Shipboard Dress - Changing Times??

[ccxnola]

I have enjoyed several cruises on RCCL since 2003. Each and every cruise has been most enjoyable and interesting. However, on our recent cruise on Mariner OTS it seemed the majority of folks dressed while on-board (sea days) as though they were going to do some heavy gardening or work on the car! Not just a few, but a great many!! Sure, I do understand that it is a vacation and a time for folks to relax and take it easy. But...I observed many in clothing going to meals or ship events that were tattered or torn, some obviously dirty, or simply so old and disheveled they should have been thrown away. I do know that many are on a tight budget and a cruise is a luxury - but surely those folks that book a cruise have decent clothes to wear. OR - is it just me being old-fashoned and out-of-date??

[mation101]

my 15 yr old nephen just visitied from Ohio, he wore the same jeans all 4 days, they had more holes than swiss cheese. He was so proud of those jeans, because they cost him $120.00 and he paid for them with his own $$.. I can guarantee you if he had been on a cruise he would have worn them to dinner every night, maybe even formal nights.

 

You are not old, the younger gens have very different clothing styles than we had, and I am only 43

[John Henry on CC]

my 15 yr old nephen just visitied from Ohio, he wore the same jeans all 4 days, they had more holes than swiss cheese. He was so proud of those jeans, because they cost him $120.00 and he paid for them with his own $$.. I can guarantee you if he had been on a cruise he would have worn them to dinner every night, maybe even formal nights.

 

You are not old, the younger gens have very different clothing styles than we had, and I am only 43

I suspect that ccxnola was not only observing "youngsters". :rolleyes:

 

:)

[Rancher Dave]

Lets toss some gas on this fire...:D

 

What about those who weat t-backs when they probably should be in a one piece if any bathing suit at all...:eek:

[ccxnola]

Dave,

I'm sure not wanting to start a 'flaming' contest!! AND...I understand that folks can wear what they like. Not too many years ago, the ladies would 'dress' to go shopping - including hairdo, makeup and nice dress (sometimes with gloves). Of course, those days are long gone - although every once in awhile I do spot someone dressed like that in the mall - usually at least 70 years young.

 

I'm asking the question about shipboard dress because of the very obvious 'downgrade' of 'what to wear' on our recent Mariner OTS cruise.

 

Are torn and dirty jeans & T-shirt now the 'norm'? Thongs, shorts & T-shirt in the Windjammer?? (And I'm not talking about only teens - one fellow, old enough to be a grandfather, sat down to lunch in the Windjammer looking like he had spent a hard morning digging in the garden - and wore his dirty basball style hat the whole time!!)

 

(I will not even mention the great number of male teens that wore a baseball cap backwards - including during meals! Oh how I wanted to comment, but it is not my place to do so, thus young men seem to never get any training in how to dress appropriately for the situation.)

[relaxandenjoy]

I'm one who loves formal nights and always dress up a bit for dinner no matter the "suggested" attire for the night. (I suspect I'll be overdressed a bit next week but there were just so many cute dresses and shoes to pick from!)

 

To me, daytime is for swimming, sun, and fun. I confess to having gone into the windjammer in a swimsuit cover-up and sandals. That way I can grab a bite and get back to the pool. Of course my clothes are always clean, but I tend not to notice what others are wearing during the day.

[fubarsbabe]

One of things that made us choose this cruise over freestyle is the formal nights, my son 18 and hubby 36 couldn't wait to order tuxes, you don't get a chance to dress up every day so happy to do this, if my son was wearing a baseball cap to dinner it would be overboard , basic manners that you don't wear hats at meals ( medical exceptions excluded) jeans at lunch or in the buffet for dinner is one thing but i will expect him to smarten up for meal times and ripped jeans , dirty clothes wouldn't be acceptable. However I firmly believe you should wear what makes you comfortable ( ccxnola - a thong in the UK is g string underwear - I truly hope standards havent slipped that low ! )

[SEASONEDCRUZER]

Our family always dresses for dinner as we always go to the MDR or the specialty restaurants, no WJ in the evening for us. The guys wear a dress shirt and usually a tie and dress pants, and the girls wear fancy top and pants or skirt and blouse. We like formal nights too! Suits & ties for men, long dresses for girls-its a nice opportunity to get good pictures and wear our fancy duds! During the day I have been known to change 2 or 3 times depending on the activity and don't even ask how many pairs of shoes I bring :o :D

 

I don't notice what most people have on, BUT on occasion I have noticed an outfit has either been so tight, see through, worn out/dirty or short that it makes me wonder why that person left their cabin! Some outfits just shouldn't appear in public no matter if it's "your holiday" or not! ;)

[melbur]

Dave,

I'm sure not wanting to start a 'flaming' contest!! AND...I understand that folks can wear what they like. Not too many years ago, the ladies would 'dress' to go shopping - including hairdo, makeup and nice dress (sometimes with gloves). Of course, those days are long gone - although every once in awhile I do spot someone dressed like that in the mall - usually at least 70 years young.

 

I'm asking the question about shipboard dress because of the very obvious 'downgrade' of 'what to wear' on our recent Mariner OTS cruise.

 

Are torn and dirty jeans & T-shirt now the 'norm'? Thongs, shorts & T-shirt in the Windjammer?? (And I'm not talking about only teens - one fellow, old enough to be a grandfather, sat down to lunch in the Windjammer looking like he had spent a hard morning digging in the garden - and wore his dirty basball style hat the whole time!!)

 

(I will not even mention the great number of male teens that wore a baseball cap backwards - including during meals! Oh how I wanted to comment, but it is not my place to do so, thus young men seem to never get any training in how to dress appropriately for the situation.)

 

 

On our recent Serenade cruise, a young couple were walking into the WJ in front of me, he in no shirt and bathing suit, she with her bikini top and a pr of very short shorts. the young lady "greeter" at the entry told them they were not dressed appropriately and were denied entry. They accepted this graciously and left. Nice to see in some cases they are enforcing appropriate dress. I'm not a prude but I don't think anywhere would accept someone shirtless.

[tina6296]

I think the standard has changed with the times. I'm 39 and have no problem with nice jeans on the casual nights. I am also a mom of a 10 year old and a 13 year old and teach them the appropriate manner of dress for the situation. My kids can't understand why they can't wear jeans to the theater because "everyone else is"! I make them both wear pants or dresses while at dinner on each cruise and I would never allow my son to wear a hat in any dining area. So, I think some of this goes back to parenting.

[silentbob007]

I'm sure only Carnival has cruisers that dress like this ... at least that's what I've learned on CC. ;)

[galavant3]

As others have mentioned, please, please, please teach your sons that it is inappropriate to wear a baseball cap in the dining room! Personally, I think dining room attendants could very discreetly ask for caps to be removed when men/boys enter the dining room. I do not think the boys are being disrepectful, I think they just don't know any better.

[navigator0709]

Hi All,

 

This is not a cruise ship phenominon. It never ceases to amaze me what people are wearing to church, restaurants, and other places out in public. I am 37 years old and have absolutely no objection to jeans on casual nights or in restaurants here. The problem is that for MANY people (especially those over 30) jeans means the pants you wear to garden and wash the car and they go with the dirty white sneakers you wear for the same task. Basically, the problem is many people have no concept of what "casual clothes" are... they either have gardening or athletic clothes or they have "dress up" clothes (suits, dress slacks, white shirts etc...).

 

Many Many Americans have taken their love of comfort to a ridiculous level and have no concept of "dressing for the occaision". Nice modern clean jeans with a button down shirt or golf shirt with dark shoes is a great look for a man, with a nice top and feminine shoes for ladies is also great.

 

Teens are a different story: Even when I was a teen, lots of kids liked wearing ripped jeans as a fashion statement. Its a phase. As a parent, I wouldn't allow my kids to wear them to a restaurant or on a cruise ship. They can wear them to school or to the movies. This also enforces the idea to our kids that there is a "time for everything" and the kids learn that there are different types of dress for different occaisions. Lots of people don't enforce this philosiphy (and it wasn't taught to them by their parents apparantely either), thus we have people everywhere that look like complete slobs.

 

I am more bothered by seeing adults of MY generation looking sloppy than teens. Just the other day at work we had "jeans for Haiti" day at my office, which was great. MOST people looked great in their jeans, smart top, and proper casual shoes. I would say there were about 25% of the people who took that to mean stained jeans, wrinkled ill fitting t-shirt, and dirty white sneakers. No wonder we never move our dress policy away from business casual... you can't enforce common sense.

 

I'm about to step off my soapbox... I don't see any issue with someone wearing a bathing suit WITH cover up (or shirt for a man), and sandals in the WJ for lunch. Aren't most people going straight from the pool to lunch?

[Captain Jake]

Times always change.For generations people have been shaking theirs heads at what the younger kids wear,their movies,music,ect,ect...... If they did everything the way of their parents they'd would be doing something wrong.In the end they are excellent people

:cj

[MAZANDSTEVE]

Times always change.For generations people have been shaking theirs heads at what the younger kids wear,their movies,music,ect,ect...... If they did everything the way of their parents they'd would be doing something wrong.In the end they are excellent people

:cj

 

 

Very true, My Dad shakes his head because a lot ladies prefer jeans or trousers these days to dresses he says its not feminine.

[navigator0709]

Its not the fashion changes that bothers me, actually, its the 30+ crowd that seem to be the worst offenders. Its not knowing that there are clothing choices BETWEEN athletic/gardening/car cleaning clothes and suit/tux/dresses/dress shirt clothes. Basically, lots of people wear their slobby clothes everywhere except a wedding/funeral... and even that is not always the case!

[rncruiser]

My 18 year old son knows the rules about dressing for dinner. Formal nights must be suit and tie, other nights he can wear jeans, but they must be clean and without holes. During the day he wears cargo shorts and a t-shirt. Dinner time, he knows he must wear a shirt with a collar. Since I usually pack for him, only appropriate attire comes with us onboard.

 

My 13 year old daughter is already busy shopping for our upcoming 9 night cruise. She is so thrilled that we can drive to the port rather than fly so that she is not limited in what she can pack. She already has more outfits than she can possibly wear in 9 nights, and none of them include pants. She packs for herself and I never have to worry that she will bring anything inappropriate.

[MAZANDSTEVE]

My 18 year old son knows the rules about dressing for dinner. Formal nights must be suit and tie, other nights he can wear jeans, but they must be clean and without holes. During the day he wears cargo shorts and a t-shirt. Dinner time, he knows he must wear a shirt with a collar. Since I usually pack for him, only appropriate attire comes with us onboard.

 

My 13 year old daughter is already busy shopping for our upcoming 9 night cruise. She is so thrilled that we can drive to the port rather than fly so that she is not limited in what she can pack. She already has more outfits than she can possibly wear in 9 nights, and none of them include pants. She packs for herself and I never have to worry that she will bring anything inappropriate.

 

 

 

Thats nice, you obviously have guided your children to whats appropriate to wear at certain times and they will grow up with that attitude.

[jdrork]

I think the one thing missing from this conversation in Luggage fees. I know that I am packing for my trip on AOS in 11 days and the big issue for me is luggage. I don’t have the space to pack three outfits each day. I am bringing just enough shorts to get me through the week. My wife and I did decide to bring some nice clothing but luckily I am doing MTD so no one is going to see me both nights because I am wearing the same shirt and tie both nights. Yes I a bring a coat and slacks as well, but other than those 2 night I can expect to be seen at MDR is shorts and a short sleeve button up, untucked. I do tend to wear summer shirts and not t-shirts but this is a personal preference not a matter of attire.

Back when bags were free I would pack for days, but with today’s fees I can’t justify the expense.

I would rather use that money to buy a few more drinks and not notice the stairs of the people.;)

[rummenroman]

I'll wear what i want to wear, and when I want to wear it. I could give two hoots what others think or say about it. When did we as a society become so caught up in what everyone else is doing? The world would be a lot better off if people stopped worrying about anyone but themselves.

 

With that said, I will follow the rules when it comes to being dressed while on board. But if that means I'm wearing and old tattered pair of jeans, or shorts in appropriate locations and time while on board, then so be it. Is it anyones place to tell me how I want to be comfortable? I don't go around looking at all the people who are wearing "proper" clothes and ridicule them for it.

 

I don't have a flame suit, because i really don't care if I get flamed or not. Some people just need to lighten up, enjoy their cruise, and leave others to enjoy theirs, no matter what they are wearing, or not wearing!

[galavant3]

It doesn't really bother me that the styles are changing. I am more concerned about kids being raised to believe there are no standards of dress. These kids will have to get jobs, attend meetings, go to weddings and funerals and so on. The reality is (right or wrong) that people make assumptions about you based on the way you are dressed. My kids are required on a cruise to comply with the requested dress - or they don't go. What others wear in the dining room is not a concern of mine (except baseball caps as previously noted).

[navigator0709]

So you're not bring a pair of nice jeans or khaki's at all? Just shorts and dress pants?

 

When we go this summer, my husband will bring 1 pair of dark dress "suit" slacks, 1 white dress shirt, 2 ties (maybe 1), 1 pair of nice jeans, and 1 pair of khaki-type slacks. He'll also bring 2 pairs of swim trunks and 2 pairs of shorts. He will certainly wear the same dress up suit slacks/shirt/tie for both formal night. That leaves 5 nights for alternating the jeans and khakis... no big deal. We've decided to leave the suit coat at home (don't flame me), because we're not hauling a jacket transatlantic in the middle of summer to wear for 4 hours total.

 

If we were on an 11 night cruise, we'd probably have at least 1 night in the windjammer (shorts) and then save the shorts for wearing during the day, and try and alternate 3 pairs of pants for the remaining 10 evenings (suit pants/jeans/khakis). Then again, we re-wear our slacks alot in my house between washings, so its not a big deal since we're not using those clothes to wash the car in LOL! I understand some people really do wash every item after wearing it once... that's just not us (only when clothes are dirty or stinky :)).

[MAZANDSTEVE]

I'll wear what i want to wear, and when I want to wear it. I could give two hoots what others think or say about it. When did we as a society become so caught up in what everyone else is doing? The world would be a lot better off if people stopped worrying about anyone but themselves.

 

With that said, I will follow the rules when it comes to being dressed while on board. But if that means I'm wearing and old tattered pair of jeans, or shorts in appropriate locations and time while on board, then so be it. Is it anyones place to tell me how I want to be comfortable? I don't go around looking at all the people who are wearing "proper" clothes and ridicule them for it.

 

I don't have a flame suit, because i really don't care if I get flamed or not. Some people just need to lighten up, enjoy their cruise, and leave others to enjoy theirs, no matter what they are wearing, or not wearing!

 

 

 

No-one is getting mad here except you, its all conversation and general chit chat, no-one has said they dont enjoy their cruise because of what people wear, they are making general observations and commenting on it.

I notice things in everday life because I love people watching its facinating and sometimes funny. I would say Im fairly lightened up. :)

[rummenroman]

No-one is getting mad here except you, its all conversation and general chit chat, no-one has said they dont enjoy their cruise because of what people wear, they are making general observations and commenting on it.

I notice things in everday life because I love people watching its facinating and sometimes funny. I would say Im fairly lightened up. :)

 

Who is getting mad....I was simply giving my opinion, adding to the chit chat with a different opinion that what had been given. I by no means intended to be seen as getting all worked up about it.

[ncfd32]

My husband and I are going to be on the Liberty 3/21 sailing. This will be my third cruise and his first. This time, we will not be bringing suits or formal dresses. The luggage fees are too high for us to justify bringing a garmet bag as well as our other luggage. That being said, I think that a nice shirt and Docker type slacks are fine for men on any night of a cruise. I will be 23 weeks pregnant during the cruise so I am likely to rotate the four maternity dresses that I have.

 

While I think it tacky to wear dirty 'gardening' clothes to dinner, I think it doesn't matter what clothes people wear.