My first thought at reading the cruise ship stuff was that formal night on a Carribean Cruise is a bit like high school prom.  It is a somewhat artificial experience plunked down in an otherwise rather casual experience and, if dress codes are followed, leads to a lot of people in costume.  Going to the Carribean looking for formal elegance is like going to a kosher deli and ordering a ham and swiss sandwich with extra mayo.  It just doesn't work.  The whole Carribean ethos, at least as sold to North American tourists (by which I mean nothing derogatory), is one of laid-back rum and fun with generous lashings of Bob Marley.  What black tie has to do with any of this is completely beyond me.

Now, I'm not saying that I completely disagree with the AAAC fellow.  The fun-seeking Carribean cruiser might do a bit better than the muscle T at dinner and put an aloha, guayabara or camp shirt.  Casual, smart and eminently comfortable.  Completely in their element.

The last time I was on a Carribean cruise was 28 years ago.  I was 10.  On formal night, my brother and I got duded up in blue blazers, repp stripe ties, oxford shirts, chinos and loafers.  Felt like the bee's knees.  Formal night on one of these sailings ought be no more formal than that and perhaps less so.

Those who want the real, retro experience can still get it on ships like the QMII.  But then, the QMII doesn't sail at deep discount.

Oh dear. Maitre d's can be such piss takers... It's a perk of their job.

If this cove ate out more then he might know that.

I shan't name & shame the place, but I once enjoyed bangers & mash Up West with a thoroughly overdressed chap who hadn't had a chance to change from the office. The Maitre d' actually clicked his heels as he bowed to him.

Is there any specific reason these message board folks use the British spelling for words when they are clearly Americans?(Favour instead of favor etc.) Is it refinement thing?

That's a little more common, yes. What I'm talking about is such an obvious attempt at appearing "better". It ties in with the "cruise thread" nicely. I still await the "declining sartorial standards at the Daytona 500" thread with baited breath.

As far as anglicisms go, I, in the course of over 30 years of editing and proofreading have never seen an American write "centre" or "colour." We do talk a lot about moulds in my business, and many Americans do prefer the spelling "mould" for devices such as I use to cast bullets from molten lead. "Mold" is also used, but in my opinion it should be reserved for greenish growths that appear on cheese or old bread.

I note that many Americans in forumland do seem to defer to British usages, preferring "braces" to "suspenders" and "day cravats" to "ascots," to cite merely two examples.