Eliminate Formal Night?

[CruisnGram]

[quote name='WEELYNCRUZER']Free Style dining. I just reieved the NCL Latitudes brochure.It is loaded with specialty restaraunts. Free style is an oxymoron. They should say pay extra style. They will lower the quality in the mdr to entice you to pay in the specialty restaraunts, But you can dress anyway you want.[/quote]

So when did you last sail NCL? Please share your information about the quality in the MDR's as we're all very interested in your expert opinion.

[CruisnGram]

[quote name='marsh-angler']This may ruffle some people feathers but I believe one of the reasons for formal nights exist is so the passengers will purchase more pictures. .[/quote]

Bingo! Give that winner a prize!

[CruisnGram]

[quote name='Kudos2Fly']I agree with that one...:mad: I looked in to NCL and that was one of the reason I haven't try NCL. [/quote]

How can you agree with something that you have no knowledge of? You "looked into" NCL and made the determination that their MDR food was awful based on the amount of specialty restaurants they have? Too bad because you are missing out on an excellent experience that allows you to dress up (and fit right in) if you want, or not dress up (and fit right in) if you want, or dine for free at various restaurants with excellent food, or pay a little extra for a 5 star dining experience. Or not be forced to waiting on yourself and eating buffet food if you choose to dress casually on formal night. Oh well, your loss.

[Lady Chew]

It does seems as though the majority of cruisers ([I]not [/I]CCrs) prefer non-formal dining. However, that doesn't mean we want to wear shorts & flipflops to dinner and pick our teeth or scratch ourselves, or that we want "diner food" (whatever that means). It doesn't mean that we are ill-mannered, unwashed morons. Doesn't mean we can't have a nice conversation with our tablemates. In terms of manners (good or bad), taste (beer or champagne) , income (high or low), education (little or lots), political outlook, doesn't make us [I]any different[/I] from those of you who prefer to wear tuxes & evening gowns.

I don't want to eat dinner in the buffet, or in my room, or pay extra for a speciality venue. I prefer the service in the MDR, and on ship-designated formal nights, Mr Chew & I will conform to the "suggested" attire, but we would prefer to have Upscale Casual (country club or resort casual) every night. And we'd like to see it properly enforced.

Perhaps on formal nights, one or more of the speciality restaurants could be converted to dining rooms for the tux/gown crowd. No extra charge. Something to think about, maybe??

[iheartbda]

[quote name='marsh-angler']This may ruffle some people feathers but I believe one of the reasons for formal nights exist is so the passengers will purchase more pictures. [/quote]

[quote name='CruisnGram']Bingo! Give that winner a prize![/quote]

That's fine if it's your opinion as well, but you seem quite certain with your post that's the [I]only [/I]thing it could be. I've said it before, no one is forced to buy any pictures and to think that's the only reason for formal night is so narrow minded. BTW, on NCL I noticed quite a large number of people lined up to have have pictures taken and they weren't dressed formally.

Normally, I try not to say anything negative about [I]any [/I]cruise line but since you're so free with your [I]opinions,[/I] I'll give mine. I wouldn't say the food was excellent, not bad but not excellent, and I might as well have been waiting on myself in the MDR at times.

Lets see what is it, since I have sigs turned off?
[B]"Starboard, portside, forward, aft, if you don't like freestyle, you can kiss my (bleep)." [/B]Doesn't indicate any tolerance or understanding of anyone who doesn't happen to like freestyle. Now I feel sorry for you.

[Kudos2Fly]

[quote name='CruisnGram']How can you agree with something that you have no knowledge of? You "looked into" NCL and made the determination that their MDR food was awful based on the amount of specialty restaurants they have? Too bad because you are missing out on an excellent experience that allows you to dress up (and fit right in) if you want, or not dress up (and fit right in) if you want, or dine for free at various restaurants with excellent food, or pay a little extra for a 5 star dining experience. Or not be forced to waiting on yourself and eating buffet food if you choose to dress casually on formal night. Oh well, your loss.[/quote]

I wasn't talking about the food. But about the specialty restaurants change 20-30 per-person for the restaurant.. NCL is not a cheap cruise line to go on. Personally all the cruise I have been on in my opinion had great food. And I don't mind trying the specialty restaurants.. But NCL has nearly 10 different restaurant on one of there ships I was looking at and from what I remembered nearing over half you had to pay for..

It may be my loss right now, but we do like to watch what we spend on vacations. We do a lot of vacations during the year.. We can do that because we don't get carried away with the money we spend..

[Kudos2Fly]

Opps double post..

[Lancer525]

[quote name='Bakincakes']I've said the same things many times, on the RCI board, and have gotten flamed for it. [/quote]

What a shame... It seems that people cannot respond to someone else's differing opinion without resorting to attacks or hateful hyperbole. I for one am sorry you were subjected to that treatment. Yet another symptom in the overall breakdown of polite society...

[quote] Cruises are going to become "ala carte" whether the naysayers like it or not. The specialties have proven that pax will run each other over to make reservations for the "better" food. Many of those same pax feel that they should be able to wear their beach wear into the MDR for dinner.

I too recall the days of caviar and fine dining in the MDR. But that was back in the day when cruiselines didn't have to list what proper clothing was. Pax knew what should and should not be worn in the MDR without having to be told.
[/quote]Again, I am convinced, the more I read posts such as yours, that the breakdown of society is well underway, because people do have to be told what is proper. No one seems to know anymore what is proper or improper, and even some of those who do, pick and choose which rules they wish to follow. And then exhibit selfishly boorish behavior when someone dares question their hypocrisy. Why should we have to suffer for those who have no grasp of etiquette or manners? I suppose that we have to endure it, else we become like them.

[quote name='CruisnGram']Oh this is rich. What a snob you are. Thank God you won't step foot on a Carnival or NCL ship as I personally don't want to be anywhere near you.

You must have a hard time breathing since your nose is stuck up so high that the air must be very thin up where you are.

I feel sorry for you, I really do.[/quote]

Completely and totally uncalled for. You should be ashamed of yourself, and in my opinion, owe the previous poster an apology for your remarks.

[quote name='WEELYNCRUZER']Free Style dining. I just received the NCL Latitudes brochure.It is loaded with specialty restaurants. Free style is an oxymoron. They should say pay extra style. They will lower the quality in the MDR to entice you to pay in the specialty restaurants, But you can dress anyway you want.[/quote]

Yet another attack on NCL for their industry-leading practices that everyone else seems to be copying. Why is it that the concept of paying for premium services is somehow a bad thing? Do you go to a car dealership and expect to get a Lexus for a Yugo price?

I have, since I began participating on these (and other) boards, yet to grasp the reason for the intense dislike for NCL, because they have the chutzpah to try a conceptual schema for addressing the interests of their clientèle, by creating tiered levels of ambiance.

Oh, and you have it backwards. The service in the MDR isn't being lowered because of a "desire to entice" people to pay for specialty dining. It is being lowered because all of those people who do not grasp the reasons for dressing for dinner don't know any better, and don't demand a higher standard of service. The service they get, they have silently asked for. When you dress well, behave well, and act properly, you get treated better. Stop complaining about NCL. If you don't like it, don't sail them. How did you get to be a Latitudes member with such a dislike for the line?

This thread is starting to get rather tedious. Too many people looking for ways to slam those who appreciate the reasons for Formal Night.

[bakechef]

Hey Lancer,

This is a serious question and am not looking to try to push your buttons, but I would like your opinion on this.

If I am not mistaken you consider the casual dress and attitudes of today's culture as society breaking down. What about in the good old days when it was legal to own slaves and beat them at will. How about when women were denied the right to vote, and had to fight a long hard battle for that right. It was once acceptable behavior for many to hang a sign that said "No Irish". I think that you know where I am getting at with this. If society didn't implode then, I have a hard time believing that it is ready to now. Why do you assume that casual dressers are rude in every aspect and are prone to breaking laws?

Even though there are many selfish self centered people in this world, there are also many who try to make this world a better place. I also know that many just don't enjoy formal wear and will avoid it if they can (like me) and believe it or not, I am a nice guy (with a strong defensive side at times).

MAC

[Lancer525]

[quote name='bakechef']Hey Lancer,

This is a serious question and am not looking to try to push your buttons, but I would like your opinion on this.

If I am not mistaken you consider the casual dress and attitudes of today's culture as society breaking down. [/quote]

You are mistaken. I do not consider "casual dress and attitudes of today's culture as society breaking down." I consider disregard for accepted rules of polite social behavior to be a causal factor in the ongoing breakdown of society. Casual dress and casual attitudes can be (but are not always) a surface symptom, not the actual causal factor.

[quote]What about in the good old days when it was legal to own slaves and beat them at will. [/quote]

You have no idea the tiger you have grasped by the tail. I am an historian by education and profession, and one who has both taught Antebellum History, and one who has written fairly extensively about it. What you are stating is a form of Harriet Beecher Stowe-ist misrepresentation. Did it happen? Sure. Was it the norm? Not by a longshot. Aside from that inaccuracy, which is, by the way, designed to" push buttons", your entire line of questioning begins with a Non sequitur. Additionally, it is considerably off-topic and a discussion best held in private, off these boards. Fair enough?

[quote] How about when women were denied the right to vote, and had to fight a long hard battle for that right. [/quote]

Another Non sequitur. Your statement reminds me of those who castigated Woodrow Wilson for not vigorously advocating suffrage, and for being anti-women-s rights, when in fact, he personally ordered the Chief of Police of D.C. to release several women who had been illegally incarcerated for staging a legal political demonstration and hunger strike. I also point out that the Nineteenth Amendment was pushed by Wilson. So much for Wilson being anti-woman. I hate to say this, but you strike me as attempting to stack the deck in your line of inquiry, because you certainly are proceeding from a false premise.

[quote] It was once acceptable behavior for many to hang a sign that said "No Irish". I think that you know where I am getting at with this. [/quote]

Yes, I see very clearly where you are going. You are attempting to bait me into a temperamental argument. What you are doing, is carefully selecting emotionally-charged historical instances of inequalities and are attempting to paint with the same brush my contention that a willful disregard of social convention and cultural mores is somehow the same thing. You are obviously fairly well educated, so I frankly don't see how you are unable to make the distinction between those instances, and my perception that a lack of regard for social etiquette is a contributing factor to the decline of civilized behavior.

All you have to do to see for yourself is to walk into a shopping mall, and witness the multitudes of teenagers who have little to no regard for anyone else, and then remind yourself that these are our future leaders. That should open your eyes well enough.

[quote] If society didn't implode then, I have a hard time believing that it is ready to now. Why do you assume that casual dressers are rude in every aspect and are prone to breaking laws? [/quote]

You only *think* that I assume casual dressers are rude, and that they are prone to lawlessness, for whatever reason. I have never said any such thing, nor do I believe it. I am rather disturbed that you seem to be willfully ignoring my point, and are making up things out of whole cloth in an attempt to discredit my position.

Also, to clarify, I have never said that "society is ready to implode". You are attempting to make it appear as if I am making some dire, Cassandra-ish warning that our culture is on the brink of an anarchistic breakdown, which is not the case. What I am saying, however, is that the slide from civilized behavior to social anarchy is in progress, and while it is a long, slow decline, we are closer to the beginning of it, than we are to the end of it. Please try not to take my comments out of context, and please try not to sensationalize the discussion. There is plenty of room here for simple misunderstandings. There is no room for intentional misrepresentation.

[quote]Even though there are many selfish self centered people in this world, there are also many who try to make this world a better place. [/quote]

I have never denied that to be the case. I am well aware that there are many who actively try to make the world a better place. But even you must admit that they are in a shrinking minority.

[quote]I also know that many just don't enjoy formal wear and will avoid it if they can (like me) and believe it or not, I am a nice guy (with a strong defensive side at times).[/quote]

I would never presume to make a value judgment on your personality, without ever having met you, but my opinion of you is not negative. I do believe, however, that you appear to have gone out of your way to slip statements into your discussion that are intentionally denigrating, while remaining deniable. That in and of itself is not something I would do, but I do not deny you your right to express your opinion. I welcome it, but it loses its validity in my estimation, when it contains personal attacks, innuendo, and disregard for the saliency of the discussion.

I would also hope that you do not view me as a vapid academic, a stuffy, old-fashioned dilettante, or a supercilious elitist. I am none of those things. But I have been a student of civilization, of societal interaction, and of cultural history for the better part of 25 years. There are a tremendous amount of parallels in today's society to the historical failure of several extinct cultures, and also to preludes to severe historical breakdowns of our own American culture and society. This is truly a time where one person cannot make a difference, but I refuse to let that stop me from being an advocate of proper social behavior and societal interactions.

Ask yourself this: Would we not all be better off if people were just a little more polite? If the guy on the highway let you over, rather than speeding up to cut you off. If the lady standing by the door held it open for you when your hands were full of toddler and groceries. If the people in line at the buffet parted slightly so you could pass by on your way to the lounge, instead of jostling each other to keep everyone from getting past them. These kinds of things. Would we not all be better off if we knew what to expect from others, because we know that they know what the rules of society ask of them?

I've never advocated keeping casual dress out of MDRs on Formal Night, but I do believe that if I were in my dinner jacket, and you were in your polo and sportcoat, that we would both have similar amounts of enjoyment, while seated at the same table. Do you agree with that?

[crt37]

I'm indifferent on it. If they have it, we go and dress up for it. But more and more so many people ignore it and wear jeans and such that it is not really special anymore anyway.

[crt37]

[quote name='Lancer525']

You have no idea the tiger you have grasped by the tail. I am an historian by education and profession, and one who has both taught Antebellum History, and one who has written fairly extensively about it. What you are stating is a form of Harriet Beecher Stowe-ist misrepresentation. Did it happen? Sure. Was it the norm? Not by a longshot. Aside from that inaccuracy, which is, by the way, designed to" push buttons", your entire line of questioning begins with a Non sequitur. Additionally, it is considerably off-topic and a discussion best held in private, off these boards. Fair enough?

Another Non sequitur. Your statement reminds me of those who castigated Woodrow Wilson for not vigorously advocating suffrage, and for being anti-women-s rights, when in fact, he personally ordered the Chief of Police of D.C. to release several women who had been illegally incarcerated for staging a legal political demonstration and hunger strike. I also point out that the Nineteenth Amendment was pushed by Wilson. So much for Wilson being anti-woman. I hate to say this, but you strike me as attempting to stack the deck in your line of inquiry, because you certainly are proceeding from a false premise.

Yes, I see very clearly where you are going. You are attempting to bait me into a temperamental argument. What you are doing, is carefully selecting emotionally-charged historical instances of inequalities and are attempting to paint with the same brush my contention that a willful disregard of social convention and cultural mores is somehow the same thing. You are obviously fairly well educated, so I frankly don't see how you are unable to make the distinction between those instances, and my perception that a lack of regard for social etiquette is a contributing factor to the decline of civilized behavior.

[/quote]

Whoops, my bad I guess. I thought this thread was about formal nights on cruise ships. Sorry to interrupt.:confused:

[iheartbda]

[quote name='crt37']Whoops, my bad I guess. I thought this thread was about formal nights on cruise ships. Sorry to interrupt.:confused:[/quote]

It still is in a round about way.;)

[bakechef]

[quote name='Lancer525']You are mistaken. I do not consider "casual dress and attitudes of today's culture as society breaking down." I consider disregard for accepted rules of polite social behavior to be a causal factor in the ongoing breakdown of society. Casual dress and casual attitudes can be (but are not always) a surface symptom, not the actual causal factor.



You have no idea the tiger you have grasped by the tail. I am an historian by education and profession, and one who has both taught Antebellum History, and one who has written fairly extensively about it. What you are stating is a form of Harriet Beecher Stowe-ist misrepresentation. Did it happen? Sure. Was it the norm? Not by a longshot. Aside from that inaccuracy, which is, by the way, designed to" push buttons", your entire line of questioning begins with a Non sequitur. Additionally, it is considerably off-topic and a discussion best held in private, off these boards. Fair enough?



Another Non sequitur. Your statement reminds me of those who castigated Woodrow Wilson for not vigorously advocating suffrage, and for being anti-women-s rights, when in fact, he personally ordered the Chief of Police of D.C. to release several women who had been illegally incarcerated for staging a legal political demonstration and hunger strike. I also point out that the Nineteenth Amendment was pushed by Wilson. So much for Wilson being anti-woman. I hate to say this, but you strike me as attempting to stack the deck in your line of inquiry, because you certainly are proceeding from a false premise.



Yes, I see very clearly where you are going. You are attempting to bait me into a temperamental argument. What you are doing, is carefully selecting emotionally-charged historical instances of inequalities and are attempting to paint with the same brush my contention that a willful disregard of social convention and cultural mores is somehow the same thing. You are obviously fairly well educated, so I frankly don't see how you are unable to make the distinction between those instances, and my perception that a lack of regard for social etiquette is a contributing factor to the decline of civilized behavior.

All you have to do to see for yourself is to walk into a shopping mall, and witness the multitudes of teenagers who have little to no regard for anyone else, and then remind yourself that these are our future leaders. That should open your eyes well enough.



You only *think* that I assume casual dressers are rude, and that they are prone to lawlessness, for whatever reason. I have never said any such thing, nor do I believe it. I am rather disturbed that you seem to be willfully ignoring my point, and are making up things out of whole cloth in an attempt to discredit my position.

Also, to clarify, I have never said that "society is ready to implode". You are attempting to make it appear as if I am making some dire, Cassandra-ish warning that our culture is on the brink of an anarchistic breakdown, which is not the case. What I am saying, however, is that the slide from civilized behavior to social anarchy is in progress, and while it is a long, slow decline, we are closer to the beginning of it, than we are to the end of it. Please try not to take my comments out of context, and please try not to sensationalize the discussion. There is plenty of room here for simple misunderstandings. There is no room for intentional misrepresentation.



I have never denied that to be the case. I am well aware that there are many who actively try to make the world a better place. But even you must admit that they are in a shrinking minority.



I would never presume to make a value judgment on your personality, without ever having met you, but my opinion of you is not negative. I do believe, however, that you appear to have gone out of your way to slip statements into your discussion that are intentionally denigrating, while remaining deniable. That in and of itself is not something I would do, but I do not deny you your right to express your opinion. I welcome it, but it loses its validity in my estimation, when it contains personal attacks, innuendo, and disregard for the saliency of the discussion.

I would also hope that you do not view me as a vapid academic, a stuffy, old-fashioned dilettante, or a supercilious elitist. I am none of those things. But I have been a student of civilization, of societal interaction, and of cultural history for the better part of 25 years. There are a tremendous amount of parallels in today's society to the historical failure of several extinct cultures, and also to preludes to severe historical breakdowns of our own American culture and society. This is truly a time where one person cannot make a difference, but I refuse to let that stop me from being an advocate of proper social behavior and societal interactions.

[COLOR=Red] Ask yourself this: Would we not all be better off if people were just a little more polite? If the guy on the highway let you over, rather than speeding up to cut you off. If the lady standing by the door held it open for you when your hands were full of toddler and groceries. If the people in line at the buffet parted slightly so you could pass by on your way to the lounge, instead of jostling each other to keep everyone from getting past them. These kinds of things. Would we not all be better off if we knew what to expect from others, because we know that they know what the rules of society ask of them?

I've never advocated keeping casual dress out of MDRs on Formal Night, but I do believe that if I were in my dinner jacket, and you were in your polo and sportcoat, that we would both have similar amounts of enjoyment, while seated at the same table. Do you agree with that?[/COLOR] [/quote]

To the text in red a resounding yes!

While it appears that we will not see things in the same light, I do appreciate your response to the question. As you can probably tell from our exchanges, I am one who questions most everything, but more importantly listens to the answers.

Call me an optimist, but I cut folks a little slack, knowing that some may bend a few rules but are essentially respectful people at heart. I also hope that the teenagers of today will eventually grow up and get with the program.

Has anyone ever accused you of being long winded (attempt at humor)?;)

MAC

[Lancer525]

[quote name='bakechef']

Has anyone ever accused you of being long winded (attempt at humor)?;)

MAC[/quote]

Attempt noted. :rolleyes:

Both my graduate thesis advisor and my father said the exact same thing about me: Ask me what time it is, and I will explain to you how to build a watch, and also how it works.

:eek:

[bakechef]

[quote name='Lancer525']Attempt noted. :rolleyes:

Both my graduate thesis advisor and my father said the exact same thing about me: Ask me what time it is, and I will explain to you how to build a watch, and also how it works.

:eek:[/quote]

That's funny, but I can believe it!:D

I hope you enjoy your Majesty cruise, I found her one of the most charming ships that I have sailed on to date. We hope to sail her again before she leaves the fleet.

MAC

[sultan_sfo]

Good to see "long-winded" or otherwise, but well-written and well-argued discussion! Thank you!

[CruisnGram]

[quote name='Kudos2Fly']I wasn't talking about the food. But about the specialty restaurants change 20-30 per-person for the restaurant.. NCL is not a cheap cruise line to go on. Personally all the cruise I have been on in my opinion had great food. And I don't mind trying the specialty restaurants.. But NCL has nearly 10 different restaurant on one of there ships I was looking at and from what I remembered nearing over half you had to pay for..

It may be my loss right now, but we do like to watch what we spend on vacations. We do a lot of vacations during the year.. We can do that because we don't get carried away with the money we spend..[/quote]

Just because NCL has a lot of specialty restaurants to choose from, does not mean that you have to go to them. And, the ship that has over 10 different restaurants, almost half being surcharge restaurants, means that at least 5 are included with the price of your cruise. With that many choices why do you feel you'd have to pay for a decent meal? You may be surprised to know that lots of people never utilized the surcharge restaurants. Paying extra for a 5 star meal is a choice, just like going to the spa, or booking an excursion. No one makes you go to one nor do you need to go to one in order to get a good meal.

If you like to watch what you spend, you really are missing the boat (pun intended :) ) by not checking out NCL more thoroughly as they have some of the very best prices out there.

[CruisnGram]

[quote name='Lancer525']
Completely and totally uncalled for. You should be ashamed of yourself, and in my opinion, owe the previous poster an apology for your remarks.



[/quote]

Absolutely I will apologize. As soon as the snob apologizes for his/her attack on specific people. In case you missed it, here it is again.

[quote name='gin_runner']anyone can't pack ONE STINKIN' SPORTCOAT, DRESS SHIRT AND TIE is too lazy and low class for words.

Probably a Carnival or NCL customer - the budget lines.

[/quote]

Low class? Lazy? And then attacking all who sail Carnival or NCL? Umm, no, I'll stick with my original statement. A stuck up snob who I'm glad hates the low class cruiselines so I'll never risk running into them.

[CruisnGram]

[quote name='iheartbda-']
Normally, I try not to say anything negative about [I]any [/I]cruise line but since you're so free with your [I]opinions,[/I] I'll give mine. I wouldn't say the food was excellent, not bad but not excellent, and I might as well have been waiting on myself in the MDR at times.

[COLOR=darkred]Sorry that was your experience. I've been lucky that my experiences were excellent.[/COLOR]

Lets see what is it, since I have sigs turned off?
[B]"Starboard, portside, forward, aft, if you don't like freestyle, you can kiss my (bleep)." [/B]Doesn't indicate any tolerance or understanding of anyone who doesn't happen to like freestyle. Now I feel sorry for you.[/quote]

[COLOR=darkred]No need to feel sorry for me thank you very much. The sig is a joke for heaven's sake. NCL gets slammed so much on the boards by so many people, most who have never stepped FOOT on an NCL ship, that over on the NCL boards it's a big joke. Someone came up with this cheer and many put it on their sigs. Sorry you didn't understand that it was humor. [/COLOR]

[cruzeluver]

Been thinking about this topic quite a bit lately and have come to certain conclusions.

I have been one of the supporters of keeping formal nights as I do believe it adds to the ambience of the cruise experience. Like it or not, people behave and act differently when they are dressed up. I have yet to experience the physical pain some apparently feel when they are forced out of their t-shirts and shorts.

However, I think I would not have a problem with going to a more smart casual attire if the cruise lines would spell out very clearly what this means, and then enforce it, no exceptions.

Men in collard shirts and khakis. Women in sun dresses or pants with nice tops (not t-shirts) would be fine.

What I can't get past is those who would feel perfectly comfortable in an elegant dining room wearing cut-offs, flip-flops and t-shirts.

[CruisnGram]

[quote name='cruzeluver']Been thinking about this topic quite a bit lately and have come to certain conclusions.

I have been one of the supporters of keeping formal nights as I do believe it adds to the ambience of the cruise experience. Like it or not, people behave and act differently when they are dressed up. I have yet to experience the physical pain some apparently feel when they are forced out of their t-shirts and shorts.

However, I think I would not have a problem with going to a more smart casual attire if the cruise lines would spell out very clearly what this means, and then enforce it, no exceptions.

Men in collard shirts and khakis. Women in sun dresses or pants with nice tops (not t-shirts) would be fine.

What I can't get past is those who would feel perfectly comfortable in an elegant dining room wearing cut-offs, flip-flops and t-shirts.[/quote]

I agree with you completely. In fact, I wish that the dress code of no cut offs, t-shirts, hats, etc were enforced all the time in dining rooms, not just on formal night. People are on vacation and are free to dress how they'd like, but if they don't want to spiff (is that a word? :) ) up a little for dinner, then they should go to the buffet. Land restaurants have dress codes so there is no reason why ship restaurants shouldn't also.

It would probably surprise some (after some of the postings I've made here) that on my last cruise which was NCL, our entire group chose to dress up on formal night. I can certainly understand why people want it to continue as it is tradition. The problem for me is when people start throwing out insults about specific cruise lines, and attacking others that disagree with them about formal nights, calling them low class, etc. It boils my blood. :D

[jonikal]

Has anyone actually complained to the Maitre D' or heard anyone else complaining when guests have worn inappropriate clothing to the dining room on formal nights? While there have been lots of comments pro and con whether to continue with formal nights (and we happen to enjoy them) unless those who are offended make their opinions known via their end-of cruise comments, the Maitre D' is unlikely to risk losing an extra tip by enforcing the rules. As long as it's considered ok to follow the ship's rules cafeteria style, there's little hope that anything will change.

[Lancer525]

[quote name='jonikal']Has anyone actually complained to the Maitre D' or heard anyone else complaining when guests have worn inappropriate clothing to the dining room on formal nights? While there have been lots of comments pro and con whether to continue with formal nights (and we happen to enjoy them) unless those who are offended make their opinions known via their end-of cruise comments, the Maitre D' is unlikely to risk losing an extra tip by enforcing the rules. As long as it's considered ok to follow the ship's rules cafeteria style, there's little hope that anything will change.[/quote]

Excellent question!

Let's play Devil's Advocate for a second... Not many of us, if any at all, are prepared to be confrontational enough to actually get up and make an issue of it to the Maitre'D. For the most part, most of us (me included) would simply sit at our table for a moment, perhaps grumble under our breath, and do nothing. Actually getting up, going to the Maitre'D, and making a comment personally, face to face, is not the easiest thing to do. So the first opportunity passes, for the most part.

I've seen restaurants on land where no one had the nerve to get up and go say anything, so I can see where this chance to say something would get passed up. Perhaps waiting for post-cruise feedback to the line is the easiest option, but not many people would want to get up and possibly create a confrontation on the spot.

How would you handle this situation Jonikal?

For that matter, how would everyone else handle it? Mac? Iheart?

What's the best way to say something to the Maitre'D without creating a public scene?

[cruzeluver]

This is an excellent point.

Even if you were prepared to go to the maitre d' and complain, what would in all likelihood happen? Seems the maire d' would have two choices, either inform you he was sorry there is nothing he can do (therefore upsetting you) or approach the guests who are dressed inappropriately and upset them?

Its unfortunate that it has come to this: adults having to be told they are not dressed correctly. What makes it even worse is many of the folks know what they are wearing is incorrect, but will argue that they paid for their cruise and should be able to wear whatever they want.

The cruise lines seem to be in a no-win situation.