Semi formal nights to be dropped on Ventura and Oceana!

[capasamari]

You can still wear cocktail dresses on a smart casual evening, I certainly do and have never felt over-dressed.

 

My formal dresses are all full-length as that is what I feel best in.

 

Carol x

[Hasta La Vista Baby]

Regardless of the dress code, my best frocks will get an outing. After all, what chance does a girl get to dress up these days (apart from Chester Races).

[soletread]

I think its a real shame and personally like the more structured formal dress codes P&O have always maintained.

 

However I would agree that the Semi-Formal nights are the hardest to pack for especially for ladies my wife has real trouble finding suitable outfits that are neither to glam or too casual for Semi-Formal

 

I think the comments made reference Celebrity starting out of Southamptom with the Solstice Glass ships is excellent news

 

I have have only sailed with Celebrity once before on the Millinnenium around the Carribean and it was a fantastic cruise, and despite the hot weather all 3 codes of dress were required during the cruise and all passengers made great efforts to comply

 

I think P&O are going to have some hot compitition from Celebrity in 2009/2010 from Southampton and will have to dig deep to keep some of there younger customers especially those who do not have children

[KarenR_UK]

I've been thinking about this periodically, and have come to the conclusion that I would rather Carnival moved Oceana & Ventura into the Ocean Village Brand & left the P&O brand alone.

 

Introducing new passengers to P+O on these ships, who may well then move to the other, so far unaffected ships, thinking the dress code is the same all over, thereby eventually bringing the dress levels of all P+O branded ships 'down' to the new Oceana\Ventura levels, is unfair to both 'new' & old passengers.

 

Keeping 2 brands, consistant across the brand is fairer to all - IMHO:).

 

Karen

[LibraLass41]

Agree with your post above Karen.

 

I am seriously considering Celebrity Eclipse from Southampton next year...

 

I booked Oceana BEFORE this dress code announcement and will have to put up with it now...5 smart casual nights on a 7n cruise.... which to me is relaxed informal crusing... I await the Eclipse brochure with interest!

[tom_uk]

I am seriously considering Celebrity Eclipse from Southampton next year...

 

I'm going on Solstice (Eclipse's already-existing sister, of course) this September, so I've been learning as much as possible about these ships. Solstice look absolutely beautiful inside, but there are a couple of things I was surprised to learn about:-

 

a) there is no proper 'Promenade deck'. There's a deck that's called the Promenade Deck, but it's not at all what we call a promenade deck. Access to the lifeboats is from the Entertainment deck, and that deck does have a 'promenade'. However, the lifeboats are all at deck level (they are not lifted up), so they completely obstruct the view from the 'promenade'. Have a look at this picture: that's the 'promenade'! There are a couple of spots along this deck where there is 'viewing access', but they are quite restricted in length.

 

b) Look again at the lifeboats; they're not just at deck level, they're actually protruding beyond the side of the ship. This means that they will be visible from the balcony decks above (looking downwards);

 

c) furthermore there is some horizontal obstruction of the balconies immediately above (Continental deck on Solstice) from the davits & uppermost parts of the lifeboats; and considerable obstruction of the balconies immediately above in the case of those lifeboats that are actually tenders - the forward 3 on each side, I think, as these are quite a bit larger & higher than a traditional lifeboat.

 

So Solstice & her sisters are/will be beautiful ships in their own way, but it's a very different way from traditional P&O.

[oldbiddy1]

I for one will be very disappointed if P&O drops semi - formal nights in favour of smart casual.

 

One of the joys of cruises, for many women, is the thrill of wearing posh frocks for the evenings, an opportunity not often realised in one's lnormal ife at home generally speaking. It is what makes the cruise so special for me. I wouldn't like to see P&O turn into a version of Airtours cruising thank you very much!

 

I can remember when going to the theatre was a real treat and an occasion to dress up and look good. Now most theatre goers arrive in jeans and t-shirts! Too much dressing down these days.:eek:

[LibraLass41]

I'm going on Solstice (Eclipse's already-existing sister, of course) this September, so I've been learning as much as possible about these ships. Solstice look absolutely beautiful inside, but there are a couple of things I was surprised to learn about:-

 

a) there is no proper 'Promenade deck'. There's a deck that's called the Promenade Deck, but it's not at all what we call a promenade deck. Access to the lifeboats is from the Entertainment deck, and that deck does have a 'promenade'. However, the lifeboats are all at deck level (they are not lifted up), so they completely obstruct the view from the 'promenade'. Have a look at this picture: that's the 'promenade'! There are a couple of spots along this deck where there is 'viewing access', but they are quite restricted in length.

 

b) Look again at the lifeboats; they're not just at deck level, they're actually protruding beyond the side of the ship. This means that they will be visible from the balcony decks above (looking downwards);

 

c) furthermore there is some horizontal obstruction of the balconies immediately above (Continental deck on Solstice) from the davits & uppermost parts of the lifeboats; and considerable obstruction of the balconies immediately above in the case of those lifeboats that are actually tenders - the forward 3 on each side, I think, as these are quite a bit larger & higher than a traditional lifeboat.

 

So Solstice & her sisters are/will be beautiful ships in their own way, but it's a very different way from traditional P&O.

 

Just looked at the photo .... yuk! I suppose thats because the ships has many balconies - still interested though and look forward to your review after your celebrity cruise!

[stopgo]

Agree with your post above Karen.

 

I am seriously considering Celebrity Eclipse from Southampton next year...

 

I booked Oceana BEFORE this dress code announcement and will have to put up with it now...5 smart casual nights on a 7n cruise.... which to me is relaxed informal crusing... I await the Eclipse brochure with interest!

It looks like the smart casual is only going to be on the Ventura and the Oceana because of the two ships being family focused. The rest of the fleet and the new Azura will carry on with the usual dress code. I wouldn't let it put you off enjoying your holiday Sue, as a matter of interest how many S/C nights would there be on a 7n cruise under the old rules ?

[CASPALL]

I too am annoyed that we ever booked Oceana. Had we known the policy would change, there are plenty of good cruise deals on other ships we could have gone for.

 

On our recent Caribbean cruise which was 4 formal and 10 smart casual, it was nice to see that most of the ladies wore dresses on the casual nights. It was the men who were a let- down wearing slacks and collared T shirts!

 

Me and my husband like to dress up so will stick with the semi-formal look!

 

 

*Pack those dresses Hasta La Vista Baby and keep the standards up!!! Good on you!*

 

Caryl

[stopgo]

I'm confused Caspall aren't the changes of dress policy just confined to the Ventura and Oceana ? On your recent Carribean Cruise when you say smart casual do you mean semi formal ? and when you say collared T/shirt do you mean Polo shirts and what are slacks. I still find it odd anybody would change or cancel a holiday because of a slight alteration in dress policy. On my holidays I just dress smart for every occasion.

[LibraLass41]

Stopgo,

There are no semi formal nights in the Caribbean due to weight luggage restrictions just formal and smart casual.

[LibraLass41]

It looks like the smart casual is only going to be on the Ventura and the Oceana because of the two ships being family focused. The rest of the fleet and the new Azura will carry on with the usual dress code. I wouldn't let it put you off enjoying your holiday Sue, as a matter of interest how many S/C nights would there be on a 7n cruise under the old rules ?

 

On a 7n cruise you would have:

 

2 FORMAL 2 SEMI FORMAL AND 3 SMART CASUAL I believe, so we will loose the 2 semi formal giving us 2 FORMAL AND 5 SMART CASUAL....

 

I wouldn't cancel because of this, but I wouldn't of booked the cruise either if this was advertised before I paid my deposit...I feel that these two ships (Oceana and Ventura) are being made into family casual ships, and thats not what i want from Pando....if I could I would swop,, but I won't be loosing any money over this and will give the ship a go.

[stopgo]

I would like to bet that most passengers keep to the old dress policy. I think most people would not be aware of the difference between S/F and S/C. I dress smart but informal for the non formal nights and I think the majority will still do that when club dinning. As for the Carribean Cruises I think on S/F nights its always been stated that jackets and ties need not be worn due to the hot weather. I know alot of Cruise Critic members dislike the change in dress code, but to me its just a name change and won't effect how I dress. Is it how you dress or how other passengers dress that is the cause of concern, or is it a part of what some people consider dumbing down. I still find it difficult to understand the problem as there is nothing to stop anybody dressing as smart has they want to do.

[Tracy67]

Hello

 

We are going on our first cruise with Ocean Village in the Summer and are very excited but concerned that they are moving to Australia :( - I'm thinking of the future now and thought Ventura sounded ideal - I think it was Single Cruiser who said it's an alternative to NCL on the OV forum which made me look at this forum for the first time this evening.

However, after reading / scanning this very lengthy debate I'm concerned about the fact that Ventura (if we choose her) still sounds like we will have to dress up formally.

Can someone please tell me will my 13 year old son have to wear a shirt with a collar? Will he have to wear something other than jeans? Will he have to wear his school shoes on holiday to leave the cabin - or could we eat in the buffet on formal evenings. I like to dress up - a bit - and so does my 9 year old daughter and my husband will wear long smart trousers and a collared shirt but there's absolutely no way he will take his wedding/funeral suit on holiday. He's a PE teacher and doesn't have a formal wardrobe.

I was under the impression that Ventura was going to be more like Ocean Village but that doesn't seem true. We are not slobs - we are teachers and earn enough to have one decent holiday a year - but we are wondering if we will be able to continue cruising if we get the bug; we would prefer not to travel on NCL because of the $ and all the added tips.

Thank you if you can answer my questions - or recommend another cruiseline.

[LibraLass41]

Ventura has 2 formal nights in every week..so you and your hubby can wear smart clothes 5 nights on smart casual night- hubby s/s shirt and chinos for example.

On the 2 formal nights yes men wear either a tux with bow tie or a suit and tie.

 

So on a 2 week cruise 4 'suit ' nights and 10 smart casual nights...

The food served on formal nights is lovely - a 4-5 course meal, why miss that and go to the ss restaurant just because of a suit...please consider it, Ventura is ideal for families.

[LibraLass41]

Tracey

Perhaps Royal Caribbean maybe a good alternative to OV for following years, Independence of the Seas ship sails from Southampton?

 

The childrens facilities are wonderful on there too, wave rider, lots of computers and toys, etc etc

 

Here are some photos of Independence I took in July 08

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/AuroraPartyCruiseSueV/IndependenceShipVisitJuly08?authkey=Gv1sRgCMqQ4aTLt_7hOA#5227745996593634514

[Tracy67]

Hi

Thanks for replying, I'm still unsure though - would a teenage boy have to dress up in a suit?:D He has to wear a blazer, tie and school trousers for rugby now - maybe I could convince him it's the same thing. His tie is always pulled as low as he can get away with though and shirt half untucked - it's not cool to look smart when you're in Year 8. :rolleyes: