Dress Codes Again: Not Everyone Enjoys "Dressing Up"
Since joining a couple of Facebook groups for cruises I'm going on in the future. I've seen the great debate about dress codes rear its head every few days. The lines I'm cruising on in the future - Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Lines - have "suggested" dress codes for formal nights, but allow most anything in the Main Dining Rooms except shorts, tank tops, and flip-flops. That is about the level I enjoy which is why those lines are good for me and my family.
On Royal Caribbean, it's "suggested" that on formal nights women wear cocktail dresses or evening gowns and men should have a suit and tie or tuxedo. It's suggested, not enforced. I will have dresses with me - not cocktail dresses, but comfortable dresses and sandals. My son is accompanying a group of friends and myself on a 12-night cruise this summer. He will have khakis and a polo shirt or a button-down shirt with a Pokemon tie I bought him. That's about as formal as we get. If I had to dress any more than that, I would not choose that cruise line for a vacation. I don't considering dressing up "fun."
Yet over and over again I see people chiding others who are like me that we should dress up because it's "fun" or "nice to get dressed up." No, it's not "fun" for everyone. For some of us, it's a chore. For some of us, we're not comfortable. I wouldn't chide someone who liked dressing up by saying how could you do that - you must be so uncomfortable." When they say we should teach our kids they should dress up, I want to ask them how they would feel if I told them I thought it was a horrible thing to force kids to dress up like that. I never would, but they seem to think it's okay to tell us how we should be teaching our kids about the clothes they wear, but not the other way around.
If we don't use those clothes in our lives back in the real world, it's also an expense. My son doesn't own a suit. The one my husband has was outgrown a long time ago. I suppose he could wear his bus driver uniform which is pants, button-down shirt, and tie - all with the MTA logo all over them - but I don't think that is what these people have in mind.
I really resent the people who talk about how people like us "ruin the atmosphere." I've written before that the rest of the world is not made up of characters in your life. We are real people with our own comfort level. Obviously, these cruise lines found that requiring formal wear was something most of their customers did not enjoy and adapted to it. There are cruise lines out there that still do - you are welcome to plan your vacation on them. You won't see me there.
Someone compared it to going to a "nice" restaurant at home and suggested you were disrespecting the people who prepared and served your meal if you showed up to eat in shorts and flip-flops. I don't know what kind of restaurants this person goes to, but the ones I go to near home, from Mexican to steakhouses, to barbecue, to Irish Pubs don't care in the least what people wear. I guarantee they are more likely to remember how much you tipped them than what you wear.
Like someone else said: I am just amazed that people care that much about what others wear!! Wear what makes you happy and just worry about yourself !!
On Royal Caribbean, it's "suggested" that on formal nights women wear cocktail dresses or evening gowns and men should have a suit and tie or tuxedo. It's suggested, not enforced. I will have dresses with me - not cocktail dresses, but comfortable dresses and sandals. My son is accompanying a group of friends and myself on a 12-night cruise this summer. He will have khakis and a polo shirt or a button-down shirt with a Pokemon tie I bought him. That's about as formal as we get. If I had to dress any more than that, I would not choose that cruise line for a vacation. I don't considering dressing up "fun."
Yet over and over again I see people chiding others who are like me that we should dress up because it's "fun" or "nice to get dressed up." No, it's not "fun" for everyone. For some of us, it's a chore. For some of us, we're not comfortable. I wouldn't chide someone who liked dressing up by saying how could you do that - you must be so uncomfortable." When they say we should teach our kids they should dress up, I want to ask them how they would feel if I told them I thought it was a horrible thing to force kids to dress up like that. I never would, but they seem to think it's okay to tell us how we should be teaching our kids about the clothes they wear, but not the other way around.
If we don't use those clothes in our lives back in the real world, it's also an expense. My son doesn't own a suit. The one my husband has was outgrown a long time ago. I suppose he could wear his bus driver uniform which is pants, button-down shirt, and tie - all with the MTA logo all over them - but I don't think that is what these people have in mind.
I really resent the people who talk about how people like us "ruin the atmosphere." I've written before that the rest of the world is not made up of characters in your life. We are real people with our own comfort level. Obviously, these cruise lines found that requiring formal wear was something most of their customers did not enjoy and adapted to it. There are cruise lines out there that still do - you are welcome to plan your vacation on them. You won't see me there.
Someone compared it to going to a "nice" restaurant at home and suggested you were disrespecting the people who prepared and served your meal if you showed up to eat in shorts and flip-flops. I don't know what kind of restaurants this person goes to, but the ones I go to near home, from Mexican to steakhouses, to barbecue, to Irish Pubs don't care in the least what people wear. I guarantee they are more likely to remember how much you tipped them than what you wear.
Like someone else said: I am just amazed that people care that much about what others wear!! Wear what makes you happy and just worry about yourself !!
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