Has Anyone Else Noticed More “Casual-ness”?

[Host Jazzbeau]

Very nice.  Enjoy what floats your boat.  [As long as you don't look down on those of us who don't feel comfortable in a tuxedo.  Not having a tie choking my neck as I dine is very important to me; I hope it doesn't offend anyone else in the dining room...]

[ChucktownSteve]

On 9/7/2023 at 4:26 AM, uktog said:

 

I take what I’d wear to a smart restaurant in town. DH takes a blazer as he prefers to wear one (he travels in it). We may be dressed a little more smartly than others but we are ok with that - we are not in ball gowns! 

However my focus at all times is on the food and service - if others have other dress styles jeans robes etc I hardly notice never mind care. I do get upset at badly cooked or heated food and sloppy service 

 

Like it or not, people are judged by others on what they wear. Ever notice that when you first meet someone, one of the first things they look at is your footwear and how they're kept? I've always heard that says a lot about people and how they conduct other aspects in their lives.  I don't know if true or not but have heard it for decades.  However on the other hand some people just don't care.

 

I have found when I traveled in a sport coat and other were not, for some reason I got treated  by staff with a little bit more respect whether I deserved it or not.

However I do agree with your focus on food and service. Those are my priorities whether I'm sailing or on land.

Edited September 10, 2023 by ChucktownSteve

[ChucktownSteve]

On 9/7/2023 at 1:46 AM, terry&mike said:

I don’t need people to be fancy, but I do prefer people to be dressed. 

 

 

To me, that depends upon what they look like! 🤣

[excitedofharpenden]

23 minutes ago, ChucktownSteve said:

 

Like it or not, people are judged by others on what they wear. Ever notice that when you first meet someone, one of the first things they look at is your footwear and how they're kept? I've always heard that says a lot about people and how they conduct other aspects in their lives.  I don't know if true or not but have heard it for decades.  However on the other hand some people just don't care.

My dad used to say exactly that. You can tell the true smartness of someone by their shoes. And he always used to make me polish mine properly when going to school. I think a lot of that came from him being in the air force. 

 

Phil 

[Traveling Fools]

4 hours ago, ChucktownSteve said:

Like it or not, people are judged by others on what they wear.

Retired from a job where I, depending upon what I was doing, could be dressed in street clothes or a suit.  Discovered when I had a second encounter wearing a suit with someone I had first encountered wearing street clothes the entire atmosphere of the encounter was different and generally more productive!

[ChucktownSteve]

11 minutes ago, Traveling Fools said:

Retired from a job where I, depending upon what I was doing, could be dressed in street clothes or a suit.  Discovered when I had a second encounter wearing a suit with someone I had first encountered wearing street clothes the entire atmosphere of the encounter was different and generally more productive!

When I was in sales, I always dressed by the way my clients dressed.  I would arrange appointments so the same type of dress worked for the day.  That was more productive.  The faux pas would have been overdressing for someone who is very causal and working in his small business. It's referred to as mirroring.

 

I find the same holds true based upon which cruise line I'm sailing.  But I stop short of tux the past few years even though I own three.

Edited September 10, 2023 by ChucktownSteve

[Traveling Fools]

2 minutes ago, ChucktownSteve said:

When I was in sales, I always dressed by the way my clients dressed.  I would arrange appointments so the same type of dress worked for the day.  That was more productive.  The faux pas would have been overdressing for someone who is very causal and working in his store. It's referred to a mirroring.

 Yup....When I "dressed" it was to get someone's attention and elevate the atmosphere from casual to serious.

[ctinkle]

There is no longer a gentleman in white gloves to squeeze your baked potato. So sad.

[Traveling Fools]

On 9/9/2023 at 10:22 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

Very nice.  Enjoy what floats your boat.  [As long as you don't look down on those of us who don't feel comfortable in a tuxedo.  Not having a tie choking my neck as I dine is very important to me; I hope it doesn't offend anyone else in the dining room...]

 

No worries mate!  We don't look down at anyone.  One night out of many dressed like that.  Again, and I can't explain why, GS and GD request a dress-up night on each cruise we take.  Taking their parents and them on an NCL 7-nighter in Jan and they told me this afternoon they want to dress for one dinner.

[MamaFej]

1 hour ago, Traveling Fools said:

 

No worries mate!  We don't look down at anyone.  One night out of many dressed like that.  Again, and I can't explain why, GS and GD request a dress-up night on each cruise we take.  Taking their parents and them on an NCL 7-nighter in Jan and they told me this afternoon they want to dress for one dinner.

What a lovely way to create lasting memories for your grandchildren!

[Fair Play]

Interesting topic with diverse views! We signed up with Aza because of casual. Just be clean, decent, polite and not expose everything.

I followed the advice of my neighbour and don't gasp... but we are each taking Carry-on luggage & a backpack and surprise to me - it all fits. Laundry onboard seals the deal. You walk on and walk off planes, trains and boats without waiting or praying your bags actually made it.

 

Culture has definitely changed to casual, especially since airlines are charging much higher add-ons for checked luggage. This trip, we intend on dragging our bags thru the cobblestone streets of europe after the cruise. Been around the globe 4X and that big suitcase gets extremely annoying very quickly.

 

I love seeing people dress up for their special occasion. I can pull together a simple black dress or pants with a few changing accessories, elegance is the goal. No heels (why bother for a few hrs), this trip is port intensive so will be walking off our cruise meals as much as possible. 😋

[LoneMoose]

Fair Play, I agree that this has generated more comments than I anticipated and with none of the battles that might have ensued!  I am perfectly comfortable dressing as we always have but I was reluctant to give advice to friends/family about the level of dressy vs. casual.  I was afraid that if they took the dress code to mean resort casual and purchased new things to comply, then ended up with really casual like on our Norway cruise, they would be sticking pins in a voodoo doll in my likeness!  So I asked what others have noticed.

 

I think what we can conclude is that things are more casual everywhere, cruises to certain countries may be even more casual, but that everyone should be comfortable with what you’ve chosen to wear.  If it feels as if you’re overdressed, then don’t wear it.  If it feels as if you’ll be looked down upon, then don’t wear it.

 

We also pack in a carry-on size suitcase although we check our bags.  I love the freeing feeling of letting all my baggage go.  It’s never been lost (or at least not for long) and I have a credit card.  On that recent cruise, we met a woman who had (if I heard her right) brought only three shirts, and then lost one in the laundry.  We saw her many times during the cruise and I never thought she looked out of place and I never noticed that she was wearing the same thing over again.  While I don’t want to spend THAT much time in the laundry, I admire that she could do it.  We might all need to remember that no one else notices what you’re wearing as much as you do.  Unless it’s a bathrobe to the buffet.😁\\

[Fair Play]

8 hours ago, LoneMoose said:

Fair Play, I agree that this has generated more comments than I anticipated and with none of the battles that might have ensued!  I am perfectly comfortable dressing as we always have but I was reluctant to give advice to friends/family about the level of dressy vs. casual.  I was afraid that if they took the dress code to mean resort casual and purchased new things to comply, then ended up with really casual like on our Norway cruise, they would be sticking pins in a voodoo doll in my likeness!  So I asked what others have noticed.

 

I think what we can conclude is that things are more casual everywhere, cruises to certain countries may be even more casual, but that everyone should be comfortable with what you’ve chosen to wear.  If it feels as if you’re overdressed, then don’t wear it.  If it feels as if you’ll be looked down upon, then don’t wear it.

 

We also pack in a carry-on size suitcase although we check our bags.  I love the freeing feeling of letting all my baggage go.  It’s never been lost (or at least not for long) and I have a credit card.  On that recent cruise, we met a woman who had (if I heard her right) brought only three shirts, and then lost one in the laundry.  We saw her many times during the cruise and I never thought she looked out of place and I never noticed that she was wearing the same thing over again.  While I don’t want to spend THAT much time in the laundry, I admire that she could do it.  We might all need to remember that no one else notices what you’re wearing as much as you do.  Unless it’s a bathrobe to the buffet.😁\\

Great topic, thanks for raising it. Totally agree. I can barely recognize a face than recall what someone was wearing yesterday. haha

Recent trend noticed - dress pants that look like joggers with elastic ankles and tie waste. Are they Casual or Dressy? (rhetorical) 

 

Have seen the bathrobes at a buffet too - the folks were either going to or coming from Spa treatments. Nope, still not ok, there are change rooms for a reason.

 

We experienced an excellent Cunard Med and found it just way too much bother to really dress up for 12 full nts, our Brit tablemates loved it. 

We look fwd to our 1st Aza cruise very soon.