whoops

The amount of discussion on Dress Codes is staggering, it never ceases to create response. I wouldn't describe myself as a fuddy duddy by any means but I do like to dress smartly. I've commented before about older men in cheap jeans is completely different to younger men in expensive jeans. Some of the jeans you see are ones I would wear to do the gardening.

The vast majority of men wear dark Dinner Suits and some a white Tuxedo. Some do wear dark Suits and a few do wear jacket and trousers. I have also seen plenty of men in Highland dress and indeed one couple where the lady wore a matching tartan dress. They looked fantastic. I also came across two ladies dressed in their Sari's and they looked stunning.

Obviously there are a few who wear shorts and Tee Shirts and in fact I saw two guys in trackie bottoms, trainers and baggy tee shirts on a Formal Night (not in MDR). The cabaret singer actually commented about them. Why you would want to dress like that and be an odd want out defeats me.

So to me a light grey suit has to be far better than some attire. I really don't understand why someone doesn't produce a light grey Dinner Suit. I have come across a blue with black trim dinner suit designed by Jeff Banks but I would definitely buy a grey one if I saw one. No doubt that would get a few looks.

As English Lady says, it is generally the men who create the discussion but on a recent cruise on Britannia I was surprised at the poor standard of dress of some ladies who were accompanied by their men in Dinner Suits.

I think people should be less judgemental. For the sake of convention I agree that non conformists such as myself should keep away from the dining rooms on formal nights but it should end there. Expressing an opinion on the standards of dress of both men and women, and those who can't understand why people don't want to dress up, is all rather shallow in my book. For me cruising is not about dressing up but if that is what people want to do then fair enough.

It is the substance beneath the clothes that matters. My wife - Dr Whoops - doesn't like dressing up either.

There's a nice beach in Cadiz at the back of the Cathedral.

I've ticked the no upgrade box as I've read to many posts about bad upgrades

 

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I was upgraded from a superior balcony into a superior balcony higher grade. And boy what an upgrade that was as the cabin had a 20 ft balcony. It was so good I have booked the same cabin for my spring cruise with a very firm tick in the no upgrade box as there is no way I want to be moved from that cabin.

I can never remember what I paid:eek: unless I check my confirmation, so wouldn't remember once on board:confused:

Same here. If I want a cruise I book it. By the time the holiday begins I haven't a clue how much it cost. If somebody gets it cheaper then good for them.

I like the idea of last minute cruises but am I right in assuming that late bookings tend to be for the cabins nobody else wants? If that means inside cabins then I'm not interested.The thought of being stuck in an inside cabin where you have to go outside to distinguish night from day is simply not an option for me.

They have a separate menu and you select at dinner the night before.

There are 4 choices plus one from the main menu. The menu changes once or twice during a 14 day cruise at least that is what happened on my only P&O cruise on the Ventura.

Probably the Havanna nightclub. But it will depend on the live acts.

In respect of two people in a cabin I wonder if it possible to leave the tips in place for one and use the amount for the other person to tip individually. While I leave the tips in place I also tip individually to those who have given exceptional service such as the cabin steward and the head waiter organising my vegetarian meals.

However, after reading several threads on the subject I feel I'm tipping too much but don't particularly want to be seen as a scrooge by removing the daily tipping charge altogether.

Some prices even rise if you book late. There is absolutely no way of telling when and if prices change.

On the Ventura I ordered the vegetarian option on Day 1; the waiter asked me if I was a vegetarian; he sent for the head waiter who advised me of the vegetarian menu and asked me to choose my main course for the next day. Brilliant service and all very well organised.

On formal nights I doubt whether those wearing jeans or shorts or flip flops would be admitted into the dining rooms. In the evenings I dress smart casual every night and on formal nights eat in the buffet so that I don't offend anyone in my smart casual attire.

Just to add my tuppence worth to the on-going saga of P&O dress codes :)

Without a shadow of a doubt the formal nights played on our (mainly mine) minds before we went on our cruise (even the second one).

The first time we went I took my usual dark suit and it was no problem at all.

The second time we went I was reading this forum beforehand and the opinion seemed to be that the vast majority of men wore tuxedos now. This put me in a bit of a spin as I had never worn one and had no intention of wearing one. *but* we had a quick look on good old eBay and I got a brand new one (labels still on it) for £10.50...So the whole 'wasting money buying one just for the cruise' argument just isn't valid. Even a new one from George at Asda will probably cost less than £50 and you will not be able to tell the difference between that and a £500 one from wherever.

Dressing up (in our opinion) is well worth it, the pics they take are ones you keep forever and the whole occasion is all part of the cruise. Trust me, when you are all suited and booted in your cabin, a tiny part of you is thinking 'I hope its not just me wearing formal attire'!! But once you are out in the atrium, you will occasionally see people walking through in shorts, t-shirts etc feeling very out of place and you can see the looks on the womens faces wishing that they (as a couple) had made the effort to dress up.

As an aside, dark jeans in the restaurants are perfectly acceptable, plenty of people wear them on the non formal nights, including me.

A lot of very valid points in the above post but it is also worth putting forward an opposing view.

I would say around 5% don't dress up on formal nights meaning at least 150 people.

Neither my wife nor I feel remotely embarrassed by opting out of the dress code. You do get the odd fuddy duddy giving you disapproving looks but so what? As we have both been successful in our respective careers we are confident enough in our own skins to ignore these people.

It's true you can buy a tux very cheaply but I have noticed that as soon as the meal is over, in the nightclubs especially, many gents tend to remove their jackets and place them on the back of chairs as suits are not that comfortable especially after a heavy meal. I wonder how many men wished they hadn't bothered! Indeed a few I have spoken to attend only one formal night on a 14 day cruise and you have to ask yourself is it worth lugging additional clothes around just to conform for one night.

One reason (but not the only one) for opting out is simply a question of the weight of the attire required for formal occasions. Also you have to spend time in the laundrette ironing the creases out of clothes and women also get their hair done. Is it really worth it? Not for us. I'm on holiday and don't want to spend a disproportionate amount of time getting ready for a formal meal.

We prefer to travel light because we both suffer from bad backs. We get everything in one medium size and one very small suitcase. Are we bothered? Absolutely not. I wouldn't risk cropping myself and ruining my holiday by lifting heavy cases into the car just so that my wife and I can dress up for up to 4 formal evenings.

At the end of the day it's down to personal choice and circumstances but nobody should let the snobbish elements put them off by feeling obliged to conform.

An earlier poster mentioned the majority comply with the dress code on formal nights. That is true but plenty don't. There are 4 formal nights on a 14 day cruise so it's no hardship to opt out if you so wish. As for the rest of the time smart casual is the dress code so you won't need a light grey suit for the evenings or indeed at any time.

I gave all my suits away when I retired and there is no way I would buy one just to dress up uncomfortably on my holiday. Fortunately my wife feels the same way.

I don't bother to take a suit of any kind as my bad back requires me to travel light. You are not barred from going to any of the nightclubs or the theatre if you choose not to wear a suit. I rough it in the buffet on formal nights.

OMG - And we have not yet discussed the "theft" of food items from one's plate, by total AH jumpers, whilst positioned in a queue. :eek::eek:

 

Methinks there may be more P&O appalling "buffet experiences" about to surface. :eek:

There's a lot more to be discussed on the subject. What about those filling up several water bottles from the buffet water dispenser while others patiently wait to fill their glasses with water or people fiddling with tea bags in front of the drink/milk dispenser preventing others from using it . And those who sit in the buffet in their prime seats reading books. There must be other annoyances.

Thanks for the quick replies, as I was about to get other half to call up and change it to the 20:30 sitting! :D

 

Attire wise, are we able to turn up with dark jeans and a shirt/t-shirt?

Turn up in your jeans and you will have the fuddy duddies choking on their soup.

I completely agree. There is no need to wander round and spend ages pondering and agonising if you really want something, only slightly want something, want something less than you might want something else etc etc ad infinitum.

 

You simply walk in, take a swift look around, decide what you want, and then serve yourself *that* item.

 

Not hard to understand is it.

While people are in the queue for their dish of choice what do you do if you want the same item? Go straight to this item and push in as some do? The buffet is often crowded meaning that for the well mannered there is no option but to queue. In a less crowded buffet your approach is not an issue but especially at breakfast the buffet can be a bun fight and those that break the queue and those who enter via the exit are possibly the main causes of congestion.

I'm hoping my cruise next Spring to the Canaries will avoid the planned stop off in Morocco. After that Tunisian episode I'm not happy about stopping anywhere on the African continent.

Nothing at all "disorderly" about taking a brief look to see what food is available before choosing. How do you do it?

 

Stand in line and just take the first option?

 

Stand in line and wait until you see something you want, but towards the end realise that what you wanted was at the beginning of the display, but just take something at the end and accept eating your second choice?

 

Stand in line and wait until you see something you want, but towards the end realise that what you wanted was at the beginning of the display, so leave (through the exit) and rejoin the beginning of the queue again?

 

Stand in line filling your plate as you go, but, but towards the end see something that you really want, so leave (through the exit), abandon your filled plate and rejoin the beginning of the queue again?

 

Stand in line and pile your plate high with every type of random food on offer? You know the type, those who are putting curry on their quiche, right next to the custard.

 

Wouldn't it be far easier just to take a look, you know, like looking at a menu and not just jabbing a finger at random and telling the waiter "I will have that".

We will not agree. Imagine what would happen if everyone adopted your approach with people moving around the buffet to see what's on offer while those in the queue are selecting their food. If you see something you have pre-selected do you push in front of and/or between those in the queue just so you can get out quickly?

You ask what I do. I get in line. I pick up my tray with cutlery. The buffet is normally laid out with starters and salads at the beginning of the line moving towards the mains and desserts at the end.

Incidentally I don't jab my finger at the waiter; the thought would not even cross my mind as the staff are entitled to as much respect as everyone else.

Well I can assure you I've had no problems with ANY buffet and I certainly don't PUSH AND SHOVE' date=' or maybe I've had no problems because I'm more tolerant and I'm on holiday so don't let silly things bother me.[/quote']

 

As mentioned previously the perpetrators are often not those who experience problems. After all those who wander around the buffet in a disorderly fashion will have nothing to complain about. I'm not suggesting for a moment that that is anyone in particular on here but some of the points suggest it might be. If the cap fits and all that!

 

In fairness there are very few who adopt the "I'm all right Jack" attitude but it only takes one or two to upset the apple cart. The major issues are caused by those who simply get in the way by either entering the buffet through the exit and those who wander around looking to see what's on offer and then walking back to the entrance to pick up their trays past diners coming in the opposite direction.

 

Let's face it bad manners are rife on cruise ships epitomised by those who reserve sunbeds but that is a whole different issue.

You missed the part that person number one was the one who was deluded, believing that their behaviour was acceptable.

 

Just like the many people on here saying that you MUST use the buffet this way and not that way.

Manners are not prescribed. You either have them or you don't.

And that is perpetrating the idea that there is a right way and a wrong way, and the moaners are those doing it right.

Silly me. I had assumed that the entrance was where you picked up your tray and not through the sign on a stand that read "Exit". Those who enter through the exit are one of the main causes of congestion.

Making sarky comments that sound clever is all very well, but not when it means making a assertion of very bad behaviour against specific people.

 

Anyway, most people in the buffet behave well. A very few don't. there is no pushing and shoving.

I was not making assertions against specific people. This thread has run to 6 pages with contributors making numerous points. An earlier post by a person who has worked in retail referred to people being rude and aggressive and earlier comments referred to how some individuals behave by for example walking/elbowing through the buffet (presumably the wrong way) to make their choices and then pick up their trays and walk their way through those who queue in an orderly fashion.

Those who say they experience no problems in the buffet could well be those who push and shove.

Further to my earlier post one probable cheap method of getting to Pisa from Livorno is as follows:

Taken from Trip Advisor:

The ship's tour was extortionate. We did use the ship's shuttle to get to Livorno town ($8) then a 1euro bus ride on the number 1 bus from the square to the train staion, the train ride was 1.70Euro in each direction.Train tickets were easy to purchase from automated machines , no need to worry about language problems and the trains were regular.A 90 cent bus ride completed the journey from PIsa station to the tower. Then you just did the reverse.

The distance is 31.6 kms but contrary to my earlier post I think a taxi will be expensive - around 120euros according to one post I read but you can of course share with other trippers but the advice to get to Livorno first by the ship's bus (which will probably be free) is probably the best way to go as you won't know where in the very large port the cruise will dock.

is that e731 or e730 (?)

D732. The plan of the Ventura doesn't show the curve of the balcony but in effect Cabin D732 has more than a double balcony as it is a normal size balcony but extends rearwards into the curve of the ship. I have a feeling that the balcony above on E deck is not nearly as big. One of the possible downsides of D732 is that you are overlooked by the cabins above as D deck stands out and as a result you get plenty of sun.