Is Norwegian Cruise Line too "casual"

[JJS329]

If you call NCL, they are very helpful and will prob answer that question. For Breakaway, you need to wear pants at Manhattan Room. They are strict in enforcing this. Shorts are ok at the other two MDRs (taste and savor)

[emcelh]

FWIW Jacket and Tie is never required on Carnival anymore...even on Elegant night. Shorts and jeans are allowed on Casual nights.

 

I even saw a few people in jeans and tee shirts on Elegant Night. They were definitely in the minority but, if there was a dress code, no one was enforcing it. We were in the anytime dining room so I don't know what it was like in the other one.

[Demonyte]

Can anyone point me to a reference on NCL's website that states what the dress code is for each dining establishment? I tried to look but I have found nothing.

 

Here you go: http://www.ncl.com/faq#packing

 

Dress cruise casual anytime during the day, in the buffet and in most specialty restaurants. For women, it includes summer and casual dresses, skirts, regular or capri pants, shorts, jeans and tops. Khakis, jeans, shorts and casual shirts are fine for men. Swimwear is acceptable at the buffet and outdoor restaurant, but a shirt or a cover-up and footwear are required. Cruise casual is also allowed day and night on embarkation day.

 

Wear smart casual if you are eating dinner in the

aft main dining room (our more formal dining room) and in Le Bistro

on cruises longer than five days. For women, it includes slacks or jeans, dresses, skirts and tops. For men, it’s jeans or slacks with a collared shirt and closed-toed shoes. Traditional Bermuda shorts along with long socks, loafers and a blazer are all acceptable on a Bermuda cruise.

 

We want you to be comfortable, but tank tops for men, flip flops, baseball caps, visors and jeans that are overly faded, with holes or tears and worn below the hips are not permitted in main dining rooms or specialty restaurants. Kids 12 and under are welcome to wear nice shorts in all our restaurants. You may want to pack a sweater too—air conditioning can be chilly.

[EBrody16]

Here you go: http://www.ncl.com/faq#packing

Dress cruise casual anytime during the day, in the buffet and in most specialty restaurants. For women, it includes summer and casual dresses, skirts, regular or capri pants, shorts, jeans and tops. Khakis, jeans, shorts and casual shirts are fine for men. Swimwear is acceptable at the buffet and outdoor restaurant, but a shirt or a cover-up and footwear are required. Cruise casual is also allowed day and night on embarkation day.

 

Wear smart casual if you are eating dinner in the

aft main dining room (our more formal dining room) and in Le Bistro

on cruises longer than five days. For women, it includes slacks or jeans, dresses, skirts and tops. For men, it’s jeans or slacks with a collared shirt and closed-toed shoes. Traditional Bermuda shorts along with long socks, loafers and a blazer are all acceptable on a Bermuda cruise.

 

We want you to be comfortable, but tank tops for men, flip flops, baseball caps, visors and jeans that are overly faded, with holes or tears and worn below the hips are not permitted in main dining rooms or specialty restaurants. Kids 12 and under are welcome to wear nice shorts in all our restaurants. You may want to pack a sweater too—air conditioning can be chilly.

 

Perfect, thank you!

[callmebetty]

DH just saw a guy turned away(this week) from the main dining room on the Gem because he was wearing shorts.

We did have a discussion on the cruise this week about how it feels like NCL is a bit more lax than Princess (and the late Norway) for dining. We miss the ambiance of the traditional main dining room.

[meltingmoments]

And people don't want to have to pack for and maybe pay extra baggage feed for formal.

 

Oh boy, do I agree here!! Our flights from the UK are high enough without extra weight baggage!! :eek:

 

That being said I always pack a few skirts and cute sandals with maybe a kick heel. I feel that is appropriate.

 

And I totally agree here.......I LIKE to dress up....a little!! :)

 

On the Dawn we were celebrating so I packed a dressy longish dress and my Louboutins. Felt great at dinner at LB. My mom dressed up and my nephew wore a suit jac but no tie. We did not notice others as we were enjoying ourselves.

 

And THIS is the bit I agree with the most!! I'm a REAL people-watcher.........but what they wear.......is their business and their business alone.....it certainly doesn't affect my holiday!! :confused:

 

 

 

I like freestyle. Yea NCL.

 

I like freestyle too! :)

[Heytoots]

Why do people even care what others wear? Not that I wear one, but how does a guy in a baseball cap bother anyone? How do shorts detract from your meal? Some people worry about nothing thats important.

 

 

Well Said!! I am in my 60's, and not having to dress up for dinner, I think, is a perk!!! :cool:

[DMH15]

I like freestyle too! :)

 

Sounds like it would be nice to share a cruise ship with you!

[TravelDiva88]

 

We want you to be comfortable, but tank tops for men, flip flops, baseball caps, visors and jeans that are overly faded, with holes or tears and worn below the hips are not permitted in main dining rooms or specialty restaurants.

 

This is probably going to be a dumb question, but are sandals other than flip flops (thongs) acceptable for men in the aft dining room? My husband doesn't wear dress shoes on any sort of regular basis, and detests anything aside from sandals on vacation, so the "dressiest" shoes he would have for a vacation would be something along the lines of these:

 

 

 

The only closed-toed shoes he owns (outside of running shoes and the shoes he wears while working in a laboratory) are these

 

 

 

And I'm going to assume the "dress sandals" (for lack of a better word) would be more widely acceptable than the vibrams. For the record he woudl be wearing either linen pants or khackis with a button down Hawaiian style shirt.

[meltingmoments]

Sounds like it would be nice to share a cruise ship with you!

 

:) :) :)

Feel free to join us in.....oooooo....let me see.....5 DAYS TIME!!!!

I might just be a LITTLE bit excited! ;)

[luddite]

We miss the ambiance of the traditional main dining room.

 

We miss the meals that were available in the dining room.

[Demonyte]

Why do people even care what others wear? Not that I wear one, but how does a guy in a baseball cap bother anyone? How do shorts detract from your meal? Some people worry about nothing thats important.

 

As I said in my observations from Jade thread, I'm quite young (early 30s) and don't care that much about dressing up, BUT I would want to see the rules enforced - if there is a dress code, it should be followed (just like there are rules for reserving loungers but NCL staff is too spineless to enforce those).

 

There are two (or three) MDRs on NCL ships for exactly this purpose, one for the pax that are fine with dressing at least a bit nicer and the other(s) for those that want to be dressed more relaxed. I can't see why people with shorts should be allowed to go to the venues that have the "strict" dress code when there is an alternative venue to go to.

[jaja]

This is probably going to be a dumb question, but are sandals other than flip flops (thongs) acceptable for men in the aft dining room? My husband doesn't wear dress shoes on any sort of regular basis, and detests anything aside from sandals on vacation, so the "dressiest" shoes he would have for a vacation would be something along the lines of these:

 

 

 

The only closed-toed shoes he owns (outside of running shoes and the shoes he wears while working in a laboratory) are these

 

 

 

And I'm going to assume the "dress sandals" (for lack of a better word) would be more widely acceptable than the vibrams. For the record he woudl be wearing either linen pants or khackis with a button down Hawaiian style shirt.

 

 

I see nothing wrong with those sandals ..I think he would feel more "dressed" in those than the other pair :D

[buckirj1]

Define casual, even on Cunard you can wear shorts, ballcaps and jeans during the day....at night you can eat the buffet and not have to worry about what the dress code for the evening is, unless you plan on going to other activiites other than sitting in your stateroom all evening.:D

 

That's exactly what I did! And given the woeful state of Cunard's evening "entertainment", my stateroom was the happenin' place to be. There was a whole lot to like about my QM2 journey, but evening entertainment wasn't one of them.

[martyandjanice]

May come off as rude but why would any one care how one dresses while on vacation? Everyone is there to have a good time. You do you and they do them and everyone should be happy:)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

 

 

 

I agree 100%! NCL is a "Freestyle" cruise. If you want formal, stick with the lines that adhere to that. I personally like to dress up sometimes and sometimes not. The point of the cruise is to vacation, not to judge others!

[Markanddonna]

Now that we are retired, we are into transatlantic cruises. We have cruised several times on NCL and are so looking forward to the freestyle concept as we pack. If you have the same "stranger tablemates" in traditional cruising, you feel like you shouldn't be wearing the same 2-3 outfits all the time. But, with NCL, I should theoretically have different tablemates or none at all in the MDR, so I could wear the same outfit over and over and not feel tatty.

 

We take side trips once we are in Europe and the need to bring formal wear would be such a major hassle because we have to schlep our own luggage. I am trying to challenge myself to pack with just one carryon for three weeks. I have also learned that the ships' laundry service is my friend on this issue!

 

BTW- I loved RCCL's TA but the standards make packing tricky.

[itravelalot]

NCL is more informal when compared to HAL or Princess IMHO, but not too relaxed. We just got off a 12 day and I agree the longer cruises you do tend to see people a bit more "dressed". Even on shorter ones very few people underdress at the specialty venues or in the MDR... I like to dress up for dinner and do it regardless of what others are wearing though sometimes it is nice to have an option to be casual after a 12 hour excursion.

 

Enjoy!:)

[DMH15]

:) :) :)

Feel free to join us in.....oooooo....let me see.....5 DAYS TIME!!!!

I might just be a LITTLE bit excited! ;)

 

Lucky you!!! Maybe another time?

[Kaboochi]

Hello Everyone,

I have a quick question. I was thinking of booking a Panama Canal cruise on Norwegian Sun, however, someone mentioned this cruise line is too casual. I have sailed on RCCL, Celebrity, and Carnival. Even on Carnival people did dress up on the formal nights. I have visions of people running around the ship wearing flip flops and tank tops everywhere. Even in the main dining rooms. Any insight would be helpful.

Thanks

 

The Sun is my fav ship. Right size, nice decor and the great outdoors for bfast and lunch is a wonderful place to dine. You can dress up or not. This is a cruise ship and most passengers have cruised before so they know how to dress for a cruise. Relax and enjoy.:)

[Pink Bon Bon]

A de facto comparison between NCL SUN from Vancouver, BC to Whittier, AK and Celebrity Millennium Seward, AK to Vancouver BC in the period from June 03. to June 21.2013.

 

 

At 12.17 PM we were dropped off at the Vancouver, BC Canada Port facility and quickly guided to one of the US Immigration counters before approaching the NCL Vessel check in.

 

Both procedures completed efficiently and by 12:53 we were on board and escorted to our stateroom. After freshening up we unpacked our carry-on, loaded the safe, left a note with instructions for our room attendant and went to the buffet for a quick lunch on the 11th floor’s sun-sheltered aft deck.

 

The hot and cold buffet food choices were plentiful, our selections were well prepared and flavorful. Even the desert choices were in part healthy, certainly plentiful and surprisingly tasty.

 

Easy access without line-ups at the various food-stations, attentive friendly waiters supplying beverages and plenty available seating inside and outdoors, facilitated a relaxing meal while enjoying a marvelous view of Vancouver’s breathtaking scenery.

The above described buffet food experience was consistent throughout the cruise with daily changing food choices.

 

The dining room food was largely very similar to other major cruise lines, though slightly less sophisticated in the changing dailies (no Tiramisu, Crème Brulee, Sachertorte, no duck dishes, or elaborate lamb choices). However, all menu and desert items were of excellent quality, well prepared to order and! - Flavorful. The embarkation evening menu selection featured lobster, a vanishing choice at some cruise lines.

 

After briefly exploring the ship, we retreated to our cabin for a short nap prior to the Safety-Drill. The nap did not materialize for we ended up unpacking our luggage that had arrived in the meantime.

 

Nonetheless, we felt energized enough to return to the upper sun deck to catch some sun-rays and continue to marvel at the Pacific Metropolis’ water activities and splendor. In the meantime more guests had arrived and some were frolicking in the, to 83 degree Fahrenheit, heated swimming-pools or enjoying the BBQ served by the pool.

 

The SUN left Vancouver Port on time and sailed as scheduled without incident in mostly spectacular weather to Whittier. AK.

 

Debarkation at Whittier, AK was swift and painless; we walked off the ship at 10:30 AM to board our privately arranged full day excursion boat for Prince William Sound at the adjacent dock. The tour operator staff met us exiting the Sun, took our luggage and delivered it to the station for check in at our evening train to Anchorage.

 

Note-table pleasant observations while a passenger on board of the NCL SUN:

 

(the points below are emphasized as they particularly present the opposite experience endured on the disappointing southbound voyage on Celebrity Millennium from Seward, AK to Vancouver, BC in mid June 2013.)

 

 

• Always friendly, willing, effective and efficient attendants – regardless whether stateroom, buffet or dining room servers.

 

• Dining room waiters consistently served promptly the next course, refilled beverages while clearing used dishes immediately from tables. Thus, the dining room meals were not the often long drawn out exercises in waiting for the sometimes half cold served next course experienced on other cruise lines, regardless of fixed - or my time dining .

 

• Cloth-Closets have lights.

 

• All swimming pools are heated – hot tubs are at the standard prescribed temperatures and thereby pleasant.

 

• *Dining room is open for lunch and breakfast every day.

 

• *Full flavored beverages, versus watered down ones.

 

• *Room service breakfast is available also at debarkation morning.

 

• *Cabins, lounges and decks may be used up to 10:30 AM on debarkation day.

 

• Vessel is meticulously maintained and in perfect cosmetic condition.

 

• No noticeable construction, cleaning, painting is done in passenger areas.

 

• All passenger areas of the vessel are accessible and not hampered by closure, wet paint, pressure washing etc.

 

• Windows and glass panels are clean and allow unobstructed views.

 

• Outside wooden decks are immaculately maintained and indeed of natural wood and not an artificial composite faking wood appearance.

 

• The vessel fosters the feeling of being on-board a ship, versus a shopping and entertainment venue.

 

• Vessel had a pleasurably broad spectrum of well dressed, acculturated passengers, diverse languages and age groups on board.

 

:)

 

Room for improvement is in the area of:

 

• Achieving consistency for all dining room personnel in maintaining a polished style by the though efficient, but often lacking a smile dining room staff.

 

• Provide Satellite Cell-Phone service availability while at sea.

 

Thank you for taking the time to write this detailed review. It has been extremely helpful.

[PureLuck347]

 

The only closed-toed shoes he owns (outside of running shoes and the shoes he wears while working in a laboratory) are these

 

]

 

 

And I'm going to assume the "dress sandals" (for lack of a better word) would be more widely acceptable than the vibrams. For the record he woudl be wearing either linen pants or khackis with a button down Hawaiian style shirt.

 

I would think the dressy sandals would be acceptable. Especially if he is wearing pants and collared shirt!

 

I think this thread is kind of funny... My kids are always commenting on what people are wearing, but it is NEVER that they are wearing shorts/flip flops when we are out at nicer places. What they are commenting on is the "trashiness" that so many people think is appropriate, or fashionable,sexy, whatever. I normally could care less about what others are wearing, but I would rather see a girl in shorts, tank top and flip flops, than wearing an extremely revealing short dress... Specially if it is see thru! JMHO

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Tinyturtle22]

I dont mind casual as long as it clean and not trashy. I DO mind people that come into the buffet (or other eating areas like on the Sun where Moderno is open for lunch) in a swim suit with no decent coverup and no shoes. Icky.

[dwjoe]

One thing I like about NCL is, no need to pack a suit. :)

[armwinder]

I would think the dressy sandals would be acceptable. Especially if he is wearing pants and collared shirt!

 

The question does this person wear socks???:rolleyes:

[sverigecruiser]

I can understand why some people defenitely don't want to wear formal clothes on their vacation and for most of the nights, I prefer to dress casual too. But since Freestyle is about choices more than dress code, NCL should have a formal option too.

 

There are two things I really don't understand:

 

1. Some people say: "if you don't like that NCL is casual, don't cruise with them". Some people might prefer a more formal dinner experience than what's offered on NCL but overall they might prefer NCL. Why shall they choose another cruiseline? I love NCL but should prefer if they were a little more formal. I still prefer to cruise with NCL, the dress code is a minor thing that really doesn't effect my vacation much. People have the right to say that they should prefer a more formal dress code without being told that they shall choose another cruiseline. People might prefer a more formal dress code but still prefer to cruise with NCL. To say, and not demand, that they want a more formal experience is not against the Freestyle concept because that's about more options, not only the dress code.

 

2. Lots of people seems to think that the main reason to only bring casual clothes is to avoid extra baggage fees to the airline. They can afford to fly and cruise but they can't pay for an extra bag? I understand if people wants to bring as little baggage as possible and I have once done a short cruise, with formal clothes, with only a carry on myself but to skip formal wear to save money seems extremely strange to me.