We make more of an effort
Having just returned from my first experience on a P&O ship and having been rather impressed with the service. One thing I was looking forward to was seeing the difference between us Brits on a P&O ship compared to other ocean liners when it comes to making that effort in dressing up. Of course the Formal evening you expect to see everyone dressed up but what was pleasing was on the smart casual nights people still made the effort. Others and myself included often wore a jacket with an open collar shirt or a suit without the tie, smart casual but still pretty dressy. The ladies always look good in their dresses.
Other ocean liners just don’t seem to have the same passion as us when it comes to dining and being smartly dressed. I love Royal Caribbean but I have to say the ships I’ve been on tends to only be the Captains gala formal evening that anyone makes an effort and even then you get the disrespectful ones who wear a baseball cap and an oversized shirt. Royal Caribbean seem to be quite lenient when it comes to letting people dine by not enforcing the dress code. I’d returned from a day out on an excursion and before I wanted to get ready for my evening meal I just wanted a drink in the bar. Being a warm day I had shorts on but was refused entry as it had turned 7pm. I respected the decision and went away thinking well done P&O you should enforce a dress code and stand by it. Had this been on Royal Caribbean I would probably have been allowed to enter and have my drink.
It was really nice to see that not just on the formal nights people still made an effort when having the table service. I think us Brits definitely take more pride. I really enjoyed the dining experiences on P&O.
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I'm Steve, I've spent nearly Sixteen years in travel. Working for a big high street travel agent before moving to be a Cruise specialist homeworker. I've visited some amazing places through out the world. My personal favourite place has to be the United States of America. Having been no fewer…
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I agree entirely with the comments re dress code. Holland America say they have a dress code but everybody ignores it. What’s the point? Either you have a code or you don’t. On a recent HA cruise, people even attended formal dinners in torn jeans and multi coloured trainers. I find it disrespectful to those who make an effort. That said, I have to say I found the standard if dinners very poor on P&O.
I quite agree, I think it is an insult to your fellow diners and even the waiting staff when people turn up to dinner in T shirts, trainers and Jeans, a lack of respect. I would be horrified if the waiter who served me was dressed in this way.
The ladies always seem to make an effort but not their partners.
If you want to be so casual then eat in the self service restaurant.
Maybe it’s a generation thing. what to other cruisers think?
Having just returned from a Celebrity cruise, was very disappointed that even though the dress was clearly printed in the daily newsletter and was on the entrance wall of the dining room, people still came in wearing polo shirts on formal nights. Nobody challenged them. They just didn’t bother making any effort whatever.I was told Celebrity was 5* but not for their policing of dress code. So well done P & O for keeping standards.
we are due a Celeb cruise 29/05 and worried by what you say. The Head Waiter should be told then further if nothing done.
Well done Steve to point this out. We love cruising and enjoy the dressing up for dinner as it is not every day of the week that you dress for dinner. We were also on an American ship and it seemed anything goes. There were people in jeans on formal nights which we thought inappropriate. Keep the good work up.
We have cruised several times with Fred Olsen and find that people adhere to dress codes also. It seems the cruise lines geared to the British cruisers have a more rigid dress code.
Well done Steve to make comment. Dress codes are important and enjoyable as there are so few occasions to dress up except on cruises and we really look forward to this aspect of cruising. It is so off putting and disrespectful if people make no effort to be appropriately dressed. On P&O everyone seems to keep to the code, and last year on little Ocean Princess and Cunards Queen Victoria also.
Have just returned ffrom F OLSEN part World cruise and have to say how nice it was to see thatthe dress code was always correct.
Yep, totally concur with all comments on this thread.
Boot laces tied straight not crossed. P&O should be applauded for endeavouring to maintain traditional cruise standards on their ships.
It is the passengers who also need to have a whatever circumstances dress code, but as aforementioned, some are totally ignorant and have absolutely no social skills, unless they are ex HM Forces, you can spot them a mile off, smart, upright, proud and congenial.
I put it down to some of our educational establishments, which appear to turn out poorly educated pupils and the massive advent of computer use and smart phone usage.
Some of these ignorant passengers are also such fat slobs it is difficult for them to dress appropriately, which sums these people up >>>
No discipline, no Idea, no manners and lazy to the extreme, which is why they don’t conform to the norms of most of us.
totally agree with Robert James May13th 2014 especially last 2 paragraphs.
However beware P&O.
Just returned from cruise on the Ventura and the vast reduction in the cost of the cruise seems to me to be attracting a high percentage of the type of passengers he writes about.
Have to say I agree with you Ron!
Although I adhere to dress code and actually like formal nights, I think all in all P&O are somewhat pretentious now in this regard.
Dining, in my opinion, is of poor quality, the Captain’s cocktail party is not worth the effort compared to other cruise lines.
All dressed up and nowhere to go comes to mind when it’s a P&O formal night!
I think you summed it up with your comment regarding vast reductions in fare, these reductions can only lead in one direction, a continued lowering of P&O standards.
P.O.S.H is now only a distant memory!
Well done Steve and others to comment on your observations. I fully agree Dress codes are important and enjoyable as there are so few occasions to dress up except on cruises and I am one who really look forward to this aspect of cruising. It is disgraceful to see passengers not observing the rules and I expect that these should strictly not be allowed to enter in the main Dining Room. I am rather new in cruising but it is becoming my retirement lifestyle to start cruising two or three times a year. Since I travelled on the Cunard’s ‘Queen Victoria’, I was impressed to see almost everyone dressed up smartly every evening for dinner and going to the theatre. I hate to see passengers not observing the dress code especially during formal nights. It creates the atmosphere the way I like to travel and I shall make it a point to avoid any Cruise Lines where dress code is not observed and especially for the crew allowing disrespectful passengers get away with it. My opinion is that Cruise Ships or Cruise Lines allowing such bad practice should go one star down in their classification.
Very well said! One of the joys of cruising is dressing up, and if followed by all, it gives to the ship a special atmosphere.
Moreover, having dinner in a cruise ship’s dining room is most times like eating in a fine restaurant ashore, where it is only normal for everyone to dress up.
We prefer to travel on British ships when the itinerary is right for us, as British cruisers tend to keep classic cruise standards and seem to enjoy formality.
Our favourite line by far is Cunard, where the dress code is elevated, and, combined with magnificent surroundings, dressing up makes every night special. We are looking forward to our next cruise on the Queen Elizabeth.
Very nice to hear that P&O keeps standards, too. Last time we were on them, three years ago, everybody adhered to the dress code. We would go gladly again.