How do you dress for "smart casual?"

[hammybee]

On The Oosterdam Jeans were not turned away...... I think Jeans are inappropriate, but I also believe all Cruise Lines are afraid of alienating the "noveau customers" who may be the mainstay of future business, so they turn their heads when jeans show up a the dining room. :) Jer the Bear

 

Regardless of how you, I or the next guy feels about jeans, they are acceptable on Casual evenings.

[Robin7]

Regardless of how you, I or the next guy feels about jeans, they are acceptable on Casual evenings.

 

We had dinner with 36 different people on our 11/23 Volendam cruise, and only once were people we were seated with wearing jeans, and they were the 'good ole boys' type. It didn't bother us in any way. The only time we've ever worn jeans was on an Alaska cruise when our ship-sponsored shore excursion was so late (they held the ship for us), we got back right AT our dining time. But it's our own choice not to wear jeans most of the time.

 

Our cruise had a more elderly population than any we've been on, and most of the passengers always dressed very nicely. Not so many tuxedos, but jackets at nearly every dinner. And I'd say 99 percent of them stayed finely attired the entire evening.

 

We are 'over-dressers' as someone upthread described. I'd rather be over-dressed than under-dressed. DH wears Dockers or nice trousers with a polo or a silk shirt. I usually wear a skirt or (nice) capris with a fancy top. (We love dressing up because I work from home and DH is in the software industry so it's computer-geek-tshirt and jeans every day.)

 

But 'unless they have a pineapple on their heads', we don't let how anyone else chooses to dress annoy us. (Barring any snotty comments about my husband wearing a tuxedo, that is. :D )

 

Robin

[RevNeal]

Good sense is rarely common.

[RevNeal]

So if there is a guy in shorts and a ball cap at dinner and I choose to wear jeans and t shirt, that makes it ok, simply because I am not the worst offender in the room?

 

Not exactly (thought such might be the case). What bicker wrote was that, so long as someone was more casually (or more formally) dressed than you, you would "probably" be "in the realm of appropriate-ness" [cool phrase]. His conclusion follows: if you find yourself to be the most casually or most formally dressed person, you should "think twice" about it.

 

Of course ... if person X, who had planed on coming to dinner in a bikini, thinks twice about it and decides to dress up to something within the code, then person Y -- who had been planning on dressing in short-shorts and halter-top -- will now be the one who really should "think twice" about what they're planning on wearing. :) Prior to that, they would "probably be within the realm of appropriate-ness" ... or, possibly not. [gee ... that sounds more slippery than a theologian ... I like it! :D]

 

Most people don't bother to think once, much less twice.

[dam1050]

we don't let how anyone else chooses to dress annoy us.

Robin

 

Good attitude ... it's definitely not the clothes that makes the man

[richnorto]

On our recent Maasdam cruise, we wore dresses and khakis/golf shirts to dinner for smart casual nights. My children kept pointing out that others (especially ladies in the 60+crowd) were wearing jeans (albeit nice ones). Many of the kids and teens were as well. They all wore nice shirts so they looked well dressed. By the last night, I gave in and let them wear jeans with nice shirts. They looked fine and fit in perfectly. I still wore a dress, as carrying jeans on a Caribbean cruise seems crazy to me if I'm not horseback riding! I think a previous poster said it right... Just use common sense!

[CroozeAddict]

really, I was just told by a poster on the fashion board that jeans are now allowed on HAL. I had my doubts about that.

 

From what I gather, jeans are now allowed. BUT ... I would really feel out of place if I wore them into a classy restaurant which is what I consider the Westerdam's dining room.

 

Just looking at the pictures of the dining room on HAL's web site tells me a minimum of dockers and a collared shirt.

 

Come on folks ... a little common sense should prevail occasionally.

[bUU]

I bet you can credit/blame Disney for some of this. They have some wonderful restaurants at their resort near Orlando -- some really nice places (or at least there were prior to 2005, and now, since January 1, can be great again, but that's another story). Yet, their standard for attire has always been very casual. At a place like Artist Point or Jiko, which I would stack up against the best Royal Caribbean (at least) had to offer, they would happily serve patrons in bluejeans and even shorts and t-shirts, and that attire would not only be common, but sometimes would predominate.

 

For folks who prefer fine dining in casual attire, it is a godsend. For folks who prefer fine dining in formal attire, it is a catastrophe. However, as long as the former are considered more vital customers to satisfy as compared to the latter (perhaps solely because the former can and will more readily choose to go to other suppliers while the latter have few or no choices that pursue them within this price-range) then it is the reality. Remember, consumer power comes solely from the willingness to do without. If you don't like what a supplier is offering, then do not patronize that supplier again. If no suppliers offer what you want, then do without. That is the best way to communicate your sentiments to a business.

[Harp Girl]

I guess I don't understand why it's important to some people what other's wear in the dinning room. As long as you are comfortable in your choice and I am comfortable in mine, to each his own. We are all on vacation after all, and we all paid for the privilege to enjoy ourselves. I love to people watch and the variety makes watching more fun! I realize that my opinion is just one opinion, I'm not writing this to anger anyone, I just wanted to share! :)

[ltsally]

Good to hear everyone's 'take' on this. And glad to hear that there are those who, like me, do enjoy getting a little dressed upin the evening. And as some have mentioned, I also find the people-watching (especially the well dressed people) to be a fun aspect of the whole cruise experience.

[hammybee]

From what I gather, jeans are now allowed. BUT ... I would really feel out of place if I wore them into a classy restaurant which is what I consider the Westerdam's dining room.

 

Just looking at the pictures of the dining room on HAL's web site tells me a minimum of dockers and a collared shirt.

 

Come on folks ... a little common sense should prevail occasionally.

 

Jeans are indeed allowed on HAL and have been for probably the past 1.5 years +/-. I have seen pictures of Poster Bepsf wearing jeans with a blazer. He looked hip and consistent with what one would find in any high end contemporary restaurant, in any major metropolitan area, here or in Europe. He looked more put together than most cruise ship passengers on a casual evening.

[dakrewser]

I guess I don't understand why it's important to some people what other's wear in the dinning room. As long as you are comfortable in your choice and I am comfortable in mine, to each his own. We are all on vacation after all, and we all paid for the privilege to enjoy ourselves. I love to people watch and the variety makes watching more fun! I realize that my opinion is just one opinion, I'm not writing this to anger anyone, I just wanted to share! :)

 

Being civilized means showing consideration to others. Being polite means not pointing out another's shortcomings.

 

Unfortunately, this means that the non-civilized who ignore the "recommended" dress code are not criticized by the polite people who honor the code and so are emboldened to think that what they've done is "OK," even when it isn't.

 

Still, my biggest beef with those who deliberately violate the dress code is - which other requests, suggestions - and rules - are you violating while on the ship?

[RevNeal]

Jeans are indeed allowed on HAL and have been for probably the past 1.5 years +/-. I have seen pictures of Poster Bepsf wearing jeans with a blazer. He looked hip and consistent with what one would find in any high end contemporary restaurant, in any major metropolitan area, here or in Europe. He looked more put together than most cruise ship passengers on a casual evening.

 

It's right at 2 years ago. That photo of Brian you're referencing was taken aboard the Noordam's Inaugural Cruise in late February, 2006. The code had just been relaxed to allow for jeans in the main dining room on casual evenings. The relaxation of the code was rather subtle ... it involved a simple removal of "jeans" from the list of clothing prohibited during the evening hours. There was no grand announcement, no fanfare, no "parade of the comfy-jeans." One day we just noticed the change. I'm sure that it reflected a reality of what they had already been "allowing" for a while.

 

As for Brian looking more "put together" than most passengers on casual evening ... while I think that comes as almost second nature to Brian, I know that he puts thought into what he plans on wearing.

[Harp Girl]

Being civilized means showing consideration to others. Being polite means not pointing out another's shortcomings.

 

Unfortunately, this means that the non-civilized who ignore the "recommended" dress code are not criticized by the polite people who honor the code and so are emboldened to think that what they've done is "OK," even when it isn't.

 

Still, my biggest beef with those who deliberately violate the dress code is - which other requests, suggestions - and rules - are you violating while on the ship?

 

Oh my, it never occured to me that someone who doesn't honor the dress code might also be smuggling booze and goodness knows what else on board! I'll have to watch out for that! Who knows what might be lurking in the cabin next to mine? There could be a meth lab over there!! I knew those people in jeans were up to no good...

[hammybee]

It's right at 2 years ago. That photo of Brian you're referencing was taken aboard the Noordam's Inaugural Cruise in late February, 2006. The code had just been relaxed to allow for jeans in the main dining room on casual evenings. The relaxation of the code was rather subtle ... it involved a simple removal of "jeans" from the list of clothing prohibited during the evening hours. There was no grand announcement, no fanfare, no "parade of the comfy-jeans." One day we just noticed the change. I'm sure that it reflected a reality of what they had already been "allowing" for a while.

 

As for Brian looking more "put together" than most passengers on casual evening ... while I think that comes as almost second nature to Brian, I know that he puts thought into what he plans on wearing.

 

Speculation on my part but I am thinking that most cruise lines, like restaurants, decided that examining and judging the textile of pants was beyond the scope of anyone's job. One can wear jeans and look very polished and one can wear dockers and look like they slept on a park bench, the previous night.The textile of the pant has nothing to do with the end result.

 

Other than dining at a private country club or the few restaurants that persist in requiring jacket/tie, I do not know where anyone can dine and not see different interpretations of common sense. Those who can enjoy or ignore the differences may have a better dining experience than those who become upset that they cannot control what other people wear.

 

I know you get it.

[dakrewser]

Oh my, it never occured to me that someone who doesn't honor the dress code might also be smuggling booze and goodness knows what else on board! I'll have to watch out for that! Who knows what might be lurking in the cabin next to mine? There could be a meth lab over there!! I knew those people in jeans were up to no good...

 

I'm more concerned with those who "need" to bring a high-powered iron with them in order to put a crease in the jeans, or leave their smoldering cigarette on the balcony - next to the drying bathing suits, or hide out during lifeboat drill - or simply don't bother to wash their hands after using the rest room.

 

As I said, it's about consideration for others...

[Harp Girl]

Speculation on my part but I am thinking that most cruise lines, like restaurants, decided that examining and judging the textile of pants was beyond the scope of anyone's job. One can wear jeans and look very polished and one can wear dockers and look like they slept on a park bench, the previous night.The textile of the pant has nothing to do with the end result.

 

Other than dining at a private country club or the few restaurants that persist in requiring jacket/tie, I do not know where anyone can dine and not see different interpretations of common sense. Those who can enjoy or ignore the differences may have a better dining experience than those who become upset that they cannot control what other people wear.

 

I know you get it.

 

Excellently said! Thank you...

[RevNeal]

Speculation on my part but I am thinking that most cruise lines, like restaurants, decided that examining and judging the textile of pants was beyond the scope of anyone's job. One can wear jeans and look very polished and one can wear dockers and look like they slept on a park bench, the previous night.The textile of the pant has nothing to do with the end result.

 

Quite right. I'm reminded of the fellow who was dressed in checkered pants, vertically striped jacket, peach colored shirt, diagonally-striped brown and pink tie. He was dressed "in code" but ... oh ... what a visual train wreck! I'm sure (I HOPE) he did it on purpose, to make fun of the code and of those of us who dress accordingly. While rude and sarcastic, at least that would reflect a sense of humor and not just horrible fashion sense.

 

Other than dining at a private country club or the few restaurants that persist in requiring jacket/tie, I do not know where anyone can dine and not see different interpretations of common sense. Those who can enjoy or ignore the differences may have a better dining experience than those who become upset that they cannot control what other people wear.

 

I know you get it.

 

Too often, actually, "it" gets me. :D

[ANSalberg]

And they weren't shown the door by the Matri 'd? Amazing! Somehow I think on HAL a food fight in the dining room ... on formal or any other night ... wouldn't be tolerated. At least I hope it wouldn't.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

I TOTALLY agree, Rita - That is one reason I didn't name the cruise company. OTOH -I've seen people stopped at the dining room entrance with a gentle "I'm sure you'll feel more comfortable in that attire -in the Lido area" or some such. The cruiselines are NOT "THe Fashion Police" - my comment was aimed at the people who think that "IF any clothing were acceptable; THEN it follows ANY behavior is also" .When it isn't. I NEVER even imagined that kind of behavior -ANYWHERE- in public!

BUT; as difficult to tolerate- HOW do you throw a "guest" out of EITHER your home OR the dining room. Holland America still refers to their passengers as "guests" and DEPENDS on appropriate behavior. That next step is a HUGE one; throwing someone out/asking them to leave. Bless their hearts- the BEST you can say is that it is NORMALLY not necessary. HOW we are treated BY HAL is the measure of how MUCH we enjoy sailing them -close to 500 days now! We have NEVER seen that on a HAL ship.

Anne

[gizmo]

Quite right. I'm reminded of the fellow who was dressed in checkered pants, vertically striped jacket, peach colored shirt, diagonally-striped brown and pink tie. He was dressed "in code" but ... oh ... what a visual train wreck! I'm sure (I HOPE) he did it on purpose, to make fun of the code and of those of us who dress accordingly. While rude and sarcastic, at least that would reflect a sense of humor and not just horrible fashion sense.

 

 

 

Too often, actually, "it" gets me. :D

 

 

LOL. :D This reminds me of the guy we saw in the leopard outfit. Both top and bottoms were leopard. This had to be the most ridiculous outfit I ever saw on a cruise. I swear the outfit looked like pajamas.

 

Rev,

There are people that wear things to get a rise out of others. I had an uncle who bought a hot pink jump suite. He loved the way people looked at him when he wore it. My aunt just rolled her eyes and laughed. :D

 

Many years ago, my company moved into a building that also had the "Marketing " people on one of the floors. The Marketing manager was a big shot and pretty far up the corp line. He decided that all men in the building had to wear a tie. This really upset some of the support people and the guys in the computer rooms. I don't know where this one guy got his ties but they looked like something from the early 50's and resembled a couple that was worn by Ralph Kramden. I heard when the big boss ran into him one day, the boss's eyes almost came out of his head. Mission Accomplished !! :D

[Golfette]

Oh my, it never occured to me that someone who doesn't honor the dress code might also be smuggling booze and goodness knows what else on board! I'll have to watch out for that! Who knows what might be lurking in the cabin next to mine? There could be a meth lab over there!! I knew those people in jeans were up to no good...

 

Harp Girl - you are funny - love it! ;)

[Tampa Girl]

Well, now that jeans are allowed in the dining rooms (and I agree that "city" jeans and the appropriate top can be most becoming), I am giving consideration to bring along a pair since we will be trudging the streets of Tokyo after disembarking from the Statendam WWII cruise. But . . . how many of you feel that the weight of jeans doesn't justify packing them? And - any suggestion for lighter-weight jeans?

 

 

 

 

Virginia

[Elaine237]

Boy am I out of touch.

 

I thought "Smart Casual" was casual clothing and a Phi Beta Kappa key.:D

 

Elaine

Norman, OK

[RevNeal]

Well, now that jeans are allowed in the dining rooms (and I agree that "city" jeans and the appropriate top can be most becoming), I am giving consideration to bring along a pair since we will be trudging the streets of Tokyo after disembarking from the Statendam WWII cruise. But . . . how many of you feel that the weight of jeans doesn't justify packing them? And - any suggestion for lighter-weight jeans?

 

Packing them is a critical problem with jeans ... they are heavy and take up more room that other forms of pants. However, if one likes them and doesn't mind wearing them in transit, one can manage to bring a pair aboard without having to pack them. It's similar to my wearing a sport jacket in transit to and from the ship, thereby not having to pack it. :)

[Harp Girl]

I'm more concerned with those who "need" to bring a high-powered iron with them in order to put a crease in the jeans, or leave their smoldering cigarette on the balcony - next to the drying bathing suits, or hide out during lifeboat drill - or simply don't bother to wash their hands after using the rest room.

 

As I said, it's about consideration for others...

I think you can relax dakrewser, I haven't seen anyone putting a crease in their jeans since some where in the 60's so you should be safe there, a lit cigarette would soon blow off the balcony, and hiding out during the lifeboat drill isn't allowed on HAL, so if you were to follow people around as they left the restroom and administered the sanitzing gel, we would all be safe! I hope you can relax and enjoy your next cruise! All the best, Harp Girl ;)