Formal Dinning evenings - Dress code

[Coracii]

Comparing corsets to Tuxedos is a bit of a reach, don't you think? Now I WOULD be uncomfortable in one of those get ups.. Women have to do make up so even though they can get by with less formal wear, it probably is more of a hassle for them as it takes longer.

 

No, I don't see it as a reach. The comparison is between what was considered formal wear in the past history of cruising and what is considered formal in the current day by those that wish traditions to remain as they were. In the early days of cruising, formal meant tuxedos for men and elegant evening gowns for women. As time has passed the defintion of formal has been modified, but much more heavily towards changing the attire women have to choose from and still be considered "acceptable" by the traditionalists. If it's acceptable for a woman to show up the MDR on formal night in slacks and a top, why would slacks and a dress shirt be considered unacceptable for men? The double-standard is plainly obvious, and it's not just because women wear makeup (if a man showed up in full makeup in slacks and a dress shirt would that make it better?). Formal night should not be defined by the clothes that men wear while ignoring the attire that women choose.

[cruisin36]

No, I don't see it as a reach. The comparison is between what was considered formal wear in the past history of cruising and what is considered formal in the current day by those that wish traditions to remain as they were. In the early days of cruising, formal meant tuxedos for men and elegant evening gowns for women. As time has passed the defintion of formal has been modified, but much more heavily towards changing the attire women have to choose from and still be considered "acceptable" by the traditionalists. If it's acceptable for a woman to show up the MDR on formal night in slacks and a top, why would slacks and a dress shirt be considered unacceptable for men? The double-standard is plainly obvious, and it's not just because women wear makeup (if a man showed up in full makeup in slacks and a dress shirt would that make it better?). Formal night should not be defined by the clothes that men wear while ignoring the attire that women choose.

 

I think the Answer Book defines formal for both men and women so where is the double standard?? Oh, I forgot, the Answer Book is not correct!

[Katelab]

We still cruise but friends of our chose to buy a Motor home. If Princess accepted casual cruisers more readily my friends would not have bought a $200K motor home and would have spent it cruising a lot more.

 

Me I Motor home and cruise, but I just wear a long sleeve shirt to dinner on formal nights.

 

Casual cruisers are not poor, they are simply different. With 3 dinning rooms plus specialty restaurants you think Princess could accommodate everyone.

[1 HappyCruiser]

We still cruise but friends of our chose to buy a Motor home. If Princess accepted casual cruisers more readily my friends would not have bought a $200K motor home and would have spent it cruising a lot more.

 

Me I Motor home and cruise, but I just wear a long sleeve shirt to dinner on formal nights.

 

Casual cruisers are not poor, they are simply different. With 3 dinning rooms plus specialty restaurants you think Princess could accommodate everyone.

I fully agree but you better read the answer book. ;);) Some people seem to think it's important and live by every word. :rolleyes:

[charleskatz@comcast.net]

This desire to emulate the dresscode of the homeless should be explored

with a Medical Professional.

all other times dress as you wish, but the close quarters of a cruise ship

puts you up next to others 24/7.

Dress as if you were single, and trying to get lucky.

the only other times getting dressed up was a religious event.

The opposite is the Cruise,fantasize who you will wakeup with and now

getout some nicethreads

[rdsqrl]

I still haven't seen anyone answer my previous question. If I wear a tuxedo or suit will the women on the cruise be wearing a whalebone corset and a Victorian dress or is it still acceptable in peoples' view that women can wear a plain pair of slacks and a "sparkly" top and that's considered formal? When women are held to the same standard my viewpoint may change slightly, but right now too many people here consider formal to be only dependant on what the men are wearing.

First of all, attire standards have historically been pegged to men's wear. That is, invitations traditionally read "white tie" or "black tie" and the corresponding female attire is implied. You are correct that Princess's definition of "formal" is actually more properly defined as "semi-formal," since it does not require long gowns for women. But corsets and hoop skirts have nothing to do with the issue of appropriate formal attire in the 21st century.

Also, you, being a man, probably don't understand women's clothing sufficiently to get that the "slacks" being talked about are not regular pants (or shouldn't be) but are in fact specifically designed to be evening wear, generally made out of a silk or chiffon or similar fabric. And a "sparkly" top isn't like a t-shirt with rhinestones that spell out "Cancun" but is, again, designed to be evening wear. It stands on its own and is not a piece of clothing worn during the day.

On behalf of all women, I apologize that our formal wear choices are more varied. Sucks being a man, I guess. Maybe you'll get a chance to be one of us in your next life, in which case I wish you the kind of figure that demands to be shown off in a slinky Little Black Dress.

[smellycruzer9]

First of all, attire standards have historically been pegged to men's wear. That is, invitations traditionally read "white tie" or "black tie" and the corresponding female attire is implied. You are correct that Princess's definition of "formal" is actually more properly defined as "semi-formal," since it does not require long gowns for women. But corsets and hoop skirts have nothing to do with the issue of appropriate formal attire in the 21st century.

 

Also, you, being a man, probably don't understand women's clothing sufficiently to get that the "slacks" being talked about are not regular pants (or shouldn't be) but are in fact specifically designed to be evening wear, generally made out of a silk or chiffon or similar fabric. And a "sparkly" top isn't like a t-shirt with rhinestones that spell out "Cancun" but is, again, designed to be evening wear. It stands on its own and is not a piece of clothing worn during the day.

 

On behalf of all women, I apologize that our formal wear choices are more varied. Sucks being a man, I guess. Maybe you'll get a chance to be one of us in your next life, in which case I wish you the kind of figure that demands to be shown off in a slinky Little Black Dress.

 

Very informative! :cool:

[Coracii]

Also, you, being a man, probably don't understand women's clothing sufficiently to get that the "slacks" being talked about are not regular pants (or shouldn't be) but are in fact specifically designed to be evening wear, generally made out of a silk or chiffon or similar fabric. And a "sparkly" top isn't like a t-shirt with rhinestones that spell out "Cancun" but is, again, designed to be evening wear. It stands on its own and is not a piece of clothing worn during the day.

 

On behalf of all women, I apologize that our formal wear choices are more varied. Sucks being a man, I guess. Maybe you'll get a chance to be one of us in your next life, in which case I wish you the kind of figure that demands to be shown off in a slinky Little Black Dress.

 

Could you be a little more condescending or add a little more sexism into your response? Even "being a man" I know full well the difference between fabric types (my wife has a walk-in closet full of everything from t-shirts to formal dresses). I also know full well that not a single maitre d' or headwaiter on a ship is going to care less whether the material in a pair of women's dress slacks is silk or polyester or cotton.

 

There will never come a day that they'll be doing a material check at the entrance to the doors and excluding women if they're wearing polyester or rayon slacks. How are these slacks any different than a pair of mens dress slacks? Now, how is a silk women's top any different than a nice mens silk dress shirt? The answer is, there is no difference other than the double standard of expectations. Over time the definition of formal has changed on the ships for both men and women, though my definition has just evolved a little further than some other peoples' at this point.

 

And coincidentally, Princess has silently agreed with me on my definition of formalwear by never questioning this exact "formal" attire when I've dined with them more than 20 times on formal nights. When they decide it's unacceptable, then I'll decide whether they continue to get my business. And thanks for your wishes, but being agnostic the afterlife or reincarnation is not part of my plans.

[PatriciaF]

If you want to dress, however, no matter what the dress of the day is, go NCL. We did the cruise around Hawaii a few years ago and the couple next to us in the dining room had oversized tees and bicycle shorts on for formal night.

[Coracii]

If you want to dress, however, no matter what the dress of the day is, go NCL. We did the cruise around Hawaii a few years ago and the couple next to us in the dining room had oversized tees and bicycle shorts on for formal night.

 

Or, just continue cruising exactly as I have and not worry one second what people think of the clothes that I've put on my back. Princess doesn't care as long as the choice is respectable, neither should anyone else in the dining room. Which, essentially no one on the ship does, it's only here that people make a fuss over clothing choices.

[fayruz]

First of all, attire standards have historically been pegged to men's wear. That is, invitations traditionally read "white tie" or "black tie" and the corresponding female attire is implied. You are correct that Princess's definition of "formal" is actually more properly defined as "semi-formal," since it does not require long gowns for women. But corsets and hoop skirts have nothing to do with the issue of appropriate formal attire in the 21st century.

 

Also, you, being a man, probably don't understand women's clothing sufficiently to get that the "slacks" being talked about are not regular pants (or shouldn't be) but are in fact specifically designed to be evening wear, generally made out of a silk or chiffon or similar fabric. And a "sparkly" top isn't like a t-shirt with rhinestones that spell out "Cancun" but is, again, designed to be evening wear. It stands on its own and is not a piece of clothing worn during the day.

 

On behalf of all women, I apologize that our formal wear choices are more varied. Sucks being a man, I guess. Maybe you'll get a chance to be one of us in your next life, in which case I wish you the kind of figure that demands to be shown off in a slinky Little Black Dress.

 

 

clap clap clap!!!

thank you, specially for the part "men don't understand women's clothing".

:)

[Coracii]

This desire to emulate the dresscode of the homeless should be explored

with a Medical Professional.

all other times dress as you wish, but the close quarters of a cruise ship

puts you up next to others 24/7.

Dress as if you were single, and trying to get lucky.

the only other times getting dressed up was a religious event.

The opposite is the Cruise,fantasize who you will wakeup with and now

getout some nicethreads

 

Being a little over dramatic aren't we? Equating dress slacks and a dress shirt worn by someone on a multi-thousand dollar cruise with emulating the clothing that homeless people wear by necessity to keep themselves alive on the streets is a little pathetic. Do you honestly believe that putting on a suit or tux means that a person is automatically more refined and clean, are you that gullible?

 

And, thankfully I don't have to put on an act and wear clothes that I have no desire to be in to have my wife of many, many years still want to spend her time with me. She dresses just as casually as I prefer to, even on the formal nights. I believe I'll stick with waking up with her at my side rather than wearing clothes that make me uncomfortable and fantasizing about someone I could care less about.

[hughdm]

Wow! This has WAY past mere clothing to the meaning of life! Oh, wait... I think my popcorn is ready...

[Squire5000]

We've been cruising for years. I started out with the tux, even buying one. However, I've gotten away from the tux routine in recent years. With airline weight restrictions and the requirement to pack the tux, shirt, tie, shoes, etc, it adds considerable weight to the baggage. Recently, I've just brought a sport jacket and match it with a pair of Dockers. I've seen many men do the same. Plus, I note even the women are getting away from the formal gown, especially the younger ones.

 

One final note; one poster made note of how the crew dresses up on formal night. While this is true, in some cases their formal wear has seen better days. Granted, they have to do the formal routine twice every cruise, but you'd think the cruise line would provide appropriate dress for the crew. Also, it would be nice if they polished their shoes once in a while. Nothing detracts from a tux more than unpolished shoes.

[chipmaster]

Huh, a RV because they couldn't handle the fashion police on CC. :confused:

 

Something is very wrong with the logic here! But that goes for the fashion police too! :D

 

We still cruise but friends of our chose to buy a Motor home. If Princess accepted casual cruisers more readily my friends would not have bought a $200K motor home and would have spent it cruising a lot more.

 

Me I Motor home and cruise, but I just wear a long sleeve shirt to dinner on formal nights.

 

Casual cruisers are not poor, they are simply different. With 3 dinning rooms plus specialty restaurants you think Princess could accommodate everyone.

[oskidunker]

why wear any clothes at all?

[Thurston Howell lll]

Truly a gentleman and a voice of reason in the "me" times.

 

Thank you Putterdude!