Formal nights on Oceana

[cruiseanywhere2]

At the risk of stirring up a hornets nest please can anyone advise which bars on Oceana adhere to the dress code of the evening? When we were on Oriana it was the Crows Nest and Andersons. I know the brochure says all public areas but in reality it is the MDR and 2 other bars.

I don't mind dressing up but my husband feels uncomfortable after a couple of hours and would prefer to change into a smart pair of trousers and shirt.

I posted this on the P and O forum and one person advised it was adhered to in all areas. Does this mean that if you do not dress formally and eat in the self service dining room you cannot go and see a show or buy a drink anywhere on the ship?

Any help would be much appreciated.

[cruiseanywhere2]

At the risk of stirring up a hornets nest please can anyone advise which bars on Oceana adhere to the dress code of the evening? When we were on Oriana it was the Crows Nest and Andersons. I know the brochure says all public areas but in reality it is the MDR and 2 other bars.

I don't mind dressing up but my husband feels uncomfortable after a couple of hours and would prefer to change into a smart pair of trousers and shirt.

I posted this on the P and O forum and one person advised it was adhered to in all areas. Does this mean that if you do not dress formally and eat in the self service dining room you cannot go and see a show or buy a drink anywhere on the ship?

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

I would like to add yould it be OK if my nhusband removed his jacket and tie?

[Denarius]

Jacket and tie is expected in the MDR and in Magnums. Smart casual is accepted elsewhere - or was when I cruised on her last year.

[cruiseanywhere2]

Thank you Denarius, I posted the same question on the PandO website and all I got back were snide remarks saying the dress code had to be adhered to throughout the ship. We will adhere to the dress code but just wanted to know if it was accetable for my husband to remove his jacket and tie only to be told in no uncertain terms it was not acceptable with the implication he would be "lowering the tone" and we should return to our cabin where we would be comfortable :eek:

[Lovemychoos]

I know I've already read this question (and answered) on another Forum, but I don't know if using the formula of 'if I ask enough people I'll eventually get the answer I want' is really what you are looking for?

 

The dress code, as others I know have already said, is throughout the ship, normally after 6pm, and is adhered to very well, especially on Formal nights. These are the only nights your hubby would wear anything other than casual shirt & chino type/smart dark denim trousers, as there is no 'informal' on Oceana.

 

I'm sure you can go as casual as you like to the self-service buffet in the evening, but you'll find not only the main dining room and magnums, but also the yacht & compass and even winners bar will have people mainly in formal dress.

 

At the end of the day, it's your holiday, so you can do as you wish. But I don't think on any of the cruise forums you'll find the answer you want 100%, which I assume is people's opinion is that it's ok not to join in with the dress code of the evening. Most of us who cruise do enjoy the formal nights.

 

Whatever you decide, I really hope you have a wonderful time. Oceana is a beautiful, friendly ship.

 

Louise

[cruiseanywhere2]

Thank you very much for your replies, it seems that while most people will stay formally attired all night some will dress smart casual and just avoid the places where they know they will be refused entry, is this right? I am now hopelessly confused. :o

[Lovemychoos]

Thank you very much for your replies, it seems that while most people will stay formally attired all night some will dress smart casual and just avoid the places where they know they will be refused entry, is this right? I am now hopelessly confused. :o

 

OMG that's the last thing anyone (well, certainly me) would want. You've obviously cruised with P&O before, so just follow your 'gut' feeling, as the requested dress code for the evening is the same on every ship, across the whole fleet. No need to be confused, it's just a different ship!

 

Please, please don't get stressed about it. I'm sure you will absolutely love Oceana (we certainly do), and only having the two dress codes (at the moment) makes it easier to pack I guess,lol. My hubby likes formal dress, and thinks that it's worth it to make the evening feel 'special' for the 2,4 or however many nights you will have.

 

Hope this helps, and, as I said before, have a wonderful time.

 

Louise

[cruiseanywhere2]

Thanks Louise, I'm sure we will have a wonderful time and are so looking forward to getting away, can't wait to see the atrium!. The ship looks fabulous, we are on deck A in one of the larger outside cabins, just hope the sea behaves itself :)

I am looking forward to dressing up, just hope I can wear my heels as I broke my leg 10 weeks ago and am wearing a rigid boot (very Jimmy Choo NOT) that should come off 2 weeks before we sail.

When is your next cruise and what other lines have you sailed on and what are they like?

 

Christine

[Lovemychoos]

Hi Christine

We are very much P&O people, done in excess of 30 cruises with them, although we have cruised a couple of times with Cunard on the QM2. We like Cunard, it's a good way to get back from New York without jet lag,lol. Don't think we'd do a 'holiday' cruise with them though, don't know why, we just prefer P&O.

 

Arcadia is our favourite ship, we are booked on J111 in October, so hoping that Egypt is OK by then. Oceana is definitely our second, very close, favourite, and I hope we get to sail on her again, although if the humours are to be believed, she won't be around (under the P&O hat anyway, for much longer.

 

Hope your leg is better soon - when is your cruise?

 

Lou

[cruiseanywhere2]

Hi Louise

I've read the rumours too and wonder which ship they will put in her place, it would be just our luck to find a ship we like and then it goes. We are on E107 on 28th March, 6 weeks tomorrow and counting!

We've cruised on Thomson, Oriana and OV. I am really looking forward to being pampered as I know the standard of cabin and public arears are plusher than either Thomson or OV, and I hope the food is as good as on Oriana because it really was wonderfull. Have you got any tips for quieter areas of the ship for sunbathing (hopefully) or just to sit and read?

Our tips for freedom dining will remain on our account and we will be ordering our spirits for the cabin from our cabin steward, can't see the point of carrying drinks on board.

Any other tips would be gratefully received, always happy to learn.

 

Christine

[OldJerseycruiser]

Hi Christine,

 

I have also seen your question on the P & O site and think that the posters, including me, have only answered truthfully, not snidely. Everytime this question is asked you get the ex-Ov'ers, who want the dress code relaxed, the others who put up with it, but don't like it and P & O'ers who try to tell it how it is, making digs at each other. It's the same ones, saying the same things over and over ad infinitum. :confused:

 

You will love Oceana, she is a great ship. Happy Cruising!

[cruiseanywhere2]

Thank you Oldjerseycruiser

I would not want the dress code relaxed as I respect the people who enjoy dressing up and it is part of the P&O heritage. I was just confused because so many people had posted different things and I wanted clarification, I am sorry if I came across as being awkward and obnoxious, I can assure you I am neither:)

I am sure we will fit in nicely with everyone on board and go with the flow. When we were on OV we booked the lounge so we could have a nice quiet place to sit and read, we may not have enjoyed the ship as much if we hadn't done this but who knows. On Thomson ships we always seem to end up on the top sundeck and in the quietest bar.

I am sure we will enjoy our cruise and I will post a review on both websites. Any other hints and tips would be gratefully recieved.

[ovccruiser]

If your other half feels unconfortable with a dress suit or any other suit, get him to buy a size that fits:D:D I used to feel uncomfortable in dress shirts and suits, then I was told that if you normally wear say a 17" collar buy a 17.5 or 18". Maybe worth a try, worked for me anyway.

[OldJerseycruiser]

Hello Christine,

 

I don't think for one moment that you were being awkward, you just happened to be the one to ask the question.

 

If you like a quiet read, we love to sit on the promenade deck, it's lovely and wide with cushioned wooden steamers and chairs. The library also has nice comfortable seats. We found that there were quiet areas to sunbathe near the aft on Deck 14.

 

I would also recommend trying breakfast or lunch in the Cafe Jardin (no extra charge), it seems to be an oasis of calm, particularly on seas days.

 

I'm sure you will find your own special places on this lovely ship. Enjoy your cruise. :)

[William Dean]

I would like to add yould it be OK if my nhusband removed his jacket and tie?

 

Not in the presence of Ladies.

 

WD

 

PS As has been said, if he is uncomfortable then his suit does not fit. There are now a number of made to measure or even quasi bespoke tailors who can produce a well fitting suit for only a couple of hundred pounds or so. A lot are based in Hong Kong.

 

Give them a try. Your husband may well find he has a real change of heart, and you'll have him in a suit that will show him at his best.

[cruiseanywhere2]

Strangely enough we were going to get him a new suit before Christmas but my breaking my leg put all shopping on hold, the children and grandchildren would have no Christmas presents if it were not for internet shopping :) I can see us in a mad rush now just before we leave when hopefully I will have dispensed with the crutches.

Fingers crossed the weather will be good.

Happy cruising to everyone.