ggo85

Depends on the ship. On Muse, LaT was informal on formal night, which meant jackets for men. On Muse, the only casual options on formal night were the Grille and pizza.

Agree with above points. My intent was to be realistic, not discouraging. On one tour, there was a gentleman who could walk but not stand for long periods. For various reasons, we ended up standing for long periods inside one of the tour sites. There was no place to sit inside. So the guide stopped the tour for 15 minutes while he took the man to a seat outside. The man missed the rest of the this site while the other 20 members of the group stood around in the hot building waiting for guide to return. No one was thrilled, though the man seemed more upset at missing out on the tour. Also, on our cruise, the shore excursion folks were no help. The info they provided, such as whether sites had a dress code or were air conditioned was, invariably, incorrect. If you have mobility challenges or don’t do well in high heat and humidity, do your own research in advance so that you CAN participate as fully as possible.

Having just completed a cruise from Hong Kong to Singapore, wanted to share some thoughts for those considering this or a similar cruise in the future. We visited Vietnam and Thailand: Halong Bay (1 day), Da Nang (1 day), Ho Chi Minh City (2.5 days), and Bangkok (2 days). First, the itinerary is absolutely fantastic! Each port was interesting and unique – I would not have wanted to miss any of them. Another good thing was having a sea day between each port, which was really helpful in terms of “recovery” after long days of touring (see below). For tours, I did Hanoi in Halong Bay, Hoi An in Da Nang, War Relics and City Tour in Saigon, Temples and Flower Market in Thailand. All except Saigon were 9-11 hours; Saigon tours were about 5.5 hours. I thought every tour was wonderful and the sites are fascinating. Wish we’d had more time/days! The itinerary / tours are fairly arduous so IMHO you need to be reasonably mobile / agile to enjoy them to their fullest. You don’t have to be a fitness nut, but you do need to be able to stand for long periods, walk, and climb stairs. I don’t recommend this cruise / itinerary for the mobility challenged. Asia has no ADA-like requirements for accessibility at tourist sites. The buses were air conditioned and comfortable; they did have steep steps. Sometimes, we had to get on / off quickly as the bus could only stop briefly. Many tours required extensive walking and / or standing. Many of the sites, including temples, had lots of (steep) steps and most had no railings. Afternoon rain made for slippery footing. Almost none of the places we visited (including museums) had air conditioning. Few had places for visitors to sit and almost none had elevators. The 90+ degree heat and 80% humidity were oppressive, especially if you’re not used to it; there was little relief outside of the bus. The climate literally saps your energy, even when downing copious amounts of water. Bus rides to/from were often long. Trip to Hanoi was 2.5 hours each way; 1-2 hours each way in Ho Chi Minh City and 2.5-3 hours each way in Bangkok. SOME of the above would be ameliorated with a private car/tour, but for many of the sites (e.g., temples in Bangkok), there’s no way to avoid walking and climbing. The above is not to complain – this is the reality of touring in southeast Asia. But if you’re considering this itinerary, you need to consider your state of health and mobility. In almost every location, the ship tied up at an industrial port – there was not much (if anything) in walking distance. I never saw taxis (though there might have been some). SS provided free shuttle service to/from the city at most, if not all, ports. Many tours offered a reasonable amount of free time, as there was rarely any shopping at the pier. Most temples and the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum area have a “dress code” for women, which means shoulders and knees must be covered. The sites can be very strict. You can bring scarves but IMHO it’s easier to wear slacks/long skirt and a short-sleeved shirt. Men can wear shorts; not sure about tank tops but didn’t see any. The above are just some general reflections. Others who took different tours or did things on their own may have differing opinions. Overall, highly recommend this itinerary.

To answer a couple of questions above. We’re in Bangkok. It’s a 5+ hour RT bus ride - plus a 5-hour tour. Anyone going into Bangkok will have a 10-11 hour day and others have afternoon tours of local attractions. Given the number of buses, I think most will be back after 6. Last night, the butlers formed a “welcome back” committee around 6 pm because so many of us returned at that time. This is day 2 of this. People are tired. DH doesn’t want to wear a dress shirt, dress pants, dress shoes and a jacket. I just want to wear (clean) Skechers, casual pants and a casual top. Not garden clothes. For us, the dress code means something- otherwise why have it? Informal for women means nice slacks, dressy blouse, nice shoes, makeup, hair and jewelry. It’s not just the dress; it’s the idea of making an effort to look nice vs look decent. It’s enjoying dressing up (which we do) vs. loathing it. It’s the attitude as much as the attire. I just don’t understand why it’s so hard to have casual night when most of the passengers come back to the ship after 6 pm for the second day in a row. Why is it so important to be informal tonight?? As I said at the outset, it’s not the dress code per se, but rather that the way it’s applied seems to lack reason or rationality.

To finish off this tale, tomorrow 4/5 ship tours are >9.5 hours, meaning most are back after 6 pm. Weather is 90 degrees and equally humid. Rain in the forecast. Dress code is Informal. Didn’t make reservations Even so, I’m tired of the Grille. Don’t want the volume of food at Kaiseki. And do NOT want to dress up after a long, hot day of touring. So it’s pizza yet again. 😕 The nonsensical implementation of the dress code has become a deal breaker for us. I’m EXACTLY the demographic the CEO says SS is targeting and I have no new SS cruise booked — mostly because of the way the dress code is applied. Not kidding. Just booked a cruise on an other luxury line today. 3 cruises next year and none on SS. I know most of the OG love the status quo. We love so much of SS but I want dress flexibility on port days. Some may think me crazy, but it’s my vacation. And, again, I am SS’s target audience. Just saying. Please don’t flame. It’s my opinion. I know there are many who love the status quo. Enjoy!

We at at La T on Muse last night for the second time on this cruise. Service was excellent - personal and efficient. Food was good. No complaints but IMHO not standout Italian food. The main courses are not what one usually sees at an Italian place. No basic veal or chicken dishes (piccata, parmigiana). I had tuna. It was fine. Slightly overcooked (ordered medium rare and got medium) but nothing about it screamed Italian. DH had lasagna - it was fine but he’s had better. Our first visit was generally the same. Great service, ok food.

You can absolutely wear a jacket on casual night. However, it seemed clear that these passengers didn’t understand that Grille was always casual. Once they realized it, the men were more than happy to shed their jackets. Why do people assume that financial security and the desire for formal dress go hand in hand? There’s a distinct and important difference between knowing how to dress for various occasions and wanting to dress up while on vacation.

So . . . Tonight we ate in the Grille on Informal night. We observed several passengers who showed up in jackets and then either realized or were told dress was casual. One man left to change. The others immediately removed their jackets. My point is that the current situation is . . . Nonsensical and confusing.

If the dress code included shorts, I could live with that. I might not love it, but I wouldn’t throw a fit. Under the current dress code, it’s not appropriate. As I said at the outset, I’m not totally opposed to the dress code. However, after an 8-11 hour tour in 95 degree heat and 90% humidity with zero air conditioning, asking folks to dress up for dinner is - IMHO - unreasonable. We’re headed to Thailand where most of the tours are 10-11 hours. I’m hoping we get casual dress both nights. If not, it’s back to pizza.

I fully agree that shorts aren’t appropriate at dinner for any venue other than maybe the pizza place. Or, of course, your room.

When we boarded, the Chronicles listed dress for each night of the cruise. I didn’t recall 2 casual nights in a row at any time. Last night was casual and tonight is as well. So, I’m thinking one of the, was changed. To be fair, I may have misremembered, but don’t think so.

Here’s the thing. I’ve cruised on 10 lines in nearly 40 years 😱 and NEVER had so many questions and issues re dress code as on SS. And this isn’t our first cruise on SS. I’m happy to report that the ship apparently took my suggestion and changed tomorrow night’s dress from informal to casual. We’re in port and the tours are long and HOT and, for some, monsoon-like. People come back to the ship hot, tired and often wet. It’s really nice to be able to relax at dinner without having to dress up. I would note that tonight (casual) some wore informal. Good for them (seriously). It’s what they obviously wanted to do and thus should do. And the overwhelming majority enjoyed casual.

The “main” dress code is published in Chronicles. I don’t see where they publish that Kaiseki is “one step down.” Or even that the Grille is casual, though that seems obvious since it’s outside. I find myself asking at Guest Relations each day. And it seems nuts to be able to eat casual in Kaiseki and then have to put on a jacket to go to the show or a lounge. We do it. We complain only here. But none of it makes sense. So why do we sail SS? Itinerary and timing plus luxury service. Overall, it’s a great product. I do wonder why, if the dress code is so beloved, they have relaxed it on Nova?

One person’s “regression” is another’s progression. Some might argue that men should still wear wigs and women corsets. Most would disagree. Personally, I find it confusing that different venues have different dress codes on different nights. And it’s not published anywhere I can find.

I’m definitely not a kid. 😀 Just back from the tour. All on my bus are headed for pizza. After 4 miles of walking in heat and humidity and 5 hours of bus ride (our choice), we all had the same view as we in our shorts and T-shirts walked past people in their coats and ties: We COULD get dressed for dinner but none of us wanted to. A couple of folks on the bus mentioned that it would be great to have more options tonight after a (needed) shower and quick change. So, I’m at pizza with wet hair, no makeup, and very casual attire. It’ll be fine even if not my preferred choice of food. It was a great tour BTW. No regrets on that point.

This forum is a place for folks to state their opinion. That’s what I did. I recognize that many won’t agree just as I don’t agree with every post that others make. Telling me to “get over it” isn’t all that helpful as it’s my opinion. I will mention it on my cruise review in the hope that SS will consider a different approach where appropriate.

I don’t know about enforcement - only what I observed people wearing. We took on a lot of new passengers (ourselves included) in Hong Kong. Maybe it’s a dressier group. It was also the first (of 3) formal nights. In my experience, formal dress tends to diminish somewhat as the cruise goes along.

There are multiple tours that get back around 6 pm and we’re in port until 11. Why can’t they just do casual when ship is in port and tours return after 5 and informal when ship is at sea or departs port late afternoon? The current policy does make SS less enjoyable to me. Maybe it’s not the right line for us, though we do love much about it. As I said at the outset, this is my opinion and others can certainly have different ones.

Last night was formal on Muse. Based on the venues I visited (Atlantide, evening show, public areas), this is what I observed: Men: Roughly 25% wore true formal (5% tux and rest dinner jackets). More than 60% wore dark pants, dark jacket and tie. Rest wore suits. Women: 5% wore long. 70% true cocktail dresses or slacks and top. The rest wore informal dress, dressed up with jewelry and/or heels.

First, I didn’t know that casual dress was allowed on informal nights in LaTerrazza, Silver Note and Kaiseki. And this is after 3 SS cruises. Where is this published? Even so, you need reservations for all. I didn’t know the dress code was informal until we boarded. Our TA tried to find out prior to the cruise but was told it was up to the individual ship which nights are informal and which are casual. Since I don’t know exactly when we’ll return to the ship (bus ride back is 2.5-3 hours) kind of hard to make reservations. I don’t want to pay $40 pp for Kaiseki - not worth it based on prior experience. I’m not complaining about the dress code in general but rather which nights are chosen for informal vs. casual. And I don’t understand why they can’t publish which night is which in advance.

Below is my opinion. YMMV. Tomorrow, we’re in port. I’m on an 11-hour ship’s tour, getting back to the ship at 7:30 pm. We don’t leave port until 11 pm. Dinner dress is informal. Seriously? If it were casual, I could do a 15-minute freshen up and get to dinner before 8. Informal means completely different clothes, doing hair, makeup. I don’t want to start dinner at 9 pm ever, let alone after a long, exhausting day of touring. Yes, I’m aware I can do Dine Around. Not interested in the menu or eating dinner in my cabin. And, no, I don’t want pizza. What I’d like is some common sense. It’s as if SS is bound and determined to have as many informal nights as possible even when doing so is counterintuitive. Fine on sea days. Fine if port day ends at 4 or 5 pm. Not fine when port day ends at 11pm and tours are out late. It’s standing on principle just for the heck of it. In the end, it’s driving us away from what is o/w a lovely SS experience. Which is ok with us.

The best site for cabin info is Cruise Deck Plans. You’ll figure out the website name. 😀 Agree that benefits for larger suites are minimal beyond cabin size. Free laundry is nice. But it’s largely a classless system.

I think so. We can’t do the car service because they don’t serve our (major) city.

We booked through a Virtuoso agent and depart next week. Will let folks know if we receive a similar communication.

It must have been a different line. Thanks.