It's official! Formal nights gone, evening chic in! (3 Threads Merged)

[little britain]

I never thought the day would come when I would look to RCI cruises as the line where we get dressed for formal night, as the more 'formal' line. :rolleyes:

 

Slipping dress code = slipping standards. JMHO.

[Charles4515]

I never thought the day would come when I would look to RCI cruises as the line where we get dressed for formal night, as the more 'formal' line. :rolleyes:

 

Slipping dress code = slipping standards. JMHO.

 

Royal Caribbean formal nights are a fiction. Passengers dress as they please. including in shorts. There is little adherence to the dress requests on Royal and no enforcement at all of dress requests.

 

If people want to look to a mainstream line which is more formal I am surprised none mentions Princess. In my experience more passengers adhere to formal dress on Princess than on the other mainstream lines and that has been the case for years. Princess passengers have always tended to dress up more in general than Celebrity passengers.

Edited November 12, 2015 by Charles4515

[Classynfun1]

The whole "but you can still dress up if you want" argument here really misses the whole point many of us are making. Right now I can wear whatever I want to Taco Bell or McDonalds! Even if they added table linens, my husband and I wearing formal wear to Taco Bell does NOT make it a formal night or provide the atmosphere and experience that those of us that enjoy formal night are looking for. It is about so much more than clothes. X's stance is clear that they do not expect to have or provide the formal night experience.

[little britain]

Royal Caribbean formal nights are a fiction. Passengers dress as they please. including in shorts. There is little adherence to the dress requests on Royal and no enforcement at all of dress requests.

 

Actually I got off an RCI cruise last Friday - we had 3 formal nights. Standard of dress was very high. I would say 50% in tux, 35% in suits and a very very small minority looking like slobs....... JMHO. Edited November 12, 2015 by little britain

[rjrpar]

I got off an RCI cruise last Friday - we had 3 formal nights. Standard of dress was very high. I would say 50% in tux, 35% in suits and a very very small minority looking like slobs....... JMHO.

 

 

We have found formal nights on RCCL to have a nice level of dress, at least equal to Celebrity. That said, I welcome the change on X. I don't care in the least what other people wear, it is none of my business, but I will not miss packing coats and ties

[rjrpar]

The whole "but you can still dress up if you want" argument here really misses the whole point many of us are making. Right now I can wear whatever I want to Taco Bell or McDonalds! Even if they added table linens, my husband and I wearing formal wear to Taco Bell does NOT make it a formal night or provide the atmosphere and experience that those of us that enjoy formal night are looking for. It is about so much more than clothes. X's stance is clear that they do not expect to have or provide the formal night experience.

 

 

You are on a value vacation, eating very mid- grade food, with a1000 people you don't know, so it isn't really an formal occasion. You may like to believe you are on the Queen Mary in the era of elegant cruising but you are not.

[Charles4515]

Actually I got off an RCI cruise last Friday - we had 3 formal nights. Standard of dress was very high. I would say 50% in tux, 35% in suits and a very very small minority looking like slobs....... JMHO.

 

That is an unusual RCI sailing. What port was it out of? On Oasis this past May I would say 10% wore tux, 35% in suits. The rest were smart casual on the 2 formal nights. You do know that Royal has a new class of ships that does not have formal nights at all? I don't expect they will continue having formal evenings fiction on the rest of the fleet much longer.

[Aldeya]

You are on a value vacation, eating very mid- grade food, with a1000 people you don't know, so it isn't really an formal occasion. You may like to believe you are on the Queen Mary in the era of elegant cruising but you are not.

 

 

So what? For many of us it's the only occasion to really dress up. Majority can't afford Queen Mary but it doesn't mean people should come to the restaurant in tee-shirts and flip-flops.

 

What's wrong with making a little effort to look presentable?

[Tura Lura]

That is an unusual RCI sailing. What port was it out of? On Oasis this past May I would say 10% wore tux, 35% in suits. The rest were smart casual on the 2 formal nights. You do know that Royal has a new class of ships that does not have formal nights at all? I don't expect they will continue having formal evenings fiction on the rest of the fleet much longer.

 

Yup, I'm going on the Anthem of the Seas in Sept. No formal nights. "Smart Casual" in all restaurants except The Grande which is Formal every night ( though from what I read it's probably more in line with "chic" then tux/gown formal.)

Edited November 12, 2015 by Tura Lura

[2onboardagain]

On our most recent (and LAST) cruise on Carnival we dressed for the first Formal Night and upon stepping out the the elevator I really had the feeling that we had gotten our nights wrong as we were the oddity with nearly everyone else looking like they had just returned from a shore excursion. There was no enforcement of the dress code in the MDR so anything and everything was on display as attire.

 

Yet our experience on our sailings with Oceania was that "Country Club Casual" really allowed everyone to dress UP as much as they wanted (some men wore jackets and there even were a few tuxes) and no one felt out of place.

 

The difference seems to be the average age of the passengers. On Carnival we were among the "oldest" and on Oceania we blended right in and I think that since Celebrity draws from the same demographic for its passengers the experience should be just fine with the relaxation of the dress code (as long as it is adhered to in the MDR).

[tunaman2011]

Greetings

 

People seem to be getting all spun up over what is really a small change. Let's just review a few things. If you were Aqua class, in a suite, or dined in a specialty then it you could dress in your finery but others there could very well be in jeans. So how does the new dress code change these venues? If you roamed the ship before or after dinner you could be wearing your finery but others could be in shorts and tees (except in the theater where OMG they could be in jeans). How does the new dress code change this? The only thing that is changed is now someone may be in jeans in the MDR while you're in your finery. IMO much ado about nothing.

 

Good Sailing

Tom

[POA1]

Question - Do you think that the dress code decision will be revenue positive, negative, or neutral? There are a fair number of people who book Aqua class or Suites in order to get Smart Casual every night. In addition, there are many people who book specialty dining on formal nights so that they don't need to be as dressy. All those people spend more money. Ostensibly it's to save on the one extra suitcase that held the formal attire, but two nights for two people in a $50/pp specialty dining venue probably costs more than the 1 extra suitcase.

 

I think that the passengers definitely benefit, since people in the MDR can dress more casually without paying extra. Do you think enough new passengers will come over from the more casual lines like NCL, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean to make the new dress code a revenue winner for Celebrity?

[printingchick]

Were the dress codes not really only suggestions anyway?? People who want to dress up on these nights still will and I think there will be plenty. Others will go more casual. As long as they don't sink to allowing T-shirts and shorts, I'm fine with the decision. I will still dress up. But my mate can wear a dress shirt and dress slacks and not have to pack a suit. Works for me!

 

I think people are making too big a deal about this change, and I'm in the camp of those who LIKE and look forward to formal nights. I really think a lot of folks will still dress up - maybe not in tuxedos and gowns, but sufficiently that no one will feel out of place for having donned their "out on the town" clothes.

[blueboro]

I am quite surprised at the number of people saying they will not sail X again because of this. If they are only going to sail with lines that have formal evenings their choices will be significantly limited. And, most the "upscale" lines do not have formal evenings.

[New Hampshire]

Real formal nights when the entire ship was required to be in formal wear in all public rooms for the entire evening died years ago. The "new" dress code is actually what the reality has been over the last four years or so. I have seen every manner of dress over that time period on formal nights in the MDR without anyone being turned away.

 

The most formally dressed passengers I have encountered recently was October 2014 out of Southampton. The passenger makeup was 50% or more Brits. I bet they will still dress formally when sailing out if UK ports.

 

I don't know why anyone is surprised by this change. The only place formal nights have existed in recent years has been on Celebrity's website.

[Classynfun1]

So what? For many of us it's the only occasion to really dress up. Majority can't afford Queen Mary but it doesn't mean people should come to the restaurant in tee-shirts and flip-flops.

 

What's wrong with making a little effort to look presentable?

 

Agreed. And LOL that a "value" vacation = the 6-10k that we budget for each cruise fare we purchase. But as I said before, I know I have the option to spend that money elsewhere. I still disagree with the change.

Edited November 12, 2015 by Classynfun1

[Can'tstopcruising]

Maybe Celebrity would like to reimburse me for all the lovely formal wear I have hanging in my closet. Some of it hasn't even been worn yet.

 

Hopefully, you will have many other wonderful occasions to wear them!

[rockdoctor]

Hopefully it will reduce the divisiveness. As a (retired) entertainer, I wear a tux because I'm used to wearing one. This means that those who don't want to wear one don't have too. That's great.

[SteelMagnolia9]

I think that the passengers definitely benefit, since people in the MDR can dress more casually without paying extra. Do you think enough new passengers will come over from the more casual lines like NCL, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean to make the new dress code a revenue winner for Celebrity?

 

I've sailed with a variety of cruise lines - because I book based on destination and my personal schedule - and I like to mix it up. I've had several cruises on NCL and Royal Caribbean and given similar itineraries with the three cruise lines, the 'Evening Chic' dress code would not influence me to book a cruise or not book a cruise with Celebrity in the future. I happily adhere to whatever dress code a cruise line has in effect at the time that I sail. Entertainment and dining options would probably give the nod to either NCL or Royal if the three cruise lines had the same itinerary.

 

I'm booking the Koningsdam this week for a 10 night Caribbean cruise and HAL's new ship for me and all that it offers are more appealing right now than Celebrity.

Edited November 12, 2015 by SteelMagnolia9

[Safety Squirrel]

As someone in my 30's I am bummed about the announcement. Much of the fun of dressing up for me is the atmosphere of others dressed to the 9's as well. Now...meh. There are so few places now where we can get dressed up and enjoy others doing so (even the MET had people in jeans at the opera - and these people were older than me, not those younger).

 

 

Times are changing everywhere with regards to dressing. On my first few cruises, I loved to take formal gowns. Now it is much easier to have one or two pairs of very dressy pants and suitable dressy tops. Packing for men with suits/jackets etc. when going on land trips after cruising, will be much simpler to pack. What is wrong with only a shirt & tie???

 

We visited Europe earlier this year and remarked how much more casual people were than when we were living in Germany with the military in the 60-70's.

 

You indicated even the Met had people wearing jeans. As a long time subscriber to the opera in my city -- years ago the majority wore gowns, black tie etc. Operas etc. are also trying to attract a younger crowd (you obviously are one of them). Now-- very few wear formal wear. My grandson has a tuxedo -- only because he is a musician and it is required for certain performances. When I took him to his first opera -- he wore a suit, tie etc. - now he goes to some events with only a shirt & tie. I now see many wearing casual dress at the opera - it is better that they attend rather than having empty seats:D It does not affect my enjoying the opera

 

As some have mentioned on this posting -- formal is not required in some of the other restaurants on formal nights, i.e. specialty restaurants. Will it affect me if I want to take formal clothes to wear -- NO -- I will take what I want to wear and what other people are wearing has no impact on my decision. I do hope though that if people are wearing shorts, bathing suits, flip flops to the MDR it will be explained that those are not allowed in the MDR

 

I will enjoy eating in the MDR no matter what others are wearing. It will not affect the quality of the food

 

As someone on another board remarked-- you would be surprised at how few people are actually looking at how you are dressed;) - they are vacationing and do not really care what you are wearing.

[Ma Bell]

You have no facts. Many if not most don't even post their sailings in their signatures. That is optional. You want to imply that some have a lessor right to an opinion on Celebrity policies than others do or yourself. They don't.

 

Just an observation. I believe everyone has the right to an opinion, I just find it interesting that it seems that many of the posters who agree with the decision are infrequent cruisers on Celebrity. You are the one making implications. Maybe this will bring them all to Celebrity as regular cruisers.

 

I do find it impossible for myself to provide an opinion on things that I really haven't experienced. I would never think of going to a board that I don't really have much first hand experience with and posting just to stir the pot, like many do. For example, we are Platinum on Princess but since I have no recent ongoing experience with them, I would find it difficult to comment on what they are doing.

 

Anyone who has ever met me knows I'm one of the few who hangs around with everyone. I don't have conversations about what cabin they're in, what they paid for their cruise, or their loyalty status.

[sbnw]

Who you're with, where you're at, and what you're eating- that's what makes a dinner special!

[Ma Bell]

Maybe Celebrity would like to reimburse me for all the lovely formal wear I have hanging in my closet. Some of it hasn't even been worn yet.

 

Hopefully' date=' you will have many other wonderful occasions to wear them![/quote']

 

Thanks, I'll probably just wear them anyway. They're long, but not over the top ball gowns. I'm not usually known for being under dressed. LOL;)

[Ma Bell]

Question - Do you think that the dress code decision will be revenue positive, negative, or neutral? There are a fair number of people who book Aqua class or Suites in order to get Smart Casual every night. In addition, there are many people who book specialty dining on formal nights so that they don't need to be as dressy. All those people spend more money. Ostensibly it's to save on the one extra suitcase that held the formal attire, but two nights for two people in a $50/pp specialty dining venue probably costs more than the 1 extra suitcase.

 

I think that the passengers definitely benefit, since people in the MDR can dress more casually without paying extra. Do you think enough new passengers will come over from the more casual lines like NCL, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean to make the new dress code a revenue winner for Celebrity?

 

I guess that remains to be seen. I don't really see how it could be revenue positive since everyone insists they are already sailing full and this just seems like a lot of opportunity for losing the kind of revenue you describe. I guess they could cut some more frills since no one seems to care about them.

Edited November 12, 2015 by Ma Bell

[BosoxI]

Cunard is a niche cruise line. That is why they have only three ships. I have been on QM2. Very interesting and on par with Celebrity, not above it. I would not book Cunard regularly because of their dress code. And that is why they have only three ships. The market for fussy is small.

 

Talk about snobbish. "On a par with Celebrity" It is to laugh.