Shorts

[BrianT]

First timer this month. Other than the formal nights, are men permited to wear dress shorts to dinner - and a golf shirt?

 

[mmouse37]

First timer this month. Other than the formal nights, are men permited to wear dress shorts to dinner - and a golf shirt?

Hi Brian....welcome to Cruise Forum!!!

Sorry....suggested dress code for casual nights is no shorts.....on Pirate Night you can wear shorts...on that night just about anything goes. Does not make a whole lot of sense about the shorts as jeans are allowed on casual evening and I think a nice pair of dress shorts on a guy with a golf shirt look much nicer than jeans!!!

Now, would they kick you out of the dining room if you wore shorts, absolutely not....they will turn you away from Palo though (but they do keep some spare dress pants handy for people who show up in shorts to Palo)!!!

Have a great cruise!!!

 

[SILLYANDI]

You have asked a volatile question (if you can believe that!) There have been many, many debates on this board about this question. Disney Cruise Line has a policy that is stated in several different forms of publication that says cruise casual in the dining room includes pants for men.
I'm sure someone here will quote directly from one of these publications to prove a point.

Will they turn you away for wearing nice shorts, no. Will people here start flaming you for asking and will they overload you with their opinions and interpretations of Disney's published information...that is to be seen.

Now for my personal opinion. Wear what you consider nice and comfortable and don't worry about others' opinions.
Let the flames begin!

 

[Olga]

First timer this month. Other than the formal nights, are men permited to wear dress shorts to dinner - and a golf shirt?

From what I observed at dinner, you can wear ANYTHING you please; Daisy Duke shorts, frayed jean shorts, shorts you wash the car in, hiking shorts and the shoes, shorts that show your cheeks.

 

[Pinkgurlshubby]

From what I observed at dinner, you can wear ANYTHING you please; Daisy Duke shorts, frayed jean shorts, shorts you wash the car in, hiking shorts and the shoes, shorts that show your cheeks.

WHAT? That's it next cruise my suit stays here at home!

 

[outlander]

Wear what you feel comfortable in and be happy.
Have a great cruise!

 

[KSDisneyDad]

Yes, very hot topic.

Are shorts permitted? Yes -- but not "officially". As others have said, although Disney's written policy/recommendation states "no shorts, swimwear or tanktops", they seem to only enforce the swimwear dress code. I think it's kind of like the no outside food policy in the parks.

If you're on a 7 night cruise, the Navigator will also state that shorts are not acceptable attire for the evening meals. However, Disney won't turn you away or even say anything to you, except perhaps at Palo.

That said, I think it's whatever you feel comfortable doing. Personally, I don't feel comfortable wearing shorts at dinner on the cruise, but I also won't judge others on their choice of attire.

As far as a polo, the only dress policy/suggestion for shirts is that you not wear a tank-top so feel free to wear a t-shirt with those shorts.

 

[Pinkgurlshubby]

It's not up to me to judge what others choose to wear but if I didn't bring a suit for example, I wouldn't show up to dinning on formal night. As for pants, I brought lots of them even if it meant I only wore them for a few hours and then it was back into shorts. They don't take up that much room in a suitcase.

 

[karibritt01]

My DH left home without his BRAND NEW khakis and Dockers that I bought specifically for dinner. (Says I never told him he needed them. Hello! Why do you think I bought them?!) We thought to buy a pair in the gift shop... until we noticed they were $85! He wore shorts to dinner all week with the exception of the formal and semi-formal nights. And for what its worth... the navigators specifically say "no shorts" on the dressier nights. To me, that implies that there is no problem wearing them at other times. By the way, he did not feel at all out of place in shorts, as there were others wearing them, too.

Let the flaming begin!

 

[lbgraves]

You worried me when you said Palo allows tshirts now! I had to pull up a recent navigator and it says "Recommended Attire..dinner: dress shirt or jacket required for men (no shorts or jeans please).....brunch: cruise casual, no shorts, swimwear or tanktops."

I also found what it says in the navigator that is handed out the first day says about atire in the dining rooms.

Cruise casual nights... "Shorts, tanktops or swimwear are not appropriate."

Formal night... "Tuxedo or suit for men, gown or dress for women."

Semi-Formal night... "Suit or jacket for men, dress or pantsuit for women."

Just posting so the OP can see what DCL prints about this issue and they can make their decision from there.

 

[outlander]

IMO, *if* Disney wanted to keep to a dress code, they should have it clearly stated on the DCL site as well as in cruise docs that arrive well ahead of the sail date. Having it in the Navigator, even on the first day, is toooo late. The packing is done and getting certain attire at the last moment may be physically or financially impossible.

I do know that when booking Palo, the dress code is stated during booking. I can handle that.

 

[CruiseBoundnKY]

This is a hot topic on here indeed, but after almost 3 years of "dis'ing" I'm throwing myself out there today.

I am just back a few days ago and I can tell you that I saw people in shorts EVERY SINGLE NIGHT including formal night. One family I think took it a little too far, but nonetheless no weird looks were given to anyone "underdressed". By night 4 I gave up and joined in myself. The seas were rocking and so was my tummy, so I opted for comfort versus fashion.

My take is just enjoy and wear what you're comfortable in. It's YOUR vacation paid with by YOUR hard earned money. So have fun!!!

Karen

 

[Pinkgurlshubby]

Well...umm...err...uuhhhh...Tux on formal night is not going to happen. I wear a suit once every 10 years or so and I bought a new suit specifically for this cruise but only because something shrunk mine from sitting in the closet for the last umpteen years. I wore my suit on formal night and wore dress pants and a nice shirt for semi formal. I was missing a tie however I saw people in tshirts a few tables away from us. I will keep dressing this way. I won't wear shorts to dinning and neither would our kids even if it means we switch back to shorts after.
On the plus side, since we are cruising again in 2 years maybe my new suit won't have time to shrink in the midsection.

 

[a Really Bad Egg]

IMO, *if* Disney wanted to keep to a dress code, they should have it clearly stated on the DCL site as well as in cruise docs that arrive well ahead of the sail date.

Actually, it is stated on the DCL website...under the FAQs:

What should I wear to dinner?

Dining Dress requirements vary by venue or theme night on your cruise. In general, most meals are "Cruise Casual" — no shorts, swimwear or tank tops. Most cruises also have special theme nights with additional attire requirements. Here's a breakdown of these events by cruise itinerary.

On 3-night cruises:

• First night: cruise casual — no shorts, swimwear or tank tops
• Second night: pirate or tropical deck party
• Final night: "dress-up night" — jacket for men, dress or pantsuit for women

On 4-night cruises:

• First night: cruise casual — no shorts, swimwear or tank tops
• One pirate or tropical night (deck party)
• One "dress-up night" — jacket for men, dress or pantsuit for women
• Final night: cruise casual — no shorts, swimwear or tank tops

On 7-night cruises:

• First night: cruise casual — no shorts, swimwear or tank tops
• Three additional "cruise casual" nights — no shorts, swimwear or tank tops
• One pirate or tropical night (deck party)
• One formal and one semi-formal night — formal wear for men: tuxedo or suit; for women: gown or dress; semi-formal wear for men: suit/jacket; for women: dress or pantsuit.

Dress for dinner at Palo on all cruises:

• Men: dress shirt or jacket
• Women: dress or pantsuit

 

[Olga]

IMO, *if* Disney wanted to keep to a dress code, they should have it clearly stated on the DCL site as well as in cruise docs that arrive well ahead of the sail date. Having it in the Navigator, even on the first day, is toooo late. The packing is done and getting certain attire at the last moment may be physically or financially impossible.

I do know that when booking Palo, the dress code is stated during booking. I can handle that.

The cruise documents I received (Ship and Shore Vacation Guides) states in the section OnBoard Dining, "For dining attire please refer to "What to pack" in this booklet or visit disneycruise.com". This guide is sent out well before the sail date as it is for describing excursions and such so that passengers can book activity reservations in advance.

 

[gmark2000]

I recall a thread from a couple years back that described a shapely woman wearing essentially a stripper's dress to dinner. Nevertheless, all eyes were on this woman - men's jaws had to be lifted from the tables.

 

[ubermama]

I think everyone is right. You could probably get away with wearing shorts but do you want to. I'm not saying the men should put on a shirt and tie either. We did not see alot of shorts on our 7 night Eastern Car. My DH wore a pair of tan or stone trousers each night with a different collared shirt. He fit in, did not feel like someone could tell him that he was not dressed well enough to eat in the dining room. As soon as dinner was over he was right back in his shorts. Remember that Palo is an entirely different thing. They do enforce the dress code and NO shorts on men or women is strictly enforced. Our DD(11) did not wear shorts to dinner either. As lunch time we did see alot of shorts though. PIrate night we maintained our dress code and felt that we fit in perfectly.

 

[trimix]

It's not up to me to judge what others choose to wear but if I didn't bring a suit for example, I wouldn't show up to dinning on formal night.

I am with you. I would consider it disrespectful to my fellow passengers to dress casually in a dining room on formal night. And I think our world would be much better off if people showed respect instead of coming with an attitude of "I paid, so screw you."

I really would like to share a table with another family - doing so fits the image I've had in my mind of cruising since watching Love Boat as a kid. But I would feel terribly uncomfortable and, to be honest, quite irritated if the tablemates were disrespectful enough to disregard the casual dress code on formal night. Should that happen I would specifically ask to be reseated either alone or with tablemates who show appropriate respect for the evening.

 

[SILLYANDI]

I am with you. I would consider it disrespectful to my fellow passengers to dress casually in a dining room on formal night. And I think our world would be much better off if people showed respect instead of coming with an attitude of "I paid, so screw you."

I really would like to share a table with another family - doing so fits the image I've had in my mind of cruising since watching Love Boat as a kid. But I would feel terribly uncomfortable and, to be honest, quite irritated if the tablemates were disrespectful enough to disregard the casual dress code on formal night. Should that happen I would specifically ask to be reseated either alone or with tablemates who show appropriate respect for the evening.

I'm not trying to start anything, really, maybe because we come from a temperate climate it confuses me. Would you mind explaining to me how it is disrespectful to wear shorts? I'm not knocking you, I've just never viewed someone else's choice of shorts vs pants as disrespectful and now I'm thinking maybe there is something more to it that I'm missing?!

 

[GoofyFD]

Now for my personal opinion. Wear what you consider nice and comfortable and don't worry about others' opinions.

RIGHT ON!!!!