All your P&O dress code comments and queries.

[Snow Hill]

8 hours ago, Angel57 said:

I agree Harry. But, I think the danger is that by lowering the dress code, standards will slip even further and P&O then has to have the 🎾🎾 to turn those away wearing inappropriate clothing for dinner.

But - one persons idea of smart casual might be a onesie or pyjamas. Where do they draw the line. 
I honestly don’t know what the answer is.

As Tracksuits and the like are already ruled out of Smart/Evening Casual it is no more likely that it is now for people dress like that. 

[Grimsby Mariner]

I think it’s only a matter of time before P&O scrap formal nights. They have gone so down market in the type of cruiser they are now desperate to attract that those type of people can barely dress themselves, let alone wear anything remotely smart. Either the clientele are refurbished or P&O will be running nothing but glorified booze cruises on Iona and Arvia. At least until some kind of tragedy occurs.

[zap99]

6 minutes ago, Grimsby Mariner said:

I think it’s only a matter of time before P&O scrap formal nights. They have gone so down market in the type of cruiser they are now desperate to attract that those type of people can barely dress themselves, let alone wear anything remotely smart. Either the clientele are refurbished or P&O will be running nothing but glorified booze cruises on Iona and Arvia. At least until some kind of tragedy occurs.

I'm sure your kind opinion is noted.

[TigerB]

27 minutes ago, Grimsby Mariner said:

I think it’s only a matter of time before P&O scrap formal nights. They have gone so down market in the type of cruiser they are now desperate to attract that those type of people can barely dress themselves, let alone wear anything remotely smart. Either the clientele are refurbished or P&O will be running nothing but glorified booze cruises on Iona and Arvia. At least until some kind of tragedy occurs.

 

Please do tell, what 'type of people' are you referring to? 

 

Oh, and what is the 'tragedy' you apparently foresee?

[carlanthony24]

If you want to attend the MDR on a formal just wear a suit go back and change. I doubt P&O will change to be all casual.

[enjoysailing]

This comes up every few months. There are many cruise lines out there. Why not choose the one that suits you? Rather than travel on those that are not what you want and then suggest they should change to suit you!! It is lovely to have a cruise line that still offers formal nights, so hopefully P&O will retain them for those that enjoy them, and not be persuaded to reduce the standards. 

[AndyMichelle]

I love these threads... 😜

I really don't mind if formal nights are scrapped, I really don't mind if formal nights are kept because, you know what, I have choices. 

I can choose to book with other lines, I can choose to not partake if I don't fancy it. 

If I went to a nudist camp, can I choose to keep my socks on? 🤔 (Asking for a friend) 

Andy

 

[Harry Peterson]

12 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

I love these threads... 😜

I really don't mind if formal nights are scrapped, I really don't mind if formal nights are kept because, you know what, I have choices. 

I can choose to book with other lines, I can choose to not partake if I don't fancy it. 

If I went to a nudist camp, can I choose to keep my socks on? 🤔 (Asking for a friend) 

Andy

 

Always the voice of reason, Andy.  As for the socks,  what sort, what colour, and where? 

 

[zap99]

17 hours ago, Grimsby Mariner said:

I think it’s only a matter of time before P&O scrap formal nights. They have gone so down market in the type of cruiser they are now desperate to attract that those type of people can barely dress themselves, let alone wear anything remotely smart. Either the clientele are refurbished or P&O will be running nothing but glorified booze cruises on Iona and Arvia. At least until some kind of tragedy occurs.

Perhaps there should be a ban on charity shops selling formalware. Leave posh nights to the toffs.🤣

[Eddie99]

14 hours ago, Harry Peterson said:

Always the voice of reason, Andy.  As for the socks,  what sort, what colour, and where? 

 

Black with upside down pineapples, of course!

 

Celebration Night here tonight - it’ll be interesting to see.  
I’ll take my anti-outrage medication, so should be OK, whatever 🤣

 

[m011d402]

We are going on a New Year’s Eve cruise with p and o on Brittania. I was surprised to see YouTube videos of the deck party at midnite and people didn’t seem dressed up at all? I thought it would be tuxes etc 

[zap99]

On 1/14/2024 at 8:14 PM, AndyMichelle said:

I love these threads... 😜

I really don't mind if formal nights are scrapped, I really don't mind if formal nights are kept because, you know what, I have choices. 

I can choose to book with other lines, I can choose to not partake if I don't fancy it. 

If I went to a nudist camp, can I choose to keep my socks on? 🤔 (Asking for a friend) 

Andy

 

Socks optional unless formal night, or as we call it,  black socks night.🤣

[zap99]

11 hours ago, m011d402 said:

We are going on a New Year’s Eve cruise with p and o on Brittania. I was surprised to see YouTube videos of the deck party at midnite and people didn’t seem dressed up at all? I thought it would be tuxes etc 

After midnight, it's new years day.

[Tancred]

Rather tired of hearing people arrogantly telling others off for not going to formal nights.  Cruising should be relaxed, not an event for people to show off.

[terrierjohn]

28 minutes ago, Tancred said:

Rather tired of hearing people arrogantly telling others off for not going to formal nights.  Cruising should be relaxed, not an event for people to show off.

 Don't think I have seen many posts "arrogantly" telling people off for not attending the formal nights. Maybe the odd dispute about whether one of the MDRs should be available for those not wanting to dress up, which is likely to be the next possibility.

[zap99]

52 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

 Don't think I have seen many posts "arrogantly" telling people off for not attending the formal nights. Maybe the odd dispute about whether one of the MDRs should be available for those not wanting to dress up, which is likely to be the next possibility.

We have decided to, mainly skip formal nights. Plenty of other places to eat. If folk want to be part of formal night, best wishes to them and we hope they enjoy their evening.

[nellydean]

Could somebody please answer this question: We are doing a Caribbean fly cruise in March, with a 23lbs baggage flight limit so, if my husband decides not to take his suit (that he will only wear twice in a fortnight), what other smart clothes can he wear on formal night that will be deemed acceptable for the dining rooms - or, would he be expected to dine at a casual venue?

Thanks in advance.

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, nellydean said:

Could somebody please answer this question: We are doing a Caribbean fly cruise in March, with a 23lbs baggage flight limit so, if my husband decides not to take his suit (that he will only wear twice in a fortnight), what other smart clothes can he wear on formal night that will be deemed acceptable for the dining rooms - or, would he be expected to dine at a casual venue?

Thanks in advance.

A smart,  preferably dark coloured jacket should be ok, whether or not a tie need be worn is a matter of personal choice, but plenty of posters on here will disagree with me.

[Sausagedogs]

We just arrived back in U.K after 2 weeks on Arvia . Formal nights were a joke . we booked a table for four ( paid ) and told trousers and shirt is ok . I wore a tux friend wore said trousers and shirt and we got denied entry as friend had no jacket . we ended up in the buffet !! ( we did get a refund though ) .

 

Overhaul the cruise was ok P+O seems to of gone downhill since our last one 4 years ago on the AZURA . the food was average ( meaning we want hot food not luke warm at the booked restrauants ) and service ok we we're told the ship had 200 staff down . Thats not having a go at the ones that where there they worked extremley hard . 

 

Not sure if it was due to Aircon but alot of Pax got sick and ended up confined to cabin i myself ended up in bed for 3 days with fever and missed out on 2 paid trips ( 1 they said i couldn't get refund ) in St Kitts !! 

 

I'll think long and hard about booking the Caribbean for next year with P+O . 

 

Just a side note . Its the little things that matter . When disembarking / embarking onto a redhot quayside . Norweigen next door offered there passengers glass of cold water and face flannel  i'm sure P+O did that last time ? 

 

On departure day couldn't they offer free WIFI so passengers can organise any last minute departure changes .( the poor folks who flew with Maleth Aero had extremly long delays and one flight got cancelled !! ) 

[Megabear2]

8 hours ago, Sausagedogs said:

We just arrived back in U.K after 2 weeks on Arvia . Formal nights were a joke . we booked a table for four ( paid ) and told trousers and shirt is ok . I wore a tux friend wore said trousers and shirt and we got denied entry as friend had no jacket . we ended up in the buffet !! ( we did get a refund though ) .

 

Overhaul the cruise was ok P+O seems to of gone downhill since our last one 4 years ago on the AZURA . the food was average ( meaning we want hot food not luke warm at the booked restrauants ) and service ok we we're told the ship had 200 staff down . Thats not having a go at the ones that where there they worked extremley hard . 

 

Not sure if it was due to Aircon but alot of Pax got sick and ended up confined to cabin i myself ended up in bed for 3 days with fever and missed out on 2 paid trips ( 1 they said i couldn't get refund ) in St Kitts !! 

 

I'll think long and hard about booking the Caribbean for next year with P+O . 

 

Just a side note . Its the little things that matter . When disembarking / embarking onto a redhot quayside . Norweigen next door offered there passengers glass of cold water and face flannel  i'm sure P+O did that last time ? 

 

On departure day couldn't they offer free WIFI so passengers can organise any last minute departure changes .( the poor folks who flew with Maleth Aero had extremly long delays and one flight got cancelled !! ) 

I'm currently onboard Britannia and am also quite unwell - day 5 in my case.  Surprisingly as covid tests were negative I was not instructed to isolate so clearly different rules on different ships.  My trips were cancelled and fees waived but my speciality restaurants and Limelight Club reservations I have been fined for cancellation.  The prepaid costs are apparently being repaid to my card used to book before leaving the UK but each cancellation is being charged at £10pp to my onboard account.  I have not complained as the "fines" are coming off my OBC but it does seem rather odd, particularly as the Limelight Club reservations have been resold.

[Snow Hill]

7 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

I'm currently onboard Britannia and am also quite unwell - day 5 in my case.  Surprisingly as covid tests were negative I was not instructed to isolate so clearly different rules on different ships.  My trips were cancelled and fees waived but my speciality restaurants and Limelight Club reservations I have been fined for cancellation.  The prepaid costs are apparently being repaid to my card used to book before leaving the UK but each cancellation is being charged at £10pp to my onboard account.  I have not complained as the "fines" are coming off my OBC but it does seem rather odd, particularly as the Limelight Club reservations have been resold.

So you are ill and they “fine” you for not turning up and then resell you place, have P&O sunk that low in fining the sick, even if it is coming of OBC. 

 

[Megabear2]

2 hours ago, Snow Hill said:

So you are ill and they “fine” you for not turning up and then resell you place, have P&O sunk that low in fining the sick, even if it is coming of OBC. 

 

Apparently these are standard late cancellation fees.  I had the first two bookings on the day I fell ill and the following day, one Epicurean the other Limelight Club.  When my husband cancelled he was told we would be charged so £40 deducted from our account.  Rather stupidly I thought I'd be well before the next booking which was several days away (today).Unfortunately I'm still very rough so my OH cancelled yesterday evening but we are still in the late notice range so another £20 coming out.we know they took people of the wait list as the restaurant managers called to say thank you for advising in time someone else could go.

 

We have now made a block cancellation of our remaining reservations for the remainder of the cruise just in case.  My OH wanted to have an argument but I asked him to leave it as I'm so unwell I just want peace and quiet. I might query it when we get home but as this is our last P&O cruise currently booked I'm not sure what it would achieve.

Edited January 21 by Megabear2

[mahasamatman]

On 1/10/2024 at 5:59 AM, Eddie99 said:

No - this one

 

Yep, you found the right one! (Though I also have a full set of white tails, too.)

[Thedonkeycentrehalf]

On 1/19/2024 at 5:52 PM, nellydean said:

Could somebody please answer this question: We are doing a Caribbean fly cruise in March, with a 23lbs baggage flight limit so, if my husband decides not to take his suit (that he will only wear twice in a fortnight), what other smart clothes can he wear on formal night that will be deemed acceptable for the dining rooms - or, would he be expected to dine at a casual venue?

Thanks in advance.

 

In answer to your question, a nice smart lightweight jacket (Don Johnson Miami Vice style) and trousers should be fine.  I haven't seen ties being enforced myself in recent years.

 

As a fairly well built gentleman myself, having to take either a suit or jacket plus accessories is quite a chunk of my luggage allowance when it comes to a fly-cruise.  Going from Southampton it is never an issue as I just take a separate suit carrier.  My wife's nice dresses for a formal night take are much lighter and take up far less space. 

 

I'm off on Britannia in a few weeks but we have booked PE so have a few more KG to play with.  I'll also probably use my hand luggage allowance to supplement this so will take my monkey suit as all I need when flying is my MP3 player and some water.

 

However, while I get the arguments some have around "you know the rules", there should be some common sense around the practicalities for fly cruises and the locations these cruises go to.

[nellydean]

20 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Apparently these are standard late cancellation fees.  I had the first two bookings on the day I fell ill and the following day, one Epicurean the other Limelight Club.  When my husband cancelled he was told we would be charged so £40 deducted from our account.  Rather stupidly I thought I'd be well before the next booking which was several days away (today).Unfortunately I'm still very rough so my OH cancelled yesterday evening but we are still in the late notice range so another £20 coming out.we know they took people of the wait list as the restaurant managers called to say thank you for advising in time someone else could go.

 

We have now made a block cancellation of our remaining reservations for the remainder of the cruise just in case.  My OH wanted to have an argument but I asked him to leave it as I'm so unwell I just want peace and quiet. I might query it when we get home but as this is our last P&O cruise currently booked I'm not sure what it would achieve.

Hope you are feeling better soon, and can enjoy at least some of your cruise.