Dress code relaxed for adult restaurants

[Kwami]

Cruisers are demanding much more casual experiences.
My first cruise, on another cruise line, you wore a suit to dinner EVERY night except formal night, then you wore a tux.
Kind of sad, because playing all day, getting cleaned up and dressed up for dinner is kind of what cruises (were/are) all about.

Do people not get cleaned up before dinner? I can't imagine not showering after I've been out in the sun all day. But, I do like not taking an extra 15-20 minutes getting all dressed up. I don't see why jeans are so bad for dinner.

 

[tvguy]

Do people not get cleaned up before dinner? I can't imagine not showering after I've been out in the sun all day. But, I do like not taking an extra 15-20 minutes getting all dressed up. I don't see why jeans are so bad for dinner.

LOL. You never know, not showering may be next!

 

[shananigans]

I realize this is about formalwear, but I’ll be totally honest, we felt SUPER out of place last Oct on our HOTHS cruise when we didn’t dress up in costume. It was our first Halloween cruise and we were NOT prepared.

Felt underdressed and out of place! Some dressed as pirates and got use from pirate garb and credit for Halloween costumes. One lady was full on Maleficent and her grandson was Prince Charming! It was really fun to see - but we sure felt like we didn’t get the memo.

I think if I were to dine at Remy or Palo and I wasn’t dressed up, I’d feel like we did on the Halloween cruise. With that being said, I have yet to dine at either. We’ve only done four cruises, and haven’t had the pleasure. But from my understanding they are supposed to be a different level of dining than the MDR’s.

I don’t mind dressing up - but our 14 yo son DETESTS it. I typically bring 2-3 dresses for dinner and show up cruise casual for all other meals.

To each their own. Honestly we don’t pay attention to anyone else (except for costume nights! ) and just go to enjoy our dining experiences as a family.

 

[jeffporfirio]

Cruisers are demanding much more casual experiences.
My first cruise, on another cruise line, you wore a suit to dinner EVERY night except formal night, then you wore a tux.
Kind of sad, because playing all day, getting cleaned up and dressed up for dinner is kind of what cruises (were/are) all about.

I say bring back top hats, monocles and canes

In all seriousness. I agree with you, take pride in how you look.
We have opted for European cruises lately and you see more people dressed up for dinner.
It's an event, not just a meal

 

[Meglen]

I say bring back top hats, monocles and canes

In all seriousness. I agree with you, take pride in how you look.
We have opted for European cruises lately and you see more people dressed up for dinner.
It's an event, not just a meal

Pride in the way you look all depends on your personal style tho. I can wear jeans and a shirt and I took pride in the design and fit and feel good about myself in it. Just because I don't wear a dress or slacks dosnt meant I don't pride myself...

 

[nancipants]

Can we not?

 

[AquaDame]

Reminder that political commentary is not welcome here. If you want to throw senseless shade across the aisle in either direction please do so elsewhere.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

So while I’ve never cruised before (shocking I know), I always pack at least one nice outfit or dress. However, since breaking my ankle over 8 years ago (all is fine the metal even was taken out just got some scars to prove it), shoes have been a fight and a half. Knowing I can bring nice sandals that are also comfy for me now is nice to know. Knowing my mom can wear her flats/sneaker hybrid due to her foot problem is nice. My dad not having to pack fancy shoes would also be a nice touch.



Also while I’m a full grown adult and don’t have kids yet, a huge reason my parents didn’t cruise with me when I was younger was because of the fancy dress requirement. They didn’t wan to pack extra. While I know these restaurants are 18+ at least now a young teen won’t have to worry about having to buy a blazer (I know a lot of guys friends who rented stuff through college because they were still changing sizes constantly) for a cruise

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Fine with me. it will change what I was thinking of to wear to Enchante - won't be jeans though.

 

[Kwami]

(I know a lot of guys friends who rented stuff through college because they were still changing sizes constantly)

I somehow got through college without having to buy or rent a suit! I even got through my PhD defense without one!

But my wife insisted on a suit when we got married, so now I have one. I wear it to Palo, but without the jacket or tie. I don't have other dressy clothes since they were never required at work.

So, I'm happy with these changes. Now, I can just pack a nice shirt and some dark jeans.

 

[Scalemaster34]

DCL no longer offers tux and suit rentals onboard, so the only option would be packing your own.

" go back to"

I was really talking about even pre-Disney... going on a cruise back in the 80's and 90's. Folks were living "The Love Boat" dream, did suit and tie every night and then a Tux on one night.

 

[paladin732]

" go back to"

I was really talking about even pre-Disney... going on a cruise back in the 80's and 90's. Folks were living "The Love Boat" dream, did suit and tie every night and then a Tux on one night.

Honestly, that sounds dreadful. I'm all for looking nice at dinner, but why does it have to be a suit? Why can't it be just a high quality shirt and pants?

There is a 2-michelin star restaurant near where we live, Acquerello, that we love. The only problem with it is that they make you dress up. They have done this for years, I remember seeing folks turned away for not having a tie when I first went 8 or 9 years ago. Even they have started to lighten up. We were the most dressed in full suits last time we went, and I swore that neither my husband nor I would bother wearing suits again, we will both either wear khakis and a polo, or nice jeans and a nice sweater, etc, etc.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

I somehow got through college without having to buy or rent a suit! I even got through my PhD defense without one!

But my wife insisted on a suit when we got married, so now I have one. I wear it to Palo, but without the jacket or tie. I don't have other dressy clothes since they were never required at work.

So, I'm happy with these changes. Now, I can just pack a nice shirt and some dark jeans.

Yeah musical theatre and music major in general problems lol.

 

[MomOTwins]

These posts always make for a fun read

I love dressing up—my go to for DCL adult restaurants is a cute dress and matching minnie ears. DH feels much more comfortable in a pair of dark jeans and a nice shirt (and he looks amazing too). He will be so happy not to have to pack a jacket, dress shoes and slacks on our next cruise for Remy, and I’ll enjoy he considerable extra suitcase space since he is 6’7’’ so his clothes take up some serious luggage!

I also love to go all out on pirate night. DH would hate that and feel super awkward in a costume so wears a pirate t-shirt instead.

If you don’t wear a pirate costume on pirate night, that is neither rude to DCL nor ruining things for fellow guests. Guests can have fun dressing up even if others do not—I certainly do. That’s true for fancy clothes at restaurants too.

When you think about it, is dinner really more enjoyable for you knowing another guest was embarrassed/turned away from a restaurant they’d been looking forward to because they lacked a required article of clothing? Or knowing that someone feels miserable all dinner because they hate formal wear? Things shouldn’t be “more fun” because someone else is having a bad time, the most fun for everyone is when people can choose to do what makes then happy without forcing others to join suit.

 

[Husker Mike]

Whether you like it or not...society continues to evolve. People used to wear suits to sporting events, but that's long history. 30 years ago, most offices required a more formal dress code, then it became business casual. And today, jeans are much more common than slacks.

These new policies make perfect sense. Airlines make it difficult to haul an excess of clothes, and now it's your choice.

 

[MomOTwins]

Airlines make it difficult to haul an excess of clothes, and now it's your choice.

For some reason this line made me think of the look on an airline check in counter attendant’s face if I showed up toting an old fashioned steamer trunk like in the “good ol days” of cruising with formal attire nightly. And just imagine the excess baggage weight fees!

 

[Sleepyluke]

I think my biggest concern is that DCL has never really "enforced" many of their policies. MDR no swim suits, tank tops, etc, yet every cruise we see them. I don't think everyone has to be in a tux, but atmosphere is 100% a real thing in a restaurant. Just because a holey pair of jeans cost $250, does not make them classy, just like a $15 dress shirt does not make it trashy. DCL makes these 2 areas upscale and a nicer atmosphere than the MDR. I just see it as additional dining rooms with upcharges in a few more years and that disappoints me. We can all have our opinion and share that opinion with DCL based on whether or not we will continue to book for the fee.

I am not sure respect is the right word or not, but seems appropriate. Suits are not as common as they were 10 years ago, but in many settings in my world there are still certain places and times you better have one on, not even a conversation.

 

[Doofenshmirtz513]

I'm good with the new, relaxed dress code, but I do hope it doesn't become much more casual than that. I don't think it's asking too much for guys to wear pants (rather than shorts) and a shirt with a collar (rather than a t-shirt). DD just turned 18 and will be dining with us in Palo this summer for the first time. I strongly suspect it does mean something to her that the other adults in what is a special place to her will be treating it as something special as well by wearing slightly nicer clothes.

I did get sent back to my room once to change from leather sandals into shoes, which was amusing more than a big deal for me.

 

[Lilsia]

I think my biggest concern is that DCL has never really "enforced" many of their policies. MDR no swim suits, tank tops, etc, yet every cruise we see them. I don't think everyone has to be in a tux, but atmosphere is 100% a real thing in a restaurant. Just because a holey pair of jeans cost $250, does not make them classy, just like a $15 dress shirt does not make it trashy. DCL makes these 2 areas upscale and a nicer atmosphere than the MDR. I just see it as additional dining rooms with upcharges in a few more years and that disappoints me. We can all have our opinion and share that opinion with DCL based on whether or not we will continue to book for the fee.

I am not sure respect is the right word or not, but seems appropriate. Suits are not as common as they were 10 years ago, but in many settings in my world there are still certain places and times you better have one on, not even a conversation.

I have never seen anyone in the MDR in a swimsuit. They absolutely turn people away for that.

 

[brentm77]

I like the change, mostly to reduce packing if we choose to eat at Palo in the future. We are on the med cruise this week, and we have met three families whose luggage was lost by Delta. Some had a difficult time finding replacement clothes. None had their luggage a week into the cruise, despite Delta promising they would send it to Santorini.

We had packed only carryon for that very reason. While I have slacks and a dress shirt for formal night, I could not have fit a suit coat or dress shoes in my carryon.

By the way, if you can make it work, carryon has been fantastic. No waiting for for your luggage at the airport, easy to move in and out of hotels. Great to have everything with you as soon as your room is ready. No putting your luggage out the night before disembarking. Much quicker to pack up, since you have so much less stuff. We haven't missed a thing, and have even found stuff we can leave home next time. If we can do two weeks in Europe like this, anyone can. Just look into the one bag movement for great tips.