Should dress codes disappear?

[Wayfairers]

Absurd! It's the luxury and premium lines on which the millionaires travel that have given up formal nights or made them totally optional.

 

Those who can afford these lines seem to be very happy not putting on gowns and penguin suits when they relax on vacation.

 

 

That is part of what I was saying....maybe the way I said it wasn't clear.

[frantic36]

Absurd! It's the luxury and premium lines on which the millionaires travel that have given up formal nights or made them totally optional.

Those who can afford these lines seem to be very happy not putting on gowns and penguin suits when they relax on vacation.

 

This is a generalisation. I sail on Seabourn a lot and have three cruises planned with them next year. Yes they have become Formal Optional, and yes some like not having to dress more formally but there are many of us that do.

 

For my cruise of 54 days starting in January I will include two long "gowns" and my husband will have his "penguin suit". I know quite a few people sailing on this voyage and they also like to wear formal wear. We all have lots of fun and will often stay up late and close the Club.

 

Others may not dress as formally but that's their choice. As long as they follow the guidelines that is all I would like.

Edited June 14, 2015 by frantic36

[frantic36]

I will probably upset a few people with this post and I apologize upfront to anyone I offend. I agree with your charade suggestion. But, I have wondered if the charade is not a time period thing (that time period is long past) but, a money thing. Perhaps they think people with money dress for dinner and they think that is the thing to do. I've met several multi-millionaires (some while avoiding the formal nights on cruise ships by going to the buffet) and I know they rarely, if ever, dress up for dinner. But, TV says that rich people dress for dinner so that is what many people seem to believe.

 

Now it is my turn to apologise upfront as I don't mean to offend. :o

 

From my experience people are individuals and some multi millionaires/millionaires like to be very informal and some like to be able to dress up. And sometimes how you feel like dressing depends on the mood your in. On long voyages I will do a mixture of dressing up on Formal night, or going to the buffet, patio grill or room service when I want to be more relaxed. I find most people on long voyages do the same.

Edited June 14, 2015 by frantic36

[GUT2407]

I'd rather see them enforce what they have.

 

But if they won't enforce them get rid of them.

[Pris13]

The question I always want to ask people that say I am on vacation and I should be able to wear what I want is this..... Would you appear at a very upscale restaurant on land and say the same thing? I would not go to Sullivan's Steakhouse on land in a polo shirt and khakis, so I should have the same respect for myself and others on a cruise.

[trippintex]

:mad: it should be like fine dineing every night if you dress like you are going to eat at jack in the box eat at the buffet it should be like your eating at a country club dress pants no shorts get dress people back in the 90s it was special evry dinner was special it was just a great now you might see a man in cargo shorts shirt with no sleves hairy arm plts the cruise line have lost control

[pseudoware]

I'm currently on Splendour OTS in Kusadasi, Turkey. Trust me, the dress code has already disappeared.

 

I'm walking into the MDR tonight in shorts, t-shirt & flip flops. No one's gonna say a d@mn thing. And I won't be the only one.

 

Sent from my LG-D850 using Tapatalk

[Bars7816]

I'm currently on Splendour OTS in Kusadasi, Turkey. Trust me, the dress code has already disappeared.

 

I'm walking into the MDR tonight in shorts, t-shirt & flip flops. No one's gonna say a d@mn thing. And I won't be the only one.

 

Sent from my LG-D850 using Tapatalk

No, No, No! The last post is the reason cruise lines have dress standards. :eek:

[ducklite]

No, No, No! The last post is the reason cruise lines have dress standards. :eek:

 

 

Obviously some of them don't. My suggestion is to cruise on the ones that have--and enforce--dress codes.

[trippintex]

No, No, No! The last post is the reason cruise lines have dress standards. :eek:

 

two wrongs dont make it right please dress right dont lose the atmosphire of thr main dineing room if you dress down go to the buffet

[natalie2727]

Yes. 60's. A vacation should be a vacation.

[maywell]

I'm currently on Splendour OTS in Kusadasi, Turkey. Trust me, the dress code has already disappeared.

 

I'm walking into the MDR tonight in shorts, t-shirt & flip flops. No one's gonna say a d@mn thing. And I won't be the only one.

 

Sent from my LG-D850 using Tapatalk

Keeping it classy over there... Maybe instead of the t-shirt, you should had wore a wifebeater for the complete slovenly look.[emoji57]

 

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[trippintex]

thats what one man had on a wife beater white with hairy arn pits in the formal dineing room it made me so mad ruined my night hat on side ways talking loud arms waveing in the air and long arm pit hair

[fireofficer5]

Suggested dress should not have to be enforced.

 

Just understood.:D

[GUT2407]

Suggested dress should not have to be enforced.

 

Just understood.:D

 

 

No request by Mine Host should have to be enforced.

[Morisnfan]

We like dressing nicer for dinner, especially formal nights. We are in our 40s. I wish so many people didn't fight even the smart casual type nights....but live and let live, I guess. If the cruise line won't enforce what they require, then it's not for me to say or ridicule anyone.

[momofmeg]

:mad: it should be like fine dineing every night if you dress like you are going to eat at jack in the box eat at the buffet it should be like your eating at a country club dress pants no shorts get dress people back in the 90s it was special evry dinner was special it was just a great now you might see a man in cargo shorts shirt with no sleves hairy arm plts the cruise line have lost control

 

The problem is it is no longer "fine dining" as far as quality of food. The food at the Jack in the Box is in some cases actually better than many cruise line's dining room food. Twenty years ago your argument would work- but no longer does it work for me anyway.

 

The only way it qualifies as "fine dining" to me now is the table settings and dress of the waiters but even that the way they have the tables crammed so close together now, OMG no actual "fine dining" restaurant would do that.

[momofmeg]

DH & I eat almost exclusively in the buffet(s), primarily because we prefer to eat what we want, when we want, and we'd rather go and get it ourselves than be served by quasi-ingratiating wait staff.

 

That said, we'd rather not be surrounded by people who appear to have been sleeping rough for a week - on the other hand, women wearing dresses/outfits that make them look like sparkly Times Sq. Christmas trees, (and who are accompanied by spouses with such things as a white shoes/belt combo), doesn't strike us as sartorial splendor either.

 

Neat and clean, (without a surfeit of excess flesh), are the keywords........besides, DH left all his suits hanging in a closet in Riyadh upon his final departure.;)

 

We are doing that too more and more. It just seems to me the main dining room food is not good quality any more on most lines. Then also often we go when our teacher daughter can go with us. Those times the ships are full and they always cram extra tables into the dining room and so the tables are right on top of each other. I do not enjoy that,it makes me feel claustrophobic, so if the food is not good either, I see no reason to go there.

 

We do like dressing up for formal night and we do that as we like a nice photo for a souvenir. We also dress up on formal night even if we are eating in a pay extra restaurant.

[slidergirl]

Unless we are cruising on a line where a specific dress is REQUIRED, not SUGGESTED, it does not matter about our opinion on what our fellow cruisers wear into the MDR. If the door police are not turning people away for their sartorial choices, we do not have a say (you could demand to see the hotel manager and register your displeasure that the people who were let in without the tux and ball gown have ruined your dining experience). If you like to bring your formal wear, by all means do so and dress it up on formal night. But, do not make any "tsk tsk" or get all bent out of shape if others do not dress like you want them to.

On another thread, someone brought Emily Post for what is appropriate dinner wear for formal nights. But, the corporation who now run "Emily Post" has also listed jeans (without holes) as appropriate casual wear. People here get bent out of shape about jeans in the MDR, also. Cruise lines can't please everyone, but they have decided to please the majority of their clients. If you don't like the way things are "enforced", perhaps you should try a more rigid line, like Cunard.

Edited July 4, 2015 by slidergirl

[cruisemom42]

The problem is it is no longer "fine dining" as far as quality of food. The food at the Jack in the Box is in some cases actually better than many cruise line's dining room food. Twenty years ago your argument would work- but no longer does it work for me anyway.

 

 

Your post gave me pause. No better than Jack in the Box??? :eek: I have to say that I haven't experienced that on any ships I've been on.

 

Then again, I can't say I've been to a Jack in the Box anytime recently. I stopped going after what has been described as "far and away the most infamous food poisoning outbreak in contemporary history"!!!

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Jack_in_the_Box_E._coli_outbreak

[ducklite]

I am so glad that I only cruise on lines that have required dress codes of business casual every night. It takes the guess work out of it, and provides a lovely environment that isn't people pretending to play dress up or on the opposite end people who look like they just cleaned the garage. I think most people who cruise in the types of lines with a required business casual evening dress code don't have to go shopping or obsess about clothing, they pack what is In their closet and what they normally wear to leave the house for a meal.

[momofmeg]

Your post gave me pause. No better than Jack in the Box??? :eek: I have to say that I haven't experienced that on any ships I've been on.

 

Then again, I can't say I've been to a Jack in the Box anytime recently. I stopped going after what has been described as "far and away the most infamous food poisoning outbreak in contemporary history"!!!

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Jack_in_the_Box_E._coli_outbreak

 

 

Well, to be honest I have never eaten there. I do not do fast food for health reasons. I do not even think we have that chain around Atlanta? I can't have it. As far as quality of of food I just do not see in banquet style food. I only been I find the quality lacking.

 

My last cruise was on Celebrity Silhouette. I was so disappointed. I even found the quality lacking in most of the pay extra restaurants. The only one wit the quality-t I forget the name, but the one that was the most expensive. the others seemed to me they equated tons of food with "quality". I do not want 4000 calorie meals. I would rather have a small meal with top ingredients, I used to love Celebrity but now I feel it is no better than NCL.

 

I also usde to love to cruise just to cruise and would be excited about even a Caribbean cruise. Now, I only want to cruise for the ports. My husband I are now taking a lot more land vacations. We spent time in North Carolina and the Shenandoah valley in Virginia visiting vineyards.Yes, we spend just as much as we did taking a week's cruise in the Caribbean, but we enjoyed it more/

 

I am realizing if I take another Caribbean cruise, just for the cruise and not the ports I probably should book Azamara or Oceania. I may possibly try Celebrity again if we book a spa room so we can eat at Blu

 

BTW smart casual is how I always dress when going out to dinner. I am too old to dress as a slob. Nothing looks worse on an older person than dressing that way. I would not even go to Six Flags in shorts nowadays.

[cruisemom42]

 

I also usde to love to cruise just to cruise and would be excited about even a Caribbean cruise. Now, I only want to cruise for the ports. My husband I are now taking a lot more land vacations. We spent time in North Carolina and the Shenandoah valley in Virginia visiting vineyards.Yes, we spend just as much as we did taking a week's cruise in the Caribbean, but we enjoyed it more/

 

I am realizing if I take another Caribbean cruise, just for the cruise and not the ports I probably should book Azamara or Oceania. I may possibly try Celebrity again if we book a spa room so we can eat at Blu

 

BTW smart casual is how I always dress when going out to dinner. I am too old to dress as a slob. Nothing looks worse on an older person than dressing that way. I would not even go to Six Flags in shorts nowadays.

 

I hear you about cruising/traveling for the destination. That's what I enjoy also. But every few years I can enjoy a "relaxing" Caribbean cruise too. :D

 

Sorry to hear the food was not good on Celebrity. We were on Silhouette for a New Years cruise a couple of years ago and we thought the food was still good -- not as good as it once was, but better than some lines. We ate at Murano once, and it was great. But we decided the MDR was good enough that we didn't eat in any other specialty restaurants.

[slidergirl]

momofmeg: Jack is a west-coast (or even just California??) chain. I remember the good old days of the 60s and 70s rolling up to a Jack-in-the-Box late at night when some post-fun greasy food was needed ;) We all had a styrofoam "Jack" head on our car antennae :p

My take on food in the MDR: it is trying to put lipstick on a pig. Take mediocre mass-produced banquet food, put it in a venue with white tablecloths and waitstaff all done up, people think it's "fine dining". It's still a pig ;) Your talk of people equating quantity and quality just brought to my mind seeing people all done up in tuxes and gowns, chowing down on multiple plates of "quality" food - brought back images of those wedding reception scenes in movies...

[ducklite]

momofmeg: Jack is a west-coast (or even just California??) chain. I remember the good old days of the 60s and 70s rolling up to a Jack-in-the-Box late at night when some post-fun greasy food was needed ;) We all had a styrofoam "Jack" head on our car antennae :p

 

My take on food in the MDR: it is trying to put lipstick on a pig. Take mediocre mass-produced banquet food, put it in a venue with white tablecloths and waitstaff all done up, people think it's "fine dining". It's still a pig ;) Your talk of people equating quantity and quality just brought to my mind seeing people all done up in tuxes and gowns, chowing down on multiple plates of "quality" food - brought back images of those wedding reception scenes in movies...

 

 

Well put, although I think Jack In the Box used to be in the northeast as well. Could be wrong though, not my cuppa.