OK, How Casual, really?

[CarolinaMamma]

So I've read the dress codes and know about the concept of freestyle cruising, but just doing one last check in here before packing tomorrow.

 

I have nothing against dressing up (I have cruised Celebrity multiple times, after all) but would love to pack light and wear the same clothes for daytime and evening most days, because of the outrageous amounts airlines change for extra bags. I want to have room to bring back some Spanish olive oil and wine.

 

Also, we are cruising in Europe, which tends to be more formal. Europeans are horrified by us Americans wearing our trainers everywhere. I live in Europe right now, and most European kids do not even wear trainers to school. They really think they are only for sports.

 

So...

 

Can my kids really wear their athletic shoes to Shogun, Cagney's and La Trattoria?

 

Can my 14 year old boy wear (nice) jeans and a polo to Le Bistro? What about my husband? Should I pack dress shirts and trousers for them instead? (Be honest, now. I am packing tomorrow!)

 

Are slacks, ballet flats and a nice blouse really as dressy as I need to get?

 

Any other advice for a Europe cruise where we could see temps from the 40s to the low 70s?

 

I realize the idea of freestyle cruising is "do what you want" and there will be people dressed all kinds of different ways. I just don't want us to be total outliers or get dirty looks or turned away from specially restaurants.

[sdmike]

See my responses below. While I've not been on a med cruise on NCL, I have sailed both Alaska and the Caribbean on NCL.

 

 

So I've read the dress codes and know about the concept of freestyle cruising, but just doing one last check in here before packing tomorrow.

 

I have nothing against dressing up (I have cruised Celebrity multiple times, after all) but would love to pack light and wear the same clothes for daytime and evening most days, because of the outrageous amounts airlines change for extra bags. I want to have room to bring back some Spanish olive oil and wine.

 

Also, we are cruising in Europe, which tends to be more formal. Europeans are horrified by us Americans wearing our trainers everywhere. I live in Europe right now, and most European kids do not even wear trainers to school. They really think they are only for sports.

 

So...

 

Can my kids really wear their athletic shoes to Shogun, Cagney's and La Trattoria?

 

Absolutely. They can wear athletic shoes in any venue at any time on NCL. The only thing not allowed is open toed shoes and flip flops

 

Can my 14 year old boy wear (nice) jeans and a polo to Le Bistro? What about my husband? Should I pack dress shirts and trousers for them instead? (Be honest, now. I am packing tomorrow!)

 

He can absolutely wear jeans. However, you will find the specialty restaurants a little bit dressier than the main dining room. I wore a pair of tan slacks and a polo and was dressed like most. My teen boys wore jeans and a polo with sneakers. Again, they were just fine and didn't stand out at all. I only took one pair of slacks and a few polos for the trip, otherwise it was jeans, t-shirts and even shorts in the caribbean.

 

Are slacks, ballet flats and a nice blouse really as dressy as I need to get?

 

Yes, unless you want to dress nicer for pictures or something

 

Any other advice for a Europe cruise where we could see temps from the 40s to the low 70s?

 

Sort of like our Alaska trip...bring layers. Maybe a breathable rain jacket (just in case), a sweatshirt, a light sweater for on the ship in the evenings, etc. If cold, layer up. :)

I realize the idea of freestyle cruising is "do what you want" and there will be people dressed all kinds of different ways. I just don't want us to be total outliers or get dirty looks or turned away from specially restaurants.

Edited March 25, 2014 by sdmike

[Medtech2]

So I've read the dress codes and know about the concept of freestyle cruising, but just doing one last check in here before packing tomorrow.

 

I have nothing against dressing up (I have cruised Celebrity multiple times, after all) but would love to pack light and wear the same clothes for daytime and evening most days, because of the outrageous amounts airlines change for extra bags. I want to have room to bring back some Spanish olive oil and wine.

 

Also, we are cruising in Europe, which tends to be more formal. Europeans are horrified by us Americans wearing our trainers everywhere. I live in Europe right now, and most European kids do not even wear trainers to school. They really think they are only for sports.

 

So...

 

Can my kids really wear their athletic shoes to Shogun, Cagney's and La Trattoria?

 

Can my 14 year old boy wear (nice) jeans and a polo to Le Bistro? What about my husband? Should I pack dress shirts and trousers for them instead? (Be honest, now. I am packing tomorrow!)

 

Are slacks, ballet flats and a nice blouse really as dressy as I need to get?

 

Any other advice for a Europe cruise where we could see temps from the 40s to the low 70s?

 

I realize the idea of freestyle cruising is "do what you want" and there will be people dressed all kinds of different ways. I just don't want us to be total outliers or get dirty looks or turned away from specially restaurants.

I would be more concerned by the dress code of the places you plan on visiting. For example I have been to cathedrals where your arms needed to be covered, ie long sleeves.

 

Everything you listed will be fine on board.

[sixesandeights]

So I've read the dress codes and know about the concept of freestyle cruising, but just doing one last check in here before packing tomorrow.

 

 

I am recently back from my first NCL (Epic) and I want to say SUPER casual. We packed like we would for a "regular" cruise with shorts for the day and then a suit/very nice **** and tie for the evenings....I wore a tie one night and felt out of place.

 

On this next cruise I am only bringing Short/tees for the day, a pair of jeans and pair of khakis plus a polo shirts for the evenings. I am not going to bring any jackets, and will seriously reduce the number of shoes I bring.

 

The weirdest part was it never felt like people were dressed down. I think on other lines people in jeans stand out with everyone dressed up. On NCL the vibes seemed to me to be one of total comfort.

 

I say pack light and enjoy!!

 

6&8

[CarolinaMamma]

Wow, thanks. Still trying to get my head around this. I have my 10 year old son's clothes set out and ready to go. It is just jeans and polos, a sweater, a rain jacket and a hoodie, and it looks SO WEIRD to me after packing jackets, ties and tuxes for other cruises. I think I am going to like this!

[KeithJenner]

Don't get hung up about it being a cruise in Europe. It's still an NCL ship with their dress code.

 

Having said that, the NCL cruise that I've been on which has had noticeably more people dressing very casually was in Alaska, the only one I've done sailing out of the US. More people may be dressed smarter on a Med cruise, but those that aren't don't stand out.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Cretia]

See my responses below. While I've not been on a med cruise on NCL, I have sailed both Alaska and the Caribbean on NCL.

 

Wait, what do you mean open toed shoes aren't allowed? A large percentage of my heels are open-toed (I loathe the pointy-pointy-witch-toes). Why on earth would open toed shoes that would be appropriate for formal cruise lines not be acceptable for NCL?

 

I do however fully support the banning of flip-flops though. Horrid things :p

[Natmar]

I have worn sandals plenty of times to dinner - my guess they mean flip flops.

[SteveH2508]

Your list sounds fine - please leave out baseball caps and gaudy patterned T-shirts (personal hate issue here:rolleyes:) - ties are definitely not required.

 

I usually take a lightweight linen jacket and a couple of collared shirts but as often as not I end up not wearing them.

 

Chinos (khakis?) and a polo shirt is my usual evening dress on NCL in Europe.

[Sauer-kraut]

Wait, what do you mean open toed shoes aren't allowed? A large percentage of my heels are open-toed (I loathe the pointy-pointy-witch-toes). Why on earth would open toed shoes that would be appropriate for formal cruise lines not be acceptable for NCL?

 

I do however fully support the banning of flip-flops though. Horrid things :p

 

Open toed sandals for men at dinner are not allowed. Also cheapo ugly flip flops on men aren't allowed, however, women's flip flops that are leather, or biltzy and blingy are absolutely fine.

[McDebbie]

You MIGHT want to take one pair of pants for DH and son that are not jeans if you are going to eat in Le Bistro or Cagney's. Not required but they may feel more comfortable. Open toed shoes for women are fine. Last cruise my DH never even put on his "dress" shorts but that was on the Sky which is very very casual.

 

Best thing about NCL is the dress code, I wanted to try MSC since they have such good Florida resident rates but when looking at the dress code we both said "forget it". I doubt I will ever see my DH in a tux again <sigh> Oh well, I have the pictures and I personally will never struggle into another Spanx. hehehe

[buckeye82]

You MIGHT want to take one pair of pants for DH and son that are not jeans if you are going to eat in Le Bistro or Cagney's. Not required but they may feel more comfortable. Open toed shoes for women are fine. Last cruise my DH never even put on his "dress" shorts but that was on the Sky which is very very casual.

 

Best thing about NCL is the dress code, I wanted to try MSC since they have such good Florida resident rates but when looking at the dress code we both said "forget it". I doubt I will ever see my DH in a tux again <sigh> Oh well, I have the pictures and I personally will never struggle into another Spanx. hehehe

 

 

I would agree. We were just on the spirit and I didn't see too many jeans in Cagney's and Le Bistro and my husband would have been uncomfortable if he was the only one wearing them. I wore black pants and a nice shirt each night since we were on the UDP and that seemed fine. Bring a sweater. Lots of people complaining about the ship being chilly.

[sdmike]

Wow, thanks. Still trying to get my head around this. I have my 10 year old son's clothes set out and ready to go. It is just jeans and polos, a sweater, a rain jacket and a hoodie, and it looks SO WEIRD to me after packing jackets, ties and tuxes for other cruises. I think I am going to like this!

 

 

Exactly! This is why NCL has so many fans, including us. :)

[Kesstral]

My husband has gotten used to bringing a suit on cruises (and looks forward to dressing up). Should I tell him to leave it at home?

[Valen9]

My husband has gotten used to bringing a suit on cruises (and looks forward to dressing up). Should I tell him to leave it at home?

 

No. NCL has "dress up or not" nights when lots of folks will be wearing suits. Those are the nights that the photographers are in the hallways, or you can get your picture taken with the senior officers.

 

If your husband wants to wear a suit then he should go right ahead.

[sdmike]

My husband has gotten used to bringing a suit on cruises (and looks forward to dressing up). Should I tell him to leave it at home?

 

He can wear it if he wants...or can go without if he wants. To me, that's one extra thing I don't have to take with me

[isdoo]

Open toed sandals for men at dinner are not allowed. Also cheapo ugly flip flops on men aren't allowed, however, women's flip flops that are leather, or biltzy and blingy are absolutely fine.

 

Why the sexist difference?

 

So a female can wear sandals but a man can't?

 

Surprised that these days people can treat the sexes differently. Probably no rule against a man wearing a skirt for example or a kilt.

[numberguy]

It's been a while since I've cruised, but our experience was that adults in jeans weren't allowed in the "grander" of the main dining rooms. Can't speak about jeans for teens/kids.

 

--Michael

[Demonyte]

It's been a while since I've cruised, but our experience was that adults in jeans weren't allowed in the "grander" of the main dining rooms.

 

I've never wore anything nicer than nice jeans on any of my NCL cruises and never have had problems getting in aft MDRs.

[numberguy]

I've never wore anything nicer than nice jeans on any of my NCL cruises and never have had problems getting in aft MDRs.

 

A fuller description of our experience. For our Alaska cruise, jeans were allowed in the MDR's for meals. Therefore, on our next cruise in the Mediterranean (see my signature for dates), my DDP only brought jeans and no khakis. After the first night, while we were waiting in line, a maitresse d' walked up to us and (very nicely) explained that jeans were not allowed in the aft MDR, but that we could go to the other MDR. DDP was slightly annoyed, but we just decided to eat our lunches in the aft MDR, and our dinners in the other one. Jeans are fine for lunch.

 

Granted, this was five-six years ago. I've also read that it can vary by ship.

 

Now, my hubby brings one pair of khakis, wears it to dinner, then changes out of them after dinner. So far, no spills, no problem, and no need to wash them for being worn about 12 hours over a 7-day cruise.

 

--Michael

[SteveH2508]

Why the sexist difference?

 

So a female can wear sandals but a man can't?

 

Surprised that these days people can treat the sexes differently. Probably no rule against a man wearing a skirt for example or a kilt.

 

You could always paint your toe-nails red to reinforce your argument for wearing open-toed sandals:rolleyes:.

[Medtech2]

Why the sexist difference?

 

So a female can wear sandals but a man can't?

 

Surprised that these days people can treat the sexes differently. Probably no rule against a man wearing a skirt for example or a kilt.

I agree, but that's a whole 'nuther debate.

 

I have definitely seen some kilts.

[auntierobin]

You don't mention if you are sailing in a suite. If you are you will need cocktail attire for the Captain's cocktail party. Dress (just a nice summer dress with fancy sandals works) and definitely not jeans for men.

[Daisyduke70]

We love NCL - can't imagine cruising on another (mostly due to the dress code and freestyle ethos)....we want to do an easy cruise in October from the UK so NCL is out....but after looking at the RCCL and P&O dress-codes think we will pass and find something else to do :(

[SteveH2508]

We love NCL - can't imagine cruising on another (mostly due to the dress code and freestyle ethos)....we want to do an easy cruise in October from the UK so NCL is out....but after looking at the RCCL and P&O dress-codes think we will pass and find something else to do :(

 

If flying to Europe is the issue, have you thought about the train?

 

Eurostar to Paris and then you get almost anywhere in Europe quite easily.

 

http://www.seat61.com/ is a great resource.