OK, I Want Specifics on MDR Smart Casual

[spearmint]

Personally, I think it's clear they don't want jeans in the dining room but they do not enforce the policy. When the day comes that the servers wear aprons and paper hats I'll wear my jeans, but until then I'll dress as if I'm having dinner in a lovely formal dining room.:)

 

....and you are having dinner in a lovely formal dining room!!!! Well said.:)

[lifevicarious]

Personally, I think it's clear they don't want jeans in the dining room but they do not enforce the policy.

 

If they didn't want jeans, don't you think they would clearly state no jeans and then enforce it? Given there are many, many questions that come up all the time, it seems anything but clear as to what they want.

 

I just reread my e-doc and searched it in Acrobat and the word "jean" or "jeans" does not appear anywhere in it.

[Ma Bell]

If they didn't want jeans, don't you think they would clearly state no jeans and then enforce it? Given there are many, many questions that come up all the time, it seems anything but clear as to what they want.

 

I just reread my e-doc and searched it in Acrobat and the word "jean" or "jeans" does not appear anywhere in it.

 

 

Then by all means wear your jeans if it is so important to you.:rolleyes:

[jcpc]

I personally do not wear jeans in the dining room....I'm more of the sparkly top type of woman. However, I do think that Celebrity is very vague as to whether jeans are or are not allowed in the dining room. I believe Celebrity is creating the problem as they don't want to state plain and simple - JEANS ARE NOT ALLOWED - as they are afraid of losing potential customers. I guess it all boils down to "wear what you want".

[lifevicarious]

Then by all means wear your jeans if it is so important to you.:rolleyes:

 

It's not that it is important to me, although it will be nice, it's that many on this board give false information in what seems to be an effort to get people to do what they want, not what Celebrity asks. The first reply to the OP said jacket and slacks and many would say you need a tie. That is absolutely untrue. People certainly wear jacket and tie (which is fine) but it is not at all required by Celebrity.

 

Since you said it, why is it that you think "it's clear they don't want jeans in the dining room"?

[jcpc]

liveviarious - my impression is that Celebrity does NOT "make it clear" that they do not want jeans in the dining room. Some people make it clear that they don't want jeans in the dining room (and personally, I would rather not see jeans in the dining room at dinner) but Celebrity certainly doesn't make it clear. Truth be told, I don't think Celebrity cares WHAT you wear to dinner - as long as you book their ships and spend money onboard!

[Bridge Maven]

This discussion about jeans reminds me of a funny quote I saw from the other day while my husband and I were shopping at Brooks Brothers. It said that if a man wears jeans with a dinner jacket people will think that only half of his suit came back from the dry cleaner...LOL

[Ma Bell]

It's not that it is important to me, although it will be nice, it's that many on this board give false information in what seems to be an effort to get people to do what they want, not what Celebrity asks. The first reply to the OP said jacket and slacks and many would say you need a tie. That is absolutely untrue. People certainly wear jacket and tie (which is fine) but it is not at all required by Celebrity.

 

Since you said it, why is it that you think "it's clear they don't want jeans in the dining room"?

 

Because it's posted on the website, the dining room managers have told me so, the Captain himself has told me so, the Captain's Club tells me so, it's always been that way, it is "smart" casual and above, not casual, and if that's not enough there's always just common sense.

[jcpc]

I also enjoy dressing up every night for dinner. However, I'm willing to bet you that the restaurant manager, the officers, the captain's club hostess, the captain's club shoreside staff also tell people who wear jeans that it's perfectly okay to wear jeans in the dining room. I tend to believe that people in the service industry tell you what they believe you want to hear as they don't want to offend any paying customer.

[lifevicarious]

Because it's posted on the website, the dining room managers have told me so, the Captain himself has told me so, the Captain's Club tells me so, it's always been that way, it is "smart" casual and above, not casual, and if that's not enough there's always just common sense.

 

If we are going based on common sense, don't you think Celebrity would have the common sense to put that in the edoc? The one thing that most actually read.

 

Or even the website. Let's start with the dress code page:

http://www.celebritycruises.com/beforeyourcruise/faq/home.do;jsessionid=0000mZviOgFqN-0Dm0s3Plhyo2f:12hdbcuh7?faqSubjectName=Dress+Code&faqId=478&pagename=faq_answers

 

Hmmm, no mention of jeans there.

 

The only mention of jeans is under the "Proper Dining Attire" section and only in a small paragraph titled "Before Six" under the main guidelines (which again don't mention jeans).

http://www.celebritycruises.com/whyceleb/heroSingleTxtSub.do;jsessionid=0000mZviOgFqN-0Dm0s3Plhyo2f:12hdbcuh7?pagename=proper_dining_attire

 

And just because something has always been that way in the past, doesn't mean it still is. Traditional dining is the perfect example.

 

Also, let's not forget that Celebrity is famous for giving you multiple answers to the same question.

 

And contrary to what you may believe, jeans are not always casual, at least certainly not where I live.

[lifevicarious]

I think it's a shame that so many people want to treat such an elegant dining room like it was the local Denny's resturant. Where has "class" gone to these days?

 

Rick

 

If the prerequisite for "class" is being in an elegant dining room, I assume you wear jacket and tie to breakfast and lunch in the MDR too right? Or perhaps the MDR miraculously changes from Denny's to Le Cirque on a daily basis around dinner time.

[lifevicarious]

This discussion about jeans reminds me of a funny quote I saw from the other day while my husband and I were shopping at Brooks Brothers. It said that if a man wears jeans with a dinner jacket people will think that only half of his suit came back from the dry cleaner...LOL

 

I agree, that's why I wouldn't wear the jacket with the jeans, nor would I shop at BB. :D

[Ma Bell]

If we are going based on common sense, don't you think Celebrity would have the common sense to put that in the edoc? The one thing that most actually read.

 

Or even the website. Let's start with the dress code page:

http://www.celebritycruises.com/beforeyourcruise/faq/home.do;jsessionid=0000mZviOgFqN-0Dm0s3Plhyo2f:12hdbcuh7?faqSubjectName=Dress+Code&faqId=478&pagename=faq_answers

 

Hmmm, no mention of jeans there.

 

The only mention of jeans is under the "Proper Dining Attire" section and only in a small paragraph titled "Before Six" under the main guidelines (which again don't mention jeans).

http://www.celebritycruises.com/whyceleb/heroSingleTxtSub.do;jsessionid=0000mZviOgFqN-0Dm0s3Plhyo2f:12hdbcuh7?pagename=proper_dining_attire

 

And just because something has always been that way in the past, doesn't mean it still is. Traditional dining is the perfect example.

 

Also, let's not forget that Celebrity is famous for giving you multiple answers to the same question.

 

And contrary to what you may believe, jeans are not always casual, at least certainly not where I live.

 

So it is on the website, but you choose to be completely literal in one case and not the other. As I said, if it's important to you, go right ahead. You will be in a very small minority.

 

Let us all know what you think after you return from your first Celebrity cruise.

[woodofpine]

As long as they go to the elbow.

 

What makes this so difficult?

 

No jacket and tie is required. But in deference to others, I wear a jacket when wearing the 'wife beater' shirt to dinner... and a NASCAR hat. She wears whatever she's got on when I get hungry, grab her by the hair, and start down the passage way. I dunno about spangles but she occassionally sees stars! ;):D;)

[lifevicarious]

So it is on the website, but you choose to be completely literal in one case and not the other. As I said, if it's important to you, go right ahead. You will be in a very small minority.

 

Let us all know what you think after you return from your first Celebrity cruise.

 

What I said was it is one small place on the website that certainly isn't the most logical place to show it. And it's basically a foot note to the main entry that doesn't at all talk about jeans. It also certainly isn't in the edocs which is what most people would actually read (it's the only thing I or my wife read cover to cover). I don't see anywhere it states that all passengers must read the entire website before boarding. So if, as you stated, Celebrity "clearly" doesn't want jeans, I suggest you call them up and have them amend their e-docs and website so it is in fact "clear".

 

As for my first Celebrity cruise, what is your point? How do you know if it is or isn't? And what difference could it possibly make? If anything, Celebrity probably cares more about first time cruisers then repeat cruisers as the market of first time cruisers is far bigger then repeat customers.

 

I also just called Celebrity to ask about jeans. The rep said he had seen "many people wearing jeans in the main dining room" on his last few cruises. He also said no hats or shorts, which coincidentally is exactly what the dress code and edoc states.

 

So I will gladly report back to you on the 28th when I am back home after my Xth cruise on Celebrity. I will also be sure to ask some of the people you mentioned you have talked to to get their views.

 

As far as being in a very small minority, I'm sure I will be anyway on my next cruise given my other attributes and the length of the cruise.

[lifevicarious]

Not for breakfast and lunch, but for dinner, yes. I simply accept the guidelines Celebrity suggests without fighting it all the way, as many people now do.

 

I think this is the problem. Most of the information says nothing about jeans, from the dress code page to the e-docs. Again, only one small sentence on one web page talks about it. I even just called a rep and he said it was fine to wear jeans.

 

But if you want to treat the dining experience with so little consideration for the experience it is meant to be, then go right ahead and dumb yourself down.

 

I think this is very subjective. To me, what I wear has little impact on the experience. If anything, formal dress detracts from it as most are uncombfortable in formal dress (if they weren't they would wear it all the time). In my travels and cruises, and even on this board, I have never heard people reminiscing about what someone at their table wore. I often hear about the great people they met, the stories they shared, and the food they ate. Those are the things that make a dinner an "experience", not what they wore.

 

Not only do I fault the endless whiners who try to minimze the experience to suit themselves, I also fault Celebrity management for their cowardice in not enforcing the guidelines they publish only to not offend the "it's my vacation and I'll do as I like" crowd. This is one of the few things they get wrong.

 

I partially agree. But I also think there are endless whiners who try to MAXIMIZE the experience to suit themselves. No where does it say suit and tie everynight, nor does it say black tie even on formal nights, yet some (if not many) here state just that.

[Ma Bell]

You are the one who said it will be your first Celebrity cruise. I know they treat everyone very well whether it is their first or their 51st. I hope you enjoy your cruise and continue to have many more great experiences.

 

As far as caring "more" about a first cruiser, I would tend to doubt that. There's a reason businesses provide loyalty perks.

 

As you said, you hear and read all kinds of things, that's why it's usually nice to have the experience yourself before giving advice. When I read posts from people who are very sure of themselves, I like to look and see what their experience is.

[Ships R Great]

Thanks, everyone, for the responses. I have the answer to my original question. :)

[DocJohnB]

Surely, you jest.

 

I am not too sure you didn't throw this question on the board just to stir up the "dress code" pot, albeit in a different sort of way.

 

I cannot believe that ANYBODY who has taken 22 (counting B2B's as 2) on Celebrity ships since 2000 to even consider asking "Can someone please give me specifics on what is appropriate wear for Smart Casual in the MDR?".

 

If that was indeed your intent, sure hope you enjoyed the read.

[Guest maddycat]

What makes this so difficult?

 

No jacket and tie is required. But in deference to others, I wear a jacket when wearing the 'wife beater' shirt to dinner... and a NASCAR hat. She wears whatever she's got on when I get hungry, grab her by the hair, and start down the passage way. I dunno about spangles but she occassionally sees stars! ;):D;)

 

Thank you. You just gave me my laugh for the day.

[Gracie115]

Surely, you jest.

 

I am not too sure you didn't throw this question on the board just to stir up the "dress code" pot, albeit in a different sort of way.

 

I cannot believe that ANYBODY who has taken 22 (counting B2B's as 2) on Celebrity ships since 2000 to even consider asking "Can someone please give me specifics on what is appropriate wear for Smart Casual in the MDR?".

 

If that was indeed your intent, sure hope you enjoyed the read.

 

 

WOW!! never noticed the 20+ cruises on X....yes.......if you don't know what "smart casual" is after that....welll...I guess we've all been "had"!!!:eek::p

[Peteymil]

I also enjoy dressing up every night for dinner. However, I'm willing to bet you that the restaurant manager, the officers, the captain's club hostess, the captain's club shoreside staff also tell people who wear jeans that it's perfectly okay to wear jeans in the dining room. I tend to believe that people in the service industry tell you what they believe you want to hear as they don't want to offend any paying customer.

 

I think this is very true, because when I spoke to the restaurant manager and when I called captain's club before I left, both said jeans are ok as long as they are not ripped or torn. I asked because my e-docs made no mention of jeans. There are many people that do not scour the website, and even some that do not use the computer at all, so they go by whatever is on their e-docs.

 

On our last 2 cruises, there were a number of people wearing jeans, certainly not the majority, but an increasing number, whether people like it or not.

[lifevicarious]

You are the one who said it will be your first Celebrity cruise. I know they treat everyone very well whether it is their first or their 51st. I hope you enjoy your cruise and continue to have many more great experiences.

 

As far as caring "more" about a first cruiser, I would tend to doubt that. There's a reason businesses provide loyalty perks.

 

I never said they didn't care about repeat customers, I said they care more about getting new customers on board as that is a huge untapped market. If you think they fill all these new ships every week with repeat customers only, you are sorely mistaken. Without the new cruisers, there will be no new ships. It's certainly easier to attract a repeat customer, but compared to those who haven't cruised, the population of past celebrity cruisers is tiny.

 

As you said, you hear and read all kinds of things, that's why it's usually nice to have the experience yourself before giving advice. When I read posts from people who are very sure of themselves, I like to look and see what their experience is.

 

When did I ever say anything about experience and the need to have that before giving advice? As they say, past performance is not indicative of future results.

 

I stated what the documents, website and cruise representative told me. And I argued against your statement that it is "clear" that celebrity doesn't want you to wear jeans as 3 of the 4 things I found allow jeans. So even looking at the simplest of probabilities, only 1 in 4 people will think jeans are not acceptable. Cunard is clear on not having jeans, Celebrity is clear they are are acceptable.

[Ma Bell]

I have no idea what you are saying here. I disputed that Celebrity cares "more" about new cruisers and I'm the one who thinks it's nice to have some experience before giving advice. Read the sentence carefully.:confused:

 

I can guarantee that they are more interested in people who sail four or five times a year regularly that one hit or miss cruiser. There's no doubt they need to attract new cruisers to fill the ships, but they are not "more" interested in them than people who sail frequently. If they start making their experience too much like any other, they will lose their loyal following.

[FinelyCruising]

WOW!! never noticed the 20+ cruises on X....yes.......if you don't know what "smart casual" is after that....welll...I guess we've all been "had"!!!:eek::p

 

I think its a fair question. I cruised in March and I have no idea what to expect sometimes when I cruise. They roll out ideas and they change things up in the middle of the game. It's a pain to me at this point, but I keep it simple. I dress like I used to and I know there are plenty around me who do the same.

 

One rule, no jeans. Have never brought them on one single cruise, so I never have to worry about when they are OK or not, but then again I only have about 15 cruises under my belt. ;)