It's just odd somehow...

[yogagal47]

Sorry-I was just confused because I did see smoking on designated areas of the ship but never realized that this was a "no smoking" policy!

[msrizzo]

If people didn't worry so much about what other people were doing (or how they were dressing), I bet they would have a much more relaxing and enjoyable vacation.

 

That sums it all up rather nicely!

[montrealerinnyc]

Here we go again! I'm tired of the attire threads that seem to be posted every other day. It's a cruise, dress up! You don't like to? Sail with another line. Dressing up on cruises is a tradition that has been around a long time. Back in the day (and on a few lines still), it was the norm. Don't ruin it for those of us who hold this tradition dear. Here's a thought: try NCL! They are about as casual as it gets, and a cruise line that I won't be visting any time soon.

 

 

The "tradition" of dressing up descends from the liners that made the trans-oceanic crossings, long before Alaskan and Caribbean waters were choked with cruise ships lining up to sail into Glacier Bay or Charlotte Amalie harbor. Time marches on. Do you wear a hat every time you go outside? Cufflinks with every shirt? I think that most people are generally pretty good about staying within the parameters of the dress code, and if some wander off the reservation, well, 2800 is a lot of people to expect to universally embrace any standard of behavior (or we wouldn't have chair hogs, smokers on balconies, booze smugglers, etc.). If formality is that important to you, then the same response applies to you too: you can opt for a starchier line, such as Cunard. Posters with your hostility are the reason so many folks are terrified of these boards; and the reason so many new posters tiptoe out with a thread like "Will I be out of place/uncomfortable/etc. on X?", "Is everybody really snooty on X?"

 

It's everybody's vacation, not just yours. Live and let live and focus on enjoying yourself.

[gizmodog]

great post...bravo

[julia]

Well... without turning this thread into yet ANOTHER dress code debate, I will give "my take" on the subject presented by the OP.

 

As for where we dine on a cruise, it is simply about choices for us. We live in an area filled with superb restaurants, but yet we would never "dine out" 7 (or 10 or 14) nights in a row! :eek: (We care too much about our waistlines!)

 

Therefore, we typically choose to take an evening or two off from the MDR, and those evenings usually are the formal nights (been there, done that). This in NO way impacts our enjoyment of our cruises... rather it very MUCH adds to our overall relaxation. :)

[80sramfan]

I see any number of posts etc from folks who like to be casual and relaxed, don't like to dress up, don't like to go to the main dining room, actually like a buffet for dinner, routinely have dinner in their room even, etc., so why are they choosing Celebrity?

 

Seems like a huge disconnect to me! There are far more casual/accommodating cruise lines out there for this market segment. I guess maybe the cruise ship is somewhat more transportation to travel on a desired sight-seeing itinerary or something? Like I can see a port-intensive euro cruise with little time to kick back and enjoy the usual cruise ship ambience and the ship is more a place to sleep, transport, and eat decent but not exciting meals. Anyhow, I can't imagine picking Celebrity for a low key dress down casual sort of cruise, it doesn't fit that model very well in my opinion. Anyhow, not slamming anyones's tastes, but these threads/posts strike me as being odd quite often.

 

Jeff

 

 

Honestly Celebrity is the poster child for country club casual. (with the exception of formal nights)

[lvcruiser]

If people didn't worry so much about what other people were doing (or how they were dressing), I bet they would have a much more relaxing and enjoyable vacation.

 

That is very well said and I agree; however, I have noticed the snobbery and snootiness exhibited on these boards pretty much stays on these boards and does not transfer to the cruises. If the posters who are so adamant about dress code on these threads carry those feelings with them on their cruises, for the most part, they keep it to themselves. Maybe it has something to do with the power that the anonymity these boards give to people who otherwise have no courage to speak their minds. What I find the most fascinating is that some, such as the OP and a few other posters who have tried to once again generate another thread about fashion do's and don't's can be so shortsighted to think that the primary reason people should choose Celebrity is because the line recommends dressing appropriately for dinner in the MDR on various evenings. As many have already stated, that is actually a reason that I do NOT take into consideration when booking a cruise. I sail Celebrity for many reasons and that is not one of them. I will abide by whatever dress code is requested or required on whatever cruise I sail, but it is certainly not my first consideration when booking a cruise. I look for itinerary, price, age group, non-smoking, nice cabins, outstanding service and good food, among other things.

 

Tradition is good and should be maintained in certain venues. You will always wear white at Wimbledon and you will always bow to the Queen. But for general society, norms change and tradition is set aside, and to attempt to force others to refuse to embrace change makes one sound like a dinosaur. If Celebrity was as adamant as some of the posters on this board in keeping with a traditional dress for dinner, I don't think they would have allowed the casual dining venues onboard their ships and I certainly don't think they would have changed the dress code for the specialty venues and theater on formal nights to smart casual. If Celebrity is willing to change with the times and forego tradition, maybe others who demand that tradition be kept intact should be the ones to find another cruise line. Or, in the alternative, stop complaining about those who disagree.

 

An upscale cruise and dressing formally for dinner in the MDR are not exclusive to each other. Wind Star is an excellent example of that since formal wear was not even allowed onboard a Tahiti cruise I took many years ago. If the OP and others who have posted their closed mind opinions (which, it seems in their beliefs, are statements of fact) truly think that the desire to dress casually for dinner is synonymous with hairy chest contests at the pool, they really should reexamine their own set of values and stop whining about what others want to do on their vacations if other's actions are permitted by the cruise lines.

[montrealerinnyc]

Hear, hear!

[Merig75484]

Here we go again! I'm tired of the attire threads that seem to be posted every other day. It's a cruise, dress up! You don't like to? Sail with another line. Dressing up on cruises is a tradition that has been around a long time. Back in the day (and on a few lines still), it was the norm. Don't ruin it for those of us who hold this tradition dear. Here's a thought: try NCL! They are about as casual as it gets, and a cruise line that I won't be visting any time soon.

 

Racism and sexism were both once 'traditions,' too. Good thing humanity evolves and certain traditions are dispensed with. Cruising in the 21st century ought not to be synonymous with formalwear. Of course, if you want to dress up, by all means do so, but please don't seek to impose your traditions on me.

[ORV]

Sorry-I was just confused because I did see smoking on designated areas of the ship but never realized that this was a "no smoking" policy!

 

Actually it's not a no-smoking policy, it's a limited-smoking policy. I think the confusion might come from statements like this which is from the Celebrity website.

 

 

"For the comfort and enjoyment of our guests, our ships are designated as non-smoking, however, we recognize that some of our guests smoke. Therefore, to provide an onboard environment that also satisfies smokers, we have designated certain areas of the ship as "smoking areas." Generally, smoking is not permitted except in designated areas. (Contact the Guest Relations Desk for additional details).

 

Smoking is permitted in many of our lounges and on open air decks on the port side of the ship.

 

Celebrity Cruises kindly asks all guests to please observe the non-smoking areas and to refrain from smoking pipes or cigar in any of the public areas. These requests are made to provide a comfortable shipboard environment for everyone.

 

Where permitted, cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco must always be properly disposed of and never thrown overboard. A guest must be at least 18 years of age to purchase, possess or use tobacco."

 

It seems the phrase "many of our lounges" should be updated, but then again many things on the X website should be.

[cruise kitty]

Here we go again! I'm tired of the attire threads that seem to be posted every other day. It's a cruise, dress up! You don't like to? Sail with another line. Dressing up on cruises is a tradition that has been around a long time. Back in the day (and on a few lines still), it was the norm. Don't ruin it for those of us who hold this tradition dear. Here's a thought: try NCL! They are about as casual as it gets, and a cruise line that I won't be visting any time soon.

 

Don't you hate when you post a rant that has nothing to do with the thread you're on, but by the time you realize it...it's too late to take it back?;)

[Kini12]

What seems odd to me is how worked up people get over what other people are doing... what does it even matter? People choose cruise lines for all sorts of reasons. Just because someone wants to eat in a buffet or likes to eat in their room doesn't mean that they want a casual experience.

 

My husband and I aren't big fans of the MDR because we go on vacation to enjoy time with each other... so a romantic dinner on our balcony is preferable to us than eating in a crowded dining room. Different people like different things. We chose Celebrity because it has a good reputation and has the itinerary we wanted. I don't really see it as that odd...

It's not odd at all. There are other reasons for booking Celebrity one being the smoking policy.

[Kini12]

Here we go again! I'm tired of the attire threads that seem to be posted every other day. It's a cruise, dress up! You don't like to? Sail with another line. Dressing up on cruises is a tradition that has been around a long time. Back in the day (and on a few lines still), it was the norm. Don't ruin it for those of us who hold this tradition dear. Here's a thought: try NCL! They are about as casual as it gets, and a cruise line that I won't be visting any time soon.

 

Here we go again..Also Azamara, Regent, Oceania. I guess you won't be visiting these either.

[JeffCoud]

Racism and sexism were both once 'traditions,' too. Good thing humanity evolves and certain traditions are dispensed with. Cruising in the 21st century ought not to be synonymous with formalwear. Of course, if you want to dress up, by all means do so, but please don't seek to impose your traditions on me.

 

Oh please! Not on my thread! That's an idiotic argument. Dr. King wasn't fighting to end formal nights on cruise ships, lol....

[msrizzo]

The "tradition" of dressing up descends from the liners that made the trans-oceanic crossings, long before Alaskan and Caribbean waters were choked with cruise ships lining up to sail into Glacier Bay or Charlotte Amalie harbor. Time marches on. Do you wear a hat every time you go outside? Cufflinks with every shirt? I think that most people are generally pretty good about staying within the parameters of the dress code, and if some wander off the reservation, well, 2800 is a lot of people to expect to universally embrace any standard of behavior (or we wouldn't have chair hogs, smokers on balconies, booze smugglers, etc.). If formality is that important to you, then the same response applies to you too: you can opt for a starchier line, such as Cunard. Posters with your hostility are the reason so many folks are terrified of these boards; and the reason so many new posters tiptoe out with a thread like "Will I be out of place/uncomfortable/etc. on X?", "Is everybody really snooty on X?"

 

It's everybody's vacation, not just yours. Live and let live and focus on enjoying yourself.

 

You are correct about the traditions of formality, but the interesting thing is that back then the main purpose of transatlantic cruising was transportation. The first class passengers dressed formally on the cruise ships because they dressed formally to go out to dinner when on land too!

 

I did a transatlantic crossing on the SS France in the 70s because I was studying abroad for a year and it was actually a practical way to get there with a lot of my stuff. (Shipping to Europe was off the charts expensive back then.) There were no "formal" nights that I can remember in the 2nd class dining room, although the food was fantastic.

[Merig75484]

Oh please! Not on my thread! That's an idiotic argument. Dr. King wasn't fighting to end formal nights on cruise ships, lol....

 

I would submit, Jeff, the only idiotic argument here is yours. Nobody is fighting to end formal nights on cruise ships; however, there are those among us who would seek to impose their will on everyone. Very georgebushian of them, dontcha think?

[Onessa]

I see any number of posts etc from folks who like to be casual and relaxed, don't like to dress up, don't like to go to the main dining room, actually like a buffet for dinner, routinely have dinner in their room even, etc., so why are they choosing Celebrity?

 

Seems like a huge disconnect to me! There are far more casual/accommodating cruise lines out there for this market segment. I guess maybe the cruise ship is somewhat more transportation to travel on a desired sight-seeing itinerary or something? Like I can see a port-intensive euro cruise with little time to kick back and enjoy the usual cruise ship ambience and the ship is more a place to sleep, transport, and eat decent but not exciting meals. Anyhow, I can't imagine picking Celebrity for a low key dress down casual sort of cruise, it doesn't fit that model very well in my opinion. Anyhow, not slamming anyones's tastes, but these threads/posts strike me as being odd quite often.

 

Jeff

 

Yup - many of us who cruise, and cruise regularly, cruise primarily for the itineraries. I really look at the ship as a floating hotel. I want a quiet, nice place to sleep. I want access to good meals. I want good ports. I want a good price. If that happens to be a Celebrity cruise, I'll book Celebrity.

 

I must not be in the minority -- because more and more, all lines are really looking at ways to cater to "my kind" of customer. We are seeing more variety in itineraries (Australia, expanded eastern Med itineraries, more ships in more places). We are seeing bigger and better and more alternative dining areas. We are seeing more and more "anytime" dining options. We are seeing fewer dress code dictates - on our first cruise, everyone "dressed" for every dinner, and then I lived through the three-tiered dress code ("causal" "elegant casual" and "formal" or similar), and now, on most lines, we just have the two-tiered and on others just the single-tiered dress code.

[junglejane]

I'm not touching the hot button dress code issue. I just want to point out that for certain destinations, such as Alaska and the Caribbean, there are usually lots of choices with similar itineraries. But for others, especially European and West Coast itineraries, the options are more limited -- at least when you factor in work schedules and school schedules. When I look for a cruise, I have to start with "when can I go?" and "what ports are most important to me?" including the embarkation port. Price is obviously another determinative factor. The ambiance of the cruise ship, the dress code and the dining options are important, but they're more like tie-breakers to me from whatever options I have left after looking at timing, itinerary and price.

 

For summer 2011, we started with:

1. When can we go? June 2011

2. Next came the itinerary: must embark from Rome and stop in Istanbul

Guess how many options we found on mass market cruise lines? One -- the Celebrity Equinox

3. Price: Equinox price was much better than our next best option, the Star Princess (which didn't go to Istanbul). In fact it's about $1000pp cheaper for a balcony room (11 days on Equinox vs. 12 days on Star Princess)

 

I'm excited about our Equinox cruise, having wanted to check out the Solstice-class ships. But I just wanted to illustrate that for lots of people, the process of picking a cruise does not start with the dress code or buffet options!

[TomTN]

I would submit, Jeff, the only idiotic argument here is yours. Nobody is fighting to end formal nights on cruise ships; however, there are those among us who would seek to impose their will on everyone. Very georgebushian of them, dontcha think?

 

You might want to take a look at the rules pertaining to politics. It is not allowed. Either this thread will be locked or deleted all together.

 

Politics really have nothing to do with this discussion.

[SusieV]

I would submit, Jeff, the only idiotic argument here is yours. Nobody is fighting to end formal nights on cruise ships; however, there are those among us who would seek to impose their will on everyone. Very georgebushian of them, dontcha think?

 

I disagree. There are some of us who would like to have an enjoyable tradition preserved rather than eroded. There are other options even onboard X ships for those who don't enjoy dressing up. If you enjoy eating at the limited buffet options or having MDR food in your room, go for it. You have choices.

 

What really frustrating is the cruisers who insist it's their vacation and come to the MDR dressed inappropriately on formal night. Since they can get the food delivered via room service and they must not care about the ambiance since they choose not to dress for it, what is the motivation to stick out like a sore thumb?

[msrizzo]

I disagree. There are some of us who would like to have an enjoyable tradition preserved rather than eroded. There are other options even onboard X ships for those who don't enjoy dressing up. If you enjoy eating at the limited buffet options or having MDR food in your room, go for it. You have choices.

 

What really frustrating is the cruisers who insist it's their vacation and come to the MDR dressed inappropriately on formal night. Since they can get the food delivered via room service and they must not care about the ambiance since they choose not to dress for it, what is the motivation to stick out like a sore thumb?

 

Hi Susie,

 

Your attitude is reasonable, but if you read the OP in this thread, that person was pretty much saying that people who didn't want to dress formally shouldn't cruise on Celebrity period. The OP seemed to be bothered by the fact that some people would opt to do just as you say (eat the limited buffet or use room service)! That is just caring a little bit too much about what other people do, IMHO.

 

Maria

[tally10]

I disagree. There are some of us who would like to have an enjoyable tradition preserved rather than eroded. There are other options even onboard X ships for those who don't enjoy dressing up. If you enjoy eating at the limited buffet options or having MDR food in your room, go for it. You have choices.

 

What really frustrating is the cruisers who insist it's their vacation and come to the MDR dressed inappropriately on formal night. Since they can get the food delivered via room service and they must not care about the ambiance since they choose not to dress for it, what is the motivation to stick out like a sore thumb?

 

It is sad when some people try turning this into another dress code thread when it was all about why people choose Celebrity knowing that there is a dress code. As I have said many times and listed the reasons why we choose Celebrity, the dress code does not weigh in as a reason.

Would you like someone to tell you to eat in the buffet or specialty restaurant if they did not want people who dress in the tux/suit/cocktail dress manner to eat in the MDR if the ship's dress code went strictly smart casual? I don't think anyone "sticks out like a sore thumb" when they eat in the dining room for formal night even if they don't dress quite to the letter that some posters expect. If you are enjoying yourself, you should not be noticing what others choose to wear.

[SusieV]

Would you like someone to tell you to eat in the buffet or specialty restaurant if they did not want people who dress in the tux/suit/cocktail dress manner to eat in the MDR if the ship's dress code went strictly smart casual? I don't think anyone "sticks out like a sore thumb" when they eat in the dining room for formal night even if they don't dress quite to the letter that some posters expect. If you are enjoying yourself, you should not be noticing what others choose to wear.

 

If the ship went strictly smart casual, I would choose another line, frankly. We love the tradition of dressing up and the special ambiance.

 

And yes, people dressing inappropriately does detract from that ambiance and it's a little disappointing. Believe me- I have seen some people that do indeed stick out like sore thumbs!

 

I would never say that people who don't like to dress up should not cruise Celebrity- although when friends/family ask me what cruiseline to go on if they do not like to dress up I usually recommend a different line- but I do think that if people aren't going to respect the dress code which the host specifically requests, then they should not be eating in the MDR. There are lots of other options available to them and they can even get the MDR food in their rooms. No need to take the ambiance down for those of us who do care about it.

[tally10]

If the ship went strictly smart casual, I would choose another line, frankly. We love the tradition of dressing up and the special ambiance.

 

And yes, people dressing inappropriately does detract from that ambiance and it's a little disappointing. Believe me- I have seen some people that do indeed stick out like sore thumbs!

 

I would never say that people who don't like to dress up should not cruise Celebrity- although when friends/family ask me what cruiseline to go on if they do not like to dress up I usually recommend a different line- but I do think that if people aren't going to respect the dress code which the host specifically requests, then they should not be eating in the MDR. There are lots of other options available to them and they can even get the MDR food in their rooms. No need to take the ambiance down for those of us who do care about it.

 

Do you realize that in the real world on a Celebrity ship, that people are actually welcomed into the MDR on formal nights by the maitre'd/headwaiter even if they are wearing a dreaded sport coat or blazer, kilt, kimono, or sari? Does that take away from your ambiance? I don't think Celebrity would have someone banished to their cabin or forced to pay for a specialty restaurant, or eat in the buffet, just to ensure your ambiance. And here the dress code threads begin again.

[Merig75484]

It is sad when some people try turning this into another dress code thread when it was all about why people choose Celebrity knowing that there is a dress code. As I have said many times and listed the reasons why we choose Celebrity, the dress code does not weigh in as a reason.

Would you like someone to tell you to eat in the buffet or specialty restaurant if they did not want people who dress in the tux/suit/cocktail dress manner to eat in the MDR if the ship's dress code went strictly smart casual? I don't think anyone "sticks out like a sore thumb" when they eat in the dining room for formal night even if they don't dress quite to the letter that some posters expect. If you are enjoying yourself, you should not be noticing what others choose to wear.

 

Celebrity doesn't have a dress code; they have guidelines. Follow them if you wish and don't if you don't. Live and let live. It is a f*********n vacation, after all, not a wedding or some similar event to which every guest has been invited. Geez, people, stop worrying so much about others and start worrying about yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

To those who suggest I ought to eat in my room if I don't want to dress up, how about this suggestion: you dress up and have the food delivered to your room?