Is Casual Cruising For You?

[History addict]

I've voted other. No specific other as I'm waiting to see if any of the others move into the gap that the loss of OV will create in the market.

 

I cruise primarily for the itinerary but as a close second I love to have a balcony cabin. Without this latter criteria, Thomsons would fit the bill - why can't they charter a more up to date ship as their itineraries are great????

 

Would consider formal if the itinerary is superb.

 

At the moment I am without allegiance post 2010 and waiting for another line to convince me their product will fit my requirements. Having said that, though, NCL sound great but did look at them this year and their itineraries aren't very exciting.

[gnld]

For an upscale cruise experience with country club casual dining, go with Oceania and Azamara. Can't be beat - best value for an upscale cruise!

[beachchick]

For an upscale cruise experience with country club casual dining, go with Oceania and Azamara. Can't be beat - best value for an upscale cruise!

 

My mom is with you 100% on that. We haven't yet been able to fit either into our cruise schedule.

 

I think for the most part cruising is casual. You don't wear fancy clothing during the day, not even on Celebrity. It's shorts, t-shirts, etc. If you're talking about dressing for dinner, I like dressing up. I can't see being in an elegant dining room and not doing so.

 

While I mostly agree, the whole formal dining room thing would have more credibility for me if the lines that still have the stupid singing and dancing waitstaff stopped doing it. For me, the staged production numbers in the dining room distract from and diminish the refined atmosphere. I know some people love it, but I've certainly never dined in a formal restaurant on land where the waitstaff were required to perform musical numbers.

 

We don't mind dressing formally for dinner on formal nights, but we really prefer having reasonable options for more casual dining on those nights. By reasonable, I mean in addition to the buffet or room service there is an option for a decent sit-down meal with the same food options as the dining room.

 

However, we wouldn't ever try to go to the dining rooms on formal nights unless we decide to dress formally on that cruise. We enjoyed NCL for several reasons, including the fact that we could dress in slacks, nice collared shirt, and casual-but-not-sloppy shoes for my DH and slacks/skirt and nice top or nice-but-not-fancy dress with nice shoes and just a bit of "snazziness" for me. Those who chose to really go all out on the optional formal nights looked great and those who chose not to mostly went just a bit more upscale than the other nights. That's what we did. No one looked out of place and no one was "sneered" at for choosing the more casual attire options. I was surprised and pleased that nearly all passengers respected the basic requested attire and that the head waiters and other gatekeeping staff turned away the few passengers who tried to get into the specialty restaurants wearing cutoffs and t-shirts.

 

OTOH, so far RCI is our favorite cruise line and we wouldn't not cruise with them just because they have formal nights. We are thrilled that they now offer Anytime Dining, but still wouldn't attempt to have dinner in the dining room on formal night unless we decided to bring formal attire.

 

I have to admit that we are definitely "over" dressing formally for the most part because we've done it hundreds of times throughout our lives. I am glad though that it's available for those who love it. More power to you, I say. What our preferences mean for us is that we wouldn't consider cruising with a line that has all formal nights or that requires formal attire in every public venue at night or that has no casual dining option except room service.

 

We'd dearly love to try both Oceania and Azamara, but the price point and schedule hasn't been in sync for us just yet. Until then, we'll stick with RCI, NCL, and Princess.

 

I am not overly fussed which type of cruise I go on. I like the casual way and the traditional way, so I go with itinerary, value for money etc first before the style in most cases.

 

The fact that casual is available has opened cruising up to so many more people is a great thing and should be encouraged, but by the same token those who love casual ought to try traditional at least once just to feel the experience, only then can an educated decision be made as to which a person favours the most.

 

First time cruisers should never feel put off by traditional, it really isn't as starched as it once was, and those of us who were brought up with traditional cruising should never be afraid to try casual cruising either...there is a niche for everyone and with the marketplace so huge nowadays, it really isn't hard to find the niche that you are comfortable in :)

 

Absolutely. Like you, we're comfortable with a wide variety of cruise types.

 

I'm not sure I agree that first time cruisers or novice cruisers with only a cruise or two should feel any need to try a "traditional" cruise with the only dining option being assigned seating/time and required formal attire nights. I applaud anyone who knows himself or herself well enough to say, "I don't enjoy dressing formally and I don't have to share a table with strangers on land, so I don't want to have to do that on a cruise. I'll stick with the cruise lines that I know will suit my style." Conversely, I wouldn't tell someone who knows they love formal nights and a more traditional style that they really should try a casual option just to experience it. If someone knows that "traditional" cruising is their niche, then that's wonderful. I hope that there are always options for a wide range of preferences.

 

beachchick

[namildog]

Having taken both options with Princess and NCL I can truthfully say that each has its merits and, like previous posters, the itinerary and costings are what I take into account primarily. Where, when, and with who, I eat is a much lower consideration. However, I do like to meet different people, so my slight preference is for non-fixed dining.

[namildog]

There are rumors that P&O may be pondering a casual fly-cruise option -- a la Ocean Village -- in the near future.

 

 

Dan, in your article as quoted above, you mention NCL - out of UK cruises. The Jewel has been providing the Baltic cruises out of Dover, and Sun will replace her in 2010. Jade has been based in Southampton this summer, but NCL is not having a Southampton based ship next year. So, although NCL has the more casual style, there will be no NCL option to cruise UK into Mediterranean in 2010, which really seems to be a rather silly decision as far as the casual Brits are concerned! Not every Brit wants to fly to Barcelona, where Jade will be based. I am unsure how many will choose P&O Ventura as the alternative. I have been on Ventura, only on a ship's visit, and I felt she is a confused ship, really not knowing whether she is formal or not. Also, many fellow visitors felt she is just too big, for their liking.

[taylormadecruz]

Sorry - I don't think I would choose a casual cruise unless it was the only ship sailing to a particular destination. I love the opportunity to dress up - even though this adds pressure to the shopping and packing. We have taken our teenage/twenties daughters on several RCI crusies and they loved dressing up too. I think its a shame when passengers on more formal lines don't dress up but each to their own I suppose.

 

I actually dislike the uncertainty posed by Ventura's formal or smart casual option. Formal I can do - but smart casual is open to so many different interpretations. I liked the Informal nights where you knew a jacket and tie or cocktail dress was required.

[lilibetii]

I have been very surprised to find that Holland America has been completely ignored here. I have cruised on Royal Caribbean and Princess and found them quite wonderful. However, I will be enjoying my 13th cruise with Holland America on the Cape Town-Singapore segment of the 2010 world cruise. I did buy a "fancy" cocktail dress for an Egyptian cruise which I kept for formal nights on all subsequent cruises. The last few years I no longer pack that cocktail dress as I no longer go to the dining room on formal nights.

 

Holland America now has open seating in the lower section of the dining room. So you do have other choices than the Lido or cabin dining. I have never felt that I was looked down upon because I went about on my way about the ship in less formal attire on formal nights. I believe that Holland America has just the right balance so that almost anyone can enjoy themselves without feeling uncomfortable.

By the way, I am a great fan of the Lido especially for dinner as it is more formal than breakfast or lunch but still a more casual formality. I also get to know the servers and enjoy my conversations with them.

 

Perhaps some of you will consider giving Holland America a try. The young lady who likes formal nights and seeing her husband in a Tux would have the best of all worlds on HAL because her husband could be as informal as he wants and she could also enjoy many enjoyable formal moments.

[Bookish Angel]

I like expedition ships such as National Geographic, etc.

[jocap]

Of course, the cruise lines are way ahead of us in these matters, and will be desparately researching their markets. Why do people love OV so much? Is it the British ambience; the £; the no-tipping policy; the quick flight and you're there, as much as the informality? So far, no other line can give all of these things except Thomsons, which is often seen as down market-even on this thread. Carnival has sensibly allowed OV and P&O to deal with the British fear of tipping by including, or advising: Ventura has dropped the semi-formal dining; RCI has stopped the 15% on bar sales on ships leaving British waters. NCL receives a poor time on UK chat lines because of muddled advertising, and is only placing a small ship in England next year. And OV is not actually closing down-the "brand" is to be kept open to see how things go next year. I predict that as soon as Azura is launched, Ventura will move to Mallorca, and become OV.-jocap.

[David&Heather]

Voted NCL but if P&O do offer Med fly cruises in the future we would cruise with them. For us a short flight to the Med from Manchester is much better than the treck to Southampton followed by 2 to 3 days cruising the English channel / bay of Biscay.

 

We love cruising and hope we can find another cruise line we like but as others have said above if we cannot we will have to consider a cruise free future.

[David&Heather]

Of course, the cruise lines are way ahead of us in these matters, Not so sure on that one, Carnival appear to have made some very big assumptions as to which lines the ex OV customers will transfer to. and will be desparately researching their markets. Why do people love OV so much? Is it the British ambience not that important; the £ yes - no exchange rates to worry about; the no-tipping policy yes - many from the uk are uncomfortable with this; the quick flight and you're there yes - a major plus point for us, as much as the informality? So far, no other line can give all of these things except Thomsons, which is often seen as down market-even on this thread. Carnival has sensibly allowed OV and P&O to deal with the British fear of tipping by including, or advising: Ventura has dropped the semi-formal dining; RCI has stopped the 15% on bar sales on ships leaving British waters. NCL receives a poor time on UK chat lines because of muddled advertising, and is only placing a small ship in England next year. And OV is not actually closing down-the "brand" is to be kept open to see how things go next year. I predict that as soon as Azura is launched, Ventura will move to Mallorca, and become OV.-jocap.

Would love you to be right regarding Ventura but sadly feel this will not happen, hopefully P&O will make further changes so that ex OV customers feel happy to cruise on their ships.

[simplelife]

I voted "other' because we don't have a particular favorite. We cruise for a variety of reasons. Each cruise has been delightful and suitable to the purpose (Travelling with freinds, vs familly reunion, vs romantic vs relaxing/pampering. )

We're thinking of doing a casual cruise next time, especially if our grown (young adult) kids come along. After that, we also want to do a "just us" cruise and are thinking of the Mediterranean and a more elegant line. Whatever the style, we always have a great time:)

[Clemenceau]

If the cruise lines want to encourage younger passengers (by younger I mean under 50) and families they have to recognise that more informal cruising is the way forward. I freely admit to only having cruised once (Island Escape) and we loved it so I was sorry to hear of the demise of Ocean Village. I'm sure we will give more traditional cruising a try but I have to say as someone who wears a shirt and tie 5 days a week I'm not keen to do so on holiday and don't relish the prospect of dining with the same people (not of my choosing) at the same time every evening. Surely there are enough cruise lines and enough cruise ships out there for the industry to cater to both the formal and casual markets if it wants to do so?

I was thinking of booking Ocean Village next year but am dubious about the likely level of service in the period leading up to it leaving for Australia so where would people recommend that my partner and I go? We are mid 40's no children.

[brillo]

Bring back Ocean Village please! please! please!!!

 

brillo

[jocap]

Are you listening, Carnival?-jocap.

[sverigecruiser]

Freestyle Dining on NCL is defenitely my number 1 choice. It's not because it's casual but because I can choose who I shall eat with!

 

If we could go back to real traditional formal dining (think first class on Titanic but with a better disembarkation!) I should love that but we will probably never do that. That kind of cruise also costed A LOT!

 

Lots of people dress up a little every day at work so it's very nice to be able to wear more casual clothes when on vacation. I think that's the main reason why many prefer a more casual dining. People who normally never dress up at home might like to do it on a cruise.

 

As I said, I prefer NCL but I should like them even better is they were a little more formal. For example I think that Le Bistro (their french speciality restaurant) should be formal every night!

[mypleasure]

Freestyle Dining on NCL is defenitely my number 1 choice. It's not because it's casual but because I can choose who I shall eat with!

 

If we could go back to real traditional formal dining (think first class on Titanic but with a better disembarkation!) I should love that but we will probably never do that. That kind of cruise also costed A LOT!

 

Lots of people dress up a little every day at work so it's very nice to be able to wear more casual clothes when on vacation. I think that's the main reason why many prefer a more casual dining. People who normally never dress up at home might like to do it on a cruise.

 

As I said, I prefer NCL but I should like them even better is they were a little more formal. For example I think that Le Bistro (their french speciality restaurant) should be formal every night!

 

Much of the sucess of NCL is because of the freestyle concept. The freestyle concept revolves around freedom to choose. Core to that concept is that informality or formality becomes personal choice. For NCL to become more formal would mean alienating a lot of the very customers who have made freestyle a success and something that many other cruiselines are now attempting to copy as well as changing their concept which is what differentiates them from other lines.

 

Making Le bistro compulsory formal would mean that I would no longer be able to dine in my favourite restaurant as I am not prepared to go out and buy formal clothes for us. We like to look smart casual but suits, ties and dresses are not part of our agenda when on holiday or indeed in everyday life.

[sverigecruiser]

Much of the sucess of NCL is because of the freestyle concept. The freestyle concept revolves around freedom to choose. Core to that concept is that informality or formality becomes personal choice. For NCL to become more formal would mean alienating a lot of the very customers who have made freestyle a success and something that many other cruiselines are now attempting to copy as well as changing their concept which is what differentiates them from other lines.

 

Making Le bistro compulsory formal would mean that I would no longer be able to dine in my favourite restaurant as I am not prepared to go out and buy formal clothes for us. We like to look smart casual but suits, ties and dresses are not part of our agenda when on holiday or indeed in everyday life.

 

I should never cruise on a cruiseline which would tell me with who I should eat so NCL is my alternative. I also like that I can eat when I want but that's less important. The many choices on where to eat on NCL is also something I really appreciate.

 

I understand your point about the formal wear but for me that's not really about freedom to choose. The way the Freestyle Dining is now is okey for me but if they should improve it, I think that they should make Le Bistro formal. As I see it, NCL could make Le Bistro formal because then the passengers could have a choice to eat formal if they wanted to. Of course it's okey to wear formal clothes in Le Bistro but if the rest of the guests aren't formal dressed, it's not the same thing! In my opinion the choices should be more, not less, if Le Bistro was formal!

[mypleasure]

Of course, the cruise lines are way ahead of us in these matters, and will be desparately researching their markets. Why do people love OV so much? Is it the British ambience; the £; the no-tipping policy; the quick flight and you're there, as much as the informality? So far, no other line can give all of these things except Thomsons, which is often seen as down market-even on this thread. Carnival has sensibly allowed OV and P&O to deal with the British fear of tipping by including, or advising: Ventura has dropped the semi-formal dining; RCI has stopped the 15% on bar sales on ships leaving British waters. NCL receives a poor time on UK chat lines because of muddled advertising, and is only placing a small ship in England next year. And OV is not actually closing down-the "brand" is to be kept open to see how things go next year. I predict that as soon as Azura is launched, Ventura will move to Mallorca, and become OV.-jocap.

 

You make a lot of great points there regarding just what is it that British people want. I am not sure myself based on conversations I have with friends about our cruises. I certainly think that many are afraid of the formality and many are afraid of things like tipping, foreign currencies etc. Thomsons certainly fits the bill for a lot of people and I would definately consider them myself but for the lack of balcony cabins and charter flights which I find to be a very poor experience and avoid at all costs.

 

To me the market in the UK seems ripe for a cruiseline to come in and change the face of cruising for British customers and yet NCL is pulling one ship and replacing the other, Ocean Village appears to be going and Carnival has pulled out of Europe leaving their other brands such as P & O to service the market along with Royal Caribbean, Princess and Celebrity. Companies such as Saga and Fred Olson also seem to have carved out their own niche. It seems that the research that the cruiselines have into the market dictates that the UK has very unique requirements that not all are ready or willing to service. I am sure I read that cruising is really taking off in the UK yet the evidence suggests otherwise.

[mypleasure]

As I see it, NCL could make Le Bistro formal because then the passengers could have a choice to eat formal if they wanted to.

 

What you are saying is that by making Le Bistro a compulsory formal restaurant that only those dressed formally may eat there and those not willing to pack a suit and tie and for ladies dresses etc then they can go and eat elsewhere. That is removing a choice not giving more!

 

From the NCL website, copied and pasted:

 

"On an NCL cruise, you can eat where you want, when you want, with whom you want. And with up to 13 different restaurants and dining rooms on board, you can certainly eat whatever you want. You can also dress the way you want and, at the end of your cruise, get off the ship whenever and however work best for you."

 

From this the central theme of freestyle is to eat where you want, with whom you want, when you want wearing what you want. The policy is clearly staed and is very inclusive of everyone and their personal needs and wants. In other words if you wish to dress formally you are free to do so anywhere on board the ship and in any restaurant you wish just as I am not restricted as to where I can go in my smart casual attire.

 

You are asking for a change that is already available to you. Or are you saying that if me and my husband turn up in slacks and nice shirts and tops it is going to make your food taste bad? I am far more interested in my dinner and my companions than what others are wearing, doing and eating.

 

I noted on my recent pearl cruise that the speciality restaurants were, with the exception of Teppanyaki, running way under capacity. Only once did we book in advance, in all other cases we looked at the boards around the ship showing occupancy levels and chose based on what was available and just walked up and got seated right away. It was the free dining rooms that seemed to be full irrespective of whether it was 6PM, 7PM, 8PM or later. By restricting one of the dining options to formal wear only they may just be going to cut a revenue stream that they cannot afford to cut further than the recession already has for them. Times are hard and many are cutting back on unnecessary expenditure even when on holiday. Many Americans that I spoke with had lower category cabins than they would normally and were cruising on a tight budget. They were choosing to watch their expenditure carefully rather than not cruise at all.

[sverigecruiser]

What you are saying is that by making Le Bistro a compulsory formal restaurant that only those dressed formally may eat there and those not willing to pack a suit and tie and for ladies dresses etc then they can go and eat elsewhere. That is removing a choice not giving more!

 

From the NCL website, copied and pasted:

 

"On an NCL cruise, you can eat where you want, when you want, with whom you want. And with up to 13 different restaurants and dining rooms on board, you can certainly eat whatever you want. You can also dress the way you want and, at the end of your cruise, get off the ship whenever and however work best for you."

 

From this the central theme of freestyle is to eat where you want, with whom you want, when you want wearing what you want. The policy is clearly staed and is very inclusive of everyone and their personal needs and wants. In other words if you wish to dress formally you are free to do so anywhere on board the ship and in any restaurant you wish just as I am not restricted as to where I can go in my smart casual attire.

 

You are asking for a change that is already available to you. Or are you saying that if me and my husband turn up in slacks and nice shirts and tops it is going to make your food taste bad? I am far more interested in my dinner and my companions than what others are wearing, doing and eating.

 

I noted on my recent pearl cruise that the speciality restaurants were, with the exception of Teppanyaki, running way under capacity. Only once did we book in advance, in all other cases we looked at the boards around the ship showing occupancy levels and chose based on what was available and just walked up and got seated right away. It was the free dining rooms that seemed to be full irrespective of whether it was 6PM, 7PM, 8PM or later. By restricting one of the dining options to formal wear only they may just be going to cut a revenue stream that they cannot afford to cut further than the recession already has for them. Times are hard and many are cutting back on unnecessary expenditure even when on holiday. Many Americans that I spoke with had lower category cabins than they would normally and were cruising on a tight budget. They were choosing to watch their expenditure carefully rather than not cruise at all.

 

Yes, I'm saying that what other people wear in the restaurant affect my experience! Many people agree with that, otherwise there shouldn't be any restaurants anywhere with compulsary formal wear! I also said that this isn't very important to me, the Freestyle Dining is okey the way it is but IN MY OPINION it should be better if it was a little more formal.

 

I'm not asking for a change that is already available to me, there is no formal diningroom on NCLs ships. If they had that, everyone should have one more choice, not one less.

 

How do you know that they should cut one revenue stream if they made Le Bistro formal? Maybe more instead of less people should like to eat there if it was less casual? A lots of people doesn't want to cruise with NCL because they think it's too informal, maybe they should choose NCL if they had ONE formal restaurant.

 

A "smart casual attire" rule for Le Bistro would work fine for me but that's not as easy as a "formal" rule to control. Some people are far from "smart casual" and yes, that affect my dining experience.

[LovesToTravel47]

What is a 'casual cruise'?

[cruznjan]

Even though I have only ever sailed RCCL, I still prefer to get dressed up and cruise as luxurious as possible. I feel traditional cruising needs to make a comeback. I like having assigned seating. I wish ballroom dancing would come back, and I wish they would do away with things like the belly-flop contest. I am all for wearing ballgowns and seeing my husband in a Tux on formal night.

 

By the way, I am 24 and my husband is 27.

 

Ditto (except for the ages). ;)

[samuelsships]

Seadrean Yacht Club offers casual atmosphere with superb luxury.

[smeyer418]

I just came off a Celebrity cruise with three formal nights. It frankly was a pain. Extra clothes and with the airline restrictions its annoying. On the second of the three nights my wife and I were eating at the alternative dinning site, the Maitre D saw us(while he was getting food there too) and said why are you eating here? and we said we didn't want to get into formal evening dress. He said you can come and eat downstairs we will find a table off on the side for you....

 

we didn't.

 

can you imagine the complaints he would have received?