Why bother having a formal night if you don't enforce the dress code?

Some people get dressed up frequently and want a break - that's what a vacation is all about. Its personal. If you want to dress up, why let someone else affect your experience. Your vacation is what you make of it

You looked fine. I know because I saw you!

I own a nice tux, I bring it on the cruise for simple reason---I like the James Bondish look. The other reason is we always have pictures taken on those nights.... nice momentos.

I am taking a cruise to Cuba on Azamarra Cruise Line (RCCL.) I was surprised to learn that there will be no formal nights. I am fine with that. I think that more cruise lines will be doing this. I am not sure how I feel about that in general since I don't mind dressing up at night. It doesn't really bother me if others don't, perhaps they have a good reason such as lost luggage. That happened to my brother-in-low once. When he was stopped at the reception table in the MDR and told that shorts were not permitted there in the evening he offered to remove them down to his underwear. He explained about the lost luggage. hey let him for the rest of the cruise. The cruise line gave him a free rental for a Tux on formal nights. His traveling mates purchased him slacks later on in the cruise which helped matters.

You can dress me up but still can not take me anywhere...............

Since I am retired and dropped about 20 pounds none of my old suits fit. I tried on an old pair of slacks for my last cruise and my neighbor said they looked "like old man pants, Hanging off of me" So For formal nights I wore a pair of dark Dockers with dress shirt and tie. I felt I was dressed fine. I do not see buying a suite or tux for a few hours on a cruise a couple times a year.

Society has changed and people do not dress up much anymore (people used to dress up to go on a plane). the last job I had that I needed to dress in suite and tie everyday was in 1999, when I worked for a fortune 100 company it was business casual every day and jeans on Fridays, Since 1999 I only needed a suite if I had to go to court.

I think cruise lines should just make formal night in 1 dining room for those that want to get all dressed up and have the other dining room for the rest of us. Now when I cruise in Europe I will have to get a suite altered or buy a new one.

Hate to say this, but the dumbing down of social interactions is where we are at. I have to plead guilty to that because I only wear a coat and tie to "formal" nights, not even a suit but for me but that is the max formal clothing I own. If you want classic sailing you have to go on specialty lines or if you have a poor man's budget, just ignore those who think high fashion is clothing that have holes torn in them and cost $$ more than normal clothing. Every once in a while you see folks turned away, but more and more the pressure to look sloppy as a "high style" is driving out any way of enforcing a truly upscale night on the cheaper ships like Carnival, Holland, Princess, Norwegian, RCI, etc. Since I can not afford the ships that enforce a dress code, I just wear my coat and tie on Dress Up night or eat in other locations if I do not want to.

Choices, right or wrong. And as pointed out, some of the best dressed glittery packages contain waste material while some of the cheapo garbage looking packages may contain a gem.

In any event, make the paperwork we digitally sign say what a dress code is and enforce it on-board.

Lazy, and starting to cruise more.

As other people have said, formal night is dying...it is a thing of the past and cruise lines realize this. I can only speak of Royal Caribbean as that is the only cruise line we have gone on.

On all the cruises we have been on...10...I would say that only 10-15% dress formally. The rest are usually smart casual to casual. I agree that baseball hats, daisy dukes or sweats do not belong in any dining room. Hubby wears dockers and a dress shirt...I wear a long skirt and blouse.

My feeling is that you are on vacation...wear what you are comfortable in.

Oops, wrong thread.

I agree...however, it would certainly seem that type of formal affair is a dying event. no hidden meaning intended. It doesn't seem like something "todays" generation would do. Frankly, it reminded me of work...I could count on 4-5-6 of those things a year...mostly testimonials..lots of people I didn't know, didn't want to know, making "small talk", impressing...well. themselves...I have a tux...its in a hanging bag in the back of my closet...I ought to donate it...but....

I never said that my opinion was realistic -- only ideal.

The first step is to start enforcing the rules - that lies with the dining room staff, as well as Customer Service and the senior Hotel and Ship staff. If it is enforced, the passenger base will adapt (they will have no choice). I honestly do not believe that a significant number of people will refuse to cruise over this.