Poll: Should Carnival go all casual?

[greatam]

I find this entire discussion and poll absolutely hysterical: Carnival is one of few cruiselines with REQUIRED in their dress code . Carnival also states GO TO THE BUFFET if you don't want to dress up.

 

 

Depending on the length of the cruise, either formal dress or casual resort wear is required in the Dining Room. The dress requirement for children is the same. For those not wanting to dress up, the Lido restaurants are open nightly (with the exception of the last evening of the cruise), and have a casual dress code. Formal Wear: tuxedo (optional); suit and tie; sport coat, tie and slacks; evening gown; cocktail dress; pantsuit Casual Resort Wear: sport shirts and slacks; dresses; skirts; pantsuit NOTE: Shorts, t-shirts and bathing attire are not permitted in the Dining Room during dinner

[caviargal]

I find this entire discussion and poll absolutely hysterical: Carnival is one of few cruiselines with REQUIRED in their dress code . Carnival also states GO TO THE BUFFET if you don't want to dress up.

 

 

Have you cruised on Carnival? Even though it is printed each and every day in "Capers", it is widely and blatantly ignored.

 

The issue here is always the same: the lines publish a dress code, some passengers have an problem with following the code ("required" is apparently a word that is open to interpretation), the cruise line does not enforce its own rules, and then those same folks seek justification and approval for ignoring the dress code.

 

A never ending discussion....

[Happy ks]

What I find really funny about these polls is that it almost always pertains to the men are being asked to wear, women hardly ever have a problem dressing up. The men are the ones objecting to wearing a tie and a sportscoat or suit. Mostly a tie.

 

If they ever wore a pair of pantyhose, a bra, spanx, high heels, an updo, a face fulll of makeup etc.... any of it, they would realize just how comfortable just a tie is.

[Jane110]

What I find really funny about these polls is that it almost always pertains to the men are being asked to wear, women hardly ever have a problem dressing up. The men are the ones objecting to wearing a tie and a sportscoat or suit. Mostly a tie.

 

If they ever wore a pair of pantyhose, a bra, spanx, high heels, an updo, a face fulll of makeup etc.... any of it, they would realize just how comfortable just a tie is.

 

 

You're sooooo right.

 

My DH's on opinion on having to dress up? "What's the big deal? So I put on a tie and a jacket. No matter what, I'm still wearing pants and a shirt. It's YOU who has all the "work" to do". Smart guy! ;)

[greatam]

Have you cruised on Carnival? Even though it is printed each and every day in "Capers", it is widely and blatantly ignored.

 

Yes, over 30 years ago-one of the short-LA to Ensenada "party cruises". Too much for even law student partier (I really don't remember the cruise-ah, the memories). That has been my impression of Carnival ever since

 

The issue here is always the same: the lines publish a dress code, some passengers have an problem with following the code ("required" is apparently a word that is open to interpretation), the cruise line does not enforce its own rules, and then those same folks seek justification and approval for ignoring the dress code.

 

A never ending discussion....

 

I still find it hysterical-MOST of the cruiselines "suggest" (RCCL), "specify" (Cunard) or "calls for" (X)

Carnival REQUIRES.

[EngIceDave]

Some folks have a problem picking up on sarcasm and humor

[Host Star]

When I replied, it WAS on the Carnival board

 

It was moved here

 

neener neener

i moved it back to the carnival board and they pushed it back here.. next stop floataway.. lol

[momofmeg]

Why not ask this about Royal Caribbean and Disney also. People on those ships don't want to dress either-so why single out Carnival?

 

Guys go the "ask a cruise question" section of cruisecritic and read that thread about the worst things people have seen happen on cruises. There were some terrible things listed there-including teens throwing FECES in a pool and guess the line? Carnival? Royal Caribbean? Nope it was Crystal which is considered an UPSCALE line. You know, I beleive I would rather be with the slobs.

 

Now before I get slammed-I do believe in following the suggested dresscode.

[PJNJcruise5]

I don't know why some people raise such a stink about dressing up. It's fun and in my opinion is part of the whole cruise thing. Cruising shouldn't be like taking your Uncles boat on the lake for the day. The cost shouldn't be an excuse either. Shop around. My last formal dress cost $34- not exactly breaking the bank, try to buy a pair of jeans for that price! I have only cruised on RC before and will be going on Carnival soon, but from reading the boards it just seems to me that how people dress up or don't dress depends on the the specific cruise- every week there is a whole new group of cruisers on board. some cruisers on carnival come back telling of all the tuxes and gowns, while others talk about the jeans and cut offs.

[RachelD]

I have never sailed Carnival, so I have no idea what it is like on Formal nights.

 

I do feel that everyone should have a chance to dress in formal-wear. If you do not want to, go to the buffet, regardless the cruise line you are on. I do not care if you are the richest person on earth, I would hope that you would wear formal-wear in the dining room on those nights. It is just common courtesy.

 

 

by Happyks:

What I find really funny about these polls is that it almost always pertains to the men are being asked to wear, women hardly ever have a problem dressing up. The men are the ones objecting to wearing a tie and a sportscoat or suit. Mostly a tie.

 

If they ever wore a pair of pantyhose, a bra, spanx, high heels, an updo, a face fulll of makeup etc.... any of it, they would realize just how comfortable just a tie is.

 

So, true. On our last cruise on formal night, there was this young couple at our table where the girl was all dressed up, yet her BF had on a bright green polo shirt. You could tell that she was not happy about the situation and she looked really uncomfortable. He had this cocky, "I'll wear what I want to wear" attitude that drove us all crazy. My DH does not understand what the big deal is about wearing a suit and tie. He actually likes to and feels just as comfy in a suit as he does in jeans and tee shirt.

[10splyr]

I don't want to add fuel to an already flaming fire, but since Carnival says it "requires" coat and tie on formal night, why were the 5 people at my table (both male and female) who wearing shorts allowed in the dining room? Having a requirement/rule and not enforcing it makes no sense IMHO

[MrsMoose2001]

I didn't vote since I don't cruise Carnival but I was reading out of interest to what people thought.

 

May I just say that it is not fair to judge someone because they may want a luxury liner. I don't want formal nights and I want a luxury liner. In fact if it's not a luxury liner I wouldn't go unless I had to (a businss related cruise for my DH that I had no control over choice and that is highly unlikely to happen thankfully). That does not make me a snob, that does not make me old, and that does not make me anything more than a person who wants a certain level of creature comforts and hopefully less screaming kids and more of an adult environment where I do not have to dress formally.

 

This also does not mean that I don't like clothing, that I don't like to look nice, that I don't know how to dress.

 

Also as Jane pointed out, I have enough of that in my everyday life if I want it.

 

As Jane pointed out Oceana doesn't have formal, and on my Alaska cruise neither did Regent/Radisson. As a matter of fact when was shopping for a cruise, money didn't even come into play. I wanted a cruise to Alaska that didn't have formal nights.

 

Do I think that children should be required to dress in a formal manner, no, I think a nice looking outfit that they can wear to other occasions would be fine I agree, but please do not judge someone who wants luxury to be a snob. I'm sure there are many people on Carnival that I might call a snob.

 

A snob does not have to be a rich person in my opinion, it can be anyone from any socio-economic background that puts their "nose up or down depending on how you look at it" on someone for a variety of reasons.

 

I've met people who for obvious reasons were certainly not affluent and I considered them snobs by their behavior not because of their bank balance.

 

Again, this is not a flame, or a criticism but please just because someone likes and enjoys luxury does not automatically make them a snob.

[madelinerose]

Hmmm....this seems to be a poll to see what CC members who are Carnival cruisers feel about "formal" nights. :confused:

 

 

This is a poll to see what the CC memebers feel about Formal nights!

[Happy ks]

Hmmm....this seems to be a poll to see what CC members who are Carnival cruisers feel about "formal" nights. :confused:

 

Although, you pretty much get the same response no matter what main stream cruise line you put the question to.

 

Host Star wrote she tried to send it back to the Carnival board :D

[hockeypapa]

:d Its Like My Mother Taught Us Keep Your Eyes On Your Own Plate And You Wont Know What Anyone Else Is Wearing!!!!:d You Pays Your Money And You Eat Where And When You Want!!! If Youy Want To Dress Up Fine But Remember Clothes Dont Make The Man!!!:d When Your Sitting At The Table Can You Really Tell If Im Wearing Jeans Dockers Or Tux Pants!!! Some People Need To Get A Life And Stop Playing Dress Up:d

[madelinerose]

Just saw that, Kathy. Too bad...looks like the Floataway's next. ;)

[quote name='Happy ks']Host Star wrote she tried to send it back to the Carnival board :D[/quote]

[Cruise Cat]

[SIZE=3]....just for arguments sake, let's say they went all casual. Then in five years, would we then be arguing/discussing whether people should wash thier hands, shower, shave, or brush their teeth before dinner? It's just the next logical progression. If it went all formal, we would be arguing "black tie" vs. just suits and ties. The demographics will always be a basic bell curve with one end always trying to pull up, the other end trying to pull down, and another segment in the middle for the status quo.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]It was late last night when I posted my short answer. I (and we) should not even be luered into these discussions. Even the OP (not a newbie) knew this debate has been been done on here thousands of times and what it would do. Nothing positive can come of this thread. I say let's all concentrate on positive things that we all agree on - such as our love for cruising! Cruise Critic should be a place we all come to enjoy. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][/SIZE]

[Leo Jay]

It should be just as it is. But more strictly enforced.

[ala-kat]

[quote name='LHP']Just curious why no shorts, no t's?? Why should anyone have to be "banished to the buffet" because their shorts and t's don't suit you?

They should either have a formal standard or not. Then people know what to expect. If you stay at the Greenbriar, you know ....no blue jeans (ever, period) no blue jean shorts (ever, period) no t-shirts (ever, period)~ collar shirts only and coat and tie after 6pm and this includes children. If you don't want to abide by those standards, then don't go to the Greenbriar.

If you don't want to abide by the standards on Carnival, then don't cruise on Carnival. But don't dumb down the experience for everyone else, because you don't want to be "banished to the buffet".

Personally, I believe that Carnival should just do away with the formal stuff all together. They are obvisouly not a cruiseline that is ever going to cater to a crowd that can handle it.[/quote]

Comprehensive reading goes a long way... No shorts, no t's at dinner.

Have no clue about the 'Greenbriar', do know that it is not on the ship I'm sailing.

Didn't 'dumb down' anything, must have been you.

[SunFunCruiser]

I just love the formal nights! If you don't want to do them, you don't. It's already optional. Plenty of places to eat if you don't want to dress up.
We had booked a cruise last minute one time while we were already in Miami. I knew we wouldn't be doing any formal nights because we didn't have teh clothes with us. We didn't starve!! It was fine.

[SunFunCruiser]

[quote name='Mark']Based on my last several Carnival sailings, I believe that Carnival has already gone casual...at least there was no enforcement of dress code rules in the dining room on any night....therefore I assumed that Carnival was a casual cruise line...let me say that what some of my fellow Carnival cruisers believe as casual would not be accepted on most other cruise lines...I am not anti-Carnival and do sail with them but do not agree with the lack of any dress code and enforcement of such:cool:[/QUOTE]

On my last cruise on the Valor. They enforced it. They turned down plenty of people with shots, ect.. They also made an announcement referencing the dress code at the end of dinner as a reminder for the next night. I loved it!
When I have cruised Disney, they have been the most casual dressers of all our cruises.

[SunFunCruiser]

[quote name='hockeypapa']:d Its Like My Mother Taught Us Keep Your Eyes On Your Own Plate And You Wont Know What Anyone Else Is Wearing!!!!:d You Pays Your Money And You Eat Where And When You Want!!! If Youy Want To Dress Up Fine But Remember Clothes Dont Make The Man!!!:d When Your Sitting At The Table Can You Really Tell If Im Wearing Jeans Dockers Or Tux Pants!!! Some People Need To Get A Life And Stop Playing Dress Up:d[/QUOTE]

Right, except for when there *IS* a dress code.
I agree clothes don't make a man, but there are rules and there are places to go if you don't want to be dressed up. Plenty of options actually.

[bguppies]

It seems that quite a few people are advocating doing away with Tuxes and Suits but feel that "resort casual", should be the minimum and shorts and t-shirts shouldn't be allowed.

The funny part is, when you lower the standards like that, 2 or 3 years down the road, there will be a daily outcry on these boards about "why should I have to wear Dockers and a Polo shirt, it is my vacation".....
:rolleyes:

I can't imagine how low society's standards will drop in the next 10 years or so.

Bill

[cathyoo]

I don't dress up well. But I have always believed that clothes can honor the event. I think children need to wear different clothes for school than they do for play. I think the same about church. Some things are worth taking a little more effort. No I don't think that wearing my Sunday best makes me a better person but it says "this moment matters to me".

That is how I feel about the dining experience on the ship. I hate taking off my sneakers and I hate trying to find clothes that fit. However, the moment matters to me.. I personally don't care what anyone else wears but I do agree that a dining room full of people who took the time to make it special creates a nice environment.

I also agree with the "dumbing down" theory. It is what we do best in America. If standards are too hard for a few we just make them easier. Even if there are viable alternatives to the standard.

[sweetsixteencruisers]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS]Can anyone tell me why this is an issue? [/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][U][B]Everyone[/B][/U] has the option to dress or not to dress. Since when is a pair of dockers and a collared shirt dressing up. IMO, this is dressing descent for dinner[FONT=Verdana].[/FONT] A nice pair of shorts (not jean) and a collared shirt is nice also.[/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS]Eventually, people will take [B]casual [/B]to the extreme and be wearing their bathingsuits at the dinner table. Personally, I don't want to sit with someone (at dinner) who has been wearing the same cloths laying by the pool all day or coming back from an excursion. I think this is what will happen if proper dress in [B]NOT[/B] required. Putting proper cloths on for dinner, makes people change and take showers![/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS]In no way, am I judging anyone for how they dress. This is JMO.[/FONT]