If YOU made the rules, how would we dress?

[japester]

Maybe I'd like to see an arrangement where one dining room rigidly enforced the dress code, but there would be an alternative dining room where you could choose from the same menu, but dress less formally.

 

Capital idea! I had the same notion shortly after posting. And it would be easy to do on a Grand class ship, for example, since they have three main dining rooms.

 

Two things suffer when people do not respect the dress codes: morale and ambiance.

 

Jape

[geoherb]

I like the way it is now. Dressing up in tuxedos a couple of times on a cruise is perfect. We also went along with Celebrity's and HAL's dresscodes--sportcoats for informal nights--but I'd rather save the room in my suitcase for other things. If I had known that Celebrity was going to switch one of the informal nights to a casual, I would have left my sportscoat at home.

[woodofpine]

but the pychologist said my I.Q. wasn't high enough. :(

[Spender Nui]

We always adhere to the dress code, regardless of the line we're sailing on.

 

When we started to cruise we had formal nights ... and on all other nights jackets and ties were worn (all night) or you stayed in your cabin.

 

If you weren't dressed properly you were denied entrance to the dining room and all other public rooms. I'd like to see a lot more of this now.

 

All that said, I loved Renaissance where every night was country club/smart/casual. Some chose to dress up. Nobody dressed down.

 

Now I usually take a dark suit (the tux is at home). I use the jacket of the

sport coat for informal nights (if they have them). Traveling today is too difficult to require extra things to be packed.

 

I think the biggest turn off is the people who show up in the dirty things they've worn all day long. Have you ever been at your table on formal night when the dirty shorts and tee shirt (hat too, probably with the brim facing backwards) showed up? Makes for a real nice evening.

[TCF]

But I guess that would be totally inappropriate....OUCH!!!....yep...my wife just smacked me....that would be absolutely inappropriate!:D

Stopped packing formal wear for myself....rent it now. Cheaper... less packing...sharper looking! For about $85 you can get two outfits...black tux and white dinner jacket...shirts...pants...etc.

If I had my way the formal would be downgraded to semi-formal jackets and ties for the men. But the only one on our cruises who get's their own way is my wife...and she loves formal nights...so that effectively ends that argument!:eek:

I think we must remember that with mass market cruising...some refer to it as 'Wal Mart' cruising...there are a growing number of people who really have no idea what constitutes "formal wear". For some it is indeed a clean white...or not...t-shirt without writing on it!:eek: They too deserve to eat lobster!

As long as they don't start underwear checks I'll be OK!!:D

Tom:)

[JolieMadam]

Upon noticing this post, I was reluctant to even go there to read the opinions. Thought it would be everyone clamoring over getting rid of formal nights, etc. Am pleasantly surprised that the majority of cruisers posting said they wanted things to stay as they are...and would like to see the rules enforced.

 

I'm with those who like things the way they are (the dress code, that is), not the people who don't respect it.

[mek]

I would opt to see things stay the way they are IF the rules were enforced. As it is, I could settle for Country Club Casual on all nights and be happy. DH and I are leaving in two weeks for our 3rd time on the CB and we intend to be casual most of the cruise and have the majority of our meals in the Caribe Cafe, which we both enjoy. We will probably go to both formal nights, but this time I plan to wear the same thing twice. We really want to relax and pack as lightly as posssible.

[Another ship trip]

since you ask....

the first 10-15 cruises, formal night was fun but now it is, like some have said, more shoes, more special undergarments in some cases, more room if there are layers to some dresses, more bulky packing, more drycleaning, etc. I have to dress professionally for work, so getting to dress down is my true idea of vacation. I seriously could agree to go totally informal as we Texans will happily eat our daily steak/lobster in shorts with the same fine manners as we do in our full formal garb. I guess since I have to dress for formal events about 10 times a year, I would be happy to be casual and completely comfortable on vacation. (I am a fan of NCL freestyle too for that reason but cruise on various lines.) And my casual is not grubby or dirty or grungy in any way. Simply casual. I know this is not the opinion of most, but I really only dress for the happiness of everyone else and to conform to the cruiseline. I seriously could not care less if there were no dress code but I adhere to whatever it is. Ditch the formal nights and I would be fine with that.

[richnorto]

We have only cruised occasionally. It's a great vacation for the kids to see the world outside of our usual ski trip or going to the beach. We are members of 3 country clubs and... guess what... attire is the biggest arguement you find! The current president's wife of our neighborhood club was kicked off the golf course 2 years ago because her golf shorts were 1 inch too short! Sometimes rules get in the way of a good time. Dress codes were invented to make everyone feel comfortable. When they get restrictive enough to make people uncomfortable - maybe common sense dressing is what should be the rule. Jeans can be as dressy as khakis if the right style. Suits are much more impressive on some than tuxes, etc.:)

[japester]

Dress codes were invented to make everyone feel comfortable.

 

??????

 

Maybe I'm feeling simple tonight, but I can't think of a single example of this.....?

 

Jape

[Times Prince]

I Love the way the dress code is now. Wearing a tuxedo on formal nights helps me to feel special, and make the evening memorable. The women look great, too, in their glitzy gowns.

 

This is part of what made cruising a great vacation for me.

 

I am also glad Princess has gone to smart casual the other nights, as I don't have to waste space in luggage for a sport coat, dress shirts and ties.

 

GREAT COMPROMISE, PRINCESS !!!

I was reluctant on my first cruise to go with a tux, but it felt so good that this attire on my less than perfect body should make my wife look at me like I was James Bond (the Sean Connery version).

[richnorto]

??????

 

Maybe I'm feeling simple tonight, but I can't think of a single example of this.....?

 

Jape

 

Of course dress codes were designed to make people feel comfortable. They ensure people are dressed to a certain degree and don't feel out of place. The problems occur when some people try to restrict or over police the codes to make people feel out of place.:)

[Cruisin' Chick]

I guess I would vote for the way it is now. But I definitely would not discourage those who decided not to dress formally -- for whatever reason -- from being able to walk around in non-formal wear on formal night. It doesn't bother me if people chose not to dress up.

[victory2020]

Not criticizing you and I could be wrong but "country club casual" does not mean wrinkled khakis and a banlon shirt. On informal nights, about half the people on a cruise ship are dressed like they are going out to mow their lawns. Looks like they spent their last dime on the cruise and haven't bought any new clothes in about 10 years. And some of the gaudy plaid and striped sport coats on formal night are horrendous - so old they probably have "made in USA labels". This is not a matter of taste - just no pride in how they dress. Flame on!

I agree with you! Just got back from Carnival cruise & part of our entertainment was looking at how badly people dressed ALL the time!

[Genessa]

I didn't vote in this poll as I didn't agree with any of the choices - at least I don't think I did (hey, sounds like why I almost didn't vote in the election today ;) ).

 

I like formal night, like getting dressed up and would keep 2 nights in a 7 night cruise formal, but I would make the other nights as casual as anyone might want with one exception - NO WET BATHING SUITS.

[Another ship trip]

I agree with you! Just got back from Carnival cruise & part of our entertainment was looking at how badly people dressed ALL the time!

Sounds like making fun of others was and is the entertainment for some...hmmmm.....if it makes you feel better about yourself.....

[Princessgal]

Dressing in a formal gown is one of the things I like best about cruising. Where else could I dress up like that. I am the opposite of most cruisers. Casual is not in my vocabulary at night on a cruise. I wear dresses, sequined gowns, chiffon pants and have been told I dress classy and elegant every night. The worst thing is to dance in the disco in a formal with the couple next to me in flip flops and shorts. I have seen people in jeans on formal nights and some take casual to mean clothes that do not belong in public. I wish there were some ships that were strictly casual and some much more formal so everyone could be happy.

[Giorgi-one]

I agree with you! Just got back from Carnival cruise & part of our entertainment was looking at how badly people dressed ALL the time!

 

This is not limited to Carnival. My experience has been on Celebrity, HAL and RCL. My observation is that it is worse with older people (I am older) and especially men.

[shofer]

I truly like that idea!

 

As you can probably tell from my avatar, I used to enjoy dressing up a bit, but the luggage issue was getting out of hand. Besides, I'd show up nicely turned out in a white dinner jacket and people would mistake me for the head waiter. And, truthfully, no one today seems to understand the propriety of the formal collar - i.e. you are never supposed to wear black tie with a wing collar, yet it seems that everyone does nowdays. It's one of my pet peeves and when I show up on a formal night and see a sea of guys dressed like they're sylistically challenged 16 year olds heading for the jr. prom, it doesn't harken me back to the romantic days of cruise travel. It just looks like a mob of guys in rented tuxes. .

 

I think you are probably the only person who knows that a black tie w/a wing collar is inappropriate. When you rent a tux, that is what you are given which may explain why you seen so many on a cruise. Since the average American male only wears a tux to his prom, his wedding and to give his daughter's hand in marriage, he would not be versed in what is proper. If you are renting a tux, the expectation would be that you would be given the correct shirt, etc. What exactly are you supposed to wear with a wing collar?

[jak378]

I think you are probably the only person who knows that a black tie w/a wing collar is inappropriate. When you rent a tux, that is what you are given which may explain why you seen so many on a cruise. Since the average American male only wears a tux to his prom, his wedding and to give his daughter's hand in marriage, he would not be versed in what is proper. If you are renting a tux, the expectation would be that you would be given the correct shirt, etc. What exactly are you supposed to wear with a wing collar?

 

White tie and tails are appropriate with wing collar. I enjoy formal night and dressing up, but I hope we don't ever get to that point. Actually black tie has become so common with a wing collar, primarily because that is usually what one gets with a rental, that it has probably become acceptable

[shepp]

When I went on my first cruise with my Mom, I resisted the formal-evening code, but took my trusty black suit along...and was surprised to find myself peeved when the much-traveled, wealthy man at our table showed up in a navy blazer and khaki slacks. (Of course, he also cut his entire steak into little pieces before taking the first bite.) Now I'll have no problem packing a suit and tie for the Dawn. I do, however, refuse to rent a tux. What's the point?

 

Let's face it, dress codes are all about gender and class. A tux says "I can not only afford to own (or rent) this thing for a few hours use, I can afford someone to keep it in shape." Women get to dress idiosyncratically and fabulously on formal nights, while the men they're with wear the uniform of a headwaiter in an expensive French restaurant. Maybe that's because women are supposed to look sexy and glamorous while men are supposed to look rich and powerful (OK, like a powerful headwaiter)...and not at all like a sex object, since that's women's work?

 

Even most men's smart casual is...well, Project-Runway-watchers, let's just call it "not fashion forward," shall we? Ooh, khaki Dockers and a golf shirt! That's so...borrring.

 

I like cargo pants. I have a very nice pair of Ralph Laurens that originally sold for a couple of hundred bucks. My Mom, though, insisted I go out and buy a pair of 1950s Haggar slacks instead. Okay, I snuck onboard a pair of oatmeal CK jeans in their place, but....is there some sort of rule that requires men on cruises to look as upper-middle-class and middle-middle-brow as possible?

 

On my next cruise, I'll be wearing my suit with a dark gold silk shirt and black tie, or alternatively a purple shirt and pale yellow tie. And on my feet, distressed-leather, dark green Mark Nason shoes that retailed for $350 bucks (though I got them wayyy marked down).

 

Listen, I'm a queer guy; I'm entitled to some sense of style. Come say hi.