Elation 6/4: Shorts and Crabcakes

[LMaxwell]

When was the last time you were on princess? I think you will find things have changed.

 

February of this year. I doubt things have changed drastically since then.

[dna529]

Great, your preference is to not wear shorts in the dining room for dinner. Fine, don't wear them then. How is it any of your business what other people wear? I'm really getting sick and tired of people thinking they they can dictate what others wear on their vacations. My husband wears cargo shorts and Hawaiian shirts in the dining room on casual nights. It's not against the dress code. And we are certainly not going to eat in the buffet because you would prefer not to see him since he's wearing shorts. If you don't like it why don't YOU go eat in the buffet so that you don't have to be subjected to other people not living up to your standards?

 

 

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Exactly this. This is Carnival and NCL we're talking about, not Oceania and Cunard.

[marshhawk]

Ya know I almost didn't post, because of the bickering, but every once in a while some one would try to get the post back to where it started. As far as shorts, don't think you will see them on "formal" night.

 

Crab cakes=well we had them last on the Elation, and they were uncooked mush. The most disgusting of all Carnival attempts at food. Seems they just went with the fritter approach-you know if you think there is something in the fritter and they serve it with the correct sauce, you will think you are getting the right item. ;)

[saltshell]

I dress for dinner because I enjoy it. Believe me, you don't want to see me enter the dining room in shorts (bad knees!). Hey, whatever floats your boat, or ship.

[maldenmusic]

These posts are for people to share their opinions. Please don't be angry at people because they have a different opinion than you. I don't like that Carnival permits shorts in the MDR either, regardless of their rules. But, it's not a big deal to me either. We dress every night for dinner because it's an event to us and simply not just to eat. Please let the poster express their thoughts without ridicule. Thank you.

 

Agreed!!

[CeleBrat]

I don't think Carnival MDR's are even anything close to formal dining though, not with the dancing waiters and Gangnam style or Hey Baby disco thumping music.

 

THIS!!!!!!!!!

 

Every survey I take, I write almost this exact same comment, that the formal nights are significantly cheapened by the booty-shaking "Apple Bottom Jeans" routine that we are subjected to.

 

CeleBrat

[Oldrip]

I have been on 3 different cruises, and I wear slacks and dress shirt when in the MDR...

 

BUT.. If I see someone in shorts, (or worse in some the totally inappropriate attire, I mostly feel sorry for them... it must be embarrassing for them) I always ask myself... "does their style of dress make meal any less delicious?"..

 

Of course the answer is that my meal is not affected at all by what others wear... "nuff said........

[elainmir]

For me as long as people dining near me smell nice and not like suntan lotion, body odor and beer then I'm good. I don't care what you wear as long as your body parts are tucked into said clothing. I do not wanna see your booty, boobs or belly. Your not on the LIDO baby:rolleyes: I've seen some people who were dressed "up" in some outfits that were barely there. I'll take the dude in shorts over that business. My only real MDR complaint is crying or screaming kids who should've been removed but their parents sit there the entire 2 hours..pay for the onboard sitter , have a nice meal , let your kiddos relax in a kid friendly environment and you enjoy time with your spouse. As a parent I never would've let my child sit at a dinner and scream for 2 hours.

[First and Ten]

For me as long as people dining near me smell nice and not like suntan lotion, body odor and beer then I'm good. I don't care what you wear as long as your body parts are tucked into said clothing. I do not wanna see your booty, boobs or belly. Your not on the LIDO baby:rolleyes: I've seen some people who were dressed "up" in some outfits that were barely there. I'll take the dude in shorts over that business. My only real MDR complaint is crying or screaming kids who should've been removed but their parents sit there the entire 2 hours..pay for the onboard sitter , have a nice meal , let your kiddos relax in a kid friendly environment and you enjoy time with your spouse. As a parent I never would've let my child sit at a dinner and scream for 2 hours.

 

 

When the kid is screaming/crying/carrying on, what do parents think? When my kids were young and they acted up, if we were in a public place, we removed them so as not to disturb others around us. How do parents just sit there and let it go on?

 

 

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Edited August 7, 2016 by First and Ten

[tropicaledrink]

Shorts (on non-formal night) do not bother me in the least in the MDR. DH wears shorts every night except formal evenings. He wears shorts, a button down shirt, and a leather style flip flop. No one has said a word about is attire in a few years. He's happy and comfortable, and we pack less. If you want to dress up, go for it!

 

FWIW, our last two cruises did not mentions baseball caps in the funtimes as being prohibited items. I honestly don't care about the baseball caps (again, on the non-formal nights), but that may explain the increased frequency. Did your fun times explicitly mention ball caps? I'm just curious.

 

Crab cakes. Ah. The ultimate hit or miss in the MDR. we did a back to back in May. Fantastic on the Fantasy. Awful on the Conquest. You win some, you lose some. Although if you really want to win, go to the steakhouse and order their crabcake. ;) :P

[RanchoDeluxe]

DH and I needed a quick getaway so we booked the Carnival Elation sailing on 6/4/16. The cruise overall was relaxing. The staff was WONDERFUL, the ship was always clean and we had no complaints, except for shorts in the dining room and the Crabcakes. Let me explain.

 

Shorts: We have sailed with Carnival numerous times, so we are familiar with the dress code in the dining room. I have seen many posts about guests not following the dress code, but never really paid much attention until this cruise. The majority of the guests were 1st time cruisers with Carnival (there was a sea of blue cards) and the dress code in the dining room was not enforced. Shorts were worn by men and women and there were men in the dining room with baseball caps every night. Since the majority of the cruisers were 1st timers, I think not enforcing the dress code set a precedence for any other cruises that may be taken which will make it more difficult for Carnival to enforce. The mentality will be "I did it the first time, why can't I continue to do it?" Whose job is it to enforce the dress code?

….

 

OP – I agree that I prefer to dress in a not-quite-so-very-casual manner when I go to dinner in a restaurant setting. Down here in Florida’s tourist towns it is almost impossible to go out to a sit down dinner and not have half the room filled with shorts and t-shirts. It doesn’t change the taste of my food, but it is a little bit of a downer for the overall experience.

 

It also won’t stop me cruising Carnival, but I have found one dining aspect I like on NCL. The freestyle approach gives cruisers more flexibility. NCL ships have two complimentary main dining rooms with different dress codes. For example, on the Star if you want to wear shorts go to dinner in Aqua; if you want a less casual atmosphere go to dinner in your pants at Versailles.

Edited September 9, 2016 by RanchoDeluxe

[bury me at sea]

I am happy to report the crab cakes in the MDR on the Breeze were quite good in mid- August. They weren't the best I have ever had, but they were tasty and full of identifiable pieces of crab meat.

[bigdog1958]

OP – I agree that I prefer to dress in a not-quite-so-very-casual manner when I go to dinner in a restaurant setting. Down here in Florida’s tourist towns it is almost impossible to go out to a sit down dinner and not have half the room filled with shorts and t-shirts. It doesn’t change the taste of my food, but it is a little bit of a downer for the overall experience.

 

It also won’t stop me cruising Carnival, but I have found one dining aspect I like on NCL. The freestyle approach gives cruisers more flexibility. NCL ships have two complimentary main dining rooms with different dress codes. For example, on the Star if you want to wear shorts go to dinner in Aqua; if you want a less casual atmosphere go to dinner in your pants at Versailles.

 

I agree its a little bit of a downer for the overall experience when people dress up for the casual nights. It would be a more pleasant experience if people would be causally dressed on non-elegant nights.

[First and Ten]

You actually said, 'Go to the buffet!'

 

I am fully aware what I said....it was also in the context of expressing an opinion of I would prefer a rule of no shorts in the MDR....I didn't claim that as of now, wearing shorts was breaking any rules....Again, a personal preference....Concerning nights such as "Elegant" evenings, I don't understand the mindset of being a contrarian and trying to circumvent the rules....Elegant night, clearly stated on the Carnival FAQ website, says no jeans or shorts....on that night, why do people try to backdoor that rule? Put on a pair of dockers. Now, if you really don't want to wear pants, fine....go to the buffet that night....not hard to fall in line unless you have some sort of enjoyment to be the rebel :cool:

Edited September 9, 2016 by First and Ten

[crusinpsychRN]

I am happy to report the crab cakes in the MDR on the Breeze were quite good in mid- August. They weren't the best I have ever had, but they were tasty and full of identifiable pieces of crab meat.

 

The chef makes all the difference.

[drosphot]

Personally don't care what folks wear, just know that some folks must wear something! :eek:

 

As for the crabcakes, a few years ago on the Magic I dragged the DW up to the Lido from the casino to get food in her whiel drinking. She loves crabcakes but she took one bite of this one and stuck her tongue out, grabbed the entire pile and slammed it on the plate exclaiming "WTH did they do to this crabcake!" She has never had them since...

[Domino D]

We like getting dressed up, so we do. Suit and tie for the men, dresses for the women on cruise elegant night.

 

I don't really care what people wear. It simply does not affect me. Not my monkey not my farm. BUT... If you have a policy you should enforce it. They have very reasonable dress codes, and differences for elegant and casual nights. If it says no baseball hats, than the hostesses should ask people to remove them. The cruise elegant night says no shorts, so people in shorts should get turned away.

 

By the same token, if it isn't that important to Carnival how people dress, then change the policy.

 

Personally, I like the earlier suggestion about one dining room for people who dress, and one for people who want casual.

[LMaxwell]

I am fully aware what I said....it was also in the context of expressing an opinion of I would prefer a rule of no shorts in the MDR....I didn't claim that as of now, wearing shorts was breaking any rules....Again, a personal preference....Concerning nights such as "Elegant" evenings, I don't understand the mindset of being a contrarian and trying to circumvent the rules....Elegant night, clearly stated on the Carnival FAQ website, says no jeans or shorts....on that night, why do people try to backdoor that rule? Put on a pair of dockers. Now, if you really don't want to wear pants, fine....go to the buffet that night....not hard to fall in line unless you have some sort of enjoyment to be the rebel :cool:

 

Still waiting for you to post your FunTimes which I know for 100% fact contradicts your statement. Stop whining, start posting.

Edited September 10, 2016 by LMaxwell

[LMaxwell]

We like getting dressed up, so we do. Suit and tie for the men, dresses for the women on cruise elegant night.

 

I don't really care what people wear. It simply does not affect me. Not my monkey not my farm. BUT... If you have a policy you should enforce it. They have very reasonable dress codes, and differences for elegant and casual nights. If it says no baseball hats, than the hostesses should ask people to remove them. The cruise elegant night says no shorts, so people in shorts should get turned away.

 

By the same token, if it isn't that important to Carnival how people dress, then change the policy.

 

Personally, I like the earlier suggestion about one dining room for people who dress, and one for people who want casual.

 

the formal dining room would be 75% empty. the casual dining room would have lines snaking across the ship to get in.

[Domino D]

the formal dining room would be 75% empty. the casual dining room would have lines snaking across the ship to get in.

 

Yep, and I'm alright with that. I don't think Carnival would go for it, but I'm okay with it.

[LMaxwell]

Yep, and I'm alright with that. I don't think Carnival would go for it, but I'm okay with it.

 

Casual diners should get the aft / panoramic dining room.

[Domino D]

Casual diners should get the aft / panoramic dining room.

 

Okay by me.

[easyboy]

As long as no one is in shorts, any wear is fine by me.

[bigdog1958]

As long as no one is in shorts, any wear is fine by me.

 

You probably need to sail another line then, as on non elegant nights, the majority of us wear shorts on carnival. I don't understand how other people dress affects people. Just because some people are in shorts, does not mean others cant dress up. I guess it comes down to some people just feel they need to boss others around and tell them what to do and wear.

[Domino D]

You probably need to sail another line then, as on non elegant nights, the majority of us wear shorts on carnival. I don't understand how other people dress affects people. Just because some people are in shorts, does not mean others cant dress up. I guess it comes down to some people just feel they need to boss others around and tell them what to do and wear.

 

Yep. People wearing shorts, hats, slippers and jammies, whatever, have no impact on my dinner. So why do I care.

 

On RCL last time, we sat next to an 8 top with a family from Great Britain. They wore soccer jerseys and gym shorts every night. Including formal. Other than a lengthy discussion about the term "football", we got along just fine. They never asked me about my tie, and I never asked them about their uniforms. I don't work for the cruise line, I'm certainly not going to do their enforcement. FYI, the wealthiest person I know, owns a private jet, and wears sweat suits everywhere. It's fun watching people apologize to him, after initially telling him a jacket is required to enter. Eventually a panicky manager will come out and also apologize for the "new" employee not recognizing him.