Kimba2

First of all I didn't call people stupid. I said it is "stupid" for Princess to allow this to happen. If I asked you to dinner in my home and said "I would like you to dress a certain way, would you think to yourself I'm not going to do that, I am going to do what I want. I would not be happy but I would allow you to come in my home anyway. That is what Princess is doing.

See I disagree. I think that Princess is being purposely ambiguous.

They want the revenue from the pictures but they don't want to alienate those who prefer to dress casually on the optional formal nights on a vacation that they paid good money for.

But the reality is that if they started turning away the slacks & shirt crowd they would lose passengers.

My guess is that if Princess went formal only on those nights that the casual crowd books with another line. The formal crowd won't change lines and the percentage of those who would is much smaller than the percentage of the casually dressed who would bolt.

There's simply too much competition out there.

The venue is requesting a certain type of dress. If you go the Princess website under (Know before you go) You can scroll down to "What to pack" It says "When formal nights are being held, please observe the dress code in the MDR venues for the enjoyment of all our guests. Evening gowns and cocktail dresses for women. Tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits with a tie for men. This is also repeated in the Princess Patter on formal nights. Princess is requesting you dress a certain way, people are just refusing to do it.

 

The people who are following the "dress code" are only doing what Princess is asking them to do. I find the fault to be with Princess for allowing people to enter the dining room without the requested dress on. Why does Princess even have a dress code if they are not going to enforce it? I really wish they would get rid of the formal night dress code because it is very stupid for people to be in tuxes & evening gowns, cocktail dresses, suits & ties, sitting next to someone in casual pants & polo shirt. Princess should make one of the MDR formal for those who would like to dress up. Everyone else could go to the others. I think this would make everyone happy. We always dress for formal nights but we may just dress like we do on casual nights on our next cruise. It doesn't make it a "special evening" if about half of the MDR is not following the formal dress code. I will be wearing a dress or nice pants outfit. DH will be in dress pants & button down shirt.

Wait - so you dress up in formal Wear and I walk in the MDR dressed in casual pants & polo shirt - and suddenly it's no longer a "special evening"?

The only people who aren't happy with the suggested dress code are the people who feel that somehow their food tastes different and their special evening is ruined because of some guy who walked in with black slacks and a white polo shirt.

See I think that is very stupid.

Why are people so concerned with what other people are wearing?

oh, I totally agree, except my "kaki's" are a pair of linen pants ( black for formal night ) and a long sleeve button up shirt ( although I do occasionally wear a very nice long sleeved polo shirt )

 

that's for every night on ship , casual or formal, when we are planning on going to a specialty restaurant, mdr, vines, crooners, show, etc:cool:

I respect that. In fact, I wear that.

I love the posts that say there is some sort of disrespect for people, dining room, spouse, yourself, (fill in the blank), etc. if you don't dress in a tux.

So I guess "control" is synonymous with "cheap"

 

Call it what you want if it makes you feel better - but if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.

Well said!!!!!

Thank you

Choosing not to tip for mediocre service is not equated with being cheap.......just in control.......:rolleyes:

So I guess "control" is synonymous with "cheap"

Call it what you want if it makes you feel better - but if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.

Certainly a lot of excuses being made for being cheap.

Anyone who works for tips can easily recognize who tips and who doesn't.

While a good employee would never withold service, they will always go above and beyond for those who aren't stingy.

So you would walk around the pier area at night by yourself? Good Luck

 

For some readon you serm to be trying to say that area is safe. Not anywhere near that. Safest large metropolis doesnot mean it is safe. That area is dangerous and people get hurt even in the daylight.

Hmm - you seem to infer a lot from my posting of a fact.

Now why would anyone - tourist, visitor or resident walk around the cruise terminal at night? But if I somehow found myself there at night alone then I would have to walk around. And probably the only life that I would see would be law enforcement patrols.

The Redhook area is being gentrified and the waterfront area is being built up. (Try the lobster roll at the Lobster Pound or get a nice sandwich at Defonte's - featured on Diners, Drive-ins & Dives.)

People get hurt in many places in daylight - like the person who posted about their incident around the Miami port.

Redhook is not the safest community but nor is it the most dangerous either.

You mean we won’t get mugged and physically assaulted, like what happened to us in Miami, right across from Bayside? [emoji6]

 

 

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Haha - great reply. People just don't realize that New York is the safest large metroplis in the U.S. - the crime rate per resident is lower than the national average.

Brooklyn is just another great part of NYC.

Oh it's for the better - in many, many ways.

While I agree cruise formal attire is changing, currently the ships post appropriate attire for formal night. Perhaps in the future suggested attire will change. You can take pictures daily and at each port. So buying pictures isn’t the reason for formal night. To me it is celebrating the cruise

Suggested being the key word.

Hmmmmm - don't recall any people in formal Wear blocking the stairway for pictures while in port. You may not want to believe it, but it's not us "slobs" who are paying for all the pictures on formal night.

I agree with the Host, Princess needs to stop the charade and post realistic dress codes. The outdated codes simply are not enforced. One thing I have noted however is the increasing number of men wearing a suit/sport coat and no tie. Trend of the future?

I disagree. I think that it's very clear - formal wear is a suggestion on formal nights. They are happier if you dress up because they make money on pictures. But they don't want to alienate 75% of the passengers who would prefer casual dress. And this is why there is a suggested dress code.

The confusion is caused by people on this board who have an agenda.

Wow. That particular statement really says a lot. This is an attitude that seems to be more and more prevalent. I don't find it to be a good trend but then I'm not in charge of the world. (Probably a good thing as I have no idea how I would be able to figure out how to manage it anyway.)

Individualism is a beautiful thing.

Try it, you might like it.

Glad to hear that there are others like me. This may be asking for trouble, but I think if you wear a tux, you are treated better.

See I think that it doesn't matter whether or not you wear a tux, you are treated better if you tip.

I really resent others calling us slobs. My husband & I dress as we see fit for formal nights and always eat in the DR.

It seems as though some of the people on this board feel themselves above the rest of us who just cruise for relaxation and don't care to join the high and mighty crowd.

Amen (and I'm agnostic)

I still don't understand why they get so upset by the passengers who choose to dress casual in the MDR on the optional formal night. Must be some sort of psychological problem.

It's your vacation, you paid for it, so dress the way you want to - because you can.

I recently got off my very first cruise and loved it as it exceeded my expectations. My only complaint was the merchants in Labadee. Walking through the area was not very pleasant based on how pushy, aggressive, and should I say obnoxious some of the vendors were. I realize every port will have pushy or aggressive people trying to make their money and the cruise lines have no control over that. However, in Labadee Royal has complete control and I am curious why they would allow that to continue.

 

My question is this what has been your experience or response from Royal if you have complained about the merchant area. I was thinking of sending an email but just curious if other people have made complaints and what the response back from Royal has been. I am interested in any email response or if anybody talked with a guess representative on the ship. I know I cannot be the only person who was disappointed with being hassled to buy something (which I can say I did not buy anything) while walking through the merchant area.

Never seen them on the beach, never had a problem.

If they are in that little area where items are sold then what's the problem? Isn't that the intent? Isn't this part of the island ambiance?

I guess just don't walk there if you don't like it.

That's part of the problem. They leave their responsibility up to others and when something goes wrong they blame them. Seems like when some people go on vacation they also let their brain go on vacation.

 

As for the kids running around and jumping in the pool when others are in there, where are their parents? The parents need to stop this behavior.

Our biggest gripe about cruising is the kids running around and jumping in the pool and/or just being a general nuisance in the pool.

With three pools on the Allure, for example, we often wondered why one pool wasn't designated adults only. So we've basically switched to Princess as we have found not as many kids on Princess sailings. We also try to pick times of the year when the odds of kids being on a sailing are much lower - such as just after a holiday when schools are back.

That being said, we're on the Anthem beginning May 31 and we're not sure what to expect; but we really wanted to try this ship.

Princess still keeps the tradition but the passenger base is middle age to old age so more people keep with the tradition of dressing up on that line.

But (thankfully) the formal nights on Princess are optional. While there are people who dress up (and have pictures taken) there are at least an equal number of passengers - if not more - who choose not to put on formal wear for formal nights while dining in the main dining room.

Why would you encourage anyone to dress to the absolute minimum standards. It is true the Caribbean is becoming a draw for the unacceptable, but it should not be encouraged.

"A draw for the unacceptable?" What does that mean?

Who are "the unacceptable"?

In many states, whether they can check it or not, you can be find for driving without your license on your person.

In many states? Really? That doesn't sound right.

I can understand some states ticketing those who aren't carrying their license but then dropping any penalty once the person produces the license in Court.

<laughing>:D

And I tip for you too - so you're good should you ever decide to have a drink in NYC - you'll get good service and a generous pour.

I rarely have a drink when I am in NYC.

No problem, I'm sure that I drink your share.

Especially when you are playing 18% on an overly inflated drink price.

 

 

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Actually, it's cheaper drinking on the ship than it is in NYC.

Always tip your bartenders.

Where I see the biggest difference in service with tips, is the roaming servers around the pools and in show theaters. As much as I'm against tipping in bars in order to cut the line, if tipping the roaming servers helps to have them come by more often to see if we need anything... so be it :D

 

dp

Where did anyone say anything about tipping to cut lines?

At the bars I tip $1 extra each drink and always stand next to the people above who don't tip. The result is great service and generous pours.

Same thing with the casino servers - I never have to worry about flagging anyone down - they are always checking to see if I need another.