Could This Be a Sign of Official Movement towards More Casual Dining?

[BillOh]

Looks normal to me. Two formal nights on a 6-day cruise, the rest casual.

 

The only thing I think is different from what my questionable memory is I thought only day 1 was casual and the others, outside of formal were Smart casual. There list had 2 casuals.

[tserface]

I see people wearing shorts all the time. Especially women. I don't see a problem with it. I think it's nice if people don't come from the pool to the MDR (I agree that's too casual), but there are all kinds of ways of looking nice these days. I've seen guys wearing kilts on formal nights and I think it's kind of cool. It's not a "black suit", but it is formal in some places in the world.

 

But, I'm pretty sure RCI doesn't care if people wear shorts to the MDR these days. I've seen it a lot. If they do care, they do not act like they care.

 

Tom

 

It was a little bit of both. Why care if somebody does wear shorts, as it doesn't affect you? I also think if they allowed nice shorts (officially) for casual, it would make sense. I understand a no shorts rule for formal night, but even then if somebody doesn't follow it, if I am in a tux, and somebody else is more comfortable in shorts, so be it. It does not affect me whatsoever.

 

Now, to me there is a difference between nice shorts (like say khaki shorts) and swim trunks. But again, if they loosened the rules a bit (especially for casual nights), I would have no problem with that.

[tserface]

I think "Smart Casual" implies a standard whereas "Casual" doesn't really have much of a definition. Fortunately, RCI tends to define it on their MDR signs, but I always though Smart Casual had a nice ring to it. When we used to say that someone was "smartly" dressed, it was a compliment.

 

I'm glad they haven't implemented "Stupid Casual" :)

 

Tom

 

The only thing I think is different from what my questionable memory is I thought only day 1 was casual and the others, outside of formal were Smart casual. There list had 2 casuals.

[UCF_Knight]

On our recent 9 night on Oasis there were 2 formal and 7 casual. Not a single "smart casual" night to be found. The Royal Caribbean website does still list that a 9 night should have 2 formal, 2 smart casual, and 5 casual:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/beforeyouboard/whatToKnow/whatToPack.do

 

By the way, the page spells out how Royal Caribbean defines each of the 3 suggestions for dress:

 

Suggested guidelines for these nights are:

Casual: Sport shirts and slacks for men, sundresses or pants for women

Smart Casual: Jackets and ties for men, dresses or pantsuits for women

Formal: Suits and ties or tuxedos for men, cocktail dresses for women

 

Of course it also says:

Remember, shorts, T-shirts, and bathing suits are not considered appropriate attire in the dining rooms at dinner.

 

Not that any of that is enforced. We saw a guy with shorts, a tank top, and flip flops come in for dinner and nothing was said to him.

Edited April 8, 2016 by UCF_Knight

[BillOh]

I think you're right, but to be honest, other than formal night, i dont even look. We dress smart casual for the boarding picture, which we always take, with swim suits in our carry on, so we wear that in the first casual night.

 

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[LMaxwell]

On Carnival they allow nice shorts on casual nights and NCL they allow it every night. It was very relaxing. I don't go to dinner at home in a bathing suit or in gym shorts, so I didn't on the ship either, just wore what I'd wear to any restaurant in South Florida 365 days a year and I was very comfortable. I don't recall what anyone else wore.

 

And yes, women get away with absolutely anything (And I'm okay with that)

[Ocean Boy]

Because on Cruise Critic, EVERYONE is entitled to their opinion....

 

And everyone HAS an opinion.;)

[IsanTom]

My partner & I like to dress up, not formally, but we like to feel good when the sun goes down and we visit the Martini Bar! This is your cruise, so do what feels right for you!

[jagsfan]

Maybe in 10 years, MDR will. have picnic tables and paper bibs. People that want a nicer dining experience could eat in a specialty "dressy" restaurant.

 

 

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[11madmic]

It was a little bit of both. Why care if somebody does wear shorts, as it doesn't affect you? I also think if they allowed nice shorts (officially) for casual, it would make sense. I understand a no shorts rule for formal night, but even then if somebody doesn't follow it, if I am in a tux, and somebody else is more comfortable in shorts, so be it. It does not affect me whatsoever.

 

Now, to me there is a difference between nice shorts (like say khaki shorts) and swim trunks. But again, if they loosened the rules a bit (especially for casual nights), I would have no problem with that.

 

I agree completely, WHO CARES what others do, live you own life, it does not affect you, same can be said about almost all aspects of life.. I always dress up in a tux or suit for formal night and sports jacket the rest of nights with slacks, I honestly could care less what someone else wears.

[Coochuck]

With Celebrity doing away with formal nights, I"m sure RCCL will follow. We just got off of the Celebrity Silhouette a few weeks ago and really enjoyed not packing a tie and jacket. Some people still got dressed up, but so many didn't.

[IndyKid]

Casual, Smart Casual, Formal, Etc. - whatever they call it doesn't matter because RCL doesn't enforce it...

[11madmic]

Casual, Smart Casual, Formal, Etc. - whatever they call it doesn't matter because RCL doesn't enforce it...

 

rightfully so.

[CookieDiva]

The only thing I think is different from what my questionable memory is I thought only day 1 was casual and the others, outside of formal were Smart casual. There list had 2 casuals.

 

Thanks. That IS the point that I was trying to make.

[MommaBear55]

Casual, Smart Casual, Formal, Etc. - whatever they call it doesn't matter because RCL doesn't enforce it...

Too true! I have never understood why they do not enforce it if they post it. If truth be told, what they should post is "wear what you want, because we aren't going to do a thing about it." And the reality is that we will see wife beaters, ripped clothing, T shirts with rude slogans, hats, because people will say ",they didn't tell me no to".

 

rightfully so.

 

I also don't understand stand why it is is rightfully so that they don't enforce the rules. People complain all the time about them not enforcing other rules such as chair hogs, seat saving, diapered kids in the pools and hot tubs, underage kids in the solarium. Actually, the only rule i can tell that they work at enforcing are no kids in the solarium.

[11madmic]

I also don't understand stand why it is is rightfully so that they don't enforce the rules. People complain all the time about them not enforcing other rules such as chair hogs, seat saving, diapered kids in the pools and hot tubs, underage kids in the solarium. Actually, the only rule i can tell that they work at enforcing are no kids in the solarium.

 

All I am saying is what others wear have no affect on anyone else. The other things you listed DO have an effect on others and therefore SHOULD be enforced.

[Paulxyz2004]

The only thing I think is different from what my questionable memory is I thought only day 1 was casual and the others, outside of formal were Smart casual. There list had 2 casuals.

 

They´ve had casual, smart casual and formal nights listed on all my Cruises, with several causal night throughout the cruise. This goes as far back as 1995.

 

No Change at all there in the last 20 years. At least not in the amount of formal, smart casual and casual.

[LMaxwell]

I think with a bigger and bigger focus on larger ships that are much more amusement park like than in the past, with a focus being on the ship as a resort and catering to more families and multi-generational families, than sooner, rather than later, they will cede to more casual desires. I think formal night morphs into Royal Evenings as has been tried; I'm okay with that, but other than those nights I think they will get more casual overall.

 

It's not about forcing anyone to do anything, it is about giving everyone choice, because they've got to keep filling up the 4K-6.5K guest ships each week and that means more options and choices for everyone. When ships held 1.5K to 2.5K people and didn't have ice shows, rock walls, flow riders, north star, bumper cars, zip lines and the cruise experience were more classic and more around fine dining, exceptional service, and more time in ports it was one thing to be more traditional.

 

But now the competition is not other cruise lines (it of course is, but that's not the point). The competition is now all inclusive land resorts and theme parks. So like all businesses, Royal will adapt.

 

Whatever happened to LetsGetWet! I am sure he'd appreciate my comments

[Thetrail]

This being our first cruise, I cannot say what has been done in the past, but I can tell you that the dress info for each day so far have read this way -

 

Day 1 (Embarkation) - Tonight's Dinner Dress Suggestion - Casual

Day 2 (Coco Cay) - Tonight's Dinner Dress - Formal

Day 3 ( Sea Day) - Tonight's Dinner Suggestion - Smart Casual

Day 4 (St. Thomas) - Tonight's Dinner Suggestion - Casual

Day 5 (St. Martin) - Tonight's Dinner Suggestion - Casual

Day 6 (Sea Day) - Tonight's Dinner Dress - Formal

 

So, so far we've had 3 nights where the dinner suggestion has been "casual."

Is that common? Or indicative of a change?

Seven night cruise two formal, that's the norm.

[Ocean Boy]

Too true! I have never understood why they do not enforce it if they post it. If truth be told, what they should post is "wear what you want, because we aren't going to do a thing about it." And the reality is that we will see wife beaters, ripped clothing, T shirts with rude slogans, hats, because people will say ",they didn't tell me no to".

 

 

 

I also don't understand stand why it is is rightfully so that they don't enforce the rules. People complain all the time about them not enforcing other rules such as chair hogs, seat saving, diapered kids in the pools and hot tubs, underage kids in the solarium. Actually, the only rule i can tell that they work at enforcing are no kids in the solarium.

 

Maybe because those types of things do have a direct impact on other people's cruise experience. Other people's clothing, not so much.

[MommaBear55]

Maybe because those types of things do have a direct impact on other people's cruise experience. Other people's clothing, not so much.

 

W don't always know what bothers other people. I was brought up in a very formal household, so seeing people with shorts so short that their butt cheeks hang out or seeing armpit hair or ripped clothing or T shirts with vulgar language actually bothers me a lot.

 

I don't frequent the solarium, have always found a chair near the pool where I want it and ignore people who are saving more than a seat or two in the theater and sit down if there are no other seats, so those things have never bothered me the way they do other people.

 

Now diapered kids in the pool or hot tub or people who drink heavily while in the hot tub and never get out really gross me out. I am glad there is such aggressive monitoring of pool water quality and have seen pools emptied and refilled on multiple occasions. I do really wish they would enforce the rules here. These are basic health rules.

[Lynn1179]

It's approximately the same as the 3/26/16 Oasis cruise, except that formal nights were on the 2nd & 5th nights. I'm assuming that it's an 8+night cruise, since the 2nd formal is on the 6th night.

 

On Liberty now

 

Our second formal night was day 5. Our server said it was because with Cozumel on day 6, a lot of people don't come to dinner and they miss lobster so they moved it.

[Lynn1179]

First, what is smart casual? I was on the Brilliance last summer out of Harwich, and frankly, the attire in the MDR on smart casual night wasn't that much different than casual night. Some women were a bit dressier, but that was about it.

 

Second, I really wish RC would enforce the "no shorts" policy in the MDR. I saw a number of people on the Brilliance in shorts (and that, despite the fact that in my opinion, Norway, the Faroe Islands, and Iceland were too cold and rainy for shorts, but that's just from living for 50+ years in the Midwest). Last week on the Majesty, there were even more shorts in the MDR for dinner.

 

I know that formal attire is "suggested" in the MDR on formal nights, but no where does it say that shorts aren't suggested or pants and dresses/skirts are suggested. Everything I've read says no shorts in the MDR.

 

This week I have seen ripped jeans, tshirts, hoodies, slip on 'soccer sandals, gym shorts and hats in the dining room.

 

Maybe I'm an MDR snob, but this irks me. It's suppose to be a nice dinner. At least put on some khakis.

[11madmic]

W don't always know what bothers other people. I was brought up in a very formal household, so seeing people with shorts so short that their butt cheeks hang out or seeing armpit hair or ripped clothing or T shirts with vulgar language actually bothers me a lot.

 

Solution, don't look at them.

[jagsfan]

I've seen complaints about kids in the Solarium.

 

 

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