Formal attire

[HomeLover]

Does anyone feel cheated that you book a 'luxury' cruise line like Regent, and find that there are no formal nights? I booked a Baltic cruise last June for this year, and was shocked to find that there are no formal nights anymore. Where is the luxury in a luxury cruise line? As an aside, when I was on the Voyager last Thanksgiving, I noticed only one cabin attendant per cabin and linen dollys always in the passageways. I have always booked Regent because I like to be pampered on a cruise and dress well for dinner. I realize that I can still dress as I please, but Regent is not supposed to be Carnival, or is it now?:mad:

[PaulaJK]

While I haven't sailed Carnival, my experiences on Regent

certainly lead me to feel that the latter is far above the

lower level mass market lines in every respect. I love the

cabins, the no-announcements, the no nickle-diming, the

attempt to please and the good service.

 

Like yourself, we enjoy some formal nights. Everyone seems

to perk up, put time into their appearance and get partyish too.

When we were on for the Baltic cruise, there were formal nights.

Perhaps someone else could elaborate on this if it has changed.

Are you in port every night perhaps?

 

Yes, there are solo room stewardesses. They seem to work very

hard and appear stretched thin when all of their cabins are occupied

[10 @ on a recent Voyager sailing]. We felt sorry for our stewardess.

She did an excellent job. And had a most pleasing manner. I do agree

that linen carts are left in the corridors, even during afternoon break

time and perhaps could be stashed.

[markRichmond]

I don't feel cheated at all. In fact, I hate formal nights on cruise ships and one of the many reasons we chose to cruise with Regent to Alaska this summer was because they didn't offer a formal night on the cruise.

[Leejnd4]

I'm sorry, but I don't get it. How does not having formal nights generate a comparison to Carnival? Those two cruise lines are at opposite ends of the cruise spectrum. I'm also curious why you would expect all "luxury" cruises to include formal nights. Many people who enjoy luxury cruising prefer not to deal with formal nights. In fact SeaDream, which by any measure is a luxury cruise line, doesn't even have formal nights. Nor does Oceania, which many consider luxury (although it's missing some of the criteria that most luxury lines have).

 

I knew that Regent didn't do formal nights on its Alaska intineraries, but I didn't realize that they now also don't do them in the Baltics. Perhaps their reasoning is that in the colder climates you have to bring so many more clothes with you already, and having to pack tuxes and gowns is just more than most of their passengers want to deal with.

 

I personally enjoy formal nights, but I don't consider them a necessity. Nor are they considered one of the criteria for a cruise line to be considered "luxury".

 

As for the room attendants, it has been noted in here that they seem to have dropped from two to one. We had only one on our Med cruise last year, but she did an outstanding job. I too saw the carts in the hallways, but then I've also seen them in the hallways in all of the top hotels that I've stayed in. I personally don't see the problem. I mean, where should they put them while they're cleaning? I can see why they wouldn't want them in the cabin, as they take up too much room and then they have to move them around to vacuum, etc. I just don't see the problem.

[dorie342]

Just think of all the extra room you will have in your suitcase without the formal gown, shoes etc. We were on the voyager this winter and found the the room attandent to be very efficent and quick. She had our refridg. fully stocked at all times, and there were very few times I noticed the linen carts in the hall and it was always in the morning when she was cleaning a suite. Regent remains a first class operation and can not be compaired to Carnival.

[jhp]

Homelover, I was surprised that Regent doesn't have formal nights on the 7 day Baltic cruises, but I would not feel cheated were I on one. I think this is probably in response to the fact that men simply balk (at least the ones I have heard from on this board), for the most part, at formal nights. As well, those cruises are extremely port intensive. I find that most women get rather "dressed" for informal nights, and most of the men have on coats and ties, even though ties aren't required.

 

As for the dollies in the hallways, I have not seen them except for the daytime cleaning hours, and the evening turndown hours. The Voyager has a center hall with rooms on each side, as I remember, whereas the Mariner is split, with service areas in between.

 

RSSC, except for a period of maybe 2 years, always has had a policy of one attendant per room. When there were two attendants, they had more rooms to service.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

We're doing a European itinerary in June, and we have formal nights on Voyager on the sea days. We had them on our cruise in the Panama Canal and we had informal nights on all the other cruises we've taken in Bermuda, Alaska, Canada except on the Paul Gauguin in Tahiti.

 

I felt that the informal nights were nearly as dressy as the formal nights. On the port intensive cruises, do you really want to give up time in port to get all dressed for formal night? Certainly, for ladies who want a hairstyling or extra time to get all "dolled" up, to miss part of the shore time to accomplish getting dressed for a formal night would seem to me to miss out on a major purpose of a cruise - to see the sights! For me, to give up the formal night for sightseeing is expected!

 

And my husband? He's happy just taking a sport coat and slacks after wearing suits and ties to work in for 30 years. With the luggage restrictions going to Europe, formal night creates an extra small suitcase for a 10 day cruise - so travel to travel light isn't a real option.

[PaulaJK]

I would expect to find laundry/suppy carts in the

passageways during on duty hours, whether ship or

hotel. I certainly wouldn't anticipate that anyone would

consider that they should be taken into the cabins....and

doubt that they would even fit.

 

Whether it might be neater & nicer to have these same

carts out of view AFTER use is the question. I don't know if

the carts would fit into the service area. I don't recall how

other ships manage this. However, I've stayed in a fair # of

fine hotels and don't recall service carts in hallways when

NOT in use;they seem to place them in closets designed for

housekeeping purposes.

[Dolebludger]

IMO, RSSC is merely responding to posts on boards like this, and comments on cruise comment cards, reflecting that many of its regulars do not like formal nights by offering some sailings without them, and some sailings with them. I suggest this is a fair solution, as it would be my guess that about half of the regulars would prefer no formal nights, and about half prefer them.

 

And I agree with the comment about formal nights = more luggage and more problems with airline restrictions and airports where porters are becoming scarce. Some of us "mature regulars" are having more trouble hauling around a bunch of luggage than we used to! And it is undisputable that more dress codes = more luggage.

 

And possibly, RSSC is also responding to the "deformalization of many parts of the US and the world. For example, in our area the Mercedes Benz club used to be suit-and-tie and cocktail dresses at most of its functions. Now, its jeans, polo shirts, and the like. And very few (if any) Mercedes owners cruise Carnival!

 

Thanks,

Richard

[Leonid]

"Mature Regulars" - love it!! Regarding carts in the passageways, We have always seen them on Seabourn, Crystal and Oceania, and they probably are there on SS as well...don't see how the stewardesses can do their work efficiently if they don't have their carts at hand. It's never been a problem for us.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Let me address the original poster. I do not equate luxury with tuxedos and formal dresses. Many people who can afford to cruise on Regent like to relax when they are on holiday, and are secure enough with their style that they do not have to impress the people around them with their clothing. Let alone demand that other people dress in a certain way.

 

I myself prefer a cruise with everything country club casual. I hope Regent moves more in that direction. And I hope there is another luxury line that can accommodate people who like formality.

 

I have never seen anyone on a Radisson cruise dressed inappropriately. And I have seen men wearing tuxedos quite comfortably who wish to do so, mingling when men in dark suits with no fights breaking out. And women dressed in sequined gowns mingling with those wearing a smart pant suit (that would be me.)

[Jim B]

Cheated because of no formal night?

Oh my. NO no no.

I feel cheated because they have formal nights.

Hate them. What of waste of valuble luggage space.

We almost alwasy travel with at least one other couple and

every time the discussion on formal nights and what to wear always

become the conversation and the ladies (and guys), get stressed out about it.

Cruising is suppose to be fun and relaxing. Not torture and stressful.

Think that is why some cruise lines have started going more and more non formal nights.

[AtA]

I personally like a formal nite or two. But that's because I get so few opportunities to get dressed up like that, so to me it's a treat.

 

I believe what Regent has done is anything 7 days or less is now without a formal night, and anything longer then 7 days has at least 1 formal night. To me that makes alot of sense.

[Dolebludger]

I think this thread brings up (once again but perhaps better than before) the divergence in preferences of RSSC cruisers as to formal nights. Of course, I fall into the category that doesn't care for them, but always comply when applicable, and respect the postion of other cruisers who like the traditional three dress codes, including formal.

 

I whish RSSC would do this: Designate about half of their cruises all CCC and the other half with the traditional three dress codes. They should attempt to offer as many itineraries as possible that are the same or similar with both CCC only and "three dress codes" to give everybody an equal chance for what they like. Of course, some itineraries don't lend themselves to formal (Polynesia, Alaska, etc.) and RSSC has already recognized this. RSSC should have a special "link" on their web site for looking up cruises by dress code, to help us all find what we want. So, as nearly as possible, RSSC would then be giving us all a choice between dress codes on same or similar cruises, regardless of length of cruise.

 

I like to see everybody happy!

 

Thanks,

Richard

[Leejnd4]

One thing I'm curious about -- why doesn't RSSC do formal in Alaska? Our second cruise was on Celebrity in Alaska, and there were two formal nights. I can understand the lack of formal in FP, but other cruise lines obviously do formal in Alaska. Any idea why RSSC doesn't?

 

I'm a fan of formal myself, as I don't find that many opportunties to dress to the nines in regular life. But I was just on a Windstar cruise in Costa Rica, which as entirely CCC, and I can't say I missed it.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

I can tell you when we were on the inaugural sailing in Alaska in June 2001, it was CCC - not even informal nights. We still "dressed" for dinner - sport coat and tie and nice dresses and pant suits. That first cruise was 10 days and the sun never went down before 10 PM. I don't recall any sea days (Kathy Z can correct me - I might be wrong).

 

Alaska is rugged - if ever there was a "blue jean" dress code, the area would lend itself to that. And after a day of hiking in a rainforest, or fishing all day, or dogsledding, to get dressed for formal night to me would seem out of place - even in a luxury setting.

 

Just as if you were on the PG after a day of sun and snorkel, it just doesn't "mix" with the experience.

[Leejnd4]

Yeah, I can see that. We definitely did a lot of "rugged" stuff on our Alaska cruise. In fact, one of the formal nights was the same day we did the helicopter-glacier trek -- so earlier in the day we're all geared up for hiking on a glacier, and later that evening we're all decked out for formal night! Definitely an extreme contrast. :D

 

Interestingly, on our 18-night Auckland-LA cruise there are three formal nights and six informal nights. While most of the nights during the period we're in FP are CCC, there are two informal and one formal night in between islands. So we'll be doing then dress-up thing in the middle of FP. Sheesh, that's a lot of dresses to pack!

[Dolebludger]

I can't speak for RSSC, but in some locations, formal just seems out of place --- even for those who like formal nights in general. In some places in Alaska, if you wear a Tux you will be the only person (not on a ship) doing so for maybe 1,000 miles. If you do so in French Polynesia, make that 4,000 miles! Heck, I have never understood formal nights in the Caribbean, as it is so "outdoor activity" oriented. Ah, but Europe! That's the itinerary where I understand (though don't really relish) formal nights, and why they have them.

 

CCC gives you options, as it is a MINIMUM dress code only, and in no way prevents one from going dressier. Indeed, I usually wear a jacket (sans tie) on CCC nights --- not because I must, but because I want to do so.

 

Thanks,

Richard

[ChatKat in Ca.]

LeeAnne,

 

I am surprised by the formal night mid-French Polynesia - but then again, it's not on the PG, but the Mariner, which is a more formal environment.

 

For formal nights/informal nights, I definitely would bring clothes that double duty, like a black sheath dress or I have a pair of black chiffon pants with several tops to wear with it. A change of accessories works wonders. I find the well traveled "forget" what you've already worn and no one remembers one black outfit to the next.

[PaulaJK]

I couldn't quite think of the right title for this note........

but what I really enjoy about rssc/Regent is that whether

it is formal or Informal or CCC, it is rather laid back. It's

not a fashion parade and you can repeat your outfits

without any discomfort.

[AtA]

I couldn't quite think of the right title for this note........

but what I really enjoy about rssc/Regent is that whether

it is formal or Informal or CCC, it is rather laid back. It's

not a fashion parade and you can repeat your outfits

without any discomfort.

And yet from what I can see from photos and my one cruise on Regent, everyone looks well dressed...

 

As for repeating, a change of jacket or top can do wonders!

[Honeymooner2006]

Assuming you're on the Mariner or Voyager, if one is inclined to get dressed up, there is always Signatures, where the dress code is informal, at a minimum.

 

Living in So Cal, there are so few opportunities to dress up - even at high end restaurants - that a formal night or two is plenty appreciated in my particular corner of the world.

 

-Ann

[CruiserPK]

I think you must be on a 7 night Baltic cruise. Our 12 night Voyager Baltic cruise leaving June 19th has two formal nights. I would much prefer informal nights as it cuts down on the packing issues. Every person has a different opinion on this issue, but personally, I think the cruise line plans formal nights for sea days as something the passengers can look forward to in the evening. (and for the cruise line to fill up the beauty salon/spa)

Hope you enjoy your cruise anyway.

Cheers, Pam