How do you feel about the Disney "business casual" dress code?

[curiouser]

Yes... but do people go out to signature restaurants every night of their WDW vacation? We don't. Why can't people plan for a nice evening out and allow for the transportation time in their schedules? The point is, should signature restaurants (non-park) be destinations of their own, or just a 'stop and eat' place after leaving a park? I agree that it takes time and effort to go to a nicer restaurant, and I think that it's warranted to have a signature dining experience. Just my 2 cents.

I agree. We enjoy the lead up to a fine dining experience. And to us, that's what it is, an experience. Not just a meal. We leave the parks, swim, shower and get ready and yes - gasp, shock, horror!- take Disney transportation the whole time - in heels... uphill... in the snow.. both ways!!

 

[waltskids]

DH and I like to shower and change into nicer clothes before going to dinner. It's just something we have always done and we plan the time into our schedule. Eventhough the dress code is not enforced (from what we have seen), we will continue to dress nicer for sig. restaurants. Like someone else said, it's the whole experience, not simply a meal.

 

[TheDISneyFamily]

I agree. We enjoy the lead up to a fine dining experience. And to us, that's what it is, an experience. Not just a meal. We leave the parks, swim, shower and get ready and yes - gasp, shock, horror!- take Disney transportation the whole time - in heels... uphill... in the snow.. both ways!!

DH and I like to shower and change into nicer clothes before going to dinner. It's just something we have always done and we plan the time into our schedule. Eventhough the dress code is not enforced (from what we have seen), we will continue to dress nicer for sig. restaurants. Like someone else said, it's the whole experience, not simply a meal.

Exactly. I don't see why there is a problem having just a few Disney restaurants where you can go and have a nice meal and feel like it's a fine dining experience. Heck, I love my jeans, Crocs, and Disney t-shirts (which I live in daily!), but I will dress up a bit to go eat at Citricos, Jiko, or California Grill, etc. It's a part of our WDW vacations and I plan for our nice family meals at the end of a long park day.

 

[madalex]

Now, for the restaurants at the hotels...many of them are more casual (for example Kona) and park wear should be totally fine -- shoes, shirt, hopefully not torn or dirty.

You are correct that park wear is fine for the casual resort restaurants because those restaurants do not have the "business casual" dress code to begin with.

For the nicer signature restaurants, yes it would be nice if people spiffed up a bit before coming to dinner. But the logistics of leaving a park, catching one or two buses, and/or monorail, and/or boat, and/or taxi --

back to your room to get showered and changed for dinner --

then taking another two buses, and/or monorail, and/or boat, and/or taxi, hoping you make your ADR on time --

it's just not my idea of a relaxing evening. Then after dinner, you have to either reverse the travel plan to go back to your room to change again, or head out to a park for the evening in your dressy clothes.

You know, come to think of it, this is probably why I've avoided making ADR's at one of the signature restaurants

But for some guests, it's all about the dining, and they'd rather be at CG or Citrico's than riding the rides anyway...so it all depends on what you want out of your vacation, what makes your family happy

I hardly think going back to one's room to change for dinner is that big a deal. I go back to the resort every afternoon anyway for a rest and a swim anyway. But, I suppose if you are doing the parks commando style, having to take anytime out of that could be an imposition.

Logistics issues aside, however, the signature restaurants are not just about eating, but are about the entire dining experience. That is why Disney created the "business casual" dress code in the first place. Thus, what is frustrating for many (myself included) is that such dress code exists, but is not enforced. If a person does not want to deal with the dress code, they should just not go to the signature restaurants. But, if one wants to enjoy the signature dining experience, putting some decent clothes on seems a small sacrifice to make.

 

[ROEDISNEY]

THis is always a hot button issue on the boards, and I imagine a lot of people don't want get involved in the discussions that go back and forth. So here's a chance to express any feelings you may have on the subject with no need to post any comments (unless, of course, you want to).
So how do you feel?
Here is the actual code:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/tips_for_touring/dress-code.htm#Restaurant

I defiantely think for Singature Resturants you should definately be dressed. I seen some people back in April not really dressed in the nice resturants . It don't look right. I think if your going to a nice resturant get dressed nicley. You don't have to over do it. But not shorts on me & women. Just my opinion!

 

[Brian Noble]

Wait. There's a dress code at the Signatures?

Who knew?

-brian, who admits to having lunch in the Brown Derby while wearing shorts. At least I had a collar on my short sleeved shirt.

 

[Jletendre]

I think the point is you have two vastly different priorities at play:

group A - enjoys a nice meal, views it as a special event with their loved ones. So they dress up etc.

group B - it's all about the parks but you need to eat. Why waste time at the parks to get dressed up.

I can understand both groups and for signature dining (Narcossee's, CG, YSH, JIKO) we will leave the park early, freshen up and DW has outfits for everyone to wear to make the evening nice. I guess that is foreign to many people and the "we're at an amusement park, it's too hot to dress up" mindset takes over.

Pulled right from the latest edition of Emily Post's book on etiquette:

"It’s no secret that in twenty-first-century America, casual has trumped more formal ways of dressing. Emily Post no doubt would have approved of this shift in style; she was very practical and favored using common sense to make everyday life a little easier. But even in this go-go world, “casual” should never be sloppy or inappropriate.

The clothes we wear and the way we groom ourselves represent how we
choose to present ourselves to others and reflect the importance we attach to the occasion. The more significance we assign to an event or activity—whether a worship service, a night at the theater, or a last-minute get-together with friends—the more thought we should give to dressing. Individuality and personal expression have their place, but the
principles of respect and consideration for others, plus a healthy dose of common sense, should underlie all dressing and grooming decisions.
Dressing with consideration is also rooted in respect for cultural, religious, and regional customs. A teenager who wears well-pressed jeans to church may look presentable, but some worshipers might feel that jeans are inappropriate in that particular setting. This attitude may seem unfair to some, but it’s reality.

The message that clothes can send often matters more than the clothes themselves."

 

[davinakb]

I definitely agree and wish that Disney would enforce the business casual dress code. ...someone coming in hot and sweaty in their Disney 2008 tee and cut-offs would definitely detract from that.

Like everyone else, had trouble voting because the current code would be fine, if enforced. Inside the park signatures are different, but even then I'll wear my nicest shorts or Capris, prettiest cotton tee/blouse. At the resorts, I wear casual, 100% machine washable clothes: Capri pants, nice blouse, flat sandals (with pedicure); nothing fancy but not my park clothes. IMHO resort or business casual is not bummy or trashy or grungy or smelly. Even my nicest, fanciest ensemble would be all of those after a few hours–much less all day–of going on rides in the hot, Florida sun. So when we book a signature, we plan on cleaning up/changing clothes. Cannot speak to the bus/time thing as we always drive everywhere at WDW, just faster.

group A - enjoys a nice meal, views it as a special event with their loved ones. So they dress up etc. .. group B - it's all about the parks but you need to eat. Why waste time at the parks to get dressed up.

I know what you're saying, but "business or resort casual" is not "dressed up." Per the Post blurb, it is cleaned up and not sloppy or inappropriate. I've only ever dressed up at WDW, for V&A; and a little dressy for my first P4TS, which I won't do again b/c the dress code is not enforced, so I do the resort casual. FWIW.

 

[honeymo78]

Logistics issues aside, however, the signature restaurants are not just about eating, but are about the entire dining experience. That is why Disney created the "business casual" dress code in the first place. Thus, what is frustrating for many (myself included) is that such dress code exists, but is not enforced. If a person does not want to deal with the dress code, they should just not go to the signature restaurants. But, if one wants to enjoy the signature dining experience, putting some decent clothes on seems a small sacrifice to make.

Again, I'm really not sure what you mean by "not enforced." I have read disney's definition of "business casual" many times and we have yet to see someone in a tank top, ripped jeans, beachwear or any other prohibited item in one of the signatures (a regular park or resort restaurant, yes). Right now, the business casual definition is very close to park wear, but I'm not seeing a lack of enforcement.

Did you perhaps mean that you are frustrated that the dress code itself isn't more strict? I remember when it was a bit more strict (ie collared shirts for men) and saw people turned away wearing tees some nights, but observed diners in tees other nights. To me, that was a lack of enforcement. And for whatever reason, revenue or otherwise, disney decided to get rid of that stricter code, rather than continue with a lack of enforcement.

 

[lilmrsellis]

My personal feeling is that as long as you are clean (clothes and body) and in actual clothes (not a bathing suit or overalls w/ no shirt?!?), you're ok by me. Disney is a resort, but come on now...bathing suits in a sit down restaurant? You wouldn't do that at the Outback, why is it ok at Disney?

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

I definitely don't have a problem with the signature restaurants having a dress code, although I don't see it being enforced. I wouldn't expect a dress code for dining inside the parks, but when you have to take transportation of some sort to a resort to dine at a signature anyway, your already planning around the meal, so why not spruce up a bit and dress a little better than you would for park touring? I really would not have been too happy about seeing someone sitting near me shirtless, in overalls and with their hairy back exposed to me like the other poster mentioned while I'm dining in a signature restaurant. IMO though the problem has more to do with good taste (and some people lack that) than it has to do with the actual choice of clothing. I realize that not everyone puts the same emphasis on the dining experience while on vacation, but my family does (at least at the signature restaurants). With that in mind, I'd be happy just to see folks wearing non-sweaty, untorn and unfaded clolthing that doesn't look like it was slept in or taken straight from the bottom of the hamper.

 

[Pirate Me]

I don't mind Disney's dress code but when we went to Yachtsman (business casual), we were definitely expecting everyone to be dressed a bit fancier.

 

[Quiksilvr]

Per the Post blurb, it is cleaned up and not sloppy or inappropriate. I've only ever dressed up at WDW, for V&A; and a little dressy for my first P4TS, which I won't do again b/c the dress code is not enforced, so I do the resort casual. FWIW.

This is why they need to enforce the dress code. Some people refuse to respect the dress code in place because no one is going to say anything if they don't.

I voted for a stricter dress code. I would prefer the dress code to be (a) enforced and (b) more restrictive than it already is. Since I know that will never happen, I would definitely settle for enforcement.

I don't buy the "changing clothes takes too much time away from the parks!" argument. If all you care about is time at the park stay in MK and eat at Liberty Tree Tavern. You can get right back to work after your meal. Why travel to a Signature restaurant at a hotel at all if park time is what you care about? If your response to that is: "well, we want to eat at Signature restaurants because we like the food" then park time isn't really all you care about. I don't have any sympathy for your loss of time. You made the decision to eat at a "fancier" restaurant at the expense of your park time, so follow the fancy restaurant's rules!

 

[bytheblood]

I personally do not care one way or another, so I said it was fine the way it is.

But also...I don't really pay attention or critique what other people are wearing at other tables around me That's their business. If I don't like it, I just don't look at them (some things might make me raise my eyebrows and giggle, but I don't let it ruin my meal). I'm a lot more likely to be upset by unseemly behavior of other diners -- like if they are rude to the wait staff, or get drunk, loud and obnoxious, or their kids are screaming and throwing a fit. I'd rather see an enforced behavior code than an enforced dress code

Exactly!!!

 

[honeymo78]

I definitely don't have a problem with the signature restaurants having a dress code, although I don't see it being enforced. .

This is why they need to enforce the dress code... You made the decision to eat at a "fancier" restaurant at the expense of your park time, so follow the fancy restaurant's rules!

Perhaps I'm not looking hard enough when we dine at CG but I'm really not seeing the cut off, ripped pants, bathing suits, ball caps, men's tank tops and beach flip flops. What I do see are khaki shorts, jeans, plain or disney tees, sandals/crocs, and sneakers (and of course polos, capris and "dressier" type clothing). Where is the lack of enforcement?

 

[MickeyNicki]

Disney is a resort, but come on now...bathing suits in a sit down restaurant? You wouldn't do that at the Outback, why is it ok at Disney?

Ok see that is exactly what I was thinking...I was waiting for one of the Hosts to say something, they were looking right at them and no one said a word. Now maybe if they were adults someone would have spoke up but since they were pre-teens they said nothing?? That doesnt make any sense either!

 

[ransom]

Perhaps I'm not looking hard enough when we dine at CG but I'm really not seeing the cut off, ripped pants, bathing suits, ball caps, men's tank tops and beach flip flops. What I do see are khaki shorts, jeans, plain or disney tees, sandals/crocs, and sneakers (and of course polos, capris and "dressier" type clothing). Where is the lack of enforcement?

I'm wondering the same thing. Disney seems to enforce the policy well enough. Perhaps folks don't know what the policy is? It was updated within the last year or so, IIRC.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Perhaps I'm not looking hard enough when we dine at CG but I'm really not seeing the cut off, ripped pants, bathing suits, ball caps, men's tank tops and beach flip flops. What I do see are khaki shorts, jeans, plain or disney tees, sandals/crocs, and sneakers (and of course polos, capris and "dressier" type clothing). Where is the lack of enforcement?

My family needs to dine with yours apparently. We DO see flip flops, ball caps and bathing suits at the signatures-not every single time mind you, but it happens here and there. I haven't experienced the shirtless men, cut offs or mens tank tops, but just because I personally haven't seen it doesn't mean that it doesn't happen.

 

[honeymo78]

My family needs to dine with yours apparently. We DO see flip flops, ball caps and bathing suits at the signatures-not every single time mind you, but it happens here and there. I haven't experienced the shirtless men, cut offs or mens tank tops, but just because I personally haven't seen it doesn't mean that it doesn't happen.

Perhaps. DH always has a hat, but of course he takes it off once we get to the restaurant. If they aren't monitoring the swimwear and beach flops, they definitely need to do so. However, from nearly every post complaining about no enforcement, the complaints seem to be about jeans, tees and shorts - not the true violations of disney's version of business casual.

 

[jenjersnap]

We change clothes after our naps, usually, to something "nicer", probably falls in line with Disney's version of business casual. We do this for ourselves because we like fresh clothes and to feel like we're heading out to celebrate the evening wherever we are dining, if that makes sense.

But the truth is, unless fellow patrons were dressed wildly inappropriately, i.e., in overalls with no shirt or bathing suits, I wouldn't notice them so the dress code doesn't matter much to me. All my focus and attention goes to my family, not to my neighbor's shoes, and, so, has zero impact on my dining experience.