DH doesn't want to "dress up" for formal night

[vacaygirl]

By the way, most women LOVE it when their man gets all dressed up. I know my man gets lots of extra smooches when he's all prettied up! :)

[HockeyMom44]

My DH felt the same way on our first cruise. See if you can get him to bring a jacket and a nice pair of pants.Forget the tie. Now, after 7 cruises under his belt. He's the one wanting to get dressed up for formal night and I'm the one voting for the lido deck. ;) :D

[wisefamily4]

Maybe not jeans, but dockers are o.k., but if he really can't do it they will not refuse him. There is no law that says you have to dress up. Remember the words are "recommended" but also remember the words should also be have fun and if his kind of fun includes jeans so be it as long as their neat, clean, not ripped and with a decent shirt.

 

On one hand you seem to be saying it's just fine to disregard the dress code (If it makes him happy) and on the other hand your making up your own 'relaxed' dress code for Him: dockers and jeans okay, not ripped etc...

What if he likes wearing old worn jeans? Flipflops? Ballcap? Is that okay too? As long as it makes him happy? Afterall, like you said, there's no law against it. Everything must be okay to do unless they make a law, huh?

 

A 'few' people will always refuse to do what they know is right - doesn't matter to me when I'm on a cruise (too busy having a good time). Just don't try to say it's fine and nobody will mind or care. We're also paying for a vacation - and yes, formal night is a big part of the whole cruise experience.

 

This morning on the way to work, I saw a police officer block an intersection with lights flashing. He was issuing a citation to a lady that had attempted to cross a busy street (walking) against the traffic signal. I'm sure she had done this many, many times in the past - This time she did it in front of a cop. She was bright-red and looked like she wanted to crawl under a rock from being so embarrased.

 

The only other time I've seen this look was from a couple of guys who were refused service on formal night.

[fireofficer5]

Yankeemom, I'll escory you to dinner on both formal nights. Dump him off at the buffet and join me.

[Raceroc]

Hello,

 

This is an opinion and not an answer and also incorrect as i have not done this on 10 previous cruises as stated above and still gotten served in the dining room on formal night.

 

No one from Carnival wil come on this forum and answer anything much less enforce a bare minimum on the ship.

 

So chucksta and everyone else, just state the facts.

 

Thank you and have a nice day.

Here are the FACTS directly off the Carnival Web site :p

 

Depending on the length of the cruise, either formal dress or casual resort wear is required in the Dining Room. The dress requirement for children is the same. For those not wanting to dress up, the Lido restaurants are open nightly (with the exception of the last evening of the cruise), and have a casual dress code.

Formal Wear: tuxedo (optional); suit and tie; sport coat, tie and slacks; evening gown; cocktail dress; pantsuit.

Casual Resort Wear: sport shirts and slacks; dresses; skirts; pantsuit

NOTE: Shorts, t-shirts and bathing attire are not permitted in the Dining Room during dinner.

 

I am not the dress code police, and don't really care how others dress. I don't mind dressing for dinner (as long as I can change back into my shorts shortly after). If you can't show a little class, you can eat at the 24 hour pizzaria and use your fingers. :D

[gogetter]

Is there a dress code for the dining room?Depending on the length of the cruise, either formal dress or casual resort wear is required in the Dining Room. The dress requirement for children is the same. For those not wanting to dress up, the Lido restaurants are open nightly (with the exception of the last evening of the cruise), and have a casual dress code. Formal Wear: tuxedo (optional); suit and tie; sport coat, tie and slacks; evening gown; cocktail dress; pantsuit Casual Resort Wear: sport shirts and slacks; dresses; skirts; pantsuit NOTE: Shorts, t-shirts and bathing attire are not permitted in the Dining Room during dinner.

 

http://www.carnival.com/CMS/FAQs/Dining_Room_Dress_Requirements.aspx

 

 

Straight from Carnival

 

Looks like MrPete and I were correct...hummmm

 

Hello,

 

Thank you for posting that information. Looks like you and MrPete are still INCORRECT. I do not know how far you want to go in the actual wording...but.....originally stated was sports jacket. The Carnival info states sport coat. IS there a difference? Also, origianlly stated it was a bare minimum....not in the Carnival statement.

 

Anyways, thanks for linking the Carnival info. The original poster is probably more informed now.

[gogetter]

How unfortunate that you post misinformation. My post is NOT an opinion.

 

At the same time, I will not contest what triggers a server to serve or not serve in the dining room, or a maitre d' to allow or turn away anyone based on dress. That is their job, not mine. I have seen people turned away. For those wanting to chance it, go for it.

 

Thank you Chuck for posting the facts for this gogetter.

 

Hello,

 

How unfortunate i post misinformation?????????????????? It was stated as a bare minimum...not true...opinion....and yes chuck thanks for posting the facts for the original poster !

[gogetter]

"This is an opinion and not an answer and also incorrect as i have not done this on 10 previous cruises as stated above and still gotten served in the dining room on formal night."

 

Hmmmm, this is a little like saying, "Well I robbed two banks and nobody has arrested me so it MUST be legal!!!" LOL!!

Hello,

 

Well not really.. I walked right by the Maitre'd and several servers. I was waited on by several people, all of who said NOTHING! Now if you want to compare that to robbing a bank in front of a securty guard and several policeman....then what is right ?.......lolololololololoololloolololololololol

[gogetter]

I can tell you, for a fact, that I saw at least 6 people turned away from the dining room, on the first formal night on the 9/25 sailing of the Miracle.

One tried to come in, wearing jeans.... one was in shorts, one was in dockers and a tee shirt (we have 2 little ones, and I was in and out the door running them to the potty a few times during dinner, watching what was happening).

 

Hello,

 

OK...so you have 3 facts and i have 10 facts. So what's your point ?

[OTRlady]

Can't resist throwing in my two cents.

 

To the OP: My DH refuses to wear a suit, or anything with long sleeves, so we asked about this before we sailed on Destiny. According to the Carnival staff person we spoke to, and after thoroughly reading our cruise contract, formal wear was not required in the dining room on formal night on our two Destiny cruises. It may say so on the web site, but the Carnival Capers from our cruise clearly say "suggested appropriate attire would be...". The cruise contract does not mention this subject at all. Your cruise ticket includes dinner, and you should not be turned away unless you show up in shorts, jeans, cutoffs, bathing attire, or without shoes--which are specifically prohibited at all dinners.

 

However, that said, I once heard an officer's wife say that formal nights are really the Captain's parties, where he meets and mingles with his guests. So, you dress for formal night out of respect for the host of the party--not to enhance the vacation experience of the other guests, or yourself.

 

In our opinion, especially since we always take the early seating, the party is in the lounges and other main deck venues before dinner, and at/around the Captain's table at the late seating. Our compromise is that DH never attends the Captain's party, or takes formal night photos, or hangs out in the venues where all the formal dressers are having their fun. We go straight to dinner, and straight back to our cabin afterward. The only people who really have to look at DH are our dinner companions, and some of them have been less dressed up than DH.

 

I know this is a really charged issue that a lot of people feel strongly about. I just don't understand how those who dress can be so uncharitable to those who don't. There are plenty of late seating diners who are wandering through the public areas where the early seating diners in their formal wear are congregating. There are plenty of non-formally dressed people in the elevators with those in formal dress as they make their way to the dining rooms. There are lots of early seating diners who rush back to their cabins after dinner to change out of their formal clothes. Then they proceed to congregate in the bars and at the shows, where late seating diners who are now dressed up, complain about how rude it is for them to have changed out of formal wear before 10pm (I've actually heard this one). There are those who dress a little too formally on smart casual night (like me). Etc. Should we all be put off the ship over the height of our heels or lack of a tie?

[gogetter]

Hello,

 

That is quite interesting OTR....thank you for sharing

[MrPete]

Hello,

 

How unfortunate i post misinformation?????????????????? It was stated as a bare minimum...not true...opinion....and yes chuck thanks for posting the facts for the original poster !

 

You left out "to conform to the dress requirements". Not that it makes any difference to you.

 

I happen to love the mentality of statements like "they don't say anything, so I guess you can do it".

[gogetter]

Hello,

 

Hey, Mr Pete...i am glad you love something. You were starting to give me the impression of a grumpy old person.lololol

 

Not for arguement sake, but of interest. When was your last cruise and do you have one or more scheduled in the future? If so what ship? Did you write a review? I would be interested in reading your experiences, since you have so many posts.

 

 

Thanks

[MrPete]

read away

[gogetter]

Hello,

 

I asked a question and you answer read away? Where ?

[MrPete]

Change your USER CP Options to include signatures, and you will find what you seek.

 

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My Legend Review 5/13/05

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[BlueHerons]

While the official answer is to dress in a suit or tux, no one in our party did on a four day cruise this summer and we weren't the only ones nor did we get refused service. Of course it isn't right and maybe the casualness was due to the short duration of the cruise but we saw only a couple of tuxedos and very few suits or sport coats.We originally were not going to eat in the dining room until we saw that the overwhelming majority of the cruise passengers were dressed as we were.

[Happy ks]

To the OP, I think you answered your own question. A person has to make choices in their life, the choice he has made is to miss the lobster dinner since he refuses to dress accordingly. I've actually met people on a cruise who did not step foot into the dining room at all, simply because they did not want to put on a pair of long pants.

 

I'm not going to nit pick over someone elses attire, nor will it affect my dinner if the people at the next table are not within the "dress code". If he chooses to dine with you on formal night, could he at least dress so as not to conflict with your dress so much? Especially if you have a formal photo taken, he'd look like the person who should be ripped out of the photo. A man wearing just a shirt with a tie looks like he's on his way to the water cooler, not on the way to a formal affair.

Carnival does seem to be the line where there are more people dressed innapropriately, according to the posts I read here.

 

After all that, I have to say, don't get so excited about the lobster onboard cruise ships. It's really very small and overcooked, we always make a different choice at dinner.

[eyzwdeshut]

My fiance doesn't want to dress up either. i just tried "please" a few times & said "it's our honeymoon" & it worked. Well, it sorta worked. He know thinks that i am going to carry his jacket in my luggage since i want him to wear one. Is that winning? :eek:

[indygirl76]

My fiance doesn't want to dress up either. i just tried "please" a few times & said "it's our honeymoon" & it worked. Well, it sorta worked. He know thinks that i am going to carry his jacket in my luggage since i want him to wear one. Is that winning? :eek:

 

Sure! After all, particularly on your honeymoon, he'll be appropriately chivalrous and carry ALL the luggage. Your job is just to carry your wee precious handbag and look cute in your embarkation outfit. ;)

[BallFour4]

We've based this on just two cruise lines, CCL and RCCL, so here goes.

 

All ten cruises allowed people without ties and jackets in the dining room every night, regardless of formal or not. I didn't see a single passenger turned away on either line, and we've had tables right by the door.

 

Now, in my opinion this has little impact on the flavor of my entree what people wear to dinner. I dress up, drink some wine and ask my wife to dance after dinner. I am on vacation, and the guy in Dockers and a polo sitting next to me is as well.

 

I am keenly aware that tuxedos and long gowns are the definition of formal, and have heard all the crap I ever want to hear about it.

 

However, facts are facts. People are more casual in dress in shopping malls, church, schools, on airplanes and all public venues. It is what it is.

 

I do feel that those that wish to give someone a verbal assault about what they wear or are considering wearing are urinating in the steady breeze...

 

If I ever sail on a ship that has premium dining choices then the jacket and tie will come out. But, NCCL's marketing director spoke to a group of us last December about the decline in dress, and the cruise industry is not going to challenge people that spend their money on vacations with many choices of lines.

 

Bottom line, wear what you want. I don't wear jeans on a cruise, and wear khakis to dinner every night except formal night. I wear a suit and shinned up Johnston and Murhy's on the size 12's. I gave up wearing a tux about 4 years ago. Look at the photos on display after formal nights, that is the tell-tale fact about cruise dress.

 

If I were on a luxury line and more formal dress was the norm, then I'd dress to the occasion.

 

But, it does merit a closer look at the growing army of men that walk in the dinning room each night in hot weather cruises wearing golf style khaki shorts and a nice shirt. I didn't even take a pair of pants on a Carnival cruise from Galveston this past year. I wore the suit once, and shorts the other 4 nights. If that ruined your dinner, bill me.

 

Vacations are just that...

 

Enjoy the ride,

 

Lee in Houston

[MrsPete]

First cruise, heading on Destiny with two other couples! DH is refusing to dress up... my question ... How "dressed down" can men go? Thanks.. Yes I am perfectly happy to dress up and go without him.. but, come on, he will miss the lobster!LOL! Thanks! Anyone else going on 10/16 Destiny?

Oh, come on now . . . all we ladies know how to get men to do what we want . . . first you buy yourself a great new formal . . . my hubby likes red and backless, but go for whatever suits you and pleases him . . . model it for him after the kids are in bed . . . if your hair just happens to look great that day, and if you just happen to be wearing heels, well, is that your fault? . . . sit on his lap and tell him -- no, whisper in his ear, with just a little lick -- how you just can't wait to wear it on formal night . . . make him an offer he can't refuse . . .

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Here's the reverse of the original poster's question. On every cruise I have been on I have seen women in formal attire EVERY night. I don't mean the same women, mind you. What I mean is that at least some women are in formal or very dressy clothing every night, even sports casual nights! Even some of the men are very dressy on sports casual nights.

 

The question is: Are those "overdressed folks" displaying inappropriate behavior similar in character to those who wear shorts on formal nights or is it somehow more acceptable to wear formal attire when not required than to wear casual clothing when formal is required?

[harrodsfan]

I think that the formal night idea will soon go by the wayside...More and more men are wearing suits or sportcoats or even slacks and dress shirts.

Especially in Europe where the cruises are so port intensive. And airlines are lowering the weight allowance.

Of course the cruise lines have a vested interest in encouraging the continuance of formal night...more pictures for them to sell.

Our last two cruises were Mediterrian with land trips and my dh just wore a suit.

before that he always took a tux.

We go to many dress up things at home so there is no novelty.

[yankedog]

Thank you all! I didn't realize this was such a heated subject in the land of cruising, in addition to mine! Anyway- I had to go buy new luggage yesterday because... now I have to fit his sports coat in MY luggage (I believe one of you mentioned this also! LOL). I promised him that as soon as he got into the dining room, if he wanted, he could strip off his jacket! :D You all moved mountains.. I read your replies to him nightly! Thank you again!;)