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Gala Nights...how are they different?


pugmadkate
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You do know Jack Dawson was fake, right?

 

OMG. You took my reply before I could get to it!

 

Also, it was a movie that was made over 150 years after the event. More than a few things might have been pure speculation.

 

SIDE NOTE: We went to the "Titanic Cemetary" in Halifax. There is a gravemarker that reads J. Dawson. Our guide says that teens girls still come and leave little teddy bears, etc. at "Jack's" grave. He said to them "You DO know that Jack Dawson is a fictional character, right?" and he said they look at him like he is from Mars!

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You do know Jack Dawson was fake, right?
What part of, "shiny-bright fantasized," didn't you understand?

 

But in the movie Molly Brown saw to it that he had the appropriate attire for dinner.
Are you volunteering? That could be a very good put-up-or-shut-up scenario. How far are people willing to go to get other people to dress in a way that the cruise line does not require them to dress? Would you bring 10 or 15 extra suits and 10 or 15 extra outfits for women and open your stateroom on the afternoon of the gala for folks who didn't bring formal wear to try on and use for the evening? A lot of those who don't dress up say they don't because of space and Luggage concerns. If you really care about it you could help ameliorate those concerns for those people.

 

 

This post may have been entered by voice recognition. Please excuse any typographical errors.

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OMG. You took my reply before I could get to it!

 

Also, it was a movie that was made over 150 years after the event. More than a few things might have been pure speculation.

 

SIDE NOTE: We went to the "Titanic Cemetary" in Halifax. There is a gravemarker that reads J. Dawson. Our guide says that teens girls still come and leave little teddy bears, etc. at "Jack's" grave. He said to them "You DO know that Jack Dawson is a fictional character, right?" and he said they look at him like he is from Mars!

 

I had heard about the Dawson grave. I believe he was a member of the crew, not a passenger.

 

I dislike the movie because the main storyline is fake, and the stories of real people are compelling enough without adding the fictional layer. I also find it ironic that a film about a ship that SANK got a lot of people interested in cruising. :confused:

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I had heard about the Dawson grave. I believe he was a member of the crew, not a passenger.

 

I dislike the movie because the main storyline is fake, and the stories of real people are compelling enough without adding the fictional layer. I also find it ironic that a film about a ship that SANK got a lot of people interested in cruising. :confused:

 

If you ever get to Halifax, do go to the cemetary. Halifax did a good job of caring for the few survivors and the deceased. And still cares for the graves lovingly.

 

They also have a museum with Titanic pieces that is really worth seeing IMO.

 

We Maritimers understand the problems at sea all too well. Saint John, NB only became a cruise port when a cruise ship sought safety from hurricane. The port quickly gathered the tour operators and the unexpected first cruise ship had all kinds of tours organized, roses to welcome the ladies and pins for the gentleman (a tradition that still continues) and a new cruise port was born.

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Clearly there is a pent up demand for casual attire on gala or formal nights. Cruisers like us have not been bothering with formal evenings for a long time prior to the introduction of casual attire on those nights. We simply dined elsewhere.

 

If the majority of cruisers wanted a more formal environment then you would see more suits, tuxes etc. on gala night. There is a reason why you don't. Times have changed, attitudes have changed. I am not proposing shorts and flip flops however for many dressing up for formal night has become a chore rather than an enjoyable event. Add to that the cruise line cutbacks that make formal evenings even less attractive. We stopped doing the formal thing at DW's suggestion about ten years ago. And we have never regretted it for a moment. Doing so is one of the stimuli for us to move to carry on only when we travel.

 

We are happy with our casual attire. Never did see the point in 'dressing to impress' on a vacation cruise. That is why we stopped. Along with so many others so it would seem.

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Unless things have changed recently, the menu for Gala Nights is indeed different... it is much more limited than the regular night menus. Far fewer choices, and IIRC, the 'always available' items are missing as well.

 

These nights are really not very special anymore, at all.

On our last two cruises, those "special menu items" were also available on the buffet.

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We Maritimers understand the problems at sea all too well. Saint John, NB only became a cruise port when a cruise ship sought safety from hurricane. The port quickly gathered the tour operators and the unexpected first cruise ship had all kinds of tours organized, roses to welcome the ladies and pins for the gentleman (a tradition that still continues) and a new cruise port was born.

That is interesting! When did that happen?

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Clearly there is a pent up demand for casual attire on gala or formal nights. Cruisers like us have not been bothering with formal evenings for a long time prior to the introduction of casual attire on those nights. We simply dined elsewhere.

 

If the majority of cruisers wanted a more formal environment then you would see more suits, tuxes etc. on gala night. There is a reason why you don't. Times have changed, attitudes have changed. I am not proposing shorts and flip flops however for many dressing up for formal night has become a chore rather than an enjoyable event. Add to that the cruise line cutbacks that make formal evenings even less attractive. We stopped doing the formal thing at DW's suggestion about ten years ago. And we have never regretted it for a moment. Doing so is one of the stimuli for us to move to carry on only when we travel.

 

We are happy with our casual attire. Never did see the point in 'dressing to impress' on a vacation cruise. That is why we stopped. Along with so many others so it would seem.

 

I remember on one of our last Carnival cruises, on formal night, we dressed up a bit....no gowns or tuxs or anything, but I had something dressy on, and DH had a suit and tie, and the DR manager thanked us for "dressing up"!! (incredible!) We did not do anything really over the top, but dressed up a little more than on other nights. This was 14+ years ago. I did some long gowns and DH wore black suits, etc. prior to that so this was not what we used to do on prior cruises. We now are a little more causal than 2004 when we got "complimented". DH wears a pair of grey slacks, shirt, tie and navy jacket. I may wear black satin dress slacks and a very dressy top. We don't feel uncomfortable or not in compliance with the "rules". I feel good, and he does too and we really enjoy the evening.

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If bathrobes at the pool bother you I would highly recommend that you do not book into any five or six star high end spa/resorts.

 

Save yourself the aggro.

 

I just don't understand why some people get so upset when a bathrobe is used as a coverup at the pool. Really what is the big deal - a swimsuit is underneath, not PJ's.

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If I get to Halifax on a cruise I would love to go see that cemetery and the Titanic memorabilia ....it would be very interesting IMO.

Thanks for reminding me it was there...I had forgotten even though I had read about it.

 

It was very moving and well worth the visit

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I just don't understand why some people get so upset when a bathrobe is used as a coverup at the pool. Really what is the big deal - a swimsuit is underneath, not PJ's.
That is perhaps the most egregious example of it; it almost defies logic, but my guess is that the irrational upset is not really all that much different from the rest of the attire-related complaints: Some people might feel that what they wear as a cover-up is the only valid thing to wear as a cover-up, just like some people feel that what they wear on gala nights is the only valid thing to wear on gala nights. It is bewilderingly spooky how similar are the perspectives of the fervent formal attire advocates and the fervent casual attire advocates: Both thinking the rules they would have set are "the" rules, instead of deferring to and respecting the rules that our hosts have set.
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That is perhaps the most egregious example of it; it almost defies logic, but my guess is that the irrational upset is not really all that much different from the rest of the attire-related complaints: Some people might feel that what they wear as a cover-up is the only valid thing to wear as a cover-up, just like some people feel that what they wear on gala nights is the only valid thing to wear on gala nights. It is bewilderingly spooky how similar are the perspectives of the fervent formal attire advocates and the fervent casual attire advocates: Both thinking the rules they would have set are "the" rules, instead of deferring to and respecting the rules that our hosts have set.

 

I'm getting ready for a 15 nt. TA leaving next weekend and I'm on the fence about packing my coverup or using the robe for the pool. We're ending up in Ireland and I have to be prepared for cool/wet weather, so some jackets will be packed. The coverup might just be a casualty of weight restrictions. I hope no one has cardiac arrest if I do show up with the robe at the pool! LOL.

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It appears to me that some people are under the impression that anyone who wears a bathrobe to the pool will be wearing a Speedo bathing suit. Seems like a very odd assumption to us however we are not experts in this field.

 

Are you prepared to do both in order to keep this impression a reality?

Edited by iancal
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It appears to me that some people are under the impression that anyone who wears a bathrobe to the pool will be wearing a Speedo bathing suit. Seems like a very odd assumption to us however we are not experts in this field.

 

Are you prepared to do both in order to keep this impression a reality?

 

Who me???? Good heavens no - I DO have more sense than to try to wear a Speedo at this stage of my life - LOL.

 

I did however buy a very cute tankini yesterday in hopes there will be some aquatic aerobics I can attend.

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I just don't understand why some people get so upset when a bathrobe is used as a coverup at the pool. Really what is the big deal - a swimsuit is underneath, not PJ's.

I suspect that some folks (including myself) simply regard a bathrobe as a garment intended to be worn within the confines of one's own personal abode, i.e. your cabin in this discussion. Generally not appropriately worn in public areas or spaces.

And I realize that a lot of people disagree with this opinion, which is okay too..

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I suspect that some folks (including myself) simply regard a bathrobe as a garment intended to be worn within the confines of one's own personal abode, i.e. your cabin in this discussion. Generally not appropriately worn in public areas or spaces. And I realize that a lot of people disagree with this opinion, which is okay too..
That, however, opens up a bigger can of worms than just a disagreement about the "status" of bathrobes. It also calls into question what is considered one's "personal abode" in the context of communal lodgings like hotels and cruise ships. On one extreme, you have people who reasonably consider that aboard ship one's "personal abode" ends at the door of their stateroom. On the other extreme, you have people who reasonably consider the entire space from their bed to the "refrigerator" where they can get a drink or the "cupboard" from which they could get a late night snack, to be within their "personal abode". It may be surprising to realize, but within certain parameters, both of those perspectives are supported by the cruise line's rules and patterns of enforcement.

 

Personally, I find myself closer to the former extreme than the latter, but, for example, will be more likely to wear shorts and t-shirts in public areas of the ship than I would, say, in any public building on land (other than a hotel), rather than wearing more standard attire between our stateroom and the sports deck, and changing into shorts and t-shirts only once I get to where such clothing is explicitly apropos.

 

I'm also likely to be more liberal with regard to my choices, especially with regard to footwear, and especially if all I'm doing is walking down the hallway to find my stateroom attendant.

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I suspect that some folks (including myself) simply regard a bathrobe as a garment intended to be worn within the confines of one's own personal abode, i.e. your cabin in this discussion. Generally not appropriately worn in public areas or spaces.

And I realize that a lot of people disagree with this opinion, which is okay too..

 

If I brought my robe from home, I would entirely agree with you - it looks like something that belongs in a in bedroom or bath and not to be worn in public. The robes on ships are usually terry or a waffle weave fabric,(depending on the cruise line), which looks very much to me like a spa robe or even some swim coverups, only a little longer. I guess I think they look and I consider them to be more like an all purpose garment, than an exclusive "bath" robe.

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  • 10 months later...
On 4/7/2018 at 8:17 AM, navybankerteacher said:

 

Interesting how the one "dress choice" which seems to be the most disturbing to people is bathrobes around the pool or on the way to the spa - in an age when torn jeans, tee shirts and backwards baseball caps in the main dining room are generally applauded as liberation from old fashioned constraints.

 

Yes  there is a trend   much like the Hippy movement in the 60's where it was cool to disrespect society and its norms. 

 Its a contest to see who can be the most irreverent and obnoxious;that they call liberated?.   Mainly because they have nothing else going for them and want to be noticed in their empty little lives..   Sad to see them reach so low to feel so high..

 

I dont dress to impress others.  I dress out of respect for others for whom it is a important value they  have...

. How  does it benefit me  to rain on their parade?  Gala night  if not dressed  I will hit the lido....As I see it just good manners  to respect others feelings more than my own.

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On 4/8/2018 at 7:32 AM, bUU said:

That is perhaps the most egregious example of it; it almost defies logic, but my guess is that the irrational upset is not really all that much different from the rest of the attire-related complaints: Some people might feel that what they wear as a cover-up is the only valid thing to wear as a cover-up, just like some people feel that what they wear on gala nights is the only valid thing to wear on gala nights. It is bewilderingly spooky how similar are the perspectives of the fervent formal attire advocates and the fervent casual attire advocates: Both thinking the rules they would have set are "the" rules, instead of deferring to and respecting the rules that our hosts have set.

Interesting...when the cruise line invites me to travel with them at no charge, as a guest, only then would I would consider them to be the host. 

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That is the problem. If you have 2,650 passenger, all behaving as if entitled to whatever they personally feel they purchased with their cruise fare, rather than just what the explicit, written promises say they are entitled to, then it is not surprising to have conflicts such as this between passengers. The reality is that the industry has been the hospitality (from the Latin hospes, which literally means hosting of guests) industry since the 14th Century, and that has shaped the expected behaviors of both sides of the transaction over and above the Uniform Commercial Code since that time. As guests become less respectful of the guest obligation, don't be surprised when hosts do so as well. Just don't complain about being treated as if you're staying in a storage locker and eating at McDonald's, given your preference to eschew the host/guest relationship. 

Edited by bUU
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11 hours ago, bUU said:

That is the problem. If you have 2,650 passenger, all behaving as if entitled to whatever they personally feel they purchased with their cruise fare, rather than just what the explicit, written promises say they are entitled to, then it is not surprising to have conflicts such as this between passengers. The reality is that the industry has been the hospitality (from the Latin hospes, which literally means hosting of guests) industry since the 14th Century, and that has shaped the expected behaviors of both sides of the transaction over and above the Uniform Commercial Code since that time. As guests become less respectful of the guest obligation, don't be surprised when hosts do so as well. Just don't complain about being treated as if you're staying in a storage locker and eating at McDonald's, given your preference to eschew the host/guest relationship. 

 

Actually, there is a partial solution, quit sailing on ships that take on thousands and thousands of passengers. If you confine your sailing to ships under 1000, than you cut your exposure odds by 66% of running into miscreants, entitled or otherwise social pariahas

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