The thing is, in all of my 21 cruises, I have never noticed people not following the dress rules as long as formal is construed to mean coat and tie rather than tux. If a tux were truly required , I would not be in the dining room and probably not on the ship as all. I am still in the dining room for the food and the service rather than the ambiance.
I am certain that you can still find upscale cruises where most of the men are attired in a tux, but the percentage seems to be getting fewer on most cruise ships.
In the early days of cruising, I am sure that the formal dress requirements were in effect because most of the passengers preferred them. However, I really believe that one of the primary reasons for still having such rules is that the cruise line makes money from the photographs taken on formal nights.
Live and let live and you will live longer
