Dress Code changes for 2010 cruises

[DaveFr]

Regent is changing their dress code for 2010 cruises. They are changing from a three-tier system (Formal, Informal and Country Club Casual) to a two-tier system (Formal and Elegant Casual). The cruise question, "What should I pack?" now states:

 

"For 2010 evening attire falls into one of two categories, Elegant Casual and Formal. Elegant Casual wear includes skirts or slacks with a blouse or sweater for ladies; slacks and collared shirts for gentlemen and jackets are optional. Formal wear includes gowns, dresses and cocktail dresses for ladies; tuxedos, dinner jacket or dark suit with a tie for gentlemen." (http://www.rssc.com/cruisequestions/details.aspx?CatId=88701f48-a322-4d04-91f8-fc31d6a33989#9fb5b123-4feb-4884-97be-bfdf43a32c48)

 

Dave

 

P.S. The Regent web site now shows the dress code for each night of all 2010 cruises.

[Travelcat2]

I'm afraid to even look at our 2010 cruises.:eek:

 

How many formal nights will there be on your cruise? If there is only one, a dark suit would be the easiest (unless you enjoy wearing a tux). Then slacks and button down shirts for the rest of the time. In order to figure it out, we'd have to know what the dress code is for Prime 7 (assume it's formal for Signatures).

 

Guess I need to go to the website.

 

 

P.S. They haven't updated the information on the dress code for the restaurants (unless I am missing it). Our two cruises next year (one is 11 nights - one is 14 nights) has three formal nights.

 

How did Regent read all of the input from people on the Regent board (most of whom prefer slightly more casual dress codes) and end up more formal than before:confused:

[DaveFr]

TC, our transatlantic cruise has three formal nights; the two Caribbean cruises (five and seven nights respectively) do not have any formal nights. Your question about Signatures is a good one. My guess is that Signatures will be elegant casual, at least for Voyager and Mariner cruises without formal nights.

 

Overall, I think Regent has made their cruises a little more casual by getting rid of informal nights and not increasing formal nights. For example, the seven day Alaska cruises next year will have all elegant casual nights instead of this year's dress code of one informal night and six country club casual nights. Also, Regent has apparently backed off the golf shirt prohibition.

 

Dave

[WesW]

Dave, thanks for posting.

[Rally]

In order to figure it out, we'd have to know what the dress code is for Prime 7 (assume it's formal for Signatures).

 

This is from the Prime7 reservation confirmation:

 

The most intimate of restaurants on board, Prime 7 is a glamorous, contemporary interpretation of a classic American steakhouse. Along with avant-garde appetizers, savory soups and tantalizing desserts, the stars of the evening are the main courses with eight USDA Prime, dry-aged steaks to choose from, plus an enticing selection of lamb, pork, poultry and seafood specialties. This restaurant is open only for dinner by reservations and Dress Code requires Jackets for Gentlemen and Informal for Ladies."

[DaveFr]

This is from the Prime7 reservation confirmation:

 

The most intimate of restaurants on board, Prime 7 is a glamorous, contemporary interpretation of a classic American steakhouse. Along with avant-garde appetizers, savory soups and tantalizing desserts, the stars of the evening are the main courses with eight USDA Prime, dry-aged steaks to choose from, plus an enticing selection of lamb, pork, poultry and seafood specialties. This restaurant is open only for dinner by reservations and Dress Code requires Jackets for Gentlemen and Informal for Ladies."

Rally,

 

I assume this confirmation is from your upcoming Voyager cruise. While this answers the Prime 7 dress code question for 2009 cruises, it doesn't help for 2010 cruises because it references a dress code category, informal, that will no longer exist in 2010. For 2010 cruises, I guess we'll just have to wait until Regent modifies its web site or December, when folks start making dinner reservations for 2010 cruises, to ascertain the dress codes for Prime 7 and Signatures.

 

Dave

[hondorner]

Interesting change; the choice of the term "elegant" casual would tend to indicate they are trying to go more upscale, rather than less. The only thing that really changes is that one does not have to pack a jacket on certain cruises where every night is elegant casual, unless the code for the specialty restaurants remains the same, in which case packing a jacket is still required.

 

It really won't affect me. I resist formal nights, but I have come to terms with them. I ordered a black microfiber sports coat from TravelSmith that is cut more like a suit coat than a blazer and has dark buttons. Then, I added matching black slacks and contrasting khaki slacks and grey slacks. The black coat and black trousers look enough like a black suit that it works for formal night, especially with a white shirt and black or silver tie. One jacket, 3 pairs of dress slacks and some chinos, some shirts and a tie or two, and I'm all set. I hate to wear a tie (heck, I hate wearing socks), but I enjoy everything else about cruising, so I guess I can suffer for the sake of my fellow passengers.

 

I thought of another reason why they may have chosen the name "elegant casual" -- for years, people who don't belong to country clubs or go to resorts have been confused by those terms, and "smart" casual to me means using logic, which often doesn't apply in dress codes. I think they should adopt the name "cruise ship casual" and use illustrations to explain -- pictures are always easier.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I agree Hondorner, I'm really glad they did away with "country club casual", since the phrase sounds so middle-america and trite. They have always strived, I believe, for elegant casual; so be it.

 

As for informal, where does this leave the specialty dining rooms?

 

I could have wished they did away for formal, and pushed informal instead, but oh well, can't win them all.

[Dreps]

Our 30-day Lima-Rio cruise only has 3 formal nights, which is fine by me. I'm sure I'll take a couple of sport coats anyway, as sometimes I find it cool in the dining venues.

[OrpingtonT]

It seems to me that Regent have merely done away with the "informal" concept and retitled CCC to elegant casual. Overall this is less formal and, in my opinion, to be applauded.

[wripro]

New Announcement from Regent re: Dress codes for all 2011 cruises.

Formal nights have been eliminated and elegant casual will be the dress code for all evenings. Socks are optional!

[Travelcat2]

It seems to me that Regent have merely done away with the "informal" concept and retitled CCC to elegant casual. Overall this is less formal and, in my opinion, to be applauded.

 

I'm trying to understand your view. Instead of having one formal night and two informal nights (on our upcoming 11 night cruise), the same cruise next year has three formal nights. This seems more formal to me.

 

Think they did the new category to make certain no men wore golf shirts of polo's. . . .

 

Wripro -- we'll definitely opt to wear socks in 2011:D

[Mike2131]

Our first RSSC criuise does not sail until December, but other lines we have travelled with had 3 modes and I thought it was ridiculous. Formal, OK, but Informal and CCC all on the same 7 night cruise? That never made sense to me.

 

I never found dressing up (yes, I own a tux and wear it when the occasion demands it) made a nice dinner and fine wine taste better. Just just my humble opinion. No offense to those who enjoy getting all dressed up, but Casual Elegant all the time would be just fine with me.

[OrpingtonT]

I'm trying to understand your view. Instead of having one formal night and two informal nights (on our upcoming 11 night cruise), the same cruise next year has three formal nights. This seems more formal to me.

 

 

Sorry! You are right. I hadn't noticed that they had increased the number of formal nights. I imagined that the previous informal would simply become elegant casual.

[Longhorn1]

To many people "Informal" meant a jacket AND tie (including me). Eliminating the category makes the code less formal, regardless of the number of "formal" nights (which are optional anyway). "Elegant casual" means a nice shirt or polo, with or without a jacket but no tie needed. Personally, I would always wear a jacket over a polo, but not necessarily over a good dress shirt. And, I would wear a jacket to a up end restaurant, at home or on the ship. What is good is that they have kept ties to a minimum only to be worn on Formal nights. That is a welcome change that reflects current trends in men's fashion both in the workplace and in lesire activities. Just my opinion...

[DaveFr]

I'm trying to understand your view. Instead of having one formal night and two informal nights (on our upcoming 11 night cruise), the same cruise next year has three formal nights. This seems more formal to me.

 

Think they did the new category to make certain no men wore golf shirts of polo's. . . .

TC,

 

I think you're comparing apples and oranges. :D What I think you missed is the fact that the 2010 cruise (Dover to Monte Carlo) is 14 nights instead of 11 nights for your upcoming cruise in September. 14 night cruises in 2009 on Voyager have three formal nights and several informal nights, so three formal nights and 11 elegant casual nights on the 2010 cruise makes the cruise slightly less formal than 14 night cruises this year IMHO.

 

Also, the definitions of "Country Club Casual" and "Elegant Casual" are identical with two exceptions. First, Country Club Casual expressly forbids golf shirts while the definition of Elegant Casual removes that express prohibition. Had Regent intended to keep prohibiting golf shirts, they would have simply left the express prohibition from the Country Club Casual defininition in place. Removing an express prohibition while leaving the remainder of the old language intact, does not strenghten the prohibition. The second exception is the notation that jackets are optional. I suppose this language is meant to cut off debate about whether the term "Elegant Casual" implies that men should wear a jacket. This seems self-evident to me because had Regent wanted to require jackets for men, they could have simply made their new two-tier dress code, formal and informal. JMHO.

 

Dave

[Rally]

Think they did the new category to make certain no men wore golf shirts of polo's. . . .:D

 

Well, no, Travelcat2, they have not prohibited polo shirts, only golf shirts. The dress code says, "Country Club Casual consists of skirt or slacks with a blouse or sweater for women, and slacks and collared shirts for men (no golf shirts). "

 

Taking it a logical step further, since a golf shirt is a shirt worn to play golf, and since I don't play golf and thus do not own any golf shirts, it seems I can wear any shirt I want -- unless I take up golf, of course, in which case I can still wear polos but not my golf shirts. Isn't that correct? :cool:

[OrpingtonT]

Taking it a logical step further, since a golf shirt is a shirt worn to play golf, and since I don't play golf and thus do not own any golf shirts, it seems I can wear any shirt I want -- unless I take up golf, of course, in which case I can still wear polos but not my golf shirts. Isn't that correct? :cool:

 

You cannot wear golf shirts if you get a hole in one!

[Travelcat2]

Obviously I don't think like a man (probably a good thing). Right -- I was comparing apples and oranges and was being illogical when I thought I was being logical. I looked at the "almost" identical cruise in September, 2011 that we are going on this year.. . . and saw that there were three formal nights and assumed that all informal nights would become formal.

 

Think I'll just sit back and read:)

[Rally]

You cannot wear golf shirts if you get a hole in one!

 

Absolutely correct! In that case you will have to wear a polo (maybe for a more formal informal night, wear a Polo© ?)

[cruisebugbit]

Absolutely correct! In that case you will have to wear a polo (maybe for a more formal informal night, wear a Polo© ?)

 

Do you play polo?

[Rally]

Do you play polo?

 

Of course. Why else would I have Polo shirts? For that matter I also have tennis shorts, walking shorts, running shoes, hiking boots . . . . . I haven't figured out why I also have dress shirts since I don't own any dresses but, now that I think about it, I DO dress (every morniing in fact) so I think that ought to qualify ALL of my shirts as dress shirts, right?

[wripro]

I guess we can't wear tee shirts either unless we play golf!

[Rally]

I guess we can't wear tee shirts either unless we play golf!

Well, it depends on how you spell it . . . tea shirts should be allowed at tea; t shirts are obvious at the little ones' tee ball games, and of course tank tops should only be worn if you are completely in the tank.

[Roland4]

and of course tank tops should only be worn if you are completely in the tank.

 

Or if you are in the military and happen to drive/command a tank. But then that would get into the entire "Is a uniform okay on Formal nights" debate and I don't really think we need to go there.:D