Wear Your Best. Is this the "new formal" fleet wide

[WAMarathoner]

Any excuse to buy a new dress 😀.  Plus, dh looks dashing in his tux.  It's a shame (for them) that many of today's men don't realize that a tuxedo makes almost any man into a sex symbol.

[Esprit]

4 hours ago, WAMarathoner said:

Any excuse to buy a new dress 😀.  Plus, dh looks dashing in his tux.  It's a shame (for them) that many of today's men don't realize that a tuxedo makes almost any man into a sex symbol.

I get serious brownie points from my wife when I don my tuxedo. Me and the other guys in our party of 11 got many compliments from fellow guests. One guy even offered to buy my mate's tux off him!

[Cruise a holic]

On 11/15/2019 at 4:18 PM, Ptroxx said:

I’m sorry but I’m on vacation.   There will be nothing formal in my luggage.   Last thing I want to do is be in a stuffy old suit jacket or tie on vacation.  
but that’s me.   Won’t do it on my 7 day in January.  Or any other cruises I have booked.  
 

but those that enjoy it. Have at it.  

However, if you keep your clothing current, you can wear a stylish new suit, slacks and shirts-  It is your vaca and you should wear what you like and can afford- but dress clothes can be far from stuffy today.

[Milwaukee Eight]

1 hour ago, Esprit said:

I get serious brownie points from my wife when I don my tuxedo. Me and the other guys in our party of 11 got many compliments from fellow guests. One guy even offered to buy my mate's tux off him!

Is this a word puzzle?

[Esprit]

31 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Is this a word puzzle?

My apologies for the use of the Queen's English.

I'm not great at "Americanisms"

[Milwaukee Eight]

11 minutes ago, Esprit said:

My apologies for the use of the Queen's English.

I'm not great at "Americanisms"

Ok. I get it I think. You mate is your friend and not your wife. Lol

[SargassoPirate]

I quit packing "formal" wear when the maitre ds stopped enforcing any semblance of a dress code and it became "suggested".  I do however pack a black sport coat and several black and white ribbed T-shirts.  Those over a pair of black slacks (which weigh less than jeans BTW) and I'm good on whatever the cruise line chooses to call the suggested evening attire.

 

The old saying "clothes make the man" still applies, especially when applied to the guy who shows up in shorts, a wife-beater, and his ballcap on backwards.

 

 

[Ptroxx]

15 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

However, if you keep your clothing current, you can wear a stylish new suit, slacks and shirts-  It is your vaca and you should wear what you like and can afford- but dress clothes can be far from stuffy today.

Guess you didn’t get it.   I’m on vacation.  
No suit.  No slacks. No shoes. 
My clothes are current ,I could care less about a formal dinner.
if they don’t let me in with what Im wearing there’s many other places to eat.   

[Cruise a holic]

8 hours ago, Ptroxx said:

Guess you didn’t get it.   I’m on vacation.  
No suit.  No slacks. No shoes. 
My clothes are current ,I could care less about a formal dinner.
if they don’t let me in with what Im wearing there’s many other places to eat.   

Perhaps I don't   My DH wears a jacket and tie daily and still enjoys wearing more country club and formal attire daily on a cruise-  Not the jackets nor shirts he wears to work or shleppy clothes he wears on weekends.  I wear scrubs and like to wear semi and formal clothes on cruises.  To each his/her own-

Edited November 19, 2019 by Cruise a holic

[Milwaukee Eight]

33 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

Perhaps I don't   My DH wears a jacket and tie daily and still enjoys wearing more country club and formal attire daily on a cruise-  Not the jackets nor shirts he wears to work or shleppy clothes he wears on weekends.  I wear scrubs and like to wear semi and formal clothes on cruises.  To each his/her own-

Dress and wear what YOU want and don’t worry about what others wear. It doesn’t change anything. Food is the same. 

[davekathy]

2 hours ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

...don’t worry about what others wear...

Agree. If what someone is wearing is cool with the staff at the entrance to the MDR, that's all that matters. 

[Ptroxx]

3 hours ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Dress and wear what YOU want and don’t worry about what others wear. It doesn’t change anything. Food is the same. 

Exactly.    Some like to dressed to the Nines.   Some like to be comfortable.   
me I just can’t be comfortable when dressed to the Nines.  Never have been.   
guess it’s all of the catholic school in uniforms every day.  And to now wearing a uniform every day.  Last thing I wanna do is get dressed up for dinner. 
 

but if others wanna get dressed up go for it.  

[SargassoPirate]

3 hours ago, davekathy said:

Agree. If what someone is wearing is cool with the staff at the entrance to the MDR, that's all that matters. 

The staff at the entrance are scared to call anyone out for inappropriate MDR dress for fear of upsetting the person and receiving less than a 10.  The staff's careers live and die by the 10.  Thus, enforcement of most anything - feral children running wild, chair hogs, card players claiming tables in the buffet, and appropriate attire in the MDR has fallen by the wayside.

 

If people don't care to clean up for the MDR and follow the norms for dining attire in a more elegant setting, the buffet is always available.  

 

Clothes make the person and what one wears in different social settings speaks volumes.  

[sjb317]

1 hour ago, SargassoPirate said:

Clothes make the person and what one wears in different social settings speaks volumes.  

Funny, one of the nicest men I’ve ever had the pleasure to share a table with at dinner wore shorts with a t shirt every night in the MDR. 
 

And two of the rudest to staff men I’ve ever met wore a tux on formal nights. 
 

I think a person’s behavior towards others is what makes the person and speaks volumes, not what they wear.

 

Sherri🙂

[davekathy]

2 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

The staff at the entrance are scared to call anyone out for inappropriate MDR dress for fear of upsetting the person and receiving less than a 10.  The staff's careers live and die by the 10.  Thus, enforcement of most anything - feral children running wild, chair hogs, card players claiming tables in the buffet, and appropriate attire in the MDR has fallen by the wayside.

 

If people don't care to clean up for the MDR and follow the norms for dining attire in a more elegant setting, the buffet is always available.  

 

Clothes make the person and what one wears in different social settings speaks volumes.  

Do you actually know they are scared  or just don't care?  We've never stopped and asked?  Bottom line, it's the staffs job not ours. If they are cool with it or elect to look the other way, so be it.  Have you made comments in your PCS  expressing your dissatisfaction? We find the "suggested" dress guidelines for the MDR in the evening easy to understand and comply with. We only concern ourselves with what we elect to wear. We always enjoy our dining experiences, food and drinks. What you wear or others doesn't effect that. Based on your post I believe you find  the "suggested" dress guidelines for the MDR in the evening easy to understand and comply with.

Edited November 19, 2019 by davekathy

[Milwaukee Eight]

2 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

Clothes make the person and what one wears in different social settings speaks volumes

 Not in my opinion....

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, SargassoPirate said:

The staff at the entrance are scared to call anyone out for inappropriate MDR dress for fear of upsetting the person and receiving less than a 10.  The staff's careers live and die by the 10.  Thus, enforcement of most anything - feral children running wild, chair hogs, card players claiming tables in the buffet, and appropriate attire in the MDR has fallen by the wayside.

 

If people don't care to clean up for the MDR and follow the norms for dining attire in a more elegant setting, the buffet is always available.  

 

Clothes make the person and what one wears in different social settings speaks volumes.  

 

They don't ask for a rating of the individual staff at the entrance. I have heard staff asked why they allowed shorts and the answer was is that management told them not to enforce no shorts. So no shorts is a suggestion on Royal Caribbean, not a requirement. And if you cruise often on Royal you see plenty of shorts at dinner in the MDR. If no shorts was a policy there would be no shorts. It can be enforced as a policy if management wants to enforce it. I was on another cruise line this summer and that cruise line enforced no shorts. 

 

Your opinion of where people should eat does not matter. Nor does your opinion of norms for dining attire. It is only your opinion. 

 

Clothes may say something about a person but they don't make the person. 

 

 

 

 

[danv3]

On 11/11/2019 at 8:17 PM, cb at sea said:

If you wish to dress formally, those are the nights to do it.  Nowadays, with luggage restrictions on airlines, few bring their formal-wear.  You will not be out of place if you choose to dress up.

 

Certainly people should feel free to dress formally if they wish, but I would disagree with your last sentence.  If you choose to really dress up (tux/formal gown) you will be out of place in the MDR.  On many cruises, you'll be one of maybe ten people dressed that way.  You will definitely stand out.  That doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, but no one should expect that a quarter, or even a tenth, of the diners in the MDR will be dressed in that way.  

[lenquixote66]

I received an e-mail from RCI in December 2015 stating that formal nights are no longer in force.Since then I have been on 8 RCI cruises.I wear either a LS shirt or a knit shirt with a sweater and slacks or black chinos.

 

I always see men allowed in the MDR wearing tee shirts.

[dvond]

Its been a few years since on RCL and it seems nice shorts will be fine for non formal nights?

[Clarea]

57 minutes ago, dvond said:

Its been a few years since on RCL and it seems nice shorts will be fine for non formal nights?

 

Yes, as long as they are nice, smart, or dress.

[bonsai3s]

How many of you have actually been stopped from entering the MDR because of the clothes you are wearing?

 

I have.  Twice.  Many years ago, when I was much younger, (and had nice biceps), I loved wearing tank tops.  I was stopped from entering the main dining room for breakfast and lunch.  Learned my lesson and have avoided tank tops.  So now, when I see men being allowed to wear tank tops in the MDR..........I always ask the Maitre D' why?  I haven't been given a good or acceptable answer.  Now that I'm much older and perhaps much wiser...I don't care anymore.  Life is too short. 

[LMaxwell]

15 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

If people don't care to clean up for the MDR and follow the norms for dining attire in a more elegant setting, the buffet is always available.  

 

 

Oh stop.  Royal doesn't care about the MDR anymore and they don't even pretend to.  They would be thrilled to fire the staff, turn that all into cabins, and sell more dining packages.  

[SargassoPirate]

2 hours ago, LMaxwell said:

Oh stop.  Royal doesn't care about the MDR anymore and they don't even pretend to.  They would be thrilled to fire the staff, turn that all into cabins, and sell more dining packages.  

 

Good point, the MDR doesn't produce much in the way of revenue per square foot.  That's why promenades are disappearing.  

 

 

[LMaxwell]

16 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

 

Good point, the MDR doesn't produce much in the way of revenue per square foot.  That's why promenades are disappearing.  

 

 

But print on demand digital portraits surely do...so wear your best...any night you want...any photo backdrop that strikes your mood.  I think I've set my bar at "vulgar/obscene graphic t-shirts"; I saw a lot of that my last cruise (different line) and really did not appreciate it at all.  Otherwise I'm down with clean, neat, comfortable; if you're in shorts and boat shoes on "designated special dress evening" perfectly A-OK with me, and the staff.  3 course menu and 2 waitstaff having to do everything the bar staff, bus boys, and sommelier used to do as well.  Half filled rooms. 

 

We are all just numbers in a database and revenue per day is the game.  It's no surprise the newest designed ships have small MDR's that could never accommodate all pax and formal nights, by and large, are dying out as we enter the 2020's

Edited November 20, 2019 by LMaxwell