Haven't been on that particular itinerary, but have sailed on Crystal 5 times so offer this input... Crystal markets itself to "affluent 40-60 year olds" and I have found that most passengers are in that range and +10. Definitely a dressy ship - even during the day (not many T-shirts with messages/ads, jeans, etc.) THink country club clothes. And practically everyone dresses up for dinner - over half the men wear tuxes on formal nights (the rest in dark suits) and dark suits on semi-formal. For women, semi-formal ranges from dressy suits to cocktail dresses and formal can include the same but many floor-length gowns. Based on my experience on other lines (Celebrity, Princess, NCL, etc.), I would say that Crystal's "semi-formal" equates to "formal" on these other ships.

Vickie:

Thanks for your reply. How far does Crystal go in enforcing rules? In other words what if I decide not to wear a tie, would I not be allowed in the dining room?

No tie...that's a hard call. If it's a "semi-formal" night, and you're wearing a jacket and a shirt that clearly wasn't designed for a tie, you'd be fine. But, on a formal night, the maitre d' might remind you of the dress code (and hope that you would go back to your cabin to change) OR he might say nothing. I've never seen (or heard) of anyone actually being denied entry to the dining room...

If your son and his girlfriend don't enjoy dressing up, they probably won't enjoy a Crystal cruise. Why not cancel and rebook on a line they will be comfortable on? Or, instead of trying to "beat the system," how about your son taking a suit and tie along and not make everyone at his table feel uncomfortable?

Did I say it was my son. Rod, what made you perfect

Rod:

By the way, I don't like wearing a tie and the cruise is free. Any other comments?

ummm Rod actually you did say it was your son - Go back and read your post again!

I meant "LEE"

I know of one old bag who is going and it's her favorite ship. She's like 90 and has a large stick....mmm nevermind

Lee- You will sincerely embarass yourself and your son and his girlfriend, if you are the only one without a coat and tie on ,when it is the normal...

THIS is a VERY VERY upscale cruise-
Dress accordingly and don't make people laugh behind your back.....

Famous saying-if you can't beat em,JOIN EM-- You will still have fun even if you feel like you are strangling from that tie....

If you don't want to dress up and fit in with the masses on this awesome ship, I suggest you give your freebie to a more worthy person!

Lee:

What is the big deal about dressing up? As a woman I would go out of my way to shave my legs, wear some high heels and wear a cocktail dress, apply make-up and fix my hair to look classy. Why is it so important to you to look like a slob?