Specialty restaurant attire

[w8ing2cruz]

We have 4 specialty restaurant reservations - one is Dress or Not - we are choosing to dress up. We have also chosen our last specialty restaurant dress up. How about he other two? Should we wear dresses or can we do capris and nice shirts?

[Two Wheels Only]

Most restaurants are "cruise casual". The dailies will tell you which restaurants are "smart casual" (individual ships may differ slightly from what is given on the website)...

 

 

CRUISE CASUAL

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.

 

 

SMART CASUAL

Dress smart casual in our more formal dining room or in our more upscale specialty restaurants. 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.

 

 

...you can dress up at any time.

[don't-use-real-name]

You should have no problemo - the only restrictive specialty restaurant is Le Bistro - the only restrictive

MDR is usually the aft dining room on each ship. With the -AWAY class ships there maybe one or two

restaurants with dress code stipulations.

But damn the dress code full speed ahead the dress code mostly applies to men - after all men don't

wear dresses ! LOL !

Most anything in "good taste" should pass muster (not a drill) - whose "good taste" well that remains

to be seen - NCL is not the Cunard line where 4th class passengers have to dress to the nines to eat.

 

Free-Style cruising enjoy it in "good taste" !

[BirdTravels]

We have 4 specialty restaurant reservations - one is Dress or Not - we are choosing to dress up. We have also chosen our last specialty restaurant dress up. How about he other two? Should we wear dresses or can we do capris and nice shirts?

On the Getaway, Smart Casual (pants - jeans, dockers for gents) is required in Ocean Blue and Le Bistro. Other restaurants allow shorts to be worn for all meals (specialty and MDRs). Dress up or Dress down. Your choice. Dresses are never required. Capris and a nice shirt is fine.

 

Info on the Getaway can be found on our live post from September https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2666700

[newmexicoNita]

We have 4 specialty restaurant reservations - one is Dress or Not - we are choosing to dress up. We have also chosen our last specialty restaurant dress up. How about he other two? Should we wear dresses or can we do capris and nice shirts?

even "dress up" doesn't mean dresses anymore. Nice capris and a cute blouse is fine. If you want to dress up that is fine. Although we love the casual dress now days, I do bring one nice dress (not formal or after 5) with me for eating in Le Bistro and maybe even one of the other nights. Hubby simply wears casual pants (not jeans) and a nice sport shirt. This is the beauty of Free style or one of the beauties. You can feel free to dress as you like. I will say, some carry the casual to a new height. but that is fun for people watching at least.

[Gampy1967]

Ripped jeans I believe are required in many dining rooms now according to another thread.

[beerman2]

Ripped jeans I believe are required in many dining rooms now according to another thread.

Depends if you go to GS and get their OK or Host/Hostess allows. LOL

 

OP you will be just fine and hubby in dress 👖 Kaihki's and golf shirt/Tommy Bahama works great.

[Doc P]

Just got off the Breakaway and ate in all the specialty restaurants.  For men, in Cagney's and Savor and Taste the first night they allowed shorts but I don't remember seeing anyone wearing them.  They were also lenient on the last night but an event proved the case that money does not equal class as a middle aged gentlemen walked into Le Bistro wearing a baseball cap, the hostess asked him to remove it and he said "I will not."  She choose discretion and served him.  He was the only one of about fifty men wearing a hat while dining.  While we are on the subject, why is it always the men that give the idea that Americans are too lazy not to be slobs. Everyone has their favorite shirt to wear at the pool but do we really need sleeveless, shapeless tank tops at dinner?  Is there any occasion that we dress up for anymore?  Khakis or nice trousers with golf shirts or button down dress shirts always works.  Believe it or not even in the Caribbean there were more than half the nights when long sleeved shirts were the best option.

[KeithJenner]

1 hour ago, Doc P said:

Just got off the Breakaway and ate in all the specialty restaurants.  For men, in Cagney's and Savor and Taste the first night they allowed shorts but I don't remember seeing anyone wearing them. 

Shorts are allowed in Cagneys, Taste and Savor every night. Only Le Bistro, Ocean Blue (or equivalent) and the aft dining room (on some ships) don't allow shorts.

[BirdTravels]

4 hours ago, Doc P said:

Just got off the Breakaway and ate in all the specialty restaurants.  For men, in Cagney's and Savor and Taste the first night they allowed shorts but I don't remember seeing anyone wearing them.  They were also lenient on the last night but an event proved the case that money does not equal class as a middle aged gentlemen walked into Le Bistro wearing a baseball cap, the hostess asked him to remove it and he said "I will not."  She choose discretion and served him.  He was the only one of about fifty men wearing a hat while dining.  While we are on the subject, why is it always the men that give the idea that Americans are too lazy not to be slobs. Everyone has their favorite shirt to wear at the pool but do we really need sleeveless, shapeless tank tops at dinner?  Is there any occasion that we dress up for anymore?  Khakis or nice trousers with golf shirts or button down dress shirts always works.  Believe it or not even in the Caribbean there were more than half the nights when long sleeved shirts were the best option.

Per prior post, shorts are allowed in ALL restaurants for ALL meals except Le Bistro and Ocean Blue which require gents to wear pants (dockers or jeans are o.k.,,, nothing more is "required")

[don't-use-real-name]

4 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Per prior post, shorts are allowed in ALL restaurants for ALL meals except Le Bistro and Ocean Blue which require gents to wear pants (dockers or jeans are o.k.,,, nothing more is "required")

 

(dockers or jeans are o.k.,,, nothing more is "required")

 

Be careful here open to liberal interpretation - no shirt no shoes no service   ROFLOL !

[newmexicoNita]

10 hours ago, Doc P said:

Just got off the Breakaway and ate in all the specialty restaurants.  For men, in Cagney's and Savor and Taste the first night they allowed shorts but I don't remember seeing anyone wearing them.  They were also lenient on the last night but an event proved the case that money does not equal class as a middle aged gentlemen walked into Le Bistro wearing a baseball cap, the hostess asked him to remove it and he said "I will not."  She choose discretion and served him.  He was the only one of about fifty men wearing a hat while dining.  While we are on the subject, why is it always the men that give the idea that Americans are too lazy not to be slobs. Everyone has their favorite shirt to wear at the pool but do we really need sleeveless, shapeless tank tops at dinner?  Is there any occasion that we dress up for anymore?  Khakis or nice trousers with golf shirts or button down dress shirts always works.  Believe it or not even in the Caribbean there were more than half the nights when long sleeved shirts were the best option.

I suppose if they don't care we shouldn't either, but I am with you: I think there are times when dressing up a little is expected and people should be glad they have an opportunity to do so. BTW there are other countries where people are not particularly neat: it isn't just America. I know the old argument: I am on vacation. This is true, but even in the days when I worked a regular job, I didn't mind looking presentable when out in public, vacation or no vacation. 

[Jetsterkitty]

As mentioned previously Le Bistro DOES have a dress code and they even called our room the afternoon of our reservation to "remind" us of it.  No shorts, jeans, tanks, etc.  We were well aware of the dress code... but for anyone that wasn't the reminder would have surely been appreciated as I saw a quite a few people show up dressed inappropriately (hoochie shorts and a crop top on one young lady).  We had a lovely table by a window on the Escape last fall and we could see them turning away a TON of people... many very underdressed... but Le Bistro is also a busy specialty restaurant, so they could have also been people without reservations stopping to see if they could get in.  Hubby wore khakis and golf shirts and I wore capris and a blouse or a sundress with a light sweater  to every specialty restaurant we visited and we were dressed fine.  :) 

[Bootman4U]

I think you need to understand that the person with the baseball cap probably thought wearing that IS very much "presentable."

[NLH Arizona]

15 hours ago, Doc P said:

They were also lenient on the last night but an event proved the case that money does not equal class as a middle aged gentlemen walked into Le Bistro wearing a baseball cap, the hostess asked him to remove it and he said "I will not."  

IMHO, I wouldn't have called him a gentleman, I would have just called him a man for two reasons.  One a gentleman wouldn't wear a baseball cap in Le Bistro and two, when asked to remove it a gentleman would have removed it.  

 

[PTC DAWG]

13 minutes ago, Bootman4U said:

I think you need to understand that the person with the baseball cap probably thought wearing that IS very much "presentable."

And he would have been wrong. 

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, Jetsterkitty said:

 No shorts, jeans, tanks, etc. 

 

Jeans are allowed in Le Bistro as long as they aren't "...overly faded, with holes or tears and worn below the hips.."

 

[omarchs]

We have also seen suits and dresses in Le Bistro many times, so some do approach it as a fancy date night so as another indicated don’t be afraid to dress up if you prefer.

[Doc P]

It appears I may have opened Pandora's box.  Not to belabor the point but the night in question most of the men were wearing blazers or sports jackets.  Furthermore, guess the optic of seeing a man brush off the impeccably dressed,  dimunitive hostess,  made the situation uncomfortable for me, maybe not the rest of the world, but me.  I know we are not on vacation to please the staff or impress people from other countries but I would rather not impress then with what appears to be boorish behavior.  Lastly, I did address the "hat issue" in written communication with NCL as I don't recall it being posted anywhere although I could have missed it.

[Two Wheels Only]

17 minutes ago, Doc P said:

 Lastly, I did address the "hat issue" in written communication with NCL as I don't recall it being posted anywhere although I could have missed it.

 

Hats are addressed by NCL...

 

"....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." 

[Doc P]

Thanks for the clarification.  

 

It appears I may have opened Pandora's box.  Not to belabor the point but the night in question most of the men were wearing blazers or sports jackets.  Furthermore, guess the optic of seeing a man brush off the impeccably dressed,  dimunitive hostess,  made the situation uncomfortable for me, maybe not the rest of the world, but me.  I know we are not on vacation to please the staff or impress people from other countries but I would rather not impress then with what appears to be boorish behavior.  Lastly, I did address the "hat issue" in written communication with NCL as I don't recall it being posted anywhere although I could have missed it.

[Jetsterkitty]

3 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

Jeans are allowed in Le Bistro as long as they aren't "...overly faded, with holes or tears and worn below the hips.."

 

I wasn't citing the "rules"... I was citing my own personal experience and our voicemail said "no jeans".  Get over yourself!!!!

[Two Wheels Only]

4 minutes ago, Jetsterkitty said:

I wasn't citing the "rules"... I was citing my own personal experience and our voicemail said "no jeans".  Get over yourself!!!!

 

If we are expected to hold your personal experience over the experience of others who have worn jeans and what is stated as "smart casual" by NCL, who needs to get over themself? Neither the dailies nor the website states that jeans are not allowed.

 

 

 

 

[RickinNYC]

When we cruised on the Breakaway last year, we had made reservations to have dinner at Le Bistro.  We were enjoying relaxing and decided not to keep the reservations, so we stopped by the maitre de's podium to cancel.  When asked, "are you sure?  Reservations have been hard to come by this week," I explained that we weren't dressed appropriately per the guidelines and didn't want to go and change.  FYI, my husband and I were both wearing plain, flat front chino style shorts, docksiders and polo shirts (we looked like we fell out of The Official Preppy Handbook, minus the popped collar).  The maitre de was insistent and said we looked just fine, to please join them for dinner, we could be seated shortly.  My husband was all for it; I'm a rule follower, so we still cancelled and went on our way.  

 

Admittedly, I was surprised.