European cruise attire

[nenis]

I know this is a dumb question but on carribean/Bahamian cruises our attire is usually casual. Does your attire spruce up to something a bit more "appropriate" to a European cruise or do you still keep it casual with shorts and tshirts while on the ship?

 

[BadPinkTink]

I know this is a dumb question but on carribean/Bahamian cruises our attire is usually casual. Does your attire spruce up to something a bit more "appropriate" to a European cruise or do you still keep it casual with shorts and tshirts while on the ship?

Which cruise are you planning / booked on? The clothes you wear in Europe will depend on the location.

The Northern / British Isles / Baltic / Island cruises are similar weather to Alaska cruises.

The Mediterranean cruises are similar weather to Caribbean / Bahama cruises.

I'm booked on the Norwegian Fjords in September. On the ship I am planning my Disney Bounding outfits, the same as I wear in Disneyland California. I am planning on wearing my ears with each outfit. I will also have some over sized hoodies and spirit jerseys as I'm expecting the weather on deck to be cooler.

For out and about in the Norwegian ports I am planning on good walking shoes, jeans, hoodies and layers. I wont be wearing any Disney clothes or have a Disney bag or have my ship lanyard on display.

European people dont really wear Disney banded clothing out and about on a day to day basis. Its always easy to spot American tourists as they are the ones where wearing baseball hats, with cargo pants and sneakers , University hoodies, Disney spirit jerseys and hoodies.

When you are off the ship, having your DCL lanyard on display is another way to spot an American tourist.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

When you are off the ship, having your DCL lanyard on display is another way to spot an American tourist.

I've read the same advice on many blogs. When you say "another way to spot an American tourist" does that mean advertising for pick-pockets or other situations?

 

[BadPinkTink]

I've read the same advice on many blogs. When you say "another way to spot an American tourist" does that mean advertising for pick-pockets or other situations?

Yes exactly. Having your cruise lanyard on display basically says Im an easy target and I have money and I am most likely not very streetwise.

Petty crime in Europe is opportunistic, most can spot an American tourist within seconds. Many American men for instance keep their wallets in their back pockets. Very easy to swipe and wont be noticed. The same with phones, many people keep them in back pockets.

The baseball hat is another big giveaway. In Europe , baseball hats are mainly worn by teenagers.

Also because Americans are not really used to walking, and usually go everywhere in their car, they are not really that streetwise when it comes to personal safety. The petty criminals just take advantage of the "dumb Americans"

 

[Cruising Engineer]

Also because Americans are not really used to walking, and usually go everywhere in their car, they are not really that streetwise when it comes to personal safety. The petty criminals just take advantage of the "dumb Americans"

You are spot-on. I hope American tourists in Europe read and understand your words.

 

[BadPinkTink]

You are spot-on. I hope American tourists in Europe read and understand your words.

I am from Dublin and before Covid, it was very easy to know when a cruise ship was in port. The Magic visited twice and on both times I went to the port to take photos. I just remember seeing all the DCL passengers in the city and thinking, oh wow, big payday for the pickpockets and petty thieves.

 

[Mom2MoonKnight]

When I am not on the ship, I do not wear any graphic tees, I use a crossbody bag that I have across the front of my body, I keep nothing in my pockets, I NEVER use the DCL sling bag, I never wear athleisure wear (unless the excursion involved hiking or something), and I don’t wear flip flops.

I wouldn’t say the attire on the ship is more formal than Caribbean cruises per se, but most Europeans dress more of business casual. I’m a bit ocd about trying to blend in as much as possible for safety reasons. I wear different attire in almost every country/season.

 

[DCSWO]

BadPinkTink and Mom2MoonKnight are right on. Off the ship, avoiding any clothes with logos (universities, sports teams, clothing brands, etc.) will instantly make you less of a target over most American tourists. Dress conservative (nice, plain clothes), leave the fancy jewelry at home or at least on the ship, and don't walk around with your head buried in your phone.

 

[SteveMouse]

And remember that certain institutions, especially churches, do not welcome any guests that are not properly attired (pants, no bare shoulders, etc.).

 

[Mom2MoonKnight]

And remember that certain institutions, especially churches, do not welcome any guests that are not properly attired (pants, no bare shoulders, etc.)

I meant to add that.

I made sure to dress appropriately for the Vatican tour. I think the heat index was 99 that day and there was no ac. I was surprised that a lot of people were not dressed appropriately

 

[Marthasor]

While on the ship, I found it very casual, especially in the colder climates. Not that I would advise it, but some guests wore flannel pajama bottoms to dinner on our Iceland cruise. Just an indication of how casual it was onboard.

 

[SteveMouse]

For the Vatican, you REALLY want an organized tour and to NOT stand in line.

One our smarter moves was having the breakfast and tour some years ago. It was a 7am breakfast and early admission to the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums. There were less than 30 of us in the chapel for over 30 minutes.

 

[cwis]

European people dont really wear Disney banded clothing out and about on a day to day basis. Its always easy to spot American tourists as they are the ones where wearing baseball hats, with cargo pants and sneakers , University hoodies, Disney spirit jerseys and hoodies.

When you are off the ship, having your DCL lanyard on display is another way to spot an American tourist.

Not so sure a DCL lanyard/hoodie/jersey/whatever is required to spot an American tourist

I would probably more advice caution — as mentionned in thread, do not put your valuables in your pockets, do not talk to strangers (I mean seriously, we people in Europe don't do that, if you engage conversation you're literally asking to be scammed/stolen/worse), don't use cash (I have way much dollars for when I go into US than I have euros, why would I need them for?), hold on to your phone while using it, don't wear jewelry/luxury watches to go buy a croissant…

 

[PezRuth]

And yes this was mentioned above but just a reminder for the Vatican and other churches - shoulders and knees for everyone need to be covered. We are on the Med cruise next week. First thing I packed was a shawl (pashmina) for churches and such. Also I have a special bag I use for travel. It is crossbody, locks, cannot be cut.

 

[cedricandsophie]

We have been on most of the European itineraries for DCL. I’ve found that Europeans, and there tend to be more on these cruises, dress better than Americans especially at night for dinner. I like to wear cocktail attire most nights anyway but most Americans tend to be more casual.

 

[kps7795]

And remember that certain institutions, especially churches, do not welcome any guests that are not properly attired (pants, no bare shoulders, etc.).

We were concerned about that when we went on our Mediterranean cruise in 2019. For what it’s worth, you don’t need to wear pants to get into someplace like the Vatican but your shorts need to reach your knees.

 

[Karin1984]

If I can add to the stereotypes. Keep your voice down. In comparison to Europeans, Americans talk loud. Your accent will give you away within seconds, but so will your volume.

For visiting churches, bring a scarf to cover bare shoulders.

 

[mmmears]

I saw far fewer very dressy outfits on our N. European cruise. It's a long way for some of us, and we need to take clothes for the entire trip and don't have much room for extra fancy items. The same goes for Disney items. I saw no ears and even very few princess dresses on that cruise compared to the ones that leave from Canaveral. The one exception was our Freezing the Night Away night, although even then I'd say that what people wore was a mix of Disney and just cold-weather items. It was pretty chilly out there.

ETA - I should add that on boarding day there were a lot of cruise/mouse shirts worn.

 

[Travel60]

I've read that you can tell an American tourist by their big white tennis shoes (which some Europeans jokingly call marshmellows). In general, adult Europeans are more "put together" and subtler than most American tourists.

 

[rlk]

Yes exactly. Having your cruise lanyard on display basically says Im an easy target and I have money and I am most likely not very streetwise.

Petty crime in Europe is opportunistic, most can spot an American tourist within seconds. Many American men for instance keep their wallets in their back pockets. Very easy to swipe and wont be noticed. The same with phones, many people keep them in back pockets.

The baseball hat is another big giveaway. In Europe , baseball hats are mainly worn by teenagers.

Also because Americans are not really used to walking, and usually go everywhere in their car, they are not really that streetwise when it comes to personal safety. The petty criminals just take advantage of the "dumb Americans"

You seem to make a lot of sweeping generalizations of Americans that are not so nice.