Dress code

[Denarius]

1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

Personally I'd put , intineraries,  service, food quality and variety, wine, excursions, entertainment well ahead of polo shirts or not in choosing a cruise line

I agree. Although I admit that it did at one stage make me less likely to book a Saga cruise than I might otherwise have been, not because of my desire to wear a polo shirt at dinner but because I feared it might indicate an over prescriptive attitude which might spill over into other areas and spoil my enjoyment of the cruise. I am glad to say that this was not the case.

[Truro001]

It would seem that no matter the dress code there will always be those who want to change it such that it is in more in line with their own personal preferences. To date we have been on over 50 cruises with various companies and it has been our experience that the standards we experienced since we started cruising 25 years ago have steadily declined.  Sadly these falling standards include not only the quality of service, the quality of food but also what we would consider to be a fall in standards as regard to dress. The days of “Casual”, “Informal” and “Formal” dress codes are long gone and many cruise companies no longer have “ Formal” nights. In some cases the Formal nights have morphed into “Chic” nights which in our experience is rather a misnomer and some companies have no dress code whatsoever. As customers we obviously have choices - stay with a company and accept the lower standards or move on to another company which we feel “ticks” as many of our cruise requirements as possible. That is how we finally ended up sailing with Saga and we are currently more than happy with the standard of service offered. We like formal nights and dressing up smartly for dinner every evening  so feel the current Saga dress code is spot on. The dress code is most certainly not “Draconian” as claimed by others. Of course we all have our own personal opinions as to what might be considered smart casual wear.  My own personal opinion is that the wearing of polo shirts during dinner in the  MDR does not comply with my interpretation of “ Smart Casual”. The suggestion that wearing a sweater to cover a polo shirt is also, in my opinion, not acceptable. I would say again that we are all entitled to our own personal opinions but if one doesn’t approve of elements of a cruise line’s  policies, or don’t wish to adhere to the cruise company dress code, then they should do what we did - move to a company that offers destinations, ships, food and a dress code that suited our own personal preferences.

 

[Kohima]

So maybe sweaters should be banned too??
How is wearing a crew necked sweater concealing any type of shirt underneath a problem to any reasonable person?

[JoJo1947]

21 hours ago, Kohima said:

Perhaps if the rules have been the same for more than 10 years they could do with a refresh! Times change, clothing styles change. The fact remains that women have it easier than men as no one is going to scrutinise their black or white trousers to see if they are made from denim (many are). No one is going to inspect the neckline of their top to check whether it has 3 buttons and a collar. Are skirts measured to check they are longer than shorts?

In reality the dress code is pretty flexible with the vast majority of passengers and crew more focused on things other than what anyone else is wearing.

They have changed over my 10 years. When we started there were 3 dress codes. It makes me annoyed when people try a new cruise line or think they have the right to change things. It's traditional cruising. Plenty of other brands available

[JoJo1947]

20 hours ago, Tubesten said:

Hi widsurboy again your comments are welcome and now i will comply with this draconian and out dated rule i object very strongly with the removal of my freedom of choice to wear (within the bounds of decency)  what for me is comfortable 

 

perhaps saga would not in be such financial difficulty if the where more reasonable in regards to dress code

once we have completed this cruise we will think twice before booking saga again and will return to Viking/ celebrity again thank you for your comments  

 

Tubesten

 

Bye bye 😆

[Medeba]

18 hours ago, Denarius said:

As regards formal nights, if men are required to wear dinner suits or lounge suits then women should be required to wear the female equivalents - evening gowns or coctail dresses. And don't say that they probably don't own any and would need to buy them specially for the cruise and may never wear them again - the same is true for many men as regards dinner or lounge suits. And if women are not required to wear specific garments, neither should men.

As a woman, I always find it difficult to decide what to wear on formal nights.  What is an 'evening gown' and 'cocktail dress'?  Is it something sparkly or just something you wouldn't normally wear during the day?  I like to wear 'evening' trousers with a nice blouse (sometimes sparkly sometines not) which is obviously neither a gown or dress.  Whether it's true or not, women have the added pressure of having to wear a different outfit on each formal night whereas a man can wear the same dinner suit/lounge suit.  So the cost for a woman is, I believe, much greater and I also feel the need to have something new to wear is an added pressure (but perhaps that's just me!). 

[Kohima]

As someone who has cruised for many years with Saga, starting with the original Spirit of Adventure, I would like to reassure anyone new to Saga and reading this thread that, in reality, as long as passengers are clean, tidy and smart there is plenty of flexibility in the suggested dress codes. Don’t be put off Saga by being told to go elsewhere as you will be missing a treat. Try Saga and make compromises with the dress code. Focus on the excellent food rather than what other people are wearing. Everyone has their own version of ‘smart’ casual.
On a recent cruise we frequently shared a table in the Grill with a lively 80year old guy in a smart polo shirt and an equally sprightly 90 year old in stiff collar, tie and formal jacket. The conversation was great and we really enjoyed our evenings with them. Dress was not an issue.

[Canal archive]

Many years ago friends introduced me to a village in Somerset which specialised in very, very nice shops for supposedly cruise wear. Not that I then cruised but needed to dress up for DHs business dinners etc. It’s where I learnt the difference - smart casual - business casual - evening relaxed - evening dressed you name it there was a type of dress for it. Luckily we have left behind the La Boutons those heels ruined more ladies feet, so now we actually have smart trainers, I don’t mean trendy. Trousers go anywhere and always have even Ascot  now. One piece that could be essential for any lady is an elegant scarf/shawl/wrap they cover a multitude of sins and aid against that sometimes over the top air con. Gentlemen a smart pair of trousers even new black jeans a crisp shirt worn with panache gets you everywhere go for it. Please leave your active wear in your cabin at meal times as I have on river cruises seen some strange outfits in the restaurant.

[Truro001]

What is the problem with complying with Saga’s published dress code? It seems so simple and straightforward to me. It could be argued that encouraging others to disregard the published dress code is rather irresponsible and could be interpreted as being disrespectful to other passengers and particularly to the crew. It should not be left to dining room staff to determine whether one’s  interpretation of smart casual wear is in violation of the dress code. That puts the staff in a very difficult and unenviable position. The dining room staff do not like to turn people away for not following the dress code so to avoid any unpleasantness they might well look “the other way”. However, one should not interpret the crew’s wish to avoid embarrassment and possible upset as approval. The dress code is there for very sound reasons. Is it really so difficult to comply?

 

[Truro001]

Completely agree.

[Windsurfboy]

I can't see why a polo shirt is more comfortable than a short sleeved shirt.

 

If the freedom to wear what you like is mist important choose cruise line accordingly. 

 

My criteria have many other things well above that. 

 

Intineraries of course comes first, visiting ports bigger ship can't. 

Then Food and Sevice

Then Ambience and space.

Then entertainment 

But they are all close.

 

Ships with fewer dress requirements are generally bigger  andnot our cup of tea. 

 

We will be trying  smaller ships, some of which have more relaxed dress code and no formal nights, some are very similar to Saga. We just go by whatever they say.

 

 

 

[Tubesten]

Hi to everyone who has responded to my post judging by the number of replies this is obviously a very emotive subject i am glad that i have highlighted this and thank everyone for their input 

thanks tubesten 

[nosapphire]

4 minutes ago, Tubesten said:

Hi to everyone who has responded to my post judging by the number of replies this is obviously a very emotive subject i am glad that i have highlighted this and thank everyone for their input 

thanks tubesten 

It is indeed emotive.. have you seen some of the threads on the P&O board???

Most of us manage to cope with the dress code on whichever line we choose to cruise with, albeit with a few grumbles.

My personal preference would be no formal nights, smart-casual every night. And polo-shirts (without logos/symbols/stripes) on casual nights.

But I see no reason why my preference should be more important than the preference of those who prefer to get dressed up, especially for formal - so I may mutter a bit while doing up those fiddly fastenings -  but I'll comply and then enjoy the company of my fellow guests - whatever they may be wearing.

[Denarius]

43 minutes ago, nosapphire said:

It is indeed emotive.. have you seen some of the threads on the P&O board???

Most of us manage to cope with the dress code on whichever line we choose to cruise with, albeit with a few grumbles.

My personal preference would be no formal nights, smart-casual every night. And polo-shirts (without logos/symbols/stripes) on casual nights.

But I see no reason why my preference should be more important than the preference of those who prefer to get dressed up, especially for formal - so I may mutter a bit while doing up those fiddly fastenings -  but I'll comply and then enjoy the company of my fellow guests - whatever they may be wearing.

My personal preferences mirror yours. But like you I will always comply with a dress code out of respect for my fellow passengers even if I personally would prefer it to be different. Dress code is only one factor to be taken into account when booking a cruise and imo is a relatively minor one. It does however stir up strong emotions amongst some passengers, particularly those intent on maintaining the status quo and who feel their personal standards to be under threat. And particularly, as you say, on the P&O board!

[Denarius]

1 hour ago, Tubesten said:

Hi to everyone who has responded to my post judging by the number of replies this is obviously a very emotive subject i am glad that i have highlighted this and thank everyone for their input 

thanks tubesten 

It is indeed an emotive subject, mainly because on this issue Saga is at odds with most of the industry as this recent article demonstrates

https://www.travelmarketreport.com/articles/ /Cruises/articles/here-are-the-suggested-dress-codes-for-each-major-cruise-line

As you will read, many of the lines featured positively recommend polo shirts as appropriate evening wear. None ban them.

This is in fact (at least) the third thread on the topic on the Saga board!

Edited September 14 by Denarius
Layout

[Kohima]

Nothing seems to cause more angst in the dress codes than the polo shirt. It is, after all, just a collared shirt with 3 buttons which can comes in a variety of styles and fabrics depending on its purpose. It is not a threat to civilised society as we know it!
While few would wish to present themselves at evening restaurants in shorts, baggy T-shirt and baseball cap, other outlawed garments could be (and are) open to interpretation. For instance, many ladies wear smart T-shirts and look lovely, similarly smart black or white denim trousers/jeans. So it seems that blue denim the only unacceptable denim fabric.
Surely the important message of the dress code is that Saga would like passengers to wear clothing which is casual but smart. Wearing a cashmere sweater occasionally over a polo shirt is a good compromise for us. Those who find a polo shirt offensive won’t be able to see it!

My earlier comments, rather than encouraging a mass rebellion against smart appearance, were intended to reassure those new to Saga that apparent rigidity in the dress code wording is, in practice, more relaxed. Use of common sense, tolerance and compromise are possible to sort out this very minor issue.

[cowandbucket]

If you don’t like the rules find another game.

[Tubesten]

Hi cowandbucket it’s not that I don’t like the rules it’s not being given the choice in this country of ours our freedom of speech and choice is already controlled 

tubesten

[Tothesunset]

25 minutes ago, Tubesten said:

Hi cowandbucket it’s not that I don’t like the rules it’s not being given the choice in this country of ours our freedom of speech and choice is already controlled 

tubesten

I agree. As naturists we find the dress codes restricting and unnecessary. I'm sure you would agree that our freedom of choice should apply when cruising. 

[Kohima]

🤩🤩🤩🤩

[JoJo1947]

20 hours ago, Canal archive said:

Many years ago friends introduced me to a village in Somerset which specialised in very, very nice shops for supposedly cruise wear. Not that I then cruised but needed to dress up for DHs business dinners etc. It’s where I learnt the difference - smart casual - business casual - evening relaxed - evening dressed you name it there was a type of dress for it. Luckily we have left behind the La Boutons those heels ruined more ladies feet, so now we actually have smart trainers, I don’t mean trendy. Trousers go anywhere and always have even Ascot  now. One piece that could be essential for any lady is an elegant scarf/shawl/wrap they cover a multitude of sins and aid against that sometimes over the top air con. Gentlemen a smart pair of trousers even new black jeans a crisp shirt worn with panache gets you everywhere go for it. Please leave your active wear in your cabin at meal times as I have on river cruises seen some strange outfits in the restaurant.

Jeans of any style and colour not after 6pm

[Canal archive]

Happily the word Jeans covers a multitude of sins, I’m not referring to the blue, riveted denim of Levi Strauss but the many versions produced by some of our world’s most revered fashion houses. Well cut and most of all well worn will beat a pair of off the rail gents slacks into a cocked hat.

[Kohima]

1 hour ago, JoJo1947 said:

Jeans of any style and colour not after 6pm

Why?

[lincslady]

'Jeans' to most people means blue denim.  And are for casual wear.  IMO, black, white or other colours in jeans type fabric are acceptable for casual and informal wear in the evening but preferably with belts and any rivets etc. covered by a top worn untucked. I have worn this sort of outfit often and never been frowned on.   Polo shirts for men are more comfortable, as they stretch, and again IMO are acceptable for casual and informal wear but the problem is they look awful with noticeable logos or stripes, and only really acceptable in a plain not too bright colour.  Purely a personal opinion of course, but I am sorry they are no longer allowed after 6 p.m. for men, and almost impossible to legislate for them being unobtrusive!

[Cruise-Cat]

17 hours ago, Tubesten said:

Hi cowandbucket it’s not that I don’t like the rules it’s not being given the choice in this country of ours our freedom of speech and choice is already controlled 

tubesten

But isn’t that the point of “Rules” - to restrict choice?

Saga make their policies/rules clear - your choice is to book and accept them or not to book. Simples!