Celebrity dress code for teens - how strict?

[Beach Nut]

Greetings, Snowmouse

 

I don't know if this would be too much trouble, or if it's allowed, or even how the rest of the family feels about it, but having your Father-in-law included in ONE of the family photos on a formal night, even dressed casually, MIGHT turn out to be the most treasured of the group portraits ten or twenty years down the line. :o

 

Think of the next generation's Thanksgiving, etc. gatherings. It could be fine fodder for the weaving of a family Legend. :D The stories told at these events are usually not about how Uncle So-and-So always fit in unobtrusively everywhere he went, but about the things that made him the true individual that he was. A picture is worth a thousand words. I guarantee that your Father-in-law will be remembered by posterity, and probably with the fondness that we parcel out to the 85 year olds among us that don't want to dress up any more if somebody's life isn't at stake.

 

Would they let him come in briefly, either at the very beginning, or at the very end, of the photo sessions? :confused: If that would cause too much discomfort for the folks dressed formally, perhaps the family could ask another passenger to snap a few shots of the group (including FIL) out on deck before everyone goes in to dine.

 

Some of my favorite formal night photos of DH and myself were taken by fellow passengers, with the sea in the background (Thank you, Alexander of Sunnyvale, CA), or during a slow dance in the piano lounge (HAL '99 Alaska cruise).

 

I apologise to those who might feel, quite mistakenly (but also most understandably when we read the printed word through our personal lenses) that I am encouraging anyone to flout the quite stringent rules of formal nights. I assure you that my intention is not to break, bend or otherwise mutilate the rules and, if there is any question that this would offend anyone, well then, just toss my idea in the trash can. Truly. I really mean it. (I have been "flamed" seemingly out of nowhere when I posted in what I thought was a good-natured manner on a previous "Formal Nights" post, so I'd like to make it abundantly clear that I believe in rules, regulations and civility and I do not admire anarchy, chaos or jeans in the dining room - although I might possibly smile warmly at whimsical, age-appropriate touches such as the occasional wearing of red sneakers with a retro tux by a 16 year old.)

 

I'd just like to encourage Snowmouse's family to grab hold of one of those photo ops that may turn out to be priceless in hindsight. They can still take all the standard formal shots with the rest of the family - I'm not discouraging them from doing that as well.

 

It's just that, my own dear sweet Mother died just short of her 85th birthday and I'd like to encourage anyone with relatives that age to include them in any which way that they possibly can. It's not the formal photos that we wind up treasuring the most, IMHO.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Susan

[bububr]

We have had some in our group once in a while that did not want to dress for dinner and chose to eat in the casual venues also.

 

We also forced them to take pictures with us against their wills. Some of them are the BEST photos we have.

 

We've never had a problem, except for persuading the person/people ( family or group members ) to have a photo shot. Most times they say they don't want to buy it anyway...we tell them we do and we want them in it!

 

While the activities on a ship let families do things independantly, the one thing we ALWAYS do is a group photo. And since the photographers are mostly out and about on Formal evenings ( sometimes informal ), this is when we do our group photos regardless of how anyone is dressed.

 

On the other hand if they don't want to dress ( a RULE in our groups to follow the dress codes ) and eat somewhere else, thats okay also. We don't feel its necessary for everyone in our group or family to be attached at the hip and do every excursion/dinner/or show together. Thats why we choose a cruise, especially Celebrity. There's something for everyone and we can catch up during or after the cruise. Dinner is only 1 1/2 to 2 hours.....its not like you'll never see the person again. And its really only a couple of nights out of the entire cruise.

 

 

 

Great suggestion!!!!

 

Dave:eek:

[GORDONCHICK]

Bottom line, it's always the call of the maitre d' and his staff on that ship and that sailing as to whether the printed dress code is enforced. Why run the risk of being turned away? Just meet the requested dress, and you won't have to wonder.

 

Also, it's time for teenagers to learn that there's a time and place for just about everything. Dressing as requested is a respect thing, and not just for teenagers to learn. There are plenty of other eating options than the dining room, and none of them are bad alternatives. I would expect teenagers to dress formally for their prom because that's what the occasion calls for. So does formal night in a cruise ship dining room. Chalk it up to a learning experience.

[tuggers]

I am always amazed at how vitriolic these threads get! They just spew hostility. Can't we all voice our own opinions without it being reduced to this?

My experience is different from some. Most of the X ships I have been on have had the dress codes respected by at least 75% of the passengers and probably 90% of the ones who actually showed up in the dining room.

Granted I only cruise from September to May, never cruise over school vacations and generally have a fairly adult crowd on the cruises I take by doing 11 days and more. In my experience, the people who dress inappropriately on formal nights stand out.

I also agree that it is not a good thing to teach a child or teenager that the rules do not apply to them or that there are 'ways around the rules'. So from a teaching standpoint it would be better to just follow the rules. The other passengers would appreciate you more, too.

I don't care who disagrees with me, please just do it without so much venom.:)

[sarh]

One thing - there has been mention of "prom" dresses for teenage girls. The teenage girls on the eastern med cruise wore very chic black cocktail dresses-prom dresses won't be turned away by the formal night police, but the more flamboyant styles might leave their wearers feeling rather embarrassed.

[pbrownmailbox]

Thanks for everyone's input, although I must admit that I was simply asking a question since I've never cruised before and didn't know how strictly the guidelines were interpreted, and didn't mean to imply that my kids haven't been taught manners, etc. That's why I said that if my son absolutely won't dress up, he wouldn't be allowed to go to the dining room. But even if that's the case, that doesn't mean that I haven't taught him manners and how to eat a fine meal properly and so forth. It just means that as someone said, it's his vacation too and if he's that against dressing up, then I don't want to ruin the vacation for him. As I said before, we picked the ship mainly for the ports, especially since my son is a Ancient Greek and Roman history fanatic.

 

I do plan on urging him to dress up at least once though for the experience, and as some said, he might actually enjoy it if he tries it. As teenagers go, he's a great kid, well mannered, polite, a 4.0 student, Eagle Scout, etc., he just doesn't like parties, dances and social functions like that, so his manners and character shouldn't be judged based on whether or not he likes to wear suits.

 

In any case, my mom called Celebrity just now to get their take on the dress code, and they said that dress slacks and dress shirt would be fine for a teen, even on the formal nights. They said that the guidelines are just suggestions and that a lot of people like to dress up and like having the opportunity, but that Celebrity themselves doesn't get all undone about it and is fine with dress slacks and a shirt, especially for teens.

 

So, it seems that we can all relax now and enjoy a great cruise.

Pam

[pbrownmailbox]

Just one other followup comment - by allowing my son to go to formal night in a suit, not a tux, and maybe take off his jacket for part of the time (or maybe not even wear a tie), doesn't mean that I'm teaching him that it's okay to ignore the rules, or that exceptions can be made for teenagers. I firmly believe that rules and dress codes should be followed and adhered to by all, which is why I was asking the question in the first place as to just what the standard really is. Otherwise, I would have just let him do what he wants and not even have bothered asking. However, since Celebrity itself said that there is some leeway and it sounds like others have observed the same thing, I see nothing wrong with allowing him to join us for dinner without a tie and possibly without a jacket after the first night. I resent the implication that I'm a bad parent for having asked the question.