Pat, I agree you never said anything about slobs; that was my point about a possible slippery slope (of course it was not too far of a stretch from shorts and running shoes in show lounge).

Richard, I love informal nights. Nothing wrong with informal nights.

Denise, definitely have seen rude and crude well dressed people too. Just fewer of them per capita than the other side.

Olivia, this is "kid" seaon in DC. The Hilton I am at has had at least 100 kids each week. Sure is a difference when I was on a regular floor (due to remodelling) than when I am on Executive Floor. On the Executive Floor, there is less running down the hall and loud conversations at midnight right outside your door.

Please read the other cruise boards. Stories about behaviour - kids, adults, and seniors - makes you wonder how folks have an enjoyable vacation anymore. The "me" generation seems to be forgetting that there are others out there. Reminds me of Camus' "The Myth of Sysyphus" wherein all is legal (except murder) irregardless on the impact on others.

Marc: I have to agree with you about the slippery slope and I think more and more poeple are snubbing their noses at convention and the rules and doing their own thing without regard to how it impacts the people around them. Dare I say selfish.

Along those lines, may I ask a question...?

I tend to "snub" the rules a bit, but in the opposite direction...I am really curious to know...and you won't hurt my feelings...does it bother anyone when you see someone who dresses up MORE than the dress code for the evening? The only comments I have had from others is "oh no, I thought today was casual...did I not dress up enough" when they see me dressier than is called for.

The last think I would ever want to do is make anyone feel uncomfortable, and I have never thought that others felt put out by my desire to get gussied up...but perhaps I am wrong.

...just curious.

heri: I absolutely do not think you are wrong - you always looked great and if you want to dress up so what?? Tony will not take a tux just dark suit and I think he always wears a jacket into the dining room - his choice - I neve saw anyone inappropriately dressed when we cruised - Joanna

Sheri, No.

When we sailed on Diamond open bar, free kids, and CCC, there were a couple of men in tuxedos at Captains Party and again for SSS. No problem at all. As Radisson states dress codes as minimums (including the statement if I remember right of "elegant resort wear"), you are not in violation. Anyone that is uncomfortable, is someone who thinks they might not have made the minimum that they should have.

Now, if you pack "formals" all the way to PiP, I will think something is strange "upstairs." :D

Heri: Some of the keys on my computer board are sticking - (Sheri!!!!)

Regarding Canadagal's observation of men in shirtsleeves in the show lounge on formal night, I have a question.

Suppose it is formal night on a Radisson cruise, but I dine in an alternative restaurant that is casual or informal. After dinner, I want to go to the show. Do I have to go back and dress to the formal code to do so?

Thanks,
Richard

Thanks guys!
Although I probably wouldn't have changed my behavior, it makes me feel better that others are okay with my "gussiness"! :banana:

Thanks for the compliment Joanna, that is nice to hear! :)

Sheri, my dress code is simple, I wear what I can fit into! By the end of the cruise, I usually have on a circus tent

Don't go there Karen :mad: YOU with your tiny figure...YOU who still wears a bikini and looks great in it....I am NOT listening to you!!!
:hyper:

What Karen means is she started the trip in a size 2 and jumped to a 4 - Joanna

Or a 0 and jumped to a 2...lolol. Life should be so rough! She's a chocolate addict too! Grrrrr... ;)

Chocolate addict, me??? Just because I walked around to everyones table after dinner and ate the chocolates they left, that makes me an addict??

Well atleast you weren't drinking semi empty glasses in the lounge - now that's addiction - J

heyyyyy....what if you are doing both???? Yikes!!!

Well, as I understand the dress code situation, in all public areas of the ship, you should be dressed according to the code of the evening. Formal, Casual, Informal etc. I like it. We've gotten too casual. I just told my husband he will need to wear a coat for 5 of 12 nights we will be travelling and he was not thrilled, but, he loves to cruise (and he looks more handsome all dressed up too ).

Karen and Sheri's observation about a change of size during a cruise also may have impact. Hence, Chico's wear. The basic black generally suffices to cover that issue. Covers all dress codes with a change of accessories. I just got a black floor legnth dress (not Chico's - but the same fabric) just for this purpose! Add a wrap some sparklies and your are set. Can also be worn to the beach with sandals. Drip dry in the shower and you are good to go! (remove sand and allow to dry before using as evening wear).

I did just read about a nudist's cruise. And what would the dress code be for that?

Kathy, the question Richard is bringing up is that now that La Verandah on Voyager and Mariner is CCC all the time, what are the folks supposed to do after dinner? What parts of the ship can they populate? Casino? Lounges? Theater?

Although I saw casual dress in La Verandah on formal night, I do not remember if I saw them anywhere else on the ship. We went up for flambe while in our formal attire and saw a large group having a wonderful time.

Kathy,

Dress code for nude cruises? How about "Fig leaves, optional?"

Denise - very funny - I like all of your responses today - Joanna

Joanna,

You are my "soul sister." Thanks!

Thank you Denise - I consider that an honor - Joanna

Marc, like Kathy said, the dress code for the evening should be followed in all public rooms. So, if the dress code is formal, then supposedly you should not venture into them if you are dressed casual. I don't think I ever remember seeing casual dressed people out and about on formal night.
I have been known to make a midnight mad dash to the video library in my flannel shirt and shorts but I sneak around corners like a spy :)

This is interesting, as on the VTC last month, a good number of men were out and about the ship after dinner on formal night dressed to the informal code (jacket, some with ties, some without). I guess they had been to the casual restaurant and decided to "split the difference" between formal and CCC! More difficult to tell about the women guests' attire, as women don't have "uniform of the day" type dress codes like men do. In any event, I didn't notice any of the crew confronting any of these men. After all, from the back, all men appeared to be dressed alike! <img border="0" alt="[vhappy]" title="" src="graemlins/icon_vhappy.gif" />

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

I guess in the end it means you should dress in good taste. If you are on the ship in the public areas on formal night, I don't think that should apply to the show or to the library - maybe the dining areas, lobby/atrium and lounges only.

If I am in a simple black dress, who can classify that as casual, informal, formal?

For men in a dark suit, isn't that formal enough? My husband wore a suit every day for 30 years to work and will wear them for a special occasion but prefers not to wear a coat and tie unless we are doing something like theater.
In California it is rare to see a tie these days unless you are an attorney going to court. I see kids in Jeans and shorts in the best places these days - everywhere. It was a sign of respect to dress appropriate to the occasion.

I don't think that evening wear needs to be a tux, but, I do like to see everyone dressed to the NINES now and again.

I've seen other cruiselines where you can rent a tux onboard or other formal wear including the shoes and fancy dress for ladies. It just may be the solution to appease those that don't want to drag along so much clothing and are concerned about the weight. I would rather see someone in formal/informal clothes that didn't quite fit perfectly then to see them lolling about in sandals and shorts especially when the dress code of the evening is stated quite clearly. I have no problem with people wearing what they want to during the day but if they don't have the clothing or choose not to wear the proper attire then they should be refused entry into the dining room. Why set a dress code for the evening and then let people simply ignore it. I think entry should be denied and people should be told to order room service or go to the alternative restaurant. Otherwise, you may as well have no dress code at all. On the odd night that either my husband or I didn't feel like dressing up on any previous cruises we have done, we simply stayed in our cabin and ordered room service. No big deal to do that and we certainly did not wish to effect the ambiance of the evening for others that wanted to dress to the nines. Sheri, I think dressing up for dinner is nice even on the CCC nights...... been known to do it myself at times too. I also agree with Karen that those that have gone to the alternative casual restaurant should not be allowed in the public rooms and should go back to their cabins out of respect for the code of the evening, whether it be informal or formal. If I showed up at a fine dining venue at home like I was dressed for the amusement park I would be refused entry there so why not on a cruiseship. This is what was printed in the info book that came with my docs. "the evening attire as indicated in the daily program is requested after 6:00 p.m. in all the public rooms and applies throughout the evening show. Maybe this should be highlighted better in the booklet so people see it before they pack.

My impression (and it was definitely spelled out in writing on Silversea) is that if it is formal night, you are expected to be dressed according to code in all public venues except the restaurant that might allow more casual dining.

ChatKat, I think many of us ladies enjoy seeing people all dressed up now and again. Men, are you listening? Of course, while the traditional formal wear for men has not changed over the years, we females no longer have to wear those corsets, girdles, whalebones, long gloves, and heavy dresses of yesteryear cruises. We can just put on that black dress you talked about and dress it up with a little of this and a little of that.

My daughter, 22, is going with me on VJ7, and she gets really excited about "formal" nights. Just today, she went out and bought not a couple of "formal gowns" but a couple of skirts that she thinks will fit the bill. Young people have a different idea these days about what is "formal". She will have a great time thinking she is "dressing up to the NINES", so to speak, because her world has been so casual. I think to her that may mean putting on a pair of earrings that hang longer than 1 1/2 inches. I am not going to stress about it, because our fellow lct friends on this cruise are mostly parents of young adults and will understand!

Pat, I don't mind seeing people in the casino and lounges that aren't dressed formal on formal night, I was just relaying what was in the daily passage.

I do prefer that if you are dining in the main dining room on formal night, that you at least make an effort :) but afterwards, it really doesn't matter to me if the gents want to loosen up their attire a bit.

Olivia; We will love her and yes we will all relate - Joanna

Thank you Joanna. I think we will end up as great friends.

I hope she will meet Carter (my youngest) & Chelsea in London - will be fun for her (us too)

I find that it gets rather cold in the public areas which forces me to stay at informal most of the time. Regardless, I do think that when everyone is dressed up, the overall ambiance is so much nicer.

jhp: my two youngest are in the same age bracket as your daughter. I'm sure she will look fine in her skirts and dangling earrings They are a far cry from shorts which I saw and you can tell when people are at least making an effort to dress to the code of the evening. I am impressed that she even bought the skirts and didn't opt for a pant suit which is what my girls probably would have done. Karen, a man taking off his jacket or even his tie in the casino or show lounge is perfectly acceptable. You can still conform to the dress code that way as it is usually obvious that they were dressed for dinner earlier. I have no problem with that either. I guess what bothers me is that the rules aren't enforced for the dining rooms. So if they are not enforced then why not get rid of the rules and dress code and let people dress however they wish to dress for dinner.

Pat:

For the record, I've never seen a failure to enforce the dress code (whatever it may be on a given night) in the dining room on Radissson. I think that is good!

The time on the VTC when I observed men dressed to the informal code mingling in the showlounge and casino after formal night dinner, I didn't see any man without a jacket.

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

I like to dress up, even on casual nights. To me it is part of the ambiance of cruising. Now I don't know if I will feel that way on the SS in the Caribbean this December. Sun burned legs & hose just don't go together, but I will just have to "suffer" through those wonderful dinners & cocktails.

Betty:

You post reminds me of a post by Karen S. to an earlier poll over on CC to eliminate formal nights entirely. She said she'd like it to be more specific, as she wouldn't like to see them eliminated in Monte Carlo, but perhaps in the Caribbean. Soon after that, we actually were on the Mariner in Monte Carlo, and I was disappointed that the night we sailed away was CASUAL(?)! What a missed opportunity for a formal night! But I have never understood the attraction of formal nights in the Caribbean. And on our recent VTC cruise, we had a formal night after Guatamala (?)!

So the whole point of this poll is in the spirit of making evening dress codes fit the location.

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

Richard: I'm beginning to wonder if the enforcement of the dress code has to do with the itinerary. It will be interesting to see if the others that followed me on the Navigator see men in the dining room on informal nights without a jacket.
Betty, our sun worshiper, dare not say hose. They are not allowed on our cruise. Have you seen the new spray on pantyhouse? I bet it looks real sweet when it starts to wear off.

Being from the heat & humid capital of the southern US - except for NO - I have learn how not to wear hose, but my shoes for dressy nights when cruising sort of demand them. I will work it out. Or give the entire ship something to talk about - that Texas woman with no class!!!

Canadagal:

Just to clear things up, I personally have NEVER seen anyone in the dining room in the evening who was not dressed "to code" on a Radisson ship. On formal nights, all men had tuxes or dark suit and tie. On informal nights, all men wore jackets, some with and some without ties. And I don't suggest it be otherwise as far as following the code in the dining room is concerned.

After dinner on formal nights, however, I have seen men dressed to the informal dress code out and about. They apparently dined in an alternative restaurant, and did not change from informal to formal to go to the show. Nothing was said or done about this, and it did not bother me at all. I merely pointed this out as part of my observation that men on Radisson seem to prefer (in practice) the informal dress code ---- even on casual nights!

Thanks
Richard :) :) :)

Betty, you.... "No Class" .......never! <img border="0" alt="[vhappy]" title="" src="graemlins/icon_vhappy.gif" />

Hi. This morning I was trying to research something for an imminent trip. Last minute and all that. Anyway, I went to the Virtuoso site and clicked on a tab that I thought would help me. Well, it didn't. But it may lend another perspective to this ongoing discussion: http://www.virtuoso.com/luxereport04.html . Regarding favorite line/room; Seven Seas' balconies got 35% and Crystal's balconies got 32% response. Then further down, among 34-52 year olds, 95% prefer less formality; and among 53+ year olds, 63% prefer less formality. So, even though we all have our own perspective on this issue, it seems that among folks who buy (high-end?) travel from Virtuoso agents, the broad majority prefer no black-tie.