Jacket for men needed?
We will be going on the Classic tour in July. My husband does not want to bring a jacket but will if he will be the only man without. (This will be our 13th Tauck tour and have learned that the necessity of a jacket is dependent on where we are.) I have reviewed previous posts looking for the answer, but those that address jackets are either quite old or refer to the small group. Would appreciate advice from anyone who has been on the Classic tour recently. Thanks in advance!
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I went on that tour in 2018 so not recent. Pretty sure it was a classic tour. There was only one place where a coat might have been appropriate and that was at the Merchant Hotel in Belfast. I don't think a coat was required in the restaurant there, but people did dress up for that restaurant.
Overall, it was pretty casual.
You can see our trip at https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2018Ireland-01.htm
I believe its Ashford Castle that requires it.
Ashford Castle is not listed as one of the hotels for the classic size "The Best of Ireland". It is listed as a hotel for the small group.
When I went we didn't stay there, so I suppose I was in a classic group.
I just got back from this tour, albeit Small Group. There was a mix and yes, the Ashford Castle (if you are staying there) requires it in their main dining room. As a matter of course, I always bring a sport jacket on every Tauck tour, land and river. I typically wear it on the first night's Welcome dinner, any "special event" dinner and maybe the last night "Farewell Dinner" depending on how the tour went and what others have been wearing. Other than these, never on any other nights. Having said that, I have yet to be on any tour where all the men have worn jackets in the above situations. Maybe 60 - 75% will wear one. Always open collar and no ties.
Bottom line, you are not there to impress anyone else. Just be comfortable and dress smart.
I've never brought a jacket on a tour. My goal is packing only essentials and keeping the suitcase light. The only tour where one was necessary was Egypt in the 1902 restaurant at the Old Cataract Hotel. The restaurant provided a jacket, (which I removed and hung on the back of the chair when I sat down). Given the food quality, a torn T-shirt should have been OK.
We were on the classic Best of Ireland last June. My husband always brings a sports coat because he is used to it from work where the joke was that if you found someone who had been hit by a car wearing a suit, you would know where he worked!
Generally people don't wear ties even if they wear sports coats. I also agree with Mike that the Merchant Hotel in Belfast is the only one where you might be more comfortable with a sports coat. However, you will not be denied service if you do not have one. I also found that was a restaurant where I dressed up more.
The dinner in the Pullman car was very warm. Even if you think of it as a fancy experience, you would likely remove your sports coat sometime during the meal.