I'll probably be called a snob for this ...

[CarnivalCruising]

You're not a snob at all. They're rude for making those comments especially when you're well dressed for dinner. I love to dress up every night.

 

Everyone used to dress up on land also to go to restaurants and go out on the town, and no one dresses up anymore. When I go to Outback Steakhouse, everyone is in jeans, and my friends tell me that I'm dressed up. I don't like to wear jeans to go to a restaurant.

[ducklite]

Over dressed can be as bad as under dressed in some instances.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

Edited December 24, 2013 by ducklite

[Palmetto Lady]

This doesn't have anything to do with cruising, but is further confirmation of the decline in dressing for special occasions. One couple we know formerly lived near NY City and enjoyed attending the opera. This year they took a trip back and attended a Christmas Eve performance at the Metropolitan Opera. My friend was shocked to see people dressed in jeans.

[Will Sail For Food]

I have seen couples on cruises dressed casually at dinner who actually looked more appropriate than some who were dressed "formal", because sometimes the "formal" dresses that women wear barely cover anything and look very trashy. It's all a matter of opinion. I'd rather see someone wearing a nice top and pants than a dress with boobs hanging out all over the table.

[ducklite]

This doesn't have anything to do with cruising, but is further confirmation of the decline in dressing for special occasions. One couple we know formerly lived near NY City and enjoyed attending the opera. This year they took a trip back and attended a Christmas Eve performance at the Metropolitan Opera. My friend was shocked to see people dressed in jeans.

 

 

Wow! When I was growing up, even a Broadway matinee was something you wore "church clothes" to.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

[Lerin]

You're only a snob if you are putting down the choice of clothing in others. ;)

 

Nothing wrong with dressing up and looking nice.

I recently started a thread on the CCL board about this exact thing and was delighted about the response.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1963457

Several posters even posted photos of themselves looking quite beautiful.

So there is hope, even on Carnival.

 

However if you are looking for a line with a strict dress code, then Cunard is the way to go.

Other lines that tend to have more dressy attire would be HAL, Princess and most the luxury lines.

 

Dressing up in general does seem to be a thing of the past however. If figures though. When you see people at the grocery store in pajamas, it's no wonder they think black jeans is "dressed up". Compared to flannel bottoms with hot pink snowman in santa hats, black jeans are pretty high class. ;)

Edited January 4, 2014 by Lerin

[Scrapnana]

I have seen couples on cruises dressed casually at dinner who actually looked more appropriate than some who were dressed "formal", because sometimes the "formal" dresses that women wear barely cover anything and look very trashy. It's all a matter of opinion. I'd rather see someone wearing a nice top and pants than a dress with boobs hanging out all over the table.

 

Or that infamous chain mail dress!

[RedHeadTexan]

Or that infamous chain mail dress!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I almost had that visual out of my head. LOL, that was a "unique" look. :eek:

 

Lisa

[Pushka]

I'm sure I can find a picture of that "dress". Wasn't it gross. :p

[burm]

I'm sure I can find a picture of that "dress". Wasn't it gross. :p

 

Oh, please find that picture!

 

Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Forums mobile app

[Drew's Wife]

Here you go

[burm]

LOL

 

Not exactly what I expected chain mail to look like. Was it a theme night? Although I can't imagine what the theme could have been.

[Raring to go]

Bottom line for me nowadays is convenience. On a cruise to Japan earlier this year, I was able to travel with one roll aboard because my "evening wear" consisted of packable travel pants and embellished tops. It makes no sense to me to schlep an extra suitcase through the airport just so I can have a formal gown. If others want to do it, more power to them. I love seeing them. The Japanese on our cruise dressed very formally every night, and most had obviously had ballroom dance lessons. One of our favorite evening activities was going down to one of the lounges to watch them dance!

[Pushka]

Oh, please find that picture!

 

Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Forums mobile app

 

Two views. I think the cod piece is a nice touch. Either that, or the rear view which is quite offensive.

 

And they were asked to leave the MDR. Works for me.

 

And a member of Cruise Critic.

Edited January 4, 2014 by Pushka

[Drew's Wife]

Two views. I think the cod piece is a nice touch. Either that, or the rear view which is quite offensive.

 

And they were asked to leave the MDR. Works for me.

 

And a member of Cruise Critic.

 

 

Everytime I see that second picture (from behind) all I can think of is the old age question....."Honey does this make my butt look big?"

[Drew's Wife]

LOL

 

Not exactly what I expected chain mail to look like. Was it a theme night? Although I can't imagine what the theme could have been.

\

 

 

No Theme that I am aware of...I understood they were into an "alternative" lifestyle.

[Lerin]

Two views. I think the cod piece is a nice touch. Either that, or the rear view which is quite offensive.

 

And they were asked to leave the MDR. Works for me.

 

And a member of Cruise Critic.

Wait, the chain dress was for real?!?!?

I always thought it was just a long running cc joke. :eek: A photoshop job to make a point.

Oh. My. Goodness.

[Pushka]

It was for real and the pics originally posted in a review of a cruise right here on CC. I found it when using the search function. The review was around 2007-9. Can't recall now.

Edited January 4, 2014 by Pushka

[Pushka]

Everytime I see that second picture (from behind) all I can think of is the old age question....."Honey does this make my butt look big?"

 

 

Yep. My thoughts are the fact she's "barefaced" on a public chair. Gulp.

[styxfire]

LittleJeanne (original poster): you have to keep in mind the clientele that Carnival now markets solely to. Lower income, party-hard types that are generally closer to the beginning of their careers than the end, and don't have the life experience to understand all the nuances of self-presentation... i.e. maybe don't understand fully how "dress" or behavior contributes to success. Furthermore, there are no shortage of cruisers on Carnival that simply have NO COUTH.

 

On my Carnival cruise in early December, there was a contest up on deck in which some of the female cruisers were choosing the Manliest Man (or a similar title, I've forgotten the exact phrase). Several parts of the contest were simulated sex on stage. Full-on genital grinding lap-dances in swimwear, between ~12 strangers, up on the stage with 500-or-so passengers whooping & cheering for them. Another part of the contest was the males lying face-up on the stage one at a time, while a female laid on top of them and entertained the audience. During another part, the males demonstrated how they proposition females, and try to get in their pants, and how they perform in bed, etc.

 

It wasn't the kind of physical demonstration that made me want to eat with any of them in the Main Dining Room later.

 

It just seems that most of Carnival's customers don't seem to share the behaviors of people who love the elegant nuances, classiness and respect that "Formal Night" represents. If you are of the latter type, you should probably ditch Carnival.

 

For myself, the only thing I really liked about Carnival was the bathrobes.

[ducklite]

\

 

 

 

 

 

No Theme that I am aware of...I understood they were into an "alternative" lifestyle.

 

 

I have no problem with couples who choose to explore an alternate lifestyle. What I (and I think pretty much everyone else--probably including many alternate lifestyle couples) have a problem with is the absolutely inappropriate attire on a non "lifestyle" cruise.

 

 

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

[Barb Nahoumi]

There's a thread on the NCL forum in which some people feel that wearing a bathrobe to the buffet is acceptable, and everyone who has a problem with it is a snob.

 

:confused::eek::confused:

 

I think that that thread was finally removed. Call me a snob, but it only takes a few munutes to shower and get dressed before leaving the cabin.

[Will Sail For Food]

Two views. I think the cod piece is a nice touch. Either that, or the rear view which is quite offensive.

 

And they were asked to leave the MDR. Works for me.

 

And a member of Cruise Critic.

 

That's hilarious. The chain mail dress is an extreme example of the point I was making when I said that sometimes pants and a nice top can be more appropriate at dinner than some of the dresses people pick out. Chacun à son goût. What one person considers classy and formal, another may consider tacky and slutty. You'd be surprised...

[Pushka]

That's hilarious. The chain mail dress is an extreme example of the point I was making when I said that sometimes pants and a nice top can be more appropriate at dinner than some of the dresses people pick out..

 

 

Yes. I totally agree with you.

[Palmetto Lady]

That's hilarious. The chain mail dress is an extreme example of the point I was making when I said that sometimes pants and a nice top can be more appropriate at dinner than some of the dresses people pick out. Chacun à son goût. What one person considers classy and formal, another may consider tacky and slutty. You'd be surprised...

 

I don't know how anyone could consider that "chain mail" outfit anything but tacky & slutty. I agree with you about the pants and a nice top. I like to dress up, but not everyone does. But if someone doesn't agree with the dress code, they should consider a different cruise line.

But then I laugh when I think about the European gentleman in the Queen's Grill on the Queen Mary 2. Gentlemen were supposed to wear jackets every night. He wore a jacket, but it was more like something my husband would wear to play golf or go to the grocery store. His wife was dressed very well. Only on the last formal night did he wear something appropriate. I turned out he had a great sense of humor, obviously he had enough money that he didn't have to impress anyone and did not care what people though. We exchanged addresses and I promised him that if they came to SC, I would be their "tour guide"!