If you are taking a cruise with Celestyal Cruises, you may be wondering what the dress code onboard is.

I took my first cruise with Celestyal a couple of years ago and had many questions regarding what to wear.

I’m hoping to get back on another Celestyal cruise very soon!

In this post, we will cover what to wear during the day, in the evenings and on excursions.

What is The Dress Code on a Celestyal Cruise?

During the day there is no dress code on Celestyal Cruises.

In the evening guests are encouraged to dress in a ‘relaxed but elegant’ style. Celestyal Cruises does have ‘Gala nights’ and ‘Captains Cocktail nights’. On these nights, there is a stricter dress code in place.

Celestyal Cruises does have some information on their website in regards to dress codes, but in practice, the dress codes that we actually experienced were quite different.

We saw very little mention of dress codes onboard, and generally speaking, all passengers were very relaxed in what they wore during the cruise.

What is The Day Time Dress Code?

Celestyal doesn’t have a specific dress code during the day. Guests on the Celestyal Olympia generally wore shorts, skirts, or dresses as it was quite warm when we cruised.

Shoes

When it came to shoes, most guests were wearing flip-flops or sandals during our cruise.

The Celestyal Olympia was a little bit higgledy-piggledy’ due to her age, so wearing good shoes was important. Celestyal has now sold Olympia and has two newer ships, so hopefully, this is no longer a problem.

Celestyal has now sold Celestyal Olympia, and has replaced her with Celestyal Journey and Celestyal Discovery. Both of these ships had previous lives with other cruise lines, but have been refurbished to a high standard.

What to Wear

Any sort of resort/beach wear would be appropriate providing that you are wearing shoes and wearing more than swimwear.

On the top deck by the pools swimwear would be appropriate, but inside the ship you’ll need to put on some more clothes.

Celestyal Cruises do not allow topless bathing. This isn’t really a thing I’ve ever considered before but I did see another guest being asked to put her top on during the cruise while sunbathing.

Celestyal say “If you cruise with us during the warmer part of the year, from May through September, light-colored cotton clothes will help to keep you cool.”   

Shorts

According to Celestyal’s website guests aren’t permitted to wear shorts in the restaurants. This was never implemented on the cruise or even mentioned.

I wore shorts in the main dining room every lunchtime, and so did most of the other guests onboard. 

There was no dress code information outside the restaurants, which you would usually find on a cruise.

Each day, we were given a daily schedule, but the only information on there about dress codes said that you couldn’t wear “Tank tops or swimwear” in the main dining room.

What is The Evening Dress Code?

According to Celestyal’s website, the evening dress code is as follows:

In our restaurants, casinos, lounges and nightclubs, and in the other open spaces on our ships, your attire should be “country club casual”– relaxed, yet elegant – after 18:00.

Celestyal Cruises

As mentioned above, we never heard this dress code mentioned on the ship and the guests would usually be wearing shorts/dresses.

The atmosphere onboard was very relaxed, but the schedule was quite busy.

We visited seven ports in four days, which meant that on most days, we had two ports.

Due to this, we didn’t always have time to change for dinner. I felt as though most guests didn’t ever get changed for dinner.

To learn more about the cruise, check out my daily cruise diary here:

 Celestyal Cruises: Review and Daily Photo Diary 2019

Do Celestyal Cruises Have Formal Nights?

Celestyal cruises do have formal nights. They are called ‘Gala Nights’, and this is when guests are encouraged to wear their best clothes. Celestyal also has ‘Captain’s Cocktail’ nights.

If you are taking a cruise that is 4 or 7 nights long, you will only have one gala night. 3-night cruises do not have any gala nights.

For Gala Night and Captain’s Cocktail, please attend in formal dress: a cocktail dress or something smart for ladies; jacket and tie for men. 

Celestyal Cruises

The Gala nights will be mentioned on the front page of the daily schedule that is delivered to your room each night. We decided that we didn’t want to dress up, so chose not to attend the Gala night.

The Gala night dress code applies only to the main dining room so you always have the option of eating in the buffet if you don’t want to dress up.

What to Wear, Men:

Men should wear a shirt and a tie. Celestyal isn’t an overly formal cruise line, so you could wear a patterned shirt without a problem. Pairing a shirt with a smart pair of chinos would also be okay.

Some guests may wear a jacket, but this isn’t mandatory. It can get very warm in Greece in peak season, so I imagine most guests wouldn’t want to wear a jacket. That said, cruise ships do have great air conditioning!

To learn more about that, check out the post here: 

Do Cruise Ships Have Air Conditioning?

What to Wear, Women:

Women should wear a smart dress or a blouse/trouser combination. As long as you were wearing something clean and presentable I’m sure you would be fine.

The dress code is more of an invitation to guests to dress up rather than a direct instruction.

The dress code is ‘suggested’, meaning that you probably wouldn’t be turned away from the dining room for being underdressed.

Dress Code in the dining rooms: As most of the Customers like to dress up for dinner it is advisable for ladies to wear a dress or long slacks and long trousers with shirt or jacket for men. Please refrain from wearing shorts.

Celestyal Cruises

What is The Dress Code For Excursions?

There are no specific dress codes for Celestyal Cruises excursions. I would strongly recommend that you wear comfortable clothes and shoes as the included excursions do include some walking.

It’s usually quite warm in Greece. We travelled out of peak season (late October), but the temperatures were still in the late (20s c) (80s f). Make sure that you dress appropriately for the weather.

I am from the UK so to me the temperatures in Greece felt very warm, I would usually wear a dress or shorts with a t-shirt. That said, guests from hotter parts of the world found the temperature to be cold and would wear jackets and coats!

Greece

The paths and roads in Greece can be slippery and they are often worn away. Make sure you bring comfortable, flat shoes with a lot of grip.

This is particularly important if you plan on walking up the steps in Santorini. It’s incredibly slippery.

(On that note, if you are planning on walking up the steps in Santorini, make sure you bring closed-toe shoes. The Donkey Poo that covers the steps isn’t pleasant to get on your feet!)

Exercise Wear

Both the Celestyal Olympia and Celestyal Crystal have free to use gyms onboard.

To learn more about using a gym on a cruise ship, check out this post here: 

Do Cruise Ships Have Gyms? Are They Free and Other FAQs.

Celestyal also offers free Zumba classes, so it is important you pack clothes for exercising if you plan on taking part in these. Doing Zumba on a cruise is a lot of fun, and I would definitely recommend you give it a try.

To learn more about cruising with Celestyal, join me as we embark on the Celestyal Olympia for a 4-night cruise:

Before You Go

I took a bargain last-minute cruise to the Greek Islands on one of Celebrity’s older ships, Infinity. Find out what I thought of the cruise here:

I Took a Bargain Last Minute Cruise on an Old Ship – Was it Worth it?

Find out when is the best time to take a Greek Islands cruise here:

When is The Best Time to Cruise to The Greek Islands? (Month by Month Guide)