You have to understand, I come from a "board" that belittles people because they can't afford expensive formal wear. I have a problem with snobs that feel that if your not in a gown or tux, you must be trailer park trash. I dress appropriately for formal nights but I will not go broke doing it, I'd rather spend the money in St. Thomas on Gold. I will never understand why people have such a fixation on what other people wear. Does it diminish "your" cruise, if so I think that you have a problem.
Tigger wrote:
>
> You have to understand, I come from a "board" that belittles
> people because they can't afford expensive formal wear. I
> have a problem with snobs that feel that if your not in a
> gown or tux, you must be trailer park trash
I dont think there's anyone who believes you have to wear tuxes and ballgowns. It's apparent though from the responses MANY believe people should be dressed appropriately.
One doesnt have to be rich, or spend tons of money to do that!!!
An attitude that anyone who is dressed well is a snob, is also simply reverse elitism, and is no better a generalization than the reverse.
Took our first cruise in 1984(S0ng of Norway) and have never worn a tux(just suits) until our upcoming cruise 2/11.Rented a tux because I want to look good for the wife and because it is an11 day cruise I will not have to pack a suit and all the accs.Has nothing to do with being or not being snobish,just makes sense to us. What is in your suitcase
Well, I for one also feel that part of the 'cruise experiance' is the fact that you are expected to 'dress for dinner'. I am hardly a snob, nor do I want to be, but dressing for dinner does create a certain ambiance that makes meals more pleasurable and an event, not just tying on the feedbag.
Jim
The style of formal attire is not the issue that I have a problem with, it is the fact that there are folks who want to buck the system because they feel the rule doesn't apply to them. There is a reason why we wear certain clothes to certain functions. ie: one would not wear shorts and t-shirt to a formal ball or event. The same would apply to not wearing a tuxedo to a BBQ picnic. Unless of course the invitation states differently. The cruise lines have deemed formal nights to include formal wear. There should not be a question as to what to wear as it is clearly stated. Every man should have a suit and every women should have a basic black dress at the least if you are serious about cruising. That is of course if the line you are choosing to use has formal attire evenings Hey, if it doesn't interest you to dress formally, stay out of the dining room or choose a cruise line that does not require formal attire.
Why? Whats wrong with a nice pair of dress shorts....shirt ..tie...dress coat? Silly question? not really <G> Society decides whats appropriate or not. No hard rules there.
There are so few occasions when dressing formally is called for that I enjoy the novelty of formal nights. Sometimes, some folks overdo a good thing: on a 1996 Panama repositioning cruise several of us, well into pre-dinner drinks one night, decided to create the International Save-the-Sequin Society, dedicated to counteracting the monumental devastation evidenced by some truly competitive formal wear. More recently, on receipt of Holland America's 100-day copper medallion on a wide blue ribbon, I insisted on wearing it on a formal night, prompting my partner to observe that with just a little gold braid, I'd be a dead-ringer for the tinpot dictator of a banana republic. ...If someone isn't providing a reason to smile, it ain't a cruise.
Kuki, You did it again. "for every up there is a down". "for every forward there is a backward". "for every comment that is made, there is an opposit". Thanks for doing your answering that way..Saves me the time of having to write it. This is not meant to be nasty. I really am giving you a compliment.
You have to understand, I come from a "board" that belittles people because they can't afford expensive formal wear. I have a problem with snobs that feel that if your not in a gown or tux, you must be trailer park trash. I dress appropriately for formal nights but I will not go broke doing it, I'd rather spend the money in St. Thomas on Gold. I will never understand why people have such a fixation on what other people wear. Does it diminish "your" cruise, if so I think that you have a problem.
I don't see anybody belittling anybody who can't afford expensive formal wear. What I do see is people asking that others make responsible choices.
Your assertion that people who can't afford formal wear are going on a cruise is utter nonsense.
>> Ladies can buy a dress that's appropriate for formal night for $35 or so at JC Penney's. Add some cubic zirconimum earrings and a matching neclace or pendant and chain ($30 or so) and a pair of dress pumps, and you have a formal outfit that you can wear for many occasions.
>> Gentlemen who don't own a suit can rent a tux with two shirts, two ties, and both a vest and a cummerbund for about $85 for a week. Many cruise lines that have formal nights now offer on-board rentals (delivered to your cabin on embarkation day, and you just leave it there when you disembark) for about the same price. It's also possible to buy an inexpensive dark suit that would meet the dress guidelines for formal night for about $150 and have it to wear for weddings, funerals, and other dressy occasions.
Basically, it's possible to obtain appropriate formalwear for less than 10% of the cost of a cruise package (including air and transfers). If you can't afford appropraite attire for formal nights, you obviously cannot afford the cruise, either.
Hey, if it doesn't interest you to dress formally, stay out of the dining room or choose a cruise line that does not require formal attire.
Most cruise lines actually state that the prescribed attire is for the entire evening -- including the entertainment venues -- and not just for the main dining rooms. Accordingly, the choice of a cruise line that does not require formal attire is the better option if one does not wish to dress for formal nights.
Why? Whats wrong with a nice pair of dress shorts....shirt ..tie...dress coat? Silly question? not really <G> Society decides whats appropriate or not. No hard rules there.
Actually, a Bermuda tuxedo (which is literally a tuxedo with shorts, worn with knee socks and garters, that have the same tape stripes on the sides as tuxedo pants) generally is acceptable formalwear. The original discussion, however, was about those who show up in a tennis attire or worse even though the cruise line prescribes formal dress.
Dress codes...Smess codes...Big deal
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