Dressing down.

[vinob]

Whilst we've cruised a number of times, its been about 6/7 years since we last cruised with P & O, we've noticed on other cruises since then that dressing up for formal nights is not as it used to be, the elaborate dresses seem to be a thing of the past. So on forthcoming cruise with P & O we have 4 formal nights, can any ladies tell me what the trend seems to be on P & O, I have a couple of evening dresses with quite elaborate beadwork but fear they may now be over the top for the formal evenings, I don't want to stick out like a sore thumb, any help appreciated. Kind regards Viv.

[daiB]

You will certainly not stand out. P&O is still very formal on formal nights. 95% of men will have a DJ and the rest a dark suit. The ladies as ever look fabulous.

 

 

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[grapau27]

You will certainly not stand out. P&O is still very formal on formal nights. 95% of men will have a DJ and the rest a dark suit. The ladies as ever look fabulous.

 

 

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My wife wears cocktails dresses even on casual night.

Thankfully formal night is well adhered to on P&O.

 

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[vinob]

Thanks diaB, good to know it's still as formal as it used to be, (bar dropping the semi-formal nights) both my hubby & I love the formal nights, sadly there aren't many occasions when you can get dressed up these days and it's sad to see that quite a number of cruise lines are dropping more and more of the formal evenings. Kind regards Viv.

[Cruise Puss]

Dress up!! P&O are one of the few cruise lines left that actually have formal nights that are, in the main, adhered to. If people start dressing down we will be in danger of even P&O taking them away!

 

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[mandylennon]

I think that since they dropped the semi formal nights people make more of an effort on the formal nights.

[Cruise Puss]

I think that since they dropped the semi formal nights people make more of an effort on the formal nights.

 

Personally, I miss the semi formal nights, but my Husband doesn't. I tend to wear the things I would have worn on those nights on most of the casual nights, but it's not the same.

 

If they ever get rid of formal nights it will be the last time I cruise with them. Cunard would be the only option left then.

[m6moy]

We enjoy the formal nights as nice to see people dressed up

 

 

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[Jennizor]

Viv, do not be at all concerned your beaded dresses will be over the top. On formal nights, from the young to the not so young, seeing the ladies In their amazing dresses is a sight to behold. I have a couple of beaded dresses and have never felt out of place. Enjoy.

[simonpjd]

I detest the formal nights but go along with it as the better half enjoys dressing up. I spent 35 years dressing up in suit and tie for work. I find it interesting that on the more expensive 6 and 7 star lines there are no formal nights, but everyone still look super smart in their smart casual outfits.

 

 

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[vinob]

Many thanks for all your advice and comments.

[NSWP]

I think that P&O UK did the right thing by getting rid of the semi formal - 'jacket nights.'

Waste of time. 4 formals in a 2 week cruise is more than adequate.:halo:

 

No doubt a lot of British gentlemen on P&O still wear a suit every night, irrespective of dress code for the evening. Tradition I suppose.:confused:

[vinob]

You're probably right Les, especially in a warm climate, I just hope they don't get rid of the formal nights for some years to come.

Regards Viv.

[Millers]

One of the, many, reasons we cruise is the dressing up. I suppose we are from a time when you got "dressed up" to go out, to look smart - not being snobbish or showing off. It is always good on Formal nights to see all the glamour an colour, even the women look good. We miss the semi-formal nights, but as someone we met said "I will still wear a suit/jack and tie"

 

 

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[grapau27]

One of the, many, reasons we cruise is the dressing up. I suppose we are from a time when you got "dressed up" to go out, to look smart - not being snobbish or showing off. It is always good on Formal nights to see all the glamour an colour, even the women look good. We miss the semi-formal nights, but as someone we met said "I will still wear a suit/jack and tie"

 

 

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Our sentiments too.

 

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[annieuk]

One thing I notice on the Evening Casual nights is that women still tend to dress up and often look very glamorous. Men, quite correctly can wear short sleeved shirts and chinos or smart dark denim. When you see couples going down to dinner, to me it looks quite incongruous, especially when the man wears his shirt out over a pair of dark jeans - absolutely nothing wrong with that and I'm not criticising it and the wife looks incredibly glamorous with a strappy dress, high heels and dressy jewellery. The two just look odd together, to me anyway.

[groovechick]

We're just back from 10 nights on Aurora. The following are observations, not criticisms.

 

On formal nights many ladies wore full-on beaded and sequinned evening gowns and dresses, but there were a lot more ladies wearing the kind of dress one might wear to a wedding or a day at the races than on our previous cruises (the kind of thing that might previously have been worn on semi-formal nights). A lot of the men were wearing suits rather than DJs or tuxes, and most were not dark suits. A couple of men looked super-smart in dress uniforms or kilts.

I like putting on the glam because for 50 weeks of the year I rarely get the chance.

 

I would say adherence to the formal dress code was somewhere around 75% or below. There were a lot of people who preferred to remain casually dressed and they were certainly allowed in the freedom dining MDR.

 

Even on casual nights many people did not observe the dress code (maybe 30-50%?) (faded/light-coloured jeans, T-shirts, hoodies, flip-flops) - the kind of clothes I would expect to wear around the ship or ashore during the day. Even my teenage son, who dislikes "dressing up" commented on it. I never saw or overheard anyone being challenged regarding their dress.

 

This is the first P&O cruise where I have seen so little observance of the dress code - it was very, very noticeable. Your figure of 95% compliance may be true for adult-only cruises or cruises during school term-time, Dai, but for this one it was way off the mark.

[LondonTowner]

We also enjoy dressing up too. We were on Britannia in June and it was nice to see younger men in their djs and looking smart.

 

 

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[mandylennon]

We're just back from 10 nights on Aurora. The following are observations, not criticisms.

 

On formal nights many ladies wore full-on beaded and sequinned evening gowns and dresses, but there were a lot more ladies wearing the kind of dress one might wear to a wedding or a day at the races than on our previous cruises (the kind of thing that might previously have been worn on semi-formal nights). A lot of the men were wearing suits rather than DJs or tuxes, and most were not dark suits. A couple of men looked super-smart in dress uniforms or kilts.

I like putting on the glam because for 50 weeks of the year I rarely get the chance.

 

I would say adherence to the formal dress code was somewhere around 75% or below. There were a lot of people who preferred to remain casually dressed and they were certainly allowed in the freedom dining MDR.

 

Even on casual nights many people did not observe the dress code (maybe 30-50%?) (faded/light-coloured jeans, T-shirts, hoodies, flip-flops) - the kind of clothes I would expect to wear around the ship or ashore during the day. Even my teenage son, who dislikes "dressing up" commented on it. I never saw or overheard anyone being challenged regarding their dress.

 

This is the first P&O cruise where I have seen so little observance of the dress code - it was very, very noticeable. Your figure of 95% compliance may be true for adult-only cruises or cruises during school term-time, Dai, but for this one it was way off the mark.

 

Was this because it was in the school holidays with a lot of families onboard. We were on Aurora in June and the dress code was adhered to.

[groovechick]

Was this because it was in the school holidays with a lot of families onboard. We were on Aurora in June and the dress code was adhered to.

 

Possibly Mandy, but we always cruise during school holidays, have been on Aurora to the Fjords in summer, Azura to the Iberian coastline in summer and Britannia to the Caribbean at Christmas and as I said, this is the first time I have seen so many people choosing to not comply with even the casual dress code. There were quite a few big 3 or 4 generation groups and lots of families, but there were also plenty of couples of varying ages and singles. There were a lot of first time cruisers on board (about half the passenger numbers IIRC).

[Cruise Puss]

Unfortunately many passengers who have never cruised before aren't into wearing formal attire, and, it seems, that that is the direction P&O wish to go.

 

I feel it's a terrible shame, and if they ever get rid of formal nights that will be it with P&O as far as my Husband and I are concerned.

[Cruise Puss]

I detest the formal nights but go along with it as the better half enjoys dressing up. I spent 35 years dressing up in suit and tie for work. I find it interesting that on the more expensive 6 and 7 star lines there are no formal nights, but everyone still look super smart in their smart casual outfits.

 

 

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Six star cruise lines certainly do have formal nights, just not many of them, and the casual nights certainly do not compare to a casual night on P&O - they are Worlds apart. Some of the clothes worn on P&O's casual nights you wouldn't see on Seabourn in a million years!

[dgs1956]

We're just back from 10 nights on Aurora. The following are observations, not criticisms.

 

On formal nights many ladies wore full-on beaded and sequinned evening gowns and dresses, but there were a lot more ladies wearing the kind of dress one might wear to a wedding or a day at the races than on our previous cruises (the kind of thing that might previously have been worn on semi-formal nights). A lot of the men were wearing suits rather than DJs or tuxes, and most were not dark suits. A couple of men looked super-smart in dress uniforms or kilts.

I like putting on the glam because for 50 weeks of the year I rarely get the chance.

 

I would say adherence to the formal dress code was somewhere around 75% or below. There were a lot of people who preferred to remain casually dressed and they were certainly allowed in the freedom dining MDR.

 

Even on casual nights many people did not observe the dress code (maybe 30-50%?) (faded/light-coloured jeans, T-shirts, hoodies, flip-flops) - the kind of clothes I would expect to wear around the ship or ashore during the day. Even my teenage son, who dislikes "dressing up" commented on it. I never saw or overheard anyone being challenged regarding their dress.

 

This is the first P&O cruise where I have seen so little observance of the dress code - it was very, very noticeable. Your figure of 95% compliance may be true for adult-only cruises or cruises during school term-time, Dai, but for this one it was way off the mark.

 

Very disappointed to read that. I only hope this doesn't become the norm.

[grapau27]

Very disappointed to read that. I only hope this doesn't become the norm.

We were on Ventura 29-12-17 for the 4 night new years cruise.

Like daib said on formal night dress code was at least 90% adhered to but on casual night it was more untidy casual and we couldn't believe that these were the same people we saw on formal night.

 

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[Selbourne]

We were on Aurora in May and have to say that the dress code was very well adhered to. Whether it's relevant or not I don't know, but 80% plus of the passengers were retired. I do recall one retired chap who dressed very casually on formal nights and he stuck out like a sore thumb when he walked in to the Playhouse for the classical recitals, but the fact that I recall him for that reason says to me that he was an exception not the rule.

 

Personally, I'm quite torn over dress codes. It is nice to see everyone in their finery, but some people can manage to look scruffy dressed in formal attire whilst others can look great in casual attire. I am inclined to agree with a previous poster that those who have to wear a suit to work often relish the opportunity not to have to wear one when on holiday, whereas those who don't quite like the opportunity to dress up, but I realise that there are exceptions to this both ways.

 

 

On balance, I would probably leave things as they are, but given the number of questions that P&O now ask about this in feedback questionnaires, I feel that changes are coming. I can foresee a situation in the future where, perhaps starting with the new ship in 2020, there are P&O ships that are 100% casual, with some of the older ships retaining a degree of formality. Many won't like that, but it might make good business sense, as I know of people who don't cruise citing concerns over formality as one of the things that deters them.