Rhapsody Dining Attire

[gbcruise]

For those that have been on Rhapsody I need some guidance. My husband's attire has always been Wrangler's, including black pressed ones for our wedding. He did go out & buy 2 pairs of pleated chinos & some very nice shirts for the cruise. He however does not own a suit & says he also will not go buy one. Does this count us out for formal night? I really want to attend formal night but not if it's going to offend others by having my husband in what I call church clothes that are neatly pressed & presentable.

[Lil_Bit]

formal is formal, which is dark suits/tux for men and dressy dresses for women.

 

If you want to attend, there is a chance that you may be denied admittance which could be uncomfortable for you during your vacation.

 

If they do not say anything to you, you may feel out of place as on formal night most people are dressed at minimum the requested dress code.

 

If your husband will not budge on the suit (or even a navy sportcoat), then I think you might be less stressed in the Windjammer. Maybe you can convince him that a suit can be worn on this cruise, for weddings, funerals and other special occasions.

 

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[imatarb]

I'd have to agree with Lil Bit here. Perhaps you can convince him that the suit will be used for other purposes besides the cruise. Formal night is just that..formal.

 

Lisa

 

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[davidaperryman]

There are plenty of men in sports coat and tie and they looked just fine.

 

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[joycemh]

We have been on the Rhapsody three times. First time out of NOLA, and the last two times out of Galveston. In fact the last time was just 2 months ago over spring break. Going out of Galveston people aren't as dressy. On out two cruises from Texas the dress was anything from tux's to nice church clothes. Formal here in Texas can be ironed and creased jeans. In fact I was at a formal wedding just last week-end and the brides father was in jeans, boots, and a tux jacket. I know this answer will get me a lot of crap. They will not denie you from going into the dinning room. There were several men in dress shirts and ties and no jackets. If in fact he feels confortable with he's wearing to heck with what other people think. I live in Austin which is the capitol, former home of G. Bush. I have seen pictures of parties around town and it is not unusual to see starched jeans, white shirt and tie. Ships out of Texas are at least 75% Texans, and people just aren't as formal. I hope this helps you out.

 

Joyce

 

I know there are a lot of you that don't agree. So unless you have traveled out of Texas you can't really answer her questions.

[knothead]

I have travelled out of Galveston and I did not see anyone in jeans. I would perfer everyone to wear formal attire but I would also not be offended if your husband wore a pair of starched black jeans with a tux jacket & tie or a nice black sport coat & tie! I want everyone to respect others but I also want them to enjoy their vacation too! and I too know how stubborn husbands can be!!

[Grandma Dazzles]

Have sailed out of San Juan, Galveston, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale - having said that I feel confident in saying that I haven't noticed a lot of difference in the way people dress. I honestly don't think one ship is "more dressier" than another. I do think that second seating you will see more tuxs, but a lot of men (my husband included) wear dark suits and we are on the second seating. If your husband doesn't want to buy a suit, I think a minimum would be a sports coat - otherwise he would really stand out in the dining room when everyone else is in tuxs and suits. I agree with posters who say "formal" is "formal" although I know not everyone agrees. You do have a choice - and it's not as if the whole ship is "formal" - just the dining room, so you could eat in the Windjammer and then go to the shows, casino, etc. with everyone else.

 

Also, we loved the Rhapsody out of Galveston (have sailed her out of San Juan, also). Previous poster said 75% of passengers were from Texas, which was wonderful, they were by far the friendliest, most polite, and enjoyable of any cruise we have taken. Would definitely sail again out of Galveston.

[TXSailor]

Hello:

 

I am a native Texan and I love to wear my jeans...everyday/everynight uniform. Yes, we are Texans but that doesn't mean that we can not or will not wear suits and tuxedos. Again, I love my jeans too, but when formal is the requested attire for a public function, I wear a suit or a tux. Guess what? Your husband can rent a tux on board the ship just for that one night. You'll have to check on the prices though.

 

Fausto

 

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[changinlat]

To RCCL Bound

We just returned from the Rhapsody two days ago (The 5/16/04 - 5/23/04 sailing.) Having it fresh in my mind, here are my opinions on your question, previous replies and what I witnessed.

 

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Lil_Bit:

formal is formal, which is dark suits/tux for men and dressy dresses for women.

 

If you want to attend, there is a chance that you may be denied admittance which could be uncomfortable for you during your vacation.

 

If they do not say anything to you, you may feel out of place as on formal night most people are dressed at minimum the requested dress code.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

You will not be denied admittance to the dining room if your DH is not wearing a tie. We saw one passenger in the dining room on formal night wearing jeans, a golf shirt and, believe or not, his baseball cap. Yes, a baseball cap, and no, he didn't bother to remove it while seated at the table eating his lobster. Maybe I'm old school, but a baseball cap is NEVER acceptable in the dining room. Obviously this guy didn't feel out of place, so whether you or your DH will feel out of place is completely up to you. More on that in a minute.

 

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by PMcC1998:

Have sailed out of San Juan, Galveston, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale - having said that I feel confident in saying that I haven't noticed a lot of difference in the way people dress. I honestly don't think one ship is "more dressier" than another. I do think that second seating you will see more tuxs, but a lot of men (my husband included) wear dark suits and we are on the second seating.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

I have also sailed out of San Juan(4), Galveston(2), Miami(2) & Ft. Lauderdale(1). Normally, I would have completely agreed with PMcC1998 on this point. That is, until I sailed on the Rhapsody. My fiance and I both commented that we have never seen a more informal "formal" night on a cruise ship. Very few tuxes, in fact probably more jeans than tuxes. (We were second seating by the way.) I hesitate to mention this because I am old school and would prefer that people dress to the occassion. But I'm also a realist and think that everyone should enjoy their vacation. After all, we are all paying for the same thing.

 

One last closing comment because I promised more on your "comfort level." We ate at a table for six with two other couples we had not met before the cruise. One couple did not come to dinner on the first formal night. We ran into them on deck the next day and mentioned that we had missed them at dinner. Their reply was that he didn't even own a tie, so when he was dressed in slacks and a sport shirt, they asked their cabin attendant if that was "acceptable" attire for formal night. His reply was to shrug and say, "you wear what you have."

 

They interpreted that as a "no" and ordered the meal from room service instead. They told us that the shrimp cocktail was hot and the steaks were cold. We didn't care if he wasn't wearing a tie. We enjoyed their company and thought they should enjoy their cruise and we told them as much. They came to the second formal night sans coat and tie. It sure didn't offend us and if it offended anyone else in the dining room we were having too much fun to notice.

 

In short, the moral of this story is that the happy medium between a tux and a baseball cap is not a thin black line, but a very wide grey one. Sorry for the long winded rant. I'll climb down off my soap box now. Enjoy your cruise.

 

P.S. Let the flaming begin.

 

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[gbcruise]

I find these assorted answers to my question very interesting. I do believe that with cruise bargains these days more of a mix of people are cruising & therefore why probably others are seeing such a wide degree of clothing attire on formal nights.

Regarding my husband he has always catered to my needs so on the dress issue I don't want him uncomfortable in clothing that truly is out of his element. Even renting a tux for the night would leave him pulling at the clothes & very preoccupied with wanting out of it. Now the sportjacket & pleated pants & certainly pressed wranglers he would feel more comfortable in than suit or tux.

I do believe that if your dressed reasonable than that should be adequate. The only thing that I would really find offensive that would interfear with my having fun would be scantly clad women or men. You certainly wouldn't ever find me on a nude cruise that's for sure, LOL. Thankyou EVERYONE for the prompt & informative insight!!!

[TXSailor]

Hi rcclbound:

 

I agree, there is more of a mix of people who are cruising. But the reason we are seeing such a wide degree of clothing attire on formal nights is because the dining room staff isn't monitoring nor enforcing the suit/tux requirement. I believe that if the dining room staff doesn't enforce this, then why bother having formal nights? I may not like to put a suit on or a tux, but I'll do it because it is expected of me. Is wearing a suit/tux just going to ruin my evening and/or cruise? Of course it isn't, so with that, I have absolutely no problems. Sure, I could wear what I feel is formal enough and to hell with everyone else. Enough people take on that attitude, and you will get what you see right now...people not wearing suits/tux and not thinking twice about it. Just like changinlat saw that guy with a baseball cap...see? That guy didn't care what others thought.

 

On my cruise, the couple sitting with us at our dining table didn't dress up. He was wearing a tie(gotta give'em that) but no dinner jacket. I thought that was rude and not appropriate. Our waiters were better dressed than he was. Yes, it made me feel uncomfortable. Now, I am also paying for my vacation and trying to have a good time. Why does this turkey show up in the dining room on formal night wearing something that is not formal? Does he care? No. This is the problem with the mix of people on some of these cruises. I say, if you don't have a suit/tux, you don't get into the main dining room on formal nights.

 

Sorry, didn't mean to rant on like this. Its just that you hit a sensitive issue with me.

 

Regards,

 

Fausto

 

Rhapsody 05/04, 06/04, 07/04, 12/04

 

"The ship is rockin? I thought it was just me..."

[gbcruise]

Fausto & Others:

Attire on formal night, Kids & Smoking seem to be issues with which people certainly have opposite opinions but that's quite alright. Reading the information has helped make my decision. I really want to attend formal night as this is my first 7 night cruise ever but I will pass if my husband doesn't want to wear the proper attire. I may/maynot be able to talk him into a sportcoat. It' simply a issue of following what the ships rules are & as a good citizen I kow that's what I will do. This leads me to ask however what the menu has been lately on formal night & am I right that it can be room serviced??? I also am curious on what is on the room sevice menu???

[springtxbill]

I say have him go with the sport coat and the black pressed jeans. If it was good enough for your wedding, it should be okay.

 

Bill D

 

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[flagger]

I don't own a suit or a tie and wear pressed jeans and a starched white button down to church when I go. If it is good enough for god, it will be good enough for a cruise.

 

Cannot wait for Rhapsody next January.

 

[brn2crz]

You know flagger,I would really love to meet you on our Sept 12th Rhapsody trip......

 

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[flagger]

We are taking Infinity to Alaska on the 12th.

[brn2crz]

ahh,,too bad...

 

I really wanted to meet the famous Flagger.

Anyway,enjoy both cruises,and at least you can honk at me when you drive through Dickinson!

 

Rhapsody Reunion 9-12-04

 

 

 

[wolfganghowell]

Bound, perhaps hubby would consider wearing a tux jacket with his black jeans. That's what we call Texas formal!

 

We cruised Rhapsody when it first arrived in Texas and I have to say it fell in line (wardrobe wise and everything wise)with most of our cruises. I will be interested to see if it has changed now that it has caught on so well in Texas.

 

The cruise lines do try to maintain some of their traditions of cruising - which is why we have the 2 formal nights. I too believe that the dress code should be respected. If you can coax him at least into the tux jacket or a jacket and tie with his chinos for the duration of dinner, bravo. Many folks change to more comfortable casual clothes after dinner even though the ship requests that passengers maintain the dress code in all public rooms.

 

That being said, I really don't let what other people wear or don't wear have any bearing on the enjoyment of my cruise. But I do torture my husband to dress according to the rules. But that's easy since he doesn't like to stand out, owns a tux and calls himself James Bond when he wears it!

 

I hope you enjoy your first cruise, that you experience the dining room on formal night - they try to make it very special and that's usually the night they have lobster!

 

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[thefish]

My wife and I don't get to dress up much so she looks forward to the formal nights and enjoys seeing me in a suit and a tie as much as she likes to purtie up. So despite anything else I would dress up just to please her. If just being comfortable was the main concern I believe that shorts and a tee shirt should be allowed in the dining room at all times. Alas it is not the main concern. I am lost about a lot of things concerning decorum. Everywhere I eat there are people who never take off their hats. I was raised to take off my hat when inside or in the presence of a lady. It seems the majority of people were not and nor do they care. This bothers me sometimes, I think of it as a matter of manners, yet I still take off my hat and try not to be judgmental of others. I being born in Texas City and raised in Texas have my blue jeans in the closet. A far cry from the few starched and patched jeans of my youth. I have my dress Wranglers and my work Levi's and a many odds and ends between. I have my work boots and my dancing boots, my ordinary day hats and my dress Resistol. Denim jeans are made with heavy canvas for a reason. This reason not being comfort. Starch only increases this discomfort. Your light cotton or wool dockers and dress pants are much more comfortable. I might wear jeans and boots for work and rodeo but for comfort I would prefer light dress pants and soft soled shoes or a pair of shorts and sneakers at the end of a hard day. If it is hot and uncomfortable in the dining room I am not above removing my coat. I think people would prefer this than seeing me sweat. I do not buy shirts too tight around the neck or wear my neck ties tight.

 

thanks