TribalistMeathead

It's absolutely enforced, it just seems to be self-enforced. The tablemates I mentioned were the only diners I saw who didn't obey the dress code. One only came to dinner one of the seven nights (a formal night), and the other disobeyed it on the 3 formal nights. Neither flagrantly violated it, the diner who only came to dinner once wore what seems to match the description of an "Alaskan tuxedo" upthread, and the other wore a tan suit with an ascot. I was never asked to leave any areas of the ship for not being properly dressed, but the only time I wore shorts and a t-shirt was on my way to/from the fitness center.

The vast majority of Cunard passengers will "obey," because they chose that particular line for a reason. Particularly on the itineraries that aren't North Atlantic crossings, where they could have chosen a different line with a less restrictive dress code.

FWIW, my wife dreaded the dress code and bringing enough clothing to obey it without wearing the same clothing numerous times, but she ended up enjoying it so much, she talks about how she'd like to do it again, only this time she'd like to cross both ways by ship (we flew home).

Badenoch

Self-enforcement is a voluntary choice if the cruise lines are not requiring compliance or fellow cruisers are routinely rebuking the less-formally dressed at their tables.

TribalistMeathead

It's a voluntary choice that a thousand passengers made at dinner each night, with two notable exceptions. The system appears to be working just fine.

Badenoch

It works just fine for everyone. Even on Cunard those who wish to dress up can and those who do not are not denied access to the dining room. It's a win-win.

bicker

Even when the cruise line is explicit, there are some people who will still doggedly, and even rudely, insist that their more stringent formal dress restrictions must be complied with by all. For example, Holland America states clearly, in black and white, that jeans are perfectly acceptable in the dining room on smart casual nights (as long as they're not ripped or otherwise distressed, of course - same as tuxedos) yet there are some people rude enough to try to deceive others into thinking that jeans are not smart casual on Holland America. It reminds me a little of schoolyard bullying, but in reality it is basically just lying.

Badenoch

If they are desperate to cling to an earlier era I can forgive them for trying to deceive people into dressing up. The mistake would be if they took it upon themselves to enforce the dress code during the cruise.

bicker

You are a saint!

I don't forgive deception. It's been used too often and for too long to hurt people. Better for people to be up-front and honest: "You should wear a tux because I like it better when every man wears a tux in the dining room." If you don't feel that telling the truth will have the impact that you desire, then perhaps sometimes it is better to say nothing at all.

hhoope01

We are back from our Alaska cruise (and land RV trip.)

I thought I'd mention that I was surprised by the number of folks that did dress up on our Holland America cruise. While there were definitely some folks that didn't dress up for the Gala nights, there were more men with a coat and tie than there weren't. Based on the comments I had seen on Cruise Critic, I was expecting fewer to be dressed up.

Note that I had no issues whether anyone else dressed up or not as that is not my business, but my wife really wanted us to dress up (as the first gala night was on our 30th anniversary). So we did.

747FC

Happy Anniversary!

bicker

Some people don't contextualize their comments. They'll post 100 posts about how people wear torn jeans, wife-beater tank tops, and baseball caps in the Dining Room on Gala night, even though they've only seen one person, once, wearing distressed (not torn) jeans, wearing an armless t-shirt rather than a tank top, and carrying rather than wearing a baseball cap. I also wouldn't put it past some to complain about people violating the dress code when they are not, because the complainer wants the requirements to be more stringent.

marilau6

You just need a black suit, a white tshirt and a black tie, it's enough to be formal

milepig

Windstar has no formal night, ever.

Gardyloo

Or do a full Vinny -

A1pax

We were on a HAL Alaska cruise from Vancouver to Seward in mid June. There were 2 gala nights. On both nights we dressed smart casual - but with jackets and shoes (not sandals). When I asked the dining room manager if we should dress up a bit more, he said we were OK, no problem. We did observe that some of the pax (particularly the ladies) did dress up bit - sequinned dresses accessorised with jewelleries. The men not so much, just a crisp shirt - some with jackets.