Dress Code

[lucky99]

I wore a tux on both formal nights on my last cruise. The rest were all casual, contrary to the website and brochures! I brought smart casual clothes along as well- wasted space and extra weight. Very few people wore tuxes, which was fine me and expected. What bothered me now, was not casual diners, but being served "Filet of Beef" at formal night (a.k.a. Roast Beef?). What happened to Filet Mignon and all the other good stuff. Why bother with a tux- I was embarrassed wearing a Tux and served the meal (and dessert) I received.

 

As short as 10 years ago you would have looked like every other man in the dining room on formal night. It is such a shame that cruising has taken this nose dive. To come dressed "formal" in something you would wear to Olive Garden just shows how far down we have come. Cruising use to be a really nice experience, formal meant formal and everyone looked formal, everyone even the little children. The food was even "formal" but if you want that kind of food now you have to go to the speciality restaurants and pay extra for it. You never had roudy people on board cruise ships now it is a race to see who can drink the most. He who dies with the most alcohol in them wins so to speak. It has turn into the "carnival" type cruise. Carnival was the only cruise line that was known as the party ship. Even Holland America is romancing the younger, drunker crowd. The only drunk, nude person I have seen walking around the decks of a cruise ship was on a Holland American Cruise, last year. He thought he was going to the bathroom and ended outside his room, locked out since he had no pocket for his boarding pass. The revenue from booze and casinos is helping offset the cost of running the ships to keep prices from going so high. Then people smuggle in cases of beer and wine and hard liquor. I guess the prices will just have to go up. Kind of like Disney World the higher the price the higher quality of patron.

[GatorV]

Just returned from first RC cruise on Sov of Seas. Long time cruiser on others though, dress on Sov of Seas was in general OK except for the men who kept their Stetsons on (2 different passangers) every night. They looked so out of place and made several folks angry enough to complain! also jeans in the DR were amazing to see.

 

Formal night we saw lots of variety, sports coats and slacks to tux and long dresses. but what ever you do relax, don't worry you will fit in, you see everything...leave the hat in the stateroom though!:)

[Bakincakes]

I wore a tux on both formal nights on my last cruise. The rest were all casual, contrary to the website and brochures! I brought smart casual clothes along as well- wasted space and extra weight. Very few people wore tuxes, which was fine me and expected. What bothered me now, was not casual diners, but being served "Filet of Beef" at formal night (a.k.a. Roast Beef?). What happened to Filet Mignon and all the other good stuff. Why bother with a tux- I was embarrassed wearing a Tux and served the meal (and dessert) I received.

 

There is still good filet mignon on the ship but you won't find it in the main dining room. It can be found in one of the specialty restaurants and you will pay extra for it.

 

I agree...if you want to dress for the meal, for the main dining room, then by all means wear jeans and a t-shirt . That seems to be the mentality of more and more pax. Applebees dress=Applebees food. More and more people are catching on and more and more pax are making reservations at the specialties where they will be served with flair and will dine on the kind of food that used to be served in the main dining room to all pax regardless of how much they paid for their sail ticket.

 

The sad part is that many don't know they are being shortchanged.

[Bakincakes]

Luckyprincess: You just don't get it and you never will.

 

A reality check for you ... a good number of people that you apparently have never met, will never meet, and based upon your attitude probably wouldn't want to meet... such a restaurant is the best restaurant at which they've ever dined.

 

These are the same people that are now cruising and want to clarify formal nights. If they have to ask that question, it's pretty clear they're NOT LEANING TUXEDO. At this point, why bother dressing up in a way they don't need to when someone like you is looking down their nose at them anyway.

 

 

And cruising used to give those people an opportunity to dine at a fine restaurant. All they needed to do was get dressed. No one is demanding they wear tuxes and ball gowns. I think it is generally sad that people have no idea what to wear to a fine dinner. Can it be that we have become a nation of slobs or are we just too lazy to be bothered?

[dak_friendly]

And cruising used to give those people an opportunity to dine at a fine restaurant. All they needed to do was get dressed. No one is demanding they wear tuxes and ball gowns. I think it is generally sad that people have no idea what to wear to a fine dinner. Can it be that we have become a nation of slobs or are we just too lazy to be bothered?

 

I don't think you realize how pretentious that sounds.

[lucky99]

I don't think you realize how pretentious that sounds.

 

 

Wow, "friendly" how? Since one of the meanings of pretentious is pompous............you may be looking in the mirror. That was not very nice of you.

[Darkwolfe]

I get the feeling there is an assumption I leave my hat on during the meal. Uh no, my mama DID make attempt to teach me some manners and the hat comes off at the table. :) If those guys left 'em on through the meal, shame on them. Makes the rest of us that wear a Stetson look bad.

 

BTW, a couple of folks need to cool it a touch and dump off the personal attacks here.:eek: This is a lively debate that runs continuously. I have fun with it and will continue to do so, but let's not be calling names or insulting people's intelligence. That takes all the fun out of it and lowers it from good debate to board flaming, which is no fun at all.

 

That being said, I'm going to get off my soapbox now, got more important things to do to! :D

[dak_friendly]

Wow, "friendly" how? Since one of the meanings of pretentious is pompous............you may be looking in the mirror. That was not very nice of you.

 

Learn some semantics and get back to me on that.

[Bakincakes]

I don't think you realize how pretentious that sounds.

 

I don't think you realize that I really am not concerned with how it sounds.:)

 

Fact is that so many people ask that question...what do I wear?? Makes me wonder how many of them don't know what to wear or they like to stir the pot with yet another wardrobe query.:rolleyes:

 

I've said this before..if RCI is not going to enforce their own dress code they need to drop it and let the masses come to dinner in their underwear if that is what they feel like wearing. People like RoyalC packed according to their cruise DOCS..then when they get on board ship they find out that anything goes. Not fair to the people who fly to port cities and who pack according to RCI cruise DOCS.

 

I actually believe that RCI doesn't care what pax wear to dinner, just as they have stopped caring about the quality of food that is served in the main dining room. If pax are going to dress like they are at the local diner then diner fare should be on the menu.:)

[dak_friendly]

I don't think you realize that I really am not concerned with how it sounds.:)

 

Awesome response! (seriously) :)

 

If pax are going to dress like they are at the local diner then diner fare should be on the menu.:)

 

I kinda figured out something on my third cruise. You know that awful show "Cruise Ship Secrets" (or some such ilk) that airs periodically on Travel Channel.

 

"The secret is ... the dining room is a glorified cafeteria."

[Bakincakes]

I kinda figured out something on my third cruise. You know that awful show "Cruise Ship Secrets" (or some such ilk) that airs periodically on Travel Channel.

 

"The secret is ... the dining room is a glorified cafeteria."

 

After 40 plus cruises I am sorry to say that you are probably more right than wrong.:(

 

Maybe the pax that don't bother to dress are smarter than the rest of us? Seems like the cruise lines believe that to be true and will continue to serve mediocre meals in the main dining room.

 

Those of us that can afford the specialties will continue to dine there and avoid the "cafeteria" atmosphere that will probably ultimately prevail.

 

Sad.

[Jeka]

I don't think you realize that I really am not concerned with how it sounds.:)

 

Fact is that so many people ask that question...what do I wear?? Makes me wonder how many of them don't know what to wear or they like to stir the pot with yet another wardrobe query.:rolleyes:

 

I've said this before..if RCI is not going to enforce their own dress code they need to drop it and let the masses come to dinner in their underwear if that is what they feel like wearing. People like RoyalC packed according to their cruise DOCS..then when they get on board ship they find out that anything goes. Not fair to the people who fly to port cities and who pack according to RCI cruise DOCS.

 

I actually believe that RCI doesn't care what pax wear to dinner, just as they have stopped caring about the quality of food that is served in the main dining room. If pax are going to dress like they are at the local diner then diner fare should be on the menu.:)

 

Which came first, so so food or very casual dress? I'm guessing we could all dress to the nines and still get so so food. Isn't all about the Benjamins after all?

[Bakincakes]

Which came first, so so food or very casual dress? I'm guessing we could all dress to the nines and still get so so food. Isn't all about the Benjamins after all?

 

 

Excellent question....and yes..money is the major driving factor....on some lines.

 

Because cruise prices on the major lines and the low and mid-range budget categories have not changed significantly since 1992, we are starting to see the clientele aboard many of these ships change. Some of the same people who used to travel by Greyhound are now traveling on cruise ships. One major line recently told us that when sailings feature promotional pricing, some passengers are requesting that cabin attendants not change their sheets or clean the room "because we didn't bring any tip money". This has caused some crew discontent.

 

http://www.traveltruth.com/articles/topten-cruiselines.html

 

You may have noticed that the largest cruise lines have not been rated among the top 15 lines. Carnival, Princess, Holland America, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Royal Caribbean have huge advertising budgets. But they score significantly lower then the brands listed above in overall quality. They operate large ships with large lines at the institutional buffets. They have spectacular hardware, much like floating Las Vegas resorts. But they lack personal service and they must, as a result of their size, stop at ports designed to handle the mega-ships and the tens of thousands of daily passengers they disgorge.

 

Seems that many lines are scaling down their service for many reasons, including the market they are targeting.

 

I've never been to an "institutional buffet" but am guessing you don't have to dress.

[luckyprincess]

Luckyprincess: You just don't get it and you never will.

 

A reality check for you ... a good number of people that you apparently have never met, will never meet, and based upon your attitude probably wouldn't want to meet... such a restaurant is the best restaurant at which they've ever dined.

 

These are the same people that are now cruising and want to clarify formal nights. If they have to ask that question, it's pretty clear they're NOT LEANING TUXEDO. At this point, why bother dressing up in a way they don't need to when someone like you is looking down their nose at them anyway.

 

Oh please, save your pompous speeches. I'm not rich, my family's not rich and we never were, not that it matters. Money has nothing to do with class. My folks probably can't afford Applebees either, but they know the difference between getting dressed for dinner in a fine establishment and hopping in the car to go to Olive Garden. If thats the best restaurant they ever dined in, well good for them. Some people cannot even afford that so I guess they are ahead of the game. That doesn't mean they should come to a cruiseship dining room in jeans and a t-shirt. As a matter of fact, the comparison you make is belittleing to those same people. My boyfriend will not be wearing a tuxedo. He will be wearing a suit. One of only two he owns as he is a chef and only needs them for weddings and funerals - and now cruises.

So your silly 'you would never want to meet these people' is a load of bull. Seems like you're the one who needs a reality check.:rolleyes:

[dak_friendly]

Oh please, save your pompous speeches. I'm not rich, my family's not rich and we never were, not that it matters. Money has nothing to do with class. My folks probably can't afford Applebees either, but they know the difference between getting dressed for dinner in a fine establishment and hopping in the car to go to Olive Garden. If thats the best restaurant they ever dined in, well good for them. Some people cannot even afford that so I guess they are ahead of the game. That doesn't mean they should come to a cruiseship dining room in jeans and a t-shirt. As a matter of fact, the comparison you make is belittleing to those same people. My boyfriend will not be wearing a tuxedo. He will be wearing a suit. One of only two he owns as he is a chef and only needs them for weddings and funerals - and now cruises.

So your silly 'you would never want to meet these people' is a load of bull. Seems like you're the one who needs a reality check.:rolleyes:

 

Who mentioned class and income?

 

What I've been saying is in this fast food, high production, cookie cutter world, there are a lot of people out there that just don't care to delve beyond the chain restaurants. Royal Caribbean ... chain cruise line.

 

Lucky lucky princess. It seems you want to have it both ways. Class as you sit commenting on someone else's level of class. The way I believe in things and people ... those can't go hand in hand.

 

You've got that diamond in the rough spirit though. Reach for that star ...

shine shine shine.

[luckyprincess]

Who mentioned class and income?

 

What I've been saying is in this fast food, high production, cookie cutter world, there are a lot of people out there that just don't care to delve beyond the chain restaurants. Royal Caribbean ... chain cruise line.

 

Lucky lucky princess. It seems you want to have it both ways. Class as you sit commenting on someone else's level of class. The way I believe in things and people ... those can't go hand in hand.

 

You've got that diamond in the rough spirit though. Reach for that star ...

shine shine shine.

 

No, thats not what you've been saying. You specifically said "A reality check for you ... a good number of people that you apparently have never met, will never meet, and based upon your attitude probably wouldn't want to meet... such a restaurant is the best restaurant at which they've ever dined." You assume I don't want to know people that have only had Olive Garden as the best dining experience ever. You also assume I look down my nose at those same people. Get your story straight. Or at the very least, learn how to accurately get your idea across. If people assume that the dining room on a chain line (aren't they all?) such as RCCL is akin to Applebees because that is also a chain (quite a stretch) well then I suggest they read their documents relating to suggested attire and look at a couple of photos of the dining rooms.

As to your second paragraph, I'm not sure if its just the way you constructed the sentences, but it doesn't make sense to me. Sorry. I'll take a stab at it though. If you are trying to say that I am classless because I comment on someone that is wearing shorts and t-shirt in a fine dining experience, then you are really stretching on that one. Now if I pointed at them and laughed and started jeering them, well, then you may have a point. But commenting on a message board that my parents have class and know how to dress for dinner has nothing to do with my own level of social graces. But thats good for you to try. Keep trying. Stretch, stretch, stretch.

[dak_friendly]

Luckyluckyprincess: Please answer my question. Where did I mention income? Where did I mention class?

[luckyprincess]

Luckyluckyprincess: Please answer my question. Where did I mention income? Where did I mention class?

 

So now you need help understanding your own posts?:p If you don't know how to convey an idea then don't bother.:rolleyes: When did I say you mentioned income or class? This is silly. You seem to be a sore loser when your ideas are taken to task by myself or the others that agree with me. For you to tell people you cruise with to dress the same way they would if they were going to T.G.I. Fridays, or some other family chain slightly better than fast food restaurant (which serve a purpose and I do frequent them, lest you think I'm looking down my nose at their patrons AGAIN) in the dining rooms does them a disservice. It is also a ridiculous comparison, in my opinion. End of discussion.

[dak_friendly]

So now you need help understanding your own posts?:p

 

Admit that you're just trying to cover your posterior for being wrong. I never mentioned class and income. You did.

[lucky99]

So now you need help understanding your own posts?:p If you don't know how to convey an idea then don't bother.:rolleyes: When did I say you mentioned income or class? This is silly. You seem to be a sore loser when your ideas are taken to task by myself or the others that agree with me. For you to tell people you cruise with to dress the same way they would if they were going to T.G.I. Fridays, or some other family chain slightly better than fast food restaurant (which serve a purpose and I do frequent them, lest you think I'm looking down my nose at their patrons AGAIN) in the dining rooms does them a disservice. It is also a ridiculous comparison, in my opinion. End of discussion.

 

 

I would not wear myself out arguing with Dak_unfriendly if I were you, anyone that thinks formal attire is what is seen at Olive Garden and TIFridays isn't worth the effort. I think that person is just wanting to fight and not really worth it. You have the right idea I think most of the people would agree with you. Some people would argue if they were hung with a new rope. I have seen a lot of posts by that person and all are very argumentative then with the syrup added to make it sound sweet.

[luckyprincess]

I would not wear myself out arguing with Dak_unfriendly if I were you, anyone that thinks formal attire is what is seen at Olive Garden and TIFridays isn't worth the effort. I think that person is just wanting to fight and not really worth it. You have the right idea I think most of the people would agree with you. Some people would argue if they were hung with a new rope. I have seen a lot of posts by that person and all are very argumentative then with the syrup added to make it sound sweet.

Thanks lucky99! I was starting to get dragged into that silly game there for a minute!:D