Confused on dress code...

[smchan]

I'm sailing on the Magic this Saturday. Laying out my clothes for the week but am confused about the dress code.

Specifically, I suspect I'll have Lumiere's first in my rotation. But reading the previous navigators, the dress code is casual. Am I still expected to wear a jacket to Lumiere's regardless of the overall dress code?

Thanks,
Sam

 

[ThreeCircles]

Prior to starting the 7-day cruises the suggested attire for Lumiere's used to be similar to Triton's (on the Wonder). It basically asked for a jacket for men and dress suit or evening dress for women. Since the 7-day cruises debuted on the Magic, Lumiere's no longer requires the jacket. A dress shirt and nice slacks would be fine for the regular dining nights.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

ThreeCircles gave a good answer.

Unfortunately, DCL publishes conflicting information. The current "Passport to Disney Magic" booklet (with a 5/03 date in the back) that's shipped with the docs says, "A jacket for men and a dress or pantsuit is recommended at Lumiere's and Palo only."

But, once on board, the Navigators make no differentiation between the three rotational dining rooms in terms of dress code. That makes sense to me. On the Magic, the night, not the room, determines the suggested dress. There are four resort casual nights, one tropical/Mexican night, one semi-formal night, and one formal night.

I would use the Navigators as the suggest dress guide.

 

[kcashner]

There really is no dress code. There is "suggested attire." The only thing that even makes the "request" category is no shorts at dinner and jacket in Palo.

You truly CAN wear anything you want. One of our fellow cruisers even commented on the shorts in the dining room at dinner--if that's what you want, nothing will be done to stop you. The "suggested attire" will be listed as "casual," "tropical," "formal," or "semi-formal." Even within those categories, you can decide what qualifies. When the suggestion for the evening is "casual," it makes no difference which restaurant you are in that night.

Most cruisers make some effort to follow the suggestions.....

 

[Zandy595]

What do the majority of the people wear on the formal night?

 

[ThreeCircles]

I would say that the majority of individuals do dress according to the suggested attire provided by DCL.

I think more men wear suits versus a formal tux but you'll see a lot of those as well.

Those who under-dress are usually greatly in the minority. I think the vast majority of people really get into the theme nights, be they formal or tropical, and dress for the event!

 

[PhotoLisa]

I am currently onboard the Magic with PLAP rotation on early seating.

The first night was EXTREMELY casual. Many people in shorts. I was WAY overdressed and was in a plain black dress.

The second night was formal night and it wasn't quite as casual but it was still only about 30% of the people who were dressed in "formal" attire.

The nights since then have been casual. Last night there were people in shorts and jeans as well as simple polo dresses.

We went to Palo on tropical night but went to our regular seating with the kids first. Tropical was anything from shorts to slacks to dresses. In Palo, the majority of diners had on jackets.

Tonight is semi-formal night and I'm not expecting great things from the early diners in our restaurant. I will dress appropriately regardless of what I think others will be wearing!

Lisa

 

[62travelDisney]

Originally posted by PhotoLisa
I am currently onboard the Magic with PLAP rotation on early seating.

The first night was EXTREMELY casual. Many people in shorts. I was WAY overdressed and was in a plain black dress.

The second night was formal night and it wasn't quite as casual but it was still only about 30% of the people who were dressed in "formal" attire.

The nights since then have been casual. Last night there were people in shorts and jeans as well as simple polo dresses.

We went to Palo on tropical night but went to our regular seating with the kids first. Tropical was anything from shorts to slacks to dresses. In Palo, the majority of diners had on jackets.

Tonight is semi-formal night and I'm not expecting great things from the early diners in our restaurant. I will dress appropriately regardless of what I think others will be wearing!

Lisa

Hey Lisa,

Will be on the Magic soon as was wondering about these things too. Do I need to bring ties, etc, for my boys 9 & 11? Also, since I expect we might have the same rotation as you, I'm wondering how you liked it and how your Palo night worked out, thinking about the same plan for that too. Any info. would be great! Have a blast!

Laurie

 

[mmouse37]

Wow....we were on the same rotation 2 weeks ago but with late seating. I found the MAJORITY of people dressed for formal night...black dresses, sparkly tops with skirts, long gowns, suits and several tux's. People who dressed casually were definately the MINORITY. I wonder if the late seating has anything to do with it...people feel more dressy later in the evening???


MJ

 

[val2001]

Am I mistaken? I'm going on a 3-day Wonder. There isn't a formal night on that trip, right?

 

[kcashner]

You certainly may choose to bring ties for your 9 and 11 year olds. However, you certainly do not have to. On our 2/7/04 Magic, we saw young men in tux as well as young men in dockers and polo shirts. The polo shirts or a sports jacket were by far the majority in that age group.

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

No formal on 3 or 4 day.

As for attire on the 7 days it really seems to vary by the cruise. When we went last June I'd say the majority leaned towards formal, although many of the ladies were in shorter cocktail looks rather than gowns.

That being said we went all out! DH & DS in tuxes (both formal & semi formal nights although DH owns his so he wore different accessories) while DD & I were in gowns. As I was packing I was wondering if it was worth it but for US the answer was a resounding YES! Great photos (and many were duplicated - yes with a release) for Christmas gifts making grandparents extremely happy

Plus the CMs just seem to have more fun with the guests that are playing along with the theme.

My 2 cents worth!
Deb

 

[ThreeCircles]

Admittedly, I am sad to report that we have seen individuals show up to dinner wearing shorts. However, I'm glad to say that these individuals have greatly been in the minority on the four cruises I've sailed on.

While Disney may not have a "dress code" as many are quick to point out, how much more than "We kindly request that no shorts be worn to dinner," do you really need???

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Right - applause!

Deb

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by PhotoLisa
The second night was formal night and it wasn't quite as casual but it was still only about 30% of the people who were dressed in "formal" attire.

I suppose it depends on how you define formal. The vast, vast majority made an effort to dress up for the formal night on our cruise. That didn't always mean a tux or dark suit for men (although I would put the percentage at much higher than 30%). There were also those with a light colored suit, or a blazer, or a dress shirt and tie. Similarly, most women wore something dressy.

I wouldn't want anyone to get the impression that 70% just ignored the suggested attire entirely.

 

[lotsofboys]

We were on the same 2/7 Magic as mmouse37, late seating and I agree that the majority of people were dressed formally. And maybe because I have a 7yo DS and two 10yo DSs I paid a bit more attention to how the other young boys were dressed. On both our cruises I opted for buttoned down oxford shirts, ties and dockers, with dress shoes. And both times I noticed the majority of boys had ties, some with jackets some without and the ones that didn't have ties were generally with the families that chose not to dress formally at all.

Surprisingly, this past cruise we had LAPLAPL rotation and I agree that DCL needs to clarify the dress code for Lumiere's. I made DH and my father dress more than casual the nights we were in Lumiere's and we were way over dressed. The navigators do say "Suggested evening attire: casual" for all the other nights that are not formal or tropical. Additionally, I am reading from the back of my navigator, it does state that jackets are REQUIRED, not requested, in Palo.

 

[the4nitz's]

Our Jan 24 cruise showed us that almost anything goes as far as dress code. We sat next to a table that wore shorts a and t-shirts at every dinner except formal night. Then they wore pants and a shirt. I wore a jacket and tie and seemed to be the minority. Most cruisers wore a nice shirt and pants which I will do on our next cruise. Don't worry about what to wear and just have fun.

 

[DMS_cruisers04]

Okay, I think I finally have it. This is draft three. I've been trying to come up with a way to phrase this nicely without causing another flaming debate between the dress code followers and the suggested attire followers, but ...
there's not.
So, IN MY HUMBLE OPINION DCL words it as "suggested" to be polite. 'In case you were wondering, you need to wear a suit and tie or a nice dress to dinner. This is an elegant restaurant not a back yard grill.' Would be a little too harsh printed in the docs. But until "suggested" is dropped, we will continue to have this question asked and everyone will give their opinion for or against. Obviously i'm in the for category.
And yes I understand there are a hundred reasons why someone shouldn't have to dress for dinner (I dress that way everyday at work, it's not in our budget to buy extra clothes, etc., etc.), but we want to believe DCL is a top-of-the-line cruise line, and yet think we should be allowed to do, go and wear whatever, when, how and where we want. Go figure.
As I stated earlier, just my humble opinion.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by DMS_cruisers04
IN MY HUMBLE OPINION DCL words it as "suggested" to be polite.

Well put.

And, for the casual nights, DCL states, "No shorts or jeans, please." Somehow, there are folks who think the word "please" makes it optional, rather than simply making it polite.

If it just said "No shorts or jeans," would compliance be higher?

 

[Tiiiigergirl]

If it just said "No shorts or jeans," would compliance be higher?

Nah. Those same people would just think that it did not refer to them!

However, people do have differing ideas of what is casual. Especially for the first night even if Lumieres is our assigned restaurant my DH does not get dressed in anything more dressy than a nice pair of slacks and a collared shirt. He would be shot on sight (by me) if he attempted to attend dinner in shorts or jeans. Actually we have never even packed jeans. Much too hot!