Dress Code - Either Enforce it of Forget It

[Keys2Heaven]

Nah I won't because those diesel jeans cost more than your cheap suit and look better too. As for shoes this is always a hard issue for me. Limited space what two pAirs to bring. I'd never be caught dead in a pair of ballers or a pair of Chinese made 50 dollar dress shoes. Normally my salvatore ferragamo's come along. Sometimes I'll throw the mezlans in for giggles.

 

Are you seriously taking the I'm better than you approach, because my stuff cost more than yours, ergo I get my way because of it? And this coming from the same guy who sails Carnival because it's a "budget line"?

[honestguy]

I know someone already posted the rules, but just wanted to respond to certain points you made since apparently you think I'm "completely clueless".

No you and fellow clothes ****'s are the minority. Sorry just because there's a bunch of threads on cruise critic doesn't mean the majority of cruisers wants a elegant night.

 

As for my clothes. I've never told a person what I'm wearing nor do I have to. People with refine taste can tell my garments are of supreme quality. I also never been asked to leave the MDR, because of my outfit.

 

I'm betting in 3-5 years formal nights will be a thing of the past on carnival

[honestguy]

Are you seriously taking the I'm better than you approach, because my stuff cost more than yours, ergo I get my way because of it? And this coming from the same guy who sails Carnival because it's a "budget line"?

 

I am only because these people think a pair of khakis and a collared shirt is fashionable. I don't wear an item because of its price. I wear something because of the look. Just so happens that most of the time high price and look go hand and hand.

 

I'm sorry I'd rather see someone in a nice pair of designer jeans and buttondown shirt, than some of these outdated suits I see broken out on formal night!

[Knights Templar]

No you and fellow clothes ****'s are the minority. Sorry just because there's a bunch of threads on cruise critic doesn't mean the majority of cruisers wants a elegant night.

 

As for my clothes. I've never told a person what I'm wearing nor do I have to. People with refine taste can tell my garments are of supreme quality. I also never been asked to leave the MDR, because of my outfit.

 

I'm betting in 3-5 years formal nights will be a thing of the past on carnival

 

Really, that's all you been doing for the past 3 posts, giving me an inventory rundown of whats in your closet :')

 

I will take that bet, because 10 yrs ago people were saying "Within 5 yrs, Formal/Elegant evenings will be a thing of the past", yet they are still here....So I will put my cheap leisure suit up against any of your "supremely refined" garments :rolleyes:....we have a bet? ;)

[Alibaster McGillicutty]

What rules do I have to adhere to and what are the consequences if I don't?

 

 

Cruise Elegant Dress Code

• Men: dress slacks, dress shirts, and we also suggest a sport coat; men may also wish to wear a suit and tie or tuxedo
  
• Women: Cocktail dresses, pantsuits, elegant skirts and blouses; ladies may also wish to wear an evening gown
  
• Not permitted: Jeans, men’s sleeveless shirts, shorts, tee-shirts, sportswear, gym or basketball shorts, baseball hats, flip-flops and bathing suit attire
  

Lots of rules in this world. Some are just more "important" to some than others.

[Keys2Heaven]

No you and fellow clothes ****'s are the minority. Sorry just because there's a bunch of threads on cruise critic doesn't mean the majority of cruisers wants a elegant night.

 

As for my clothes. I've never told a person what I'm wearing nor do I have to. People with refine taste can tell my garments are of supreme quality. I also never been asked to leave the MDR, because of my outfit.

 

I'm betting in 3-5 years formal nights will be a thing of the past on carnival

 

I'm really surprised that with your penchant for fashion and your refined tastes that you aren't routinely sailing with a luxury cruise line. Or, does a "budget line" like Carnival allow you to spend that extra money on your high end jeans?

[Knights Templar]

What rules do I have to adhere to and what are the consequences if I don't?

 

 

Cruise Elegant Dress Code

• Men: dress slacks, dress shirts, and we also suggest a sport coat; men may also wish to wear a suit and tie or tuxedo
  
• Women: Cocktail dresses, pantsuits, elegant skirts and blouses; ladies may also wish to wear an evening gown
  
• Not permitted: Jeans, men’s sleeveless shirts, shorts, tee-shirts, sportswear, gym or basketball shorts, baseball hats, flip-flops and bathing suit attire
  

Lots of rules in this world. Some are just more "important" to some than others.

 

You fall into that Contrarian category, don't you? :loudcry:

[Keys2Heaven]

What rules do I have to adhere to and what are the consequences if I don't?

 

Cruise Elegant Dress Code

 

• Men: dress slacks, dress shirts, and we also suggest a sport coat; men may also wish to wear a suit and tie or tuxedo
  
• Women: Cocktail dresses, pantsuits, elegant skirts and blouses; ladies may also wish to wear an evening gown
  
• Not permitted: Jeans, men’s sleeveless shirts, shorts, tee-shirts, sportswear, gym or basketball shorts, baseball hats, flip-flops and bathing suit attire
  

 

Lots of rules in this world. Some are just more "important" to some than others.

 

This post is ridiculous. You post what the code is and then give an opinion of why it is o.k. to oppose it (in your mind). :confused:

 

The only consequence is the risk of being turned away at the Maitre'd stand if you choose not to follow it.

[LMaxwell]

What rules do I have to adhere to and what are the consequences if I don't?

 

 

Cover up your dangly pieces and you'll be fine. Consequences are somewhere between nothing and nada.

[Keys2Heaven]

I get the impression that some folks in this thread would rather come to fisticuffs to prove their point on why their opinion should be the norm, rather than following something simple and plainly spelled out.

[honestguy]

I'm really surprised that with your penchant for fashion and your refined tastes that you aren't routinely sailing with a luxury cruise line. Or, does a "budget line" like Carnival allow you to spend that extra money on your high end jeans?

 

My kids are 8 and 5 years old. Carnival is a great deal. I also hate stuffy people. I have a blast with my kids on the cruise. I could use a lil better food but for the money it's the best vacation value out there.

[pacruise804]

When researching a Princess cruise I saw the same type of complaints/arguments about formal nights (and MDR attire in general). There are often posts suggesting to sail another line for a more formal experience, but Carnival's posted guidelines and prohibited items aren't really that formal. I also see the other side where elegant night should be discontinued like NCL, but here is the NCL policy, which looks pretty similar to Carnival:

• When it comes to what to wear, you can go resort casual or get decked-out and look your best - it’s your call. That’s the freedom of Freestyle Cruising. We even have special “Dress-Up or Not Night.” It’s the perfect opportunity to get your portrait taken with your family, that special someone or even with the ship’s Captain.
  
• Dress cruise casual anytime during the day, in the buffet and in most specialty restaurants. For women, it includes summer and casual dresses, skirts, regular or capri pants, shorts, jeans and tops. Khakis, jeans, shorts and casual shirts are fine for men. Swimwear is acceptable at the buffet and outdoor restaurant, but a shirt or a cover-up and footwear are required. Cruise casual is also allowed day and night on embarkation day.
  
• Wear smart casual if you are eating dinner in the aft main dining room (our more formal dining room) and in Le Bistro on cruises longer than five days. For women, it includes slacks or jeans, dresses, skirts and tops. For men, it’s jeans or slacks with a collared shirt and closed-toed shoes. Traditional Bermuda shorts along with long socks, loafers and a blazer are all acceptable on a Bermuda cruise.
  
• We want you to be comfortable, but tank tops for men, flip flops, baseball caps, visors and jeans that are overly faded, with holes or tears and worn below the hips are not permitted in main dining rooms or specialty restaurants. Kids 12 and under are welcome to wear nice shorts in all our restaurants. You may want to pack a sweater too—air conditioning can be chilly.
  

[Alibaster McGillicutty]

This post is ridiculous. You post what the code is and then give an opinion of why it is o.k. to oppose it (in your mind). :confused:

 

The only consequence is the risk of being turned away at the Maitre'd stand if you choose not to follow it.

 

Go back and read my posts on this topic. My family and I adhere to the rules for elegant night. We welcome the opportunity and use the photo ops that come with it.

 

The consequences if not following it are next to nothing. Some want it enforced because it is an important rule to them. Some think it is outdated or their $50 jeans are more fashionable in their mind so they don't have to adhere to it.

 

It's straightforward right there in black and white but I don't see a huge disregard for it anyway so I have never understood the need for a major crackdown on it.

[Keys2Heaven]

Go back and read my posts on this topic. My family and I adhere to the rules for elegant night. We welcome the opportunity and use the photo ops that come with it.

 

My apologies then if I misinterpreted. And we adhere to the rules for the same reason you do...photo ops. I'm business casual most days of the year, so I look forward to dressing up a little bit more than usual during these nights.

[BookDragon]

... but Carnival's posted guidelines and prohibited items aren't really that formal.

 

THIS^^^ I completely agree. The guidelines are NOT actually "formal" in the first place and provide quite a bit of latitude. I remember going to military balls when my husband was active duty. Talk about formal! Carnival's guideline for Elegant nights is pretty much what I wear to work every day and to church on Sundays and I am a school librarian! It is absolutely no big deal for me to throw on a lovely cocktail dress and for my husband to put on slacks & a tie for 2 hours out of a 120 hours (5 night) cruise. I almost wonder what these folks who are so anti-dress code wear to church, weddings, funerals, job interviews, etc. Reminds me of parents who show up to their kids' parent/teacher conferences wearing spaghetti straps, booty shorts or pajama bottoms & vulgar/rude tshirts ! Yes, others around them notice and Yes, it reflects poorly on themselves and their families.

[Alibaster McGillicutty]

My apologies then if I misinterpreted. And we adhere to the rules for the same reason you do...photo ops. I'm business casual most days of the year, so I look forward to dressing up a little bit more than usual during these nights.

 

No apologies needed. It's a long thread with lots of fireworks.

I've been on 10 Carnival and 4 RC and this is the first thread I've jumped on about the dress code even though there have been hundreds or more.

 

I'm gonna go jump on a chair hog thread!

 

Cheers!

Ali McG

[d12j28]

I'd be more interested with Carnival having a dress code (and enforcing it!) for some of the bathing suites people where!

[tallnthensome]

*^* a lot of these people against the dress code are the ones that you describe. They wear jeans, t-shirts, and tennis shoes to a wedding reception and funerals thinking it's all good. Just like they do looking like slobs in the MDR of a cruise ship ....

[tallnthensome]

I'd be more interested with Carnival having a dress code (and enforcing it!) for some of the bathing suites people where!

You mean the ones that look like taking a fist full of jello in your hand and squeezing real hard? Yep .....

[bigbadandugly]

You're truly clueless.

 

This was necessary. He was responding to your comments, and I felt he had some perfectly valid points. Just because they do not align with your points doesn't make him "stupid". In fact, you're showing your ignorance and closed mind.

 

First off there's no rule against wearing a hat in my restaurant. It was simply an old man not minding his business.

 

I go to great lengths to describe my rags I wear, because they are vastly superior in quaility and style to a cheap 200 dollar suit, or a 30 dollar pair of dockers someone might wear on formal night. I am better dressed and look better in my jeans on formal night.

 

This is exactly his point. Your clothes may (or may not) be vastly superior because you buy labels and pay big $$$, but you're still wearing jeans on formal night which is the point of this thread. Jeans - regardless of sticker price - are not considered formalwear, of even business casual (in the classic definition, not the Silicon Valley metrosexual definition).

 

 

People like you see the dress code as a hard rule. It's not. It's more like a guideline. If Billy comes rumbling down to the dining room in a crusty pair of wranglers wearing a tee shirt with a front pocket holding his pack of smokes the martire'd will stop him and say sir I can't let you in dressed like that. When I come strutting in a lil while later he will smile compliment me on my outfit, and have a hostess show me to my table.

 

This may be so, but that's the point of this thread - you're wearing jeans so you should be shown the same door ol' Tex was shown.

 

 

See managing in black and white is easy. You mentioned the liquor smuggling. That's easy. It's don't do it. It's black and white. Easy managing decision. The dress code is a gray issue. Managing in the gray isn't easy but necessary. That's what is happening here. Carnival uses the dresscode as a guideline letting each martire'd decide what is best, and most folks like yourself want a hard fast rule.

 

The liquor smuggling example was a bad example. Another passenger smuggling liquor onto the ship doesn't affect your cruise at all. This is not the same case as people not obeying the dress code during formal nights. The improperly-dressed folks affect the atmosphere of the restaurant, which affects your dining experience.

 

While you have a point that dress codes introduce shades of grey and the maitre'd may want to exercise caution and give the benefit of the doubt to the customer, I think the OP and others are more concerned about the flip flops, shorts, and muscle shirt being let in.

 

Maybe the cruise line can better organize the dinging room during formal nights? Put the more elegantly-dressed passengers at the back of the dining room and the heathens towards the front and to the sides?

 

Carnival is a budget line. I love it. Not because I get great food(it's rather mediocre) but with two kids I get a cheap way to safely vacation. That's why we do it. I don't let certain things bother me thst could, because of the price I pay. It's still a good value. When that stops, I'll stop sailing, as will you and every other person on this thread, because almost all sail carnival because of price!

 

Fair point. Carnival (and the other cruise lines) should stop trying to please everyone and segment more. Carnival, for example, could drop formal nights and specifically market towards the "fun generation", and others like Celebrity can focus on those that like the funner things in life and prefer to not have drunk heathens staggering around the pools, bars and casino area. Of course, you will still have those people that would want and expect the Celebrity experience on Carnival for the Carnival price, so there will still be plenty of complainers to post on Cruise Critics going forward!

[Knights Templar]

:D

Go back and read my posts on this topic. My family and I adhere to the rules for elegant night. We welcome the opportunity and use the photo ops that come with it.

 

The consequences if not following it are next to nothing. Some want it enforced because it is an important rule to them. Some think it is outdated or their $50 jeans are more fashionable in their mind so they don't have to adhere to it.

 

It's straightforward right there in black and white but I don't see a huge disregard for it anyway so I have never understood the need for a major crackdown on it.

 

so Ali, for you its a non issue, you said you follow it....Now while I didn't use any official stats, I gave a rough estimate (total guess, I agree) that 90% of the people in the MDR are dressed appropriately (If you want to counter with an official % based on studies, then I will defer to your number). We can both agree that the MD and staff should do a better job enforcing it. Enforcing the rule would probably best be accomplished with if you don't dress appropriately, you don't sit in the MDR (not saying they wont eat, just they would have to order RS or go to the Lido for dinner)....we good so far, same page?

So for the sake of discussion, lets use the 10% of the crowd in the MDR do not dress appropriately, based on Carnivals RULES (not guidelines as some like to call them :D)...Why? Throwing out the people who lost their luggage and maybe newbie cruisers who didn't know, there is the group that fully know the Dress Code and choose not to follow it. I love the people who answer "if you don't like what I am wearing, don't look at me"....that's a real mature answer

 

How about I respond with this example....lets say I am a smoker (I am not)....I paid my money for my vacation and I should do what I want. I want to smoke on my balcony....But wait, its a RULE that I cant smoke on my balcony. My response is "Well its not a rule, its a guideline" :loudcry:...Now I am sure you could counter with "Well I don't like smoke, you are allergic, etc (all valid reasons)....My response is "well if you don't like smoke, don't come out on your balcony while I am smoking on mine" Do we both agree that is an idiotic response, yet you have others who say "don't look at me"....The other response is "how could what someone else is wearing affect your dining experience" I don't claim to know what everyone else likes and feels. Maybe there are some people out there who will have their dining experience ruined and the ambiance ruined based on what other people are wearing. Its their right to feel that way. Now people can respond with "Get a life" and "Mind your own business", but being fair its the people who are not dressed appropriately that are in the wrong, not the people whos experience is ruined

 

and to the other poster who loves to talk about mens fashions, my bet still stands, my cheap leisure suit against your Diesel jeans that Elegant/Formal night isn't going away in 3-5 yrs :D

[Chervil]

No you and fellow clothes ****'s are the minority. Sorry just because there's a bunch of threads on cruise critic doesn't mean the majority of cruisers wants a elegant night.

 

As for my clothes. I've never told a person what I'm wearing nor do I have to. People with refine taste can tell my garments are of supreme quality. I also never been asked to leave the MDR, because of my outfit.

 

I'm betting in 3-5 years formal nights will be a thing of the past on carnival

 

Strawman much?

 

I like how you completely ignored the facts about there actually being rules instead of suggestions and are trying to draw attention back to your supposedly "superior" choice in clothing.;)

 

This was never about whether people "wanted" an elegant night, but rather the fact that if Carnival is going to have one, with a dress code, then they should enforce that dress code.

 

However it is clear you are intent on making this about your clothing instead of engaging in a meaningful discussion.

Spent enough time on Reddit and the internet to recognize a troll when they pop out from under their bridge.

 

Enjoy your day!:D

Edited February 14, 2018 by Chervil
Mispelled there/their changing the meaning

[crusinpsychRN]

i'd be more interested with carnival having a dress code (and enforcing it!) for some of the bathing suites people where!

 

lol

[Havingfun2010]

The posts from someone who doesn't cruise with Carnival don't mean much.

 

I also don't eat at Golden Corral, or shop at Walmart, but am aware of what goes on. I chose not to cruise Carnival for the same reasons, I chose to shop someplace other than Walmart. This thread is so fun to read, that I can't stop reading it.

[ray98]

Well...we know one thing....there is one guy on here who turns into a superhero the moment he wears his $300 jeans.