When did the dress code change?

I am getting ready for my next Seabourn cruise, October from FLL, and noted in the documents that came with the luggage tags that the dress code is now:

"Formal

In the Restaurant, Men: Tuxedo, suit or slacks and jacket required. Ladies: evening gown or other formal apparel. Dress in other dining venues is Elegant Casual."

I recall that it used to be formal was for all public areas after 1800. When did it change or is my memory bad?

I am getting ready for my next Seabourn cruise, October from FLL, and noted in the documents that came with the luggage tags that the dress code is now:

 

"Formal

 

In the Restaurant, Men: Tuxedo, suit or slacks and jacket required. Ladies: evening gown or other formal apparel. Dress in other dining venues is Elegant Casual."

 

I recall that it used to be formal was for all public areas after 1800. When did it change or is my memory bad?

On my first cruise I don't recall if the dress code only applied to the restaurant, but if a change happened it was likely when formal optional was introduced.

The dress code changed some time ago. Notice that on formal "optional" nights not even a tie is required, just a jacket.

The dress code changed some time ago. Notice that on formal "optional" nights not even a tie is required, just a jacket.

And trousers.

Or a kilt.

Sarong?

When you're dining in the MDR do they really care what's under the table hidden from sight?

Apparently yes. Bermuda shorts are not accepted, even if you are from Bermuda and wearing the national dress which is Bermuda shorts will long socks, Bermuda jacket, shirt and tie. They made a mistake in asking a man we were dining with to change.

I was kidding!!!!

I was kidding!!!!

So were the rest of us

So my g-string and pasties are out?

/I jest

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To answer the Ops question, on my recent Quest cruise, there were only two dress codes: Elegant Casual and Formal. There was no Formal Optional which some people on here keep referring to. There were 3 Formal nights, all other nights were Elegant Casual. And as per the above, the Formal dress code only applied to The Restaurant. All other dining and public venues including Restaurant 2 were Elegant Casual every night.

I just finished two one-week BTB cruises on Odyssey (full review pending). I was generally pleased with pax attire choices. There was one formal night per week, which applied only to the MDR. Other venues on formal nights, and on other days, were "elegant casual". However, though many men wore a jacket and tie on formal nights, and some wore tuxes, some just wore a nice jacket without a tie, and still looked nice. As for the ladies, other than the ones who wore obvious glittery cocktail dresses and gowns on formal night, I often had trouble distinguishing what was "elegant casual" and what was formal, especially if there was anything glittery or shiny on the clothing, as the ladies almost all looked lovely in assorted arrays of classy (or at least attempts at looking stylish) outfits for dinner, be the nights formal or elegant casual. Some ladies wore cocktail dresses with very high heels even on "elegant casual" nights. The only people I saw who did not fit the general "nicely dressed in different ways" vibe were a couple men who came to the MDR on "elegant casual" nights with untucked wrinkled and too tight shirts (looking decidedly inelegant) and an aging guy who had a look that advertised "I am trying to be an alternative type" who wore a short-sleeved T-shirt with writing on it (I see a lot of such types in upscale restaurants in the San Francisco Bay area). My own preference on cruise lines is to go to alternative dining venues on formal nights (on SB, like R2, Colonnade, or even pool), even though I have clothing that passes for formal nights, so that people who really value a true formal ambience can increase the odds of sitting around others who do the same. The food was so good all over SB that no matter where you eat, it will be special, so you need not think you will miss out on good things by missing MDR formal night.

To answer the Ops question, on my recent Quest cruise, there were only two dress codes: Elegant Casual and Formal. There was no Formal Optional which some people on here keep referring to. There were 3 Formal nights, all other nights were Elegant Casual. And as per the above, the Formal dress code only applied to The Restaurant. All other dining and public venues including Restaurant 2 were Elegant Casual every night.

After looking at the SB website it looks like what was formal, then formal options is now just formal, but with the requirements from formal optional.

On a recent 10 day Sojourn cruise one gentleman on elegant casual in the Colonnade wore knee length shorts and a t-shirt, his partner wore short shorts and a see through short length cover up. Everyone else was elegantly casually dressed.

I don't care what they call it. It's still formal optional now.

On a recent 10 day Sojourn cruise one gentleman on elegant casual in the Colonnade wore knee length shorts and a t-shirt, his partner wore short shorts and a see through short length cover up. Everyone else was elegantly casually dressed.

And this is what I find annoying about dress codes. If you have one, enforce it. If you won't enforce it, don't bother having one.

To me, "elegant Casual", 9sman oxymoron.

and this is what i find annoying about dress codes. If you have one, enforce it. If you won't enforce it, don't bother having one.

agree 100%

I just can't for the life of me understand why people have this entitled "I've paid for it and I'll dress how I feel like dressing" mentality. It's rude and disrespectful of others.

That said, my mother always taught me that social grace wasn't about making yourself comfortable but rather it was about making others comfortable. So when faced with someone who is breaching proper etiquette, I try to handle the situation with as much grace as can be. There are some on Seabourn to think that dirty looks or outright rudeness to others is an effective way to solve issues. All that seems to do in my opinion is make offenders more resolute in bashing tradition. I've always rather liked instead the fine dining solution of helping the offender cone up to speed, albeit with a dated and ill-sized dinner jacket, for example.

I like the offered jacket, but there's only so much you can do with some other clothing choices.