Dress Code- The Big Debate

[Bettyscruise]

Used to be that big boys wore big boy clothes when they went out in public to dinner. I guess times have changed.

 

[Drbaw5]

Used to be that big boys wore big boy clothes when they went out in public to dinner. I guess times have changed.

My husband always buys his clothes in the "big boy" section. Matter of fact, I don't think he could fit in clothes in the "little boy" section!

 

[lizzyb]

My kids always wore shorts, DH wore jeans with a nice shirt and I typically wore a casual dress. Honestly, I never paid attention to what others wore.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Yes, times have changed. Fifty years ago women dressed up for airline flights. Now, I often see teens in flannel pajama pants. Fifty years ago men wore white shirts and ties to a baseball game. Why, I have no idea. Now, they go shirtless and paint their faces and chests, or wear silly hats to football games; presumably to attract the attention on t.v. cameras.

A week ago in the Dulles airport I saw a woman in a mustard-color shirt with lots of holes -- looked like Swiss cheese, or maybe it was moth eaten. She paired that shirt with cheetah print leggings, and silver ankle boots with high heels and lots of red sparkly stars. To each their own.

 

[sherilynn]

The dining dress code for DCL has relaxed, and for that I am thankful. I used to need an additional large piece of luggage to haul the dinner clothes for my family. We hated to have to dress for dinner. I understand the feeling some have about looking nice in the dining room, and for those people, they can certainly dress up in order to be more comfortable. I have no interest in what anyone at another table is wearing and I can't fathom why anyone would care what I wear to dinner. That said, you won't see us in cut offs or flip flops.

 

[jdb in AZ]

I think that "additional large piece of luggage" has a lot to do with the dress code. When airlines started charging for bags, passengers began thinking long and hard about essential clothes, and it's so nice most cruise lines have done away with mandatory formal wear. If someone wants to dress up, that's fine as long as they don't look down their noses at more relaxed passengers.

 

[apathetic]

I wear shorts every dinner except formal/semi-formal. A lot of people do. Many will also wear sandals, which would seem more offensive than shorts at dinner but you never hear anyone complain about seeing people's feet. I guess some think it is dumb seeing an adult wear shorts to dinner. I feel the same about adults dressing up like pirates. And yet we all share the same dining room. I guess a cruise to a tropical climate suspends some rules.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

My husband wore nice jeans or khakis with a polo or nice t shirt. Some people go all out for formal night but we did not. It is optional.

I'm pretty sure that I have read that nice jeans are even acceptable at Palo.

Sadly, yes:

Dress to Impress
To preserve the elegant ambiance of this restaurant, you are asked to adhere to a dress code when dining at Palo. We recommend dress pants or slacks and a collared shirt for men, and a dress, skirt or pants and a blouse for women. Jeans may also be worn if in good condition (no holes). Please no tank tops, swimsuits, swimsuit cover-ups, shorts, hats, cut-offs, torn clothing, t-shirts with offensive language and/or graphics, flip-flops or tennis shoes.
https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/onboard-activities/palo-restaurant/

My husband won't wear shorts to dinner. Even on days when our excursions ran into our start time for dinner, he would return to our room to change to long pants before going to the dining room. I agree that the dining rooms are pretty cold and I always wear long pants and take a sweater along.

 

[xiphoid76]

I love dress code threads I despise wearing ties, so unfortunately Remy will never be an option for me as they have a strict dress code there. I prefer nice jeans and a dress down shirt for dinner...and a hoodie as people have mentioned it is very cold which I prefer. I would rather be a little chilly than sweating while eating.

 

[OrcaPotter]

I would say over the last 10-20 years, American culture has changed our views of dress codes for certain occasions. I have seen beach clothes at church and jeans/tshirts at weddings. When I was a kid this would've been unheard of. When my family started cruising in 2003, everyone stuck close to traditional cruise dress codes. Today, most people still honor the formal nights--which they should. If you still wish to wear shorts on these nights, go to Cabanas. Otherwise, as long as you're not wearing pool clothes, no one should turn you away. I was frowned at during my Alaskan cruise on the Wonder in 2013 because I wore jeans one night, which I think is really silly. Despite this, I almost always wear jeans to dinner on casual nights and it's fine.

 

[carolina_yankee]

Shorts and Polo are definitely fine, even on the Fantasy. We wear khaki pants and polo or casual buttondown but have always had people in our party who wear shorts.

On formal night, there was quite a range of dress from full tuxes to "hey, at least I've got clean clothes on and they match!" With most doing some form of dressing nicer.

Palo does enforce their or dress code, even for brunch. My partner was barred entry for black Birkenstock and black socks even though the rest was perfectly fine (pants and polo). So, he went back and put on closed toe shoes. Meanwhile, women were let in with dress sandals. Oh, well. At least once the double standard should work in women's favor I guess!

 

[phinz]

I love dress code threads I despise wearing ties, so unfortunately Remy will never be an option for me as they have a strict dress code there. I prefer nice jeans and a dress down shirt for dinner...and a hoodie as people have mentioned it is very cold which I prefer. I would rather be a little chilly than sweating while eating.

I've gone to Remy without a tie at least twice. My first time I was wearing a vintage Enchanted Tiki Room Uniform/Aloha Shirt with my tux and took my jacket off once seated. No issues, and I even got compliments from the Sommelier and Maitre 'd on my shirt.

 

[Kontos]

I wear a suit and tie everyday for work so I'm choosing to go casual on my cruise. Jeans/Khakis and either a polo or short sleeve button up for dinner.

Apologies in advance if I offend anyone by showing up for breakfast wearing sweatpants, a t shirt and a baseball cap

Back on topic, I wonder if anyone will try wearing those muddy jeans from Nordstrom to Palo

 

[CM Dad]

I've gone to Remy without a tie at least twice.

Remy does not require ties. They list them as optional.

Dress to Impress
To preserve the elegant atmosphere, you are asked to adhere to a strict dress code when dining at Remy.

Dinner
At dinnertime, the following dress code is enforced:

• Men: A jacket (such as a sports, suit or tuxedo jacket) is required, with dress pants/slacks and shoes. Ties are optional. Please no jeans, shorts, sandals, flip-flops or tennis shoes.
• Ladies: Cocktail dress, evening dress, pant suit or skirt/blouse are required. Please no jeans, shorts, capri pants, sandals, flip-flops or tennis shoes.

Brunch and Dessert
During brunch and dessert, the following dress code is enforced:

• Men: Dress pants and a shirt are required for men. A jacket is optional. Please no jeans, shorts, capri pants, sandals, flip-flops or tennis shoes.
• Women: A dress or pantsuit is required. Please no jeans, shorts, capri pants, sandals, flip-flops or tennis shoes.

 

[phinz]

Remy does not require ties. They list them as optional.

That was my point. I wasn't the one who said they didn't want to wear a tie, so Remy was out for them.

 

[JW9DVC]

Used to be that big boys wore big boy clothes when they went out in public to dinner. I guess times have changed.

Big boy clothes are tshirts and jeans or shorts. Especially in today's 100k salary range depending on the company. Red carpet is not all tuxes any more.

 

[phinz]

Used to be that big boys wore big boy clothes when they went out in public to dinner. I guess times have changed.

Used to be that "big boys" had to conform to outdated dress codes that utilized archaic and anachronistic flourishes like silk cloth around the neck, three layers of undershirts/shirts/jackets, uncomfortable pants, long "dress" socks and miserably painful shoes just to fly on airplanes. Thankfully the majority of this world doesn't have their head buried in the past, looking down on those that don't conform to their narrow vision of what is "acceptable".

 

[cheermom2four]

My DH wore golf shorts and a collared shirt every night to the MDR. I always wore a casual maxi dress which I dont consider dressing up. I did have to wear a sweater though as I also thought the dining rooms were kept really cold. I honestly never paid attention to what others wore unless i was out in the atrium on the formal and semi formal night just to admire the families dressed up (and there seemed to be a lot of them on 7 night cruises). We rented tuxes for my DH and DS on our last cruise we wont be one of the super dressed on our upcoming cruise as I'm not carting dress shoes and dressy clothing clear across the world. Luggage space will be precious. If someone doesnt like nice shorts and a collared shirt that my hubby and son will wear, its their problem not ours.

 

[Steph1992]

I definitely think it's most important to be comfortable. When I cruise with my family, we never dress up. We wear shorts and tshirts usually. Sometimes we see families walk in wearing dresses and suits. Sometimes we see families walk in wearing khakis and jeans. I think as long as you're comfortable with what you're wearing then that's all that matters. I will say that they usually have an opportunity for a more formal picture to be taken in the atrium before/after dinner...so if you're interested in that, then maybe taking dress clothes could be an option. I will also agree with some previous posts that say that the MDR's can get kind of chilly.

 

[DCLDVC1]

I would say over the last 10-20 years, American culture has changed our views of dress codes for certain occasions. I have seen beach clothes at church and jeans/tshirts at weddings. When I was a kid this would've been unheard of. When my family started cruising in 2003, everyone stuck close to traditional cruise dress codes. Today, most people still honor the formal nights--which they should. If you still wish to wear shorts on these nights, go to Cabanas. Otherwise, as long as you're not wearing pool clothes, no one should turn you away. I was frowned at during my Alaskan cruise on the Wonder in 2013 because I wore jeans one night, which I think is really silly. Despite this, I almost always wear jeans to dinner on casual nights and it's fine.

Why? Shorts are OK according to the official DCL dress code.