Caribbean formal nights

[dgs1956]

You are paying good money for the cruise. You can still eat with out suiting up. They are not going to deny you food. Formal nights are ridiculous.

 

 

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As Dai says, enjoy the buffet. Its really nice there. Some people have Breakfast, Lunch, Afternoon Tea and Dinner there, so they obviously enjoy it. For us who are a bit more discerning, Formal Nights are great. Choice ... That's the beauty of cruising.

[bb71]

I eat in the dining room most mornings and every night. We are khaki kind of people. I'm not lugging around a suit and tie on vacation. Really, it's not a big deal. Do what you are comfortable with. Maybe I look so good in khakis that I get a pass. ;)

 

 

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[NauticalMiss]

You are paying good money for the cruise. You can still eat with out suiting up. They are not going to deny you food. Formal nights are ridiculous.

 

 

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Why are formal nights ridiculous?

[Host Sharon]

From the P&O website

 

From 2016 we simplified our Dress Codes on board all our ships. We know that our guests adore dressing up and it has long been a part of the P&O Cruises experience, so Black Tie evenings are still firmly part of the on-board programme however the Smart Jacket Required Dress Code will no longer apply, therefore we will only have Evening Casual and Black Tie. We hope this change will help make your packing a little easier and give you a great blend of formal night glamour and laid-back style on your holiday.

 

Passenger feedback obviously works.

[brynmelyndavid]

We are sailing with P&O for the first time in November an Azura round the Caribbean. We booked the cruise primarily for the itinerary which offered far more ports than anything starting and finishing in the USA and fewer sea days. At the time the idea of formal nights was a bit of a pain as we have previoulsy cruised with NCL and very much enjoyed the relaxed 'freestyle dining'. However as time has gone on we have become far more keen on the idea of an opportunity to dress up (we don't really get the chance anywhere else in our current life) so we are now actively looking forward to embracing a bit of bling.

I appreciate not everyone wants the bother of packing and wearing formal outfits but I think there are still plenty of people enjoy the opportunity to be part of something sophisticated on a grand scale.

[Haworth]

Is discerning and P&O an oxymoron?

[dgs1956]

We are sailing with P&O for the first time in November an Azura round the Caribbean. We booked the cruise primarily for the itinerary which offered far more ports than anything starting and finishing in the USA and fewer sea days. At the time the idea of formal nights was a bit of a pain as we have previoulsy cruised with NCL and very much enjoyed the relaxed 'freestyle dining'. However as time has gone on we have become far more keen on the idea of an opportunity to dress up (we don't really get the chance anywhere else in our current life) so we are now actively looking forward to embracing a bit of bling.

I appreciate not everyone wants the bother of packing and wearing formal outfits but I think there are still plenty of people enjoy the opportunity to be part of something sophisticated on a grand scale.

 

Absolutely. You will have a great time. We love the Caribbean and have been on Azura several times.

[dgs1956]

From the P&O website

 

From 2016 we simplified our Dress Codes on board all our ships. We know that our guests adore dressing up and it has long been a part of the P&O Cruises experience, so Black Tie evenings are still firmly part of the on-board programme however the Smart Jacket Required Dress Code will no longer apply, therefore we will only have Evening Casual and Black Tie. We hope this change will help make your packing a little easier and give you a great blend of formal night glamour and laid-back style on your holiday.

 

Passenger feedback obviously works.

 

I love the Formal Dress nights but I was 100% in favour of dropping the Smart Jacket Required Nights. I think it did make the Formals more worthwhile.

[bb71]

My apologies, saying ridiculous was not nice of me. I understand some people enjoy it. If they look at me funny without a tie I'll just order a few bottles of wine to shut them up. Money always tops.

 

 

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[Host Sharon]

My apologies, saying ridiculous was not nice of me. I understand some people enjoy it. If they look at me funny without a tie I'll just order a few bottles of wine to shut them up. Money always tops.

 

 

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If you expect to dine in the MDR on a formal night you may well be offered a tie by the maître d' or sent back to get one!;)

[daiB]

If you expect to dine in the MDR on a formal night you may well be offered a tie by the maître d' or sent back to get one!;)

 

 

As long as you have your jacket as well.

 

 

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[Garfunkel]

We're on B633 too and my hubby will be wearing his dinner suit on all 4 formal nights, as he's always done with Princess previously.

[Sanjam cruisers]

As a regular P&O cruiser and a lover of the formal nights I cannot get my head round those who come onto this forum and decry P&O and their customers in relation to the dress code.

There are numerous cruise lines out there who have relaxed/no dress code and who are willing to accept money from those who wish to cruise with them.

If you have no wish to don formal dress on a few evenings do not book a cruise with P&O, I do not cruise with lines who do not do formal nights as this is not my cup of tea no matter how well they do other aspects of cruising.

Some people just seem to have a bee in their bonnet about P&O and their formal night dress code.

[davecttr]

As a regular P&O cruiser and a lover of the formal nights I cannot get my head round those who come onto this forum and decry P&O and their customers in relation to the dress code.

There are numerous cruise lines out there who have relaxed/no dress code and who are willing to accept money from those who wish to cruise with them.

If you have no wish to don formal dress on a few evenings do not book a cruise with P&O, I do not cruise with lines who do not do formal nights as this is not my cup of tea no matter how well they do other aspects of cruising.

Some people just seem to have a bee in their bonnet about P&O and their formal night dress code.

 

I disagree with this. It is quite practical to go on a P&O cruise and not attend the venues where formal dress code applies. The important thing is you still need to adhere with the evening casual dress code which still applies to all other areas of the ship. This is the way P&O organise their ships so maybe if people don't like the informality they should book with Cunard instead ;)

[dgs1956]

As a regular P&O cruiser and a lover of the formal nights I cannot get my head round those who come onto this forum and decry P&O and their customers in relation to the dress code.

There are numerous cruise lines out there who have relaxed/no dress code and who are willing to accept money from those who wish to cruise with them.

If you have no wish to don formal dress on a few evenings do not book a cruise with P&O, I do not cruise with lines who do not do formal nights as this is not my cup of tea no matter how well they do other aspects of cruising.

Some people just seem to have a bee in their bonnet about P&O and their formal night dress code.

 

I do agree with this. Personally I don't really care if someone doesn't want to dress for the Formal Nights but why would you want to go on a cruise where by far the vast majority do and why complain that P&O have formal nights and decry their customers? I really don't understand that.

[davecttr]

I do agree with this. Personally I don't really care if someone doesn't want to dress for the Formal Nights but why would you want to go on a cruise where by far the vast majority do and why complain that P&O have formal nights and decry their customers? I really don't understand that.

Surprisingly perhaps I agree with you there Always comply with the dress code, I do.

 

Dressing for dinner is not the only reason people choose a cruise. I can take or leave formal, it does not interest me. I applaud P&O giving me the choice on formal nights. Plus it is good for business and I am a shareholder :)

[anton.liebscher]

Just done Princess - NO, not less formal.

 

 

 

Ah well, perhaps back to RC next time. Thank you for heads up, davenew.[emoji145]

[jody75]

Ah well, perhaps back to RC next time. Thank you for heads up, davenew.[emoji145]

 

Suggest you check the Princess boards, the more recent posting suggest that although there is one formal night each week, their Dress Police are very liberal in its enforcement. Many go to the MDR without a jacket on formal nights so I would suggest you will be just fine, most cruise-lines are very much less formal these days. P&O are the exception but soon rather than later they will adopt a similar approach.

[brynmelyndavid]

It seems to me that P&O are doing perfectly well with their current policy, formal nights and all. I am not aware that they are struggling to fill their cruises or their ships, in fact far from it. So as long as the business model works I can't see them changing it just because others are doing so. In fact the more other firms dumb down the more distinctive P&Os offer will become.....

[brynmelyndavid]

I do not mind a little formality but I live in the present and 2 formats a week is a little silly. Thank you for your reassurance jody75 and your optimism.

 

 

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I don't understand the difficulty? There's formal, so I have to bring my DJ with me and my wife a couple of nice dresses, and there's smart casual which is what i'd wear to dinner on holiday anyway wherever I was..... Why is that silly?

[dgs1956]

It seems to me that P&O are doing perfectly well with their current policy, formal nights and all. I am not aware that they are struggling to fill their cruises or their ships, in fact far from it. So as long as the business model works I can't see them changing it just because others are doing so. In fact the more other firms dumb down the more distinctive P&Os offer will become.....

 

Agreed. It astounds me that some people want every cruise line to be the same.

Edited August 5, 2016 by dgs1956

[Sanjam cruisers]

Davecttr

I think you may have misunderstood my post or perhaps I did not make my intention clear, I have absolutely no problem with fellow P&O passengers not wishing to Dress formally on Formal nights and attending the Buffet instead of the MDR I have done it ocassionly myself, my gripe is with those who book a P&O Cruise knowing full well that P&O have a Dress Code and then complaining about that Dress Code because they disagree with it.

The comparison I would make is I am a non smoker and I book a cruise on a ship that I know has a very relaxed attitude to where passengers are allowed to smoke and then I complain about that policy.

[anton.liebscher]

Agreed. It astounds me that some people want every cruise line to be the same.

 

 

 

I chose my P&O cruise by itinerary and because it fits a friends business requirements not because I want to run around pretending to be an old colonial. Formality is fine now and then but potentially having four formal nights in a fortnight cruise was not in the literature I saw. However I was not complaining about it just saying that I find RCI's approach more appealing and will vote with my feet if I can get the same itinerary without stuffing my shirt.

...and thank goodness for freedom dining[emoji38].

[anton.liebscher]

I think I will just unsubscribe from this futile discussion. At the end of the day, if I am sick of a conversation I don't have to partake. Apologies to brynmelyndavid if I have offended you, just don't like dgs1956's tone. Conversation over from my point of view.

 

 

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[davecttr]

Davecttr

I think you may have misunderstood my post or perhaps I did not make my intention clear, I have absolutely no problem with fellow P&O passengers not wishing to Dress formally on Formal nights and attending the Buffet instead of the MDR I have done it ocassionly myself, my gripe is with those who book a P&O Cruise knowing full well that P&O have a Dress Code and then complaining about that Dress Code because they disagree with it.

The comparison I would make is I am a non smoker and I book a cruise on a ship that I know has a very relaxed attitude to where passengers are allowed to smoke and then I complain about that policy.

 

OK, no problem, there are always a few 'eccentrics' or bloody minded people aboard who delight in causing a scene. I find it is best to ignore them. We get something similar on the forum as well with some posters being deliberately provocative :eek:

 

Of course the best way to change P&O policy is to make it clear in the questionnaire, if enough people do that they might take notice.