Call us on 0800 197 8050 We are open today between 9am and 8pm

Home / FAQ / I Dont Want Formal Or Smart Dining What Is The Best Ship To Go On

Find Your Perfect Cruise

I don't want formal or smart dining. What is the best ship to go on?

Although most cruise lines are strict on formal and smart dining, there are some cruise lines that offer a more serene way of dining.

Norwegian Cruise Line, Thomson and Island Cruises offer a ‘Freestyle Cruising’ experience as they believe in a more relaxed way of dining.

By all means you can still dress up for dinner if you wish but most people will be dressed more casually on board and no tuxedos will be required on these cruise lines. Although this is a more casual way of cruising and dining, there will still be basic restrictions within the main dining rooms such as no baseball caps, bare feet or swimwear.

Most other mainstream cruise lines will have formal evenings and formal dining throughout your cruise within the main dining rooms, this may be as little as one night per week but you must check your itinerary before travelling. If you prefer not to join in, there is always the the option of the buffet restaurants where there is no strict dress code.

P&O and Cunard have stuck to the old traditional way of cruising and have a very strict policy on formal wear and most people dress up every night for dinner.  

In regards to luxury cruise lines, Azamara and Oceania are an exception to the formal dining and offer their guests ‘resort, elegant casual’ where you can choose to dress up or dress down.

Please double check your itinerary before travelling but should you have any queries call one of our Cruise Experts on 0800 197 8050 and they will be more than happy to assist.

What our clients say

Platinum Service Award Winners

Average Customer Rating: 4.9/5

Satisfied customer

Very helpful and excellent advice and information would highly recommend to anyone thinking of doing a cruise to look at Cruise Kings first , also price can’t be beat

Mr Hamilton / April 2024

Cruisekings booking

After initially sending an enquiry form, I was contacted by Carmel. It was quite a complex booking and Carmel helped me all the way through it, checking details and advising me. I thank her for her patience and professionalism throughout

Mr Wager / April 2024

Good service

Really good service. Discussed where and when I wanted to cruise and received a number of available cruises that suited. I’m a first time cruiser and spent hours online trying to find a cruise. Cruise Kings were very helpful and efficient, I would definitely use Cruise Kings again for any future bookings.

Mrs Edwards / April 2024

Read All Reviews

Speak to a Cruise Expert