A Word About Formal Night Appearance

[FNSIII]

During the trip to FLL my luggage was lost by the inferior airline that years ago advertised that you could "Fly the XXXXXXXX Way" I won't go into my reasons for not identifying them straight up but will return to the subject of this post. I bought, in one heck of a hurry, a shirt, tie and dark slacks and shoes as it looked like we would be without luggage. It was too late to rent a tux and my lady was able to put together a sundress with accessories that would have looked great. It just came down to we didn't want to miss Formal night. The cost for these items was low because I was dipping into discretionary funds that we wanted for "FUN" ashore. Blessedly our luggage was delivered at 3:00 AM on the Sunday we sailed.

It comes down to this. Someone might not be able to put on the dog because of reasons far beyond their control. I would give someone the benefit of the doubt before looking down my nose. Any thoughts????

[kenevenpar]

It comes down to this. Someone might not be able to put on the dog because of reasons far beyond their control. I would give someone the benefit of the doubt before looking down my nose. Any thoughts????

 

You are much more generous (and probably a nicer person;)) than I. If my clothes did not arrive timely, I, like you, would try to get replacements, or go to the Lido. Someone showing up in less than requirred attire is more than likely doing so intentionaly.

 

Ken

[May4]

You have my word I won't look down my nose at a fellow passenger who has hard luck. I wouldn't. Honest.

 

Now, a passenger who acts all ugly....whole other story!

 

I'm glad your luggage arrived even though it was at 3:00 a.m.

 

I'm as curious as can be about why it was delivered in the wee hours.

 

Did you get a chance to wear the new duds you bought?

[FNSIII]

The airline contracts with local delivery companies. I told the hotel that "I don't give a X#$% what time it arrives...please call me!" they did and I slept better for the rest of the night. I am waiting on a response from the airline before I post the problem we had.

 

Frank

[Copper10-8]

 

Kinda gone downhill fast, haven't they?

[FNSIII]

Copper... I am 10-7, 10-42. Retired Highway Patrol

[mudscraper]

OPs Luggage wasn`t lost. He received it at 3am.

Probably a verrry sloooww baggage carosel.:)

 

 

Rich

[nailsmhc79]

I will agree with you completely...cause it happened to me way back on our first cruise and I attended Formal night with white dockers & a polo shirt from the store on board the ship. No luggage except our carry on till we docked in Barbados 3 days later.

[pipedreams62]

I will agree with you completely...cause it happened to me way back on our first cruise and I attended Formal night with white dockers & a polo shirt from the store on board the ship. No luggage except our carry on till we docked in Barbados 3 days later.

 

 

[Copper10-8]

Copper... I am 10-7, 10-42. Retired Highway Patrol

 

Good for you, Sir! Enjoy!

[QueensChick]

It's best to give people the benefit of the doubt. If someone shows up dressed inappropriately for formal night, I'll assume it couldn't be helped. You can never be sure of another's circumstances.

 

Pipedreams62... you crack me up! You're alright for a BoSox fan :D

[AZjohn]

Well, let me tell you a story about a man named Jed …. OK, his name was John:D.

Northern Europe cruise on Celebrity, luggage missing for 3 days (arrived at our first port on 3rd day). 1st Formal was second night, clothes we were wearing on plane now at the ships laundry facility, only thing we could purchase at the ship store was a jogging suit.

 

Never will forget some of the looks we got trying to make our way down to the Lido (or whatever Celebrity calls theirs) that evening. These people had no idea that we had nothing formal (or even nice) to ware that evening but yet judged us for being less than.

 

This is why I have zero tolerance to others that get their panties in a wad in regards to what people are wearing on a ship. Have no time for those kind of people.:(

 

I will get off my soap box now and just stay out of debating what people should ware on a cruise. I could care less!;)

 

Have a great cruise,

John

[lettienets]

Just in case of lost/delayed luggage I carry on my best formal night outfit, (the one most expensive to replace) a bathing suit, sling backs, undies and a casual outfit. Then I am all set for any unforeseen problem.

[Copper10-8]

Just in case of lost/delayed luggage I carry on my best formal night outfit, (the one most expensive to replace) a bathing suit, sling backs, undies and a casual outfit. Then I am all set for any unforeseen problem.

 

A slingshot bathing suit, you say? OK, then but with formal shoes and socks!:eek:

[kryos]

It comes down to this. Someone might not be able to put on the dog because of reasons far beyond their control. I would give someone the benefit of the doubt before looking down my nose. Any thoughts????

My thoughts are that in a case like this, the dining room manager will be made aware of your "challenges." So, he will understand and you will have no problems dining in the main dining room wearing whatever you happen to have, be it formal or any other kind of night.

 

Now ... as for everyone else ... plain and simple ... if they don't like it, they are more than welcome to get up and leave. Frankly, I wouldn't be much concerned about what they thought. If they were friendly toward me and my family, I might choose to give an explanation later on during the meal, but other than that ... they didn't pay for me and my family's cruise, right? So, as far as I'm concerned, I don't owe them beans in the way of an explanation. So, I would simply sit down ... wearing whatever I happened to be wearing, and have a great dinner and a great time. If others are bothered by it ... oh, well ... too bad, so ... so sad.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

Northern Europe cruise on Celebrity, luggage missing for 3 days (arrived at our first port on 3rd day). 1st Formal was second night, clothes we were wearing on plane now at the ships laundry facility, only thing we could purchase at the ship store was a jogging suit.

 

Never will forget some of the looks we got trying to make our way down to the Lido (or whatever Celebrity calls theirs) that evening. These people had no idea that we had nothing formal (or even nice) to ware that evening but yet judged us for being less than.

You were very accommodating to be dining in the Lido that night. If it were me, and I wanted to enjoy the main dining room, that's exactly where I would have gone. I would have made sure the front desk notified the dining room manager about my problem so that there would have been no problems at the door, and then as far as the other passengers are concerned, if they had a problem, then it would have been their problem, not mine.

 

There are certain people, as I have discovered, who seem to want to "police" their fellow man ... dress codes, enforcement of petty rules, etc. My feeling is that my issue is with the ship and the people in charge of maintaining order there. As long as they can work around my lack of formal attire, then I see no reason why my fellow passengers can't as well.

 

So, I honestly wouldn't let their stares and attitudes bother me. I'd just smile and go on my way. They'll get over it.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[AZjohn]

So, I honestly wouldn't let their stares and attitudes bother me. I'd just smile and go on my way. They'll get over it.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

I want to cruise with you sometime Rita:D

[ger_77]

AZJohn, I feel your pain - we had the same experience during our first Mediterranean cruise on the Prinsendam. Our luggage arrived 3 days later at our first port of Istanbul, so we missed the first formal night. DH is larger than averge, so they didn't have a tuxedo onboard that he could rent, and our small carry-ons just contained reading materials, cd players and meds. We wore the clothes we had traveled in (the ship laundered them for us every night) and ate in the Lido. The only time we got side-long glances was when we sat down in the lounge for the evening's main show. A lady beside DH look at us with some disdain(we both wore dockers type pants, and golf shirt/t-shirt), so I leaned over and told her that our luggage was delayed and these were the only clothes we had. She warmed up right away and was very pleasant - we ran into each other a number of times throughout the trip and she'd always comment on my "new" clothes. It always bothered me that we were initially judged by what we were wearing, so whenever I see somebody on formal night who isn't dressed to "code", I try to give them the benefit of the doubt.

 

One thing that has definitely changed since that experience is the way we pack our carry-ons. They now contain clothing that can be used for a formal evening in addition to the usual stuff.

 

Smooth Sailing! :):):)

[Hollyday]

We play by the rules the best we can but past experience has taught me my DH is uncomfortably hot in a suit on a crowded ship. He doesn't mind dressing for dinner (I know he just does it for me) but he will change clothes immediately after. I don't change so I'm sure we're a odd sight to some. We''re not there to please anyone but us so we just don't care what they think. Of course, if someone stares, I look them straight in the eye and tap my nose with my finger a couple times indicating they have something on their nose. They immediately start brushing at their nose and look at me questioningly for any indication that whatever was there is gone. I always get a giggle doing that.

 

I figure the men that stare and have attitudes are jelous that their significant other made them dress up and you didn't have to. The women that stare are just snobs. Obviously, they all need to brush up on their manner - were they not ever told staring is rude. I wonder if a woman would want to dress formal if she had to wear a hot suit and a choking tie. For formal night maybe it should be manatory for women to wear panty hose. Oh yeah, that would go over well......not.

[Nancyquilts]

A slingshot bathing suit, you say? OK, then but with formal shoes and socks!:eek:

Self portrait, John? Works for me.:D

[Copper10-8]

Self portrait, John? Works for me.:D

 

Nancy!:eek::eek::eek: I don't wear brown shoes................... much

[fridayeyes]

Our luggage made it, but the ship didn't carry the rental tuxes on-board and the entire shipment for that cruise never arrived. We attended formal night with DH wearing black slacks, sneakers, a white, casual silk shirt and a bolo tie. The upside was that the entire ship knew that no one who had rented a tux gotten theirs, so everyone was accomodating.

 

On a different ship, my suitcase made it to the porter but never showed up at our door. Carnival gave me a voucher to the onboard shops, then they located my suitcase (in someone else's cabin) two days later.

 

While I won't deny anyone their personal opinions - I myself think that showing up grossly misattired is wrong - I also think that snide looks or comments directed at other pax are equally disrespectful and equally wrong, if not more so. As the examples above demonstrate, a dress code faux pas may well be unintentional, while a snide remark is a premeditated act.

 

The responsibility for dress code enforcement falls to HAL, not to individual pax. A passenger who has a concern about the level of that enforcement should take it up with a HAL representative, not with the alleged offender.

[Cruisin' Ron VA]

Perhaps everyone should just wear their formal clothes on the plane in case their luggage gets lost. :rolleyes:

 

I mean really it is none of my business why someone isnt dressed in the suggested attire for the evening. How could someone sitting in the back of the dining room wearing khaki pants and polo shirt ruin my dinner in the front of the dining room? Heck even if they were sitting at my table I would still be a southern gentlemen and mind my manners. I prefer to make eye contact with the people I am speaking with and not focus on their attire.

 

How many people here know the circumstances of their shipmates travel issues before boarding the ship?

 

How many of you would be willing to stand at the entrance of the main dining room and ask them why they are not dressed appropriately and then either admit them or turn them away based on their answer?

 

Dress as you will and leave others be. Someday you may be the man or woman whose luggage is sitting at an airport someplace while you are in the middle of the ocean on a cruise. ;)

[suse]

Wow, maybe it's me but I never really noticed people looking at me. I must be used to it. It just would never occur to me to even think about what other people are wearing. Maybe I'm just self-centered on vacation!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;)

[happyglobetrotter]

Why is it that some people wear their most casual outfits on all formal nights (not only the first one where maybe their luggage was delayed but for the whole cruise) and hang around lounges, shops and bars all night. It happens more and more.

 

What excuse do they have ? why do they cruise ? why not go to a resort ashore or on a cruise line without dress code...

 

The right to enjoy their vacation !!!!!!!

 

A cruise includes formal nights and that should be taken in consideration by them BEFORE they book.

 

This is my opinion.