Skipping Formal Night

[kimhinterman]

We are new to MSC and sailing on Seaside 2/15/19 in the Yacht Club.  Nothing against those who love formal night, I, however, do not! To each their own and I am not trying to start a debate on the subject, I would just like to hear suggestions on dinner options for those of us that prefer casual dining. Can pizza be ordered in the Yacht Club lounge or by the pool?

[CGTNORMANDIE]

Unless you intend to show up in the dining room wearing shorts, t-shirt and flip flops you really have nothing to worry about.  If you show up in the dining room or Top Sail dressed neatly I seriously think you will not raise any eyebrows or upset those of us who decide to dress more traditionally.  It’s not like the YC is black tie or anything close.  I think you will find the YC to be warm and friendly.  There is no reason why you can’t dine in the dining room on formal night.  

[sptrout]

I agree with "CGTNORMANDIE" that the dress code in the YC is the same every night. No need to make any other plans. Last year we saw a few folks that dressed up to some degree, but the majority IMO treated like any other night as I did (although my wife wanted me to wear a tie those two nights). 

 

True formal nights like there used to be in years past is going away rapidly among all the major cruise lines. IMO, in 5 years or so formal nights will be gone for most lines.

[Hlitner]

I actually will be in Black Tie on some formal nights in the YC.  But many others will not be formal and a decent shirt and trousers is more common then formal wear.  So why do I bother to dress?  For me it is fun and I would rather be one of the nicest dressed then not.  But it is personal preference and we happily enjoy cocktails with those not similarly dressed.  
 

Hank

[Cruisergal1208]

Previously on other MSC ships, you were not allowed to have food brought into the lounge, but some have said they were brought to them on the pool deck. 
Like others said, as long as you are neatly dressed you will be ok on elegant nights. 

[JohnJayJotaJames]

We don't wear ties and jackets and feel comfortable any night in YC wearing shirtsleeved shirts and trousers. On Seaview the YC Director organized a special pizza for us on Gala night. She was making a point to YC restaurant manager that it's not "his restaurant" and that MSC experience is about the guest. 

[reedprincess]

7 hours ago, kimhinterman said:

We are new to MSC and sailing on Seaside 2/15/19 in the Yacht Club.  Nothing against those who love formal night, I, however, do not! To each their own and I am not trying to start a debate on the subject, I would just like to hear suggestions on dinner options for those of us that prefer casual dining. Can pizza be ordered in the Yacht Club lounge or by the pool?

Slacks, nice dress/collared shirt whether short or long sleeved is perfectly fine. Saw a fair few in Dockers and polos on "Elegant"Most night.  Gents will be in similar, maybe adding a sport coat or a tie. You'll see very few suits or tuxes, but there will likely be a smattering of each/either.   Ladies have a lot more leeway. On our Sailings, they tended to be more dressed up than the gents, but still tended towards nice dresses, maybe cocktail dress type versus full on gowns.  Lots of sparkles and such, but a lot in flowing/dress pants and sparkly tops versus the full gown/dress deal. 

Give it a go, it's not as dressy as you're thinking.  

Full disclosure - we'll be the couple in tux and cocktail dress on our upcoming Sailings - because we enjoy it, and have almost no reason to ever do so at home, and hubby looks amazing in his tux!  And i fully expect we'll be in the very small minority.. it's cool.  

Neat, clean, etc is the name of the game for the restaurant.  

[Toofarfromthesea]

9 hours ago, kimhinterman said:

We are new to MSC and sailing on Seaside 2/15/19 in the Yacht Club.  Nothing against those who love formal night, I, however, do not! To each their own and I am not trying to start a debate on the subject, I would just like to hear suggestions on dinner options for those of us that prefer casual dining. Can pizza be ordered in the Yacht Club lounge or by the pool?

 

On your final question, no.  The Italians have a different concept of what dining is and it doesn't include dining in a lounge.  

 

On your first point, I've sailed in the YC twice, one in the Western Med and once to the Baltic Sea and Norweign Fjords.  In both cases I wore Dockers and  a button down shirt to the YC restaurant on the elegant nights and it was completely appropriate.  A collared golf shirt would have also been appropriate and is what I wore the other evenings.  And I'd imagine a US based cruise would be even more casual.  Shorts for men are a no no in the YC restaurant for dinner every dayday on European cruises and I'm curious to see if that is maintained on my upcoming YC Caribbean cruise a year from now.

 

If you are not comfortable with even that, you have the buffet (free) and the specialty restaurants (not free).. Or (free) room service and/or pizza in your room.or

 

Don't sweat it.  You are going to have a great time.

Edited December 5, 2019 by Toofarfromthesea

[sailco]

4 hours ago, reedprincess said:

Full disclosure - we'll be the couple in tux and cocktail dress on our upcoming Sailings - because we enjoy it, and have almost no reason to ever do so at home, and hubby looks amazing in his tux!  And i fully expect we'll be in the very small minority.. it's cool.  

We'll be the couple dressed the same at the table next to yours 😎

[sailco]

10 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I actually will be in Black Tie on some formal nights in the YC.  But many others will not be formal and a decent shirt and trousers is more common then formal wear.  So why do I bother to dress?  For me it is fun and I would rather be one of the nicest dressed then not.  But it is personal preference and we happily enjoy cocktails with those not similarly dressed.  
 

Hank

We like to look our best too. No reason to dress up at home and we love the romance of formal dress.

On MSC in the Mediterranean it's wonderful to see three or four generations of a family dressed beautifully for formal night.

[deliver42]

You can order pizza, but formal night is not enforced in any way. Dress in the dining room as you would any other night.You won't be alone.

[CruisingFox27]

On our Seaside sailing last month we had a significant European passenger demographic and most people did dress for Elegant night. Generally the gents were in suits or a jacket and a good number of full length dresses and cocktail dresses for the ladies. 

Ordinarily Elegant  nights on the Caribbean cruises is adhered to less. Smart trousers and a shirt wouldn't be unacceptable. 

As stated above the alternatives are the buffet or speciality restaurant. 

[DCGuy64]

Thank you. I was packing last night and only have one set of tux clothes that I want to bring (I have about 4 tuxes but my bag's already getting full!). LOL. I'm planning to wear smart casual the rest of the time.

[mumachaz]

10 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

On your final question, no.  The Italians have a different concept of what dining is and it doesn't include dining in a lounge.  

 

On your first point, I've sailed in the YC twice, one in the Western Med and once to the Baltic Sea and Norweign Fjords.  In both cases I wore Dockers and  a button down shirt to the YC restaurant on the elegant nights and it was completely appropriate.  A collared golf shirt would have also been appropriate and is what I wore the other evenings.  And I'd imagine a US based cruise would be even more casual.  Shorts for men are a no no in the YC restaurant for dinner every dayday on European cruises and I'm curious to see if that is maintained on my upcoming YC Caribbean cruise a year from now.

 

If you are not comfortable with even that, you have the buffet (free) and the specialty restaurants (not free).. Or (free) room service and/or pizza in your room.or

 

Don't sweat it.  You are going to have a great time.

I'm really concerned about regular dining in the YC.  Are you saying that my husband cannot wear shorts into the YC restraurant for dinner?  This is our vacation.  We are required to dress up for work every day.  While vacationing, we prefer to dress casually.  Are men required to wear dress pants and dress shoes in the YC restaurant each evening.  We have sailed the Haven on NCL and if we didn't choose to dress up we could order room service and dine in our room.  MSC's rooms do not have dining tables or chairs in the suites.  I'm curious what others do if they choose not to dress up for dinner each night. 

[deliver42]

Any kind of long pants that aren't torn, including jeans, and a collared polo shirt would surfice.

[JohnJayJotaJames]

3 hours ago, mumachaz said:

I'm really concerned about regular dining in the YC.  Are you saying that my husband cannot wear shorts into the YC restraurant for dinner?  This is our vacation.  We are required to dress up for work every day.  While vacationing, we prefer to dress casually.  Are men required to wear dress pants and dress shoes in the YC restaurant each evening.  We have sailed the Haven on NCL and if we didn't choose to dress up we could order room service and dine in our room.  MSC's rooms do not have dining tables or chairs in the suites.  I'm curious what others do if they choose not to dress up for dinner each night. 

Msc replied to my email saying "Yes, dress codes advised are purely as a guide only on all of our ships regardless of which bar and restaurant. This is by no means mandatory in any case".

[webworm]

Casual dress works for me since I wear the suit for work at the office and travelling with carry on luggage on the flight down to Fort Lauderdale.

[CruisingFox27]

6 hours ago, mumachaz said:

I'm really concerned about regular dining in the YC.  Are you saying that my husband cannot wear shorts into the YC restraurant for dinner?  This is our vacation.  We are required to dress up for work every day.  While vacationing, we prefer to dress casually.  Are men required to wear dress pants and dress shoes in the YC restaurant each evening.  We have sailed the Haven on NCL and if we didn't choose to dress up we could order room service and dine in our room.  MSC's rooms do not have dining tables or chairs in the suites.  I'm curious what others do if they choose not to dress up for dinner each night. 

 

Shorts aren't permitted in the restaurant in the evening, smart/casual trousers (pants) are acceptable they don't need to be formal.

[Toofarfromthesea]

3 hours ago, JohnJayJotaJames said:

Msc replied to my email saying "Yes, dress codes advised are purely as a guide only on all of our ships regardless of which bar and restaurant. This is by no means mandatory in any case".

 

If you wear shorts to dinner in the YC restaurant you will be asked to go change.  Based on experience.

[Toofarfromthesea]

7 hours ago, mumachaz said:

I'm really concerned about regular dining in the YC.  Are you saying that my husband cannot wear shorts into the YC restraurant for dinner?  This is our vacation.  We are required to dress up for work every day.  While vacationing, we prefer to dress casually.  Are men required to wear dress pants and dress shoes in the YC restaurant each evening.  We have sailed the Haven on NCL and if we didn't choose to dress up we could order room service and dine in our room.  MSC's rooms do not have dining tables or chairs in the suites.  I'm curious what others do if they choose not to dress up for dinner each night. 

 

If you re-read my post that you quoted you would see that your questions were largely answered already.  No shorts.  No need for dress pants and dress shoes.  Dockers and a golf shirt are fine.  If you don't want to skip wearing shorts then as far as I know your choices are the buffet or room service, making do with the furniture provided.  I'm not sure if shorts are permitted for dinner in the specialty restaurants, but I'd guess not.  But if you guys can forego shorts, anything that is neat and clean would almost certainly be acceptable.  No formal wear or suits or ties are required at any time.

 

Have a great cruise.

[JohnJayJotaJames]

1 hour ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

If you wear shorts to dinner in the YC restaurant you will be asked to go change.  Based on experience.

I dressed in my YC bathrobe for gala night! Concierge couldn't keep a straight face!!! I did get changed before having my gala night pizza in the YC restaurant. I'm sure they wouldn't refuse a guest wishing to wear shorts. The dress code is optional. I like to wear trousers for dinner but would definitely put on shorts if I were being told that it was not allowed.

[reedprincess]

18 minutes ago, JohnJayJotaJames said:

I dressed in my YC bathrobe for gala night! Concierge couldn't keep a straight face!!! I did get changed before having my gala night pizza in the YC restaurant. I'm sure they wouldn't refuse a guest wishing to wear shorts. The dress code is optional. I like to wear trousers for dinner but would definitely put on shorts if I were being told that it was not allowed.

Yes, they will turn away a guest in short. Has happened on all my YC cruises - seen and talked with gents turned away for Wes nice shorts, polo. Long pants, period.  My partner was turned away for three quarter pants, well below the one, but still not all the way to the ankle. Go figure.  

Ladies - they have a lot more leeway. Out in some shorts and heels and apparently that's good to go. Men's knees though, or even some calf  - heck no.

[JohnJayJotaJames]

4 minutes ago, reedprincess said:

Yes, they will turn away a guest in short. Has happened on all my YC cruises - seen and talked with gents turned away for Wes nice shorts, polo. Long pants, period.  My partner was turned away for three quarter pants, well below the one, but still not all the way to the ankle. Go figure.  

Ladies - they have a lot more leeway. Out in some shorts and heels and apparently that's good to go. Men's knees though, or even some calf  - heck no.

I guess I'll have to pack a dress then! If that's what they'd prefer!!!

[Host Jazzbeau]

59 minutes ago, JohnJayJotaJames said:

I guess I'll have to pack a dress then! If that's what they'd prefer!!!

 

Make it a mini-skirt and call it a 'kilt.'  But be prepared for social media body shaming unless your knees [and let's not even go anywhere near your 'j*nk'] are worth looking at...

[JohnJayJotaJames]

@Host Jazzbeau So funny! Sadly haven't gotten any knee modeling contracts!!! Nothing worth looking at or maybe I need a new agent. Guess we'll never know cause I'm not revealing mine at dinner with or without a rule, suggestion or MSC regulation.