Shorts in the Golden MDR!

[pakarinen]

On our last cruise on the Crown in April we saw men each night wearing shorts and t-shirts into the MDR at night, no problem whatsoever. I personally respect the policy, but Princess is causing all of this frustration on CC because of a lack of uniform enforcement of their own policies.

It doesn't bother me in the least what people wear, just stating my observations.

 

Mike

 

I agree - if a cruise line is going to make rules, then enforce them. Equally. If not, fine, but be honest about it.

[NotACruiserYet]

Just saw a guy in the MDR wearing a FOOTBALL JERSEY on my cruise last week. GAWD! :eek:

[tfrcal]

I agree that enforcement is the problem. If they want a free for all then just say anything is acceptable. If I wanted that dining experience I would cruise on a different line, i.e. NCL, but I do not want that so enforce the rules.

[Toddy709]

Just out of curiosity, Brad, what would be uncomfortable about long slacks and a open necked shirt? For that matter what is uncomfortable about a properly fitted suit and tie? Trouble with so many cruisers is that they've outgrown their clothes 20 years ago.

 

I rarely comment on dress code threads because I couldn't care less, but I love this post! When people yammer on and on about comfort, I'm thinking if you buy nice clothes that fit well, they would be comfortable!!!!! :rolleyes:

[77Network]

I was appalled to see two older gentlemen (who were old enough to know better) being seated in the MDR wearing shorts, tank tops and flip flops on the Nov. 23 Golden Princess sailing to Hawaii! :(

 

I mean, I can understand nice jeans and shirts, but tank tops and shorts? The headwaiter did not do anything to stop it either... :eek:

 

You should probably get used to this. As younger cruisers replace the older ones, this trend will become more common.

[Brad1185]

Wearing a suit, tie and shoes is not as comfortble as wearing shorts, tshirts and flip flops. You can't say it is with a straight face.

 

I'm sick of dressing up and hopefully more and more will feel the same and one day the dress code will forever be gone.

 

A day to rejoice for sure

 

Who are the ones in tuxes trying to impress? As another cruise critic member said are they trying to emulate James Bond in a Monte Carlo casino?

[1 HappyCruiser]

I rarely comment on dress code threads because I couldn't care less, but I love this post! When people yammer on and on about comfort, I'm thinking if you buy nice clothes that fit well, they would be comfortable!!!!! :rolleyes:

 

It's not really the comfort angle so much as just relaxing in casual clothing on vacation without the unneeded jacket & tie routine all for a couple of hours on 2 nights. No need to pack extra bulky jacket & dress shoes which add to weight & valuable space. It's so nice to be able to travel with a smaller carry on suitcase without having to get someones help to maneuver around. It makes me laugh when I see some of the humongous suitcases lines up in the hallway the last evening.

Try it sometime & you might even like it.

[77Network]

Wearing a suit, tie and shoes is not as comfortble as wearing shorts, tshirts and flip flops. You can't say it is with a straight face.

 

I'm sick of dressing up and hopefully more and more will feel the same and one day the dress code will forever be gone.

 

A day to rejoice for sure

 

Who are the ones in tuxes trying to impress? As another cruise critic member said are they trying to emulate James Bond in a Monte Carlo casino?

 

They are trying to impress the rubbery lobster.

[Potstech]

Some posters can't quite see the difference. :rolleyes:

 

Yes they do. It is others who feel that what goes on in their neck of the woods should apply to all that is the problem. But then here we go again.

[Iamcruzin]

I rarely comment on dress code threads because I couldn't care less, but I love this post! When people yammer on and on about comfort, I'm thinking if you buy nice clothes that fit well, they would be comfortable!!!!! :rolleyes:

 

The problem is that the sea air seems to shrink the waist of my pants. I now take 2 different sizes.;)

[Toddy709]

It's not really the comfort angle so much as just relaxing in casual clothing on vacation without the unneeded jacket & tie routine all for a couple of hours on 2 nights. No need to pack extra bulky jacket & dress shoes which add to weight & valuable space. It's so nice to be able to travel with a smaller carry on suitcase without having to get someones help to maneuver around. It makes me laugh when I see some of the humongous suitcases lines up in the hallway the last evening.

Try it sometime & you might even like it.

 

Preaching to the choir here! We only participate in formal nights about half of the cruises we take these days. We use the exact same pieces of luggage every cruise whether we take formal clothes or not, and we've never exceeded that magical fifty pound weight limit on a bag.

 

However, when we opt not to take formal clothes we don't go prancing around the MDRs or other formal venues in our shorts and flip flops because I, personally, am not comfortable being under-dressed for any occasion -- that's just the way I was raised. What you or others choose to do has no impact on my enjoyment of my cruise, so if you're comfortable dressed down, go for it!

 

The point of my previous post was simply that formal clothes can be very comfortable if they're well made with good quality material and fit well.:p

[BosoxI]

Apparemtly, for some the ultimate in comfort would be no clothes at all. Those who take pride in their appearance will always be a problem for those who pride themselves in looking a mess. That has always been the case and always will. Strange how some who demand understanding for their sloppiness show no understanding for those who want to dress neatly. If dressing in shorts, flip-flops, t-shirts and wearing a cap at dinner are the ultimate in comfort, surely there are many places where such attire is acceptable. A cruise ship MDR at dinner isn't usually one of them, especially when other dining choices are available.

[runnerodb83]

You should probably get used to this. As younger cruisers replace the older ones, this trend will become more common.

 

Agree, there's not much Princess can do. Sure they can tell these people to go back to their room and change/eat in the Buffet, but that could hurt the chance of these folks coming back to the line. Many are probably first time cruisers and quite honestly, these are the future of cruising. I imagine they now focus on passive, pre-emptive enforcement, ie adding notes when you book the cruise and in the Patter. But the most effective enforcement is what another commentor mentioned, feeling "underdressed", basically embarrassed. Some people will take notice of this, others (particularly newer cruisers) will not. And when I say first timers, I mean folks that are new to cruising as well as those spending a bit more to go on Princess/HAL/Celebrity compared to Carnival/NCL.

 

This isn't as much about comfort as it is about reality. The reality is, when airlines start adding baggage fees and mega-ships add so much capacity to markets the price drops, this is bound to happen. At the same time, folks work hard for the money to afford a vacation and many choose to not play along with "rules." While I imagine the norm of dressing up for dinner on cruises is somewhat of a trickle down from "country club" atmosphere of aristocracy that cruises used to provide, this is changing much in the same way that dressing up to go on a flight has changed. Cruise lines are forced to compete with all-inclusive resorts that have similar prices but rarely restrict it's partons with dress codes. Sad to say, the formal dining requirement will probably evolve into an NCL type "event" where you can dress up if you want and only 1 dining room will "enforce" it, though with multiple dining venues, it won't be necessary to enforce anything. I would imagine the next series of princess venues will ahve more dining choices. Traditional dining times are still popular however on Princess, so things could be tricky in the future. It will be interesting to see the new deckplans of the royal princess when they come out.

 

Many on here are quick to bash NCL for a variety of reasons, but it cannot be denied that NCL is a trendsetter for this industry, good and bad.

[BosoxI]

Wearing a suit, tie and shoes is not as comfortble as wearing shorts, tshirts and flip flops. You can't say it is with a straight face.

 

Who are the ones in tuxes trying to impress? As another cruise critic member said are they trying to emulate James Bond in a Monte Carlo casino?

 

Actually, I am as comfortable in a suit and tie because I am careful that they fit well. I am especially comfortable in them when I know I am properly attired for the occasion, whereas I would be very uncomfortable in a t-shirt and flip-flops when everyone else is well dressed, say in the MDR of a cruise ship.

 

Those men in tuxes are better off dressing UP to emulate Bond in Monte Carlo than to dress DOWN to emulate Blutarsky in Animal House :D

[deedeetoo]

I am completely baffled about why people want to get all dressed up for dinner while on vacation, and why they get all bent out of shape about how others dress. I would not care in the least if someone at the next table was wearing shorts or a football jersey (the horror:rolleyes:). I don't notice what other people wear in a land based restaurant when I go out to dinner. Why should I care about this on a cruise?

[toberman]

I am completely baffled about why people want to get all dressed up for dinner while on vacation, and why they get all bent out of shape about how others dress. I would not care in the least if someone at the next table was wearing shorts or a football jersey (the horror:rolleyes:). I don't notice what other people wear in a land based restaurant when I go out to dinner. Why should I care about this on a cruise?

 

I too am baffled as to why this topic keeps coming up. But I can see both sides. I don't particularly like the idea of packing the formal wear, but I do enjoy getting 'purty' once in a while.

What keeps coming to mind is that if one were on a 'land vacation' and decided they would like to go to a nice restaurant for lets say steak and lobster, or French, or.. whatever, and the restaurant stated "Jacket required for men", would they not conform to the requested dress?? Probably, or they know darn well they wouldn't get in.

Or, if they wanted to just wear shorts and a tee, they would probably pass and go to the roadhouse for ribs and wings. Lots of options on a ship (as on land) for dining.

Just can't figure out the mentality.

 

Before everyone jumps in... I know it's only "suggested" attire on Princess, but it's also stated "for the enjoyment of other guests". Guess if people don't care about the 'quality' of the experience, we shouldn't complain about the 'quality' of the food either (which seems to be lessening lately).

[Working 2 Cruise]

Had these men been wearing something halfway decent, I probably would not have noticed! By the way, food on the Golden was great and enjoyed every bite!

[bvm49]

Earlier this year on the Diamond Princess our table companion in his 70's was refused entry when he thought he should wear shorts for Island Night.:o

[Love.II.Cruise]

I too am baffled as to why this topic keeps coming up. But I can see both sides. I don't particularly like the idea of packing the formal wear, but I do enjoy getting 'purty' once in a while.

What keeps coming to mind is that if one were on a 'land vacation' and decided they would like to go to a nice restaurant for lets say steak and lobster, or French, or.. whatever, and the restaurant stated "Jacket required for men", would they not conform to the requested dress?? Probably, or they know darn well they wouldn't get in.

Or, if they wanted to just wear shorts and a tee, they would probably pass and go to the roadhouse for ribs and wings. Lots of options on a ship (as on land) for dining.

Just can't figure out the mentality.

 

Before everyone jumps in... I know it's only "suggested" attire on Princess, but it's also stated "for the enjoyment of other guests". Guess if people don't care about the 'quality' of the experience, we shouldn't complain about the 'quality' of the food either (which seems to be lessening lately).

 

I can also see both sides, but I think there are aspects missing here. First, I've worked in a fine dining establishment. At one time it was considered the most expensive restaurant in Las Vegas. We had a dress code. We also did not have high chairs or booster seats for children. I cannot even begin the uproar from parents that this caused! How dare we not have anything for their children to sit on or a children's menu! We told our clients that if their kids wanted to dine they also had to follow the dress code and order off the adult menu (or share with an adult which added a plating fee). Now the problem... we typically were only VERY strict on the dress code during the weekends and very busy weeks with conferences. During the slow season, we actually let people in that had nice starched jeans and a button shirt. We were much more slack then, because we needed to make some sort of money! I'm not saying it was right, but it was the way it was.

 

Now another scenario:

 

I recall a time where my DH and I walked into a very nice restaurant in New Orleans (before Hurricane Katrina). It was pouring rain outside, very humid and we were in shorts and t-shirts. We dashed in and we immediately wanted to run out. This place was really nice and we felt completely underdressed. But boy did we really want to try their famous BBQ Shrimp (not BBQ'd at all if you know what this very messy dish is like). They accepted us and took us in. They treated us like we were dressed to the nines. Of course when you order their BBQ shrimp, you get bibs (it's really messy). For some reason the bibs made use feel better for not being dressed up. Who wants to mess up their nice clothes anyway?

 

I've just shared two scenario's on land. Take from it what you will. The cruise industry is trying to make money and they don't want to tick off more of the norm on one cruise vs another. I think this is why we see such a difference in enforcement at times. Personally, we've never seen the dress code enforced.

 

This next cruise we are skipping the formal nights. One night we will do the UBD and then join the New Year's celebration by the pool (they will have other parities on the cruise where more of the formal dressed people will be). The other night we are going to have some pizza and go into the hot tub, with our formal bathing suits! :D

[jascom]

I think you all have nothing better to do.if you dont like it go sit somewhere else.for all you care there might be a reason why some people dont dressup.

get life people its vacation.supposed to be fun.

[Vanilla]

Since most everyone that goes to the MDR wants a nice sit down dinner, served by the wait staff - it is unfair to ask that they settle for either serving themselves at the HC or having to pay at another restaurant to have dinner. There are two dining rooms on ships - one could be for the corset/cummberbund generation and the other could be for the more casual generation. Personally, I want the middle road - everyone dress "appropriate" for dinner - but what my definition of appropriate is and yours/theirs, could be totally different. My preference would be that men would wear short sleeve/long sleeved shirts and pants (no underarm/chest/leg hair hanging out) and women wear dresses/skirts/blouses/pantsuits. We do bring formal wear for each cruise - but each time I say that its the last - too much extra packing and worry about weight restrictions on the airlines.

[Astro Flyer]

The clothing recommendations & photos in promotional material clearly shows what Princess advertises as their clothing recommendations. We've all read their definitions of smart casual & formal clothing which is what's expected by most of those who book a Princess cruise. If that isn't what someone wants to do there are other cruiselines with less restrictive clothing recommendations. Yes, these are recommendations but ones that most want to follow & if not there are other dining options on formal night.

 

For those who are aware of these & yet rationalize ignoring them because "I paid for my cruise & will do whatever I want to do"...obviously they only care about what they want to do & don't give a damn about others expectations based on Princess' written recommendations. On my last cruise I decided to not participate in formal night so out of respect for others I dined elsewhere & not in the MDR.

 

For those who will flame on me for trying to impose my will upon others who don't care about clothing recommendations, I am following those recommendations unlike those who only care about themselves so that's the difference. They can rationalize all they want but it comes down to only caring about what they want to do & to ignore any sort of limitations on what is worn in the MDR on formal night.

 

It's only tolerated because no employee cares to risk their career dealing with someone who is willing to so blatantly ignore the formal night dress recommendations knowing they'd have to prove they were innocent when accused by a passenger of improper conduct.

 

For those who feel the majority of passengers desire eliminating formal night, then work with Princess to make that change. If formal nights were to be eliminated, I'd go along with that because it's what the majority desired & Princess made the change.

[Sillyjilly]

In their defense...........Our cabin on a past RCI cruise completely flooded. We couldn't even get in to get our clothes.

Had to dine in our shorts and did get some stink eye, but I'm just not fond of the RCI buffet, so I just stink eyed back.

 

The desk called to the MDR ahead of time so we weren't hassled.

[Cruise Junky]

Is it really that big of a deal? I'm not talking about showing up like a slob on formal night, but for dinner in Hawaii one of the most relaxed places on earth? My husband doesn't even pack long pants when we visit Hawaii.

[caribill]

Actually, there is a solution that can satisfy everybody.

 

Shown below is a tee-shirt for those who want to be comfortable and do not want to bring a tux on the trip.

 

It looks acceptable for formal evenings.

 

Costs about $15 + shipping.