Clowns, Dress Codes and Drinks !

I`m sure everyone will have seen the news in the media this weekend about a ” mass brawl ” on P&O Britannia. Rumour has it  that theincident, in which six people were hurt as P&O’ Britannia sailed to Southampton after a week-long trip to Norway’s fjords, was started by a passenger in dressed up as a clown. Plates and furniture were reportedly used as weapons during the incident in the early hours of Friday morning. This is what was reported on BBC news.

” Good Morning Britain journalist Richard Gaisford, who was on board, said the violence occurred after a black-tie evening and an afternoon of “patriotic” partying on deck, when large amounts of alcohol were consumed.”

P&O have recently introduced and All Inclusive drinks package which can be purchased on board.

All cruise lines have dress codes which differ according to each individual ship and sometimes destinations, and , strange as it may seem, it  is the top end 6 star lines who have the most relaxed dress codes.  Azamara, as an  example, does not have official formal evenings  , instead lots of linen and themed evenings such as their White Night which is a fabulous party on deck where evryone wears something white.

Celebrity cruises have recently ditched their formal evenings and black tie dress code for  ” evening chic “, still smart of course.

However P&O do still have formal evening and dress codes:

Evening wear – Black tie
“Our Gala Evenings, or Black Tie nights, offer a chance to get dressed to the nines in glamorous evening wear. Don your favourite cocktail dress, tuxedo, ball gown or dinner jacket, or alternatively a dark business suit and tie. You may also wear formal national dress or military uniform.”

and also some no goes !!

Fancy dress

“We don’t want to dampen anyone’s fun, but fancy dress and novelty items or clothing are not permitted on our ships; the only exceptions to this are clothing for official P&O Cruises theme nights and seasonal events such as Halloween and Christmas. Any clothing that features inappropriate or offensive language, including novelty clothing with printed images or slogans, will not be allowed on board. We reserve the right to deny embarkation to guests who are inappropriately dressed. This policy does not apply to children aged 17 or under.”

So if it was the clown what happened to the dress code? Are the rules being enforced? If not why not ? Would be interesting to know !