What if you don't like formal wear?

[stopgo]

Cheapshot

[scorpio50]

DiaB you are right, this guy would probably be better off on Ocean village AKA Butlins at sea....................:D:D:D

 

 

And you are just a wind up merchant :)

[scorpio50]

Sorry you are wrong.

 

The dress code is for the whole ship for all the night. There are notices posted in some of the bars. I have seen people asked to leave if in casual clothing.

 

In any case as I have said on all of our cruises there have been very few who have not conformed.

 

If you can cope with being one of the very few not to have dressed up then fine. But do not tell others it is fine without telling them how they will stand out.

 

 

:):)Happy Cruising:):)

 

 

 

:cool:

 

Dai

 

I said they would be in the minority - I would say that is pretty obvious that they would stand out. Maybe Fred is a big enough person not to care two hoots what the self appointed fashion police think and I am flaming sure they wouldn't have the guts to say it to his face anyway.

 

Fred, my OH has often changed out of hs DJ after the meal and into more casual clothes and he has NEVER been asked to leave a bar.

 

Please don't be put off by what you read in this thread. Cruising is wonderful whichever way you want to play it.

[stopgo]

And you are just a wind up merchant :)

Nail on the head, a sixty year wind up merchant.

[LibraLass41]

Yes, but not everybody is like you Gerry, Fred has explained in post 4 his reasons for sailing with P/O, least you can do is respect them.

 

Fred is a lady is she not?

 

''We are a family of four going on our first ever cruise on Ventura this July. We are really looking forward to it but ..... , neither my husband or I enjoy "dressing up" and don't have any clothes that would meet the dress code for the formal evenings.''

 

My view, for what its worth, is, take a nice dress with you on the cruise , get hubbie to take a normal suit - presume he has a weddings/interviews and funerals suit in the wardrobe, and enjoy the formal night, the wonderful 4-5 course gala meal served by waiters in the main restaurant where you will be served lobster or beef wellington for example,you will have TEN nights out of 14 to dress smart casual, surely 2 nights a week isn't too much of a hardship?

[Laconia]

This is what the website says:

 

Formal

This is the opportunity for ladies to wear formal evening wear such as an evening dress, smart trouser suit or a cocktail dress. For men, a dinner jacket or tuxedo are the norm, otherwise a dark lounge/ business suit and tie or formal national dress is fine. (Applies to all ships.)

I think that you can take this as the answer. Remember that Marks and Sparks sell a dress suit for fifty pounds.

 

[poppy123]

Formal

This is the opportunity for ladies to wear formal evening wear such as an evening dress, smart trouser suit or a cocktail dress. For men, a dinner jacket or tuxedo are the norm, otherwise a dark lounge/ business suit and tie or formal national dress is fine. (Applies to all ships.)

 

In the evenings all restaurants and bars comply with the dress code of the evening.

 

I think the last paragraph is quite clear. This has been taken from P&O's website.

 

As another poster says a nice dress, dosen't have to be long and a suit for your husband will ensure that you don't stand out.

 

Having been on Ventura I can state that 99% of people confirmed to the full dress code and even the other 1% wore nice dresses and a jacket. Even on smart casual nights many people were dressed as if for a semi formal night. Yes the choice is yours.

[Fred66]

Thank you for all the feedback - and support (Stopgo!!). I will take up Nippysweetie suggestion and see if I can cadge a suitable dress( I am a female Fred!!) so I can try one of the evenings and see how we get on From other comments I have read you can get away with wearing the same outfit more than once so I could even up up going to all of them! Don't worry Poppy123 I have no intention of going to the Captain's Do!!

 

I wouldn't want spend the formal evenings in an area where everyone else was formally dressed through. I can see that that would be inappropariate and we might well feel uncomfortable and out of place. Are there public rooms where we could spend the evening and be less likely to be surrounded by cocktail dresses?

 

Surely four formal nights do not make a cruise ship a "Formal Cruise"! We can wear what we like in the day, something smart enough for 10 evenings and have this issue for just four evenings out of the fourteen. I have researched the type of cruise that I think will suit our family and Ventura ticks most of the boxes. We knew that Cunard would not be for us!!!

[Single Cruiser]

This is the age-old debate between traditionalist cruisers and "new cruisers". hey they even covered that in the film Titanic with "Molly Brown and the new money!".

 

I must admit some of the comments on this thread only seem to reinforce the stereotype and the "class divide".

 

I think people need to understand that there are people, myself included who don't like dressing-up on holiday. I do that when at work, meeting customers, going out to dinner with customers etc.. It's a bit like a dog collar when you feel so much more relaxed when back into smart casual clothes.

 

There are probably quite a few "Ladies who lunch" on here who don't get the opportunity to dress up in the normal week and so love an opportunity to dress up on holiday!

 

The bottom line is on vessels like Ventura the lines will blur even more. Yes the OP would probably love Ocean Village but as we are running out of time on that cruise line and they are targetting ex-OV passengers for cruises on Ventura this question will be more frequent.

 

Fred - I'd love to hear how you and the family get on.

[supercarl]

Poppy, I don't think its your position to tell people what they can or cannot wear.

No, it's the position of the on board magazine, and the rules of p+o, which state formal wear must be worn after 6pm in the main restaurant, bars etc. Poppy seems to be just a messenger of truth and justice.

[stopgo]

Truth and justice, who are you ? Mike Parry.

[balf]

A number of points.

 

1. Ventura is not Butlins afloat. (No more than any other cruise ship). In Jan of this year 99% of men wore Bow ties.

 

 

 

Dai

 

 

I have just come off Ventura and this is just not true - where did you get the 99% figure from? We saw many not dressed formally, and I would guess that in the school holidays

when there are more famillies with children there will be even more again. How many other cruise lines than P&O have you sailed on?

 

David.

[balf]

Sorry you are wrong.

 

The dress code is for the whole ship for all the night. There are notices posted in some of the bars. I have seen people asked to leave if in casual clothing.

 

 

Dai

 

Wrong again Dai. The dress code applies to the dining rooms only, you can dine in the Waterside and the American diner in non formal dress and go anywhere you wish in the rest of the ship. Maybe things have changed recently but this was certainly the case up to last Friday. The only cruise ship (liner in this case) where we have found a ship wide formal dress code is on QE2 which has now gone of course. Even QM2 does not have it.

 

Incidently we saw some passengers in the Waterside in formal dress along side others in shorts and t shirts, which is supposed to be banned in the evenings even there. Of course no one told them to go back to their cabin and dress properly. Ventura is not the classiest ship afloat, and many folk are glad of that.

 

David.

[tom_uk]

I think people need to understand that there are people, myself included who don't like dressing-up on holiday. I do that when at work, meeting customers, going out to dinner with customers etc.. It's a bit like a dog collar when you feel so much more relaxed when back into smart casual clothes.

 

I'll just make some sort of reply to Single Cruiser's comment.

 

I ought to say at the outset that I absolutely accept that different people have different preferences. I also accept that this isn't about the (horrible expression) 'right way to do things' - there is no single 'right way'. What there is, however, is a range of cruise lines with different policies on dressing-up; P&O (along with Cunard - in fact, probably even more so in the case of Cunard) is a line that tends pretty strongly towards the formal. My experiences on P&O cruises is that the great majority of P&O passengers are people who enjoy the formality & the dressing up, and who are therefore pleased to go along with the dress code. My view is that someone who did not make an attempt to go along with the formality on the relevant evenings would be noticeable, and (unless very confident) might feel self-conscious and unrelaxed; and that might well detract from their enjoyment of their cruise.

 

Two choices, therefore. First, go with a different cruise line that has different policies. There are some very high-quality lines that don't ask for formal wear; for example, Oceania, or Azamara. Then here's NCL, who in their most recent 5 or 6 ships offer a more radical policy as regards dining.

 

The second choice would be: give it a go. I had never 'dressed for dinner' before we started cruising just a few years ago, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it once I started. Part of the reason, I suspect, is that I was surrounded by many people who are dressing up because they enjoy it, and who as a result were relaxed and happy. That's a contagious mood.

[poppy123]

Fred, I think it would be a real shame to miss the captains do, especially as it is your first cruise. It is lovely to go for half an hour, have a complimentary glass of something and a few Canapes. The captain gives a speech and it is also a good opportunity to meet and chat to the officers. Put your dress on, a sparkly piece of jewellery and off you go. The meal in the resturant is also very good that night so it would be a shame to miss out.

[stopgo]

Thank you for all the feedback - and support (Stopgo!!). I will take up Nippysweetie suggestion and see if I can cadge a suitable dress( I am a female Fred!!) so I can try one of the evenings and see how we get on From other comments I have read you can get away with wearing the same outfit more than once so I could even up up going to all of them! Don't worry Poppy123 I have no intention of going to the Captain's Do!!

 

 

Poppy, Fred doesn't want to go to the Captain's Do!!!!

[Smee]

I have travelled the world quite extensively and I am a strong believer in the saying, When in Rome,............:eek:

[balf]

Fred, I think it would be a real shame to miss the captains do, especially as it is your first cruise. It is lovely to go for half an hour, have a complimentary glass of something and a few Canapes. The captain gives a speech and it is also a good opportunity to meet and chat to the officers. Put your dress on, a sparkly piece of jewellery and off you go. The meal in the resturant is also very good that night so it would be a shame to miss out.

 

Canapes, what canapes - certainly not on Ventura last cruise. And the captain made a very brief dash in at 6.30, made a short, quick speech and was away. Canapes you do get on QM2 but they only serve Pol Acker fizz. At least you get decent drinks with P&O which is in line with the generally good standard of food served. Mind you I believe the food is pretty good at Butlins ashore as well these days.

 

David.

[Cruising Claire]

For ladies a long dress is not necessary on formal nights. A pretty knee length dress or skirt with a more dressy top would be fine. Men however would need to wear a dark suit with bow tie if they don't want to feel out of place in the main restaurants.

[stopgo]

I don't think Fred and her partner want to go into club dinning on formal night, they were just enquiring about an alternative venue they could use.

[scorpio50]

Wrong again Dai. The dress code applies to the dining rooms only, you can dine in the Waterside and the American diner in non formal dress and go anywhere you wish in the rest of the ship. Maybe things have changed recently but this was certainly the case up to last Friday. The only cruise ship (liner in this case) where we have found a ship wide formal dress code is on QE2 which has now gone of course. Even QM2 does not have it.

 

Incidently we saw some passengers in the Waterside in formal dress along side others in shorts and t shirts, which is supposed to be banned in the evenings even there. Of course no one told them to go back to their cabin and dress properly. Ventura is not the classiest ship afloat, and many folk are glad of that.

 

David.

 

Spot on - on all counts David.

[daiB]

Spot on - on all counts David.

 

 

Ah well you are both wrong Many bars on P&O ships have signs saying what the dress code is for the night and that it will be enforced.

 

Eg. Andersons, Aurora and Oriana.

 

Your Idea that it applies only to dining rooms must come from another cruise line.

 

Anyway that is irrelevant, my point is that by saying that it is fine not to conform you do not give the true picture. It is fine but 99%+ of the rest of the passengers will conform and those who do not will stand out.

 

 

 

 

:):)Happy Cruising:):)

 

 

 

:cool:

 

Dai

[ovccruiser]

Mind you I believe the food is pretty good at Butlins ashore as well these days.

 

David.

 

You obviously know of the high standards of Butlin restaurants in order to compare, this gives your background away. Many have tried to give constructive comments on here, you are obvoiusly incapable of such.

 

Fred, if you don't really want to go to the formal nights, may I make a suggestion. Have an intimates night (or 4:D) and have dinner served in your cabin, if you have a balcony, even better. Enjoy your cruise

[LibraLass41]

Canapes, what canapes - certainly not on Ventura last cruise. And the captain made a very brief dash in at 6.30, made a short, quick speech and was away. Canapes you do get on QM2 but they only serve Pol Acker fizz. At least you get decent drinks with P&O which is in line with the generally good standard of food served. Mind you I believe the food is pretty good at Butlins ashore as well these days.

 

David.

 

David

I noticed that there were no canapes on the Ventura welcome aboard party too...but as we were only on a weekender I assumed it was something to do with that, then my mum-in-law came off Ventura a fortnight ago and said the same after a 7n cruise...what a poor affair!

 

and ..it was hard to find a drink as well - but I did get one! Not what I wanted a white wine, only red wine left on the trays and no -one seemed interested in finding some alternatives...this was no-where near as good as Arcadia's welcome aboard party when last year I managed 4 g &t's and some nibbles in 40mins (shock horror, eh stopgo!) and here, just for you stopgo is a photo of me enjoying myself inbetween no3 and no 4 g&t with 2 young officers at that very party !!

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/AuroraPartyCruiseSueV/VeniceCruiseMay2008#5202920125528293490

 

Two weeks tonight I will be trying out Orianas welcome aboard party;)

[daiB]

David

I noticed that there were no canapes on the Ventura welcome aboard party too...but as we were only on a weekender I assumed it was something to do with that, then my mum-in-law came off Ventura a fortnight ago and said the same after a 7n cruise...what a poor affair!

 

and ..it was hard to find a drink as well - but I did get one! Not what I wanted a white wine, only red wine left on the trays and no -one seemed interested in finding some alternatives...this was no-where near as good as Arcadia's welcome aboard party when last year I managed 4 g &t's and some nibbles in 40mins (shock horror, eh stopgo!) and here, just for you stopgo is a photo of me enjoying myself inbetween no3 and no 4 g&t with 2 young officers at that very party !!

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/AuroraPartyCruiseSueV/VeniceCruiseMay2008#5202920125528293490

 

Two weeks tonight I will be trying out Orianas welcome aboard party

 

 

You really must try harder, you have to smile sweetly at the right people. OOHHHH and drink faster:D

 

 

:):)Happy Cruising:):)

 

 

 

 

:cool:

 

 

Dai