Evening Chic Nights.

[deliver42]

I've been on a lot of cruises, including on X and usually on a 7 night cruise Formal nights are 2 and 6, which are usually sea days. We are booked on the Beyond and 2 and 6 are port days. Does anyone know how Celebrity handles that?

[DaKahuna]

First and Last full sea night has been our experience, pre-COVID. 

 

[dkjretired]

41 minutes ago, deliver42 said:

I've been on a lot of cruises, including on X and usually on a 7 night cruise Formal nights are 2 and 6, which are usually sea days. We are booked on the Beyond and 2 and 6 are port days. Does anyone know how Celebrity handles that?

Celebrity very often holds Evening Chic nights on port days. Usually on 7 day it is as stated 2 and 6 but that may depend on hours.  Just an FYI, don’t know where you are eating but Evening Chic applies only to the MDR, not Luminae, Blu or the Specialties 

Edited October 10, 2021 by dkjretired

[deliver42]

Thank you. I'm thinking about the MDR's.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Just left Equinox 12 night. To my surprise, chic night was the third night and maybe the next to last night. I say "maybe" because very few dressed up that night. I had packed clothes for three chic nights on a twelve night cruise, but never saw any written announcement about chic night after the first one. I don't know if this represented a new policy or COVID policy or if each cruise director has the say over this on his or her particular ship. 

[davekathy]

34 minutes ago, Silvery Seas Cruiser said:

Just left Equinox 12 night. To my surprise, chic night was the third night and maybe the next to last night. I say "maybe" because very few dressed up that night. I had packed clothes for three chic nights on a twelve night cruise, but never saw any written announcement about chic night after the first one. I don't know if this represented a new policy or COVID policy or if each cruise director has the say over this on his or her particular ship. 

What do you mean by " very few dressed up that night."? The CD has nothing to do with the restaurant side of the business.  Unless you consider going to the MDR entertaining. 😉Not sure what the covid protocols would have to do with the evening suggested dress guidelines for the MDR.

Edited October 10, 2021 by davekathy

[canderson]

38 minutes ago, davekathy said:

What do you mean by " very few dressed up that night."? The CD has nothing to do with the restaurant side of the business.

No, but may ultimately be responsible for what goes into the daily rag (paper and digital), which is where everyone would obtain that information to make their attire decisions.

[the penguins]

54 minutes ago, Silvery Seas Cruiser said:

Just left Equinox 12 night. To my surprise, chic night was the third night and maybe the next to last night. I say "maybe" because very few dressed up that night. I had packed clothes for three chic nights on a twelve night cruise, but never saw any written announcement about chic night after the first one. I don't know if this represented a new policy or COVID policy or if each cruise director has the say over this on his or her particular ship. 

 

39 minutes ago, davekathy said:

What do you mean by " very few dressed up that night."? The CD has nothing to do with the restaurant side of the business.  Unless you consider going to the MDR entertaining. 😉Not sure what the covid protocols would have to do with the evening suggested dress guidelines for the MDR.

On the first day the planner has a list of all days, ports etc. The days in bold are the Chic days. On all our recent cruises very few people have dressed up. The MDR does nothing special, the tables aren't decorated,  there are no special menus and the staff don't change uniforms. 

[kwokpot]

24 minutes ago, the penguins said:

The days in bold are the Chic days. On all our recent cruises very few people have dressed up. The MDR does nothing special, the tables aren't decorated,  there are no special menus and the staff don't change uniforms. 

I made a similar statement on my recent Carnival Mardi Gras cruise. The whole concept of 'a dress nicer for dinner evening', as it is implemented currently on most mainstream cruiselines, makes absolutely no sense. Nothing is really different from the other night's dinner, other than the entrees supposedly being of higher quality. For the concept to make any sense dress up night should be abolished entirely in the main dining rooms and be implemented mandatory in the specialty restaurants. Isn't by definition, a Specialty Restaurant, deserving of a better dress? The way it's done now is arbitrary and nonsensical.  

Edited October 10, 2021 by kwokpot

[ECCruise]

40 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

 For the concept to make any sense dress up night should be abolished entirely in the main dining rooms and be implemented mandatory in the specialty restaurants. Isn't by definition, a Specialty Restaurant, deserving of a better dress? The way it's done now is arbitrary and nonsensical.  

The dress code re: "Chic" or "formal" nights have not been in force in the Specialties for many years. Any many of us prefer it that way.

[kwokpot]

52 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

The dress code re: "Chic" or "formal" nights have not been in force in the Specialties for many years. Any many of us prefer it that way.

My point is if you think about it logically it would make more sense to enforce it in a specialty restaurant vs the main dining rooms. By your logic it shouldn't be enforced in the main dining rooms either. 

[davekathy]

2 hours ago, the penguins said:

 

On the first day the planner has a list of all days, ports etc. The days in bold are the Chic days. On all our recent cruises very few people have dressed up. The MDR does nothing special, the tables aren't decorated,  there are no special menus and the staff don't change uniforms. 

I'm very well of all of that. Nothing new. I was questioning @Silvery Seas Cruiser comment, not asking a question. 

[canderson]

1 minute ago, kwokpot said:

My point is if you think about it logically it would make more sense to enforce it in a specialty restaurant vs the main dining rooms. By your logic it shouldn't be enforced in the main dining rooms either. 

Agreed.  Many would prefer that no venue be permitted to make such rules, the reason being that then their own preferences are honored everywhere.  It's a shame, really.  Space should be made available for both.  We live in a least common denominator society.

 

@ECCruise

I was disappointed when "The Dining Room" (it's an Asheville thing) went business casual.  

[davekathy]

2016 Celebrity came out with evening chic and the revised suggested dress guidelines for the MDR in the evening. Kudos to Celebrity. We like it and at times still go old school traditional. 

[dkjretired]

38 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

My point is if you think about it logically it would make more sense to enforce it in a specialty restaurant vs the main dining rooms. By your logic it shouldn't be enforced in the main dining rooms either. 

Problem is Celebrity wants seats filled in Specialty restaurants and making people dress up is not a good way to do that. I would certainly not bring dressier clothes just to eat in a specialty 

[davekathy]

2 hours ago, canderson said:

No, but may ultimately be responsible for what goes into the daily rag (paper and digital), which is where everyone would obtain that information to make their attire decisions.

That's a stretch. 😂 But I can't speak for anyone else.

[LGW59]

21 minutes ago, dkjretired said:

Problem is Celebrity wants seats filled in Specialty restaurants and making people dress up is not a good way to do that. I would certainly not bring dressier clothes just to eat in a specialty 

Seems to me that chic night is optional, like Dolly and Kenny, time to drop the mic.  Suit and tie, tux, sports coat, polo and khakis, sequins and silk, do as you are all comfortable.

[kwokpot]

30 minutes ago, dkjretired said:

Problem is Celebrity wants seats filled in Specialty restaurants and making people dress up is not a good way to do that. I would certainly not bring dressier clothes just to eat in a specialty 

I'm copying and pasting a comment I made about Elegant Nights on Carnival. In my opinion, it applies directly to Celebrity. I'm not telling people what or what not to wear, but the way it's being implemented now on all mainstream cruiselines there's no point on designating certain nights as dress up. Just dress up whenever you want to, or not. That's what's happening anyway.

 

My take on this is that since Carnival relaxed its' dress codes and also the main dining room table settings I don't see the purpose in dressing up in formal wear when honestly the dining experience is no different than the other nights when you can wear a t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops. The enjoyment of dressing up and enjoying a fine dining experience encompasses ALL ELEMENTS; Ambiance, decor, food quality, service.  Currently Elegant Night in the main dining rooms of a Carnival ship have NONE of the elements of a fine Dining Experience. A faux Silver Seashell on the table does not make a Formal dining experience special, nor does a waiter getting up on a sideboard and dancing to Ganggam Style. 

 

Having said that I would GLADLY wear a TUX to dine at Rudi's Seagrill ( On the Mardi Gras) again. Everything about my meal there spoke to a true fine dining experience.  Decor, Ambiance, table settings, service, food presentation and quality.  

Edited October 11, 2021 by kwokpot

[goofysmom99]

I just got off the Summit after 9 nights.  Theoretically there was a "chic" night on each leg of the B2B.  Granted there were less than 300 pax, but I saw only one gentleman in a sport coat anywhere.  Dress in Luminae was, um, Ultra casual.  Short shorts and rubber flip flops.  Oh, and lettered tees and a baseball cap.  All age groups, too (20s, 50s, and 70s).  I'm disappointed to see people just not care how they look, but that's the way it is.  The plus side is I no longer need nearly as much luggage as I used to. 😉

[the penguins]

5 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

I just got off the Summit after 9 nights.  Theoretically there was a "chic" night on each leg of the B2B.  Granted there were less than 300 pax, but I saw only one gentleman in a sport coat anywhere.  Dress in Luminae was, um, Ultra casual.  Short shorts and rubber flip flops.  Oh, and lettered tees and a baseball cap.  All age groups, too (20s, 50s, and 70s).  I'm disappointed to see people just not care how they look, but that's the way it is.  The plus side is I no longer need nearly as much luggage as I used to. 😉

Same on Silhouette - dress code not enforced anywhere. 

[chemmo]

1 hour ago, the penguins said:

Same on Silhouette - dress code not enforced anywhere. 

Recently off Silhouette and we thought most guests were nicely dressed in the evenings as we moved from bar to bar and generally keeping to the smart casual theme. On the chic nights perhaps the ladies were a bit more dressed and we saw some gents with jackets but no real difference to other nights. 
 

We used to enjoy dressing up once or twice per cruise but as we have got older not toting too much luggage and being comfortable have had higher priorities…

 

We were undecided when smart/casual was introduced if we would like it but we have found it does suit us well. Next cruise we have decided as a family group to be dressy the first chic night, it is nice to choose to do something rather than have to do something…
 

 

[kwokpot]

4 hours ago, chemmo said:

We were undecided when smart/casual was introduced if we would like it but we have found it does suit us well. Next cruise we have decided as a family group to be dressy the first chic night, it is nice to choose to do something rather than have to do something…

That's the point I was trying to make. On the one hand dress codes aren't being enforced, and on the other hand people who would like to dress up continue to say it doesn't matter what other people do, which really translates to not needing to designate particular evenings as dress up night. 

[canderson]

4 hours ago, chemmo said:

... it is nice to choose to do something rather than have to do something…

It would also be nice to be able to choose to have dinner in just one venue aboard ship where what was reported in post #19 isn't permitted!  I have confirmed with that poster that she was describing a dinner event.

[the penguins]

11 hours ago, chemmo said:

Recently off Silhouette and we thought most guests were nicely dressed in the evenings as we moved from bar to bar and generally keeping to the smart casual theme. On the chic nights perhaps the ladies were a bit more dressed and we saw some gents with jackets but no real difference to other nights. 
 

We used to enjoy dressing up once or twice per cruise but as we have got older not toting too much luggage and being comfortable have had higher priorities…

 

We were undecided when smart/casual was introduced if we would like it but we have found it does suit us well. Next cruise we have decided as a family group to be dressy the first chic night, it is nice to choose to do something rather than have to do something…
 

 

That's what I was agreeing with. Most smart casual. Chic not enforced. In MDR there were T shirts, torn jeans and even shorts.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

All told, I would have to say that the twelve-night cruise on Equinox I just sailed was the most casual I have ever sailed on any ship. Yes, there were passengers who dressed to the nines at night.  I don't know how passengers dressed in the main dining room. I don't eat in the main dining room any more having given that up several years ago. but I did notice that guests at the Martini Bar on Deck Four usually did seem to be quite well dressed. Not sure why that would be. 

We ate in Murano one evening and for lunch the one day it was offered. Most were well dressed at night, but some were casual. At lunch more were casual such as men wearing shorts. Some will believe that because it was lunch, such casual attire is totally acceptable and others will argue that it isn't a good choice in a fine dining restaurant. Regardless of what guests wore, the Murano staff appeared to be doing their best to provide a high standard of service.