Texas Cruise Guests Be Aware: Onboard Dress Code Has Been Updated

Did you know that the Port of Galveston is the fourth most popular cruise home port in North America? Every year more than one million passengers begin a cruise adventure in Galveston. Perhaps you've experienced a cruise vacation that began at the Port of Galveston.

If you ask any cruise line guest who sails out of the Port of Galveston, Texas what they like most about sailing on ocean-going vessels you'll probably hear "the atmosphere" mentioned more than a few times. Granted Texas, Galveston in particular, has its own unique "atmosphere" but there is still something "different" about sailing on a cruise ship.

Maybe it's the fact that so many of us grew up watching The Love Boat that we tend to think of these giant floating resorts as magical places that can carry us away to exotic and faraway ports of call. And while the ports of call are nice, quite often it's the onboard experience that most cruisers remember and complain about.

When you mention "dress code" and "cruise ships" one of the first thoughts most Texas cruise guests have concerns dining in the "formal dining" room. Many cruise lines do require a certain standard of dress when enjoying a meal in the main dining room. For men, long pants are required and hats should not be worn. There is also a great disdain for "beach and pool attire" in the main dining room.

Now up on top, that's where the more casual buffet is served on a cruise ship, the dress code is a little different. The "Lido Deck Buffet" for lack of a better term is certainly more casual in its service. The buffet is usually located next to the pool so many guests do come directly in from the pool area to the eating area, and that's where the changes in dress code are evolving.

Apparently, on Carnival Cruise Lines there have been instances of women wearing "thong-style bikinis" and men wearing "Speedo" style suits in the dining area of the buffet. Many guests find that kind of attire to be "unappetizing" at the very least and perhaps unsanitary.

Carnival does have a policy that requires guests "to cover up" but with hundreds of passengers moving in and out of the buffet area it's hard to police that. But just in case you were wondering, the banana hammock and the butt floss need to be covered up before you come to the buffet to overeat.