Are we the last of the Formal Dress people?

[K32682]

9 hours ago, clo said:

So are you fine if you get denied admittance to certain venues?

 

I doubt it will ever happen as I know beforehand how the specific line handles it's fancy pants and sparkly dress night.  There was no problem on lines I've sailed recently with not wearing a jacket or tie.

 

In the past I've played the silly dress-up game on cruise ships but as most lines have dropped the phony affectation I will leave the fancy duds at home even if some fellow cruisers regard it as "rude."  

 

[DarrenM]

I know most folk dont care either way but it seems there are still some who consider not dressing to the nines as a crime. But who are they to decide who complies anyway?

 

I once turned up at a golf club wearing very smart very dark denim jeans and a coloured polo shirt.

 

As I got out of my car another car pulled up at the captains parking place. He took one look at me and walked over to tell me I wouldnt be allowed on the course dressed like that.

 

Yet he was dressed in long pink shorts that fell just above the knee, and yellow socks that went up just under the knee.

 

He looked ridiculous, but apparently he was withing the accpetbale dress code, whereas I wasnt.

 

The point is, just because yu wear a tuxedo doesnt mean you always look smart. Some look like tramps. And equally it would take more than a sparkly dress to make some women look nice in it.

[c-boy]

" The man/woman who speaks well, does well. The man/woman dresses well does even better"  

[DarrenM]

1 minute ago, c-boy said:

" The man/woman who speaks well, does well. The man/woman dresses well does even better"  

Interesting theory. In the UK, I think its more likely you get on if daddy is rich and you get sent to a posh boarding school. Reagrdless of whether you are bright, articulate, or dress like royalty.

[ducklite]

On 10/9/2019 at 8:35 PM, K32682 said:

 

Your issue should be with the cruise line managers who do not require their employees to enforce the "request."  It is widely known that with the possible exception of Cunard not submitting to the dress code carries no consequences provided one is not wearing items specifically proscribed in the corporate literature.  

 

My choice then is to pack additional clothes, check them on an aircraft (possibly at extra expense) or endure the silent disdain of a shrinking cabal of nameless and faceless passengers who are disconsolate that cruise line dress suggestions are not being strictly adhered to by everyone.  I'll take the second option.  

 

 

The super premium and luxury lines do enforce their dress codes.  The mass market lines simply cater to the lowest common denominator, which is their bread and butter.

[K32682]

23 minutes ago, ducklite said:

The super premium and luxury lines do enforce their dress codes.  The mass market lines simply cater to the lowest common denominator, which is their bread and butter.

 

It is a step forward that mass market lines have realized their place in the scheme of things and are no longer attempting to create the illusion of pretentious sophistication.  The high-flyers and social climbers whose appetites are imperiled when not dining among the heavily-jeweled and sartorially splendid can avail themselves of the higher-priced options.   

[ducklite]

19 minutes ago, DarrenM said:

Mmmmm, I can think of a few in the current british Governement that would prove me right. Including the leader.

 

And to be honest the ones that end up at posh boarding schools should be the brightest and most articulate.

 

They have everything given to them on a silver platter. Even th dumb ones end up with top jobs.

 

Sorry, but its something us working class folk in northern britian get qute angry about.

Seems more like jealousy than anger.  I grew up in a very working class home and worked my butt off to have what I do now.  Life isn't always fair, but what you make of it is entirely up to you.  If people would put half the energy they spend complaining about how easy others have it into working towards bettering themselves, they'd be surprised at how much better their lives would be.

[wowzz]

19 minutes ago, DarrenM said:

northern britian

Rather than constantly polishing the enormous chip on your shoulder, perhaps you should practise your spelling. 

[wowzz]

Just now, ducklite said:

Seems more like jealousy than anger.  I grew up in a very working class home and worked my butt off to have what I do now.  Life isn't always fair, but what you make of it is entirely up to you.  If people would put half the energy they spend complaining about how easy others have it into working towards bettering themselves, they'd be surprised at how much better their lives would be.

Well said.

[ducklite]

2 minutes ago, K32682 said:

 

It is a step forward that mass market lines have realized their place in the scheme of things and are no longer attempting to create the illusion of pretentious sophistication.  The high-flyers and social climbers whose appetites are imperiled when not dining among the heavily-jeweled and sartorially splendid can avail themselves of the higher-priced options.   

People "avail themselves of the higher-priced options" because they find better value in them.  Value doesn't mean expensive or cheap. It is all encompassing to determine total worth of an offering to the consumer.

[DarrenM]

Interesting.

 

I consider myself lucky. I have done OK for myself, and can afford some of the finer things in life.

 

But I see a lot of folk not so lucky. And its just so easy to say they could or should have tried harder.

 

And its really easy to claim its jealousy. Its usually well off folk that say stuff like that.

 

Where I live there are lots of communities that were decimated by a tory government intent on destroying their local industry. They were then left to rot. My wife is a nurse specialising in working with under-privileged

children, and she sees stuff no one deserves or ever asked for.

 

But yes, its all just jealousy, and an inability to spell.😉

[K32682]

1 minute ago, ducklite said:

People "avail themselves of the higher-priced options" because they find better value in them.  Value doesn't mean expensive or cheap. It is all encompassing to determine total worth of an offering to the consumer.

 

If what they value most is sitting among the well-dressed and showing off their own fancy garments then it is excellent value for them. Meanwhile, those who you quaintly dismiss as the "lowest common denominator" are well rid of them.  

[ducklite]

4 minutes ago, K32682 said:

 

If what they value most is sitting among the well-dressed and showing off their own fancy garments then it is excellent value for them. Meanwhile, those who you quaintly dismiss as the "lowest common denominator" are well rid of them.  

What do you consider fancy?  On the last couple of cruises I was on, there were very few people dressed in "designer" clothing. Most were things which could be purchased in typical mainstream mall or department stores.  Have you ever been on a cruise that wasn't mass market?  I'm guessing not.

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, ducklite said:

The super premium and luxury lines do enforce their dress codes.  The mass market lines simply cater to the lowest common denominator, which is their bread and butter.

Actually, not so.  

"What Should I Wear on a Cruise? A Guide to Cruise Line Dress Codes"

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=545

Would appear the pricier the line, the more casual the dress code.  

[ducklite]

7 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Actually, not so.  

"What Should I Wear on a Cruise? A Guide to Cruise Line Dress Codes"

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=545

Would appear the pricier the line, the more casual the dress code.  

Seabourn, SIlversea, and Crystal are the most expensive lines listed, and they all have formal nights--that are enforced.  The Grills on Cunard are the same, with Cunard being the sole line that I'm aware of that has different requirements among the "classes."

 

No super premium or luxury cruise will seat someone in the dining rooms in the evening who is in shorts and a t-shirt--not the case on the mass markets.

[clo]

2 hours ago, K32682 said:

 

In the past I've played the silly dress-up game on cruise ships but as most lines have dropped the phony affectation

I think it's (slightly) interesting that calling something 'silly dress-up game' and a 'phony affectation' somehow gives people the excuse they somehow need.  I guess they need an excuse.

[clo]

9 minutes ago, ducklite said:

No super premium or luxury cruise will seat someone in the dining rooms in the evening who is in shorts and a t-shirt--not the case on the mass markets.

This.

[TheOldBear]

3 minutes ago, ducklite said:

Seabourn, SIlversea, and Crystal are the most expensive lines listed, and they all have formal nights--that are enforced.  The Grills on Cunard are the same, with Cunard being the sole line that I'm aware of that has different requirements among the "classes."

 

No super premium or luxury cruise will seat someone in the dining rooms in the evening who is in shorts and a t-shirt--not the case on the mass markets.

 

On Cunard, the dress code applies to the majority of public spaces on the ship, without any distinction based on stateroom category. [no class specific areas on Cunard similar to NCL 'Haven' or MSC 'Yacht Club']

 

On QM2, casual dress is limited to the buffet, the adjoining 'Carthenia' lounge, the pub, casino [both new this year] and the G32 disco - this implies that casual dress folks will be walking through dress code compliant spaces [e.g. waking through the Queens Room on the way to G32] but I have not noticed any issues.

[wowzz]

15 minutes ago, ducklite said:

No super premium or luxury cruise will seat someone in the dining rooms in the evening who is in shorts and a t-shirt--not the case on the mass markets.

I can only speak for 3 mass market lines (Celebrity, Princess and P&O) and I've never seen anyone in shorts in the mdr for dinner. Indeed P&O do not allow shorts in any public area after 18:00, apart from Caribbean cruises.

[K32682]

16 minutes ago, wowzz said:

I can only speak for 3 mass market lines (Celebrity, Princess and P&O) and I've never seen anyone in shorts in the mdr for dinner. Indeed P&O do not allow shorts in any public area after 18:00, apart from Caribbean cruises.

 

I've sailed Princess, Celebrity and HAL and do not recall seeing shorts in MDR either although I confess to not being particularly concerned what other people are wearing.  On all three lines my collared casual shirt, cargo pants and hiking boots were admitted.  No jackets required.  

 

 

Edited October 11, 2019 by K32682

[ilikeanswers]

On 10/9/2019 at 9:50 PM, DarrenM said:

I wonder who, and when, decided that wearing a daft bow tie constituted formal wear?

Upper class French in the 18th century. The Croatians invented the cravat and when it arrived in France someone lost to history twisted it into a bow and the French went crazy for it😜.

On 10/9/2019 at 9:50 PM, DarrenM said:

And why do you people that like formal wear, like all fellas dressing exactly the same?

Black tie you have your own country to blame for that. Though ironically when it appeared in 1885 it was designed as informal wear. That transformation to formal wear came after WWII. The history of fashion is really fascinating🤗.

[George C]

34 minutes ago, wowzz said:

I can only speak for 3 mass market lines (Celebrity, Princess and P&O) and I've never seen anyone in shorts in the mdr for dinner. Indeed P&O do not allow shorts in any public area after 18:00, apart from Caribbean cruises.

I saw someone in shorts on celebrity infinity in March in mdr. But it was just one man cutoff shorts and a baseball cap.

[ducklite]

32 minutes ago, K32682 said:

 

I've sailed Princess, Celebrity and HAL and do not recall seeing shorts in MDR either although I confess to not being particularly concerned what other people are wearing.  On all three lines my collared casual shirt, cargo pants and hiking boots were admitted.  No jackets required.  

 

 

I've definitely seen them in person on DCL and Royal.  I've seen many photos of the dining room on Carnival, NCL, and MSC and people have definitely had shorts and t-shirts on.

[DarrenM]

51 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

Upper class French in the 18th century. The Croatians invented the cravat and when it arrived in France someone lost to history twisted it into a bow and the French went crazy for it😜.

Black tie you have your own country to blame for that. Though ironically when it appeared in 1885 it was designed as informal wear. That transformation to formal wear came after WWII. The history of fashion is really fascinating🤗.

Damn the british

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, ducklite said:

Seabourn, SIlversea, and Crystal are the most expensive lines listed, and they all have formal nights--that are enforced.  The Grills on Cunard are the same, with Cunard being the sole line that I'm aware of that has different requirements among the "classes."

 

No super premium or luxury cruise will seat someone in the dining rooms in the evening who is in shorts and a t-shirt--not the case on the mass markets.

Formal nights are 'optional' on Crystal and Seabourn.

Formal nights are always optional on Silverseas seven days Baltic, Mediterranean, and Alaska.