Saturday Mail

[Mervyn and Trish]

Don't disagree with a word of that Batty, but it is horses for courses (or maybe platypuses for courses).

It is not fair for those who prefer casual to expect cruises advertised as formal (or including formal) to be 100% casual.

Anymore than it would be fair if I complained that I had to wear casual clothes on a cruise advertised as casual.

Butchers sell meat. Grocers sell vegetables. Vegetarians can't go in a butcher and complain it is full of dead animals.

Why do militant casual cruisers expect to do the equivalent?

If people prefer not to dress up, which is fine, don't book a formal cruise line then gripe, which isn't.

I have no problem, by the way, with the casual preference cruisers who use the more formal cruise lines and then quietly use the alternative dining options to avoid togging up. Just with those who expect the formal cruise lines to abandon we TBM's and change to suit them.

[davecttr]

I think that most would say 'smart casual' Jay but then that comes down to definition.

We very recently stayed in a nice hotel in Malaga and the evening dress code was Smart Casual, no shorts in the evening.
Obviously some people thought that didn't apply to them and chanced their arm.

There was the odd arguement with the Maitre d about this but he stood his ground.

My point is, doing away with a dress code is the slippery slope to Thompson Cruises.

As I've said, horses for courses, but for us, it's ok as it is.

round, spherical objects

[Dark Knight]

Can't disagree Poster boy
we don't do formal, so opted for a less formal cruise line
in future I may have to don the old penguin suit , as Thomson are not going ex UK, so whilst I may not be thrilled to bits about the idea, I will adhere or just go to the buffet

You have to wonder if some of the numpties complaining , do actually read the brochure, assuming they can actually read

[Ranchi]

Afraid I find smart casual a bit of a pressure. On our last cruise there were quite a high number of smart casual nights ( according to the pre cruise literature) & only 1 jacket required. It took me ages to pack ( & I resented having to take a jacket for one night) compared to DJ, suit & a variety of ties. My point is that a lack of formality can lead to pressures rather than the opposite. Who cares if your DJ is from Matalan or has the tailor & cutters name on the label? Not me

[Stephen]

I've no problem either way, smart, casual or formal, but I don't make the rules, the cruise companies do. But if they are going to have a dress code then they need to enforce it.

If people don't like it when they're told to go and change out of their Rab C Nesbit attire into a dinner suit then tough, get off at the next port and bu99er off home to your chip pan and knotted hankie.




Personally I blame the person who loaded the gun for starting this thread.................

[Quizzical Bob]

Let's just not forget when bandying about words like "commercial suicide" that this article says 70% want formal. That seems a reasonable enough sized market to target.

Commercial suicide is selling a product and then not delivering it. So selling a cruise with formal nights and then allowing people who, to put it bluntly, booked the wrong cruise, to hijack it is lunacy.

Yes I might be archaic. I may be a ten bob millionaire. But if I book a cruise which promises to meet those archaic and snobbish aspirations I want it to deliver, not pander to the minority (yes, 30% is a minority) who disagree.

I faithfully promise in return not to pack my dinner jacket if I book a cruise marketed as casual.

If having dress codes that dissuade potential customers from cruising leads to heavy discounting in order to fill the ships then I would call that commercial suicide. It may not kill the business but some people will lose their jobs over poor results.

This figure of 70% has been plucked out of the air over a statistically insignificant sample of customers. It appears to me that the sample was selected in order to get the desired results, as is common in many such cases. If you ask people who like dressing up whether they like the dress codes then of course they are going to say that they like them. Just because it's in the Daily Mail doesn't make it true. The important question is how many people don't go on a cruise because they don't like the pretentiousness of it all.

There are a lot of over-the-top comments about booking the wrong type of cruise. Many people go on a P&O cruise despite the dress codes, not because of them. Many such people fell that their cruise experience would be far more relaxed if they didn't need to endure the tarting-up nights, that is all.

[gravy1955]

Just because it's in the Daily Mail doesn't make it true.

[davecttr]

I was put off going on P&O cruises for years by listening to people going on how wonderful it was to dress up etc etc. When I finally experienced it for myself i found it was not all that different to my previous experiences with Thomson. Some things were better, some worse and some the same.

Now i read that there has been FIGHTING ON ORIANA

[Kenmo1]

I was put off going on P&O cruises for years by listening to people going on how wonderful it was to dress up etc etc. When I finally experienced it for myself i found it was not all that different to my previous experiences with Thomson. Some things were better, some worse and some the same.

Now i read that there has been FIGHTING ON ORIANA

One doesn't expect such standards on the Oriana

Hyacinth Bucket (aka Maureen)

[colwill]

Just because it's in the Daily Mail doesn't make it true.

The usual snide comments about the Mail make me laugh. Print newspapers are in decline; like it or not, the Daily Mail's circulation is still such that it is one of the few left able to afford the best journalists, so that's where many of them have gone.

[Quizzical Bob]

The usual snide comments about the Mail make me laugh. Print newspapers are in decline; like it or not, the Daily Mail's circulation is still such that it is one of the few left able to afford the best journalists, so that's where many of them have gone.

Actually, my comment applies to all newspapers. The Daily Mail is one that I read regularly.

[Marie Lloyd]

I do wish that the people who like dressing up would not spoil it for the rest of us, who prefer a laid back atmosphere, by tarting themselves up on the casual nights

[Dancing Queen]

I do wish that the people who like dressing up would not spoil it for the rest of us, who prefer a laid back atmosphere, by tarting themselves up on the casual nights

Oh dear I'm one of those who 'tart' myself up on casual nights, I never thought about it spoiling it for someone .. I must try harder

[Jan Rosser]

I do wish that the people who like dressing up would not spoil it for the rest of us, who prefer a laid back atmosphere, by tarting themselves up on the casual nights

Oh dear I'm one of those who 'tart' myself up on casual nights, I never thought about it spoiling it for someone .. I must try harder

Guilty too Jo - I find since I finished work and am casual most days - jeans etc. - I like the chance to dress up and may be some nights I do wear something a bit dressy but I please myself not others

[oldbluefox]

Carry on dressing up, ladies. I, for one appreciate those who take a pride in how they look. And there are a good many of us who feel the same.

[Marie Lloyd]

Guilty too Jo - I find since I finished work and am casual most days - jeans etc. - I like the chance to dress up and may be some nights I do wear something a bit dressy but I please myself not others

Exactly. I dress up on formal nights TO PLEASE OTHERS, NOT MYSELF. Why can't the formal brigade do likewise on casual nights?

Sorry, but it makes me so cross.

[Stephen]

Carry on dressing up, ladies. I, for one appreciate those who take a pride in how they look. And there are a good many of us who feel the same.

Exactly Foxy

The ladies love dressing up for the evening, especially if it's a formal night. And then you get Steptoe and Co turning up AND LET IN!

[Jan Rosser]

Guilty too Jo - I find since I finished work and am casual most days - jeans etc. - I like the chance to dress up and may be some nights I do wear something a bit dressy but I please myself not others

Exactly. I dress up on formal nights TO PLEASE OTHERS, NOT MYSELF. Why can't the formal brigade do likewise on casual nights?

Sorry, but it makes me so cross.

I'm afraid I couldnt "please others, not myself" that wouldn't put me in a very good mood - that's not what holidays are about to me - it's my holiday and as long as I am not flouting the rules I'm not going to change the way I dress and let's face it apart from "formal" the interpretation of the other dress codes is very broad.

[Stephen]

Guilty too Jo - I find since I finished work and am casual most days - jeans etc. - I like the chance to dress up and may be some nights I do wear something a bit dressy but I please myself not others

Exactly. I dress up on formal nights TO PLEASE OTHERS, NOT MYSELF. Why can't the formal brigade do likewise on casual nights?

Sorry, but it makes me so cross.

I take your point Marie. The only answer I can give is it will be them that will stand out like a sore thumb for getting it completely wrong. But then that is probably their plan, to gain attention.

[oldbluefox]

Exactly. I dress up on formal nights TO PLEASE OTHERS, NOT MYSELF. Why can't the formal brigade do likewise on casual nights?

I think this cuts both ways and will never be resolved. At least on formal nights there is a dress code but smart casual is very much open to interpretation. On casual nights you will indeed see some who would not be out of place on a formal night, but likewise you will see others who look as though they have neither dressed nor showered for their evening meal. Call me what you like but I don't consider a Tee shirt, joggers and trainers which look as though you have just slept in them, smart.

Personally I wouldn't go with any cruise line if I didn't like their dress code. NCL is out for me but I know others who love them. Horses for courses.

[Kenmo1]

Exactly. I dress up on formal nights TO PLEASE OTHERS, NOT MYSELF. Why can't the formal brigade do likewise on casual nights?

I think this cuts both ways and will never be resolved. At least on formal nights there is a dress code but smart casual is very much open to interpretation. On casual nights you will indeed see some who would not be out of place on a formal night, but likewise you will see others who look as though they have neither dressed nor showered for their evening meal. Call me what you like but I don't consider a Tee shirt, joggers and trainers which look as though you have just slept in them, smart.

Personally I wouldn't go with any cruise line if I didn't like their dress code. NCL is out for me but I know others who love them. Horses for courses.

I totally agree with you OBF - the important word is SMART casual. I don't do dressy, dressy on a smart casual night but I like to feel that I have made an effort to look clean, tidy and appropriately dressed for the occasion, the same as I would if I was eating out in a restaurant. Even if we decide to eat in the buffet, we still make an effort to follow the dress code - it just seems common courtesy to the other cruisers.

I suppose we all feel differently about what is being 'dressed appropriately for the occasion.'

[Dark Knight]

I think the comments that people dress up to please others ,rather than themselves says it all

[Kenmo1]

I think the comments that people dress up to please others ,rather than themselves says it all

I just think of it as good manners but then I have never been a rebel and have never wanted to stand out, so perhaps a bit boring - but it is right for me.

Maureen

[barney]

It really all comes down to personal standards

Some people can put on an Hugo Boss suit and still look like a bucket of sh*t tied up in the middle, others can look extremely smart in chinos and a Fred Perry.
I'm sure that DK looks gorgeous in his Mat Alan suits and his Primani jackets.

The real crux comes with the lowering of standards to the degree where scruffy becomes acceptable.
That is the danger, and if allowed to happen, will alienate the core customers.

Just walk around your local supermarket and see what some think is fine to go out in. Takes your breath away.
The sites you see when you haven't got your gun with you

[Dark Knight]

It really all comes down to personal standards

Some people can put on an Hugo Boss suit and still look like a bucket of sh*t tied up in the middle, others can look extremely smart in chinos and a Fred Perry.
I'm sure that DK looks gorgeous in his Mat Alan suits and his Primani jackets.

The real crux comes with the lowering of standards to the degree where scruffy becomes acceptable.
That is the danger, and if allowed to happen, will alienate the core customers.

Just walk around your local supermarket and see what some think is fine to go out in. Takes your breath away.
The sites you see when you haven't got your gun with you

Barney
Just to clarify
Ted Baker for work
Racing green tuxedo
and Italian suits and Gieves and Hawkes shirts for going out ,with some rather nice hand stitched brogues

you mistake not wanting to impress other ,for not wanting to be smart
and a cheap DJ doesn't impress anyone