Resort Casual- dear mother's perspective!!!

[QTPieRye]

Before you start throwing flames at me, this post is a result of a conversation I had with my mother.....

 

While discussing our outfits for our upcoming cruise, my mother mentioned wearing blue jean capris with a dressy blouse and strappy dress shoe for dinner in the dining room. I told her that from what I had read on this web-site that jeans in the dining room was a big no-no and that some people find it offensive when jeans are worn in the dining room. I then asked her (per previous threads) if she would wear these same denim capris to a nice restaurant with linen table clothes in Los Angeles and she said ABSOLUTELY.

 

My mother will turn 60 on our cruise and has always been known among her associates, friends, family and others to be very well-dressed. She says “offensive” to her are the women who will show up with way too short skirts and low cut blouses that leave nothing to the imagination…. skin tight formal wear, visibly without any undergarments… and unshaven men with wrinkled hawaiian print shirts that extras from the set of Miami Vice.

 

So I got to thinking, what is resort casual? Bright floral capris? Way too short skirts? Low cut blouses with lots of cleavage? If this is okay in the dining room, why isn’t denim? Not talking ripped jeans, but good quality denim, and there is a difference.

 

Perhaps a select few in the stuffed shirt crowd will consider my mother to be a “casual casualty”, but that’s not going to spoil her fun!!!

[pmc7704]

I think your mom's "right on". I'm about her age, have been on many cruises, and would not mind wearing that outfit myself. :D I personally think that outfit would be , as my granddaughter would say, "cool" . If she were to wear tight western jeans and a t-shirt, that would be a different story . :eek:

[robbyxoxo]

lol...cute story.....but about the skin tight see throughs.....they arent wearing any under garments for a REASON!:).....who wants to see tacky panty lines?...im all for tight garments while goin commando....its all good according to the fashion police.....unless.....it would help if you fall within the unwritten weight guidelines :)......and short skirts are soooo hip and IN this summer.....anything THAT cute belongs in the dining room or anywhere it wants to go :)

[derf5585]

I don't know that there is a "real definition" but to me it would mean:

from

http://www.mmaweb.com/meetings/meetingboard/messages/2985.html

 

POP QUIZ: WHAT'S THAT YOU'RE WEARING?

from

http://www.corpmeetings.net/ar/meetings_say_17

[jp2001]

Jeans are NOT in the list of banned items. I think if it is paired with a very nice top, it will be OK for casual nights.

[tef43]

Denim is denim.

 

It is appropriate for farming and horseback riding.

[derf5585]

Denim is denim. It is appropriate for farming and horseback riding.

 

Country Singles Online Membership Form

from

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[hdawson]

tef. You're kind of right. Denim is denim. The label or the price paid makes it no different at all.

[VentureMan_2000]

Twil woven capri pants, dockers, Topsider (boat) shoes, casual dress shoes, nice (leather) looking sandles, collared polo or dress shirts. Some folks might also refer to this as business casual.

 

Denim is denim... couldn't have been more clear. Always looks unclassy.

 

Tennis shoes don't really cut it with docker or twil clothing either.

 

I rarely dress business casual, mostly denim, cheap polo shirts, and tennis shoes. But I do recognize a crappy dress job when I see it, and IMHO, denim, white socks, and tennis shoes have no place in the dining room.

[airgirl]

Your Mom sounds cute.

 

Life is too short - let her rebel for her 60th birthday if she wants. Maybe someone her age that she meets on the cruise will set her straight on the guidelines

[NinaCO]

Except for country-western night on RCI, I've never worn denim in the dining room. However, if your mom wants to wear some nice denim capris with a dressy blouse & shoes, why the heck not? I disagree with some of the other posters -- I have seen denim look very nice & dressy with the right accessories. On my last cruise (Sensation), there were men who came to dinner in yucky jeans & T-shirts. :eek: I'm not the fashion police, but that was disgusting. I think your mom's outfit sounds casually classy.:)

[matchman]

Yes your mothers idea of resort casual sounds nice, now if we can clone her and have her sent to each ship and stand at the door approving the resort casual everything will be great. :) The simple problem is everyones idea of what looks good differs and if we accept that your mothers is good what right do we have to say that the other person in the skin tight jeans and halter top (which they see as great!) is not also good.

 

Hence we make the broad rules (like no jeans) so we dont set individuals up as fashion police. Just start a thread here and ask what is good quality denim and you will get 20 differing view! But as you mentioned we all know what good quality is :)

 

As an example take speeding, (Okay not the best to compare it to but all I could think of quickly!) If I set No speed limit on a road then what is the safe speed? Every single person has a different opionon! Suddenly we have the Policeman having to decided what is unsafe and then of course each policeman's idea about what is unsafe is also different!

 

So we make rules based mostly on percentages, so 90% of the time jeans look out of place as resort casual so no jean's. Yes 10% would look okay but who are we to state which 10%, without it becoming a matter of personnel opinion.

 

If for one second most of us would just step back and realise that we are not always right, our choices often dont match others and we are not the exceptions that prove the rule.

[madelinerose]

You may put this on the Cruise Fashions thread for even more perspectives.

[dms_cruisers04]

As Tef pointed out in a previous denim thread, Carnival's definition of resort casual can be found:

 

HERE

[QTPieRye]

Thanks for all the replies..... I am going to print this out and give it to her pre-cruise in New Orleans!!! She will certainly get a kick out of the comments..... and will DEFINATELY be wearing her denim!!!

 

Ironically, my brother just did a 7-day RCL cruise. He was surprised and happy to see the amount of people wearing blue jeans in the dining room. He also mentioned that even on formal night, a lot of gents were wearing simple slacks, dockers and button-down collared shirts without a tie. Wow was he thrilled. He is an executive for HomeDepot and dresses up every day.... therefore, this is the last thing he wants to do on his vacation. You can bet that on his next cruise, he'lll be wearing nice denim......

 

By the way... You don't have to dress nice to act classy.

 

Some of the most classless people I've met in my lifetime are the ones dressed up trying to be somebody or something they are not. It is a sad world in deed, when a person is judged by merely what they are wearing, or what they are not wearing in this case.

 

Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain, and most fools do.-

Benjamin Franklin

[GoinCruisin]

On my last cruise (Sensation), there were men who came to dinner in yucky jeans & T-shirts.

Nina, we never saw anyone dressed in jeans and tshirts on the Sensation, THANK GOODNESS! I was amazed that everyone for the most part on our cruise dressed appropriately and made it such a pleasant experience. We decided to dress down one night and ate on the Lido, but MUCH preferred the dining room (our dressed down doesn't include jeans, ouch... in the heat of summer in the caribbean? no thank you, LOL). We met one couple that had tried to dine the night before but said they felt way out of place and had not read the policy on dress in the dining room... they probably could have come in and nobody would have said a thing, but felt it was inappropriate... I hated it for them, but they were using good judgement... on our particular sailing, even on regular dining nights, many of us were in sequins and semi-formal wear... oh I cannot wait to be back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kkorman]

As Tef pointed out in a previous denim thread, Carnival's definition of resort casual can be found:

 

HERE

 

 

Evidently "farm wear" is appropriate for dinner.

[QTPieRye]

Although I currently live in Tennessee, I am a native Californian raised on the beach and not on a farm. However, I will tell you that after having lived in Tennessee for 8 years, I have learned that most Farmers come from "old money" and are not materialistic. They are honest, and despite their clothing... they are gentlemen, non-judgemental who treat people with dignity and integrity.

 

I am curious to know what in the world "farm wear" is??? We are not talking "backwoods britches" from the set of Deliverance. We are talking denim. Wow do some guys wear it well!!!

 

Save a horse... ride a cowboy! (in denim of course)

[jp2001]

Even if some don't like it, I don't think jeans are listed in what is not appropriate for the dinning rooms. I personnally wouldn't wear blue jeans but if someones wants to (on casual night, of course), it's their right because it is nowhere mentioned that it is forbiden. If your mother wants to wear nice capri jeans outfit she CAN but as you can see in this thread, some people can look at her like she's breaking rules but she isn't. I probably will wear a denim skirt on one of the casual nights (not blue jeans, it is pink) and if others don't like it, it's THEIR problem.

[kkorman]

Even if some don't like it, I don't think jeans are listed in what is not appropriate for the dinning rooms. I personnally wouldn't wear blue jeans but if someones wants to (on casual night, of course), it's their right because it is nowhere mentioned that it is forbiden. If your mother wants to wear nice capri jeans outfit she CAN but as you can see in this thread, some people can look at her like she's breaking rules but she isn't. I probably will wear a denim skirt on one of the casual nights (not blue jeans, it is pink) and if others don't like it, it's THEIR problem.

 

I agree with you. I always have denim on a cruise and wear it in the dining room.

[GoinCruisin]

I don't think jeans are listed in what is not appropriate for the dinning rooms. I personnally wouldn't wear blue jeans but if someones wants to (on casual night, of course), it's their right because it is nowhere mentioned that it is forbiden. If your mother wants to wear nice capri jeans outfit she CAN but as you can see in this thread, some people can look at her like she's breaking rules but she isn't. I probably will wear a denim skirt on one of the casual nights (not blue jeans, it is pink) and if others don't like it, it's THEIR problem.

Well then! It does not specifically say I can't wear my bra and panties, or my buttless chaps either :p Well hot dang, I got me a new outfit!!!!! For casual nights, I think a nice skirt is fine... fact being, it's a skirt and it implies "a little more dressy", but still casual... so that is fine.

[DreadPirateRobert]

Well not that I'd wear it myself, but I'd rather see jeans and a sportcoat or some other tastefull use of denim than anyone in a cocktail dress or suit that is a size too small. I've seen some dreadful examples of coat and tie and some prom dresses that showed way too much skin. I've seen ties that were a decade out of style and tied incorrectly. In the strictest interpretation of the dress code they were in compliance.

In practice, their clothing did not match the ambiance of the evening.

At the risk of firing a shot across the Mason- Dixon Line, in many parts of The South denim isn't just for "riding and farming" A nicely pressed pair of jeans with a starched button down or a polo shirt can get you into restaurants that are nicer than Carnival's dining rooms. . Before I get flamed I'm not suggesting anyone wear their "working on the car jeans" to dinner. I firmly believe that anyone going on a cruise can afford a blazer and khakis. I'd just rather see well fitting denim than an ill fitting jacket or dress.

Jello shots on the the house!!

[kathyjack]

We have been on many, many cruises. Our first one on CCL will be in January. Honestly, I've never seen jeans worn in the dining room on any other cruise line. But from this message board, it sounds like just about anything goes on CCL. Some people always go with what is "suggested" wear (me included) and then there are some people who will always do what they want to do regardless of guidelines and suggestions. I say go ahead and wear what you want. Do people really sit and look at everyone's outfit as they come into the dining room? If so, I feel sorry for them.

[matchman]

Ironically, my brother just did a 7-day RCL cruise. He was surprised and happy to see the amount of people wearing blue jeans in the dining room. He also mentioned that even on formal night, a lot of gents were wearing simple slacks, dockers and button-down collared shirts without a tie. Wow was he thrilled.

So your brother was more comfortable because others were dressed as he was, so I guess the same applies for the people in the Tux and Suits who would feel uncomfortable surrounded by blue jeans ;)

 

By the way... You don't have to dress nice to act classy.

Very true and no one suggested otherwise :)

 

Some of the most classless people I've met in my lifetime are the ones dressed up trying to be somebody or something they are not. It is a sad world in deed, when a person is judged by merely what they are wearing, or what they are not wearing in this case.

Also so very true, I'm glad that no one in this thread has suggested such a thing!

 

Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain, and most fools do.- Benjamin Franklin

Laugh okay how about - Clothes make the man. - Mark Twain

[coevan]

if you are looking for a more formal cruise, less kids, less partying, and quiter, you would be booked on Holland Am. or other ships known for a more "upscale cruiseline". I have worn a nice sport jacket and a silk T on a formal night and did not feel less dressed then most. I own a tux and feel more out of place wearing it on CCL. Relax, you anti-jean people, you are on vacation, your vacation. Look around the pool, 5' and 200 in a bikini is far more offensive then jeans, but I'm from Colorado.