Clothing on Mariner Compared to Carnival

[Ms Belvedere]

We are back from the Mariner, 16-23 October sailing, our first cruise on RCCL and I promised to write about comparisons in clothing between RCCL and Carnival. From cruising Carnival and reading these boards I truly expected to see a big difference in attire.

 

We started the vacation a day before at the Radisson in Port Canaveral where we saw part of the huge group of cruisers from Cruise Critic and another cruise board. They were an older crowd, our age and up, and their clothing was very similar to what we see on Carnival Cruisers. Capri pants, jeans, shorts, and t-shirts were the norm from the time we got to the hotel to our time on the ship, this is what most of the women wore. The men were in regular, casual wear, as well. Nothing sloppy, everyone looked presentable.

 

On the ship we saw mostly capris and shorts on the women and the men wore shorts and Ts. At dinner the first night I saw a group of men walk into the dining room wearing baseball hats and shorts, some were jean shorts. Other nights, not formal, we saw shorts as well but they didn’t stand out.

 

Formal night we guessed that 15-20% of the men wore tuxes. The women were in a mix of long and short gowns and everyone we saw was appropriately dressed. There was one older (mid 50s) woman who I noticed wearing a stunning dress. It was a dove-gray silk with bustles down the back. The bustles didn’t stand out from the dress like they did in the original era they were worn but were flat. It was so different from anything else you usually see at formal occasions. We didn’t see the front but from the back view it was lovely. I also saw a formal dress that exposed the woman’s belly, along the lines of the too-short tees and low cut shorts but in a formal dress. It was black and the top was cut like a tank and the skirt was fitted and hung on her hips.

 

Formal nights on Carnival are a mixed bag of obvious bride’s maids gowns, prom dresses and nice formal dresses, long and short. There are definitely not as many tuxes on Carnival as Royal Caribbean.

 

In the Windjammer (casual restaurant on RC) there is a notice that no bathing suit attire is to be worn. We saw women with towels wrapped around them and tied or folded in at the bust used to cover up for lunch. We also saw a couple wearing their bathrobes as cover-ups in the dining room. Other than that people were dressed according to guidelines in the Windjammer, both during the day and at night when we skipped the dining room.

 

One night in the formal dining room, can’t remember if it was formal night or not, a group of men (?) walked into the dining room in shorts, t-shirts and sneakers. They didn’t stay for dinner but they were allowed to walk in and back to a table in the back of the room. They looked like they had been playing basketball and were taking a break to see a friend. The one was wearing a matching green set, of basketball shorts and a sleeveless shirt with a number on the back. On another night we saw a woman in the dining room wearing a Kangol hat, like Samuel L. Jackson wears, but hers was blue to match her shirt.

 

Things that we saw on Carnival that we didn’t see on Royal Caribbean:

Jean Overalls (shorts or long pants)

Men walking around with no shirts on

 

I didn’t hear much of the constant, noisy “FLIP-FLOP” of sandals on the Mariner. As far as clothing goes I think that is my only real gripe: those damned, slapping flip flops. There were a few people with them on but not nearly as many as I see/hear on Carnival.

 

I did see muscle shirts on the men on Mariner but none that said “I’m With Stupid”. Still, I don’t like to see that much skin exposure on heavy men and don’t want to see underarm hair.

 

As far as the above observations go, if not for these boards I would never have noticed any of the outfits, let alone commented on them. In the past we’d only comment on people who stood out due to being beautifully dressed or if there was something extreme in the opposite direction. Overall, it was the same type of people on both ships but the Mariner crowd seemed to be about ten years older than the Carnival group, overall. That makes a big difference in dress.

 

On another board I mentioned that the Mariner crowd was geared more to our lifestyle but we will still cruise Carnival. We like to cut loose occasionally and not feel like we’re with the people we work with. Carnival provides us with that. We’ll be back to RCCL, too, they have an ambience not found on Carnival. There are places to sit and have a quiet drink, the ship was beautiful, but more than that, it was inviting and had a slower pace to it. Carnival seems frenzied and hurried.

 

All in all, I’d have to say that the best part of all is being on the water and headed to a warm port of call. After I send this I’m going to be out of here for the weekend. Big PENN STATE game and the weather’s going to be perfect-o!!! :D Hope everyone has a great weekend, please be safe!

[Cruise Arizona]

Thanks you for your post, It was very fair and balanced. I appreciate your insights.

 

It is probably the "Frantic" pace that you described on Carnival that has kept us away from that particular line. We like things a bit more laid back, although we could probably find a way to be laid back on Carnival if we had to.

 

Also the insinght onto Mariner. I think it is a Voyager class, which would be a different kind of cruise than the smaller ships we have traditionally done. MIL wants to take her kids and grand kids on a cruise and she like the Voyager class.

 

We leave for Celebrity Infinity Hawaii in two weeks. I am about to burst.

[LandLockedInAZ]

Thanks for the report, Ms Belvedere. Obviously done in a non-passionate way and that gives it credibility. Glad you had such a nice time on your cruise.

And Suzanne, I bet you're getting so excited! You'll have to tell us about the fashions aboard your cruise, too!

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

MsBelvedere, I really appreciate your report. We've sailed Royal Caribbean exclusively, but next week, Nov 10, we will sail on Carnival Liberty. As that will be our first experience with Carnival, I am glad to have some feedback on what to expect. I guess I won't have to be as concerned about attire as I am on Royal Caribbean.

 

I was a little worried about the atmosphere as I have heard that Carnival passengers tend to be more of a party crowd but have no way to judge if that is a fair assessment.

[pennstater]

Ms Belvedere - nice post, seemed very impartial which is nice.

 

PS - Have a great time at the game! DH is on his way up to Happy Valley as I write, but I'm staying home with the injured kitty cat...:( It's supposed to be great weather and such an exciting game! WE ARE.....

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise and thanks for your post!

[Buster27]

I've sailed both lines a few times and couldn't agree with the original poster more!!!

There just isn't that much difference at all !!!!

[Happy ks]

I've never given much thought to the noise made when people are wearing flip flops! I have many times noticed the difficulty walking and noise made from young women and girls wearing those funny looking platform thong (shoes!). Those poor girls can't bend their knees and have to shuffle and scrape along.

[LHP]

We are back from the Mariner, 16-23 October sailing, our first cruise on RCCL and I promised to write about comparisons in clothing between RCCL and Carnival. From cruising Carnival and reading these boards I truly expected to see a big difference in attire.

 

We started the vacation a day before at the Radisson in Port Canaveral where we saw part of the huge group of cruisers from Cruise Critic and another cruise board. They were an older crowd, our age and up, and their clothing was very similar to what we see on Carnival Cruisers. Capri pants, jeans, shorts, and t-shirts were the norm from the time we got to the hotel to our time on the ship, this is what most of the women wore. The men were in regular, casual wear, as well. Nothing sloppy, everyone looked presentable.

 

On the ship we saw mostly capris and shorts on the women and the men wore shorts and Ts. At dinner the first night I saw a group of men walk into the dining room wearing baseball hats and shorts, some were jean shorts. Other nights, not formal, we saw shorts as well but they didn’t stand out.

 

Formal night we guessed that 15-20% of the men wore tuxes. The women were in a mix of long and short gowns and everyone we saw was appropriately dressed. There was one older (mid 50s) woman who I noticed wearing a stunning dress. It was a dove-gray silk with bustles down the back. The bustles didn’t stand out from the dress like they did in the original era they were worn but were flat. It was so different from anything else you usually see at formal occasions. We didn’t see the front but from the back view it was lovely. I also saw a formal dress that exposed the woman’s belly, along the lines of the too-short tees and low cut shorts but in a formal dress. It was black and the top was cut like a tank and the skirt was fitted and hung on her hips.

 

Formal nights on Carnival are a mixed bag of obvious bride’s maids gowns, prom dresses and nice formal dresses, long and short. There are definitely not as many tuxes on Carnival as Royal Caribbean.

 

In the Windjammer (casual restaurant on RC) there is a notice that no bathing suit attire is to be worn. We saw women with towels wrapped around them and tied or folded in at the bust used to cover up for lunch. We also saw a couple wearing their bathrobes as cover-ups in the dining room. Other than that people were dressed according to guidelines in the Windjammer, both during the day and at night when we skipped the dining room.

 

One night in the formal dining room, can’t remember if it was formal night or not, a group of men (?) walked into the dining room in shorts, t-shirts and sneakers. They didn’t stay for dinner but they were allowed to walk in and back to a table in the back of the room. They looked like they had been playing basketball and were taking a break to see a friend. The one was wearing a matching green set, of basketball shorts and a sleeveless shirt with a number on the back. On another night we saw a woman in the dining room wearing a Kangol hat, like Samuel L. Jackson wears, but hers was blue to match her shirt.

 

Things that we saw on Carnival that we didn’t see on Royal Caribbean:

Jean Overalls (shorts or long pants)

Men walking around with no shirts on

 

I didn’t hear much of the constant, noisy “FLIP-FLOP” of sandals on the Mariner. As far as clothing goes I think that is my only real gripe: those damned, slapping flip flops. There were a few people with them on but not nearly as many as I see/hear on Carnival.

 

I did see muscle shirts on the men on Mariner but none that said “I’m With Stupid”. Still, I don’t like to see that much skin exposure on heavy men and don’t want to see underarm hair.

 

As far as the above observations go, if not for these boards I would never have noticed any of the outfits, let alone commented on them. In the past we’d only comment on people who stood out due to being beautifully dressed or if there was something extreme in the opposite direction. Overall, it was the same type of people on both ships but the Mariner crowd seemed to be about ten years older than the Carnival group, overall. That makes a big difference in dress.

 

On another board I mentioned that the Mariner crowd was geared more to our lifestyle but we will still cruise Carnival. We like to cut loose occasionally and not feel like we’re with the people we work with. Carnival provides us with that. We’ll be back to RCCL, too, they have an ambience not found on Carnival. There are places to sit and have a quiet drink, the ship was beautiful, but more than that, it was inviting and had a slower pace to it. Carnival seems frenzied and hurried.

 

All in all, I’d have to say that the best part of all is being on the water and headed to a warm port of call. After I send this I’m going to be out of here for the weekend. Big PENN STATE game and the weather’s going to be perfect-o!!! :D Hope everyone has a great weekend, please be safe!

 

 

Would you mind emailing me as I have some questions about RCCL???

joshuastevenwilliams@juno.com THANKS!!!

[Ms Belvedere]

Would you mind emailing me as I have some questions about RCCL???

joshuastevenwilliams@juno.com THANKS!!!

 

I just sent a message to your address above. I'd be glad to answer any questions you have.

 

Ms B