Nonsensical Dress Code

[ggo85]

I fully agree that shorts aren’t appropriate at dinner for any venue other than maybe the pizza place.  Or, of course, your room.  

[canderson]

2 hours ago, ggo85 said:

I fully agree that shorts aren’t appropriate at dinner for any venue other than maybe the pizza place.  Or, of course, your room.  

While I agree fully, this simply shows that everyone draws their own lines in the sand ... in different places.

[ggo85]

If the dress code included shorts, I could live with that.  I might not love it, but I wouldn’t throw a fit.  Under the current dress code, it’s not appropriate.  
 

As I said at the outset, I’m not totally opposed to the dress code. However, after an 8-11 hour tour in 95 degree heat and 90% humidity with zero air conditioning, asking folks to dress up for dinner is - IMHO - unreasonable.  
 

We’re headed to Thailand where most of the tours are 10-11 hours.  I’m hoping we get casual dress both nights.  If not, it’s back to pizza.  

[difranco]

Clean laundered clothing is of primary importance verses formal attire permeating the odour of moth balls.

Keep the jacket and lose the tie. Shorts have no place on the ship after 1800hrs, even at the grill and pizza joint. Definitely no shorts in your stateroom, full commando is the order of the day. 

[canderson]

19 minutes ago, difranco said:

Clean laundered clothing is of primary importance verses formal attire permeating the odour of moth balls.

You assume everyone's formal attire is packed in mothballs?  Though I'll grant it all went unused during COVID, black tie events have returned.

[fdnycruiser]

At least a collared shirt! !  I’m not a fashion plate by any means, but can dress for the occasion. You can’t play golf without a collared shirt, so at least put one on.  I’m currently on the Nova, and majorly are dressed nicely, except a small minority 

[Shrinkersgal]

After reading innumerable posts on this topic, I guess I still don’t understand why another person’s style of dress in a public restaurant would affect my enjoyment of my meal. What matters to me is the quality of the food, the service ,the professionalism of the staff, noise level, etc. If the couple seated at the next table is having a loud and unpleasant argument, the fact that they are dressed in a tux and gown is irrelevant.

I can understand a basic dress code of no shorts or tees after 6 as that is common in most restaurants, but let’s focus on the essentials and stop making rules that no one enforces. All of this seems more about who follows rules and who doesn’t 

[A Tucson Guy]

As mentioned elsewhere, we are getting on the Nova again in 17 days and we love the new dress code!!

[canderson]

1 hour ago, Shrinkersgal said:

After reading innumerable posts on this topic, I guess I still don’t understand why another person’s style of dress in a public restaurant would affect my enjoyment of my meal.

Some are more visually aware of their surroundings and overall ambience than others.  As I asked earlier ... would La Dame be La Dame if it was decorated in death metal band posters?  Perhaps that wouldnt change your perception of the venue, but it would for most people.

 

Yes, that's an extreme, but you should remember that what different people see ... or don't see ... or ignore, can be very different.  It's not dissimilar to the way different people react to how food is plated.   Some appreciate the artistry - if there is any - and some could care less, finding it wholly unnecessary and saying all that matters is how it tastes, and some never give it any conscious thought.

 

Just because dress doesn't much factor into *your* perception of the ambience of the room doesn't mean *others* don't take note of it.  You don't "understand" this, as you say, because it's not something *you* respond to, which is fine.  But others do, and that's what is worth keeping in mind. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, canderson said:

Some are more visually aware of their surroundings and overall ambience than others.  As I asked earlier ... would La Dame be La Dame if it was decorated in death metal band posters?  Perhaps that wouldnt change your perception of the venue, but it would for most people.

So I'm assuming that your meals are ruined in the new trendy restaurants that have dispensed with table cloths, no matter how good the food is?

[canderson]

3 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

So I'm assuming that your meals are ruined in the new trendy restaurants that have dispensed with table cloths, no matter how good the food is?

That line of thought is showing its age in these threads, and as a moderator, I'm disappointed that you've 'gone there'.  "Ruined" is deliberate hyperbole used in an attempt to invalidate an opposing point of view.

 

No, not ruined, nor are tablecloths even necessarily fitting.  A 'trendy' restaurant may choose to go with a steam punk interior design.  The use of the word "trendy" shouldn't be used to imply a particular vibe or decor, which seems to be the case here.  A "trendy" restaurant with all of the other attributes that would cause one to expect tablecloths probably has them.

 

Take the tablecloths out of a restaurant with La Dame's decor, and bare tables would certainly lessen the overall experience, yes.  Can't say I'd be overjoyed with paper napkins, either.

[Host Jazzbeau]

39 minutes ago, canderson said:

as a moderator, I'm disappointed that you've 'gone there'

I take that as an ad hominem attack, and will not reply further.

[david63]

The ambience in a restaurant and how food is plated does affect the enjoyment of a meal. The first thing that you eat with are your eyes.

 

A lot comes down as to whether you "live to eat" or "eat to live"

[MBP&O2/O]

Didn't some 'expert' once say that 50% of the success of a meal was in the presentation😏

[labrasett]

Sorry but I think this is all ridiculous. People who can afford to travel on Silversea are almost by definition comfortable off financially and with that status goes a certain level of sophistication which would suggest sufficient nous that if travelling on a luxury cruise there will be a dress code and it will be printed somewhere so for goodness sake pack a variety of clothes and make of it what you will at the time.   Its not rocket science folks, you have choices, make them and make a bit of an effort to conform for the sake of your fellow guests if not as a matter of just plain good manners.

[tinaincc]

8 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I take that as an ad hominem attack, and will not reply further.

I hope this means that you just won’t reply further to that post and not in general. 
 

I hope you continue to share your opinion as it is valuable. Others will not allow dissenting opinions, they are relentless. 

[tinaincc]

16 hours ago, Shrinkersgal said:

After reading innumerable posts on this topic, I guess I still don’t understand why another person’s style of dress in a public restaurant would affect my enjoyment of my meal. What matters to me is the quality of the food, the service ,the professionalism of the staff, noise level, etc. If the couple seated at the next table is having a loud and unpleasant argument, the fact that they are dressed in a tux and gown is irrelevant.

I can understand a basic dress code of no shorts or tees after 6 as that is common in most restaurants, but let’s focus on the essentials and stop making rules that no one enforces. All of this seems more about who follows rules and who doesn’t 

I agree. It seems as though the Nova code of formal optional is infuriating the OGs who still want to dress up AND want everyone else to as well. 

Thankfully the group that is vocal here is a very small percentage of travelers and once onboard talk of this nonsense is nonexistent, in my experience.

[MBP&O2/O]

A personal view ..... If the dining room has the courtesy to have decent tables ( cutlery, glasses, table cloth etc), with smart livered staff, then to me it is common courtesy to dress to those standards. Many will disagree but hey ho .... such is life 🙂

[ggo85]

So . . . Tonight we ate in the Grille on Informal night. We observed several passengers who showed up in jackets and then either realized or were told dress was casual. One man left to change. The others immediately removed their jackets.  
 

My point is that the current situation is . . . Nonsensical and confusing.  

[Tothesunset]

1 hour ago, labrasett said:

Sorry but I think this is all ridiculous. People who can afford to travel on Silversea are almost by definition comfortable off financially and with that status goes a certain level of sophistication... 

You'd think so. 

 

Sadly, money doesn't buy class. 

[Lois R]

3 minutes ago, ggo85 said:

So . . . Tonight we ate in the Grille on Informal night. We observed several passengers who showed up in jackets and then either realized or were told dress was casual. One man left to change. The others immediately removed their jackets.  
 

My point is that the current situation is . . . Nonsensical and confusing.  

Hi, I have pretty much stayed out of this discussion but your post called to me......in my experience, which I started with SS in 2017, in all my sailings, the Grille has always been casual. Yes, casual all the time. I have never known it to be anything else.

[david63]

1 hour ago, labrasett said:

People who can afford to travel on Silversea are almost by definition comfortable off financially and with that status goes a certain level of sophistication which would suggest sufficient nous that if travelling on a luxury cruise there will be a dress code and it will be printed somewhere

If only that were true - in fact for many being financially comfortable and having nous are diametrically opposed.

[david63]

10 minutes ago, ggo85 said:

We observed several passengers who showed up in jackets and then either realized or were told dress was casual. One man left to change. The others immediately removed their jackets.  

Where does it state that you cannot wear a jacket when it is casual?

[ggo85]

You can absolutely wear a jacket on casual night.  However, it seemed clear that these passengers didn’t understand that Grille was always casual. Once they realized it, the men were more than happy to shed their jackets.  
 

Why do people assume that financial security and the desire for formal dress go hand in hand?  There’s a distinct and important difference between knowing how to dress for various occasions and wanting to dress up while on vacation.  

 

 

[tinaincc]

2 hours ago, ggo85 said:

 

Why do people assume that financial security and the desire for formal dress go hand in hand?  There’s a distinct and important difference between knowing how to dress for various occasions and wanting to dress up while on vacation.  

 

 

Amen