For all formal night aficionados

[cruise_co]

A random bit of info.  We just did the all access tour this morning. The maitre-d that did the introduction to the restaurant mgt part will be going to ICON to start her up after his vacation in August. He was far more interested in talking about Icon than our ship. 😆

 

Anyway, in regards to formal night, he said that one floor of the main dining room is going to be split in half and will be formal night every night. Interesting idea, now those who love to dress up will have their own space every, single night. But didn't Royal try this one time and it was a dismal failure?

[loman]

If you`re looking for me , i will be in the other half , lol 🙂

[BettyCruiser]

At one time I think Royal Caribbean tried rotational dining similar to what Disney does, I think when Quantum first sailed. NCL tried the one dining room always formal thing and has abandon that idea. 

[smokeybandit]

I don't doubt that's what you were told, but I bet he was misinformed or misinterpreted what he heard. The logistics of that wouldn't work at all.

[Cruise5life]

6 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

I don't doubt that's what you were told, but I bet he was misinformed or misinterpreted what he heard. The logistics of that wouldn't work at all.

Right.  
how are they going to determine what group to put in that one half.  
all that has to be worked out before you board the ship.  
is there going to be a questioner?   Like what time you want for dinner.  And do you plan to dress formal every night.    Lololol.  

[Funky Fusion FoodsJ]

I would guess just misinformed......can't see this happening.  To try to enforce would be nothing but problems, people showing up at the wrong restaurant dressed inappropriately for that venue.  Too confusing.

[JupiterTwo]

Wasn't dressing formal every night something that was done when people brought steamer trunks of clothing with them on cruise ships?

[Biker19]

8 hours ago, BettyCruiser said:

At one time I think Royal Caribbean tried rotational dining similar to what Disney does, I think when Quantum first sailed.

When Quantum came out, the ship had Dynamic Dining on it where the entire Grande venue was formal every night (they even loaned and made men wear jackets if you didn't have one). The rotational dining came later and was short lived before RCI cancelled DD fleetwide.

[topnole]

3 hours ago, JupiterTwo said:

Wasn't dressing formal every night something that was done when people brought steamer trunks of clothing with them on cruise ships?

Cruise ships didn’t exist back then.  Lol.   They were ocean liners.  And men probably wore long sleeve pajamas and a sleeping cap.  Men also wore three piece suits to play golf.  I’m also pretty certain that bath/showers were not a daily event for most.  Oh the good old days.  

[BND]

Half?  Half of people will not dress up every night.  Those that want formal night want one or two per cruise, not every, single, night.  I don't think he's correct in what he thinks he was told.  There's no way half of those eating in the MDR want to dress up every night.

 

The D Concierge on EN just told us a couple of weeks ago that they've been told that JS will soon have full suite status.  If that comes true, to me, it means that JS will start costing even more.  All we can do is wait and see.

Edited May 2, 2023 by BND

[TeRriii]

Not half, maybe 15% is more sensible.

[smokeybandit]

53 minutes ago, BND said:

The D Concierge on EN just told us a couple of weeks ago that they've been told that JS will soon have full suite status. 

That's an even worse idea than devoting a dining room to full time formal.

[Starry Eyes]

1 hour ago, BND said:

The D Concierge on EN just told us a couple of weeks ago that they've been told that JS will soon have full suite status.  If that comes true, to me, it means that JS will start costing even more.  All we can do is wait and see.

Or they perhaps they will sell JS’s two ways: either at a lower price without the extra amenities or at a higher price with the full suite amenities. 

[jean87510]

3 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

Or they perhaps they will sell JS’s two ways: either at a lower price without the extra amenities or at a higher price with the full suite amenities. 

That would work for me.  Only thing I am not getting is the suite lounge, the special deck on my upcoming non oasis/quantum class JS.  And that's fine with me.  

[loman]

JS on an Oasis class with CK privileges sounds good to me . 🙂

 

[TeRriii]

40 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

Or they perhaps they will sell JS’s two ways: either at a lower price without the extra amenities or at a higher price with the full suite amenities. 

They already did this on Spectrum. 

There are Regular/Sea JS and Sky JS.

[deliver42]

I, for one, like the formal nights, but 2 is enough. I'm on vacation, and will dress casual the rest of the cruise.

[Starry Eyes]

41 minutes ago, TeRriii said:

They already did this on Spectrum. 

There are Regular/Sea JS and Sky JS.

Yes, that report of a conversion with the EN D concierge raises the possibility they might extend that concept to other ships, even one like EN that currently do not have Royal suite program.

[smokeybandit]

50 minutes ago, TeRriii said:

They already did this on Spectrum. 

There are Regular/Sea JS and Sky JS.

Spectrum is the Asian market though.  Different rules and different expectations there.

[Tatka]

Why do you need to designate a section of restaurant? Just show up wearing formal clothes.

[Merion_Mom]

Personally, I don't believe that what he said will come to fruition.   But what the maitre d' was describing is not what several of you assumed.  It's not that people would be assigned to the "formal every night" dining room. It's that every night, anyone who wants to dress formally would be seated in that section THAT NIGHT with other people who wanted to dress formally THAT NIGHT.  Then no other dining area would have formally dressed people, just that one section.  You could ask to be seated there once, twice, three (etc) times during your cruise, or zero times.  

But I don't think it will happen.

[neverbeenhere]

I suggest "bag checks" when embarking. Those with formal wear get their half of the ship.

[Cruise5life]

3 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

Personally, I don't believe that what he said will come to fruition.   But what the maitre d' was describing is not what several of you assumed.  It's not that people would be assigned to the "formal every night" dining room. It's that every night, anyone who wants to dress formally would be seated in that section THAT NIGHT with other people who wanted to dress formally THAT NIGHT.  Then no other dining area would have formally dressed people, just that one section.  You could ask to be seated there once, twice, three (etc) times during your cruise, or zero times.  

But I don't think it will happen.

Well this would no be great for waiters and tips.   Us usually people have the same waiters every night.  And then if this happened    It would be a free for all.  
if I was a waiter I’d be upset.   

[Merion_Mom]

4 minutes ago, Cruise5life said:

Well this would no be great for waiters and tips.   Us usually people have the same waiters every night.  And then if this happened    It would be a free for all.  
if I was a waiter I’d be upset.   

 

You are pretty much describing My Time Dining in general. When you are taken to your table, the host at the podium enters your cabin number and the waiter's/table code. Your daily gratuities are assigned that way. The waitstaff live with it.  (but I don't think it will exist anyway)

[sealeggs]

59 minutes ago, deliver42 said:

I, for one, like the formal nights, but 2 is enough. I'm on vacation, and will dress casual the rest of the cruise.

I'm with you. I actually bought a tux a while ago to take on our cruises. 2 is enough.