Dress Code & Good Manners

[Fouremco]

I guess the staff at the door don't want to enforce company policy. The same guy was upstairs in the lounge after dinner, still in his tux, still in bare feet and the HD did not remove the guy...

Much of the dress code issue would simply disappear if Celebrity would stick to its guns and enforce its own policies.

 

Maybe someone should have "accidentally" stepped on his toes! :D

 

[NLH Arizona]

Much of the dress code issue would simply disappear if Celebrity would stick to its guns and enforce its own policies.

 

Maybe someone should have "accidentally" stepped on his toes! :D

 

 

Exactly, if they aren't going to enforce a policy/rule, then don't have it.

[Iamcruzin]

Much of the dress code issue would simply disappear if Celebrity would stick to its guns and enforce its own policies.

 

Maybe someone should have "accidentally" stepped on his toes! :D

 

With spiked heels.:D

[Beachdude]

Much of the dress code issue would simply disappear if Celebrity would stick to its guns and enforce its own policies.

 

 

They did on the Cruise we just finished from Hawaii and yes you are right, there was no issue.

 

Burt

[PORT ROYAL]

With all due respect, you've done a yeoman's job of proving your own point - that there is, indeed, a general "misunderstanding of the definition of good manners." Should anyone doubt that, your having set the bar at "pass the pepper, and exercise true good manners of eating with your mouth closed, your napkin on your lap, and your hat off your head" is more than enough to confirm the existence of the misunderstanding to which you refer. JMHO.

 

Agree

A fork is not a knife

A fork is not a shovel

A fork is not a stabbing tool

A fork does not clear ear wax

A fork is not used for picking teeth

I could go on

[DirtyDawg]

With spiked heels.:D

 

Hmmm, bad manners, methinks.;)

[DirtyDawg]

While Formal nights I'm sure ARE about the potential for additional revenue for the cruise line - I think you are only about 50% correct. X is selling us an "experience" - and ambiance does play a big part in the experience of a formal night. Would the experience of the Kentucky Derby be the same without the wild and extreme hats or the mint juleps - no - it is the ambiance that makes the experience what it is.

 

Have you seen what the ticket prices are for the Derby? Ambience is a money making strategy. If there were no extreme hats and mint juleps, the ticket prices would be half or less of what they are. It's the same strategy employed by nightclubs who want to be trendy. Invite the beautiful people and/or keep a line-up outside even though the club is half empty inside.

[BKFlowerMound]

LOL :):):) Brilliant!

 

First off I'll let everyone know that I AM A CYNIC.

 

OK There my bias is stated up front.

 

Why are there Formal Nights on a cruise ship anyways? Is it ambiance?

 

NO! It's about money. People dress up on Formal Nights and they BUY more stuff like photos - probably the highest margin product on a cruise ship, besides, gold by the inch, "art" actions etc. Ever since my first cruise I have been amazed at how many "photographers" magically appear on Formal Nights. Geez you can't swing a dead cat without hitting one inside and outside the MDR.

 

Many land-based good restaurants have dress codes too. Is it for the ambiance? Partly, but it's more about money. People spending $150+ for dinner for two might not come to the restaurant if it began to be populated with the short, tee shirt, and baseball cap crowd. That being said, what has become acceptable in these mid to high end restaurants over the last ten to fifteen years has changed. Jeans and smart casual seem to be perfectly fine these days. Of course, the jeans probably cost more than my first suit did those many, many years ago! :rolleyes:

 

I just find it fascinating that when I wear my black business suit out to a land-based good restaurant (that's a heck of a lot more expensive than the MDR) I am overdressed, but when I wear that same suit to Formal Night ,according to some, I am underdressed.:confused:

 

I confess that I am a cynic too. I never thought about Celebrity's financial incentive to maintain formal night. If you think about it in that way, Celebrity's half-@$$ed enforcement of the code makes more sense. If they keep 90% of people in compliance, they still get the picture revenue.

[Floridastorm]

My wife and I both are retired, live in Florida, and have no formal wear as in most instances no where in Florida is it really required. Not even at a funeral. So, on this Equinox cruise we will simply do the buffet, one of the other eateries on board, or order room service. I think it's rather silly, and possibly even illegal, for a cruise line to close off the main dining room to a paying customer because of the formal wear policy. However, there are many things in life that I don't agree with and just accept knowing that I have no authority to change policy and, really, at my age can't get my blood pressure up over stuff like this.

 

Now to my question. Leaving out the specialty restaurants, which one has to pay for and which do have kind of a dress code, and the MDR on formal nights, is there any dress code enforced in the many bars, clubs, and discos on board? I mean we're not going to a nightclub in shorts. But, is a coat and tie necessary? How about nice trousers and a golf shirt? What is the general price for mixed drinks such as an Old Fashioned?

 

Thanks Again.

[gek]

Now to my question. Leaving out the specialty restaurants, which one has to pay for and which do have kind of a dress code, and the MDR on formal nights, is there any dress code enforced in the many bars, clubs, and discos on board? I mean we're not going to a nightclub in shorts. But, is a coat and tie necessary? How about nice trousers and a golf shirt? What is the general price for mixed drinks such as an Old Fashioned?

 

Thanks Again.

 

The general dress code every night is smart casual. Coat and tie should not be necessary unless some crew member goes rogue and tries to enforce non-existent rules. Enforcement of the smart casual code is minimal. Trousers and a golf shirt are acceptable anywhere on board ship at any time except for formal nights in the MDR.

[MicCanberra]

Agree

A fork is not a knife

A fork is not a shovel

A fork is not a stabbing tool

A fork does not clear ear wax

A fork is not used for picking teeth

I could go on

LOL. :D

My mum would agree.

[Blazerboy]

we are first time cruisers and now I wish I had never looked at this forum

 

Dressing up for us is obviously what cruise ship consider casual guess we won't be leaving our cabins formal nights :rolleyes:

No need. Formal dress code is in MDR and Theatre only. Even specialty restaurants are "smart casual" on formal night. Bars and lounges do not have a "formal" requirement. That said, the reality is that many follow or nearly follow the suggestions for formal night, so if you are comfortable with your casual attire, more power to you. As for anyone sneering/pointing you out, I have never seen it happen. I have heard very casually dressed people make comments about others " looking down their noses," but have always beloved that was more a reflection of the casually dressed person's insecurity than any actual noses in the air. We've gone for drinks before getting ready for dinner, as we always have late seating. Therefore, on the same night, I have been in a bar with smart casual AND formal dress. Never felt out of place either time, as I knew I met the dress code.

My wife and I both are retired, live in Florida, and have no formal wear as in most instances no where in Florida is it really required. Not even at a funeral. So, on this Equinox cruise we will simply do the buffet, one of the other eateries on board, or order room service. I think it's rather silly, and possibly even illegal, for a cruise line to close off the main dining room to a paying customer because of the formal wear policy. However, there are many things in life that I don't agree with and just accept knowing that I have no authority to change policy and, really, at my age can't get my blood pressure up over stuff like this.

 

Now to my question. Leaving out the specialty restaurants, which one has to pay for and which do have kind of a dress code, and the MDR on formal nights, is there any dress code enforced in the many bars, clubs, and discos on board? I mean we're not going to a nightclub in shorts. But, is a coat and tie necessary? How about nice trousers and a golf shirt? What is the general price for mixed drinks such as an Old Fashioned?

 

Thanks Again.

Drinks vary, and you can get a cocktail for $6.95 to $14.00 dollars, depending on label of liquor and size of drink. A Manhattan at the Martini Bar is nearly double the size and about $12.00, but you can ask for the smaller size.

 

Again, no need to have a tuxedo ...a suit is fine for formal night, and absolutely meets the standard set by the cruise line. We've forgone formal night on occasion and had a great meal at Bistro on Five in khakis and polos. Met the code and had a great time.

 

Andrew

[babyher]

Have you seen what the ticket prices are for the Derby? Ambience is a money making strategy. If there were no extreme hats and mint juleps, the ticket prices would be half or less of what they are. It's the same strategy employed by nightclubs who want to be trendy. Invite the beautiful people and/or keep a line-up outside even though the club is half empty inside.

 

 

Worked at a place you described back in my bartending/ working the door days . You pretty much hit it on the nose.

 

If you think you get a better class of people because they wear fancy clothes and can pay a fortune at the door and for wayyyyyyyyyyyyy overpriced drinks you are wrong.

 

 

Remember Studio 54 back in the day ? One of the first big clubs with the Who's Who guest list and only the crème de la crème got to go inside.

 

All the pictures I ever saw of the place (I was only a kid in it's hey day) looked like a freak show . And a lot of those "Beautiful" people didn't have such beautiful endings.

[gek]

No need. Formal dress code is in MDR and Theatre only.

 

According to Celebrity's official policy the theatre is smart casual every night. In practice some ships try to apply the formal rules to at least the main floor of the theatre but the upstairs area is still smart casual.

[Blazerboy]

According to Celebrity's official policy the theatre is smart casual every night. In practice some ships try to apply the formal rules to at least the main floor of the theatre but the upstairs area is still smart casual.

That's a change, then, but I only cruise once or twice a year, haven't cruised yet this year, and the last was a Caribbean cruise, and don't think I went to the theatre. Wonder when that happened? On our next cruise, we are bringing suits instead of tuxedoes...but usually will wear them on formal night even if we go to specialty restaurants.

 

Andrew

[dkjretired]

That's a change, then, but I only cruise once or twice a year, haven't cruised yet this year, and the last was a Caribbean cruise, and don't think I went to the theatre. Wonder when that happened? On our next cruise, we are bringing suits instead of tuxedoes...but usually will wear them on formal night even if we go to specialty restaurants.

 

Andrew

 

Not a change in policy just reports back that some ships had gone rogue and made their own policy.

[dkjretired]

The general dress code every night is smart casual. Coat and tie should not be necessary unless some crew member goes rogue and tries to enforce non-existent rules. Enforcement of the smart casual code is minimal. Trousers and a golf shirt are acceptable anywhere on board ship at any time except for formal nights in the MDR.

 

Smart casual is not the dress code for the rest of the ship, in bars lounges and casino you can wear whatever you wish. Has been that way for several years.

[elena7seas]

That's a change, then, but I only cruise once or twice a year, haven't cruised yet this year, and the last was a Caribbean cruise, and don't think I went to the theatre. Wonder when that happened? On our next cruise, we are bringing suits instead of tuxedoes...but usually will wear them on formal night even if we go to specialty restaurants.

 

Andrew

 

I think this change was made a couple of years ago, but someone will probably chime in here with the actual date.

 

We just got back from the Silhouette Spring Transatlantic, and on the night before the first formal night, the Cruise Director informed the crowd in the theatre that formal dress was requested "in the main dining room and in the theatre" on all formal nights.

 

Overall, it was a pretty dressy crowd, and most of the people seemed to follow the dress code on formal nights, around the ship and in the theatre.

 

We dined in Blu every formal night, and most people were dressed in "cruise formal" (tuxedos and suits for men...women always seem to fit in as "cruise formal" includes a pretty broad range of dressier clothes). I looked around specifically to see how the men were dressing on formal nights, and from my perspective of half the restaurant, as well as those coming and going from the other side, I could only see 2-3 men who were not wearing suits, tuxedos or dark blazers each formal night. Most were wearing ties. We ate at 7:00 pm each night, and the restaurant was always at or near capacity.

 

As a matter of fact, because we were in Aqua Class, my husband chose to forego the suit and brought a very dark navy blazer and dress pants, but no tie. After the first formal night, without saying anything to me, he went out and bought a nice tie and wore it on the next formal night. While he likes dressing "smart casual" he doesn't like to feel underdressed, and it was his decision to put on a tie.

 

There were a lot of German-speaking passengers on the ship (all announcements were in English and German) and many of them were dressed in full-on formal (tuxedos and beautiful gowns). Whether you like to dress like that or not, you had to admit that it was beautiful to watch.

 

I was up on deck 15 at 2:30 AM watching the transit through the Strait of Gibraltar and when I came in to the Sky Lounge to warm up, the lounge was still full of lots of passengers, and I must say, it was a very elegantly dressed group. It looked for all the world like one of those ads for "Celebrity Modern Luxury".

[Ma Bell]

Not a change in policy just reports back that some ships had gone rogue and made their own policy.

 

The policy published on the website has always said that the daily delivered to your stateroom would be the guide for each day. Each Captain can do as he pleases, although they usually adhere to what is published on the website.

[hughdm]

Everybody has a line that they draw in these situations. OP was OK with shorts but drew the line at a hat. Here in Texas, many draw that same line only if the cap is on backwards and you can see their underwear above their sagging shorts waistline. We mostly like to cruise on lines where that line is drawn much higher, in general. (Yes, we get in the mood for a Carnival cruise every now and then when we are in a rowdy mood.).

[MicCanberra]

Everybody has a line that they draw in these situations. OP was OK with shorts but drew the line at a hat. Here in Texas, many draw that same line only if the cap is on backwards and you can see their underwear above their sagging shorts waistline. We mostly like to cruise on lines where that line is drawn much higher, in general. (Yes, we get in the mood for a Carnival cruise every now and then when we are in a rowdy mood.).

I suppose the confusing issue is that the line has been drawn by X and then blurred by staff/people not adhering to Xs line as their line is either higher or lower. I have never liked lines.:D

[dkjretired]

The policy published on the website has always said that the daily delivered to your stateroom would be the guide for each day. Each Captain can do as he pleases, although they usually adhere to what is published on the website.

 

I agree with you but have a problem when they change the policy upward after you are on the ship and can do nothing about it. I always follow the dress code and would be quite annoyed if they changed the rules of the game after it started.

[DirtyDawg]

I agree with you but have a problem when they change the policy upward after you are on the ship and can do nothing about it. I always follow the dress code and would be quite annoyed if they changed the rules of the game after it started.

 

No worries, you can always rent a new 'ball' for the new game.;)

[Chicago Boy]

I rarely respond to Dress Code threads, but the OP's comments got my attention.

 

I consider "good manners" with abiding by the requested dress guidelines for the evening's dress. Even though I may be a paying customer, I feel it would be bad manners to disregard the dresscode.

 

And no one is being "duped" into wearing formalwear for the Speciality Restaurants. The cruiseline establishes the ambiance for the evening in hopes that the tone for the evening is heightened and special.

 

I don't consider myself a "cruise snob", but rather a passenger who chose this cruiseline 14 years ago for their dresscode guidelines, amongst varying other factors.

 

 

Karynanne, I agree with you. We sail on Celebrity and have for several years because we like the way Celebrity does thing and the guide lines it has established in the MDR and on the ship in general. If someone does not like what Celebrity offers then they should cruise with another line where they would be more comfortable. Like yourself I do not consider myself or my partner cruise snobs. We just like a certain experience

[MicCanberra]

Karynanne, I agree with you. We sail on Celebrity and have for several years because we like the way Celebrity does thing and the guide lines it has established in the MDR and on the ship in general. If someone does not like what Celebrity offers then they should cruise with another line where they would be more comfortable. Like yourself I do not consider myself or my partner cruise snobs. We just like a certain experience

My wife and I are not 'cruise snobs' but do belong to the 'cruise appreciation people' (CAP for short). :D

The only problem is that a CAP is not allowed in the MDR on formal night. :eek: