what I saw on evening chic night

[Redtravel]

I just did b2b cruises on the Summit. It was my first experience with the Evening Chic. Designer jeans? were listed in the approved attire description. I saw a wide array of attire. Women wore a wide variety of dressy clothing. Some men wore tuxedos. Some men wore slacks, ties, and sports jackets or suits. Some men wore slacks with long sleeved dress shirts with/without ties. Some men wore short sleeved shirts with collars and slacks/jeans. Some wore crew collared tees and jeans. I also saw men in shorts at the show. Not sure whether they wore them into the MDR. Blu rejected men wearing shorts. It was a mixture of the old formal night and anything goes. At the cruise critics social gathering, the question "what is evening chic?" Answer was that it goes with the modern luxury concept. Next question was " what is modern luxury?" Answer was unclear. I am still not sure what is meant by evening chic or modern luxury. It seems like you can wear almost anything. The Celebrity website and the brochure in the cabin still states that cruise has formal nights. I got the email in November announcing the end of the formal nights. Not everyone on the ship received the email or knew about the end of formal night. Some folks were upset that they didn't know before packing for the cruise. Leaving formal attire home made packing lighter. It will likely take months before everyone truly abandons the formal attire. For now, it is a mixed bag. Bring whatever you want to wear.

[jsf]

And this surprises you HOW? Give it a few month's and you will think your on a Carnival Cruise.

J.

[K.T.B.]

And this surprises you HOW? Give it a few month's and you will think your on a Carnival Cruise.

J.

 

I will say that the last Carnival cruise I was on, as horrible as it was, people were dressed up for the formal night. No jeans, etc., from what I saw. Every other night, however, it was a "free for all". Including one guy wearing bib overalls and John Deere cap... :rolleyes:

[Hersheepeg]

Celebrity probably hired some idiot who has alternative views and is responsible for this "evening chic". I'm modern in my 30's and never heard of chic???? How do they expect senior cruisers to take this concept. I'm all for the two formal nights. Is it that hard for people to dress up and look nice ?

[Cruzinram]

Prediction. Formal night will be back, and Chic will be out.

[wales4ever]

Prediction. Formal night will be back, and Chic will be out.

 

If that happens I will be back as well....

[az_tchr]

I just did b2b cruises on the Summit. It was my first experience with the Evening Chic. Designer jeans? were listed in the approved attire description. I saw a wide array of attire. Women wore a wide variety of dressy clothing. Some men wore tuxedos. Some men wore slacks, ties, and sports jackets or suits. Some men wore slacks with long sleeved dress shirts with/without ties. Some men wore short sleeved shirts with collars and slacks/jeans. Some wore crew collared tees and jeans. I also saw men in shorts at the show. Not sure whether they wore them into the MDR. Blu rejected men wearing shorts. It was a mixture of the old formal night and anything goes. At the cruise critics social gathering, the question "what is evening chic?" Answer was that it goes with the modern luxury concept. Next question was " what is modern luxury?" Answer was unclear. I am still not sure what is meant by evening chic or modern luxury. It seems like you can wear almost anything. The Celebrity website and the brochure in the cabin still states that cruise has formal nights. I got the email in November announcing the end of the formal nights. Not everyone on the ship received the email or knew about the end of formal night. Some folks were upset that they didn't know before packing for the cruise. Leaving formal attire home made packing lighter. It will likely take months before everyone truly abandons the formal attire. For now, it is a mixed bag. Bring whatever you want to wear.

 

In reality those on Celebrity have been doing exactly that for some years. No surprise and I completely disagree that everyone will abandon formal wear. I am old enough to wear what I like to wear. To dinner at a nice restaurant that is a sports coat, wool slacks and usually a tie. Will continue the same on board as I have in the past and suspect many "older" cruisers will do so too.

[suzyed]

I will say that the last Carnival cruise I was on, as horrible as it was, people were dressed up for the formal night. No jeans, etc., from what I saw. Every other night, however, it was a "free for all". Including one guy wearing bib overalls and John Deere cap... :rolleyes:

 

There was a man in bib overalls and henley or plaid shirt every night on our last 29 day Princess cruise! :eek:

[landj999]

I saw a guy in bib overall shorts in the dining room on RCCL.

[vedettes1]

On a recent Equinox cruise, I complied with "evening chic" with some nice pants, leather shoes, and a long-sleeve dress shirt; no tie, no jacket. My guess is that around half the men in MDR were dressed similarly, but plenty of cruisers got really dressed up - enough that I actually felt under-dressed.

[suzyed]

I will say that the last Carnival cruise I was on, as horrible as it was, people were dressed up for the formal night. No jeans, etc., from what I saw. Every other night, however, it was a "free for all". Including one guy wearing bib overalls and John Deere cap... :rolleyes:

 

Why was it horrible?

I have only been on one cruise that was horrible and that was really only the last day when everyone got sick from the motion of the ocean!

There might be a few unsatisfactory things that happen, but mostly they were all great!

[suzyed]

Celebrity probably hired some idiot who has alternative views and is responsible for this "evening chic". I'm modern in my 30's and never heard of chic???? How do they expect senior cruisers to take this concept. I'm all for the two formal nights. Is it that hard for people to dress up and look nice ?

 

"Senior cruisers" know full well what "chic" means. "Evening chic" as per Celebrity might define the meaning in a different way, but it's not that hard a concept to get.

chic

SHēk/Submit

adjective

1.

elegantly and stylishly fashionable.

synonyms: stylish, elegant, sophisticated, dressy, smart; More

antonyms: unfashionable

noun

noun: chic

1.

stylishness and elegance, typically of a specified kind.

[suzyed]

Prediction. Formal night will be back, and Chic will be out.

 

Ya think? I'm not sure you can turn back the clock. Most of the cruise lines seem to be relaxing the "formal" concept. I expect Princess to be the next.

The one line that I think will never change, is Cunard.

[sportsmum]

"Senior cruisers" know full well what "chic" means.

 

LOL! That's what I thought too! Us older folks (probably our parents or grandparents) invented 'chic'. The younger ones are now redefining it. :)

 

The worst I have ever seen was in line for the dining room on NCL. A 30-something in Daisy Duke shorts in front of us. The line was quite long every night so we did the buffet or on shore so I cannot confirm whether that attire made it past inspection. Fill in your own joke.......

[villauk]

I'm modern in my 30's and never heard of chic????

 

They had a couple of good chart hits in the 70s - 'Le Freak' was one :D.

[Ma Bell]

Actually the truly young people are back to dressing up. It's the older ones who like the grunge look and don't realize it's out of style. Apparently Celebrity is a little late to the party too.

 

Modern Luxury and Evening Chic? They sure don't know what they mean by that so why would anyone else.

 

Don't worry, people with common sense will dress appropriately and those who don't will still stand out.

[rjrpar]

At our club they call it "country club casual". It is not a difficult concept to understand; nice pair of slacks, usually a collared shirt, leather shoes, etc. I don't understand why so many on this board continue to criticize Carnival cruisers and those who prefer to go casual; does it make them feel more important. Just enjoy yourself on your cruise and let others do the same

[Mr. Click]

Blame the airlines more than the cruise line. We like to dress up some nights but when you can only bring one suitcase and it has to weigh less than 50 pounds or 23 kilos you don't always have room for extra shoes and a suit etc, especially on a 12 night cruise with a few days abroad before and after. Our last two trips we cleared the weight limits by about 2 oz....it was a struggle.

[Oceangoer2]

Celebrity probably hired some idiot who has alternative views and is responsible for this "evening chic". I'm modern in my 30's and never heard of chic???? How do they expect senior cruisers to take this concept. I'm all for the two formal nights. Is it that hard for people to dress up and look nice ?

If in your 30s, CHIC probably isn't a part of your generation's vocabulary...in my "day" the word was HIP which categorized smart rocker, arty bohemian, stylishly unusual but classy, etc. Now you might say 'with it' ? I personally like the idea of dressing up vogue - less long ball gown and more cocktail with a flair. I might be way off but that's my idea of modern luxury or evening chic.

Edited February 2, 2016 by oceangoer2

[Wine-O]

Blame the airlines more than the cruise line. We like to dress up some nights but when you can only bring one suitcase and it has to weigh less than 50 pounds or 23 kilos you don't always have room for extra shoes and a suit etc, especially on a 12 night cruise with a few days abroad before and after. Our last two trips we cleared the weight limits by about 2 oz....it was a struggle.

 

Well, spring for the extra $25 for that extra piece of luggage -- factor it in to the cost for cruising.

 

Luggage is just a poor excuse, in my opinion.

[bananawindnj]

I think this new change in dress policy is just a way for X to not be criticized for letting people not follow the recommended dress suggestions on formal nights. Now it is off their backs! I always thought it was just so they could take more pictures at the dining tables. They would come in your room and take pictures if you let them [emoji463]

Edited February 2, 2016 by bananawindnj

[JuliaMS]

Formal attire is not gone, those who want to wear it are still welcome to.

[K.T.B.]

Why was it horrible?

I have only been on one cruise that was horrible and that was really only the last day when everyone got sick from the motion of the ocean!

There might be a few unsatisfactory things that happen, but mostly they were all great!

 

With the exception of the 2 bartenders in the Atrium bar, the service the was hideous. The food in the MDR was mediocre at best. Formal night service was the worst for our table. My meal was literally inedible. They actually put brown gravy on my prime rib. When we got our main meal, all the other tables were finishing up their desserts. The MDR service was easily the worst I've ever had in any restaurant.

 

If that had been my first cruise, Carnival or not, I would never cruise again.

[DrivesLikeMario]

On a recent Equinox cruise, I complied with "evening chic" with some nice pants, leather shoes, and a long-sleeve dress shirt; no tie, no jacket. My guess is that around half the men in MDR were dressed similarly, but plenty of cruisers got really dressed up - enough that I actually felt under-dressed.

 

I think that will change with time. There will be fewer and fewer men dressed up. My DH is planning to wear what you did and I think that's perfectly acceptable under the new rules.

[Oxo]

Blame the airlines more than the cruise line. We like to dress up some nights but when you can only bring one suitcase and it has to weigh less than 50 pounds or 23 kilos you don't always have room for extra shoes and a suit etc, especially on a 12 night cruise with a few days abroad before and after. Our last two trips we cleared the weight limits by about 2 oz....it was a struggle.

 

Totally not true. We fly with a suitcase each and YES we still take formal. Just depends what you take and how you pack.