ACundy

The Discovery (Royal) suite is the best on the ship. You will feel like royalty. It is massive with a very big 'M'. 😊

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Forums mobile app

Vitalsign. Guess the can't cater for everyone unless they have a big range. I would be the opposite to you and would much prefer Fosters to Heineken. We all have different tastes.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Forums mobile app

I would have to disagree. More than happy with Fosters. Some may not like it but it is one of the best selling beers. Anything stronger, eg. Stella would not be the best idea on AI.

Sent from my SGP611 using Forums mobile app

Thomsons have been TUI for nearly 20 years. What is happening now is global brand consolidation. only an insider could tell us if that means organizational consolidation as well. My "guess" would be not as they must realise there are market preferences and the country/specific teams know their markets. Bit like all Ford cars are Fords but very different products in different regions, run Iargely locally

Sent from my SGP611 using Forums mobile app

The problem is some people don't seem to know the difference between " Smart casual " and " Casual "

 

" Smart casual "........ if you want to eat in the MDR every night, except formal night when you " Dress to Impress "

 

" Casual " if you prefer to eat in the Lido.

 

Amazes me that some people still turn up at mosques and churches in shorts and strappy tops or t shirts while on holiday and wonder why they are denied entry.

Would they go to church at home dressed like that ?

 

Next thing we will be having " smart " jogging trousers and shell suits.

Sorry, rather lost the plot there, jogging bottoms and shell suits would be acceptable in a church or mosque as they both cover shoulders and legs. The problem is all this formal, smart casual, casual is subjective, somewhat reflected by generation. If you have dress code it should be 100% clear, no denim of any colour, no Polo shirts if that's what a line want to call smart casual. So either have a very prescriptive code,which I would adhere to if I booked with whatever company, or just don't bother.

Sent from my SGP611 using Forums mobile app

I have work jeans in the MDR during non formal eveinigs and nothing has been aid to me so you will be fine and the only thing i have been told is make sure it is a collared tshirt

Ta. Assume by that you are saying Polo Shirt?

Sent from my SGP611 using Forums mobile app

Yes, I think this is the problem. Everybody knows what "black tie" means and almost everybody would know that "formal wear" means jacket and tie. Once we get into the realms of "smart" and "casual" wear then danger is ahoy as these are totally open to interpretation. Quite what "dress to impress" means, I don't know. I like to think the ladies are impressed by my open-to-waist Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts but you never know...!

Do you not take your lime green Borat mankini? I was thinking of taking mine [emoji1] [emoji1] [emoji1]

Sent from my SGP611 using Forums mobile app

I remember years ago my father's company was bought by a US one. My Dad and Mum went on a integration trip (Jolly) to the States and they had so many dress codes for each event, business smart casual, sports club smart casual, informal daytime smart casual, evening formal, business formal. It was quite difficult to tell the difference but each detailed in the most detailed way possible! We had a good laugh about it.

I think the problem with the Thomson's code is that in a effort to appear more easy going it is so open to interpretation that it is open to confusion. If it says, as I think I saw somewhere, something as simple as "long trousers and an open neck shirt must be worn in the MDR" , then jeans, smart or not, a polo shirt and trainers meet that code. I have seen posts on other sites saying people were turned away in jeans and trainers. If so , they shouldn't be. If they don't want these to be worn in the MDR it should say "no jeans,trainers etc". The word "smart" should never be used as it is totally subjective.

The way I look at it is you either have a dress code or you don't; there is no in-between. It reminds me of when I was at school many years ago and we would try and push the uniform boundaries as far as we could! I've seen many holiday makers do the same thing on cruise ships, arguing that the shorts or trainers they are wearing are indeed smart and should be allowed. Dress codes should be clearly stated and rigorously adhered to; they are places to eat on all ships for those who want to be more casual.

Do you remember the years when short fat tie was in, then next term the tiny long one. Oh those were the days!

Not trying to start a war as we all have opinions which are equally valid, but...... some of the richest, most successful men in the world, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Branson etc etc rarely wear a tie and almost never a suit. On the other hand the Mafia mob, The Krays etc were always suited and booted. I know who I would rather sit next to at dinner ;).

vwgolf, no offense intended. I don't think it was you who said it but I am bemused when people say smart jeans and trainers aren't smart as if it is a fact. It is an opinion not a fact. Very view things are inherently aesthetically pleasing to the human eye. The Golden Ratio would seem to be one of the few cases. Formal wear differs across the world, across time and across cultures, so a suit is "smart" because of social convention, familiarity and the recent history of fashion, it is not inherently smart.

I too wear a suit at work 5 days a week. I shall probably wear one and a tie :halo: on Dress to Impress night. Now this might seem a bit odd (grumpy old man syndrome :) ) but if I was told I had to wear at least a suit and tie, I might consider skipping the night in the MDR, but because I "could" go in chinos and polo shirt I am more happy to be suited and booted. I guess it's to do with having a choice.

I do wonder though what the reaction would be if there was a designated "casual night" in the MDR and suits , shirts and ties were not allowed :-) Light the touch paper and retire to a safe distance :mad:

Know what you are saying but this is the 21st century, not the sixties, when all men wore suits on Saturday nights out. When we were on the Discovery in January we ate in the main restaurant every night and did not see anybody pushing the boundaries. Not a great fan of Thomson but think they have got it right in relaxing the DJ , suit rule and gone for dress to impress. There are some smashing clothes for men these days and the main thing on holiday is to have fun and not be governed by outdated rules.

As long as clothes are clean, don't smell, don't have any offensive language on them and cover all the bits I don't care what someone is wearing!

Sent from my SGP611 using Forums mobile app