Is Formal Night a thing of the past?

[CRZR58]

4 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

 

Sorry but I have seen many on these forums who like to justify their own style, or lack there of, by ridiculing those who dress for dinner on formal nights.  Everyone is entitled to dress neatly but when I see gym wear, baseball hats, flip flops and T-shirts in the dining room at dinner I draw the line.  It is a show of disrespect...especially to the people who work there...a matter of good manners.

I think you're just making stuff up now. I've never seen gym wear in the MDR on dress up night. I've seen hats, although no actual baseball caps. Flip flops are usually on the women who wear them 'cuz they're so cute' and once they sit down, no one can even tell what they have on their feet. Collared shirts aren't T-Shirts.

 

Folks who are dress casually aren't disrespecting you. They aren't even thinking about you or others who want to dress up. The folks at the door don't care or else they'd stop them from coming in. It's just a certain group of 'What not to wear' folks who complain that others who don't follow their own 'good manners' are somehow disrespecting them.

 

Jackets and ties aren't required any more and I for one am happy about it. On dress up night, I wear dress pants and dress shoes. I wore a Hawaiian collared shirt on our Hawaiian cruise and a Guayabera on a Mexican cruise, but usually it's a collared long sleeved shirt. That's as dressed up as I get these days. I don't own any suits or ties anymore, likely because I wore them daily when I worked. I'm not renting a tux either because it's not required. If it was, I'd stay away from the MDR on dress up night.

 

I don't give a second thought to how anyone other than my wife is dressed. If folks want to dress above the minimum requirements... great. If they want to dress below the minimum requirements... great. Neither are any of my business. Their vacation is their own business.

[yorky]

12 minutes ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

 

Because people love to announce “It is my cruise and I will do what I want”.  They miss the point that it is about good manners.  I do not care if someone is dressed in khaki pants and a neat shirt on formal night...as long as it is clean and neat.  But this does not preclude those of us who enjoy celebrating formal nights to the fullest.  ..and should not eliminate formal night all-together.  

I have always dressed smartly myself but end of the day all we care about is OUR night and enjoying it. No one else impacts on that enjoyment in any way and if there are others want to enjoy their night in a different way so be it. Honestly we’ve met all kinds of folks from really lovely people to some horrible ones that had no manners. I can honestly say there was little correlation between their behaviour and how they dressed.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

6 minutes ago, CRZR58 said:

I think you're just making stuff up now. I've never seen gym wear in the MDR on dress up night. I've seen hats, although no actual baseball caps. Flip flops are usually on the women who wear them 'cuz they're so cute' and once they sit down, no one can even tell what they have on their feet. Collared shirts aren't T-Shirts.

 

Folks who are dress casually aren't disrespecting you. They aren't even thinking about you or others who want to dress up. The folks at the door don't care or else they'd stop them from coming in. It's just a certain group of 'What not to wear' folks who complain that others who don't follow their own 'good manners' are somehow disrespecting them.

 

Jackets and ties aren't required any more and I for one am happy about it. On dress up night, I wear dress pants and dress shoes. I wore a Hawaiian collared shirt on our Hawaiian cruise and a Guayabera on a Mexican cruise, but usually it's a collared long sleeved shirt. That's as dressed up as I get these days. I don't own any suits or ties anymore, likely because I wore them daily when I worked. I'm not renting a tux either because it's not required. If it was, I'd stay away from the MDR on dress up night.

 

I don't give a second thought to how anyone other than my wife is dressed. If folks want to dress above the minimum requirements... great. If they want to dress below the minimum requirements... great. Neither are any of my business. Their vacation is their own business.

 

I am NOT making anything up.  Wow...how do you equate that folks are disrespecting ME??   This is not what I said.  

[smtcan]

 We always dress neatly for dinner, but I am glad formal wear is no longer required.  We usually travel before and after a cruise, so do not want to take extra suitcases.  Not because of the cost, which is not excessive as part of the overall holiday, but because we like to be able to get on and off trains or buses, or fit our luggage into a small rental car.  On our recent post cruise visit to Cambodia, the hotel shuttle that picked us up from the airport was a tuk tuk which barely accommodated the two of us with our cases.

 

I can can understand the OP's situation.  Venice is not an easy place to get around with too much luggage.

[cgolf1]

Hallelujah it’s about time this becomes a thing of the past. If my thoughts offend some I don’t care. I will continue to wear my khaki pants and polo or button down collared shirt regardless of the dress code. If someone wants to wear formal wear every night more power to them:)

[keithm]

On ‎4‎/‎20‎/‎2019 at 5:59 PM, edstrek said:

I personally enjoy dressing up on Formal nights. Yes I will wear a TUX. I also wear a button shirt with slacks to dinner normally.

Thank You for adding some style!

[keithm]

19 hours ago, sailco said:

Wearing full length evening gown and tux my husband and I were sat next to a couple in sweats and ugh boots on formal night. We quietly asked our waiter to find us another table which he did.

We always dine at a table for 2 to avoid what happened to you. For the staff to allow pax dressed so slovenly to show up like that even on "Chic" night is disgraceful. I mean is it sooo hard to at least wear nice slacks(not jeans) & a nice button down shirt so hard?

[keithm]

55 minutes ago, CRZR58 said:

I think you're just making stuff up now. I've never seen gym wear in the MDR on dress up night. I've seen hats, although no actual baseball caps. Flip flops are usually on the women who wear them 'cuz they're so cute' and once they sit down, no one can even tell what they have on their feet. Collared shirts aren't T-Shirts.

 

Folks who are dress casually aren't disrespecting you. They aren't even thinking about you or others who want to dress up. The folks at the door don't care or else they'd stop them from coming in. It's just a certain group of 'What not to wear' folks who complain that others who don't follow their own 'good manners' are somehow disrespecting them.

 

Jackets and ties aren't required any more and I for one am happy about it. On dress up night, I wear dress pants and dress shoes. I wore a Hawaiian collared shirt on our Hawaiian cruise and a Guayabera on a Mexican cruise, but usually it's a collared long sleeved shirt. That's as dressed up as I get these days. I don't own any suits or ties anymore, likely because I wore them daily when I worked. I'm not renting a tux either because it's not required. If it was, I'd stay away from the MDR on dress up night.

 

I don't give a second thought to how anyone other than my wife is dressed. If folks want to dress above the minimum requirements... great. If they want to dress below the minimum requirements... great. Neither are any of my business. Their vacation is their own business.

Hate saying it, but I've seen pax trying to get in dressed as CGNORMANDIE said. I'll admit they were stopped by the Maître D. If pax are dressed like slobs on Chic night, sorry but it does affect my night. If I want to go to a Trailer Trash Jamboree, then I'll dress for the occasion. I'm NOT talking tuxes & Gowns, but the type of clothing one would be expected to wear at a nice(but not formal rest.) If one can't get some nice shirts & pants into a suit case then I suggest they get a different suitcase.

[davekathy]

3 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

 

But they do...they overlook a lot.  That is not to say they are happy about it.  Again, they appreciate the effort...I know...I have been told many times.

Like I said, "some of the staff". Some of the staff at the MDR entrance elect to ignore what some of the passengers are or not wearing. We personally we don't care how others dress. If it's cool with some of the staff, that's all that counts. 

[keithm]

5 hours ago, davekathy said:

To bad some of the staff at the entrance to the MDR do not share your same opinion. 

I think most do share the ideals. It's just that the corporate higher ups don't like a paying guest getting upset when not allowed in the dining room for dressing poorly. Well...what about the other paying guests who DO get upset when standards get relaxed to the point of being trashy? I've seen it & so have others. I will comment to the Maître D when I see really sloppy dress at night. I know you know my opinions on dress styles. How long before shorts & flip flops DO become the norm? This why among other reasons we switched mostly to Oceania the past few years. No Tuxes, but NO jeans/shorts/ball caps etc. either. "Country Club Casual" is their slogan. Nice pants (dress) or nice khakis. Nice button down shirts with or without sport coat. That's how pax should dress at night. Is that too hard for people to fathom? During the day.. I could care less what pax wear.

[keithm]

On ‎4‎/‎20‎/‎2019 at 10:35 AM, evitacruiser said:

I was just reading about the dress code for our upcoming trip and from what I have read Formal night is no more. So is a Tuxedo not required now? It would lighten our luggage load but we do enjoy the dressing for dinner aspect. Do some cruisers still do the full-on formal attire or has it completely gone? 

Basically a lot depends on length of your trip. We do 14 day trips & notice pax tend to dress much nicer than the 7-8 day cruises. You'll get your odd balls who feel it's their right to dress as sloppy as they feel they can get away with. Basically, for most nights, a pair of nice pants & a button down shirt is fine. For Chic, you'll find most will dress up somewhat. Perhaps some Tuxes, especially on long cruises(where you may see quite a few) most will opt for dressier pants & a sport coat(with or without tie) We don't bring Tuxes(that's for Cunard trips)We'll bring nice slacks & dress shirts & sport coats with a few nice ties to go with them. On regular nights is khakis & short sleeve Ralph Lauren type shirts.

[davekathy]

14 minutes ago, keithm said:

I think most do share the ideals. It's just that the corporate higher ups don't like a paying guest getting upset when not allowed in the dining room for dressing poorly. Well...what about the other paying guests who DO get upset when standards get relaxed to the point of being trashy? I've seen it & so have others. I will comment to the Maître D when I see really sloppy dress at night. I know you know my opinions on dress styles. How long before shorts & flip flops DO become the norm? This why among other reasons we switched mostly to Oceania the past few years. No Tuxes, but NO jeans/shorts/ball caps etc. either. "Country Club Casual" is their slogan. Nice pants (dress) or nice khakis. Nice button down shirts with or without sport coat. That's how pax should dress at night. Is that too hard for people to fathom? During the day.. I could care less what pax wear.

Yes I do and I respect your opinion. My only point is we do not concern ourselves with how someone else dresses and why some of the staff ignore Celebrity's dress guidelines for the evening in the MDR. We've seen it both ways from some of the staff.  Consistently inconsistent. We believe the current suggestions for dress guidelines for the MDR in the evening cover a wide range of options. Easy choices.  But I can only speak for my wife and myself. IMO what others elect to do, none of our business. 

Edited April 22, 2019 by davekathy

[cgolf1]

3 minutes ago, keithm said:

Basically a lot depends on length of your trip. We do 14 day trips & notice pax tend to dress much nicer than the 7-8 day cruises. You'll get your odd balls who feel it's their right to dress as sloppy as they feel they can get away with. Basically, for most nights, a pair of nice pants & a button down shirt is fine. For Chic, you'll find most will dress up somewhat. Perhaps some Tuxes, especially on long cruises(where you may see quite a few) most will opt for dressier pants & a sport coat(with or without tie) We don't bring Tuxes(that's for Cunard trips)We'll bring nice slacks & dress shirts & sport coats with a few nice ties to go with them. On regular nights is khakis & short sleeve Ralph Lauren type shirts.

 

Curious to those that wear sports coats, do you wear them for the full meal or take it off once seated? Our first cruise I wore a borrowed sport coat and found I took it off when I sat down, which to me was pointless. So after that cruise I stopped packing it. I am one of the in between dressers, so I don’t think I am one of the problem people. I did get mad at my wife one night for wearing shorts to supper on RCCL, so I guess I have some standards;)

 

For me I have no reason for owning a suit, so I don’t want to buy one just to cruise. We are a thrifty couple, and a one or two use a year clothing purchase falls out of the budget, especially when it would cost way more than our other clothes. 

[keithm]

55 minutes ago, cgolf1 said:

 

Curious to those that wear sports coats, do you wear them for the full meal or take it off once seated? Our first cruise I wore a borrowed sport coat and found I took it off when I sat down, which to me was pointless. So after that cruise I stopped packing it. I am one of the in between dressers, so I don’t think I am one of the problem people. I did get mad at my wife one night for wearing shorts to supper on RCCL, so I guess I have some standards;)

 

For me I have no reason for owning a suit, so I don’t want to buy one just to cruise. We are a thrifty couple, and a one or two use a year clothing purchase falls out of the budget, especially when it would cost way more than our other clothes. 

We cruise more often on Oceania as of late. It tends to get quite warm in the dining rooms, so yes, I've also had to take off the coat.

[evitacruiser]

I have seen the term 'button down shirt' mentioned here as the chic option for men. I am from Europe and although we do have those kinds of shirts (I am assuming you mean buttoned down collar?) they are not the norm ( or currently particularly fashionable) so they wouldn't necessarily be the choice of or an option open to European cruisers.

 

On a chic night (if not now wearing a tux!) my DH will wear dress pants/shoes and a long sleeve shirt with a jacket and maybe a tie.

 

[Floater4life]

I have few problems with how people dress.  However MEN put on  pair of pants and collared shirt.  Also take that baseball cap off when dining.  Thank you.

[Globehoppers]

Lets hope so - that its gone the way of the dodo bird.

 

"Dressing up" for dinner was required on ocean liners for First Class passengers only.  An anachronistic tradition that is not needed in "single class" cruise ships.  I served for 30years in uniform and "dressed up" with formal uniforms all too much.  Most of the time today "dressing up" is only to support one's ego and "impress" others.  One can eat just as well in a nice polo shirt and slacks as one can "dressed up."  Please limit "dressing up" to your closet at home.

[Globehoppers]

12 minutes ago, Floater4life said:

I have few problems with how people dress.  However MEN put on  pair of pants and collared shirt.  Also take that baseball cap off when dining.  Thank you.

 

Baseball caps and other head gear for men have no place indoors.  Period.

[kenevenpar]

2 hours ago, evitacruiser said:

I have seen the term 'button down shirt' mentioned here as the chic option for men. I am from Europe and although we do have those kinds of shirts (I am assuming you mean buttoned down collar?) they are not the norm ( or currently particularly fashionable) so they wouldn't necessarily be the choice of or an option open to European cruisers.

 

On a chic night (if not now wearing a tux!) my DH will wear dress pants/shoes and a long sleeve shirt with a jacket and maybe a tie.

 

 

I think most mean a L/S dress shirt when they say button down shirt.

[yorky]

End of the day my take on it is if you allow others to effect your night then only you suffer and not them. You’ve paid a lot of money to be there, people won’t change because you want them to so just go with the mindset of “ no one is going to ruin my night” and ignore them. Why stress about something you can’t change ?

[Cruise a holic]

On ‎4‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 10:14 AM, bEwAbG said:

Formal wear has gone the way of the dodo most everywhere (even at formerly "formal" events), just like "Sunday dress" is a lot more casual these days.  Many of the people who still wear formal wear on cruises look awful in it because a lot of what is seen is very dated.  Gowns from 30 years ago, complete with 80s-style shoulder pads, often accompanied by makeup and hairstyles to match .  Ladies, it's not retro if you owned it the first time around.  Tuxes from  20 years + 10 sizes ago straining at the seams, a violent cough away from putting an eye out with a projectile button.  Those cheap bow ties worn with a winged collar where you see the clip mechanism.   Wearing winged collars at all, for that matter (technically for white tie but often it screams 90s prom when seen in the wild).  Now that I think about it, I notice a lot more fashion-don'ts when someone decides to put on the costume pieces to play dress-up.

 

One consideration for men and packing is that I do not want to waste space on bringing a pair of dress shoes for two nights of a cruise.  Like many, I try to do carry-on only these days and shoes are the first place to scale back.  My day-to-day shoes pair nicely with slacks but wouldn't look good with a tux.

While I truly believe to each his/her own, I must disagree, not to "fat shame anybody"   some people do not dress because their suits and dress clothes which might be very stylish no longer fit   them  correctly.  I personally enjoy dressing up and do not wear clothes from 20 years ago- but just as I routinely purchase casual clothes, I do so with dress clothes.  You can shop at a department or discount store and get reasonable priced tasteful, size and age appropriate dress clothes should you desire for both men and women- not playing dress up but enjoy spending and special evening with my DH and to mark the occasion we dress accordingly.  I see some people wearing their "members only jackets"  the last member I assume.  So you can wear old tacky casual wear also if you desire.

 

Some people think a white wedding gown is also a costume- but again to each his/her own. Different cultures and people from different parts of the country dress differently- but that is their choice and their taste.

Edited April 22, 2019 by Cruise a holic

[villauk]

15 hours ago, keithm said:

During the day.. I could care less what pax wear.

 

 

You could or couldn’t care less what people wear during the day?

 

 

I have seen everything in the MDR on Chic night, including sports wear. I don’t really care what people wear as a terrorist in a tux is still a terrorist, but it’s how you feel in what you are wearing. And let’s be honest, it doesn’t make the food taste any different. My idea of stylish may be completely different to the next person. I suppose it’s more about making an effort and some pax choose not to. We dress for dinner every night as that’s what we’ve always done and that’s what we are comfortable with (so do my boys). Some may not like what I wear, but in the great scheme of things does it really matter and do I really care....NO.

[CRZR58]

It's sad that anyone cares what other folks are wearing. It's sad that anyone lets what else wears effect them in any way.

 

Don't like it? Ignore it and go on with your night. If it really bothers you, then change cruise lines because Celebrity isn't going to change.

[ECCruise]

I wish I could figure out how people are managing to see these virtual hordes of slovenly dressed pax on their cruises.  Especially with limited cruising experience.

 

We have over 300 days on =X= and honestly have seen that type of dress maybe enough times to count on one hand.  Methinks that when your "standard" is a bit higher then the actual dress code, then you view those not up to that artificial standard as looking like slobs.  A polo shirt and a nice pair of khakis, for example, on ANY night, will not incur Celebrity's ire.

 

Nor should it cause any passenger consternation.

[yorky]

2 hours ago, Globehoppers said:

Lets hope so - that its gone the way of the dodo bird.

 

"Dressing up" for dinner was required on ocean liners for First Class passengers only.  An anachronistic tradition that is not needed in "single class" cruise ships.  I served for 30years in uniform and "dressed up" with formal uniforms all too much.  Most of the time today "dressing up" is only to support one's ego and "impress" others.  One can eat just as well in a nice polo shirt and slacks as one can "dressed up."  Please limit "dressing up" to your closet at home.

Have to say I don’t agree with that at all. We loved our years of really dressing up for formal night. Nothing to do with our egos or to impress others we simply enjoyed the experience.