Did you hear about the massive brawl onboard one of the P&O cruise ships recently. It all started because someone dressed up as a clown.
So what was so upsetting about that?
Well it was during one of the black-tie formal evenings on board – so a clown costume can hardly be described as formal wear.
But the main problem seemed to be that some of the other passengers were upset because they had specifically booked a cruise where there would be no fancy dress?? (I haven’t been on a cruise where people wear fancy dress at dinner – but maybe this is a British thing????) This is what was tweeted from the ship during the fight by a journalist –
“One witness, part of a group involved in the trouble, explained to staff that things kicked off when another passenger appeared dressed as a clown. This upset one of their party because they’d specifically booked a cruise with no fancy dress. It led to a violent confrontation.” 1:17 AM – 27 Jul 2019
By the way “fancy dress” is the term used in Britain to describe a costume – like a clown. This turned so ugly that chairs and plates were being hurled around but …. it was after midnight and a LOT of booze had been consumed.
It made me think about dress codes on board ships – lots of people say that they don’t want to go on a cruise if there are formal nights because of the dress code. Actually let me rephrase that – lots of MEN say they don’t want to have to wear a collar and tie in the evening – let alone a tuxedo! We women get away quite easily with a dress and maybe some sparkly jewellery.
However some cruise lines have done away with formal nights altogether and instead advise that the dress code is “casual elegant”. Well this means that the men can get away with no jacket and tie but a collared shirt is preferred and definitely long pants ….. BUT this code is open to interpretation as well. On the more casual cruise lines like Star Clipper I have seen men with shorts in the evenings – but then you are sailing on a tall ship and it is not quite the same thing as being on the Queen Victoria – no chance of having dinner with your shorts on that ship!
I somehow don’t think that would get past the Maitre ‘d
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