sparks1093

The 15 a day limit applies whether or not someone has Cheers so I'm not sure why he would say that, unless he was trying to get on your good side.

To each his or her own. I have entered the theater while Bingo was happening and noticed a large number of folks who aren't playing. They could be there for the same reason that I am- to get a seat for the next event that is scheduled. As mentioned they have drink waiters making the rounds, it is relatively quiet and isn't a bad way to just sit and relax while chatting with your cruise mates, either. I doubt that Bingo watching would ever replace Quest, but as mentioned some folks like to pass the time doing that.

My anecdote was aimed only at showing how clothing does have an impact on how people behave, nothing more and nothing less.

Yes, I know, and you missed the reason why I brought it up, but that's ok, it's not the end of the world.

And for you it's a good choice, but it's not a universal need or benefit.

The passport card is a niche document and for most travelers it's an extra that doesn't really help them. It's primarily designed for crossing the land borders or for returning from cruises from Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean. I live 8 miles from the northern border and many folks in my community have either the passport card or an EDL since the only travel they are going to ever do is crossing that border. Someone in the Midwest would have less of a need for a passport card (unless they get it as a stand alone document for cruising or they have a need to cross the land borders often).

And in either case "people feel there are no rules".

I'm sure that there are some who view mainstream lines to be nothing more than a floating sailor bar.

Got it. Each mainstream line does have rules, but their enforcement of the rules can be spotty, so I would say in an environment where rules aren't enforced it tends to lead to an atmosphere where people feel there are no rules, but it kind of amounts to the same thing.

No doubt, but we were discussing your comment that it's "an absurd pretense of what you wear makes the person is absurd". The point that @navybankerteacher was making (if I'm understanding him correctly) is that the relaxed dress codes on the mainstream lines contributes to behavioral issues on those lines.

There have been many studies that have shown that "clothes make the person". Of course when dealing with human beings little is absolute, but what one wears can impact one's behavior. I know of the following real life example. The Petty Officer Club on the Little Creek Naval base was known for the number of fights that occurred every night. It was getting quite out of hand, even for drunken sailors. A new club manager was hired and the first thing that he did was implement a strict dress code. No clothes with holes or obvious wear. Jeans were allowed but they couldn't be faded. And he hired people to enforce the dress code at the door and their say was final. The fighting stopped. So, yes, what a person wears can impact their conduct.

Some people on a closed loop cruise will have simply a birth certificate and a government ID. Someone with a passport card will be a bit better off if something were to happen. In any event DW and I had a similar discussion- we have EDLs (same functionality as a passport card) and passports. I asked if we wanted to just cruise with the EDLs and leave the passports in the safe deposit box. She said, "we have the passports, we might as well use them". We bring our passports and they go into the cabin safe once we are onboard and stay there until we disembark, so the risk for losing them is very slight.

I think people that pay more are upper middle class and above, in short they have money (yes, an obvious statement). And they tend to dress "better" on a day to day basis, anyway. Some may even "dress for dinner" in their own home on a routine basis. So it stands to reason that they would want to sail with a cruise line where others are dressing similarly to themselves (but people choose their cruise line for a wide variety of reasons, so being pampered, having better quality food and entertainment, etc. all play into the decision. I doubt that there are many out there who are choosing a line solely because of the dress code.) I read the dress code for one of the upscale lines (Oceania) and it isn't for me at all, since it controls not only what is worn during dinner but also what is worn in public during the day (but if I were looking for the best in food and entertainment etc. then I could overcome the dress code). In any event it is what it is. For some it enhances the cruising experience (the theme of this thread) and for some it detracts from the cruising experience. If someone misses the old way of dressing up for cruising there are certainly lines out there that will satisfy them, but even still the old formality that used to exist is a thing of the past.

They could be.

Then you will be pleased to know that trays aren't offered on two mainstream lines (at least). Guess that makes them "great"🤣.

There's a cruise option for every taste and budget. As it should be.

Very little actually. It's easy enough to avoid loud crowds on most ships.

I don't allow how others choose to dress affect my experience one way or the other.

I thought the food that we had on Glory was some of the best we've had on Carnival, so food is entirely subjective (and this was for the old menus, can't wait to try the new ones next April). Of course, two different people can make the same dish and have it taste different, so much of this has to do with the cooks themselves and their experience rather than the food itself. I've known cooks who could take the toughest cut of meat and make it some of the best I've eaten and others that could take the best prime cut and turn it into shoe leather.

As I understand it the buckets don't count toward your daily count.

That's the thing, you don't need to get anywhere near 15 a day to make the package worthwhile, around 6 alcohol drinks per day will do it (the drink package I just posted will demonstrate this).

We did the same thing and came out spending a couple hundred more than what Cheers cost. Wish I had know about this drink calculator first: https://cruisespotlight.com/drink-package-calculator/ . Of course you need to put in what you think you will average and take into account the port days, etc. in your estimate.

When I say "dress up" I mean a business suit for me for whatever the cruise line calls "formal" night and business casual for the rest of the nights. I have been known to bring and wear my tux, but that is usually reserved for the cruises where we are celebrating a significant anniversary.

It is a shore excursion, a local tour arranged through the cruise lines. You can purchase those but you can also deal directly with most excursion operators and pay less then what the cruise line charges. It all depends on your comfort level.

And of course, the attire on cruise ships is merely a mirror of the attire worn by society. DW and I seem to be outliers, we dress up for dinner when we are on a cruise. Mostly because we don't dress up too often when we are at home.