Royal's MDR "Suggestions" and "Reccomendations" Are Lost On The Mass Market Steerage

[Tree_skier]

12 minutes ago, Ukigirl said:

Come on people, you’re on a damn cruise. We book two a year, do the countdown dance as we look forward to no working, no cooking, no cleaning, no worries.  You want to wear flip flops? Go ahead, won’t ruin my vacation. Want to wear shorts? Won’t ruin my vacation. Ok, I do get annoyed by chair hogs but still manage to get over it once I have a cocktail in my hand.   Just ......get over it.

I agree, it's not going to ruin my vacation and I fully realize people will do whatever they want and can get away with.  My real grievance is people coming on CC and implying I'm hateful, vile and have no life because I express an opinion and state a preference I would have on a forum that is supposed to be dedicated to doing just that.

[wytygr8]

16 minutes ago, clean1owner said:

 

 

I'm trying to show that for every objection people have against smokers, there are equal ones for other offensive habits. So we can either accept that we will come across things we don't like, and just deal with it, or go on a CC rant about how the Cruise Lines should ban it.

 

 

No, there's nothing even close to equally offensive, and I say this as someone who smoked for 9 years. I understand that there's nothing I can say to convince you though.

[Mustang2015]

I agree with one poster said it's a vacation and not to get all upset what people are wearing in the MDR.    I personally like to dress up I feel like a princess for a night. My husband on the other hand would care less but I still make him dress up! On formal nights!     He too pointed out and said formal night why are people in blue jeans and a dark shirt.    We recently did a 10 day cruise,  how about one evening make it a formal night even those 7 day other then that be yourself rather then 2 formal nights.    My husband did get a lectured from a fellow passenger about walking around Centrum with a hat on formal night however he was on the way to change.   

[little britain]

7 hours ago, Mikew0805 said:

Oh and my above comment is not directed at you... It was a general comment. I had never heard of anything like this.

There is the right way of doing things and there’s the wrong way....... you break bread....you butter the piece you have broken off and you eat it.  Repeat as necessary! 

 

I bet you remember this when you are next out to dinner!!  Whether you do it or not is up to you.....?

Edited January 10, 2019 by little britain

[little britain]

2 hours ago, Mustang2015 said:

My husband did get a lectured from a fellow passenger about walking around Centrum with a hat on formal night however he was on the way to change.   

Probably because it it impolite for a gentleman to wear a hat indoors? 

http://hatguide.co.uk/etiquette/

 

[GUT2407]

14 hours ago, ditmar2007 said:

Or cutting up all their food first, then putting the fork in their right hand as a baby, and eating all the now cold bites.

And that impacts on your enjoyment in what manner???

[Bloodgem]

4 hours ago, Mustang2015 said:

My husband did get a lectured from a fellow passenger about walking around Centrum with a hat on formal night however he was on the way to change.   

Wow. It always amazes me when strangers think they have a right to walk up to a fellow passenger and lecture them.

 

[momofmab]

Pssst…. if you haven't noticed, the mass-market cruise lines have been going toward a more casual, laid back vibe for years now.  They're giving the people what they want. 

 

I enjoy seeing the ultra formal dress on formal nights (I don't participate, but I like seeing what others are wearing) BUT they are in the minority on the mass-market lines these days.  I do hate the wishy-washy dress code language and wish they would take a hard line on items that clearly should not be allowed in the dining rooms (bathing suits, ripped jeans/shorts, pajamas (which should be left unsaid but....) rather than the meaningless "recommended dress".

 

It's a definite head-scratcher that people get SO enraged over what others are wearing on their vacation.  There are PLENTY of other lines where strict dress codes are enforced - exhale and head on over there.  The rest of you - bring on your crazy!  One of my favorite things to do on a cruise is people-watch!  Don't disappoint me 🙂

[rusty nut]

10 hours ago, Mikew0805 said:

I love tee-shirts and shorts. I don't cut in front of anyone, and I always wait until those that need to exit the elevator do so, before I go in. In fact, I am usually verbal to the ones that don't. Also... I can afford as many cruises as I want. 

 

So much for your theory.

I said "with a broad stroke". Never said I was covering the entire canvas.

[Thorben-Hendrik]

On 1/7/2019 at 10:29 PM, Tree_skier said:

We were on Liberty in Nov. and I was generally impressed with the standard of dress. After reading here in CC how it appeared it was anything goes now u really expected to see what you described. However, at least on Liberty that week the majority loonies good even on non formal nights. 

Amazing -  since Liberty is a prime hillbilly a ship! 👍

[Sitzmark]

13 hours ago, wytygr8 said:

 

I’ve ordered those exact eggs as just eggs on the side, and they taste exactly like eggs.

Then enjoy your egg.

[clean1owner]

 

 

 

21 hours ago, Homosassa said:

This wasn't a formal night. It is a semi-formal night. 

 

There used to be three types of dress in the MDR: Formal (long gowns for the women, tuxes for the men), semi formal (cocktail or short evening dresses for the women, diner jackets or dark suits for the men), and casual (think what used to be referred to as "Sunday go to meeting" or informal dinner at the country club attire).

 

 

You are correct. At that time I did not own, nor could I afford a tux, which caused my Travel Agent to direct me toward NCL, since their dress code was relaxed enough that what you see in the picture was accepted as formal attire.

[laslomas]

I have just spent a huge chunk of time reading this thread from beginning to end and following all the diversions to smoking, and table manners, etc. The original post concerned dress code in the MDR and the recommendations made by RCI. I wish that Royal would enforce their ‘recommendations’ more than they do, but I am also surprised at the number of people happy to disregard them as meaningless.

According to RCI there are 3 distinct types of evening on board and their guidelines are perfectly easy to follow, and they suggest the Windjammer and other casual venues for casual dress. If it was written in a more forceful manner that would get peoples backs up and cause even more comment. When I read suggestions and recommendations I know that is what is expected and try my best to fit in. There will always be those to flout any kind of direction, and while I will just get on with enjoying my evening, whatever, it is just a shame that it is becoming more casual simply because no one enforces it.

Schools have guidelines for how pupils should dress and I am sure parents follow them for their children as best they can. How will children understand that guidelines should be followed at school but can just be ignored when on a cruise? Parents should set an example in this.

I’m looking forward to my next cruise in May and I know I will really enjoy it, but my favourite nights are the Formal ones as I love to get dressed up and I hope to see many others doing the same.    

[mjkacmom]

12 hours ago, wytygr8 said:

 

You've never been at a big family dinner or something where various dishes and condiments were passed around? It's certainly much less of a thing than it was 100 years ago, but it's still a thing.

Growing up, my dad was big on table manners. You break off a bite sized piece of bread, butter it with the butter you put on your bread plate, and eat it. 

[LMaxwell]

1 hour ago, clean1owner said:

 

 

 

 

 

You are correct. At that time I did not own, nor could I afford a tux, which caused my Travel Agent to direct me toward NCL, since their dress code was relaxed enough that what you see in the picture was accepted as formal attire.

 

Do you remember early and late seating for breakfast and lunch?  Eventually got relaxed to open seating lunches.  There weren’t alternate venues then, maybe a small breakfast buffet setup by the pool and a grill in the afternoon. 

 

Now it is 6000+ PAX ships with water parks and, multiple shows (booking necessary), numerous dining options.  The MDR experience has been cheapened since it is just “included”.  RCI now has a condensed 3 course dinner menu.  App, main, dessert just like your neighborhood 2 for $20 frozen microwave food chain.  If they aren’t going to provide the best food and service in the MDR, which I don’t expect them to do, you can’t expect people to treat it as anything other than a meal on vacation, whatever that means to them, not to you or me.  I drank the MDR Kool Aid for years but count me in amongst those saying you’ll see ships in the next 8-10 years launched without dining rooms, but will have multiple themed buffets.  More cabins. Less service staff. 

 

Those pics from 1984 don’t look fun to me either though and neither does going back to fixed breakfast or lunch times, but at least those dinners had attentive staff, sommelier, multiple courses, no where else to be so it was a highlight event of the day, etc. 

[SargassoPirate]

56 minutes ago, laslomas said:

I have just spent a huge chunk of time reading this thread from beginning to end and following all the diversions to smoking, and table manners, etc. The original post concerned dress code in the MDR and the recommendations made by RCI. I wish that Royal would enforce their ‘recommendations’ more than they do, but I am also surprised at the number of people happy to disregard them as meaningless.

 

According to RCI there are 3 distinct types of evening on board and their guidelines are perfectly easy to follow, and they suggest the Windjammer and other casual venues for casual dress. If it was written in a more forceful manner that would get peoples backs up and cause even more comment. When I read suggestions and recommendations I know that is what is expected and try my best to fit in. There will always be those to flout any kind of direction, and while I will just get on with enjoying my evening, whatever, it is just a shame that it is becoming more casual simply because no one enforces it.

 

Schools have guidelines for how pupils should dress and I am sure parents follow them for their children as best they can. How will children understand that guidelines should be followed at school but can just be ignored when on a cruise? Parents should set an example in this.

 

I’m looking forward to my next cruise in May and I know I will really enjoy it, but my favourite nights are the Formal ones as I love to get dressed up and I hope to see many others doing the same.    

 

 

My uniform of the day at home is shorts, T-shirt, and sneakers.  I do not, however, expect to dress like that for dining out - and certainly not in a ship MDR for any night.  How hard is it to pack a pair of black slacks, a dress shirt and a black sport coat?  That's what I carry for formal nights and for casual nights it's a polo and khakis.  It shows respect for She Who Must Be Obeyed and other dining companions.  To present oneself as a slob in both dress and manners shows a lack of upbringing and ignorance of the conventions of polite society.  In short, it speaks volume.

 

 

[LMaxwell]

10 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

 

My uniform of the day at home is shorts, T-shirt, and sneakers.  I do not, however, expect to dress like that for dining out - and certainly not in a ship MDR for any night.  How hard is it to pack a pair of black slacks, a dress shirt and a black sport coat?  That's what I carry for formal nights and for casual nights it's a polo and khakis.  It shows respect for She Who Must Be Obeyed and other dining companions.  To present oneself as a slob in both dress and manners shows a lack of upbringing and ignorance of the conventions of polite society.  In short, it speaks volume.

 

 

Five pages of putting people on blast and you only wear a sport coat to formal dinner?  Jeez buddy that’s pretty middle of the road behavior for taking such a stance here 

[SargassoPirate]

2 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

Five pages of putting people on blast and you only wear a sport coat to formal dinner?  Jeez buddy that’s pretty middle of the road behavior for taking such a stance here 

You got it.  If middle of the road is somewhere between a tux and slob, I'm all over that.  My sport coat and slacks look like a black suit and I use the sport coat to mix and match with khaki trousers to get the black and tan thing going on.  Never said I advocated for wearing a tux, the top end of dressing up. I guarantee black slacks and a black sport coat looks better than those who couldn't find room in their luggage for a jacket for formal night, and way better than those in shorts, T-shirts, and a ballcap on backwards with no apparent sense of decorum.

 

 

[clearlake_cruiser]

Count me in as disappointed with the non-existent RCI dress code/ recommendations/ enforcement. 

Currently on Vision of the Seas, last night was 2nd formal night. At the table next to ours, some guy wore shorts and a t-shirt. His butt crack was visible as he got out of his chair. REALLY???

As a result, we're reconsidering our future cruise options in favor of a higher standard.

[HBE4]

5 hours ago, Bloodgem said:

Wow. It always amazes me when strangers think they have a right to walk up to a fellow passenger and lecture them.

 

 

Give that stranger some credit. At least they did it face-to-face and not anonymously on an internet forum.

[HBE4]

 

Things I've learned.

 

1) I've been eating bread all wrong my entire life. I feel so inadequate,

 

2) I need to find and go to Golden Corral so I can tell when someone is insulting me by comparing me to a Golden Corral customer.

 

3) #2 doesn't really matter as there seems to be considerable debate over what constitutes an insult.

 

4) People find many different kinds of behavior offensive.  However, some people get offended by what others find offensive when they don't agree. I'm kinda offended by that.

 

5) I don't know how or why I would order an Egg McMuffin without an egg. Would that be just a McMuffin? Feeling really, really inadequate right now.

 

[Sitzmark]

4 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

Things I've learned.

 

1) I've been eating bread all wrong my entire life. I feel so inadequate,

 

2) I need to find and go to Golden Corral so I can tell when someone is insulting me by comparing me to a Golden Corral customer.

 

3) #2 doesn't really matter as there seems to be considerable debate over what constitutes an insult.

 

4) People find many different kinds of behavior offensive.  However, some people get offended by what others find offensive when they don't agree. I'm kinda offended by that.

 

5) I don't know how or why I would order an Egg McMuffin without an egg. Would that be just a McMuffin? Feeling really, really inadequate right now.

 

I think you got it summed up pretty well.

[SRF]

22 hours ago, wytygr8 said:

 

References to "mass market steerage," "Golden Corral," and "Wal-Mart"  are all different ways of saying that the people are low class and are pretty blatant insults.

And I always follow the dress code. I just think that insulting people for something that is really Royal Caribbean's fault is way more vulgar than what people are wearing in the MDR.

 

I wonder if the person who talks about "mass market steerage" actually books a full suite, or is in the cheapest interior.

 

I am upper middle class by income.  Sail in Grand Suites.  But occasionally eat at Golden Corral.  And do some shopping at Walmart, but prefer Target. 

 

 

😄

 

 

[SargassoPirate]

13 minutes ago, SRF said:

 

I wonder if the person who talks about "mass market steerage" actually books a full suite, or is in the cheapest interior.

 

I am upper middle class by income.  Sail in Grand Suites.  But occasionally eat at Golden Corral.  And do some shopping at Walmart, but prefer Target. 

 

 

😄

 

 

And I'll bet you understand how to  dress appropriately for each venue. It's knowing the difference that makes all the difference.   

Edited January 10, 2019 by SargassoPirate
Fat fingers on a mobile

[Mikew0805]

7 hours ago, little britain said:

There is the right way of doing things and there’s the wrong way....... you break bread....you butter the piece you have broken off and you eat it.  Repeat as necessary! 

 

I bet you remember this when you are next out to dinner!!  Whether you do it or not is up to you.....?

It will be brought to mind. However, I will still slice my roll in half, butter each side, and take a bite from each side as needed. It's just how I do it. I will NEVER share butter or any other condiment with others. 

 

Thanks for the insight though.