Dress code

[BlueRiband]

Thanks for making my point. It used to be going out to nice dinner was a festive event. No more. One has to be getting married or going to the white house to dress up. They can't fill all these cruise ships with those folks alone.

 

Perhaps I wasn't too articulate in actually disagreeing with you. My point is there are still festive black tie events - and some lines 0 where the passengers have not forgotten this. On formal nights on Cunard everyone looks wonderful. Black tie is the most ingenious outfit designed for men - all men regardless of age or physical build look great in it.

 

There are still some places that require a minimal standard of dress, such as the 21 Club in New York:

Can I wear jeans and sneakers?

No. Gentlemen must wear jackets to gain entry to the Bar Room, Upstairs at '21' and the Wine Cellar. Bar '21' and Lounge is business casual.

[CruisinHarvey]

Perhaps I wasn't too articulate in actually disagreeing with you. My point is there are still festive black tie events - and some lines 0 where the passengers have not forgotten this. On formal nights on Cunard everyone looks wonderful. Black tie is the most ingenious outfit designed for men - all men regardless of age or physical build look great in it.

 

There are still some places that require a minimal standard of dress, such as the 21 Club in New York:

Can I wear jeans and sneakers?

No. Gentlemen must wear jackets to gain entry to the Bar Room, Upstairs at '21' and the Wine Cellar. Bar '21' and Lounge is business casual.

 

 

This all goes back to 1920's when, in first class, formal attire was required EVERYWHERE in public areas EVERYDAY AFTER 6 PM. Would you like that requirement now? I'm guessing not. That's when they brought their big trunks on board. Now with airlines charging for luggage, it's even more constraining.

 

I think it's really nostalgic to have formal nights. I also assume they'll continue on a lot of lines for a long time, for those who enjoy it. It just won't be compulsory.

[trish1c]

I I'm going for (my first ever) cruise on the Ruby Princess on the 13th. I see that they have two "formal" nights.

 

Would dark jeans and a collared shirt with long sleeves be considered acceptable on such nights, on that cruise?

 

No. On my Princess cruise I wore a short cocktail dress, my husband wore a tux & my dad wore a dark suit with a tie. Dad & I were woefully underdressed.

 

Dark jeans are a lot of things but they are NEVER formal. Princess is serious about formal night. You would have done better to book on a more casual line like NCL or Carnival where your choice of outfit would be more acceptable.

 

You can wear them but you will not be allowed in the dining room for dinner.

[BlueRiband]

This all goes back to 1920's when, in first class, formal attire was required EVERYWHERE in public areas EVERYDAY AFTER 6 PM. Would you like that requirement now? I'm guessing not. That's when they brought their big trunks on board. Now with airlines charging for luggage, it's even more constraining.

 

I think it's really nostalgic to have formal nights. I also assume they'll continue on a lot of lines for a long time, for those who enjoy it. It just won't be compulsory.

 

You guessed wrong.:D Formal everywhere, everyday, on board after 6PM? Sign me up.

Edited December 17, 2014 by BlueRiband

[trish1c]

You guessed wrong.:D Formal everywhere, everyday, on board after 6PM? Sign me up.

 

Me too but it better be a ship I can drive too. The overweight luggage fees would be awful. :eek:

[Floridiana]

No. On my Princess cruise I wore a short cocktail dress, my husband wore a tux & my dad wore a dark suit with a tie. Dad & I were woefully underdressed.

 

 

On our Caribbean cruise on the Grand Princess, very few women wore long dresses and lots of men wore suits instead of tuxes. The passengers who want their portraits taken usually dress up in really formal outfits. The rest, not so much. The dresses look really nice on young slim women with toned figures and since they go or went to proms and weddings, they actually own such dresses.

[navybankerteacher]

Even on Cunard, I noticed tux's to be a minority option. But wearing a dark suit is not an imposition - anyone ought to be able to come up with a blazer, tie and pressed khakis. But black jeans? Even neat and clean - they go well with motorcycle boots - but in a formal dining room: c'mon.

[wassup4565]

Even on Cunard, I noticed tux's to be a minority option. But wearing a dark suit is not an imposition - anyone ought to be able to come up with a blazer, tie and pressed khakis. But black jeans? Even neat and clean - they go well with motorcycle boots - but in a formal dining room: c'mon.

But you can also see how inconsistent this argument is. You're saying a guy who wears ill-fitting, bargain-price khakis should be admitted, but a guy who wears $300 perfectly fitted black (not denim) jeans should not. As for "pressed", nobody irons any more, and you can't on a ship.

 

To the person who blamed boomers for insisting on stuffy formality, really? That's the generation that refused to be hemmed in by societal strictures of all kinds.

 

It's very unkind and frankly rude to tell people to go and eat somewhere else on formal night if they can't conform with your personal standard. I like to share a table with lively, engaging people who are interested and interesting. Telling them what to wear is not my business.

 

And finally, I doubt cruise staff are nearly as diligent about turning people away from the dining room on formal nights as some people here like to believe. What I think they're probably adept at is seating people whose clothing could excite comment as quickly as possible. Once the tablecloth is draped over your lap, nobody knows what your pants look like.

[nana541]

$300 Blue Jeans = jeans, however depending on what else you wear Black jeans have been known to slip buy??

 

My hubby wearing a Black Cashmere sports coats and expensive blue jeans was turned away.... I told him it was going to happen and well it did!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[navybankerteacher]

But you can also see how inconsistent this argument is. You're saying a guy who wears ill-fitting, bargain-price khakis should be admitted, but a guy who wears $300 perfectly fitted black (not denim) jeans should not. As for "pressed", nobody irons any more, and you can't on a ship.

 

To the person who blamed boomers for insisting on stuffy formality, really? That's the generation that refused to be hemmed in by societal strictures of all kinds.

 

It's very unkind and frankly rude to tell people to go and eat somewhere else on formal night if they can't conform with your personal standard. I like to share a table with lively, engaging people who are interested and interesting. Telling them what to wear is not my business.

 

And finally, I doubt cruise staff are nearly as diligent about turning people away from the dining room on formal nights as some people here like to believe. What I think they're probably adept at is seating people whose clothing could excite comment as quickly as possible. Once the tablecloth is draped over your lap, nobody knows what your pants look like.

 

What are jeans made of, if not denim?

 

Why is it "unkind and frankly rude" to ask people to comply with a dress code - the existence of which may be one of the reasons many fellow passengers chose that particular line? And, isn't it arguably somewhat rude for someone to ignore this requested guidelines?

 

Do you really believe that "... nobody irons any more"?

[wassup4565]

My hubby wearing a Black Cashmere sports coats and expensive blue jeans was turned away.... I told him it was going to happen and well it did!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

What cruise line and how long ago? Just helps us plan....

[wassup4565]

What are jeans made of, if not denim?

What are cheap khakis from China made of? Is fabric analysis someone's job onboard? Is it yours? Is fabric a determining factor? If somebody came to formal night wearing a custom denim tux would you suggest the way should be barred?

 

Why is it "unkind and frankly rude" to ask people to comply with a dress code - the existence of which may be one of the reasons many fellow passengers chose that particular line?

It's rude to take note of, much less comment on, anyone else's choice of companion, behaviour, dress, table manners, or grammar. Since you seem to be a person who ascribes to tradition, go look it up in Emily Post. Ms. Post was quite clear that the worst breach of good manners is to make someone else feel uncomfortable - that's the ultimate rudeness. Ms. Post's position was that you are responsible for your own good manners and behaviour, no one else's.

 

And, isn't it arguably somewhat rude for someone to ignore this requested guidelines?

Their manners and their behaviour are their responsibility. Your responsibility (as is everyone's) is to meet people person-to-person, secure in own your good manners. You can bet Her Majesty the Queen, and her heirs and their spouses all behave this way. I think we can take the Royal Family as a model for good etiquette.

Do you really believe that "... nobody irons any more"?

I do, and moreover, I know that. I live in a condo apartment building, and irons and ironing boards are scarce here. I have one of the last remaining sets of ironing apparatus. Anybody under the age of 40 has probably never ironed anything at all. More power to them!

[wassup4565]

And for the record, I said it's unkind and rude to tell people to go eat somewhere else on formal night. And I stand by that.

[BlueRiband]

And for the record, I said it's unkind and rude to tell people to go eat somewhere else on formal night. And I stand by that.

 

I think you have it backwards. It's the people who absolutely refuse to dress as requested who are unkind and rude to hosts and other guests - be it a ship formal evening, a wedding, or a picnic.

 

Clothing constitutes a symbolic system — someone who ignores this is willing to use it only to broadcast himself, even at the cost of symbolizing disrespect for others and for a ceremonial occasion.

 

It is not the degree of formality that is at the core of this conflict; it is the implication about the hosts who choose the style of the occasion. The disrespect would be equally true of someone who attended a highly informal event deliberately dressed in formal clothes, thus implying, “I’m proper, even if you are not.”

 

So the approach to take for anyone who "doesn't do formal" is that he should stay away from the MDR those nights because he will not be dressed for it.