Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

How strict is the dress code onboard?

RonWL

By RonWL,
in Silversea

 Share

Recommended Posts

Hlitner "Live from...." Rare

Hlitner

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Mr Luxury said:

Why do you see the need to lower your dress standards to others casual standards.

I have always had my own standards and are not bothered by others standards.

If they want to look as if they have just come from the garden then that's their issue.

I'm not twenty one Hank but then neither are you.

It is a very good question and difficult for me to answer since, to a great degree, I agree with your thoughts.  Your garden analogy is akin to DW's when she refers to some folks as "being raised by wolves."   On the other hand, society's mores do change with time and although some of us may not like the changes, one often goes along to get along.  When I went to work in the 70s, a jacket and tie were the norm (or at the very least you had them near the desk in case of a meeting).  By the time I retired, the norm was not to wear a jacket/tie.  We even know some bankers that no longer wear a jacket/tie to work!   It is difficult to find a restaurant, even in NYC, that "requires" a jacket/tie.

 

Just ask yourself, when was the last time you saw a lady in a corset?   I still remember my parents packing huge wardrobe trunks to go on ships.  These days many folks go on cruises with only a carry-on!  

 

Hank

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
no1talks

no1talks

Posted
Posted
49 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

"Just ask yourself, when was the last time you saw a lady in a corset?"


A great many ladies wear them. These days, they are called, "shapewear."

It's worth noting that old-school corsetry has quite a following these days. There are a great many corsetières to be found doing business via the Internet. (Some corsetiers, too.) Alas, one is unlikely to find such fashion amongst female cruise passengers, with the possible exception of Virgin Voyages.
🧐

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Host Jazzbeau Great Review Rare

Host Jazzbeau

Posted
Posted

I think Hank has a good point:  just as I would never push the envelope by being the worst-dressed person at a restaurant [easy for me to say, since 'country club casual' is my basic style], I wouldn't like to be an outlier on the dressy end either.  On one of our Noble Caledonia cruises, which doesn't have any formal-night dress codes but does have a few special dinners, there was one – and one only – man in a tux.  He stuck out like a sore thumb, just as much as Onslow would have in his [don't know the British term] 'wife-beater' t-shirt.  A suit, a sport coat, or even a dress shirt would put you in the broad center and cause less visual distraction.  Then everybody could go about enjoying the food and the ambience.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Hlitner "Live from...." Rare

Hlitner

Posted
Posted
38 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I think Hank has a good point:  just as I would never push the envelope by being the worst-dressed person at a restaurant [easy for me to say, since 'country club casual' is my basic style], I wouldn't like to be an outlier on the dressy end either.  On one of our Noble Caledonia cruises, which doesn't have any formal-night dress codes but does have a few special dinners, there was one – and one only – man in a tux.  He stuck out like a sore thumb, just as much as Onslow would have in his [don't know the British term] 'wife-beater' t-shirt.  A suit, a sport coat, or even a dress shirt would put you in the broad center and cause less visual distraction.  Then everybody could go about enjoying the food and the ambience.

OMG!  I have long said that when I come back in my next life I want to be Onslow.  Think about it...has there ever been a happier man?  🙂 One more thought is that would you rather have dinner with Onslow or Richard?  

 

Hank

P.S.  Sorry to go off topic

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Host Jazzbeau Great Review Rare

Host Jazzbeau

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

OMG!  I have long said that when I come back in my next life I want to be Onslow.  Think about it...has there ever been a happier man?  🙂

 

Hank

P.S.  Sorry to go off topic

Happiness is based on how you view life.  Lou Gehrig said "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."  [But I would definitely NOT want to come back as Richard...]

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Hlitner "Live from...." Rare

Hlitner

Posted
Posted
9 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Happiness is based on how you view life.  Lou Gehrig said "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."  [But I would definitely NOT want to come back as Richard...]

So, taking this topic to an extreme, would you rather have dinner with Onslow or Richard?  Might make a case for those who want no dress standards.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Host Jazzbeau Great Review Rare

Host Jazzbeau

Posted
Posted
8 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

So, taking this topic to an extreme, would you rather have dinner with Onslow or Richard?  Might make a case for those who want no dress standards.

I'll bite.  Actually, DW and I met a couple something like Hyacinth and Richard on a trip recently.  [The 'Hyacinth' was actually quite likable once you got past the first impression...]  But we noticed that when the wife wasn't present, 'Richard' was quite a good dinner companion.  So definitely Richard for me.

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
canderson

canderson

Posted
Posted (edited)

Onslow was shiftless.  Richard was positively pitiable.  While KUA was one of our favorite UK sitcoms, I don't think dinner with either of them would be myperiwinkle?

 

That said, I'll take Onslow for some decent pub grub anytime.

 

Edited by canderson
Link to comment
Share on other sites
tinaincc

tinaincc

Posted
Posted
13 hours ago, Hlitner said:

It is a very good question and difficult for me to answer since, to a great degree, I agree with your thoughts.  Your garden analogy is akin to DW's when she refers to some folks as "being raised by wolves."   On the other hand, society's mores do change with time and although some of us may not like the changes, one often goes along to get along.  When I went to work in the 70s, a jacket and tie were the norm (or at the very least you had them near the desk in case of a meeting).  By the time I retired, the norm was not to wear a jacket/tie.  We even know some bankers that no longer wear a jacket/tie to work!   It is difficult to find a restaurant, even in NYC, that "requires" a jacket/tie.

 

Just ask yourself, when was the last time you saw a lady in a corset?   I still remember my parents packing huge wardrobe trunks to go on ships.  These days many folks go on cruises with only a carry-on!  

 

Hank

I very much appreciate your input and writing style. I agree with you . I believe that SS may be relaxing their code to match other lines and to suit (pun intended) the younger generation. It’s a revenue grab.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
canderson

canderson

Posted
Posted
14 minutes ago, tinaincc said:

I very much appreciate your input and writing style. I agree with you . I believe that SS may be relaxing their code to match other lines and to suit (pun intended) the younger generation. It’s a revenue grab.

I'm not yet convinced.

 

Those 55 and up still hold 70% of the country's household wealth.  Of that group,  'Boomers' represent 21% of the population, but control about 50% of the $.  Of course, that doesn't define who's willing to spend their $, but it does describe where the $ can be found.  Would seem that if a business wants to succeed in a market where attracting discretionary income is key (which is the case with cruise vacations) they would continue to find new ways to focus on where the money is.

 

If cruise lines are finding it necessary to more aggressively focus on the demographic that controls the 30% to succeed, perhaps they aren't providing the right product for the demographic that controls the 70%? 

 

While there's certainly room in the cruise market for lines that cater to a younger demographic, one would think that lines that don't try to shift focus to those folks and instead are the most successful in serving the 55+ demographic should be doing very well.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
njguy_south

njguy_south

Posted
Posted

What I am seeing in this continued argument is that those who insist on jackets and ties are not willing to budge on the subject for others to come dressed more casually (perhaps in a $300+ embroidered fashion shirt), while those who do not dress in jackets and ties are not saying that those wearing such should walk the plank. 

 

Wearing a jacket is a preference in this day and age -- just like going from corset to girdle to no girdle. (My great-grandmother wore her corset until she died in 1969, and often quietly commented on others who did not wear them.  And by the way, corsets by the 20th century were not made of whale bone, but other animal bone, and even metal.)

 

The wearing of suit jackets is not a generational thing, as many of my friends and acquaintances in our 60s do not wear jackets to even the top restaurants we visit. 

 

A cruise is to enjoy.  Wear the jacket and tie if you like; wear the great designer shirt if you like. Just refrain from looking down one's nose at the dress of others. Snobbery is worse than non-formal wear!

 

 

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites
canderson

canderson

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, njguy_south said:

Snobbery is worse than non-formal wear!

I would absolutely agree.  But please don't assume that it's always "snobbery" and not something else that is at the heart of the difference in opinion re ambience and dress codes.

 

As an aside, a little thought experiment:

 

For those who say that visual cues don't impact the dining experience - imagine someone putting up a little sign at their table, tall enough to be read by all nearby, the content being something quite "politically incorrect".  Imagine the results.

 

I maintain that everyone takes in the visual elements present in any venue, even if not consciously, but that everyone processes them differently, and assigns different importance to them in assessing the overall ambience of the venue. If that weren't true, the earlier query by our moderator about tablecloths or bare tables would have no meaning, and Silversea could save a few bucks on dining room laundry. 

 

If a cruise line continues to choose for a while to cater to a customer base for which a different dress code, even a somewhat older one, is still important to their perception of ambience, one should assume they do so with intent.  Perhaps there's a reason SS hasn't yet gone the 'full Oceania' route in this regard?  It's respect for that decision, and an appreciation of it by a sufficient percentage of SS's target market that allows for this, not "snobbery".

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
tinaincc

tinaincc

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, canderson said:

I would absolutely agree.  But please don't assume that it's always "snobbery" and not something else that is at the heart of the difference in opinion re ambience and dress codes.

 

As an aside, a little thought experiment:

 

For those who say that visual cues don't impact the dining experience - imagine someone putting up a little sign at their table, tall enough to be read by all nearby, the content being something quite "politically incorrect".  Imagine the results.

 

I maintain that everyone takes in the visual elements present in any venue, even if not consciously, but that everyone processes them differently, and assigns different importance to them in assessing the overall ambience of the venue. If that weren't true, the earlier query by our moderator about tablecloths or bare tables would have no meaning, and Silversea could save a few bucks on dining room laundry. 

 

If a cruise line continues to choose for a while to cater to a customer base for which a different dress code, even a somewhat older one, is still important to their perception of ambience, one should assume they do so with intent.  Perhaps there's a reason SS hasn't yet gone the 'full Oceania' route in this regard?  It's respect for that decision, and an appreciation of it by a sufficient percentage of SS's target market that allows for this, not "snobbery".

If ambiance includes what your fellow passengers are wearing will you sailing Nova or is that too casual? Just curious if you opinions drive your purchases or if they are more preferences. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mahogany

Mahogany

Posted
Posted

Interesting that the dress code issue seems to center on men, not women. Daisy Dukes allowed? Just kidding 😄. But I do have a serious question. What's with headwear? I'm more bothered by ball caps in the restaurant than jacket or tie.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
canderson

canderson

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, tinaincc said:

If ambiance includes what your fellow passengers are wearing will you sailing Nova or is that too casual? Just curious if you opinions drive your purchases or if they are more preferences. 

Everything being otherwise more or less equal in terms of itinerary, I might just as well sail on Oceania as on Nova.  Next month's cruise being our first with SS, we have no 'brand loyalty' as yet.  But our first SS will be aboard Dawn, and the 'vibe' there should be as close to what we're looking for as we're going to get for that itinerary on any line.

 

So we will stick with Muse class for a bit if it continues to work for us.  If SS goes casual on their non-Nova/Ray ships such as Dawn, that opens up options on other lines.  As I've said before, we chose to try out SS because of the manner in which they've chosen to differentiate their product vs. another line we had enjoyed for some years that had begun - in this way and others - to resemble any number of other lines that we might have chosen.

 

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
tinaincc

tinaincc

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, canderson said:

Everything being otherwise more or less equal in terms of itinerary, I might just as well sail on Oceania as on Nova.  Next month's cruise being our first with SS, we have no 'brand loyalty' as yet.  But our first SS will be aboard Dawn, and the 'vibe' there should be as close to what we're looking for as we're going to get for that itinerary on any line.

 

So we will stick with Muse class for a bit if it continues to work for us.  If SS goes casual on their non-Nova/Ray ships such as Dawn, that opens up options on other lines.  As I've said before, we chose to try out SS because of the manner in which they've chosen to differentiate their product vs. another line we had enjoyed for some years that had begun - in this way and others - to resemble any number of other lines that we might have chosen.

 

 

 

Appreciate the reasonable dialog. Hope you enjoy your trip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...