Casual dress on Formal nights

[dakrewser]

...or perhaps he was setting his room-service tray out in the hall, and the door closed behind him and he was locked out.

 

Sometimes things happen.

 

Been there, done that. In a bungalow in Fort Lauderdale. In my skivvies....

 

:eek:

[NoNoNanette]

I'm finding the hypocrisy on this thread rather amusing.

 

After her first HAL Cruise, a dear friend of mine/cruise buddy reported to me that the Formal Nights were touch-and-go. More suits/ties than tuxes. That some guys didn't even have jackets on.

 

Her husband had brought a tux, but didn't wear it on the 2nd formal evening.

 

I posted her findings upon her arrival.

 

My post was met with horrid responses from the "Holier than Thou" crowd on this forum. I/she was basically called a liar.

 

NOW, I hear that "each cruise is different". Wow. It's nice to have some individuals admit that things can differ on each cruise.

 

Somebody has finally been turned onto *****, or has realized that "flamboyant men" are more difficult to swallow than a more "regular" kind of guy. :rolleyes:

[RevNeal]

NOW, I hear that "each cruise is different". Wow. It's nice to have some individuals admit that things can differ on each cruise.

 

There's no hypocrisy here, Nannette. I've said as much MANY TIMES in the past. My only objections to your friend's observation were that: (1) it seemed exaggerated to claim only 20% of the people dressed formally, and (2) while it was an observation confined to a single cruise, you were using it to project what other people's cruise experiences would be. Such projections, based upon a single anecdotal experience, are likely to produce unfortunate results. Or, as is frequently said, "your milage will vary." Perhaps you just didn't read such remarks (from me and from others) before, but they were posted long before you came along and posted your friend's experience, and were also posted in response to your friend's experience. As I wrote then, I do not doubt that your friend was on a sailing that had a low-observance of the dress code. However, I DO doubt that 20% is accurate estimate of the number of people who were observing the code. In 100+ days aboard damships I've never seen observance that low. I've never even seen it 50/50. Perhaps I've seen it as low as 65/35 ... but I really can't say because I've never gone around doing an actual count as to how many are dressed in accord to the code and how many are not.

 

Somebody has finally been turned onto *****, or has realized that "flamboyant men" are more difficult to swallow than a more "regular" kind of guy.

 

Nannette, I apologized to you publicly on this board for telling the story about the toasting. I expressed my regret that I had offered the toast, and I also stated that I was sorry that I shared it here. I had no desire to hurt you in so-doing, and my judgement was wrong. My apology still stands. Perhaps, some day, you will be able to accept it.

[NoNoNanette]

Nannette, I apologized to you publicly on this board for telling the story about the toasting. I expressed my regret that I had offered the toast, and I also stated that I was sorry that I shared it here. I had no desire to hurt you in so-doing, and my judgement was wrong. My apology still stands. Perhaps, some day, you will be able to accept it.

 

I'm not being sarcastic- WHEN have you ever apologized to me? I've never seen any of your posts directed to me that weren't snotty.

 

I can remember "calling you" on a post or two, claiming that your posts directed to me "weren't very Christian". (Heavy Sarcasm, which I still stand by)

 

"Hurt Me" ? You DID, in fact, hurt me. I think that your judgement as a "man of the church" was poor. Your attacks coincided with my newly-found search for spirituality. (I've always tried to "do unto others", though never attended church- was raised in a Catholic family, but never practiced.)

 

If nothing else, you've given me reason to re-evaluate Catholicism.

[Scrumpy]

...or perhaps he was setting his room-service tray out in the hall, and the door closed behind him and he was locked out.

 

Sometimes things happen.

 

Anything is possible. He didn't seem at all hurried or uncomfortable; my first thought was he'd stopped by on his way to or from the spa. He might even have had his slippers on, but I distinctly recall his hairy feet...

 

It seems like we usually call and they pick up the tray in some hotels; some don't advise to that, though. It would save people from potential embarrassment if more places did - and avoid all those tacky trays lining the halls. That's so unsightly. (Just a weird pet peeve of mine - not a deal-breaker when it comes to getting room service as often as possible).

 

That is funny, Dave! - I spent my first night at Univ sleeping on the landing outside my rooms. Wandered out in my robe without my key. Jet lag...too addled to go have them let me in. I don't remember who found me the next morning, but I do remember that they laughed at me - and deservedly so!

[Scrumpy]

Ah, well then you'd hafta order one from my lovely wife as she's done the 'custom' work for me! Rebel that I am...I have a 2nd one (a man cannot have too many cumber-buns) with "club sandwichs not seals."

 

"Where's the buffet" is our 3rd consideration, along with "May I save you a lounge chair?"

 

But alas, I have no more and I feel the market would not be strong enough for Ebay...

:D

 

Good for you. Those are all brilliant! I like your first two the best. The market might surprise you. Probably pretty strong if you shipped overseas, too. (Besides, if people will buy half a grilled cheese sandwich, people will buy anything, right?)

 

I wonder if those custom embroidery places in the mall would work on cumberbunds...

[RevNeal]

I'm not being sarcastic- WHEN have you ever apologized to me? I've never seen any of your posts directed to me that weren't snotty.

 

I apologized to you on the thread where it happened. Others here will remember it. I searched for it, but since I quoted you in it and since the board Hosts removed your posts in which you lashed out in anger at me in response to the "toast" post, my apology post was also removed. Since you clearly did not see the post, allow me to say it again.

 

Nannette, I am very sorry that I posted what I did. I am sorry that I hurt you. I am sorry that I ridiculed you in a toast aboard the Noordam and, by recounting it, here on the board. I was wrong in so-doing and I am very sorry.

 

If nothing else, you've given me reason to re-evaluate Catholicism.

 

Nannette, I am not Roman Catholic, hence any faults on my part should not reflect upon them. Again, I am very sorry.

[gizmo]

Nananette,

 

I don't recall anyone calling you or your friend a "liar". Some may have said that your friend may be mistaken but no where did I see any posts that said you or your friend was a liar. Even if someone did not believe it, that doesn't constitute 'liar'. I believe most people, myself included, said they never saw only 20%.

 

Because people believe in dress code and never saw only 20% they are "Holier than Thou" ?

 

All this name calling is uncalled for.

 

Religion should be kept out of this. It is against the board rules.

[csg99]

I apologized to you on the thread where it happened. Others here will remember it. I searched for it, but since I quoted you in it and since the board Hosts removed your posts in which you lashed out in anger at me in response to the "toast" post, my apology post was also removed.

 

Rev. Neal, I remember your apology on that thread. It was eloquent, heartfelt and sincere. Several CC'ers replied to you then and said as much. As you said, because your post included the inflammatory quote that you were replying to, the post was deleted, along with the references to it.

[Oceanwench]

Greg,

 

I also remember your apology on that infamous thread. It was very well written.

I also recall that many people did not think you owed an apology.

 

I guess the high road would be to turn the other cheek when you're slammed ... which is very difficult for most of us to do.

I see you are doing it very well here, though! :)

 

Gizmo, I will second that. It is inappropriate to discuss religion here.

[krewzin]

Well if we cannot discuss religion here...perhaps the discussion can turn to politics?

 

I'm a 'paranoid agnostic.' -I believe that there is a God, but that he's only out to get me. :D

[caribbean girl]

So, it's agreed...no religion or politics (sorry krewzin:) ). Can we just agree to disagree. How hard is it, really?:rolleyes: Ganging up on one another doesn't accomplish an iota in the final analysis. In my opinion, it reduces things to 'playground mentality' status, something I hope most of us are beyond.

[kryos]

NOW, I hear that "each cruise is different". Wow. It's nice to have some individuals admit that things can differ on each cruise.

It is true, though ... each cruise can be different. A shorter cruise ... on a large (Vista-type) ship, going to a popular destination such as Caribbean or Alaska will often present a far different experience than say the Rotterdam doing a 30+ day European itinerary. On the shorter, you get a lot of families and couples ... many younger folks who can only take a week to vacation. Often those folks don't wanna bother with all the formal crap ... not to mention that they may not even own a formal gown on tux and not be inclined to either buy or rent one just for this one-time cruise. They have to wear business suits all week at work. They are on vacation now and want to kick back. You'll find far less formality in the dining room or anywhere else aboard ship.

 

But, when you get to the longer, more exotic itineraries, you will find a lot of older folks with lots and lots of discretionary time and money on their hands. They like dressing up and formal nights will see a lot of tuxes and full-length gowns in the dining rooms and lounges.

 

It was interesting, but my 30-day Hawaii/South Pacific cruise was sort of a mix. Yes, it was a longer cruise and thus a lot of older folks onboard, but it was also a very, very unusual itinerary ... one that is not duplicated by any other line. Hence, we got a mix of younger folks too ... including some who generally only sail RCCL, Princess or Carnival. They just wanted to see the South Pacific without having to deal with the long airplane flight that would have been required to sail another line. There were certainly some well-dressed people on formal nights, but then there were others who were dressed nice, but not overly formal, as well. The itinerary, too, probably had a lot to do with that. After all ... doesn't that wildly-patterned "Aloha" shirt, with a nice black blazer and black slacks, look more in place on such a cruise than a tux? :)

 

So, yes, I have to agree 100% with RevNeal on this. Even in my relative inexperience as a HAL cruiser, I've observed the exact same thing ... different degrees of formality depending upon the itinerary, ship and length of cruise.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[babyher]

Well if we cannot discuss religion here...perhaps the discussion can turn to politics?

 

I'm a 'paranoid agnostic.' -I believe that there is a God, but that he's only out to get me. :D

 

*LOL*

 

Nice to meet you:)

 

I am a "Dyslexic Agnostic" ....I question the existence of Dog :)

[herb]

It is true, though ... each cruise can be different. A shorter cruise ... on a large (Vista-type) ship, going to a popular destination such as Caribbean or Alaska will often present a far different experience than say the Rotterdam doing a 30+ day European itinerary. On the shorter, you get a lot of families and couples ... many younger folks who can only take a week to vacation. Often those folks don't wanna bother with all the formal crap ... not to mention that they may not even own a formal gown on tux and not be inclined to either buy or rent one just for this one-time cruise. They have to wear business suits all week at work. They are on vacation now and want to kick back. You'll find far less formality in the dining room or anywhere else aboard ship.

 

But, when you get to the longer, more exotic itineraries, you will find a lot of older folks with lots and lots of discretionary time and money on their hands. They like dressing up and formal nights will see a lot of tuxes and full-length gowns in the dining rooms and lounges.

 

So, yes, I have to agree 100% with RevNeal on this. Even in my relative inexperience as a HAL cruiser, I've observed the exact same thing ... different degrees of formality depending upon the itinerary, ship and length of cruise.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

I fully agree with what you wrote...

[peggy1]

I am not "running off" the cruise critic site, I am just bored by the subject now, I have no intention of beating a dead horse. I think by the dialog here, that even those who have not chosen to join in, have gotten the idea that as another poster wrote "take things with a grain of salt" to the old salts on this site. By the way, I like a multi-tasking man. While having a "great" time on your cruises you can approximate in percentages (NO LESS) how many people are dressed to code and those that aren't. I never saw anyone ever spoken to who were in public areas dressed casually on formal night. They were right at the Purser's Desk, and drat if he didn't turn a blind eye to those people! How do you like that? I was frankly more concerned about those that had glass bottles and drinks in the pool and hot tubs. Ever get a piece of glass in your foot ? You'll see visions. We were on a ship that actually had to close the pool and hot tubs, drain them, clean them and refill due to broken glass. Anyway, in summary, this seems like a site you consider yours to guard and guide, as it is only a mild diversion to me in a very busy and fulfilled life, I say enjoy yourself.

[csg99]

It seems that each of your efforts to make peace are met with sarcastic replies. I think one of the previous posters is right--it's time to just ignore those who have serious anger issues.

[HeatherInFlorida]

I hadn't planned on joining this thread but needed to address one thing.

 

Greg, I very well remember your apology to NNN. I remember also feeling that it wasn't necessary, but an extremely nice thing to do. You definitely apologized very graciously. I was impressed.

 

I knew I had finally licked this type of thread when I got through half of the first page, recognized all the players and realized it was same old, same old. I briefly scanned the rest and was just leaving when I saw NNN's and Greg's posts about the apology.

 

No one ever quite figures out that everyone here has already made up their minds on dress code! It's never going to change You can rationalize, explain, cajole, wine and dine and not one of these people is going to change their minds.

 

And I wonder, is anyone having fun yet???:) ... batting their heads against the wall?

 

Just for fun I just looked up the word "snob" and realized I'm not one. Thought I was, but I'm not. But I do follow rules and guidelines because I think it's the polite thing to do and because I'm from that bygone era when we were brought up to do that.

 

But here's a little giggle for everyone just to lighten the day:) . While Googling "snob" I found the Snob Test. I love it. Let's all take it ... here's the first question:

 

The Snob Test: You're about to sleep with someone new in your life when they confide to you that they spent 6 months in prison. Will you have sex with them? ...

 

Here's the rest: The Snob Test . I got 45 out of 100 so I guess I'm a little snobby after all.;);)

 

Love you all!:D

[bepsf]

I agree w/ Greg that there will be different atmospheres on the same ship, same itinerary, different dates: it's been proven true on Noordam's inaugural and subsequent cruises - the inaugural certainly had a greater number of formal wear-ers, probably due to great number of more experienced cruisers aboard.

A ship that has a group of Ballroom Dancers, let's say, will probably have more folks dressed formally than a group of motorcycle repairmen (have actually seen the repairmen onboard: they were apparently in the Lido at dinners - the piercings and tattoos were hard to miss ;) )

But the whole thing w/ not wanting to carry the extra luggage for formal wear: it's crazy but the gay charter cruises are notorious for the amazing amounts of luggage brought aboard - and we're flying in from all over the country and have to contend w/ the airlines luggage limits, same as anyone else. I'd say that easily 90% of the pax aboard have brought or rented formalwear for the One And Only Formal Night on a 7-day cruise. (another 5-7% wear dark suits, and a very few dine in the Lido) NOBODY shows up to the Captain's Reception/Dinner/Shows for that one night in anything less than their best.

The Crew/Staff love having us too: fewer deaths & compliants, more free-spending, well-dressed, well-behaved, happy people. I even get asked on the str8 cruises from staff/crew that recognize me from the gay cruises if I know when the next gay cruise will be on HAL, they've had such a good time with us aboard. Shame that there aren't always such happy, well-behaved, well-dressed people on all sailings...

[bepsf]

Heather--

I got a 30 - I guess I can be a bit trashy at times...

;)

 

"Your test results indicate that you're somewhat snobby. You can be relaxed and accepting of those that don't fit your criteria for being "cool", but you also have the occasional bout of superiority. Perhaps there are certain things that matter more to you more than others, like clothes or work status, or you just get in a snobby mood from time to time (emphasis mine - B). Whatever the case, you should refrain from judging others on superficial qualities. It may be an overused cliché, but it says it all: Don't judge a book by a cover. You don't know what fabulous and fascinating people you might discount just because they're not wearing the right brand of socks. Try to put aside your biases and give people a chance!"

[Oceanwench]

Thanks for posting that, Heather.

 

I only scored an 80 ... what a disappointment! :p

 

Guess I'll go back to my busy and fulfilling life now.

[fridayeyes]

LOL, how fun!

 

How snobby are you?

 

Your score = 20

 

What does your score mean?

 

Way to go! You don't appear to have a snobby bone in your body. Your answers on the test show that you are generally laidback, open-minded and down-to-earth. You try not to judge others based on superficial outer qualities like their car, clothes or bank account. Either you are the type of person who likes EVERYONE, or you have your own measures of whether someone is worthy of your respect; chances are you look beyond the surface and judge people on their character and inner worth. This attitude surely brings a lot of interesting people and experiences into your life and allows you to develop real, quality relationships. The world needs more people with this perspective!

[ryansmemom]

Thanks Heather

 

I scored a 20!

 

The analysis says I don't appear to have a snobby bone in my body. That I appear to like EVERYONE. And that I am down to earth and I try not to judge others based on superficial outer qualities like their car, clothes or bank account. It is true that I do develop many real quality relationships with people and meet very interesting people and have many interesting experiences.

 

This test described me well. I guess I am not a snob, even though I have been mistakenly called one at times by people who do not know me.

 

Linda

 

PS: THIS IS MY 1000th POST!!! YEAH!!!!

 

[babyher]

I got a 20 :) :) :)

 

Not a snobby bone in my body. Some of the scenarios they mention have actually happened to me

 

Of course in fairness a few of these were sex and dating questions and I have always been pretty easy in that department *LOL*

 

So actually I am not so much a snob as I am a male slut *LOL*

 

I like the question about would you still sleep with the person if you found out they had been in jail.

 

As long as she hadn't been locked up for killing the last guy she slept with......Hell yea *LOL*

[michmike]

keep in mind that most of the folks who post here are HAL traditionalists. Nothing WRONG with that, but truth is that the majority of folks you'll be cruising with have never even heard of cruise critic. So take what you hear here with a grain of salt.

 

If you plan to go to the dining room you should observe the dress code posted for that evening. But if you choose to eat in your room or in the lido, and not dress formally, the truth is that you'll do just fine in public areas the rest of the evening if you're dressed in a decent pair of casual slacks (not jeans) and a collared shirt. No one will confront you or cast dirty looks in your direction. I would not wear shorts and a T and flip flops.

 

 

Go and enjoy