Black Tie nights - are there an alternative dining arrangments?

Cheers mate, will check it out.:cool: From memory they have great food halls as well.

Good one there.

M&S now have simply food outlets in lots of locations where they just sell food,cards and magazines.

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Good one there.

M&S now have simply food outlets in lots of locations where they just sell food,cards and magazines.

 

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Thanks, I am a Coeliac, gluten intolerant and have actually found GF sandwiches and GF Scotch Eggs (GF breadcrumbs) in M&S, it was like winning the lottery for me, finding something to eat. :o One gets sick of eating jacket potatoes at pubs and cafes in UK, due to no GF tucker available in many places.

The dress code I believe is quite clear. If it isn't for you, then try a different cruise line.

That cuts both ways, and includes those who believe the dress code is stricter than it is.

I was so pleased to find this post Wombat! Im packing as we board tomorrow. Only 2 days to Guernsey but its a tester voyage. My son has Aspergers Syndrome & OCD so wont wear tight fitting clothes or shoes and likes to wash his hands alot. I was dreading the cruise for this reason alone. As long as were all smart casual, Pizza & Grill Buffet it will be PHEW. :D

I was so pleased to find this post Wombat! Im packing as we board tomorrow. Only 2 days to Guernsey but its a tester voyage. My son has Aspergers Syndrome & OCD so wont wear tight fitting clothes or shoes and likes to wash his hands alot. I was dreading the cruise for this reason alone. As long as were all smart casual, Pizza & Grill Buffet it will be PHEW. :D

Hope you have a great time.

Hope you have a great time.

Thank you :cool::D

I love getting all beautified with a glass of bubbly!! THAT is part of my holiday. :D

So why not do it every night? Seriously. If I enjoyed wearing a tux I would do it every night.

I don't understand why there is a dress code on ships at all. Where else in life would you go on holiday to a hot sticky climate and dress up in a suit?

My bug is with the forced nature of it all. At least have a casual dining room on offer as an alternative, not just the buffet.

I never dress formally so it is going to be the part of the holiday I'm least looking forward to.

I've just finished a Baltic cruise on NCL which was relaxed and great. There people were dressed up every night sat next to me who wasn't. I understand that P&O will be different and I will play by the rules.

From reading this forum P&O seems to be like the local nightclub that is a bit rough around the edges and a shadow of its former self but because they insist you can't wear jeans and a t-shirt they can pretend it's a classy joint.

Did you know everything when you first sailed P&O?

 

And as I said due to the helpful comments like the 2 other I quoted, we are going elsewhere and sailing other lines. Bye

 

 

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We've cruised with P&O, Celebrity, Princess, Cunard, Royal Caribbean and Fred Olsen. On balance P&O suits us best so we've booked our next few cruises with them. Whichever line I'm travelling with we like to do a bit of research. There's a section on the P&O website called FAQs and before our first cruise with them we were able to get lots of my questions answered. It's VERY helpful and we're pretty sure we understood what the expectations were. We also used these boards and the P&O forum on their website so were able to ask questions about P&O and our ports. People are the same the world over and once on the ship you meet the good, the bad and the ugly!!!

We'd cruise with most of the lines again but have chosen not to go back to RCI because there were quite a lot of things we didn't like about them. However we think each to their own and although we didn't like our cruise we don't go on the RCI boards and lambast them or try to put people off. We don't think once people have booked a cruise they need to hear the negatives but have their questions answered in a positive manner and then decide for themselves based on their experience on the ship.

Obviously you are lucky (or have low standards).

 

As for others not complaining, I suspect the social pressure of the shared canteen style tables means people are reluctant to cause a fuss and disrupt proceedings.

 

You used the term "canteen style tables" frequently and I'm surprised that you feel like that. We called our dining area at school the canteen and nothing could be further for that than the MDR on a cruise ship. When we go into the main dining room we are dressed up, the tables are laid beautifully with white linen etc and the waiting staff look great. We've made great friends at our table when we did set dining so have kept in touch with them and have cruised again with some of them since.

Finally tipping. You are right I don't think the waiters should receive the bulk of their pay through 'tips' or service charges - do you? I believe in a modern society where people are fairly rewarded for the work they do, and do not rely for their survival on offerings which people deign to hand out.

Whilst we may agree that waiters shouldn't have to reply on tips, the fact is waiting staff on all lines depend on this to maintain a decent wage. Until the system is changed it's unfair IMO to penalise hard-working staff who do their best to keep us happy so we wouldn't withhold tips until the whole system is overhauled - and that probably won't be any time soon. Tipping is part of the cruising culture - for now at least

Whilst we may agree that waiters shouldn't have to reply on tips, the fact is waiting staff on all lines depend on this to maintain a decent wage. Until the system is changed it's unfair IMO to penalise hard-working staff who do their best to keep us happy so we wouldn't withhold tips until the whole system is overhauled - and that probably won't be any time soon. Tipping is part of the cruising culture - for now at least

Well said!

Whilst we may agree that waiters shouldn't have to reply on tips, the fact is waiting staff on all lines depend on this to maintain a decent wage. Until the system is changed it's unfair IMO to penalise hard-working staff who do their best to keep us happy so we wouldn't withhold tips until the whole system is overhauled - and that probably won't be any time soon. Tipping is part of the cruising culture - for now at least

Very good response that person calling the restaurant a canteen must think he is at work in a factory.

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Thanks to wombatsoup for asking the question. I'm finding this thread fascinating. We'll be taking our first cruise ever on the Britannia next month. I have to admit I'm slightly ambivalent about cruising in general and I've been dreading formal nights. To put gender stereotypes aside, I really don't enjoy getting "glammed up". I've actually lost sleep over it. I think I've decided to begrudgingly bring one formal dress "just in case" and my husband will bring a dark suit. Honestly, it sounds like dinner in The Beach House will suit us just fine or I'm happy to order room service in our suite and stay in with dinner & a film. Neither one of us is really a "foodie".

Thanks to wombatsoup for asking the question. I'm finding this thread fascinating. We'll be taking our first cruise ever on the Britannia next month. I have to admit I'm slightly ambivalent about cruising in general and I've been dreading formal nights. To put gender stereotypes aside, I really don't enjoy getting "glammed up". I've actually lost sleep over it. I think I've decided to begrudgingly bring one formal dress "just in case" and my husband will bring a dark suit. Honestly, it sounds like dinner in The Beach House will suit us just fine or I'm happy to order room service in our suite and stay in with dinner & a film. Neither one of us is really a "foodie".

You really should not worry about it. Many women just wear trousers and a blouse, or a skirt and blouse. I am not a person who wears a lot if dresses so the dresses I have are not evening dresses, but I do put on extra jewellry to make it look like I have made an effort.

I really can't see the problem with formal dress for women. Plonking on a dress is dead easy! Much less hassle than finding tops, bottoms and shoes to match. Covers a multitude of sins too.

No so much fun for the men whose outfits are more constricting than they would normally have to wear.

I live in jeans and T-shirts / sweaters. Essentially I had to buy an entire new wardrobe for my cruise because I didn't even own any non-trainer footwear. Got lucky and picked up a Jacques Vert dress in the sales for £50 (normally £200 so a bargain!) and wore that for the gala dinner but by the time the second formal night came around I'd had enough and the food offerings didn't seem good enough to merit dressing up so I spent the second formal night in the buffet :(

Despite living in casual clothes though, I do support the whole idea of formal evenings. I felt a complete fool but it was lovely to see everyone else glammed up and enjoying themselves!

Well I read the subject and thought this is something we need to know about as my husband has no suit or jacket, and we are booked on our first P & O cruise on Aurora at the end of October. It has been an interesting 6 pages to read I must admit. I did worry that he would not be allowed in a bar for a drink but now feel happy that there will be places we can choose to eat and drink in on the black tie formal nights. He is OK with smart casual in his good trousers, white shirt and dickie bow tie so we can now look forward to our cruise with no worries about having nowhere to go. Thank you folks.

Gill

So why not do it every night? Seriously. If I enjoyed wearing a tux I would do it every night.

 

I don't understand why there is a dress code on ships at all. Where else in life would you go on holiday to a hot sticky climate and dress up in a suit?

 

My bug is with the forced nature of it all. At least have a casual dining room on offer as an alternative, not just the buffet.

I never dress formally so it is going to be the part of the holiday I'm least looking forward to.

I've just finished a Baltic cruise on NCL which was relaxed and great. There people were dressed up every night sat next to me who wasn't. I understand that P&O will be different and I will play by the rules.

 

From reading this forum P&O seems to be like the local nightclub that is a bit rough around the edges and a shadow of its former self but because they insist you can't wear jeans and a t-shirt they can pretend it's a classy joint.

Never found it hot and sticky on any cruise line, in fact sometimes the aircon makes a suit almost essential!;p

Never found it hot and sticky on any cruise line, in fact sometimes the aircon makes a suit almost essential!;p

My thoughts too,a lot different from sitting outside in the Spanish costas.

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One thing I love when we've been in the Caribbean and come back after a very hot day on a trip is the blast of cold air conditioning when we get back on board. Some women take a pashmina or similar to dinner as it can sometimes be on the chilly side - certainly never been too hot on board.

So why not do it every night? Seriously. If I enjoyed wearing a tux I would do it every night.

 

I don't understand why there is a dress code on ships at all. Where else in life would you go on holiday to a hot sticky climate and dress up in a suit?

 

My bug is with the forced nature of it all. At least have a casual dining room on offer as an alternative, not just the buffet.

I never dress formally so it is going to be the part of the holiday I'm least looking forward to.

I've just finished a Baltic cruise on NCL which was relaxed and great. There people were dressed up every night sat next to me who wasn't. I understand that P&O will be different and I will play by the rules.

 

From reading this forum P&O seems to be like the local nightclub that is a bit rough around the edges and a shadow of its former self but because they insist you can't wear jeans and a t-shirt they can pretend it's a classy joint.

I completely agree and decided that I've paid thousands of £s for this holiday and I won't be dictated to. I don't enjoy wearing a formal dress (or makeup TBH) and my husband doesn't enjoy wearing a tuxedo. I'm fine with smart casual dress. We'll either eat in the Beach House or order room service in our suite. We both work and need to attend black tie functions several times a year with clients or for charities. This is our first cruise and maybe I should have researched cruise lines better before booking on P&O.

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Well I read the subject and thought this is something we need to know about as my husband has no suit or jacket, and we are booked on our first P & O cruise on Aurora at the end of October. It has been an interesting 6 pages to read I must admit. I did worry that he would not be allowed in a bar for a drink but now feel happy that there will be places we can choose to eat and drink in on the black tie formal nights. He is OK with smart casual in his good trousers, white shirt and dickie bow tie so we can now look forward to our cruise with no worries about having nowhere to go. Thank you folks.

 

Gill

Gill, your husband only needs a jacket and he's dressed for formal night and you can go where you like! He doesn't need a dickie bow etc for smart casual, unless that's what he's comfortable in of course! :)

Gill, your husband only needs a jacket and he's dressed for formal night and you can go where you like! He doesn't need a dickie bow etc for smart casual, unless that's what he's comfortable in of course! :)

Thank you. He hasn't got a jacket now but we may see if we can get a lightweight one for him as we both have arthritis and don't want to have to buy bigger cases to cope with on the train journey to Southampton if we can manage with the ones we have. He has 2 walking sticks so I have to cope with the cases. Looking forward to our first P & O though. As long as we can be fed and get into a bar or lounge for the evening we will be fine.

Gill

Thank you. He hasn't got a jacket now but we may see if we can get a lightweight one for him as we both have arthritis and don't want to have to buy bigger cases to cope with on the train journey to Southampton if we can manage with the ones we have. He has 2 walking sticks so I have to cope with the cases. Looking forward to our first P & O though. As long as we can be fed and get into a bar or lounge for the evening we will be fine.

 

Gill

Just get him a blazer or sports jacket, that would suffice I reckon. Seen plenty of those on formal nights, even on Cunard, as well as P&O UK.

Above all enjoy.

I don't like the forced nature of the formal evenings either. I like dressing up and I will be in my dinner suit on the 4 formal evenings but what I dislike is the fact that it is compulsory in so many venues. I think it should not just be a choice of formal cruise line or less formal cruise line but instead I would prefer to see formal venues and less formal venues on the ship. I would like those to have a permanent dress code for each venue and I would like to see it strictly enforced. That way those that want a more formal evening can have it... every night if that is what they want... and those that would prefer not to they then still are not made to feel outcast by doing so.

If people have a genuine choice then enforcement is less of an issue. It is when there are few genuine alternatives that enforcement becomes difficult.

I suspect this is just too radical an idea to catch on.

Necro post.

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