Current Dress Trends Onboard P&O

[davecttr]

It seems P&O Q&A pages are giving their usual confusing answers!. I just got off Aurora and the Glass House was evening casual. Azura and Ventura are now listed as formal but surely not? These are major transit areas to and from the theatre and I thought the general policy was you can't 'dress code' a venue if that venue provides access to another venue!.

 

Another error is listing Oceana's Crows Nest as a formal venue. Oceana does not have a Crows Nest, it is the buffet!, and only used in the late evenings for the syndicate quizz. Are they proposing that the syndicate quizz should be formal :rolleyes:

 

We might be seeing the start of the 'formalisation' of all cover charge restaurants, this to be followed be the de formalisiation of the main dining rooms and the dropping of fixed dining. If you want to go posh, pay extra for it. :D:D:D

 

IMO there should be less formal night on longer cruises. They dropped some of them on Aurora because there were lots of Australians aboard, even formal fans agreed that a formal every 2 nights was too much. There were only 400 odd full world cruisers aboard as the length of the voyage kept many of the regulars away because they could not get insurance for more than 100 days. As a shareholder I applaud this policy as it meant the ship was full of high spending aussies and not whatever level regulars who apparently do not spend much money aboard. I believe regulars prefer formal.

 

They should also restrict the formal venues to the MDR and ONE bar like on Oceana. On Aurura the Crows Nest was like the Mary Celeste!

[TotallyAngelic]

I wouldn't worry too much about the themed nights, TotallyAngelic. P&O might mention them in their website info., but they seem to be abandoning them on many cruises. Our daughter bought her dad a lovely Caribbean patterned shirt in anticipation of the tropical night on our 2-week Caribbean Christmas cruise on Britannia - and there wasn't one! Lots of gentlemen were wearing them on casual nights, however, so hubby joined in and daughter was happy he got to wear it. The only other themed night we had was black and white formal.

60s/70s is quite easy (at least for us ladies) - maxi dress, couple of strings of long (love) beads, lots of bangles, wedge sandals if you've got 'em, long scarf tied round your head like a bandanna with the ends dangling down your back - sorted.

 

Tropical stuff we have a lot of as have cruised a lot in Caribbean. Thanks for the idea on the 60s / 70s - may well do just that :):)

[jocap]

On Ventura's 28 day cruise this Jan, which had several CC members on board, there were just 6 formal evenings, none of them during the Caribbean part of the cruise. We noticed, as with our other 2 P&O cruises during the last 15 months, that the dress code is less adhered to as the cruise wears on- in fact, the final formal evening on the 28 day cruise had a packed buffet with hardly a DJ in sight, but several men in shorts. We even noticed this on Aurora, Nov '14, when the weather was hardly suitable for shorts in the BOB.... :rolleyes:

[The Med]

We are going on a 7 day cruise on Brittania in May...our first with P and O.

 

We chose the trp because of the itinery but I was happy to be with P and O because I had heard that people were more likely to dress up and adhere to the dress code.

 

I adore dressing up even when it isn't a formal night so imagine my disappointment to find out that apart from the 2 formal nights, the other 5 nights are evening casual.

 

Now, I don't really do casual. I would never go out for dinner in jeans and I don't pack trousers for a cruise. I have all my cocktail dresses ready and waiting.

 

So my question is this......if I still choose to dress up and look smart am I going to look totally out of place? Do some people still dress for dinner even though the dress code is casual?

[the english lady]

We are going on a 7 day cruise on Brittania in May...our first with P and O.

 

We chose the trp because of the itinery but I was happy to be with P and O because I had heard that people were more likely to dress up and adhere to the dress code.

 

I adore dressing up even when it isn't a formal night so imagine my disappointment to find out that apart from the 2 formal nights, the other 5 nights are evening casual.

 

Now, I don't really do casual. I would never go out for dinner in jeans and I don't pack trousers for a cruise. I have all my cocktail dresses ready and waiting.

 

So my question is this......if I still choose to dress up and look smart am I going to look totally out of place? Do some people still dress for dinner even though the dress code is casual?

 

I don't think you will look out of place. I would never say I do casuali n the evening. Tops have sparkles on, trousers are evening type. I would say I do SMART casual.

If you are sailing from Southampton, so no weight problems, and you like dressing up, then do so.

Long may pando continue with its dress codes. I have to get full wear out of my pretty pretties.

[Mysticalmother]

We are going on a 7 day cruise on Brittania in May...our first with P and O.

 

We chose the trp because of the itinery but I was happy to be with P and O because I had heard that people were more likely to dress up and adhere to the dress code.

 

I adore dressing up even when it isn't a formal night so imagine my disappointment to find out that apart from the 2 formal nights, the other 5 nights are evening casual.

 

Now, I don't really do casual. I would never go out for dinner in jeans and I don't pack trousers for a cruise. I have all my cocktail dresses ready and waiting.

 

So my question is this......if I still choose to dress up and look smart am I going to look totally out of place? Do some people still dress for dinner even though the dress code is casual?

 

No, you wont look out of place at all. There are still a large number of passengers who like to dress smartly for dinner. And the dress code is actually "Evening Casual" ....not daytime casual ....and for r many of us that means "smart" - not casual ! What it does is remove the requirement for jackets for men, although many do still wear a jacket. And I never wear trousers in the evening- always a dress or skirt - i am sure there are many like me! And I am not a wrinkly either! (No offence intended to anyone!)

Edited April 9, 2016 by Mysticalmother

[Jennizor]

We were on Azura in the Caribbean in Feb this year. As well as my four formal dresses I took 6 short dresses, two skirts and some evening trousers worn with smart tops, and wasn't out of place at all. The other two ladies on our table were simarly dressed as were loads of others. I love to dress up for dinner when we go on land based holidays too and always will.

[the english lady]

Lovely to read the last few replies, that people will continue to dress up. I most certainly will on our next one.

As has been posted it really just takes away the need for a man to take away 2 jackets.

I do think it adds to the feeling on board when the majority of the ship is dressed in their finery, but even on smart casual nights a lot still do.

[The Med]

Thank you for the replies and for putting my mind at rest.

 

It's good that know that others feel the same way and want to dress up a bit.

 

Even on land based holidays we prefer to choose hotels that have an evening dress code.

 

:)

[whoops]

Well I for one hope they do relax the dress code like on RCI and Celebrity. IMHO it is ridiculous in this day and age to prevent entry to various venues after 6pm unless you are dressed in black tie. I don't normally go for a pre dinner cocktail before 7pm so I'm snookered before I start!

 

Just because other lines have relaxed the suggested dress codes doesn't mean you can't wear formal attire. I wore my tux (see I said it :D and I'm not in the US, it's less to write than dinner jacket :D) on both formal occasions last week on RCI (but it wasn't mandatory) and I'll do it again on my upcoming Celebrity sailing on their 'Evening Chic' evenings as they are now called, and again on RCI, even in the Caribbean.

 

I'm sorry, but P&O isn't Cunard and unless they relax the dress codes or at least the access restrictions to venues after 6pm, I doubt I'll be sailing with them after this upcoming 2 night sailing for which I have to cart my tux to Southampton. Bang goes the hand baggage only fare on Flybe!

 

I know I'll get lambasted for this as I did on P&O pages on social media and on a thread here on CC, but before anyone says anything I do not wear jeans on any evening for dinner, always at least black trousers, black shoes and smart shirt, never a polo shirt or t shirt. I just don't see the need for a tux or suit (of course that has to be dark coloured too) if you want to drink or eat in a specific bar or dining room. To be restricted to 1 bar (the pub) or the buffet on Azura after 6pm on half of your cruise is unfair if you have paid full fare to use all the facilities and venues.

 

I agree as I don't want to wear a dinner jacket. I'm on holidays and in a hot climate a suit is uncomfortable. However I was not aware that P&O restricted entry to venues on formal nights. Nobody stopped me on my cruise last Spring although I tend to frequent the nightclubs after dinner (in the buffet on formal nights) and I was certainly not alone in my smart casual attire. In fact by the time the evening got going virtually every formally suited gent removed his jacket.

 

I'm going on another P&O cruise shortly and most certainly will not be packing a jacket.

[noloso]

That really does surprise me. I have travelled on both and never noticed they had different codes. Though hubby was once thrown out of the serving area of the buffet on Azura for wearing shorts at 6.15. Apparently they couldn't be worn after 6pm. We were told that he could sit in the buffet but not go to the counter. I had to collect the items we wanted. Guess what I was wearing ? Shorts ! :confused:

.

now if he had been wearing a bra and wig he might also have got away with the shorts!