How strict is the dress code onboard?

[tinaincc]

3 minutes ago, Dolcevita Diva said:

You are absolutely right that there is a wide difference between a slob and resort/business casual (or country club casual).   As @bitob noted above, a number of people on the Silversea voyage he is on now are dressing like slobs...

I’m sure the trip will be enjoyed just the same.

[canderson]

22 minutes ago, Dolcevita Diva said:

... But ambiance and environment are important facets of an evening dining occasion in an upscale environment ...

Some don't seem to think attire is part of the "ambiance", it would seem.  If La Dame followed the interior design of a McDonalds, I'm sure that the visuals would finally start getting the attention of those same people.  The difference is in the level of awareness (and appreciation for) the area outside of a personal 'bubble'.  It varies...

[bitob]

I really don’t care what others wear. But I was asked to comment on whether the dress code was enforced. The answer is no. 
 

are most people compliant?  Yes

 

 

Are most guests dressed in formal attire?  Tuxes and gowns?  No. 
 

[tinaincc]

1 minute ago, bitob said:

I really don’t care what others wear. But I was asked to comment on whether the dress code was enforced. The answer is no. 
 

are most people compliant?  Yes

 

 

Are most guests dressed in formal attire?  Tuxes and gowns?  No. 
 

Thanks for the information, helps in knowing what to expect. 

[drkitkat123]

55 minutes ago, erikzen said:

I'm on the Silver Moon right now and just finished dinner on the second formal night. For both nights the vast majority of men wore dark sports coats or blazers with a tie. There were a few suits and a couple of tuxedos. The worst dressed person I saw in the dining room had casual slacks and shoes, a sweater with a tie and a jacket hanging off the chair. On informal nights about half the men wore dress shirts and dress pants with no jacket. Nobody I saw was turned away for not having a jacket. However I did see that the tie was in enforced in SALT tonight. Overall, I'd say that most people follow the spirit of the dress code rather than the letter and make an effort to elevate their dress on formal night, even if they aren't wearing tuxes. 

Are you and Bitbob on the same cruise? If so, it's amazing how your impressions about the dress  "code" and its enforcement (only by my interpretation of the words and sentiment you have both used) seem to be different.

[tinaincc]

3 minutes ago, canderson said:

Some don't seem to think attire is part of the "ambiance", it would seem.  If La Dame followed the interior design of a McDonalds, I'm sure that the visuals would finally start getting the attention of those same people.  The difference is in the level of awareness (and appreciation for) the area outside of a personal 'bubble'.  It varies...

Level of awareness and level of impact are two different things. In my bubble I dress more than appropriately for a given situation and have no regard for others appearance, it has no impact on me whatsoever. 

[bitob]

Remember this is one cruise. And it’s a cold weather cruise in Iceland. People are wearing parkas and wool hats. 
 

it might be different on a transatlantic, Mediterranean or Caribbean cruise 

 

this cruise is very different from my 2 prior cruises on the Moon in many ways

[Gourmet Gal]

59 minutes ago, Rothko1 said:

 

Which goes to show you that money doesn't always equal class.

So true.

[canderson]

38 minutes ago, tinaincc said:

Level of awareness and level of impact are two different things. In my bubble I dress more than appropriately for a given situation and have no regard for others appearance, it has no impact on me whatsoever. 

Would be an interesting, if separate, conversation:  In a restaurant setting such as [fill in your favorite 'fine dining cruise ship venue], what part of the visual and auditory ambience matters to you?  Am talking to the level of cloth vs. paper napkins, music, TV or not TV (NFL or ??!!) etc.

[tinaincc]

9 minutes ago, canderson said:

Would be an interesting, if separate, conversation:  In a restaurant setting such as [fill in your favorite 'fine dining cruise ship venue], what part of the visual and auditory ambience matters to you?  Am talking to the level of cloth vs. paper napkins, music, TV or not TV (NFL or ??!!) etc.

Would be a fun conversation for sure. Personally , I prefer a more elevated ambiance when it comes to visual aspects. Noise (background and otherwise) is a big peeve of mine but that is my problem and I get over it typically. I will say that a nice sports bar is always fun too, just not necessary on a cruise for me.

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, Dolcevita Diva said:

Has nothing to do with being the dress code police or evaluating compliance (and in any case, that's the Maitre' D's purview).  But ambiance and environment are important facets of an evening dining occasion in an upscale environment - and the overall ambiance is impacted if others in the more upscale restaurants are dressed like slobs. 

Why doesn't casual dress impact the dining experience in land restaurants in many parts of the world?  Why should you expect formal dress on a ship, when you never see it on land?

 

1 hour ago, Dolcevita Diva said:

Fortunately, Silversea has several options for those who just want to dine in their very casual attire. Not sure why that seems to be so hard for some people to understand. 

Not sure why it seems so hard to understand the dislike of a class system.  Wear a suit and you can dine anywhere anytime; wear a sport coat on formal night and [according to the rules] you can only dine at the kids' table.  You don't see why that gets me steamed?

[Stumblefoot]

11 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Why should you expect formal dress on a ship, when you never see it on land?

Okay, I'll bite.  Why should you expect to potentially see formal dress on a ship?  Probably because the cruise line has made it very clear there will be at least one formal night on their Classic ships and it is expected guests will abide the dress code requests in a couple of venues that evening.

 

15 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

You don't see why that gets me steamed?

Nope, not at all.  Never understood why you get so upset.  Especially when you are given so many choices to choose from on any given formal night and then when you choose your own path you think the one who provided the various choices should bend to your choice regardless.  Makes no sense to me, but that's just me.

[RonWL]

41 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

Probably because the cruise line has made it very clear

This thread isn't as long as it is because the cruise line has made it very clear....  Yes, I did find the suggested attire with a little research, but this thread has been most educational.  Some have been cruising with Silversea for a long time and they expect and look forward to these formal nights.  It is one of the reasons they continue to cruise with Silversea.  I am a first timer, and I stumbled into this question.  Yes, the culture has turned away from such formal events, but there are still some who really love them.  They feel that Silversea is meant for them, perhaps in part because of these formal nights.  They don't want Silversea to change with the times, and they point you to other luxury lines if you prefer not to "dress up."  So there you have it.  There are ways to sail with Silversea and not participate in the formality, so you just need to adjust yourself to the alternatives.

[tinaincc]

1 hour ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Why doesn't casual dress impact the dining experience in land restaurants in many parts of the world?  Why should you expect formal dress on a ship, when you never see it on land?

 

Not sure why it seems so hard to understand the dislike of a class system.  Wear a suit and you can dine anywhere anytime; wear a sport coat on formal night and [according to the rules] you can only dine at the kids' table.  You don't see why that gets me steamed?

Well said. The thing that gets me steamed is that  we can’t have a situation where everyone does their OWN thing. In this case it seems that those who love formal wear in this context won’t be happy unless everyone is forced to do the same or eat in their room. 

[Stumblefoot]

31 minutes ago, RonWL said:

There are ways to sail with Silversea and not participate in the formality, so you just need to adjust yourself to the alternatives.

Exactly.  Quite simple, really.

[Stumblefoot]

26 minutes ago, tinaincc said:

…it seems that those who love formal wear in this context won’t be happy unless everyone is forced to do the same or eat in their room. 

I’ve never personally met, or read anywhere in this forum, from these people who you claim want to force formality in every dining venue, or public space on SS’s Classic fleet,  Who are they?

[canderson]

2 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Why doesn't casual dress impact the dining experience in land restaurants in many parts of the world?  Why should you expect formal dress on a ship, when you never see it on land?

 

Not sure why it seems so hard to understand the dislike of a class system.

First, there are events where some people DO see formal dress on land, and still a few restaurants where a jacket and tie (minimum) are still the norm. 

 

Second, try NOT to think of a formal night venue limitation as a class system, but instead as an invitation to a  special event to be held in a particular set of venues -- since that is really what this is. 

 

It would be equally peculiar were you to show up in JUST your everyday best if invited to a good old fashioned 'fancy dress' party (British version).  By accepting the invitation, it's assumed you'll dress accordingly, else it rather misses the point of the event as planned by the host.  Elvis impersonators welcome.  Savile Row, not so much.

[tinaincc]

1 hour ago, Stumblefoot said:

I’ve never personally met, or read anywhere in this forum, from these people who you claim want to force formality in every dining venue, or public space on SS’s Classic fleet,  Who are they?

I didn’t say every venue didn’t say public spaces.  There are one or two formal nights where there are at least a few restaurants where not everyone is welcome solely based on what they are wearing which is old fashioned and ridiculous in my opinion. 

[canderson]

51 minutes ago, tinaincc said:

I didn’t say every venue didn’t say public spaces.  There are one or two formal nights where there are at least a few restaurants where not everyone is welcome solely based on what they are wearing which is old fashioned and ridiculous in my opinion. 

See post just above yours.

[Stumblefoot]

1 hour ago, tinaincc said:

…which is old fashioned and ridiculous in my opinion. 

Then don’t sail SS. Pretty easy to take your dollars elsewhere these days if you don’t like what is on offer by any cruise line.  Just my opinion, of course.

[drron29]

3 hours ago, tinaincc said:

I didn’t say every venue didn’t say public spaces.  There are one or two formal nights where there are at least a few restaurants where not everyone is welcome solely based on what they are wearing which is old fashioned and ridiculous in my opinion. 

Though there are more restaurants on a Silversea ship that don't require formal wear on formal nights. Only 3 that you should wear formal wear on formal nights but hardly ever strictly enforced.

And those restaurants are only requiring / suggesting formal wear for 2 nights on a 14 day cruise. So people who dislike formal wear can have their choice of not having formal wear at all restaurants for 12 of the 14 nights and at the majority of restaurants on the ship on the other 2 nights.

But you want to deny people who appreciate and still enjoy dressing up their 2 nights to do so.

 

And even if you want to have the menu from Atlantide or SALT on formal nights you don't have to stay in your room to do so. You can order it from the Arts cafe and bars. And much easier to have your friends with you in those locations.

 

Now there are 8 Silversea ships in the classic fleet. There are 4 Cunard ships. Basically these are the only lines that have any semblance of an enforced dress code. So those who don't like formal nights have plenty of other choices. Though i do giggle when people say so and so line has no dress code. Here is what I found for the beloved Crystal.

 

Crystal Cruises

The Code: Crystal has formal, informal and casual dress codes. After 6 p.m., casual daytime attire is not appropriate. Shorts and baseball caps are not permitted for men or women. Black Tie Optional evenings offer passengers the opportunity to dress formally: jackets are required for men (dark suits with ties or tuxedos are recommended), and formal cocktail dresses, evening gowns or dressy evening separates are recommended for women.

 

Even RCL,MSC and Princess have more formal nights when a jacket is required, sometimes with a tie and always a collared shirt. So it's nothing to do with class wars.

OK line up and flame away. I have donned my asbestos suit.

Edited July 21, 2023 by drron29

[Aussieflyer]

Depending on the temperature, a jacket may be too hot to keep on so IMO it makes sense to hang it over the back of a chair. I remember at weddings in the past, the MC would announce that men could remove their jackets.

Edited July 21, 2023 by Aussieflyer

[erikzen]

On 7/19/2023 at 9:11 PM, Mr Luxury said:

Exactly 

They want to maintain the customer base and not upset them.

There is fierce competition at the moment and not just on CC Boards.

The customer is always right, even when they're wrong.

[Rothko1]

12 hours ago, canderson said:

Some don't seem to think attire is part of the "ambiance", it would seem.  If La Dame followed the interior design of a McDonalds, I'm sure that the visuals would finally start getting the attention of those same people.  The difference is in the level of awareness (and appreciation for) the area outside of a personal 'bubble'.  It varies...

 

If Silversea is going to become a "no dress code" line, I don't see why they would want to invest additional dollars in the decor of their ships and restaurants onboard.  

[Rothko1]

11 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Why should you expect formal dress on a ship, when you never see it on land?

 

 

 

Answer: Because the ship designates certain nights as Formal nights.

 

If the ship didn't make that designation, then I would have no grounds to stand on.  There are other cruise lines that have done away with Formal nights; I could hardly complain if people show up to their Main Dining Rooms not in formalwear.

 

Think of it this way:  If a friend of yours was getting married, and you received the Invitation to the wedding and it said "Dress: Black Tie", would you show up in casual or informal clothes, or would you honor the desire of your friend to have a special Black Tie wedding and dress appropriately?  I fervently hope that you would do the latter.

 

So why, if the ship has designated an evening as Formal, would you deign to wear casual or informal clothes instead?  

 

Is the only difference the fact that in one case someone else is paying for the evening, but in the other case you are?  The "It's my money, no one can tell me how I dress and what I do" defense is very shallow, in my opinion.

 

The ship is trying to put on a special Formal night for all of their guests - some guests very much appreciate the effort that the ship and the respectful guests who actually take the effort to dress up make to create a very special and rare experience.