Main Dining Room Attire

[cowmilker]

4 minutes ago, OhioLair said:

  Like I said before, don't dress up or put the effort out, it's ok!  But also realize it says more about you than you think.  🤣

 

 

 

I can't even. . .

GAH. . .

[iancal]

Why on earth would anyone care about the attire opinion of some complete stranger on a cruise?????

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, OhioLair said:

  Ladies, as I stated in another post, Katherine Hepburn, Roz Russell, Dame Judi Dench, Jackie Kennedy (even that Kardashian woman) and a lot of the grand ladies of notabilit

 

 I liked your photos and you look great in a tux! but you do realize all of those women are celebrities whose job is to dress up.  When they attended a "party" they were working.   I was a geophysicist, we didn't dress up, it wasn't part of our success package.

Edited May 17, 2019 by Mary229

[Fouremco]

2 hours ago, OhioLair said:

And with that, I am done with this thread. . .

Promises, promises...  

[Boatdrill]

On 5/16/2019 at 5:57 AM, jmm1052 said:

 I retired from the airline business and wore a uniform for 20 years and dress clothes for the following 7. The last thing I want to do on vacation is dress up! 

And from the other side....I've worked for cruise lines (onboard and shoreside), and in hotel management,  so I've worn uniforms nearly all my life.  My first cruise was when I was 10 years old.  

I look forward to dressing up for Gala/Formal nights. When I pack, I look in my closet and remember what I wore on which ship and the itinerary. I choose accordingly (Caribbean vs Alaska vs transatlantic, etc.).  I dress up for Gala nights not only because  that's what the occasion calls for, but out of respect for the officers (who are in their formal uniforms as well) and their ship.  That's what I was taught, and yes,  I'm a traditionalist.  I know crew appreciate well dressed guests; it's similar to dressing well for first class on an airplane.  No passenger should ever feel overdressed in the MDR on Gala Night. But that's where it seems to be headed.     

    

[Despegue]

2 hours ago, Boatdrill said:

And from the other side....I've worked for cruise lines (onboard and shoreside), and in hotel management,  so I've worn uniforms nearly all my life.  My first cruise was when I was 10 years old.  

I look forward to dressing up for Gala/Formal nights. When I pack, I look in my closet and remember what I wore on which ship and the itinerary. I choose accordingly (Caribbean vs Alaska vs transatlantic, etc.).  I dress up for Gala nights not only because  that's what the occasion calls for, but out of respect for the officers (who are in their formal uniforms as well) and their ship.  That's what I was taught, and yes,  I'm a traditionalist.  I know crew appreciate well dressed guests; it's similar to dressing well for first class on an airplane.  No passenger should ever feel overdressed in the MDR on Gala Night. But that's where it seems to be headed.     

    

We do not need you to wear a tie in First Class, we want you to be comfortable but presentable, meaning clean clothes and washed. Trust me, that is asking far more than we sometimes get...

[jmm1052]

Hi everyone!

Just off the Eurodam and I thought I’d put in a couple of ideas. I took a pair of palazzo pants with 2 dressy tops and the clothes traveled well and were SO comfy. I got lots of compliments ( for those who care about that) and my husband took a pair of black trousers and simply wore a dressy shirt. 

Just as clothing has become more casual over the years in church, in airline travel and in the workplace, so has travel attire on cruise ships. I think as long as you wear respectful attire to the dining and specialty areas you should be comfortable and well received by staff. 

[Fouremco]

6 hours ago, Boatdrill said:

I dress up for Gala nights not only because  that's what the occasion calls for, but out of respect for the officers (who are in their formal uniforms as well) and their ship.

Let's not forget that the occasion no longer calls for one to dress up. That's HAL's decision, not mine. As for the officers, their attendance is part of their duties and they are paid to be there in their formal uniforms. I, on the other hand, have paid to be aboard, and dressing to meet HAL's code can't possibly be considered disrespectful of either the officers or the ship.

[terrydtx]

23 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Let's not forget that the occasion no longer calls for one to dress up. That's HAL's decision, not mine. As for the officers, their attendance is part of their duties and they are paid to be there in their formal uniforms. I, on the other hand, have paid to be aboard, and dressing to meet HAL's code can't possibly be considered disrespectful of either the officers or the ship.

Right on, absolutely on target, thank you. 

[pete_coach]

On 4/18/2019 at 11:09 AM, Himself said:

Why do so many have a problem with dressing up?

Because of having  to "dress up" for work for all those years, I now like to go on vacation, to warm places and wear shorts. I do this at home and when on vacation in warm climates, I also like to be relaxed in my manner and dress.  I wear shorts to restaurants at home without getting glares or stares.

No need for backhanded belittlement like " Like I said before, don't dress up or put the effort out, it's ok!  But also realize it says more about you than you think.  🤣"  Just because I like to wear shorts while on vacation says more about me than I think? What do I think and really what do you think about that?

Why do so many have a problem with relaxed dress?

This topic is in every cruise line forum and discussed to death. There are people that like to dress up and those that don't. In my opinion, the tide is turning significantly to those that like the relaxed atmosphere ,but there will always be those that cannot get away from the "old bygone days" when travel was exclusive and there seemed to be a need to dress up. Those days are gone fortunately, but, no one ever said you cannot dress up, just the "rules" have been eliminated so all of us can enjoy in a relaxing atmosphere..

Edited May 18, 2019 by pete_coach

[jmm1052]

Basically it just comes down to what you are comfortable wearing. The larger cruise ships are more relaxed now. People pay to go on vacation so they should be allowed to wear the clothing they choose. If you want everyone to dress up, go on One of the smaller and more luxurious vessels. 

[Despegue]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

Right on, absolutely on target, thank you. 

And trust me on this,  by far most of these Officers would MUCH rather be in day  or service uniform than in dress uniform but are obliged to parade around in it.

 

[Despegue]

1 hour ago, jmm1052 said:

Basically it just comes down to what you are comfortable wearing. The larger cruise ships are more relaxed now. People pay to go on vacation so they should be allowed to wear the clothing they choose. If you want everyone to dress up, go on One of the smaller and more luxurious vessels. 

These luxury vessels are mostly smart casual only.

[RoyalVisit]

Just off the Nieuw Amsterdam this morning after an Alaskan cruise. The attire on Gala night for Open Seating in the Main Dining Room on Deck 2 was a mixed bag. We dined at various times and at Canaletto one evening. The men were mostly wearing shirts with collars from polos and golf shirts to dress shirts with short or long sleeves... with or without sweaters. Some also wore sport coats or a suit but very few ties. I counted 2 tuxes and they both stood out from the majority. One gentleman wore khakis with a T-shirt (no collar) and a sport jacket (collar). On smart casual nights we saw just about everything from t-shirts, track suits, a beach style tank top (on a woman), majority were in jeans, khakis, trousers etc. 

 

We were dressed like the majority.

[*Miss G*]

Track suits.  😂  I hope they were velour!

[taxmantoo]

1 minute ago, *Miss G* said:

Track suits.  😂  I hope they were velour!

For formal night ...

 

[JRG]

On 5/17/2019 at 12:26 PM, iancal said:

Why on earth would anyone care about the attire opinion of some complete stranger on a cruise?????

 

One might make the argument that this post is hypocritical.     

It appears that the author is wondering (caring) what our opinion  is of the attire opinion of the stranger.   

 

This is deep.

 

It's like telling somebody not to speak with food in their mouth while you are speaking with food in your mouth...??? 

 

No big deal here though.

 

 

Edited May 19, 2019 by JRG

[Roz]

23 hours ago, RoyalVisit said:

Just off the Nieuw Amsterdam this morning after an Alaskan cruise. The attire on Gala night for Open Seating in the Main Dining Room on Deck 2 was a mixed bag. We dined at various times and at Canaletto one evening. The men were mostly wearing shirts with collars from polos and golf shirts to dress shirts with short or long sleeves... with or without sweaters. Some also wore sport coats or a suit but very few ties. I counted 2 tuxes and they both stood out from the majority. One gentleman wore khakis with a T-shirt (no collar) and a sport jacket (collar). On smart casual nights we saw just about everything from t-shirts, track suits, a beach style tank top (on a woman), majority were in jeans, khakis, trousers etc. 

 

We were dressed like the majority.

 

I was on the NA for the April 28 and May 4 sailings before yours.  It was the most varied collection of gala night outfits I've ever seen - tuxedos to Crocodile Dundee. 

 

Roz

[KroozNut]

11 minutes ago, Roz said:

Crocodile Dundee.

 

Crocodile teeth hat and all? 😯

[Roz]

10 minutes ago, KroozNut said:

 

Crocodile teeth hat and all? 😯

 

Close to it. 😄  We had a very large Australian contingent onboard.  3 tour groups that I was aware of.  There may have been more.  US passengers definitely in the minority.  

 

Roz

[slidergirl]

3 hours ago, JRG said:

 

One might make the argument that this post is hypocritical.     

It appears that the author is wondering (caring) what our opinion  is of the attire opinion of the stranger.   

 

This is deep.

 

It's like telling somebody not to speak with food in their mouth while you are speaking with food in your mouth...??? 

 

No big deal here though.

 

 

🙄  One may think this post is rude and snarky...

I see nothing hypocritical on Iancal's post.   I took it as why do some care of the opinion of some stranger of what attire people are wearing on a cruise and then others post about that person's opinion.  It seems like it is always the ones who feel others "don't make the effort", etc. that give the opinion.   Iancal (and many others) don't care what others are wearing, but those who want the old days seem to always opine on the quantity of what they feel is inappropriate clothing.  

 

I'm going back to the thread about service animals and people who don't want them on a cruise because they have allergies, so they want the ship to ignore the ADA rules...  😉

[Boatdrill]

On 5/18/2019 at 4:31 AM, Fouremco said:

Let's not forget that the occasion no longer calls for one to dress up. That's HAL's decision, not mine. As for the officers, their attendance is part of their duties and they are paid to be there in their formal uniforms. I, on the other hand, have paid to be aboard, and dressing to meet HAL's code can't possibly be considered disrespectful of either the officers or the ship.

Officers'  attendance, where ?  They aren't in the dining room. If any officer wants to go out into the public areas on formal night to socialize with each other,  they're required to be in their formal uniforms.  Non-uniformed staff are required to be in appropriate attire as well.    

Cruise ship passenger dress codes originated from the "Officers Dress" code for the evening, which was listed as such in the daily program.  Not to follow that directive was considered disrespectful.  

I have heard it from staff and officers on more than one cruise line, and I felt the same when I worked onboard, that guests who are dressed for the occasion are very appreciated, and are recognized as having respect for where they are: on a premium, elegant  ship.  Crew work hard at presenting a top class experience,  and to see jeans and baseball caps being worn in the MDR and PG on Gala night is, IMHO, disrespectful.  Neither venues are an amusement park or sporting event.    So, you go to your church and I'll go to mine. 

Edited May 19, 2019 by Boatdrill

[Fouremco]

7 minutes ago, Boatdrill said:

Crew work hard at presenting a top class experience (for example Pinnacle Grill) and to see jeans and baseball caps being worn in PG is, IMHO, disrespectful.

I consider wearing a baseball cap anywhere indoors to be inappropriate, but that's just me and my old fashioned upbringing, which I freely admit. My oldest grandson has trouble understanding it, but he respects our wishes and takes it off whenever he visits. HAL, on the other hand, seems to be mute on the subject, which is unfortunate.

 

As for wearing jeans in the PG, I would never do so, but you should be complaining to HAL, not CC, as they are the ones who have deemed jeans to be fine on non-Gala nights.

[Copper10-8]

16 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

I consider wearing a baseball cap anywhere indoors to be inappropriate, but that's just me and my old fashioned upbringing, which I freely admit.......................

 

 

 

For those who have been in the military and, more specifically, the USMC, one of the first things taught to you in MCRD San Diego and/or Parris Island (which tends to stay with you for the remainder of your life); you remove your "cover" when indoors unless under arms. Covers are always removed during chow, even by those under arms. Yeah, yeah, I know, has nada to do with civilian life but........ 

[slidergirl]

3 hours ago, Boatdrill said:

Officers'  attendance, where ?  They aren't in the dining room. If any officer wants to go out into the public areas on formal night to socialize with each other,  they're required to be in their formal uniforms.  Non-uniformed staff are required to be in appropriate attire as well.    

Cruise ship passenger dress codes originated from the "Officers Dress" code for the evening, which was listed as such in the daily program.  Not to follow that directive was considered disrespectful.  

I have heard it from staff and officers on more than one cruise line, and I felt the same when I worked onboard, that guests who are dressed for the occasion are very appreciated, and are recognized as having respect for where they are: on a premium, elegant  ship.  Crew work hard at presenting a top class experience,  and to see jeans and baseball caps being worn in the MDR and PG on Gala night is, IMHO, disrespectful.  Neither venues are an amusement park or sporting event.    So, you go to your church and I'll go to mine. 

HAL is hardly a "premium, elegant" line.  It's just another mass-market bunch of ships.   And, we again went from being "dressed up" all the way down to jeans and baseball hats...  What happened to the PERMITTED middle ground of pants and collared shirts???  HAL ships are not 1960s ships where one must "dress up" for dinner.  I don't "dress" up for my First/Business flights, either, but I don't wear jeans and a baseball hat, either.  

 

Dang - I said I was going to over to the ADA service dog thread.  I can't stand bait...