The demise of formal night

[kryos]

Or maybe they could just do one formal night per cruise rather than two; but it would be more strictly enforced and those underdressed would need to eat at the Lido. Just thinking out loud here.

That probably wouldn't work, because one formal night or two ... what's the difference? You still have to lug the formalwear.

 

I think an optional formal night on a ten-day cruise ... with one "venue" designated as formal and enforced. Maybe a roped off portion of the dining room or perhaps the Pinnacle Grill. I do know that NCL does something like this by designating one of their restaurants as formal on certain nights. No formal dress, no admittance. I think they enforce it pretty well.

 

That's what HAL should do. Then those who want to play "dress up" will have a venue in which they can do that and be assured that their fellow passengers dining there will be doing the same.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[RevNeal]

One obvious reason is they lack the courage of their convictions. I mean, if you don't care what you look like, then carry that through to it's conclusion: don't care what others think of it, either.

 

Excellent point. I could make further extrapolations from your analysis, but think I'll be good and just leave well enough alone. :)

[pipedreams62]

The people that keep saying 'Formal Nights Will soon End" are the people that don't want to dress up (kind of wishful thinking)

 

why are there 250,000 page views of women showing their dresses on the cruise fashion section.

 

why are there thousands of women discussing and posting pictures of their shoes and discussing outfits.

 

 

probably because they want to dress up and look good.

 

until there's a section devoted to

 

"Show Your Best Schlepp Attire"

 

and

 

"Colorful Crocs On Formal Night"

 

I'm not swayed.

[kryos]

Cunard has two ships are rarely sails in the Caribbean, let alone any 7 day bread and butter runs. The majority of their cruises do not involve U.S. ports.

 

With soon to be 15 ships in the water and the majority of cruises departing from U.S. ports, the dynamics are different.

You make an excellent point, and a good argument for cruise lines that only have a limited number of ships sailing. Those are exactly the cruise lines that can afford to appeal to a very restricted "niche." Cunard is a formal line and they can uphold that formality because they only have two or three ships to fill each week. People who like that sort of venue are numerous enough to keep the ships filled, so Cunard doesn't have to bend to an ever-growing trend toward casual dress. You want to sail Cunard, you know the shipboard environment is formal in the evenings and you either deal with that and go along, or you don't sail Cunard ships. Cunard doesn't care. They have no trouble filling two ships that uphold the formal traditions.

 

However, HAL has 15 ships on the water. They have a lot more berths to fill every week. They can't afford to exclude a large number of people who maybe don't care to play dress up, so they put up with "violations" of the dress code without making too big of a deal about it. HAL has to appeal to a wide variety of passengers to keep 15 ships full every week. They have to attract families, singles, couples, groups, etc. They have to offer something for everyone and really can't offer much of a niche experience to any one group.

 

Disney is another "niche" line. They only have what? Two ships now? They offer a very niche product ... a clean, wholesome, high quality family experience. They are a family line and that's primarily what they cater to. No casino, limited bar venues, probably limited smoking areas, etc. If you want to sail Disney, you have to know that's what you're getting yourself into. If you don't want to be around a lot of kids, and you don't like the fact that you will be limited as to bar and smoking venues, then you steer clear of that line. Disney doesn't care. They have plenty of families that want to fill those berths under those conditions.

 

So I guess if one wants a certain sailing experience ... very customized to their own preferences, their best bet is to find a smaller cruise line that only has a limited number of ships, but offers what they are looking for. Otherwise, they're not going to get that on any of the larger lines that have to appeal to the masses.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Copper10-8]

[quote=geshaw30;17333798

.....................Now bring on the chocolate volcano cake...........................I'm ready for May to arrive.

 

You have to pre-order that bad boy Sir - Or is that what you are attempting to accomplish?;)

[Feresa]

"Colorful Crocs On Formal Night"

You say that like it's a bad thing...

[kryos]

The people that keep saying 'Formal Nights Will soon End" are the people that don't want to dress up (kind of wishful thinking)

Wishful thinking? Then why are we seeing so many threads on these and other message boards filled with complaints about fellow cruisers who don't follow the "rules" on formal nights? Obviously there are loads of people enjoying their dinners in the dining room without being made to "gussy up" in order to do so.

 

I don't own a formal outfit. But I do own nice, neat clothes that I've always worn in the dining room. I "pass," because I am dressed as though I cared how I looked, and that is all that is necessary. Show that you took the time and trouble to make a decent appearance. That has always worked for me on HAL and I have NEVER been turned away at the dining room or been refused service in a lounge on formal night.

 

Also, remember, the cruising population is not necessarily represented on these message boards. There are millions of cruisers who never heard of CruiseCritic or CruiseMates or any other cruise forum ... and many of those cruisers have more days onboard than you or I can ever hope to amass. Believe me, I've met some of them onboard.

 

So maybe we read threads from people here who show off their formal cruise clothes and decry the people who don't dress up, but the fact of the matter is that those people could, and probably are, very much in the minority onboard a ship. They're just the majority here.

 

Trust me ... if the overwhelming majority of people wanted strictly enforced standards on formal nights, that's exactly what HAL would be giving them. The fact that they aren't tells me that the silent majority as regards formal nights are simply not posting to cruise message boards.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[pipedreams62]

http://www.moonfun.net/2007/08/bill-maher-rules-on-crocs.html

[pipedreams62]

Wishful thinking? Then why are we seeing so many threads on these and other message boards filled with complaints about fellow cruisers who don't follow the "rules" on formal nights? Obviously there are loads of people enjoying their dinners in the dining room without being made to "gussy up" in order to do so.

 

I don't own a formal outfit. But I do own nice, neat clothes that I've always worn in the dining room. I "pass," because I am dressed as though I cared how I looked, and that is all that is necessary. Show that you took the time and trouble to make a decent appearance. That has always worked for me on HAL and I have NEVER been turned away at the dining room or been refused service in a lounge on formal night.

 

Also, remember, the cruising population is not necessarily represented on these message boards. There are millions of cruisers who never heard of CruiseCritic or CruiseMates or any other cruise forum ... and many of those cruisers have more days onboard than you or I can ever hope to amass. Believe me, I've met some of them onboard.

 

So maybe we read threads from people here who show off their formal cruise clothes and decry the people who don't dress up, but the fact of the matter is that those people could, and probably are, very much in the minority onboard a ship. They're just the majority here.

 

Trust me ... if the overwhelming majority of people wanted strictly enforced standards on formal nights, that's exactly what HAL would be giving them. The fact that they aren't tells me that the silent majority as regards formal nights are simply not posting to cruise message boards.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

 

So the guy who shows up dressed like he's just done 6 hours of landscaping should be turned away correct?

[RuthC]

I think an optional formal night on a ten-day cruise ... with one "venue" designated as formal and enforced. Maybe a roped off portion of the dining room or perhaps the Pinnacle Grill.

Great idea! Maybe the dining room for those dressed to code, and the Lido for those who don't want to dress.

 

Oh, wait. HAL has that already. :rolleyes:

[RuthC]

You have to pre-order that bad boy Sir

The Volcano Cake doesn't need to be pre-ordered. It's the soufflé that does.

[Rutland Gate]

We don't go on "Vacations", we go on Cruises. My Wife and Sister in Law like to wear nice cocktail dresses on Formal Nights, and my Brother and I wear Mess Jackets and Medals on at least one Formal Night. We earned them. If that intimidates the shorts and blue jean crowd, so be it, but they won't intimidate us!

[Boytjie]

I guess the world is getting more casual but I think a jacket and tie is appropriate and not clean jeans.

 

Dirty jeans would be OK? :confused: :D

[Boytjie]

I recently re-joined my ship in New York City.

I needed new formal shirts for my uniform, so decided to visit Macy's Flagship store ("America's largest Department Store") on 34th Street in New York City.

 

I asked for formal shirts. They told me that they no longer carry them, due to lack of demand.

They suggested that I visit "Macy's upscale sister store", Lord and Taylor.

At Lord and Taylor, I asked for formal shirts. They had two left. One was my size. I quickly bought it.

They told me that they weren't ordering any more, due to lack of demand.

 

Age 50 has become the new age 30.

Rural has become the new Formal.

 

Next time you are in New York, try Century 21 or Syms Downtown - plenty of formal shirts and and at a bargain price too. ;)

[Boytjie]

Wishful thinking? Then why are we seeing so many threads on these and other message boards filled with complaints about fellow cruisers who don't follow the "rules" on formal nights?

 

So maybe we read threads from people here who show off their formal cruise clothes and decry the people who don't dress up, but the fact of the matter is that those people could, and probably are, very much in the minority onboard a ship. They're just the majority here

 

I believe the majority of threads are filled with complaints by people who don't want to follow the dress codes, not the other way around.

[Copper10-8]

Next time you are in New York, try Century 21 .................

 

Good deals on homes also? One-stop shopping?:)

[twinkletoes4445]

Trust me ... if the overwhelming majority of people wanted strictly enforced standards on formal nights, that's exactly what HAL would be giving them. The fact that they aren't tells me that the silent majority as regards formal nights are simply not posting to cruise message boards.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

I agree completely.

 

We're not taking any formal clothing with us on our cruise. I wasn't too keen on this at first, but now I am looking forward it. We're planning on dining in our cabin or in the Lido on formal nights. It's really no big deal to us. At least there's this option.

 

We have season dinner theater tickets and I've watched the dress go from very dressy, to very casual..so we dress somewhere in the middle. But I think this is a reflection of the times and I think if HAL is seeing the same trend.

[fuzzywuzzy]

Personally, my DH and I love dressing up for formal nights and it's not because we are pretentious or "putting on airs". It's just nice to be able to dress up and look your best. We are mostly dressed casual 90% of the time at home so why not do something different for 2 or 3 nights on a cruise? When we sailed on the Maasdam in March, there were many, many people dressed in formal attire, cocktail dresses, tux's or dark suits. I think it makes you feel a little special. And what's wrong with that?

[AZWTRLVR]

Okay - dress codes. We were on the Zuiderdam's November 19 sailing.

 

When we received our packet from our TA, it stated three formal, seven casual.

When we were aboard and read the first daily program, it stated three formal, seven smart casual. To me there is a difference. On the specific daily program for formal night it stated - FORMAL (optional).

 

Sounds like the first specific step in eliminating formal nights.

 

Power cords - having mentioned previously on this thread. There was a previous thread where some people's packets said to use only HAL power-extension cords furnished by the ship. That wasn't in our packet and we took our power cord anyway. Nothing was mentioned by the cabin stewards and we used ours the entire voyage.

 

Sounds like a lot of communication problems between HAL and the ships' staffs.

[HamOp]

Wishful thinking? Then why are we seeing so many threads on these and other message boards filled with complaints about fellow cruisers who don't follow the "rules" on formal nights? Obviously there are loads of people enjoying their dinners in the dining room without being made to "gussy up" in order to do so.

 

I don't own a formal outfit. But I do own nice, neat clothes that I've always worn in the dining room. I "pass," because I am dressed as though I cared how I looked, and that is all that is necessary. Show that you took the time and trouble to make a decent appearance. That has always worked for me on HAL and I have NEVER been turned away at the dining room or been refused service in a lounge on formal night.

 

Also, remember, the cruising population is not necessarily represented on these message boards. There are millions of cruisers who never heard of CruiseCritic or CruiseMates or any other cruise forum ... and many of those cruisers have more days onboard than you or I can ever hope to amass. Believe me, I've met some of them onboard.

 

So maybe we read threads from people here who show off their formal cruise clothes and decry the people who don't dress up, but the fact of the matter is that those people could, and probably are, very much in the minority onboard a ship. They're just the majority here.

 

Trust me ... if the overwhelming majority of people wanted strictly enforced standards on formal nights, that's exactly what HAL would be giving them. The fact that they aren't tells me that the silent majority as regards formal nights are simply not posting to cruise message boards.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

You are the voice of reason. Thanks.

[tpwolfe]

Most of the people who live and work inside the beltway CAME from the heartland of the country. But even were I to grant you your insulting premise, your response to my post would still for the most part be a non sequitur.

 

Sorry if you were insulted. But if you think that “it's not the world that is becoming less formal; it is cruising” you need to get out more. You said: “If you go somewhere where the dress is semi-formal, then the men - - and I mean ALL MEN - - will be dressed in coat and tie”. I was at a dinner in Wyoming earlier this year and business dress with requested and in my world that means suit and tie. But there were people there in western wear. Should we have told the local politicians and business leaders that were not wearing a suit and tie that they couldn't attend the dinner because of their dress? Of course not. My point is that different regions of our great country and world people decide what is appreciate dress. Mainly what they are comfortable in. If you are comfortable in being in a suit all the time that’s great. But I can guarantee you that you are in the minority and country is becoming more and more casual and not just cruising.

[Bobs cruising]

Good deals on homes also? One-stop shopping?:)

 

John, Personally I would call Coldwell Banker, thats where DW is a Broker.:)

 

Can somebody rationally explain why people who have the same likes (cruising) beat up on each other so much and cause each other such grief on these boards?

Some of these threads as this one are turning into thread rage and getting out of hand. This thread and any non smoking thread is a good case in point. We should all think about the other person before we write such disparaging remarks to or about our fellow cruisers.

[Willsot]

Trust me ... if the overwhelming majority of people wanted strictly enforced standards on formal nights, that's exactly what HAL would be giving them.

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

Likewise with assigned dining. Seems both will soon be things of the past.

[twinkletoes4445]

And what's wrong with that?

 

Nothing is wrong with that if that's what you want to do. :)

[WhansaMi]

"Put down your cards ladies & gentlemen, we have a BINGO!"

**********

 

In its simplest of terms and most basic of definitions a vacation is just that...a chance to relax, travel abroad, and enjoy the company of friends and traveling companions. I do not aspire to live up to lofty expectations of those around me nor, on the other side of the coin, do I want to lessen their holiday experience either. So those of you in a tux and formal attire I will still smile say "hello" while dining. I'm sure you'll be elegant and I say that with the best of convictions. I can only hope you'll do the same if my choice of clothing is a tad below yours.

Now bring on the chocolate volcano cake...........................I'm ready for May to arrive.

 

This pretty much sums up my perspective, quite well!

 

Sheila