Celebrity Cruises Swaps Formal Nights for Evening Chic

[sailawayjack]

:cool:

 

I don't know a lot of young person's cars I would want, but I know of a whole lot of old men's cars I'd love to have

 

:cool:69 and still driving a Porche. Right on son:cool:JACK IS SAILING AGAIN

[maynich]

I’m completely shock to read this news and even more shock to read the comment of the people welcoming this change.

Celebrity is supposed to be a Luxury cruise line and we pay premium $$ to have the luxury experience.

Now if they skip formal night and I have to sit at the table with people dressed for MC-Donald’s, the whole concept of luxury goes completely out of the windows!!!

As somebody already mention there are so few occasion in life to dress up and cruising was one of the last places you could do that. I cannot believe people really welcoming this change. If you cannot afford to buy a nice tux/suit or a gown, then you should not really be thinking of cruising on a Luxury liner!!!

If people want to wear jeans and t-shirt they should look at Carnival not a luxury liner (even though few years back, I did a carnival and people would dress up for formal night even more than what have seen recently in celebrity).

Even the wording used by celebrity for the communication make me really upset, you can clearly see they used very poor language which again does not really make sense in a luxury liner.

If celebrity want to attract the unsophisticated crown and remove the luxury, they also should downgrade their prices.

I sincerely hope that at least on the 14nt celebrity Eclipse the majority of people will still dress up for formal night, surly I will.

 

P.S. we are 38 years old

 

Here Here. I do not object to them changing their policy but to do it three weeks before my cruise when gowns have already been bought is a disgrace. I was not even informed. What am I to do now, go out and buy a pair of designer jeans then I won't look out of place. Of course I won't be sailing with Celebrity again

as I prefer a ship with more class which is what celebrity used to have. I thought Azamara was brought in to appease the casual brigade there's no difference now.

[PORT ROYAL]

The Evening Chic appeals to me, hopefully it will spread to the other lines. Ye gods, I hear the Tuxedo devotees on Cunard and P&O UK shuddering in their high gloss evening dress shoes. LOL.

 

"High gloss" evening dress shoes for Dinner? Never :eek:

Just take class plain specific evening shoes. For me three off pairs.

But not the travel/general/day/work/GP/double up/go with anything, which are becoming more and evident.

[Iamcruzin]

The reaction of my wife surprised me when I informed her of the change. She, who would not think of leaving the house with a hair out of place, merely said "OK, it'll be easier to pack" There is no question that she will dress elegantly on the Elegant Chic night because that's the way she dresses every night out, but now I have a question: why bother having any special night ? What purpose is served? Why not just tell people to dress in what they consider to be suitable clothes every night and let it go at that? No need to assign names to certain evenings.

 

Well here is my theory. The reality is that there really isn't a special night. The Celebrity marketing team had to come up with a way to transition from providing special formal nights to no formal nights. If they just went cold turkey and removed them it would appear that they are just taking something else away. By reinventing smart casual and calling it "Evening Chic" they are attempting to put a positive spin on the change. Calling it "Evening Chic" leaves it open to interpretation so those who want to wear "Top hat and Tails" can and those who don't won't have to. A very few read cruise critic or the questions and answer book. I'm sure many will pack expecting the usual two formal nights.I can't wait to see the marketing campaign when they decide to end traditional dining.

[4774Papa]

Living in Australia I have never seen any restaurant which bans jeans (except with rips or tears, a rule which just seems to be in place to avoid offending older folks). I dare say there are many people in the UK who live in areas where this has never been an issue for them either.

 

Celebrity is an international cruise line catering to people from many different cultures and socioeconomic groups. Banning a form of dress which is considered acceptable dinner attire in most parts of the world would seem to be a poor business decision.

Interesting, you objected to the new rule not relaxing enough to allow jeans with rips or tears, while another poster complains about the loss of the moderl luxury formal dress.

 

Can't please everyone. We appreciate that Celebrity has a dress code and find the new dress code to help with not having to pack a tux or suit. Still, can't see why banning torn jeans is being too hard a call. Torn Jeans are nothing but what we call grunge in the USA. Allow crappy looking jeans is bad enough (yes, some will show up with less than acceptable jeans), but allowing ripped and torn jeans would crush any remaining sense of classy dining. Also, it would open the floodgates to more grunge and slovenly wear. Here in the USA, when you dine out, slovenly dress will invariably show. It is nice to go on a cruise and not see grunge.

[peteukmcr]

I dare say there are many people in the UK who live in areas where this has never been an issue for them either.

Most possibly, but then again it may depend on the type of establishment they are trying to visit.

 

All I'm saying is that there are many venues in the city centre that have door hosts that can refuse entry to those not dressed according to the premises dress code. Others have prominent notices advising of the required dress code.

[Charles4515]

I’m completely shock to read this news and even more shock to read the comment of the people welcoming this change.

Celebrity is supposed to be a Luxury cruise line and we pay premium $$ to have the luxury experience.

 

Celebrity is not a luxury cruise line. It is one of the higher quality mainstream cruise lines. Also Celebrity fares are in the mainstream range.

[Tamara2cruise]

Celebrity is not a luxury cruise line. It is one of the higher quality mainstream cruise lines. Also Celebrity fares are in the mainstream range.

 

Absolutely correct. It may have a different target market, but not necessarily a different target net worth.

 

I am somewhat amused by the sweeping declarations that onboard behavior will now go to heck in a hand basket. I've not yet identified one truly upscale cruise line (Azamara, Regent Seven Seas, Crystal . . ) that requires formal wear. Rather, they all seem to land on a dress code ranging from resort casual to elegant casual.

 

The same is true of river cruising, which runs well above the cost of the typical mainstream ocean cruise.

 

I am personally very pleased by this change, as it simplifies packing while still allowing us to dress up for dinner as much as we might wish. The more we cruise, the less we care about the ribbons and bows, and the more we care about the quality of the onboard experience (i.e., food, fitness, entertainment) and the ports being visited, as well as the length of time in those ports.

Edited November 12, 2015 by Tamara2cruise

[Seasidesue]

I had no idea so many would have such a problem stepping into the twenty-first century! It's hilarious to me to see some of these comments. You can still be dressy and classy without a bustle and lorgnette! I'm older than most if you, and I'm very classy, never stuffy or outdated, never!

[sbnw]

Who you're with, where you're at, and what you're eating- that's what makes a dinner special!

[neverbeenhere]

I can't wait to see the marketing campaign when they decide to end traditional dining.

 

 

Exclusive to Celebrity: New Opportunity Dining. Celebrity guests now will have the opportunity to enjoy fine dining at any time 5-8 pm nightly. This affords guests the opportunity to enjoy all the activities of our vibrant ships while providing them the finest in dining services...

[Ma Bell]

Absolutely correct. It may have a different target market, but not necessarily a different target net worth.

 

I am somewhat amused by the sweeping declarations that onboard behavior will now go to heck in a hand basket. I've not yet identified one truly upscale cruise line (Azamara, Regent Seven Seas, Crystal . . ) that requires formal wear. Rather, they all seem to land on a dress code ranging from resort casual to elegant casual.

 

The same is true of river cruising, which runs well above the cost of the typical mainstream ocean cruise.

 

I am personally very pleased by this change, as it simplifies packing while still allowing us to dress up for dinner as much as we might wish. The more we cruise, the less we care about the ribbons and bows, and the more we care about the quality of the onboard experience (i.e., food, fitness, entertainment) and the ports being visited, as well as the length of time in those ports.

 

I agree 100% with what you said but comparing Celebrity to any of those you mentioned in unrealistic. Celebrity is a large ship mainstream cruise line that used to distinguish itself by providing a more upscale experience than many of those in the same category. They don't really seem to be interested in doing this any more and many of us who have sailed with them for many years see this latest move as giving up and just becoming another ordinary experience. It's disappointing.

 

It's their business and obviously they think they are doing the right thing. A lot of small touches that made them special have gone by the wayside recently. They have also instituted some nice improvements in some areas. I'm one of the fortunate ones who can purchase the suite experience and have great loyalty benefits so I'm sure this really won't affect my cruise experience but I do feel that there is a definite diminution for the average cruiser. This is just one more indication of that. It just leaves a whole in the market and I believe one that will be missed.

[Iamcruzin]

Exclusive to Celebrity: New Opportunity Dining. Celebrity guests now will have the opportunity to enjoy fine dining at any time 5-8 pm nightly. This affords guests the opportunity to enjoy all the activities of our vibrant ships while providing them the finest in dining services...

 

That about sums it up. I would protect that paragraph with a copyright so that they can't plagiarize.

[richstowe]

Who you're with, where you're at, and what you're eating- that's what makes a dinner special!

Clearly some disagree . Their experience is ruined by cruise line policy changes which may effect what strangers might wear . :p

[BosoxI]

I had no idea so many would have such a problem stepping into the twenty-first century! It's hilarious to me to see some of these comments. You can still be dressy and classy without a bustle and lorgnette! I'm older than most if you, and I'm very classy, never stuffy or outdated, never!

 

I don't doubt you're classy but as you live in San Diego, I must tell you a short story.

 

I worked there in the 1990s and one day while waiting for my wife, I wandered into the men's suits department of Nordstrom and struck up a conversation with the salesman during which he sadly shook his head and said 'These are the worst dressed people in the country."

 

That comment has stuck with me for twenty years. Selling suits in San Diego must be akin to selling refrigerators to the Eskimos

[r5516]

I’m completely shock to read this news and even more shock to read the comment of the people welcoming this change.

Celebrity is supposed to be a Luxury cruise line and we pay premium $$ to have the luxury experience.

Now if they skip formal night and I have to sit at the table with people dressed for MC-Donald’s, the whole concept of luxury goes completely out of the windows!!!

As somebody already mention there are so few occasion in life to dress up and cruising was one of the last places you could do that. I cannot believe people really welcoming this change. If you cannot afford to buy a nice tux/suit or a gown, then you should not really be thinking of cruising on a Luxury liner!!!

If people want to wear jeans and t-shirt they should look at Carnival not a luxury liner (even though few years back, I did a carnival and people would dress up for formal night even more than what have seen recently in celebrity).

Even the wording used by celebrity for the communication make me really upset, you can clearly see they used very poor language which again does not really make sense in a luxury liner.

If celebrity want to attract the unsophisticated crown and remove the luxury, they also should downgrade their prices.

I sincerely hope that at least on the 14nt celebrity Eclipse the majority of people will still dress up for formal night, surly I will.

 

P.S. we are 38 years old

 

I agree you, Celebrity is doing away with a time honored seagoing tradition of dressing for dinner.

[iancal]

Absolutely NO impact on us. We do not dress up on formal nights nor do we attend the MDR. We dine elsewhere.

 

I suspect this is true for many others like us. We will probably continue to dine elsewhere on formal evenings.

 

Not really such a big deal. I do not think that the 'sky is falling' on Celebrity or on other lines that are moving or have moved in this direction. Seems to me a lot of emotional exercise over something minor that has already happened in practice on most ships.

[pugdad1]

I’m completely shock to read this news and even more shock to read the comment of the people welcoming this change.

Celebrity is supposed to be a Luxury cruise line and we pay premium $$ to have the luxury experience.

Now if they skip formal night and I have to sit at the table with people dressed for MC-Donald’s, the whole concept of luxury goes completely out of the windows!!!

As somebody already mention there are so few occasion in life to dress up and cruising was one of the last places you could do that. I cannot believe people really welcoming this change. If you cannot afford to buy a nice tux/suit or a gown, then you should not really be thinking of cruising on a Luxury liner!!!

If people want to wear jeans and t-shirt they should look at Carnival not a luxury liner (even though few years back, I did a carnival and people would dress up for formal night even more than what have seen recently in celebrity).

Even the wording used by celebrity for the communication make me really upset, you can clearly see they used very poor language which again does not really make sense in a luxury liner.

If celebrity want to attract the unsophisticated crown and remove the luxury, they also should downgrade their prices.

I sincerely hope that at least on the 14nt celebrity Eclipse the majority of people will still dress up for formal night, surly I will.

 

P.S. we are 38 years old

 

I agree as well. We are young cruisers like yourself. We knew there were Formal nights, and we dress for them as part of the luxury experience as well. Its puzzling to me as to why they changed it when there were options available on the Formal nights for all attire. The most puzzling aspect of all is...How does one interpret "Formal dress" the wrong way? "Do I need a jacket?...Do I need a tie?...Can I wear jeans?..etc" Google and Wiki are out there...use them.

[Jobeth66]

So just curious for those who are against this move - do you also dress for travel? Do you refuse to show up on an airplane in anything less than a suit with a hat (for the gentlemen) and in a skirt, heels, gloves, hat AND HOSE (for the ladies)?

 

Has people wanting to be comfortable on an airplane ruined air travel for you? If you see someone sitting next to you in a pair of shorts on the plane, does that ruin your vacation?

 

What about going to the store? Ladies, do you put on your best dress, heels, and again, hose to do your grocery shopping? Pearls and hat firmly in place? Is your grocery shopping experience completely ruined if the person next to you in the checkout line is wearing jeans and sneakers, or worse yet, a skirt with sneakers and /no nylons/???

 

I hope none of the ladies that are bemoaning this would ever dare to wear shoes without hosiery, as seems to be the trend these days. Very few young ladies wear nylons with their heels anymore. It's ruined the workplace, hasn't it?

 

Honestly. If eating next to someone wearing a tux or floor-length gown is a /requirement/ for you to enjoy a vacation, then yes, you may want to look at other options. We've always avoided the MDR on formal night, and now won't have to (though we're in Blu for our next cruise, so wouldn't have had to deal with it anyway). Of course, on our next Celebrity cruise shorts & t-shirts will likely be accepted attire at all venues for all meals, and what many will be wearing due to the nature of the cruise. And we'll still be a classy and awesome group of folks.

Edited November 12, 2015 by Jobeth66

[pugdad1]

So just curious for those who are against this move - do you also dress for travel? Do you refuse to show up on an airplane in anything less than a suit with a hat (for the gentlemen) and in a skirt, heels, gloves, hat AND HOSE (for the ladies)?

 

Has people wanting to be comfortable on an airplane ruined air travel for you? If you see someone sitting next to you in a pair of shorts on the plane, does that ruin your vacation?

 

What about going to the store? Ladies, do you put on your best dress, heels, and again, hose to do your grocery shopping? Pearls and hat firmly in place? Is your grocery shopping experience completely ruined if the person next to you in the checkout line is wearing jeans and sneakers, or worse yet, a skirt with sneakers and /no nylons/???

 

I hope none of the ladies that are bemoaning this would ever dare to wear shoes without hosiery, as seems to be the trend these days. Very few young ladies wear nylons with their heels anymore. It's ruined the workplace, hasn't it?

 

Honestly. If eating next to someone wearing a tux or floor-length gown is a /requirement/ for you to enjoy a vacation, then yes, you may want to look at other options. We've always avoided the MDR on formal night, and now won't have to (though we're in Blu for our next cruise, so wouldn't have had to deal with it anyway). Of course, on our next Celebrity cruise shorts & t-shirts will likely be accepted attire at all venues for all meals, and what many will be wearing due to the nature of the cruise. And we'll still be a classy and awesome group of folks.

 

Are or do any of those places you mention, have designated formal days or evenings? No. If they did, then sure, I would dress as required.

Edited November 12, 2015 by pugdad1

[Jobeth66]

Are or do any of those places you mention, have designated formal days or evenings? No. If they did, then sure, I would dress as required.

 

They used to. But times changed. And Celebrity, like many lines, will not have a designated formal night after 12/4. So are you saying that after this policy is in place you would expect those who are upset to change their tune? Formal dress will no longer be required. Just as it is no longer required for airline travel or grocery shopping.

Edited November 12, 2015 by Jobeth66

[Charles4515]

Are or do any of those places you mention, have designated formal days or evenings? No. If they did, then sure, I would dress as required.

 

 

And Celebrity won't have designated formal days after December 4. All it means is that times change. Celebrity didn't change this on a whim. Businesses that don't change with the times get eaten by the competition.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Tamara2cruise]

I agree 100% with what you said but comparing Celebrity to any of those you mentioned in unrealistic. Celebrity is a large ship mainstream cruise line that used to distinguish itself by providing a more upscale experience than many of those in the same category. They don't really seem to be interested in doing this any more and many of us who have sailed with them for many years see this latest move as giving up and just becoming another ordinary experience. It's disappointing.

 

It's their business and obviously they think they are doing the right thing. A lot of small touches that made them special have gone by the wayside recently. They have also instituted some nice improvements in some areas. I'm one of the fortunate ones who can purchase the suite experience and have great loyalty benefits so I'm sure this really won't affect my cruise experience but I do feel that there is a definite diminution for the average cruiser. This is just one more indication of that. It just leaves a whole in the market and I believe one that will be missed.

 

The post I was responding to labeled Celebrity as being part of the luxury class of cruise lines, and pointed specifically to its dress code as affirming that. My response was that no, Celebrity is not part of the luxury class of cruising, and on top of that, the majority of the true luxury lines don't even have formal wear requirements at this point.

 

I can certainly sympathize with those that enjoy dressing up and wish to do so among other like minded folk. But in and of themselves, formal nights have to do with branding, not class. To assert that behavior will be negatively affected because of a change in dress code is something I find not only annoying, but insulting. (The word 'unsophisticated' was used by the poster with regard to those pleased by this change.)

[seapals2]

So now we have to dress 'chic' not sure myself and husband really know at our age just exactly what that is. This could mean a whole new wardrobe. I must check out the rails in M&S for their new 'chic' range of evening wear.

[pugdad1]

And Celebrity won't have designated formal days after December 4. All it means is that times change. Celebrity didn't change this on a whim. Businesses that don't change with the times get eaten by the competition.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

No, but they caved to the people who had other options available on Formal nights.