Why do people care?

[BigKeith]

Vie been reading a few threads on this board and one argument seems to crop up a lot. Whether people should follow the dress code on RCI ships. I for one quite like formal night, it's a good opportunity to wear my smart dinner jacket and get some pictures. It doesn't happen to bother me though what everyone else seems to be wearing. I think it's good to have a formal night so all the likeminded people can dress up on the same night but why does it really matter what other people wear

 

Does it bother anyone that much?

 

Big Keith

[Just The 3 Of Us]

Nope - doesn't bother me in the least - hubby and I both enjoy dressing up for formal nights, too, but seriously don't care how others dress... ;)

[TXSAIL]

I feel like you, and we enjoy formal night. I guess you will get all different opinions on this one..It just surprises me what some folks show up wearing , when the suggested rules are clear.. We do not let this affect our evening in any way though...:cool:

[sredish]

While I don't exactly bust out the full length sequin gown, we do get dressed up for formal night. Seeing others dressed less dressy than I am certainly doesn't ruin my evening. Honestly I don't even think twice about it.

 

For lots of people, the cruise is something that they had to scrape and save up for, and maybe buying expensive formal clothing just isn't an option when they are only going to wear it that one time.

[DaveG99]

The most hated cruiser on CC:

 

Doesnt wear a tie or jacket on formal night, smuggles alcohol on board, and uses a birth certificate instead of a passport.

[bigque]

I have nice suits and I will take one with me and 2 sirts and 2 ties to have a different look each formal night. We like to get dressed and take the pictures, whether we puchase them or not. After dinner I go back to my room and put back into my regular clothes for the rest of the night. Personally I don't give a rats a** what everybody else is wearing and it never even cross my mind to say..."Look at them...they are not dressed properly"!

[yogimax]

If someone comes to the MDR on formal night dressed in t-shirt, shorts and flip flops, yes I care... I care that the dining room staff doesn't throw the bum out!

[temple1]

I think some people see the dining rooms on traditional cruise ships as the last vestiges of decorum in our increasingly vulgar society.

 

vulgar defined:

1. Crudely indecent.

2. a. Deficient in taste, delicacy, or refinement.b. Marked by a lack of good breeding; boorish.

c. Offensively excessive in self-display or expenditure; ostentatious: the huge vulgar houses and cars of the newly rich.

 

3. Spoken by or expressed in language spoken by the common people; vernacular: the technical and vulgar names for an animal species.

4. Of or associated with the great masses of people; common.

[sredish]

the most hated cruiser on cc:

 

Doesnt wear a tie or jacket on formal night, smuggles alcohol on board, and uses a birth certificate instead of a passport.

 

lol.

[windjamming]

Vie been reading a few threads on this board and one argument seems to crop up a lot. Whether people should follow the dress code on RCI ships. I for one quite like formal night, it's a good opportunity to wear my smart dinner jacket and get some pictures. It doesn't happen to bother me though what everyone else seems to be wearing. I think it's good to have a formal night so all the likeminded people can dress up on the same night but why does it really matter what other people wear

 

Does it bother anyone that much?

 

Big Keith

 

It's one of the most hotly discussed topics on these boards. (That and the ethics of bringing alcohol onboard.) Like TXSAIL, I am sometimes surprised by what people are wearing (wow, the same striped rugby shirt and jeans 3 dinners in a row?) but I can't say it's affected my experience. If I want a true black tie evening, I'll find it independently. I don't expect it from formal night on a mass market cruise line.

[butterfly2]

The most hated cruiser on CC:

 

Doesnt wear a tie or jacket on formal night, smuggles alcohol on board, and uses a birth certificate instead of a passport.

 

 

You forgot saves pool chairs at sunrise with a towel, and takes their diapered baby into the pools or hot tubs!

[Zach1213]

I'm kind of like all you, but on the other side. I have no problem with there being a formal night, as long as it's OK that I don't partake. I'll dress nice enough and won't be sloppy in any sense of the word, but there is no way in heck I am going to dress up. However, I fully support everyone who does, because we all have our reasons.

[sredish]

If someone comes to the MDR on formal night dressed in t-shirt, shorts and flip flops, yes I care... I care that the dining room staff doesn't throw the bum out!

 

Have you really seen this on formal night? I sure haven't. I've seen the "dreaded" jeans, but as we cruise out of Galveston it's usually a "cowboy" looking guy in pressed jeans and a button down shirt. That's honestly the "worst" I've ever seen on formal night.

 

The flip flops would have made me laugh, though. That's a brave guy.

[sredish]

You forgot saves pool chairs at sunrise with a towel, and takes their diapered baby into the pools or hot tubs!

 

And has walkie talkie's on their hips at max volume.

[sharonlacey]

As long as they are not naked, and wear something, I could care less.:rolleyes:

[BigKeith]

As long as they are not naked, and wear something, I could care less.:rolleyes:

 

Not sure if i fully agree for the women :D

[ryano]

I could not care less what others wear to the MDR on formal night as long as they wear something! In the past I have been one that "dressed to the nines" and rented a tux and everything for formal night but the bottom line is, mass market cruise lines are getting further and further from that tradition.

 

I am going by the "if you cant beat them, join them" theory on my upcoming cruise. I will be dressed "nicely" in dress slacks, long sleeve shirt and a tie but no more tuxes for me. Thats money I can spend elsewhere and I have all the formal pics I could ever want now.

 

If someone doesnt like that, they can sue me! :D

[dcward89]

If someone comes to the MDR on formal night dressed in t-shirt, shorts and flip flops, yes I care... I care that the dining room staff doesn't throw the bum out!

 

 

Our last cruise was a b2b so we had 4 formal nights that we did not dress formally for. We did go to the MDR every night though, including formal nights. Lo and behold my DH's dress shoes got left behind. I'm talking about the black tie-up dress shoes that he typically wears to the MDR every night with khaki's and some type of either polo or caribbean shirt. The only shoes he had were flip flops and Nike runners. He wore his flip flops to the MDR every night for 14 nights and as far as we know, no one even noticed! He loved every minute of it! I am with the OP in that I will never understand why people care what others are wearing and how what I am wearing can affect your evening. Don't look at us if you don't like our outfits. As long as the dress code is a "suggestion", we will continue to dress neatly and cleanly and enjoy our meal!!

[ryano]

Don't look at us if you don't like our outfits. As long as the dress code is a "suggestion", we will continue to dress neatly and cleanly and enjoy our meal!!

 

[DaveG99]

I went to a formal event in Dallas called the margarita ball. At the end of the night I went to my room and put on flip flops with my tux. No one even noticed.

[LESLIEKURZ]

We dress up but not to the 9's and we don't give a hoot about what other people are wearing or doing for that matter.

 

Oops... that does not go for chair hogs. That is the one behavior I don't accept or tolerate.

[genegri]

While I personally don't like dressing up, I agree if the majority of people dress less than the suggested dress code, it changes the feel of the dining room.

 

Currently on formal nights those of us who don't like to dress up (especially guys .. luckily it's relatively easy for women) will have to either go to the MDR dressed uncomfortably, or go to the MDR comfortable and risk offending others, or go to the buffet and miss lobsters. :eek::p

 

I suggest since so many ships of RCI have that huge 3-floor dining room, why not divide it into different sections? Firmly enforce formal dress code on one floor but not on others. That way those enjoy dressing up don't have to sit next to my DH who dons a shirt but no jacket (and I support him for the record). ;)

 

Or alternatively (my favorite solution), let the buffet have the exact same menu as the MDR. Add a lobster police if they worry some will abuse the lobster station. :D

[Jimnbigd]

I'm 62 years old now. (Gosh -- How did that happen???) My wife and I enjoy formal nights. When I was a child, men wore suits to the office and even on airplanes. And to not dress up for church was unthinkable. Now, t-shirts and jeans seem to be OK for church. I fear formal nights will soon disappear from RCI and other ships. I know men who don't own a suit. I wonder what they will wear the next time they attend a wedding or a funeral?

[xxHadleyxx]

I do not care enough to get all upset by it or have my evening ruined or whatnot.

 

That said, I do care for the same reason that I care about the decor in the room, the china on the table etc--it sets the tone for the whole meal. It wouldn't feel elegant if the food were served on paper plates, or if the dining room had garish neon lights on the walls, and it feels a lot less elegant if half of the room is wearing "street" clothes.

 

Personally, I really enjoy that elegant feel. It is a major reason I cruise. It is NOT a secret that there are formal nights on a cruise and I do feel that the considerate thing to do if you do not wish to partake is to dine in one of the many alternate venues offered by the line and not take away from the elegant/formal feel that the line has stated should be the norm for dinner that night:)

[time4u2go]

I always enjoy the posts like, "I don't care what anybody wears as long as they don't wear xyz!":D