Questions about dining and dress code

[Mom2B&Z]

We just booked a grand suite with wellness experience on Seaside for 2019. I cruise with my family, which includes my husband and two boys who will be 14 and 11 when we sail. From what I’ve read here and on the social media site that shall not be named, MSC is strict with their dress code. However, I can’t seem to find exact descriptions of exactly what is allowed/not allowed in the dress code. My husband and boys will often wear dress shorts and polo shirts to supper, does this meet the dress code for casual nights, or must they wear long pants? I understand they need dress pants, shirt and ties for formal nights, which is fine. I need to shop now for these clothes so they have something to wear in a warm climate when we are in the middle of winter!

Then the dining experience...my confirmation states we have “my choice dining with priority lane”...what exactly does this mean? We can show up anytime and skip the line of other “my choice” diners? Do we need reservations? If so, can we vary the reservation time according to our schedule for the day?

We have a great TA but he’s never sailed MSC, and seems to be having trouble finding detailed answers to our questions.

Thanks!

 

 

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[tallnthensome]

Dress shorts and polos are fine for casual night ..... saw plenty of that aboard the Seaside. No issue ......

[sidari]

Having my choice dining does not mean you can jump ahead of others with the same dining option, there is a separate entrance for those on my choice dining which is on the starboard side of Deck 5, the hostess will show you to a table once they have checked your card.

[TrinaLC]

No need for ties on formal night. Long khaki type pants and a blazer for your husband, kids long khakhis and dress shirt best, but nice polo would be allowed.

 

 

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[sidari]

The Title is Gala night, anything other than Suites and Tuxedo for men and Dresses for woman are not Gala clothing and as they have done on other occasions in Ipanema anyone wearing different should be turned away.

[CruisingFox27]

Dress code link

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=52615650&postcount=34

 

Although from posts regarding Seaside it would appear dress standards are not as well maintainted as they are on other ships or itineraries.

[riclop]

We just booked a grand suite with wellness experience on Seaside for 2019. I cruise with my family, which includes my husband and two boys who will be 14 and 11 when we sail. From what I’ve read here and on the social media site that shall not be named, MSC is strict with their dress code. However, I can’t seem to find exact descriptions of exactly what is allowed/not allowed in the dress code. My husband and boys will often wear dress shorts and polo shirts to supper, does this meet the dress code for casual nights, or must they wear long pants? I understand they need dress pants, shirt and ties for formal nights, which is fine. I need to shop now for these clothes so they have something to wear in a warm climate when we are in the middle of winter!

Then the dining experience...my confirmation states we have “my choice dining with priority lane”...what exactly does this mean? We can show up anytime and skip the line of other “my choice” diners? Do we need reservations? If so, can we vary the reservation time according to our schedule for the day?

We have a great TA but he’s never sailed MSC, and seems to be having trouble finding detailed answers to our questions.

Thanks!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

You have it all wrong, shorts and polos are fine for non gala nights and you do not need a suit, tie or jacket for gala nights.

[Mom2B&Z]

You have it all wrong, shorts and polos are fine for non gala nights and you do not need a suit, tie or jacket for gala nights.

 

 

 

But can you see how I’m confused? Post #5 is telling me we will be offending people if the boys and my husband don’t have pants on in the dining room, but then another posts links to the thread on dress code on Divina says that dress shorts are ok.

We honestly don’t want to offend anyone, but I can’t seem to get a straight answer! We will be flying to Miami so suitcase weight limits are a factor, and I don’t want to buy/pack clothes we won’t use.

 

 

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[NYHartChapp]

You have it all wrong, shorts and polos are fine for non gala nights and you do not need a suit, tie or jacket for gala nights.

 

No, I think he was talking about a "suite" ;).

[pappahbuttz]

But can you see how I’m confused? Post #5 is telling me we will be offending people if the boys and my husband don’t have pants on in the dining room, but then another posts links to the thread on dress code on Divina says that dress shorts are ok.

We honestly don’t want to offend anyone, but I can’t seem to get a straight answer! We will be flying to Miami so suitcase weight limits are a factor, and I don’t want to buy/pack clothes we won’t use.

 

 

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The dress code is a bit of a controversial subject. Some people are very upset to see people wearing shorts of any kind anytime, and not wearing a tux or suit on formal night. Others would be happy wearing a ball cap and track pants for formal. Then there are the others that fall in the middle.The dress code is somewhat murky as it is enforced, if at all, differently by who is at the door.

[tallnthensome]

I was in the Ipanema dining room on Gala Night and didn't see anyone in a tuxedo nor beforehand in any of the lounges or during pictures. It's great if you want to but it didn't appear to be taken to anywhere near that level of dress.

[sidari]

Tall ... It appears to change from cruise to cruise, dining room to dining room and whoever is at the door, if wearing shorts in dining rooms on Gala nights is your thing then NCL is clearly for you.

[Mom2B&Z]

I was in the Ipanema dining room on Gala Night and didn't see anyone in a tuxedo nor beforehand in any of the lounges or during pictures. It's great if you want to but it didn't appear to be taken to anywhere near that level of dress.

 

 

 

The dress code is a bit of a controversial subject. Some people are very upset to see people wearing shorts of any kind anytime, and not wearing a tux or suit on formal night. Others would be happy wearing a ball cap and track pants for formal. Then there are the others that fall in the middle.The dress code is somewhat murky as it is enforced, if at all, differently by who is at the door.

 

 

Thank you, while this doesn’t give me a definitive answer, it certainly explains the confusion. We would definitely be “in the middle”, while we do not wear ball caps and shorts on formal nights, but we definitely do wear shorts as part of smart casual.

Since we are sailing in 2019, I think I’m going to keep an eye on this topic and see what is being done closer to when we sail.

 

 

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[8420PR]

The definitive answer is no shorts in any restaurants for dinner:

 

 

While some are reporting seeing people wearing shorts at dinner, there are also reports (and 1 star reviews - haha) of people being turned away from dinner because they are wearing shorts. Personally I would wear trousers for dinner, just to follow the rules.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

Hi Mom2B+Z,

 

As you can see...you will get 15 different answers. For what it's worth (because half of the pax will do whatever they please) I will throw in my Cruise Dress Guidelines.

 

On Formal or Gala nights you can do the minimum of khaki pants and polo or button down shirt. The next step up would be blazers. Women look good in pants and dressy tops. Men can wear tuxes, dress suits or dinner jackets if so desired. (This shows respect for the waiters and staff who must dress up on those evenings.) I would never denigrate a person who makes the effort to dress for dinner.

 

Shorts should never be worn in the dining room at dinner. Just my opinion but you need to have standards set somewhere. What's the sense of trying to have a refined atmosphere in the dining room???

 

If you want to relax on a casual night then by all means change into shorts after dinner. Wearing shorts, baseball caps, gym pants, flip flops, etc. is a sure sign of TTOB. (Trailer Trash On Board).

 

Dinner in the MDR should always be neat and clean.

By dressing appropriately you are showing respect for the staff and the effort they are making.

[tallnthensome]

Tall ... It appears to change from cruise to cruise, dining room to dining room and whoever is at the door, if wearing shorts in dining rooms on Gala nights is your thing then NCL is clearly for you.

I only saw them on regular evenings, not on formal/gala nights. I'm certainly no advocate of it any night as I only wear khakis at a minimum every night but saw plenty of others on casual evenings.

[omarchs]

Just off the Seaside yesterday. We were in the yacht club, but I wouldn’t think the enforcement or lack of would be different in the main dining rooms.

 

We commented this was the most casual ship/line we had ever been on. Tees/shorts were in large supply on casual nights. Most guys made an attempt on the elegant nights with long sleeve shirts/pants,but still saw some shorts/tees. Very few jackets/fancy dresses. Saw the same at the shows/around the ship. We didn’t need any of the dressier clothes we brought. I wouldn’t stress about the posted dress codes.

[CruisingFox27]

Hi Mom2B+Z,

 

As you can see...you will get 15 different answers. For what it's worth (because half of the pax will do whatever they please) I will throw in my Cruise Dress Guidelines.

 

On Formal or Gala nights you can do the minimum of khaki pants and polo or button down shirt. The next step up would be blazers. Women look good in pants and dressy tops. Men can wear tuxes, dress suits or dinner jackets if so desired. (This shows respect for the waiters and staff who must dress up on those evenings.) I would never denigrate a person who makes the effort to dress for dinner.

 

Shorts should never be worn in the dining room at dinner. Just my opinion but you need to have standards set somewhere. What's the sense of trying to have a refined atmosphere in the dining room???

 

If you want to relax on a casual night then by all means change into shorts after dinner. Wearing shorts, baseball caps, gym pants, flip flops, etc. is a sure sign of TTOB. (Trailer Trash On Board).

 

Dinner in the MDR should always be neat and clean.

By dressing appropriately you are showing respect for the staff and the effort they are making.

 

Sailing on a beautiful and elegant ship it shouldn't be too much to ask that people make an effort when eating in the restaurants. Unfortunately there is a disregard of the dress code and people are following others in their casual approach, people are therefore conside ring it acep table to go to dinner in shors, beach wear etc. Sadly MSC are not enforcing it consistently. It's only an issue on the ships sailing from Miami so you do have to wonder if they are trying to pander to the NCL/Carnival customers they've attracted and obviously want to keep to build their market share in the Caribbean.

[omarchs]

Sailing on a beautiful and elegant ship it shouldn't be too much to ask that people make an effort when eating in the restaurants. Unfortunately there is a disregard of the dress code and people are following others in their casual approach, people are therefore conside ring it acep table to go to dinner in shors, beach wear etc. Sadly MSC are not enforcing it consistently. It's only an issue on the ships sailing from Miami so you do have to wonder if they are trying to pander to the NCL/Carnival customers they've attracted and obviously want to keep to build their market share in the Caribbean.

 

If they were attempting to pander, it isn’t working. Vast majority of passengers on our sailing last week were not Americans. There was general disregard from all passengers on the dress code.

[DLW_2013]

So confusing! We're sailing on MSC Seaside next week. I always want to respect the dress code (on land and at sea), and get super anxious over what to pack, what looks right, what is formal enough but not too formal since we are on vacation...and there are always folk in the MDR with shorts, t-shirts, and baseball caps...enjoying themselves regardless of my anxiety level. We're first-time MSC cruisers (past: Carnival and NCL), and certainly don't want to be the "TTOB" as another poster referred to earlier... For Gala/formal night(s), we're planning on a tux and and suit for him and a cocktail and less formal dress for me. It'll be slacks for him and capris or dresses for me the other nights. And we'll use our forks and knives properly, too ;)

[graphicguy]

All the main cruise lines are following the trend away from formal attire. MSC is no different. Have sailed them twice. Once from Miami....once from Barcelona. Don’t recall seeing any tuxes.....very few suits...anywhere.....mostly pants and collared shirts or shorts and polos.

 

MSC is just following what their customer base and societal norms desire.

Edited May 14, 2018 by graphicguy

[CGTNORMANDIE]

Sailing on a beautiful and elegant ship it shouldn't be too much to ask that people make an effort when eating in the restaurants. Unfortunately there is a disregard of the dress code and people are following others in their casual approach, people are therefore conside ring it acep table to go to dinner in shors, beach wear etc. Sadly MSC are not enforcing it consistently. It's only an issue on the ships sailing from Miami so you do have to wonder if they are trying to pander to the NCL/Carnival customers they've attracted and obviously want to keep to build their market share in the Caribbean.

 

Hi CruisingFox,

 

I think it is a sign of the times...more to do with the casual dress in the workplace. Friday Casual turned into Monday thru Friday Casual. “Working from home” has become the norm. There seems too be the personification of “Do Your Own Thing” that is reverberating from the 1970’s. It is unfortunate that more lines do not take a stand. I do not believe that pants and shirts, at a minimum, are totally unreasonable for 2 hours of dining. Why is it that we are willing to settle for the lowest common denominator?? Why are the lines so reluctant to insist on pax decorum?? Maybe someday...sighhhhh.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

So confusing! We're sailing on MSC Seaside next week. I always want to respect the dress code (on land and at sea), and get super anxious over what to pack, what looks right, what is formal enough but not too formal since we are on vacation...and there are always folk in the MDR with shorts, t-shirts, and baseball caps...enjoying themselves regardless of my anxiety level. We're first-time MSC cruisers (past: Carnival and NCL), and certainly don't want to be the "TTOB" as another poster referred to earlier... For Gala/formal night(s), we're planning on a tux and and suit for him and a cocktail and less formal dress for me. It'll be slacks for him and capris or dresses for me the other nights. And we'll use our forks and knives properly, too ;)

 

Hi DLW,

 

GOOD FOR YOU! Do not hesitate to dress “to the nines” and show your colors. On our last cruise on Divina we dressed for dinner. I wore a Christian Dior tux with my special vest complete with gold pocket watch and chains. I actually had total strangers coming up to me with compliments and I could not care less that other people did not follow suit. Sometimes you have to raise the bar yourself in order that others might follow. It was most gratifying that I received many compliments from the staff. I believe that if the staff makes the effort to put on a special night then I should also do the same.

[pappahbuttz]

Very well said CGTNORMANDIE !

[sidari]

GT ... Quite right. what next waiters serving people in shorts and T shirts!

 

Would these same people who advocate T shirts and Shorts be allowed to do the same in a Restaurant at home ? Spoke to one of the travel agents we use this morning who agrees that anyone on Gala nights who want to wear shorts etc should be sent to the Buffet.