1st Night - Wear Shorts???

[Stimpy]

Favorite Auntie
Ditto
We've been on two Disney 7 day cruises and I couldn't for the life of me tell you what other people were wearing (but I can tell you what MY family was wearing -- appropriate attire of course ).

Same here! If you are going to let what someone else chooses to wear to dinner bother you, I think that's ridiculous.

We also dress as recommended and if someone else doesn't, I am not going to be offended in any way! I probably wouldn't even notice. I worry about myself and my family, it's none of my business what other people do or wear.

 

[Favorite Auntie]

Sorry, I may have seemed a bit harsh, but I just had to say it. I am not judgemental, but it is a vacation. If some people prefer to dress a little more casual - that is up to them. I have a great time on the cruise - and it has nothing to do with what other people are wearing! I follow the rules and believe that other people should too, but if they don't it has nothing to do with me or whether or not I am going to ahve a FABULOUS time!

 

[hopelea]

Favorite Auntie.......I am so glad you said that!!! I don't care what people are wearing. I will do MY BEST to have the right clothing on myself and my two dd's. BUT....my DH will not have a tux on formal night. He will not have a dark suit on. I am thrilled he has agreed to wearing a tie. I understand we can rent a tux. Some people have to understand that it takes most people a long time to save up enough money to do a DC. I don't want to spend an extra $ on a tux. I am putting that extra $ toward tipping.

I agree that if you are dressed the way you feel you should be than you should not let what other people are wearing bother you. Do what someone else suggested and LAUGH because they look out of place.

Hope I didn't offend anyone! Just my two cents!

 

[labr]

We are leaving for our first Disney cruise in a couple of weeks and I am confused about packing my carry-on bags. I have read in various places (including this thread) that you should carry-on your dinner clothes for the first night because your luggage may be late. We are driving from WDW to the Port and checking our bags at the Port. My DD (age 9) has selected special outfits for each dinning room, with the care that only a 9 year old can give. I know that we won't know what our rotation is until we board the ship. Should I try to carry on all of our outfits so she has the correct one for the dinner than night. I am worried now that we may not have our luggage in time. We have the early dinner seating.

I know this sounds crazy - even crazier as I type it - however, I don't want her to be disappointed. She has selected her outfits to fit the theme of each dinning room.

What is everyone's best advice to keep my little cruiser happy!!! Thanks - we can hardly wait to go!!!!!

 

[catjammies]

Chances are your luggage WILL be there in plenty of time for the 6:00 seating........

I know your daughter has put in a lot of effort, but I'd not carry on ALL her selections..... I'd explain the possibility ahead of time to her & use this as one of many opps to show her that sometimes "life isn't perfect" & let her choose the 1 outfit to carry on ahead of time.

I think I may either take my chances or do what someone suggested & roll up a pair of capris in my carryon to go with whatever top I wear that day anyway.....

BTW, also know that you'll know your seating when you get to the TERMINAL, before you board, so you might go by that -- if they'll then let you check the rest of your luggage after pulling out the coordinating outfit for your first nite! )

PS - Your daughter sounds as conscientious about organizing 'things' as my own!!!! I'm always reminding her things don't always go as plannned......... )

 

[gometros]

I want to be very clear about what I said. Disney is a casual ship and therefore, I can see people who don't want to travel with a jacket or suit, dressing casually for dinner and fitting in. On formal night, there were plenty of men in slacks/dockers and a nice shirt. I was equally happy dressing up for formal night.

Where I do draw the line is people who clearly do not care and wear shorts and t-shirts to dinner. If you do not want to abide by the recommended dress for the evening, there is always Topsiders. I understand it is a perfectly suitable substitute and you do not get cheated on the menu. Where Palo is concerned, it is an optional restaurant and if you want to eat there, yo ushould be expected to meet the dress requriements. Otherwise, you don't have to dine at Palo.

 

[TeensMom]

Ditto what Gometros said!

 

[December99]

Well, guess I'm eating at Topsiders the first night because I have carryons packed and there is NO MORE ROOM. I am stashing much more in there than I probably should and there's just no room for pants.

Now for this comment:

I don't know aout all of you, but I was raised that formal is formal. That means tuxes. Gowns. Black tie. Formal. I don't understand why that concept is so difficult to understand.

When you are a fat short person - it IS very hard to find a formal dress. Trust me - I spent over 9 hours one day looking for one and couldn't find one. I refuse to go to a bridal shop and pay $200 for a dress I will wear once that still might not fit me. I found something but it isn't going to be to THAT standard! And if I rented a tux I imagine I'd be flamed here for that!

And in regard to the person that asked why you would want to wear shorts in an air conditioned room - not EVERYONE is cold blooded. I'm going to probably be sweating all dressed up in those rooms - trust me - because I'm fat and hot blooded.

I think the OP just wanted to know about the first night dinner. Not the whole cruise. I agree with others and think that for the person who's young lady might have a problem if she doesn't get to wear her outfit you should probably carry on those clothes. But in our case we are just hitting our max for carry-ons because of things dh needs for his sleeping needs so that isn't an option for us.

Hopefully our luggage will be in our room before our show - for everyone else's sake I guess. But if not - I won't see you guys for dinner on the first night. Don't want to upset anyone that has to look at me.

And truthfully - I don't care what others are wearing either as long as they are relaxed and enjoying themselves. If people want to be stuffy and non-relaxed - then don't go Disney.

And no - I'm not normally this *****y but some of these answers have just ticked me off - assumptions that everyone has money to purchase certain clothes and that everyone assumes that we will dress a certain way. It has just appalled me. So I apologize for offending anyone that might be cruising with me this next week.

 

[gdulaney]

December,

I know that this doesn't help for your trip, but I have a lot of friends who find great deals at the Elizabeth outlet. I don't know if you have one near you, but it is the Liz Claiborne store for larger sizes. The clothes are beautiful, well-made, and don't look like my granny's curtains. I'll never understand why some designers think that once clothes reach a certain size, that a lady ceases to want to look pretty.

Also, the chances of you NOT receiving your luggage are pretty slim. They do a great job of trying to get the luggage delievered as quickly as possible.

Have a great trip!!
Ginny


ps -> I'm certainly not going to argue about what is considered formal, semi-formal, holiday festive, festive casual, business casual, white tie, black tie, or anything else... I'm gonna wear my Sunday best for the semi-formal night (which in my opinion is a very pretty dress...of course it's mine...and I REALLY try not to buy ugly clothes...so what else am I going to say other than it's pretty...oh no, I'm rambling!) and on the formal night, I have a very pretty tea-length black and white dress...husband usually wears a very nice dark suit with a dress shirt and tie....and I promise that neither of us has ever felt under or overdressed. Well..there was one year that I wore the black and white dress in AP and ended up matching the servers...but that's another story.

 

[catjammies]

I'm the starter of this thread today & have watched it progress from time to time betw. my ironing to get ready for 7/19!

I was only asking "what if...." our luggage is not there by 6pm....

Of course, it probably will be for all of us, so not to worry I'm sure.....

btw, DECEMBER99, I know you're going on Saturday with us! I sure do hope I get to meet you! I've read many of your threads & you sound so interesting! I can only guess if I can meet the 3:30 meeting time, as I'LL probably be the "runner" to sign up for stuff. The hub will probably be at the Mickey pool w/the kids after lunch. (Maybe he should be the meeter??? ...but he's shy....))

I remember you said you'd be wearing fluorescent green and are you the one with the black eye/????!!! ..... I'm not sure yet what we'll all wear --still laundering & ironing & counting....but we're a family of 4.... my hubby is TALL & greying a bit for a 40 something year old (but still dark brown.... I'm average height & very fair & strawberry blonde. I'll be the FAIREST of them all on the cruise, I"m sure.....We have 2 kids: 5 & 7.) We hope we can meet up!

Please don't be offended (if you even are) by any comments here. I, too, think it's shallow to actually change a cruise b/c of others not following dress code.... Generally, everyone will & I imagine most everyone will do their best.....

I am SO EXCITEDDDDD!!!!! Know you are, too!

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by December99
... but some of these answers have just ticked me off - assumptions that everyone has money to purchase certain clothes and that everyone assumes that we will dress a certain way. It has just appalled me.

First, please allow me to apologize to you since it appears that my reply within this thread was one of the ones that bothered you. I assure you it was not my intention to offend anyone.

I reread the entire thread. The initial question was whether the recommended attire for the first night is different than for the other casual nights, when DCL states "no shorts or jeans, please." The answer is no. DCL's "no shorts or jeans, please" applies on the first night too. Luggage arrival should not be a problem, but if it is, please don't skip the dinner in your rotation dining room just because you're wearing shorts.

The thread went off-topic, although it continued to deal with attire. Someone wrote, "I never wear jackets, but I will wear a nice shirt and tie for the formal and semi-formal night. Is this ok? Will I look out of place without that jacket?" The answer is that that's not formal attire, and most men will be wearing a dark suit or even a tuxedo. It's up to the individual to decide whether he would feel out of place. But he won't be turned away, and he won't be the only man without a jacket.

Various people posted that they don't concern themselves with what others wear. That's a good attitude.

Another two cents worth from me... DCL provides dress recommendations, not a strict dress code. DCL is doing us a favor by giving us some guidance -- as if your neighbor invited you to a nice dinner party, and you asked, "what should I wear?" There's room for a wide variety of dress. Most people don't care what others are wearing, but most of us like to dress appropriately for the occasion. Have fun!

 

[~Sparkly~Zoe]

Are all of the dinners formal?

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by ~Sparkly~Zoe
Are all of the dinners formal?

Nope. On the 7-night cruise, there's one formal dinner, one semi-formal dinner, four casual (just "no shorts or jeans, please") dinners, and one dinner where the dress is tropical attire.

Most people dress up quite a bit on the formal night (most men in formal business suits or formal tuxedos, and women in formal dresses, gowns, cocktail dresses, dressy suits, nice pants suits, and "Sunday best"). On the semi-formal night, dress is all over the board because the term "semi-formal" means such different things to different people.

 

[catjammies]

Thank you for what I think is a very concise clarification of the whole thing!


)

 

[BethA]

We've always received our luggage in time for dinner with plenty to spare. I do believe people should observe the dress code, and would like to see it enforced on formal night--if you show up in shorts and a tshirt you should choose 1 of the other options for dinner- and there are several- but not everyone feels that way.
If you show up the first night in whatever you wore on board I'm sure you won't be the only one in shorts, jeans, or EXTRA casual. Hope you have a great trip.

 

[Kaa]

Out of my four prior cruises, I didn't receive my luggage in time for dinner once. I did go to dinner in shorts (Lumiere's no less!) that night, but followed the dress code for the remainder of the cruise. Since I hadn't had the luggage problem on prior sailings, I didn't feel it necessary to pack dinner clothes in a carry-on. You can't help matters beyond your control. Too bad if others can't be more understanding of the situation.

 

[jeanneg]

If you have the early seating it is possible, but not likely, that you will NOT receive your luggage in time. We just returned from the 7/5 Magic and checked all our bags with the porters at around 10:15 or 10:30. When we arrived at our stateroom only 5 of the 6 bags were there. My husband's garment bag with all his dinner attire was missing. After a while we started to get nervous and asked the cabin stewards. Apparently every cruise some bags lose their tags and are not delivered until their owners report them missing. My husband's garment bag was not among those
either. Luckily, it finally turned up in our cabin with all the tags intact at about 5:45 - - well after we set sail. Since we had late seating, it was no problem, but if we had the earlier one we might not have had enough time to change. I still can't understand why it too so long for that one bag, but there were other DISers who checked in at the same time and they only got their bags a little before my husband got his. So it does happen more often than people probably realize. I don't think it's practical to carry a full wardrobe change in your day bag and I also think most people are very accepting of shorts in the dining room that first night.
That being said, I noticed many diners wearing shorts all the other nights including formal night. Personally I didn't let it detract from my enjoyment, but I was very peeved to see someone totally inappropriate at Palo one night.

 

[WDWLVR]

A couple of quick points:

For anyone driving down (or staying in Cocoa the night before) - don't worry about your luggage getting there before dinner. When we went in February and checked our luggage at the point it beat us to the room. Those of you flying in same day may wait a while, but in 5 cruises we always had it before dinner.

Shorts on tropical/mexicali night were not only allowed but encourged on our two 7 day cruises. We had a great time.

This is just me, but we usually wear something a little more formal than shorts and t-shirts for boarding. Now formal is the wrong word, but what I'm talking is more resort casual. DH in dockers and polo, me in pants and coordinating top. We then usually do not change for dinner. We like to have a really nice boading picture because that is one we usually buy.

Topsiders is not an option on the first night - nor the last.

If indeed your luggage doesn't make it in time for dinner by all means please come dressed as you our. On one of our 4 day cruises we were without dining companions on the first night because their luggage didn't make it and they felt underdressed.

Hope this helps someone!

 

[tezb]

I too never really noticed or can remember what others were wearing at our past cruises. Guess it shows how it really doesn't matter. I just cared about how myself and family looked. It also sends a message to the kids/teens about following rules, etiquette, etc.

Another reason to dress "nice" for dinner is to take a family portrait. Why be dressed "down" for these special pics that we can't normally all get together for at home! I also don't normally see my boys looking so handsome. The pictures are one of my favorite things about the cruise!

 

[EAP'sDAD]

This thread reminded me of an scene in a Soprano's episode when Tony and his wife go out to the fancy restaurant and a guy is sitting at the next table with a hat on. It seems to drive Tony crazy, so he goes over and tells the guy in a his own way that the hat is inappropriate for this type of restaurant. It has to do with respect of the establishment he tells him. That is the problem with suggested attire not required, I believe to wear shorts tank tops and bathing suits is disrespectful, I was raised to be respectful of people and my surrondings. in this case excluding formal night and palo's one should be comfortable but remember that they are not at Denny's. But on Formal night i believe it is disrespectful to the ship, the passenger's and the establishment to go in without at least a suit on. Tux's can become expensive when you just paid for the cruise, but if one does not have the respect to at least wear a suit there is also Topsider's or Pluto's or even in room dining. I am a big believer in worrying about your self mentality, but not when it offends a large group of people.

I have family members who don't own dress shoes and attended a wedding wearing sneakers. While it was alright and there was no dress code I know the bride's father was very upset at this but didn't want to ruin the beautiful event and I believe that is Disney's approach to the whole thing, because if someone said something it would become a big scene.

If I was sitting down for dinner in a formal atmosphere and the person sitting at the next table was wearing casual attire I would still enjoy my meal and the company I was in. Just the atmosphere that i was hoping for would be gone and for that some of the magic of a cruise would also be gone