Enforcement of Dress Code

[Iamcruzin]

Not sure if anyone realizes this, but not adhering to the dress code is nothing new whatsoever. In 1993 we sailed to Alaska. On formal night a man at our table showed up in blue jeans and a flannel shirt buttoned up to the neck (I remember, he was a lawyer by profession). He was not turned away, and none of the staff said a word to him. At the time we kind of giggled as we left dinner but there was no buffet for dinner, no specialty restaurants to choose from, it was the dining room or nothing, and I think most everyone dressed per the suggested dress. I probably wouldn't have even noticed, but he was sitting right next to me and it was hard not to. Funny, but I still remember that evening..........after all these years.

Ever since 1993 I have noticed it become more and more widespread where many, (especially men), do not dress formally for the dining room that evening. I probably notice the men more, as women can get away with almost anything on formal night. ;)

 

So for those that think this is something new and just a sign of the times, those are some very long 'times' to last 17 years. ;)

 

Toto I can trump that date. Crown Princess May 1991. My wife and I were on our first Princess cruise it was our honeymoon. This goes back to the time when they had 2 formal nights and 2 semi formal nights. I was dressed in a tux and my wife was wearing a gown. There was a couple at our table of six who were from Alaska. We were sailing in the Caribbean. He was wearing a denim shirt and jeans she was wearing a sundress that looked more like a house dress. They were a very nice middle age couple who didn't have a clue about dressing for a cruise. And as you said there were no specialty restaurants of buffets at that time. It didn't bother us but they apologized claiming that their travel agent didn't inform them about formal nights.

[angyl]

So let me summarize... you pay a lot of money (and I as a single pay double) to take a voyage on an elegant upscale ocean liner to fabulous destinations. You travel in magnificent splendor aboard a vessel appointed with art deco wall treatment, and beautiful woodwork, and you receive 6 star service every moment. And somehow, when making packing decisions, you think it is okay to wear bermuda shorts and sandals on formal night "just because you can"?

Or jeans with holes because "Princess won't care"?

 

I just don't get it. I was on the Golden May 22 through the 29th and people were dressed up for formal nights and the ladies wore bling, beads, and glitz, and the gentlemen wore tuxes, suits, and military outfits, kilts, and other finery. On smart casual nights they wore nice khakis, and polo shirts, and nice outfits, or dresses for the women. This was an Alaskan Cruise and I heard they were less dressy, and prepared to 'see anything', but people looked nice and dressed nice all 7 nights. (Maybe the wives did the packing hehe).

I was in the main dining room and wanted the dining experience, since I don't get that back home all that much.

 

I would imagine that the Princess staff would allow you into the dining room in jeans, or dressed poorly and not say anything, because they are professionals taught to be polite to clients and not offend. But how can people think that it is okay to get away with this (and ruin it for the other passengers who DO enjoy the festivities and dressing up)?

 

Princess should make their policies clearer, and explain Smart Casual as well.

 

There are barefoot cruises and other dress down voyages that are offered to those who prefer more casual cruising, right?

[1 HappyCruiser]

So let me summarize... you pay a lot of money (and I as a single pay double) to take a voyage on an elegant upscale ocean liner to fabulous destinations. You travel in magnificent splendor aboard a vessel appointed with art deco wall treatment, and beautiful woodwork, and you receive 6 star service every moment. And somehow, when making packing decisions, you think it is okay to wear bermuda shorts and sandals on formal night "just because you can"?

Or jeans with holes because "Princess won't care"?

 

Wow, you must have been on an upscale Princess ship I haven't been on yet. 6 Star treatment no less.....:rolleyes: Sign me up for that one. :D

I just don't get it. I was on the Golden May 22 through the 29th and people were dressed up for formal nights and the ladies wore bling, beads, and glitz, and the gentlemen wore tuxes, suits, and military outfits, kilts, and other finery. On smart casual nights they wore nice khakis, and polo shirts, and nice outfits, or dresses for the women. This was an Alaskan Cruise and I heard they were less dressy, and prepared to 'see anything', but people looked nice and dressed nice all 7 nights. (Maybe the wives did the packing hehe).

I was in the main dining room and wanted the dining experience, since I don't get that back home all that much.

 

I would imagine that the Princess staff would allow you into the dining room in jeans, or dressed poorly and not say anything, because they are professionals taught to be polite to clients and not offend. But how can people think that it is okay to get away with this (and ruin it for the other passengers who DO enjoy the festivities and dressing up)?

 

It's a matter of not offending people to cause them to sail on other cruise lines and lose business in the process.

Princess should make their policies clearer, and explain Smart Casual as well.

There policies are very clear as well as the enforcement. Perhaps not to the degree that you would prefer but still strict enough to allow people to sail in comfort on their vacation & dress as they please without offending "most others" around them.

 

There are barefoot cruises and other dress down voyages that are offered to those who prefer more casual cruising, right?

 

Those types of cruises on barefoot ships are much to expensive for most folks where Princess offers a happy medium for the everyday cruiser. :cool:

[Hunwolf]

So let me summarize... you pay a lot of money (and I as a single pay double) to take a voyage on an elegant upscale ocean liner to fabulous destinations. You travel in magnificent splendor aboard a vessel appointed with art deco wall treatment, and beautiful woodwork, and you receive 6 star service every moment. And somehow, when making packing decisions, you think it is okay to wear bermuda shorts and sandals on formal night "just because you can"?

 

Are you sure this wasn't a cruise on Crystal or Silversea? ;)

 

Otherwise...I think you're "upselling" the product just a tad. "6 star service" doesn't include a ship where you have to take your own carry-ons to your cabin or even find your own cabin on the first day. Just being honest.

[woodofpine]

The big cruiselines could care less about formal night except as a means to sell pictures to the fare gouging multitudes needed to fill their mega-ships. Most cruisers could care less about formal night (most just go along, get along - that's me).

 

Then there is a minority that relish formal night and the nostaglic fantasy of being 'an aristocrat' ("Just like that John Jacob Astor on the 'Titanic' dear!") or reliving the long dead dress customs of the 40's and 50's. Yawn; that's OK with me. I only find it irritating that some still believe the superficiality that 'clothing makes the man' or that it measures socio-economic status or sophistication. If you cruise Princess (or the other bigs) you're really just unshakeably part of society's herd anyway (but keep it quiet). Is one's dress on a cruise line formal night really the litmus test of ones transcendent 'values'?

 

From the little I've seen of it, today's true socio-economic sophisticats and aristocrats don't engage in mass market cruises, and don't dress up on vacation. The only guy I've spent any time with that's solidly 9 figure net worth, self made, highly acclaimed in the arts, business, and philanthropy (and owns a mega-yatch) probably hasn't donned a tie in decades... My impression is his fashion sense is more in tune with his contemporaries than my cruise night garb.

 

But then we can always pretend, right?;)

[Jennygirl]

On a similar note, has anyone ever seen the "no reserving" policy for pool chairs enforced? On our three Princess cruises, many of the chairs seem to have been occupied by Mr. Book and Mrs. Towel, etc., for much of the day. JMO.

 

Mr. Book and Mrs. Towel....now thats funny. Sad but funny. I'll have to remember that on our cruise in July.

 

in answer to the OP's point. If I was in the dining room and I saw a guy in shorts and a

t -shirt and flip flops I would very annoyed and knowing me I would probably say something to the maitre d. I'm paying for the whole cruise experience. I'm going out of my way to pack and dress appropriately. You want wear that outfit? go to the buffet. Every cruise I've ever been on - all the people I've seen at dinner have looked beautiful. It's like the icing on a cake - play all day, come and relax looking like a million bucks at night at dinner. That being said, some people just don't give a care and arent afraid to act the fool.

:)

[angyl]

Thank's for explaining what I felt....I have done 15 land trips to all-inclusive resorts in Mexico (these were 6 star) and almost every trip, I try to dress up for the evening meals. Invariably on these vacations in the dining rooms most every night in walks someone's husband in a wife beater undershirt, with armpit hair flowing, leg hair growin' and wearing sandals, with his gut hanging out.....

 

I am not a snob, just don't want to see 'that' at dinner. And I cannot afford more than Princess, so I really did think the Golden was lovely and beautifully decorated and I was treated like a Princess as well.

[PescadoAmarillo]

No more than 10% hillbillies.

You might want to be careful using the term "hillbillies" in such a way. Several Americans from the South find it extremely offensive. I'm sure others do not care, but DH...well, I'm just glad that he's not on CC during the summer.

 

However, saying that, I do believe that it is not only acceptable but accurate to say that Americans, in general, do not dress to British standards. And I think it goes back to what one poster said early on about Australia...most Americans do not wear uniforms for 12+ years while at school, and, in fact, enjoy very loose dress codes (VERY loose at the schools around us). Should we be so surprised that, as a nation, we are probably most guilty of not adhering to them as adults? I did wear uniforms for 12 years; DH wore them in the Army. For us, it comes down to following the rules. If it's formal night, we dress formally, or dine in the buffet.

 

As for packing restrictions...unless you are trying to cruise with only carry-ons, or with just one checked bag between two people, it is completely possible to pack formal clothing, fun clothing, toiletries, and in our case, even masks, fins and snorkels in one checked bag each. We're not fashionistas on any night, but we adhere to the dress suggestions on every night.

[woodofpine]

Mr. Book and Mrs. Towel....now thats funny. Sad but funny. I'll have to remember that on our cruise in July.

 

in answer to the OP's point. If I was in the dining room and I saw a guy in shorts and a

t -shirt and flip flops I would very annoyed and knowing me I would probably say something to the maitre d.

 

I used to care... back in a less happy time in my life.

 

Now, I just smile and wonder, "Hmm... I wonder what's going on there..." Because you never know. Last cruise I was on, a group of people's luggage didn't make it aboard. We went from Venice to lesser ports and the cruise line tried but apparently couldn't seem to get the luggage to catch up with the ship until nearly the end.

 

It's none of my business really... unless I CHOOSE to make myself judgmentally miserable... over another passenger's threads. Why in the world would I want to do that on 'my vacation'?

 

If you get 'say something' to the maitre d' and he blows you off (probably), is that going to make you happy? If you succeed in getting someone thrown out of the dining room, is that going to make you happy?

 

Ships carrying 2,000-3,000 pax on $100 per diems... what do you expect? Why do you care?

[robgvic]

I fear that most of the people who complain about what people wear are those who spend all their time looking around at others to find problems i9nstead of enjoying the people they are with. I have rented tuxes and always wore at least a suit to formal dinner but honestly must admit I never noticed what people are wearing.

I think that within the next five or ten years cruise lines will drop the formal nights as most people, most of them the younger generation (under 45) are not inso putting on a show. They are on a ship to be treated very well and most important to relax from their hectic daily life.

[oskidunker]

Dressing up is fun once in a while.

[Hunwolf]

The big cruiselines could care less about formal night except as a means to sell pictures to the fare gouging multitudes needed to fill their mega-ships. Most cruisers could care less about formal night (most just go along, get along - that's me).

 

 

This is probably accurate.

[1 HappyCruiser]

I fear that most of the people who complain about what people wear are those who spend all their time looking around at others to find problems i9nstead of enjoying the people they are with. I have rented tuxes and always wore at least a suit to formal dinner but honestly must admit I never noticed what people are wearing.

I think that within the next five or ten years cruise lines will drop the formal nights as most people, most of them the younger generation (under 45) are not in so putting on a show. They are on a ship to be treated very well and most important to relax from their hectic daily life.

 

I'm not so sure it'll happen that quickly since many of the old timers still enjoy the formal dress up thing. I do think we'll see a shift to a formal & casual dining room (similar to NCL) segregation before they totally eliminate it which might accelerate it to a quick end as soon as some folks realize how much easier it is to travel without all the extras for only a few formal dinners.

[Jennygirl]

I used to care... back in a less happy time in my life.

 

Now, I just smile and wonder, "Hmm... I wonder what's going on there..." Because you never know. Last cruise I was on, a group of people's luggage didn't make it aboard. We went from Venice to lesser ports and the cruise line tried but apparently couldn't seem to get the luggage to catch up with the ship until nearly the end.

 

It's none of my business really... unless I CHOOSE to make myself judgmentally miserable... over another passenger's threads. Why in the world would I want to do that on 'my vacation'?

 

If you get 'say something' to the maitre d' and he blows you off (probably), is that going to make you happy? If you succeed in getting someone thrown out of the dining room, is that going to make you happy?

 

Ships carrying 2,000-3,000 pax on $100 per diems... what do you expect? Why do you care?

 

Hmmmm, why do I care?? I guess after reading your post to my post, I really don't care - does that make you happY? I wasnt looking to get them thrown out of the dining room but if you make a rule (or a strong suggestion as another poster pointed out) then I would say that at least 3/4 of the people on board know and understand not to come to the main dining room looking like you just came from the pool. I don't get dressed to the nines either at dinner but I look appropriate. Oh and by the way, I am not "judmentally miserable". Peace....

[Tailskid]

Right on geoherb! I agree with every word!

I enjoyed my last cruise with Princess but could not help but notice that they are letting established standards slip. No doubt catering to the "new money" mass market. Regretably that policy will lead to what we have in the airline industry - cut rates - unprofitable operations and no service. If passengers act like slobs they will be treated likewise.

Tailskid