The era of FORMAL NIGHTS is fading rapidly...

On 10/7/2007 3:49 PM Rick consulted a Magic 8 Ball and declared:
On Oct 7, 2:59 pm, Charles wrote:

In article . com, Rick

wrote:

Isn't the exact wording...."Tonights Suggested Dress Is"....
It is only a suggestion.

The cruise line is being polite. That does not mean you should be rude
and wear what you please.



Charles, Let me ask you a question? On formal nights when
everyone is all decked out in their finest of formal wear, they return
to their cabins after dinner to change. They have time before the
Bingo game and the shows start. Then they return to the common areas
for the evening in more casual relaxed clothes. Maybe even shorts.
Is that ok? Why?


Actually, on HAL ship's formal night passengers are requested to remain
in formal attire in the theater, casino, lounges, and other common
areas. The exception being, Lido Buffet, pool, Sports Deck, exterior
Promenade Deck and Aft Pool area.

--
________
To email me, Edit "blog" from my email address.
Brian M. Kochera
"Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once!"
View My Web Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951

On 10/7/2007 8:40 PM George Leppla consulted a Magic 8 Ball and declared:
"Lee" wrote in message
...

On Sun, 07 Oct 2007 16:43:34 -0700, Warren
wrote:


In the dining room I still see quite a few men dressed "formally" on
formal nights but the alternate restaurants and buffet seem to be
getting more crowded with casually clad passengers. Just as Charles
does, I take 3 or 4 cruises a year. So, IMHO, to answer the subject
question, I say yes. Formality on ships seems to be fading rapidly.

First, I agree with you and Charles that formality is in rapid
decline.

On the other hand, with regard to your comments about the buffet
being more crowded.

...isn't this a good thing ... for the cruiseline? It's obviously
cheaper to feed the passengers in the buffet than in the dining room.


It probably is... and now that they are moving in that direction, I find
myself having more and more meals in the dining room instead of the buffet.
Biggest advantage is portion control. In a buffet, I tend to want to start
at one end and eat everything in sight. In the dining room, I can order a
pretty big meal and still end up eating less than I would at the buffet.

I also like sitting with friends and talking over a meal... without someone
getting up every few minutes to go get something or other.... and I like
having a meal without assembling it and hauling it around while looking for
a table... then letting it get cold while I go find the coffee or iced tea,
etc.

I must be getting old... or at least, older. vbg



Portion control comes from the individual not some external force. I've
seen folks in the dining room order seconds, thirds, and fourths of some
entree items. At a buffet, you don't have to consume everything in
sight. Rather than taking super-sized portions of everything, take a
taste of everything that interests. Then from those micro-portion
tastes, if you find something which you'd like more, go back for some
more tastes.


--
________
To email me, Edit "blog" from my email address.
Brian M. Kochera
"Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once!"
View My Web Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951

In article , Bill says...



clint wrote:

I'm all for separate clases, I'd pay more not sit with the rifraft(and most
seniors would agree!)

Would that be the money you saved by not tipping? I thought as a
senior you couldn't afford such things?


Glad you noticed the hypocrisy too. The guy can't tip to help someone with
their livelihood, but can spend the money if it makes THEM better off.

What a rotten, SELFISH cheapskate!!

On Oct 8, 12:21 am, Brian K wrote:

Charles, Let me ask you a question? On formal nights when
everyone is all decked out in their finest of formal wear, they return
to their cabins after dinner to change. They have time before the
Bingo game and the shows start. Then they return to the common areas
for the evening in more casual relaxed clothes. Maybe even shorts.
Is that ok? Why?

Actually, on HAL ship's formal night passengers are requested to remain
in formal attire in the theater, casino, lounges, and other common
areas. The exception being, Lido Buffet, pool, Sports Deck, exterior
Promenade Deck and Aft Pool area.

You are exactly right. That is the point I was trying to make.
Formal nights mean you should stay in formal attire for the entire
evening if your going to be in the common areas of the ship. Some
people do stay in their formal wear but alot of people get changed
beacuse they are not comfortable. Yet the cruise lines don't enforce
any dress code throughout the ship at night. Nobody is denied access
to any of the public spaces.

I know some lines have formal night every night. I don't expect
I would sail those lines because thats not in my interest. But
Carnival, NCL and Royal Caribbean advertise their line as Fun, active,
adventurous not Formal and stuffy. I can see Princess and HAL and
Cunard having formal nights because I see those lines attracting a
more sedate crowd that would have an interest in Formal Nights and
High Teas and Ball Room Dancing.

"Jeff" wrote in message
news:dZfOi.7573$gC2.3231@trndny09...
NWLB wrote:
I think formal nights are something the industry looks at as
stereotypical, and prone to make people think cruises are things
they've fought hard to counter. It makes sense they might actually
want to see such things phased out. Yet, despite that, there is a
quality to a much anticipated formal night aboard ship, which many
people, even younger cruisers, enjoy.

I think, in some form, they'll always exist. However, some lines will
do away with them. Others will exile them to the dinning rooms with
additional charges. Others still will see lax enforcement that render
them formal in title only.

NWLB
****************
www.RoyalCaribbeanFan.com
Forums, Blog, Chat, No Ads.



Maybe an interesting observation....but I found Costa to be dressier in
general than the American-oriented cruise lines. Folks got dressed up,
more chic than stuffy, and seemed to enjoy it. An interesting crowd.

Jeff

Putting some numbers to this - on our recent cruise on Sea Princess in the
Med, I went to the three adjoining photograph panels of the pix taken at our
tables during the first Formal Evening and counted up the number of men in
lounge suit & tie (myself included) and those in tux's and found that 20
percent were in suit & tie. I didn't spot any in blazers though but noticed
that quite a number removed their jacket and hung it on the back of the
chair part-way through the meal.
John Weale

Brian K wrote:

On 10/7/2007 8:40 PM George Leppla consulted a Magic 8 Ball and declared:
"Lee" wrote in message
...

On Sun, 07 Oct 2007 16:43:34 -0700, Warren
wrote:

In the dining room I still see quite a few men dressed "formally" on
formal nights but the alternate restaurants and buffet seem to be
getting more crowded with casually clad passengers. Just as Charles
does, I take 3 or 4 cruises a year. So, IMHO, to answer the subject
question, I say yes. Formality on ships seems to be fading rapidly.

First, I agree with you and Charles that formality is in rapid
decline.

On the other hand, with regard to your comments about the buffet
being more crowded.

...isn't this a good thing ... for the cruiseline? It's obviously
cheaper to feed the passengers in the buffet than in the dining room.

It probably is... and now that they are moving in that direction, I find
myself having more and more meals in the dining room instead of the buffet.
Biggest advantage is portion control. In a buffet, I tend to want to start
at one end and eat everything in sight. In the dining room, I can order a
pretty big meal and still end up eating less than I would at the buffet.

I also like sitting with friends and talking over a meal... without someone
getting up every few minutes to go get something or other.... and I like
having a meal without assembling it and hauling it around while looking for
a table... then letting it get cold while I go find the coffee or iced tea,
etc.

I must be getting old... or at least, older. vbg



Portion control comes from the individual not some external force. I've
seen folks in the dining room order seconds, thirds, and fourths of some
entree items. At a buffet, you don't have to consume everything in
sight. Rather than taking super-sized portions of everything, take a
taste of everything that interests. Then from those micro-portion
tastes, if you find something which you'd like more, go back for some
more tastes.

This is true of course, but just being true doesn't make it relevant.
I do as you suggest at the buffet, but I don't like having to get up
and go back for more tastes. I'd rather sit and be served.

If someone finds portion control easier in the dining room than at the
buffet, that's their individual way of doing portion control. I have
never ordered extra portions of things in the dining room - just
because other people do so is no reason for me to eschew eating in the
dining room.

Brian K wrote:


Actually, on HAL ship's formal night passengers are requested to remain
in formal attire in the theater, casino, lounges, and other common
areas. The exception being, Lido Buffet, pool, Sports Deck, exterior
Promenade Deck and Aft Pool area.


My recent Maasdam cruise was not all that dressy....lots of sport coats
I would say on formal night. Me, I do a black suit. Everyone should
own a black suit (or for gals, a little black dress....)

Jeff

On Oct 8, 12:21 am, Brian K wrote:

Actually, on HAL ship's formal night passengers are requested to remain
in formal attire

The reality aboard the sailing of Noordam I took earlier this year
proved otherwise.

Warren

On 10/8/2007 9:18 AM Jeff consulted a Magic 8 Ball and declared:
Brian K wrote:


Actually, on HAL ship's formal night passengers are requested to
remain in formal attire in the theater, casino, lounges, and other
common areas. The exception being, Lido Buffet, pool, Sports Deck,
exterior Promenade Deck and Aft Pool area.


My recent Maasdam cruise was not all that dressy....lots of sport
coats I would say on formal night. Me, I do a black suit. Everyone
should own a black suit (or for gals, a little black dress....)

Jeff


So true! On HAL you never know when you might need to attend a funeral!
;-) And, I say that with love as HAL is one of my favorites.

--
________
To email me, Edit "blog" from my email address.
Brian M. Kochera
"Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once!"
View My Web Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951

On Oct 8, 3:14 pm, Brian K wrote:
On 10/8/2007 9:18 AM Jeff consulted a Magic 8 Ball and declared:


So true! On HAL you never know when you might need to attend a funeral!
;-) And, I say that with love as HAL is one of my favorites.

A motivational speaker/story teller Andy Andrews ... talks about his
time entertaining on cruise ships cruising Alaska ... and how very old
the passengers were ... and on one cruise there were 11 who passed
away during the cruise ... 2 even during one of his shows ... nothing
special ... just at 85-90 their time was up ...
I'm not certain ... but I believe he was talking about HAL ...

We too enjoy cruising on HAL ... easy to get ahead on all the
lines ... and the ship seemed empty during bingo ...