Dining Rules

[MiamiSky66]

In October '06 I was on the NCL Dream out of Houston. A lot of people wore jeans to the dining room at night. I inquired about that and was told that because the ship sails from Texas a new ruling allows jeans and cowboy hats. The Ecstacy is out of Galveston and the same cruisers want jeans. They might change the rules.

[AWhippet1]

Amy, You know the rules. You are a past cruiser. Do you just want your choice VALIDATED by this board?????

Is that a yes or no?? :rolleyes:

It doesn't mention in my pamphlet, is it an actual rule? Or, is it just frowned upon?

[CaptainEdwardJohnSmith]

The Mrs just reminded me of this:

I think it was like 3-4 years ago on one of the formal nights we saw "normal" people dressed in formal dinner attire, a couple of younger guys wearing really elegant US Marines uniforms, quite a few and I do mean quite a few, southerners wearing 10-gallon hats & jeans (yes, the sailing was out of Galveston and I am aware of Carnival's dress code policy with regards sailings out of the great state of Texas) and this younger family I would assume of Middle Eastern hertiage wearing these beautiful and elegant flowing robes and head scarves. The ladies looked really exotic! And one guy dressed in Scottish attire, kilt & all! And yes, there also

were passengers who didn't care less. I remember we joked about how it looked more

like a Halloween Night's Party with all the fanciful and beautiful people all around us.

This was all on one cruise! I guess formal and dressy means different things to different people and no-one should

judge others.

Happy cruising

[truecruiser]

I just returned from 5 wonderful days on the Ecstasy....On the cruise that I just returned from, I saw a man in shorts, several ladies in jeans and a lot of men with no ties much less coats...

 

that's a shame. unless it was the first night of the cruise where this dress is supposedly permitted due to the fact that baggage delivery cannot be guaranteed, they shld have been spoken to, but of course, they were not. no one wants to be the "bad guy."

 

this subject has been hotly debated on here, over and over and over again. i did not see this on the cruise i just returned from, but then again, i simply might not have been seated near the offenders.

 

i haven't seen it on many cruises, but i have seen it. on one cruise we were seated next to a table of 10 who repeatedly entered the dining room in flip flops, tank tops (yes -- straight from Lido) and shorts. it was inappropriate IMO. at that point, they shld have just eaten on Lido. (okay, naysayers, flame me, don't care).

 

But, OP, you shld realize that the dining rules are more relaxed than in years past. Ties are not required for men, as far as i know. nice shirts collar or no collar, it doesn't matter (but no logos, no t-shirts), and slacks or kahkis, are the order of the day for men to meet the "casual neat" standard, at least this is how i always proceed.

 

and while formal nights are different, my DH does not wear a tux on formal night (and he owns one), but does wear a jacket and tie.

[BallFour4]

Recently sailed the Ecstasy for the 4th time... Not one day did the Capers not allow jeans for dining room attire.

 

Formal night had "suggested attire" and we followed the suggestion.

 

The only thing required from the Capers was no shorts or tank tops.

 

A small number of people wore jeans most every night. I didn't see anyone in shorts.

 

In our experience since we started cruising as a family in 1986 I have seen less formal dress on cruises shorter than 7 days. The Ecstasy makes 4-5 day runs to Mexico from Galveston. The summer months usually means a less formal crowd.

 

When the Capers states Required Dress then scan them in and post them.

[PA Dutchman]

I agree with doing away with, or enforcing the DRESS rules!!!! and letting people come in 1/2 hr + late and screwing up everything for the waiters. They are all MAITRE'D problems. Not only on CCL, RCI was just as bad on the dress rules and letting people come in up to 1 hr late, what a mess that creates.:mad:

[halos]

Or let him know that while you would like to extend him a tip, you didnt feel like he performed all his duties.

 

 

ooooooh. I like that idea. :D

That might cause a change or two.

[SummerXU]

Ok, so I'm rather new here and preparing for my first cruise, and I'm sure this has been asked before, but bear with me...

 

What do you guys think of capri pants in the dining room...with heels, of course?

[mrdood]

Sorry people, times change, those that think the way someone dresses reflects on civility or manners, is about as narrow minded as the tip of a needle.

 

Some of the brightest and most humble, most civil, caring people would prefer to wear jeans and a comfortable shirt, the rest of you should be ashamed of your attitude. We no longer wear powdered wigs and long coat tails, just think what those folks would say about your civility and manners if they could see you in your tux :rolleyes:

 

Guests are not in charge of enforcing or dictating what is worn. It is up to Carnival, and so far, they could care less. Learn to enjoy yourself no matter what you wear and no matter what anyone else wears and you find more peace with yourself.

 

Reminds me of the couple that lost their luggage on my Liberty cruise... people were making fun of them in the dining room every night, they were trying their best with what they had. The judgemental people were true jerks...

[halos]

I don't think WalMart sells Tuxes.:rolleyes:

 

I am sadden by this also, I love it when my DH wears his tux. Because of all the post about the dumbing down of formal nights I'm thinking of not having him bring it on our next cruise!

 

I'm going on a 5 day in 2 weeks. I've debated the tux thing over and over in my mind because I'm sure a short cruise during spring break is going to yield very little formal wear in the dining room at night. My DH actually bought himself a tux about a year ago in anticipation of a future full of cruises for us. :D

We decided that even though a lot of CCL cruisers don't seem to understand what 'formal' means, that isn't going to stop us on formal night. Unless CCL becomes Freestyle like NCL, we'll pack the tux/long dress and if people want to snicker over it, that's their issue. I refuse to fall into the "everyone else is dressing down' mentality.

I think it's a shame that Carnival doesn't enforce the dress requirements and I like the idea of letting the Maitre'D know in no uncertain terms how I feel if people strut in the dining room in shorts, by giving him a nice note in his envelope with a complaint, instead of a tip.

[truecruiser]

...

Reminds me of the couple that lost their luggage on my Liberty cruise... people were making fun of them in the dining room every night, they were trying their best with what they had. The judgemental people were true jerks...

 

ya know, that's a good point dood. luggage does get lost on occasion. and i guess you never know if the ones in flip flops and tank tops might be some of the victims. on our cruise last week we received notices in our cabins to pls check our bags b/c some passengers had been missing luggage since the beginning of the cruise (and at the time of the note, it was already day 3, i think).

 

and we were in port at grand turk w/ HAL. and i was sitting next to these guys from that ship at margaritaville who had flight issues, but managed to make it to the ship w/ few moments to spare. sadly, none of their luggae made it.

 

jet blue had given them a whopping:rolleyes: $500 for clothes, but what does that get you in a ship's gift shop -- and it certainly doesn't get you underwear.:eek: they did say that for formal night, HAL was giving them free tuxes (and it wasn't even HAL's issue). i thought that was nice.

[Snoozeman]

Recently sailed the Ecstasy for the 4th time... Not one day did the Capers not allow jeans for dining room attire.

 

Formal night had "suggested attire" and we followed the suggestion.

 

The only thing required from the Capers was no shorts or tank tops.

 

A small number of people wore jeans most every night. I didn't see anyone in shorts.

 

In our experience since we started cruising as a family in 1986 I have seen less formal dress on cruises shorter than 7 days. The Ecstasy makes 4-5 day runs to Mexico from Galveston. The summer months usually means a less formal crowd.

 

When the Capers states Required Dress then scan them in and post them.

 

Agree

(I was looking for a Ecstasy review from you--I really like that ship since the refurb.) I think they will allow her to be a bit more casual similar to the NCL's dining rules, out of Houston, as a previous poster mentioned.

 

I agree with doing away with, or enforcing the DRESS rules!!!! and letting people come in 1/2 hr + late and screwing up everything for the waiters. They are all MAITRE'D problems. Not only on CCL, RCI was just as bad on the dress rules and letting people come in up to 1 hr late, what a mess that creates.:mad:

 

Agree, be consistent.

[BallFour4]

Snooz, we really enjoyed the ship and the updates. I like this class of vessel, and we sailed the Ecstasy from Miami in 96, from Galveston in 04, (Elation subbed for her in 05) and in 06.

 

Things I liked: service in the dining room, great food presentation, having a diet coke at my place each night after I showed the soda card on the first night, sushi, mini-golf, good movie selection and the bedding.

 

Geeky stuff... great audio and DMX lighting in the theatre. The quality is far better than the Splendour and approaches that of the Rhapsody.

 

Things I didn't like: smoke... not just a problem for this ship, but it does slow me down in the casino desires.

 

The shops onboard are no real bargain for watches. The local Macys, Sams Club and Costco beat them almost across the board in pricing.

 

The desire to cruise the week of Thanksgiving is leaving me...

 

I am married to a teacher and have a 17 year old, so we have taken this route several times since we first sailed the Celebration out of Galveston. Bounce, bounce, bounce across the Gulf of Mexico.

 

The reason we may skip this next year is weather related. Fronts move across Texas and out in the gulf just about the time we sail or head back from Progresso. This time Cozumel was blowing at 20 mph and about 65 degrees.

 

The day at sea coming back was like a expedition up a mountain with the cold wind. I am a semi-fat guy at 48 and a sweatshirt and shorts just didn't cut it in the shade on the lido (Speedo?) as we headed home the day before Thanksgiving.

 

As stated before; I'd like to cruise with the Dood man and you. We can debate formal dress, have a beer, play bingo, have a beer, heckle those late coming back from the bars in Cozumel, have a beer... see a pattern?

 

Gotta head to 24 Hour Fitness... a new one opened by the house and the boss says I must be a sexy man before I am 50...

[jimiam]

I guess it is how your interpret the rules. In the latest carnival brochure it says"For one or two formal nights a dark suit or formal attire is SUGGESTED."

Nothing is said about required. My suggestion is on formal night have one dining room for those who want to dress up and the other for casial wear.

[zqvol]

I just returned from 5 wonderful days on the Ecstasy. For three weeks before I left i read the do's and don't's of dining attire. I have a good solution for the whole mess. Carnival makes the policy on dining room attire, therefore they should enforce it. Some people just don't think rules are for them. Only others. I really don't care which way they go. But don't have a rule that says you have a formal night for all except a few. On the cruise that I just returned from, I saw a man in shorts, several ladies in jeans and a lot of men with no ties much less coats. And thats ok..... It was their vacation. Just change the rule so that I don't have to pack a suit and tie or risk being turned away. Carnival, CHANGE THE RULE or ENFORCE IT.

Please understand that there are no "rules" for dress in the dining room other than no shorts, "t shirts" or bathing suits. Everything else is just a suggestion. (The language in the capers is "requested".) If Carnival chooses to make it a rule than great, but until they do the "dress codes" are suggestions that people are free to follow or disregard as they choose.

[markandstacie00]

If it says suggested, that is sad. I think that the dressing for a nice formal dinner is THE best part of a cruise. I guess that is why I have been drawn to Celebrity cruises. I 'm sure it has happened, but I've never seen jeans or shorts. I am a father of 5 and I bet my four teens (Yes, I have 4 teens at the same time!) would say they like the dressing up for dinner.

 

If YOU don't want to dress, that is fine. You should in my opinion choose NCL or a land vacation where this is appropriate. The nicest restaurant in the city I live in does not have the same dress codes that I am used to on Celebrity/Princess. If you want to go to the Outback and dress in shorts, cool! I like that to, but a cruise should be different.

[hdawson]

The Capers in December on Celebration said "REQUIRED".

[gltrans1]

Here is my take on the dining room attire. I own my own business and can only take one vacation a year and it is always Christmas week because it is the only week that I can shut my business down. Needless to say the cost of the cruise for a family of 5 during Christmas week is substantially more than a non-holiday week. While our family does not wear shorts or t-shirts to the dining room, we also do not feel that we need to pack anything extra for formal night except for a sport jacket for me. Its my week to enjoy myself and for the price that I am paying I do not want wear a tuxedo or suit and tie while I eat dinner. Quite frankly, a blue blazer, oxford shirt and khaki pants is sufficient for formal night and I seriously doubt that anyone on Carnival is going to deny me entry to the dining room. Quite frankly, what anyone else wears has absolutely no bearing on my desire to be comfortable and enjoy my dinner... which I do. Our family thoroughly enjoyed our last 2 Carnival cruises, including the dining room, and can't wait to go on our next cruise.

___________________________________

Carnival Triumph 12/23/05

Carnival Valor 12/24/06

[petro772]

I guess it is how your interpret the rules. In the latest carnival brochure it says"For one or two formal nights a dark suit or formal attire is SUGGESTED."

Nothing is said about required. My suggestion is on formal night have one dining room for those who want to dress up and the other for casial wear.

 

My suggestion for a long time. Bravo! ;)

[showe0208]

Sorry people, times change, those that think the way someone dresses reflects on civility or manners, is about as narrow minded as the tip of a needle.

 

Some of the brightest and most humble, most civil, caring people would prefer to wear jeans and a comfortable shirt, the rest of you should be ashamed of your attitude. We no longer wear powdered wigs and long coat tails, just think what those folks would say about your civility and manners if they could see you in your tux :rolleyes:

 

Guests are not in charge of enforcing or dictating what is worn. It is up to Carnival, and so far, they could care less. Learn to enjoy yourself no matter what you wear and no matter what anyone else wears and you find more peace with yourself.

 

Reminds me of the couple that lost their luggage on my Liberty cruise... people were making fun of them in the dining room every night, they were trying their best with what they had. The judgemental people were true jerks...

Dood , there are aways extenuating circumstances, but if the capers say required or suggsted is the key. I for one look forward one formal night , not two.I also think that on formal night jeans are not appropiate. But that is a Carnival decision. As long as Carnival has formal nights and does not enforce it, then why have formal nights at all? BTW, if my DH wear a tux and I am formally dressed at the same table as jean wearers, I don't feel under dressed and don't care what they are wearing. But wy does Carnival say Formal if its not enforced? Save me some $$$. Naw, I really enjoy looking like a princess at least one a year. :)

[Snoozeman]

Snooz, we really enjoyed the ship and the updates. I like this class of vessel, and we sailed the Ecstasy from Miami in 96, from Galveston in 04, (Elation subbed for her in 05) and in 06.

 

Things I liked: service in the dining room, great food presentation, having a diet coke at my place each night after I showed the soda card on the first night, sushi, mini-golf, good movie selection and the bedding.

 

Geeky stuff... great audio and DMX lighting in the theatre. The quality is far better than the Splendour and approaches that of the Rhapsody.

 

Things I didn't like: smoke... not just a problem for this ship, but it does slow me down in the casino desires.

 

The shops onboard are no real bargain for watches. The local Macys, Sams Club and Costco beat them almost across the board in pricing.

 

The desire to cruise the week of Thanksgiving is leaving me...

 

I am married to a teacher and have a 17 year old, so we have taken this route several times since we first sailed the Celebration out of Galveston. Bounce, bounce, bounce across the Gulf of Mexico.

 

The reason we may skip this next year is weather related. Fronts move across Texas and out in the gulf just about the time we sail or head back from Progresso. This time Cozumel was blowing at 20 mph and about 65 degrees.

 

The day at sea coming back was like a expedition up a mountain with the cold wind. I am a semi-fat guy at 48 and a sweatshirt and shorts just didn't cut it in the shade on the lido (Speedo?) as we headed home the day before Thanksgiving.

 

As stated before; I'd like to cruise with the Dood man and you. We can debate formal dress, have a beer, play bingo, have a beer, heckle those late coming back from the bars in Cozumel, have a beer... see a pattern?

 

Gotta head to 24 Hour Fitness... a new one opened by the house and the boss says I must be a sexy man before I am 50...

 

Thanks for the comments. I've sailed her twice since refurb., but DW has not. We're looking for a 'new home' once the Rhapsody leaves. Looks like Ecstasy will be it.:)

 

Sounds like fun, hopefully we can meet up on her. I also really like to hassle the late comers at Cozumel.

[PACURN]

I happen to be real upset as to formal night on Carnival. We just returned from a one-week cruise. My husband wore his tux on formal night as he has been doing for our past 11 cruises. After this cruise, he will never take it again as he felt totally out of place and felt everyone was looking at him and laughing. There were jeans in the dining room and many men did not wear a jacket. Many did not wear ties. We saw a man in a tee shirt. We will hesitate next time to go on Carnival (this would never have happened on Celebrity). I agree with doing away with, or enforcing the rules!!!!

My DH and Ds's all wear their tux's on every cruise and are very proud of how nice they look. If people are laughing at us that's their problem not ours. We never feel out of place. We love dressing up and looking nice.

[Pjzplace]

I for one enjoy dressing up for dinner. I think it is a matter of "RESPECT". Whether the dress code is "Required" or "Requested", I think it is "Implied" that you dress appropriatly for the occasion. Knowing this information prior to the cruise I think people should "Respect" the occasion and dress accordingly!

 

Now, that being said, I think that those who "Flame" passengers who do not dress up are not "Respecting" them. It is their choice! It is a poor choice in my opinion but their choice none the less. I will never let another persons choices destroy my vacation. We are all required to stop at a stop sign but many of us choose to "Roll" through when we do not see anyone driving by. By doing so, we are violating a law and subject to a fine but, are we putting anyone at risk if there is no one there?

 

The act of not dressing up does not put any persons health or safety at risk so it is not my concern. If the cruise line decides to enforce their "Requests or Requirements" it is their option. However, everyone has the right to voice their own opinion at the time of their concern and can always cast their own vote with their own dollars and cents when they book their choice for a vacation. If you choose not to "Speak up" you have still made a choice!

 

Now, RIP ME APART!

[we2cruze]

My husband, myself, and the 3 youngest of my 5 children sailed on Celebration in October. We usually do formal night formally dressed, but because we were sailing with the 3 youngest children we decided to make it easier on me and skip the one formal night on the cruise. (Our 2 oldest are college-age girls and cruising with the kids is much easier when they are along to help out. The night before formal night we told our waiter that we were not coming the next night because we didn't bring formal wear. Our waiter was dramatically upset that we were missing formal night and assured us that a button down shirt for my husband would be fine. We took his advice, dressed in the best smart casual wear we had brought with us and went to formal night. Almost everyone in the dining room was dressed similiarly to us and some were dressed more casually. I was really surprised.

[mrdood]

Dood , there are aways extenuating circumstances, but if the capers say required or suggsted is the key. I for one look forward one formal night , not two.I also think that on formal night jeans are not appropiate. But that is a Carnival decision. As long as Carnival has formal nights and does not enforce it, then why have formal nights at all? BTW, if my DH wear a tux and I am formally dressed at the same table as jean wearers, I don't feel under dressed and don't care what they are wearing. But wy does Carnival say Formal if its not enforced? Save me some $$$. Naw, I really enjoy looking like a princess at least one a year. :)

 

The welcome aboard brochure that is mailed out says "suggested" that is what people pack based on, I have never ever seen a capers that stated "required" nobody has yet to post one on line that says "required" it so far an uncomfirmed rumor.

 

They can't hold people to a different standard once they are aboard it is unfair and wrong.

 

I do applaud your effort to be comfortable with yourself and enjoy your time, that is the most important!!!