Newbie questions

[jtdlmc]

I'm considering a cruise for my family's winter vacation this year. My husband isn't really enthusiastic about cruising but I'm hoping to convince him to give it a try. Two kids - 18 and 8 years. We do not get into formal dressing, his dressiest clothes is a pair of black jeans and western boots. What cruise lines don't require formal dressing for dinner? I don't really think we would like set dining times either - is NCL the only one that has free style dining? My absolute dream cruise would be with Disney Cruise Lines but I don't want to pay that much. Any thoughts on what might be a good cruise line for us?

[paul929207]

Many cruise line now have some form of freestyle dining. Some have switched all dining rooms to it while other have some dining rooms with open seating and others with the traditional fixed seating. These include Princess, Carnival, and RCCL in addition to NCL.

 

NCL has done away with formal nights, I am not sure about the others.

[TravlGrl]

From your description of what you're looking for, NCL really sounds like your best fit. As Paul929207 said, there are many other cruise lines that offer anytime dining... however, you'll still be required to adhere to a dress code for dinner.

[uppitycats]

NCL has "freestyle dining" for sure...but many of the cruise lines now have flexible dining -- MTD or "My Time Dining", "anytime dining"...look for phrases like that. Indeed, NCL seems like it would be a good fit for you, as they're quite casual.

[Caribbean Sunsets]

As an option to limiting which cruise line, you can also opt to go to the buffet on formal night where you can dress casual.

[firefly333]

Formal night isnt very formal these days, just long pants and maybe a nice shirt for the guy.... I wouldnt sweat it.

[jtdlmc]

Thanks for the replies. It kinda looks like NCL would be best in terms of dining. From what I can gather they also offer "kid's clubs" and have lots of activities for the kids? Do most of the ships have waterslides? That would keep my son busy the whole cruise!!!

 

It's good to know that there is also a buffet on formal nights on most cruise lines - I wasn't aware of that. I had previously looked into the amenities on Carnival ships for kids and some of them had ice rinks, rock climbing, all kinds of neat things, so I guess the buffet dining would open that line up for us as well.

[silentbob007]

Royal Caribbean is the one with ice rinks and sports options on their bigger ships (no ice rinks on Carnival). All mass-market lines will have a buffet every night in addition to the main dining room and room service. Dinner in the main dining room is not as "stuffy" as some people make it sound ... the dress code is usually long pants and a shirt with sleeves ... typical attire is equivalent to Dockers and a polo though I've seen plenty of jeans, shorts, and t-shirts in the dining rooms. On "formal" night, attire skews classier, but I've rarely seen anyone turned away.

[GORDONCHICK]

All mass-market lines will have a buffet every night in addition to the main dining room and room service.

 

This is not true. Most do, but I know that Celebrity does not unless it's newest ships, Solstice and Equinox, have added it.

 

And there are actually lines/maitre d's who do refuse entry to people not dressed according to the dress code of the evening. Unfortunately, it's not consistant so while one person may have been able to "get away" with not following the code, that doesn't mean the same while hold true on the following cruise.

 

NCL is truly optional when it comes for formal dress. There is usually one restaurant that doesn't allow jeans in the evening, but most will.

[morecruise4me]

Most ships have some sort of dress code every night. That does not mean formal, but most don't allow cut-offs, tanks for men, swim wear, etc. We sailed NCL in April and it is casual, but does have a dress code. They offer more "free" options for dining. We sailed Carnival last year and it is also casual and I actually found their standard to be a little more lenient (in reality if not in writing). I would recommend either of these lines for your family if the ship you choose offers anytime dining. NCL had a great kids area forward, while Carnival had a cool slide area in the main pool. Both have kids programs. Good luck and have a great cruise!

[cb at sea]

NCL or Carnival probably have the most "relaxed" dress code....other lines, while they may have "anytime" or "your time" dining, still require a certain level of dress, especially on the "formal" nights.

[cruiselover57]

Thanks for the replies. It kinda looks like NCL would be best in terms of dining. From what I can gather they also offer "kid's clubs" and have lots of activities for the kids? Do most of the ships have waterslides? That would keep my son busy the whole cruise!!!

 

It's good to know that there is also a buffet on formal nights on most cruise lines - I wasn't aware of that. I had previously looked into the amenities on Carnival ships for kids and some of them had ice rinks, rock climbing, all kinds of neat things, so I guess the buffet dining would open that line up for us as well.

 

I think most (if not all) Carnival ships have the waterslides. Can't say I've researched all the other cruise lines and seen them - but, I believe that on some of RCI's newer ships, they have some sort of flow rider (like surfing). I think many have rock climbing walls as well and they'll all offer lots of activities for kids (especially if you're going at holiday time). Most of the major cruise lines seem to be offering a lot of the "anytime" dininig nowadays in addition to the traditional "fixed" time dining options. I think on NCL, you have about 10 different restaurants to choose from (and I think it's 3 where you have to pay a fee) but the others are totally free. We were on the NCL Star 3 years ago and I remember the Tex Mex being really good as well as the Italian restaurant. They also had a 24-hour restaurant as well (not big though) and it got crowded at times but you could order takeout and no charge for that.