HormelChavez

Thanks for the replies, everybody. Good advice. I'm learning. Keep it coming ...

You will get more accurate information if you include the ship you are sailing in your posts.

Jewel of the Seas

Welcome to Cruise Critic, HormelChavez.

 

If you take a quick glance at the thread titles on just the first page or two of this forum, you will see threads that discuss this topic. There you will see that while there are many opinions, just about everyone will tell you that RC does not enforce its "dress suggestions", even the most egregious "violations". In other words, you will be fine in a nice shirt and nice shorts. It would be respectful if you could put on long pants for formal night. :)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2518865

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, you really didn't answer my question ... and neither did the thread that you linked. I specifically asked if there were *other* options, aside from the buffet or room service.

I read many threads on this forum before posting. I saw that RCCL tends not to enforce its dress code (although other posts have suggested that they do). But I also appreciate that the suggested dress code is there for a reason. If shorts aren't allowed -- and my understanding of RCCL's dress code is that they are not, even for "casual" dinners -- that's fine. I'm not looking to be the "I paid for my vacation so I can do what I want!" idiot who shows up to the formal dinner in shorts. That's why I'm wondering if the only dinner options are MDR/buffet/room service -- none of which are ideal -- or if there are other options available.

As I mentioned before, our main reason for going on a cruise is not so that we can dine opulently every night, but rather so that we could visit a bunch of islands in one week. We really don't want to spend two-plus hours at multiple-course dinners every evening. Something quicker and less formal would be ideal. We did not realize that dinners were such a big deal on cruises, and that's why we're re-thinking our plans.

(Note: I originally posted this message on the First Time Cruisers forum, but was told that this forum was a better place for it, so here goes.)

My family (me, my wife, and two teenage kids) have reservations for a Southern Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbean later this year. I am wondering if any RCCL veterans can fill us in on dining options.

It's my fault for not looking into it further before we made our reservation, but I didn't realize how the dining works. From what I can see, we have four nights of casual dining, one night of "smart casual" dining, and two nights of formal dining. However, even the casual dining means khaki pants and a dress shirt ... not that it's a big issue, but especially in the Caribbean, it would be nice to wear a polo shirt and dressy shorts to dinner. And the smart casual/formal nights ... not happening. I can't remember the last time I wore a jacket and tie, and I'm definitely not going to do that on vacation.

Unfortunately, the only other options I can see are eating at the Windjammer buffet (my wife hates buffets) or nibbling on room service in our staterooms (which sounds depressing).

Is there something that I'm missing? Any truly casual options? Anyplace where we can go to grab a quick salad or sandwich?

From reading these forums, I'm wondering if we picked the right vacation. It seems that many/most cruise customers enjoy getting dressed up for dinners in the evening. That's not us. We didn't sign up for a cruise because we wanted a two-hour meal every evening. We signed up for a cruise because we want to visit six different islands and have great excursions on them. But I'm starting to wonder if maybe we should just eat the reservation deposit, and instead spend the entire week in Puerto Rico.

Thanks for any thoughts you may have.

You can post this on the RCI Forum for more response.

Thanks, will do.

My family (me, my wife, and two teenage kids) have reservations for a Southern Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbean later this year. I am wondering if any RCCL veterans can fill us in on dining options.

It's my fault for not looking into it further before we made our reservation, but I didn't realize how the dining works. From what I can see, we have four nights of casual dining, one night of "smart casual" dining, and two nights of formal dining. However, even the casual dining means khaki pants and a dress shirt ... not that it's a big issue, but especially in the Caribbean, it would be nice to wear a polo shirt and dressy shorts to dinner. And the smart casual/formal nights ... not happening. I can't remember the last time I wore a jacket and tie, and I'm definitely not going to do that on vacation.

Unfortunately, the only other options I can see are eating at the Windjammer buffet (my wife hates buffets) or nibbling on room service in our staterooms (which sounds depressing).

Is there something that I'm missing? Any truly casual options? Anyplace where we can go to grab a quick salad or sandwich?

We didn't sign up for a cruise because we wanted formal dining every evening. We signed up for a cruise because we want to visit six different islands and have great excursions on them. But I'm starting to wonder if maybe we should just eat the reservation deposit, and instead spend the entire week in Puerto Rico.

Thanks for any thoughts you may have.