Semi formal nights to be dropped on Ventura and Oceana!

[LibraLass41]

Ventura & Oceana and will start this practice once the ships return from the Caribbean, so April 09 onwards! a Cruise specialist TA posted this on another cruise chat site......

 

I have received the following notification from P&O....

 

"As a result of feedback from Ventura and Oceana ships, Semi-Formal dress code will be removed from ships and the number of formal nights on board these ships will be reduced."

 

 

What a shame for all those passsengers who like dressing for dinner...oh well,its a good job Celebrity are coming to Southampton in 2010,and then there is always Cunard....

 

I suppose these 2 ships were chosen as they are 'family ships' but who knows if this is a trial and other ships will follow...There are enough casual cruise ships out there,what a shame, especially if formalnights are reduced too.

[stopgo]

Is semi-formal the same as smart-casual ?

[LEESRE]

No Smart casual is just trousers and collard shirt for gentelmen and semi-formal is jacket and tie, or jacket and no tie in some cases.

[stopgo]

Maybe smart-casual will replace semi-formal.

[MattyBarlow]

Yet more evidence that P&O are trying to keep the Ocean Village pax.

[Elaine0138]

There were no semi formal nights on our recent Ventura cruise, there was just formal and smart casual. The smart casual nights didn't stop people getting dressed up.

[stopgo]

I don't understand why this is a big deal, if one wants to dress formal one can. If your going casual its your choice, where's the problem.

[Gerrym]

Sue, I hope this is not true, I felt that Ventura was aimed at a different market to the rest of the fleet but I had hoped they would leave my favourite, Oceana, alone.

Oh well, this is is the future of mass market cruising I suppose.

 

Well at least Celebrity will be in southampton for the 2010 season so those seeking a superior package to P&O have a few choices.

[LibraLass41]

There were no semi formal nights on our recent Ventura cruise, there was just formal and smart casual. The smart casual nights didn't stop people getting dressed up.

 

 

Elaine

Thats because Caribbean cruises have already dropped them due to luggage weight restrictions for fly-cruises isn't it? And that it is usually quite hot in the Caribbean.

 

But the new plans will come into action for cruises after April as well when the ships return from Caribbean.

 

Did you read that this present Ventura cruise has been a bit of a disappointment - 4 ports cancelled already due to bad weather and many passengers with a flu virus onboard ....all over cristmas. Sounds bad.

[tom_uk]

Well at least Celebrity will be in southampton for the 2010 season so those seeking a superior package to P&O have a few choices.

 

Actually, Celebrity is doing the very same thing. Their reason for doing so in Europe is that it reduces the amount of clothes that their (mainly US-based) passengers need to bring with them on transatlantic flights. However I'm not sure about that, as they have made the same change for their Caribbean sailings.

 

On the whole, however, I don't think I'm too bothered by this. It does still say 'smart' casual so shorts & t-shirts are still out of order, and the individual can decide whereabouts on the spectrum covered by 'smart casual' they are going to place themselves night by night. And it may also serve to differentiate formal nights to a greater degree than at present - I know there's a difference in specification between semi-formal and formal, but in the dining room there wasn't that much in practice on occasions. (On both Celebrity & P&O.)

[humpy]

hi folkes does anyone know if its just these two ships or the whole fleet?were on oriana in may for the first time.humpy..

[Gerrym]

Actually, Celebrity is doing the very same thing. Their reason for doing so in Europe is that it reduces the amount of clothes that their (mainly US-based) passengers need to bring with them on transatlantic flights. However I'm not sure about that, as they have made the same change for their Caribbean sailings.

 

On the whole, however, I don't think I'm too bothered by this. It does still say 'smart' casual so shorts & t-shirts are still out of order, and the individual can decide whereabouts on the spectrum covered by 'smart casual' they are going to place themselves night by night. And it may also serve to differentiate formal nights to a greater degree than at present - I know there's a difference in specification between semi-formal and formal, but in the dining room there wasn't that much in practice on occasions. (On both Celebrity & P&O.)

 

Tom, I agree that Celebrity probably has less formal nights than P&O.

 

What I meant was that the brand 'Celebrity' is generally considered superior to 'P&O'.

I meant with Cunard and Celebrity in Southampton, the crusier has a lot more choice than just P&O at the top end of mass market crusing.

[LibraLass41]

Tom

The p&o notification is just Ventura and Oceana..... looks like they are making these two ships less formal family ships, hopefully the rest will stay as they are?

[tom_uk]

We've been on two cruises with each of these lines; Galaxy twice for Celebrity, and Oriana & Ventura for P&O. I would say that if you had to compare them it would be a score-draw. Each line has its strengths. On P&O I felt it was the ships themselves; in-cabin tea/coffee making; no charges for shuttles into town at ports; prices on board; on-board entertainment, e.g. the quizzes, bridge, etc. For Celebrity I thought the strengths were a more 'cheerful' approach to service (indeed the whole american approach to service); one or two touches such as a free glass of bubbly on boarding, and waiters to take your tray to your table in the buffet (tho' not on Solstice, it seems); the standard of the sommeliers in the restaurant; and I thought that the ladies on Celebrity were especially well-dressed on formal nights on Galaxy (of course, that might be because European cruises on Celebrity attract more affluent passengers - I don't know what 7-night cruises out of San Juan are like).

 

I thought the following aspects were, in fact, pretty equal: the food in the main restaurants; and the actual standard of service once you got past the fact that the Celebrity waiters were always smiling and the P&O waiters often weren't.

[KarenR_UK]

I think its a shame - Oceana isn't a surprise, especially now OV is about to go, but I was looking to trying Ventura again:(

 

Yes, you can dress up on smart casual if you want, but what with first timers who will (generally) follow the suggested code & the others who would prefer not to dress up or even just stand out (And as a former solo cruiser I would hate to do anything that would draw 'more' attention to myself, so I would follow the codes), eventually the majority will 'dress down' - leaving the rest feeling overdressed :(.

I like cruising for many things, but one major point, for me, is the dressing up & going to dinner feeling like the evening is an occasion.

 

Even worse, IMO, is the reduction in the number of formal nights :(

 

Lets just hope they leave Aurora & Oriana alone & leave those that want to dress up somewhere they can dress up :)

[Druke I]

Princess long ago dropped the semi-formal, and has just formal and "smart casual" or some-such.

 

I believe Holland America may have also dropped semi-formal from their dress code.

 

Some consider it just another "dumbing down" of the cruise experience, while others think it a good move, particularly in light of the more restrictive luggage policies on the airlines.

[stopgo]

I think you need to put in perspective, its only two ships out of the fleet. There's another four to choose from five if you count Azura. With all the problems with the ecomony not to mention recent world events, the change in dress code is insignificant.

[Gerrym]

I think you need to put in perspective, its only two ships out of the fleet. There's another four to choose from five if you count Azura. With all the problems with the ecomony not to mention recent world events, the change in dress code is insignificant.

 

Actually it is is not insignificant as many posts on many cruise forums will tell you.

A petition has already been sent to the MD of P&O.

A number of pax are threatening to cancel.

Whether you agree with them or not, it is quite clearly not insignificant.

[stopgo]

Gerry your not seriously going to cancel your holiday because Semi-Formal as become Smart-Casual.

[MattyBarlow]

While i understand that regular pax will be upset by this change, it really is very insignificant when you consider the potential challenges the travel industry will endure over the next couple of years. P&O are desperate to retain the following of the Ocean Village customers. Many were put off travelling with P&O because of the dress code. Having said that, many pax on Ocean Village did indeed dress smart casual for dinner. P&O should be more strict on formal nights now though. However as GerryM has said, Celebrity will be hounding P&O in 2010. I for one hope to try them.

[Gerrym]

Gerry your not seriously going to cancel your holiday because Semi-Formal as become Smart-Casual.

 

I do not believe I said that?

 

 

My next cruise is not with P&O and I would not go aboard Ventura again. I would go on Oceana like a shot though although I think the experience will be 'dumbed' down a bit due to new dress regulations.

[stopgo]

While i understand that regular pax will be upset by this change, it really is very insignificant when you consider the potential challenges the travel industry will endure over the next couple of years. P&O are desperate to retain the following of the Ocean Village customers. Many were put off travelling with P&O because of the dress code. Having said that, many pax on Ocean Village did indeed dress smart casual for dinner. P&O should be more strict on formal nights now though. However as GerryM has said, Celebrity will be hounding P&O in 2010. I for one hope to try them.

Thanks for the support Matty, much appreciated.

[LibraLass41]

stopgo

I would of bet £100 you would of gone for the opposite of my post (you are for the change of policy)

and I was right.

[LibraLass41]

I think its a shame - Oceana isn't a surprise, especially now OV is about to go, but I was looking to trying Ventura again:(

 

Yes, you can dress up on smart casual if you want, but what with first timers who will (generally) follow the suggested code & the others who would prefer not to dress up or even just stand out (And as a former solo cruiser I would hate to do anything that would draw 'more' attention to myself, so I would follow the codes), eventually the majority will 'dress down' - leaving the rest feeling overdressed :(.

I like cruising for many things, but one major point, for me, is the dressing up & going to dinner feeling like the evening is an occasion.

 

Even worse, IMO, is the reduction in the number of formal nights :(

 

Lets just hope they leave Aurora & Oriana alone & leave those that want to dress up somewhere they can dress up :)

 

 

Agree exactly with your points....

Hey Karen you have done a lot of cruises.....I'm surprised stopgo hasn't told you you are boasting listing them all, she did to me she kept on and on until I removed them, and i left just my future cruises, then she had a pop at me for bragging about them, Then she had the nerve to post a thread about politeness on the site.....

and then she says on here to her friend steelianne wheres your last cruise gone from your signature so it seems everyone is allowed by 'heir commordore stopgo 'who only recently joined to post their cruise list except me....what a strange old site this is...

 

Sue - member since 2005 - rejoined 2007 about computer failure

Stopgo a member for a few months....

[Gerrym]

Agree exactly with your points....

Hey Karen you have done a lot of cruises.....I'm surprised stopgo hasn't told you you are boasting listing them all, she did to me she kept on and on until I removed them, and i left just my future cruises, then she had a pop at me for bragging about them, Then she had the nerve to post a thread about politeness on the site.....

and then she says on here to her friend steelianne wheres your last cruise gone from your signature so it seems everyone is allowed by 'heir commordore stopgo 'who only recently joined to post their cruise list except me....what a strange old site this is...

 

Sue - member since 2005 - rejoined 2007 about computer failure

Stopgo a member for a few months....

 

Why on earth have you got rid of your cruise list because of Stopgo. She is a known troublemaker and you are mad to pay any attention to her.

Stopgo is just here to cause trouble, she has not been here long and I dare say will not be around for much longer once the Mods get the measure of her.

It would not surprise me if StopGo was known to us regulars, I certainly have my suspicions!

 

Sue, chin up, don't let one bad apple get you down.