Jeans allowed?

[dog]

On 1/6/2020 at 12:24 PM, AlaskaNewbie68 said:

That seems downright insane to me...that he would question your "style" of leather shoes...did they appear to be sneakers? Goodness, I don't want to have to worry about the fashion police when dressing for dinner. I just want to relax and enjoy my cruise. 

Agree.  I could careless what others wear. Never waste my life even noticing. It is up to ship’s crew to uniformly enforce dress codes if they exist.   We always try to follow the dress code. 

[BenMurphy]

On 1/3/2020 at 3:24 PM, amusea said:

I am sailing on Sirena as I write this and there is one couple who never seems to attempt to look neat or even vaguely nicely dressed.  The man has worn the same pair of old crumpled jeans and messy shirt every time I see him in the main dining room and has never been turned away. 

 

About ten years ago while on the Regatta the maitre came to my table in the MDR and quietly whispered that the style of my men's black leather shoes were not appropriate in the dining room.  I explained that they were specially made orthopedic shoes so he said that in that case he would make an exception.  If you want to see how the standard of dress has changed look down at the variety of sneakers and sandals that are now considered appropriate for smart casual.  

We have just returned from this cruise and I must admit that the standards of dress has dropped, even to the downright scruffy. I did wonder if the cruise hadn't been sold out and the "spare" places sold off cheaply. 

[Paulchili]

9 hours ago, BenMurphy said:

We have just returned from this cruise and I must admit that the standards of dress has dropped, even to the downright scruffy. I did wonder if the cruise hadn't been sold out and the "spare" places sold off cheaply. 

I think that this is just another sign of changing times and demographics on Oceania - what I call the "new Oceania".

[TrulyBlonde]

56 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

I think that this is just another sign of changing times and demographics on Oceania - what I call the "new Oceania".

I have not cruised with O for a couple of years. I do not like what I am reading either. From now on, I believe I am  not qualified to comment anymore. My past cruises were wonderful, not sure I would enjoy the new demographic or the new "O". How sad. 

[Paulchili]

10 minutes ago, TrulyBlonde said:

I have not cruised with O for a couple of years. I do not like what I am reading either. From now on, I believe I am  not qualified to comment anymore. My past cruises were wonderful, not sure I would enjoy the new demographic or the new "O". How sad. 

Things do change and this is probably true for all cruise lines. airlines, etc. I read on several other boards about changes and that includes some "luxury" lines as well.

For us it's a matter of what and how much things have changed. We have several O cruises booked for 2020 and we'll see how we feel after. We do have our limits and when those are reached we may move on - time will tell.

Perhaps you might try that approach as well and see how you feel after taking another O cruise?

Edited January 9, 2020 by Paulchili

[RJB]

25 minutes ago, TrulyBlonde said:

I have not cruised with O for a couple of years. I do not like what I am reading either. From now on, I believe I am  not qualified to comment anymore. My past cruises were wonderful, not sure I would enjoy the new demographic or the new "O". How sad. 

WE were on Riviera in Nov. and do not think things have changed much or at all in the last few years.  It was our 14th on O.  Just find the large ships have more to offer and that is what we want.  Have 2 more booked this year. 

[TrulyBlonde]

15 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

Things do change and this is probably true for all cruise lines. airlines, etc. I read on several other boards about changes and that includes some "luxury" lines as well.

For us it's a matter of what and how much things have changed. We have several O cruises booked for 2020 and we'll see how we feel after. We do have our limits and when those are reached we may move on - time will tell.

Perhaps you might try that approach as well and see how you feel after taking another O cruise?

Thanks Paul. As of now, we have been to every Continent, and not many places left to visit. That is why O was always important to me. I loved the ambience, the clientele was educated, sophisticated , and well traveled, along with manners. In other words, very dependable to our needs. Therefore, returning to O would have been a pleasure and returning mainly for the ship experience vs ports. 

My concern now are the many more negative reviews and we have to trust most of them. I will look forward to your 2020 experiences and always trust your reviews and opinions. When the loyal O's start looking elsewhere, head office had better take note.

[pinotlover]

Common sense isn’t common. Even after publishing in the Currents every day that swim wear, even with cover ups, was not permitted in Horizons at Tea, waiters still had to usher bare chested men out that came dressed in only their swim wear. Is that a generational or regional thing?

 

Having sailed twice in 2019, once apiece on Marina and Nautica, I believe the large difference between now and 5 years ago is then 80% of the hostess enforced the dress codes and 20% didn’t. Today, it seems reversed in that about 80% seems to be shirking their responsibilities. A dress code must still exist because that 20% is enforcing something.

 

I see this issue as part of the continuing saga I addressed on the thread about Food . Huge variations, in multiple areas, are now appearing across the Oceania brand. Those continual variations makes it impossible for any of us today to define ( or defend for the cheerleaders) Oceania. The quality of food one may eat, the enforcement of dress codes, and the overall quality of service is now so variable between ships and crews no brand definition is currently possible. I no longer believe that many of the cruiser’s comments on these subjects are subjective views of the posters, but are the observations of scattershot performance of Oceania’s now inconsistent product.

 

Would you buy a bottle of expensive wine if you knew there would or could be such huge quality variations in each bottle?

[TrulyBlonde]

3 minutes ago, RJB said:

WE were on Riviera in Nov. and do not think things have changed much or at all in the last few years.  It was our 14th on O.  Just find the large ships have more to offer and that is what we want.  Have 2 more booked this year. 

You know I trust your opinion. Yes, the O ships are the ones we prefer, also. I hope the demographic has not changed so dramatically. It has on this board and worries me.

[Hawaiidan]

53 minutes ago, TrulyBlonde said:

You know I trust your opinion. Yes, the O ships are the ones we prefer, also. I hope the demographic has not changed so dramatically. It has on this board and worries me.

 

 I too, only take cruises for the ship experience having been to 99% of places I wanted to go. 

 

 If your troubled by the lack if manners, decorum  that folks have written about on Oceania , please understand  that it is an industry wide problem. (I blame much of it on the addiction of many to their electronic gizmos which promote isolating a person from social interaction  They are oblivious to the world around them..)....

Just think of this  no matter how bad it gets  and offensive, that the mass market guys  HAL, NCL, Princess, Celeb etc are experiencing way  worse..... 

 I has a recent experience on a mass market because of a special set of ports....How bad  can it be, I said..   It was bad enough that I avoided all the eating options.....  I had no idea how crude and rude people could get

 

.. At least Oceania higher fares are acting to filter out many of the really offensive. jerks.

[dog]

1 hour ago, TrulyBlonde said:

I have not cruised with O for a couple of years. I do not like what I am reading either. From now on, I believe I am  not qualified to comment anymore. My past cruises were wonderful, not sure I would enjoy the new demographic or the new "O". How sad. 

I am looking forward to my first Oceania cruise this year. I agree with you. I do not like what I am reading either. Seems like we will be judged by what we are wearing. We abide by the dress code, and it is up to the ship’s crew to enforce it, not fellow passengers. 

[TrulyBlonde]

12 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

 

 I too, only take cruises for the ship experience having been to 99% of places I wanted to go. 

 

 If your troubled by the lack if manners, decorum  that folks have written about on Oceania , please understand  that it is an industry wide problem. (I blame much of it on the addiction of many to their electronic gizmos which promote isolating a person from social interaction  They are oblivious to the world around them..)....

Just think of this  no matter how bad it gets  and offensive, that the mass market guys  HAL, NCL, Princess, Celeb etc are experiencing way  worse..... 

 I has a recent experience on a mass market because of a special set of ports....How bad  can it be, I said..   It was bad enough that I avoided all the eating options.....  I had no idea how crude and rude people could get

 

.. At least Oceania higher fares are acting to filter out many of the really offensive. jerks.

Also, timing and itinerary apply. About 4 years ago, Celebrity had a great B2B starting in Sydney for Fiji Islands and next was New Zealand. The Fiji cruise was Aussie Spring break (I love my Aussie friends) however, this was like Caribbean spring break. Green hair, piercings, tattoos and nothing like I had imagined. The New Zealand segment passenger mix were very similar to the O we were used to. That was a well learned lesson on timing of a cruise. 

[TrulyBlonde]

2 minutes ago, dog said:

I am looking forward to my first Oceania cruise this year. I agree with you. I do not like what I am reading either. Seems like we will be judged by what we are wearing. We abide by the dress code, and it is up to the ship’s crew to enforce it, not fellow passengers. 

It sounds like you will fit in nicely with the O I am used to. Happy you abide by the rules. Wishing you a most enjoyable time at sea.

[dog]

2 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

 

 I too, only take cruises for the ship experience having been to 99% of places I wanted to go. 

 

 If your troubled by the lack if manners, decorum  that folks have written about on Oceania , please understand  that it is an industry wide problem. (I blame much of it on the addiction of many to their electronic gizmos which promote isolating a person from social interaction  They are oblivious to the world around them..)....

Just think of this  no matter how bad it gets  and offensive, that the mass market guys  HAL, NCL, Princess, Celeb etc are experiencing way  worse..... 

 I has a recent experience on a mass market because of a special set of ports....How bad  can it be, I said..   It was bad enough that I avoided all the eating options.....  I had no idea how crude and rude people could get

 

.. At least Oceania higher fares are acting to filter out many of the really offensive. jerks.

I am so sorry for you having experiences such as this.

[GrammieK]

2 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

 

.. At least Oceania higher fares are acting to filter out many of the really offensive. jerks.

 

And I've seen plenty who pay higher fares acting like really offensive jerks. 

I don't think how much you pay determines your character!

[schmerl]

3 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

 

.. At least Oceania higher fares are acting to filter out many of the really offensive. jerks.

 

I'm not so sure. I know quite a few wealthy offensive jerks. 

[StanandJim]

36 minutes ago, schmerl said:

 

I'm not so sure. I know quite a few wealthy offensive jerks. 

There are levels of offensive-

My Sister in Law refuses to sail Holland America from her now "Home Port" of Tampa, Florida because on her last cruise from that port the Company literally could not stop several of the  "Party till we drop contingent" from urinating in the cabin hallways.

Measure that against some poor manners at the Buffet on Oceania...

 

[Hawaiidan]

2 hours ago, schmerl said:

 

I'm not so sure. I know quite a few wealthy offensive jerks. 

pure economics seems to impact the potential customer pool.....  Darwinism  in reverse

 

3 hours ago, dog said:

I am so sorry for you having experiences such as this.

 my own darn fault.... I made the decision to go... thought It would be better.

3 hours ago, GrammieK said:

 

And I've seen plenty who pay higher fares acting like really offensive jerks. 

I don't think how much you pay determines your character!

there are some real wealthy/entitled folks.But as we go down in fare it seems like the gross total of gross seems to rise exponential.   Its part economics and sociology.

[clo]

30 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

But as we go down in fare it seems like the gross total of gross seems to rise exponential. 

And it also is likely that if someone is going to 'party' vs. other reasons then they're apt to go for price.

[dog]

6 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

pure economics seems to impact the potential customer pool.....  Darwinism  in reverse

 

there are some real wealthy/entitled folks.But as we go down in fare it seems like the gross total of gross seems to rise exponential.   Its part economics and sociology.

Interesting---"as we go down in fare..."  Take a look at the fares for my upcoming Oceania cruise on the Sirena Oct 4-14, 2020, category concierge A3. I would not expect this to be considered a low fare, or party cruise.

Where are these low fare Oceania cruises?  I might be interested in booking one.

[BenMurphy]

59 minutes ago, dog said:

Interesting---"as we go down in fare..."  Take a look at the fares for my upcoming Oceania cruise on the Sirena Oct 4-14, 2020, category concierge A3. I would not expect this to be considered a low fare, or party cruise.

Where are these low fare Oceania cruises?  I might be interested in booking one.

Me too!!!!

 

[RJB]

9 hours ago, clo said:

And it also is likely that if someone is going to 'party' vs. other reasons then they're apt to go for price.

 

3 hours ago, dog said:

Interesting---"as we go down in fare..."  Take a look at the fares for my upcoming Oceania cruise on the Sirena Oct 4-14, 2020, category concierge A3. I would not expect this to be considered a low fare, or party cruise.

Where are these low fare Oceania cruises?  I might be interested in booking one.

If it's only to party than they should be sailing on the new Virgin Voyages who tells you that's what they do.  And just about all they do. 

[alfagee]

15 hours ago, TrulyBlonde said:

. Green hair, piercings, tattoos and nothing like I had imagined. 

 

My hair is pink, I have piercings and tattoos, and I'll be celebrating my 60th birthday in the Spring on Marina.

 

I'm starting to feel like I may not be welcome. 

[TrulyBlonde]

19 minutes ago, alfagee said:

 

My hair is pink, I have piercings and tattoos, and I'll be celebrating my 60th birthday in the Spring on Marina.

 

I'm starting to feel like I may not be welcome. 

Enjoy your birthday cruise. O accepts everyone. I forget to mention that on that previous cruise they were also loud, obnoxious, and heavy drinkers. We all looked forward to Spring Break a long time ago. Not now.

[alfagee]

7 minutes ago, TrulyBlonde said:

Enjoy your birthday cruise. O accepts everyone. 

 

That's not the vibe I'm getting reading through this thread. At all. 

 

I'm traveling with my two favorite people in the world, and we have a great time wherever we go, so I know I'll enjoy my birthday celebration. I suspect I'm not the type of person the rest of this board really wants to see on Oceania. Oh well. Too bad for them.