Attire for Madrid Opening Reception & beyond
We are on the Madrid to Lisbon cruise of the Douro River this August. The opening reception & dinner in Madrid looks lovely. I'm wondering if I need a jacket & tie for this event or any part of the trip? I don't mind wearing them but dislike the luggage space a jacket consumes.
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It going to be so hot in August, I doubt a jacket could be tolerated.
Some men will likely be wearing them but it's not required. Every Tauck tour has a packing list and for this tour is says coat/tie are optional. My husband typically wears a nice dress shirt and slacks for the special dinners on tour. Women usually wear a nice top and dress slacks or a dress if they are more comfortable with that. As British said, the weather will be warm so even if men wear their jacket to the dinner they'll likely remove them to be comfortable.
Thank you British and Claudia. Regards, Rich D
We took the same trip last November, in the opposite direction. Our opening reception in Lisbon was on a cold rainy night (the only bad weather on the entire glorious trip) and more than half of the gents had sport coats. Fewer had ties. I tried to post a couple photos of the evening, but for some reason it isn’t working.
RickS, fyi how many men wore jackets at the farewell dinner? My experience is you see the most at the welcome dinner and some of the special location dinners, but by the farewell there will only be a handful.
If we're on a tour where the weather will be cooler my husband usually brings a nice V-neck sweater for warmth and maybe a tie.
This was in May not August.
Claudia, your observation is correct: the farewell dinner was more casual. Also, in the hotel rather than a lavish venue so that may have prompted some to dress down.
After five river and ocean trips with Tauck, we have booked back-to-back land tours with Tauck in Italy this spring. We will have extra time on our own (and lugging our own bags) so I m tempted to leave the blazer at home. I hope a v neck sweater and a tie will be dressy enough.
Gosh, these photos are getting me excited about our trip! Thanks for the photos and the additional thoughts related to my posting.
We are on August 21 cruise /going a day ahead to Madrid.
After many trips with Tauck I can say that some Tauck guests dress like the “Beverly Hillbillies”. “I’ve paid so much money I can arrive in shorts and shower shoes”. This is really obvious when on Ponant when it is not a full boat charter. The employees are dressed better than the Tauck guests. Going to Africa you don’t need dress up Most other tours have events in places that demand some respect.
Sealord - Your post made me laugh. I've only been on one Ponant cruise and was dismayed to see so many people wearing beachwear at dinner. I thought it was because it was a U.S. tour.
The most egregious display of disrespect occurred on our holiday cruise last year. During Christmas Eve dinner a young lady entered the dining room late wearing short shorts, low cut tank top, the flimsy white cabin slippers and her wet hair wrapped in a towel. She removed the towel, shook her head and proceeded to brush out her hair. The crew/dining room manager promptly escorted her out of the dining room.
Of course, that was an extreme example. Being comfortable does not mean exhibiting a complete lack of decorum. I do agree with your comment about respecting the venue and I am adamant that people should show some respect for the host country that they are a guest in. Some will scoff and snicker; so be it.
I’ve been on cruises with Tauck on both Ponant and Windstar where Tauck guests were refused entry to the dining room due to inappropriate attire. My ‘favorite’ was a guy who showed up at a very elegant dinner in Malta wearing a tank top, shorts/bathing suit, and shower shoes. This was not on the ship, but I was surprised that they allowed him to be seated. I did notice on one trip that all of the ‘comfortably casual’ people were seated in tables away from the main dining area where the ‘dressed’ people were seated. I don’t know how they did that.
Jacket yes, tie no. You can't go wrong. If you feel uncomfortable while eating, then take the jacket off.
Sealord, I think your numerous tours with Ponant and Windstar may tilt your "most" estimate compared to other Tauck tours. Your photos pretty much jive with my experience of dressing on Tauck tours - a range of dressiness but all appropriate. I've really only seen a few well outside that range like a young man on a river cruise who showed up for dinner in jeans and a Halloween orange sweatshirt. He didn't stay to eat (not sure exactly why) and a couple on our Italy tour who spent the entire 2 weeks dressed like they were going for a hike. Who knew REI was the new Tauck outfitter?
While looking at part of the Tauck site, I read the following. Dress and status are not mentioned
‘What kind of people travel with Tauck?
Tauck land trips and cruises are enjoyed by anyone who has a passion for enriching, rewarding and memorable travel experiences. Our Tauck Bridges family adventures are designed for family travel and attract people of all ages and generations’
These are the most important things to me, not really the dress, but have to say that I feel I always dress appropriately.
Oh dear!
These people are definitely NOT helping Tauck out by telling every one on this forum what kind of demogaphics we should expect on Tauck tour and cruises.
So glad I am going to Crusing the Greek Isles with Ponant through one of Tauck's competitior. Swimming, hiking , and multi-sports excursions are include in the package. So, there won't be too much time worrying about who is showing up in a swimsuit or cycling shorts.
Feel bad for kids going on Bridges Tours having to dress up in suit and tie sitting next to grandpa and grandma.
My quote is directly from the Tauck website. That is them talking about their demographic.
My tour in a month’s time is with Tauck Bridges safari. We will be wearing sensible clothing that helps protect us from Sun and insects.
We have cruised on Ponant quite a bit. Anyone who thinks they are getting into the gastronomic restaurant wearing shorts or a bathing suit has a surprise coming. Elegant casual is the normal evening wear, but some nights include black and white, or white, or coat and tie. So get out your “Beverly” outfits and see where it gets you.
I'm all for rules and will happily abide by the rules set by the ship or venue. Or Tauck. If that's the rule on Ponant for that dining room then fair play to the staff. Same for hotels like Ashford Castle. But I do not feel obligated to abide by others opinions or personal standards anymore than they are obligated to follow mine.
It's not just the French. I am always perplexed that Americans must be reminded about appropriateness and the norms of the countries they are a guest in. Attire is certainly a personal choice and there will never be consensus here and that is fine. I dress the way I wish and what works for me, but I always take into account the environment and I try to be respectful of that.
“Feel bad for kids going on Bridges Tours having to dress up in suit and tie sitting next to grandpa and grandma”
henrypoon_66
Obviously you’ve never been on one. The kids are totally relaxed, often sitting together, dressing VERY casually and having a blast.
I think it's a disservice to people when they inquire about a dress code and responses are contrary to what the Tauck suggestions are. Sealord's pictures depict what the typical attire was for that evening. My husband always wears dress slacks and a dress shirt for dinners and adds a jacket when it's a special venue. Certainly, things are more casual but tuxes and floor length gown requirements are very few. Personal versions of what looks "nice" or "casual" covers the spectrum. Even if someone prefers to travel with only a carry-on, it can still include an outfit for the nicer dinners. One doesn't have to pack 12 different dinner outfits. If I followed the advice of the "just wear what's comfortable" crowd and packed accordingly, I would be very uncomfortable at many of the dinners.
Unfortunately, Tauck’s advice is very contradictory which is why I think so many people make enquires here about what clothing is expected. In one part, it says take a jacket, then in another it says by all means be comfortable or some such phrase for just about every four. I actually think that more people end up taking jackets because of this who would never wear them at home for going out to dinner. Many men seem resistant to wearing them in life at home. If people could take two suitcases each, I also think there would be less discussion. A jacket takes a lot of room up in a medium suitcase.
Since we take carry-on luggage only we carefully choose clothing we can wear repeatedly and wash if necessary. A sport coat to wear once or twice is not practical. I felt comfortable at our opening and closing dinners in a collared shirt and slacks (not jeans we don’t take those to travel) on our last and only Tauck tours. Having said that we just returned from a short trip to LA to meet a new niece. We stayed in Beverly Hills and the restaurants had a loosely enforced dress code with some stating jackets “preferred”. So, still with carry on only, I did some research and found this video on You Tube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJ3sfiUx_uo. Since I like to do magic tricks for my grandchildren this came easily but I can see it might take some practice. The jacket folded down neatly and emerged wrinkle free. I still don’t know if I’ll bring one on the Bellisima Italy tour in the fall, but there you have it.
Another solution to the ‘jacket problem’ is simply to wear it when you travel. I see many businessmen who travel wearing jeans and a suit coat or sport jacket.
Thanks 😂😂😂First of all, by the time the video had ended, if I could have reached into the screen, I would have strangled him 😀😀😀
In all seriousness, my husband knows how to fold a jacket for travel. Most people on Tauck tours are retired, their jacket days are probably over! The issue for most people is the amount of room it takes in a medium suitcase that Tauck asks you to take. When the man was holding it up folded, all I could think was that I could put four of my travel pants and four short sleeve t shirts in the same space when I do my rolling method for my clothes.
If the vacation is in the winter. Do you put your heavy coat and the jacket on on the plane?
@British I agree-the guy is like nails on a chalkboard! You are correct about space which is why I have not traveled with a sport jacket on our Tauck tours to date and don’t plan to. Yes, you can wear a sport coat on the airplane but it will look like hell at the end of a long trip unless you are in business or first and can hang it up. But, it’s a most impractical article of clothing. I always take a windbreaker type jacket when traveling even in the middle of summer mostly for the airplane. I want something I can zip up to my neck when they turn up the A/C. A suit jacket won’t do for that purpose. Same in the winter as we travel to warmer climes and don’t need heavy coats.
Thankfully, Dfamilylpdge has not logged in to see all our bizarre comments about his question since May 27th
I have been seeing a great bag if you do need to bring a sport coat or other hanging items. Its called the Halfday Garment Duffel. Basically its a garment bag that has special zippered ends to turn it into a duffel. They make 3 different models/sizes. $98-158 and Amazon has some cheaper knockoffs.
British is a swimsuit model so I know she is not into sport coats. We will all never agree as said. I never bring a jacket to Africa, but I always have a jacket for all other Tauck trips. On our trip to Russia BA lost our luggage, but our traveling companions actually had two jackets and we were the same size. It is a personal thing, but I like to be dressed better than the waiter. If they are wearing tuxedos, they win. I rarely bring a tuxedo anymore.