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Anthem: New Evening Dress Code - MALL WEAR

compman9

By compman9,
in Royal Caribbean International

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Scottygirl1

Scottygirl1

Posted
Posted

To be fair to the poster who said his luggage was only 21 kilos. My husband has always in the past packed a suit, shirts, T shirts, shorts, jeans, walking shoes, dress shoes, flip flops, hats etc etc and his luggage always comes in around 18 kilos. I pack around three dresses and all the other usual stuff on a cruise and my luggage is also around 18 kilos. It certainly can be done but we are just over having to dress up too much. It's the only way I'm getting him back on a cruise ship - the promise of no formal nights!!

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gizfish

gizfish

Posted
Posted

It is not a "code." It is a suggestion. People are free to not go along with a "suggestion." It is also suggested that passengers on Anthem should try Ifly, but I am pretty sure the look of my jowls blowing around in there would probably be more off putting to fellow guests than my not going along with the formal suggestion. ;)

 

I appreciate your view, so may I ask why you chose cruising as a vacation option when you knew the dress code when you started?

 

On my recent two Anthem cruises there were three different clothing descriptive terms used for appropriate evening wear

1. Casual

2. Formal

3. Smart Casual (which added sports coats, suits and dresses to provide descriptive clarity)

 

My Casual is very smart jeans and polo shirt or trousers and a shirt - For others it was beach shorts, cap sleeve T-shirts and flip flops

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DonnaK

DonnaK

Posted
Posted
On our upcoming cruise (Ovation of the Seas) we can prebook our dining but have no idea which nights will be formal. We have no intention of wearing formal clothes, just smart clothing ie, dress for me and trousers and collared shirt for him. Is this kind of clothing sufficient to eat out on formal night. We cruised with Cunard earlier this year and that was way too stuffy for us! You couldn't even go to the show without a jacket or even walk around the ship after 6pm (even though it was hot and the middle of summer). Everywhere was out of bounds except the Lido buffet.

 

Smart clothing like you describe will be fine for formal nights. The dress code isn't enforced.

 

Formal nights are almost always the 2nd night, and usually the 2nd to last night.

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LMaxwell Great Review Rare

LMaxwell

Posted
Posted

Compman9, we have different personal values. I respect that you have certain desires. To that I say, you do not have to drop your own standards. Why should you?

 

But there's not a heck of a lot that makes me want to dress up on vacation. Like others my work wear is khakis or slack, and a polo shirt or button up style shirt. Ties and button down rarely. Suits 1x to 2x per year. I just can't get excited about the MDR enough to play a part in the cast. I'm not sure what mall or McDonalds clothes means, as I don't frequent either, but I'm sure my casual style is non offensive enough anyways. That is to say, don't get your blood pressure up either. Enjoy

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nelblu

nelblu

Posted
Posted
To be fair to the poster who said his luggage was only 21 kilos. My husband has always in the past packed a suit, shirts, T shirts, shorts, jeans, walking shoes, dress shoes, flip flops, hats etc etc and his luggage always comes in around 18 kilos. I pack around three dresses and all the other usual stuff on a cruise and my luggage is also around 18 kilos. It certainly can be done but we are just over having to dress up too much. It's the only way I'm getting him back on a cruise ship - the promise of no formal nights!!

 

 

You should look closely at the gentleman's inventory for the 14 nights. He doesn't mention dry cleaning or laundry service. Also, yours is 3 dresses vs his wife of 14.

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critterchick

critterchick

Posted
Posted
I think baggage prices on airlines have played the biggest role into easing MDR clothing requirements...I mean, when you are paying per bag, do you want to pack 3 outfits per day (swim, day, and night) or 2 or even less? And how many shoes? Multiply that by 4 people in a family and it's easy to see why a lot of people might prefer to ease up on dress standards.

 

I don't have to pay luggage fees (status, premium status or a co-branded credit card gets you that perk) and I still won't bring any more than I can pack into a 22" inch carry on bag if I'm flying. We enjoy travelling around our destination pre-cruise and don't want to be hauling 50 pound bags on and off of trains, planes and automobiles. If I'm driving to the pier, then I'll bring the big suitcase, long dresses, dance shoes, even some makeup. Otherwise I'm merely presentable.

 

I also think that the dressing down of the workplace has a lot to do with it. I'm old enough to remember not being able to take off my suit jacket at the bank where I worked, no matter how hot it became. I was thrilled when office casual attire came into power, and I imagine that the millennials (who are RCI's favorite target market) who haven't had the suit & tie requirement aren't about to go out and buy them for a vacation.

 

I've just packed for 23 days away and have room for a few souvenirs.:D

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sprint180 Great Review Rare

sprint180

Posted
Posted

I would love to wear fancy dresses but, I don't own one and don't want to spend money on one I will in reality only wear a couple of times. I also don't want to take up the space in my carry on. I think it is sad but that's how it is going

 

 

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Sanz

Sanz

Posted
Posted
You can wear whatever you want. Anymore on Royal, you see a full range of attire, from shorts (nice ones) to tuxedo.

 

Yes, you can wear what you want and are comfortable with wearing. You will not be denied entrance to the dining room. I have cruised twice on Anthem in the beginning of January on 12 night cruises. One formal night a family of about 5 to 6 people were wearing shorts. One of them was wearing athletic shorts. I saw one other individual that evening wearing dress shorts in the the dining room (on other evenings saw many more men dressed like this, but not the majority). The majority of men were wearing suits, sports jackets, or dress shirts . Perhaps my memory is faulty, but there were very few men wearing golf shirts or polo shirts that evening. Most women were dressed either in cocktail dresses, "Sunday Best Dresses" or wearing pants with obviously dressier tops than I normally saw in the dining room. I observed one couple who were dressed causally. She was wearing capri pants and he was wearing dockers and a golf shirt. The woman had a distressed look on her face as she looked around the dining room. Perhaps she was looking for someone, forgot to pack more formal clothes, luggage was lost, or she was wondering where they would sit and did not like the availability. What passed through my mind at the time was that someone told her or she read that people do not dress up on formal night. The majority of people dining with us were wearing outfits that they were dressier (although perhaps not formal ) than they wore on other nights.

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Bobblehat71

Bobblehat71

Posted
Posted (edited)

IMHO , Formal nights have nothing to do with dressing smartly. They should be seen as an opportunity to add a bit of glamour to our lives. If your life is already glamourous enough then thats fine but I for one enjoy putting on a Tux,sipping a few overpriced cocktails and forgetting that I have to go back to work in a few days .

 

Would we be having this conversation if it was marketed as a James Bond theme night? I think not ;)

Edited by Bobblehat71
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LMaxwell Great Review Rare

LMaxwell

Posted
Posted
IMHO , Formal nights have nothing to do with dressing smartly. They should be seen as an opportunity to add a bit of glamour to our lives. If your life is already glamourous enough then thats fine but I for one enjoy putting on a Tux,sipping a few overpriced cocktails and forgetting that I have to go back to work in a few days .

 

Would we be having this conversation if it was marketed as a James Bond theme night? I think not ;)

 

Too bad you missed the days when Formal nights used to be treated more like a special occasion. You would have enjoyed them. The company stopped participating.

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donnajean1964

donnajean1964

Posted
Posted
We just got off a 7 night on Harmony. My husband typically wears a suit on formal nights, but we had our 25 year old son with autism on this trip. I put him in pants and a nice button down short sleeve. On non formal nights, he wore shorts and an nice shirt. I always wear dressy dresses because I like to, and don't really care what others wear. There's a lot of boards and posts on other websites where people whine that they dint want to dress up on their vacation. Personally, I feel these people should stay in the buffets, but whatever. If you're comfortable in a tux, I say continue to wear it. I will continue to wear my sequined dresses.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

 

I agree my family loves my son is 17 and has autism he can't wait to wear his kilt we love to dress that we always were snappy clues on the rest of the cruise we just relax and do what we want this is the time we have those family pictures taken to his hair what you like tux or suit but please don't wear shorts and T-shirt like that really does upset me

 

 

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Ocean Boy

Ocean Boy

Posted
Posted
IMHO , Formal nights have nothing to do with dressing smartly. They should be seen as an opportunity to add a bit of glamour to our lives. If your life is already glamourous enough then thats fine but I for one enjoy putting on a Tux,sipping a few overpriced cocktails and forgetting that I have to go back to work in a few days .

 

Would we be having this conversation if it was marketed as a James Bond theme night? I think not ;)

You can play James Bond every night of your cruise if you would like. No one will mind or care.

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kernow "Live from...." Rare

kernow

Posted
Posted
IMHO , Formal nights have nothing to do with dressing smartly. They should be seen as an opportunity to add a bit of glamour to our lives. If your life is already glamourous enough then thats fine but I for one enjoy putting on a Tux,sipping a few overpriced cocktails and forgetting that I have to go back to work in a few days .

 

Would we be having this conversation if it was marketed as a James Bond theme night? I think not ;)

I totally agree with you but I think it's more of a British thing (James Bond is British after all!).

 

On cruises out of Southampton there always seem to be a high percentage of people dressed in true formal wear and even on other nights most people are smartly dressed.

 

Julie

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bananawindnj

bananawindnj

Posted
Posted

Once Celebrity dropped formal wear , I got used to it. Now I won't wear a jacket and tie anymore on any of the ship's now. Not even half of the men had a jacket in August on the Grandeur on formal nights. I am going in November on the Anthem, jacket less . We usually go back to the cabin after dinner anyway .

 

 

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ansoninc

ansoninc

Posted
Posted

Last year I was on a Princess West coastal cruise over Christmas. It was nice to see most everyone dressed in reds. I am a bit of a humbug when it comes to formal nights because there is never room in my suitcase for dressy stuff.

 

 

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lv2bcruzin

lv2bcruzin

Posted
Posted (edited)

Most of the care people have in regards to attire is based on principle and the fact many still associate a cruise with a certain expected level of class which encompasses more than just attire. Most of us know by this point that association no longer exists on cruises made for the masses. You will need to change cruise lines if that is a sticking point. I will eventually move on to another line as I do prefer more of that "Titanic" feel (by which I mean class, not the crashing and sinking part of course) and will be willing to pay for it. But, for now I am good with what RCCL offers which always feels like I'm boarding my home away from home. :)

 

We'll be on Anthem in a few weeks, so I guess we'll get to see first hand what situation is.

Edited by lv2bcruzin
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juju2454

juju2454

Posted
Posted
I came here to say this exactly.

 

Shoes alone take up a huge amount of space + weight.

 

 

Back in the day, you could bring 2 70lb bags for free. Now you want everything to fit in one 49lb bag.

 

 

Swimwear, tshirts, etc are required.

 

Formal wear just doesnt make the cut.

 

well in the boards I have read, if you can afford to cruise you can afford to pack a second bag.... it is used on every other reason to complain so why not luggage?? ;p

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