably find some high end cruise lines that go "old school" but not the middle of the market lines such as Royal Caribbean or Holland America. We go to a pretty high end all-inclusive and "resort elegant" is required. This means long pants, button-down shirts, and closed toe shoes for men.

I guess my husband and I fall into "old school" when it comes to dressing for dinner. We prefer to wear Tux on formal nights and a jacket or suit on less formal nights. We always dine in the dining rooms, not the buffet.

A few years ago we were on a Maiden Voyage cruise starting in the Med. Every night the men dressed in either Tux, dinner jacket or business suits and the ladies in full length gowns or smart cocktail wear.

For us, we enjoy seeing people dressed for dinner. What you prefer to wear on your cruise is up to you and I have absolutely no interest in what other people wish to wear.

By the way, we just came off a cruise and one of the people on board was a very beautiful tall blonde female from Europe, she was covered in tats from top to bottom. She liked to wear the shortest of short shorts with boots to the thigh, with a strappy bra top. She was turned away from the dining room.

:clap2:

We don't have to adopt the permissive attitude ..... there are still enough of us around to continue dressing smartly for dinner.

Why don't you just buy a tux instead of renting? I bought mine 35 years ago - a classic style that never gets old. It packs easily in a suitcase without wrinkles.

It would be a lot easier to press a pleat into your dungarees and slip on your turquoise bolo tie for formal night. The downfall would be lugging around those bulky pointy boots. Probably more convenient to carry on those pretty shiny patent leather shoes to go with the tux.

Oh the poor thing. She can sit at my table. It's the holiday season.

Fun Watching
 

We cruise a lot, just got back from a 25 day Med Cruise on Princess which was a "Disaster". Forgetting that we enjoy watching the Passengers who dress up for dinner. We never do and in fact only occasionaly go to dinner in the dining rooms but it is like watching a High School Prom night. Don't take anything away from dressing up as some like to and they add to the cruise and it's fun. :popcorn:

Prom dress / formal night. A gift from the gods. Way too easy. What did you think the attraction was really about ?

I rented tuxes for my husband and 2 sons when we were on Carnival, last time was in 2005 (I think). You send in their measurements so the tuxes did fit. Quality was hard to judge as they looked like standard tux material to me, nothing fancy. I ordered shirts for both formal nights and my "boys" looked wonderful for family photos. I appreciated the ease of having the tuxes delivered to the room, no wrinkles and no packing. Returned them to the cruise shop (on ship) when we were done. The convenience was appreciated!

Since then, my husband purchased a tux which we took on our last cruise in the Baltic (2018, RCCL), but he never wore it. Much less formal than earlier cruises in the dining room as most men wore a sports coat.