New to NCL

[joeyancho]

We are taking our first cruise on NCL and wondering if you are allowed to bring on soft drinks and a bottle of wine.   Also what is the attire for specialty restaurants and MDR?  Thank you for your replies. 

Edited October 2, 2019 by joeyancho

[cliffd64]

Just now, joeyancho said:

We are taking our first cruise on NCL and wondering if you are allowed to bring on soft drinks and a bottle of wine.  Thanks for your replies.  

 

Soda .... no.  Wine may be brought on board if you pay a 15 dollar corkage fee per bottle.

[Two Wheels Only]

9 minutes ago, joeyancho said:

Also what is the attire for specialty restaurants and MDR?

 

The dress code for specialty restaurants depends on the restaurant. Some specialty restaurants are "cruise casual" and some are "smart casual"...

 

Cruise Casual: the Freedom of Freestyle Cruising

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.

 

All Decked-out: 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. Kids 12 and under are welcome to wear nice shorts in all our restaurants.

 

The dress code for the MDR will also depend on which MDR you are in and/or which ship you are on. For some ships, 1 MDR is "smart casual". On some ships, all MDRs are "cruise casual".

 

It's best to check the ship's dailies to see which restaurants require long pants.  

[beerman2]

MDR, I wore shorts and golf shirts.

 

Specialty- Le Bistro is long pants and if I remember Bayamo  is also. LeBistro I just wore Khaki's and Tommy Bahama type shirt.

 

 

NCL is very casual . It's nice going to MDR in shorts and not having to run back to room after dinner to change like other cruise lines. Although I think many are headed to the more casual way.

 

[tomk3212]

I dunno...on trips to Bermuda in summer/early fall the gentlemen we see wearing shorts plus a dress shirt, tie & jacket on the streets of Hamilton look VERY well dressed to me...I'd certainly allow someone dressed like that into LeBistro...😲

 

I'd agree that the dress code has gone downhill in the MDRs in the past few years.  Time was when I'd show up with shorts to dine in Windows on the Spirit for dinner & get sent back to my cabin to change into slacks.  Haven't seen that happening lately on the 'Away class ships...

 

I believe that the corkage fee will vary depending on the size of the wine bottle you're bringing aboard.  Standard fee is $15 for 750ML, I believe.  Larger sized bottles may get charged more.  Someone else with more experience can speak to this.

[BaWBarmy]

Vans are an item of casual footwear, similar to the plimsoll or sandshoe as we used to call them. They come in a variety of colours, mine are black, and can be slip on or lace up.

 

@bkrickles1 No pants! We call that commando where I come from.

[billslowsky]

1 hour ago, tomk3212 said:

I'd agree that the dress code has gone downhill in the MDRs in the past few years.

I wouldn't agree, I think they've improved the dress code to be more aligned with what their passengers want.  My dinner isn't affected if someone wears shorts, jeans, whatever.  My line of sight isn't under the tables.

[mbfrenc0586]

On 10/2/2019 at 2:04 PM, joeyancho said:

We are taking our first cruise on NCL and wondering if you are allowed to bring on soft drinks and a bottle of wine.   Also what is the attire for specialty restaurants and MDR?  Thank you for your replies. 

One bottle of wine per person I believe it was $15 each for a fee. 

 

On the Bliss Ocean Blue and Le Bistro required pants but no other specialties has any special requirements.

[ColeThornton]

33 minutes ago, mbfrenc0586 said:

One bottle of wine per person I believe it was $15 each for a fee. 

 

On the Bliss Ocean Blue and Le Bistro required pants but no other specialties has any special requirements.

 

There is NO limit to the amount of bottles you can bring on board.

[mbfrenc0586]

25 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

 

There is NO limit to the amount of bottles you can bring on board.

Thanks for clarifying I thought I read that somewhere.  Good to know.

[Two Wheels Only]

Someone choosing to not wear shorts (in a restaurant that allows shorts) is fine. 

 

Stating that people who choose to wear shorts (in a restaurant that allows shorts) "have no decorum at all" is not fine. 

[babs135]

We had a cruise package a few years ago which involved a crossing ln the Queen Mary 2 followed by a cruise on the Breakaway!!  As you can imagine the change of dress code was something of a shock although we did expect it.  However, we did enjoy ourselves and (lowering my voice) there were even a couple of nights when I was happy not to dress up in something formal.

 

BUT, one night in the mdr a young woman entered wearing the shortest pair of shorts I have ever seen.  I popped DH's eyes back (!) and muttered you'd never see that on Cunard 🤣🤣

[billslowsky]

1 hour ago, Sweetnspicy said:

 

 

You do what you want to do! Let’s be honest here. The “old” ways of cruising are gone. I am 30. I don’t own fancy fancy clothes, I won’t be purchasing an evening gown for my trip to the MDR and I will more than likely be wearing shorts or a sundress. No need to feel disrespected. 

I'm a lot older than you and also wouldn't be caught dead toting a wardrobe of silly formal clothes on my vacation.

[billslowsky]

51 minutes ago, babs135 said:

BUT, one night in the mdr a young woman entered wearing the shortest pair of shorts I have ever seen.  I popped DH's eyes back (!) and muttered you'd never see that on Cunard 🤣🤣

Please post a photo so we can make an informed judgment.

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, babs135 said:

BUT, one night in the mdr a young woman entered wearing the shortest pair of shorts I have ever seen.  I popped DH's eyes back (!) and muttered you'd never see that on Cunard 

 

Will you see something similar on Cunard?...

 

 

 

...Depends. 😝

[jdvmd]

OP,  you cannot bring on soft drinks but you are able to bring unlimited amounts of wine onboard but will pay a $15 per 750-ml bottle corkage fee. This allows you to enjoy the wine anywhere on the ship including your cabin, any bar, restaurant, specialty restaurant.

[AFS1970]

I haven't been on NCL yet, we are just in the beginning process of our next cruise planning. I had heard about the relaxed dress code on NCL and I do tend towards more formality. For me it is not the nice shorts that are the problem although I would never wear shorts to dinner in a restaurant other than fast food. On my last cruise (RCL) they had dress guidelines, yet they were not enforced. I saw ball caps, tank tops, flip flops in the MDR including on formal/elegant nights. In a way I think NCL is being more honest by relaxing their code because the other cruise lines don't seem to enforce theirs. I have seen the same thing in land restaurants, we went to a steak house for our anniversary, I wore a collard shirt, the next two people in the restaurant were in printed t-shirts (although long sleeved) and one wore a ball cap that never came off. It didn't ruin my dinner by any means but it did seem odd.

[Mira28]

 Somehow I find that I rarely notice what clothes others are wearing, but in any case wouldn’t make a judgment. I’m too busy enjoying myself and focusing on my dinner companions.

 Thanks for the info on the wine one might want to bring aboard. (I thought there was a one bottle per person limit, but glad to know that is not the case.) It’s nice to have a little of that in the cabin!

[babs135]

10 hours ago, billslowsky said:

Please post a photo so we can make an informed judgment.

Wish I had - if only to cheer up DH if he's feeling a little depressed!! 🤣🤣

[babs135]

I'd like to add one further comment if I may.  Yes, the dress code is very relaxed but what did interest us was that as the sailing was over New Year's Eve there were a fair number of people who had made the effort to dress up in dinner suits (tuxedos) and very pretty cocktail dresses.  They looked great and not out of place.