Shorts at dinner for men? And breezy on deck?

[akl432]

I checked the DCL website, and it recommends cruise casual (no shorts) for dinner. For me (as a female) this is not a problem; I can wear dresses/skirts. But for men, do most men normally wear pants to dinner? I am concerned about my (60 year old) father being uncomfortably hot. Or maybe it doesn't matter because the restaurants are air conditioned? Do most men wear slacks to dinner on casual nights, and then change into dressy shorts after dinner (for the nighttime entertainment)?

 

Would he look out of place by wearing dressy shorts and a nice shirt to dinner? (I am not trying to disregard the written DCL rules; I just want to clarify whether most men actually wear pants to dinner. I remember seeing photos of men in shorts at dinner in some trip reports.)

 

Also, we are cruising on May 9-16; will be warm or chilly on the ship in the evenings? Is there normally a breeze that would make it feel chilly and require a jacket while on the decks?

 

We have never cruised before; thanks in advance for your response!

[mom x4,grandma x4]

I checked the DCL website, and it recommends cruise casual (no shorts) for dinner. For me (as a female) this is not a problem; I can wear dresses/skirts. But for men, do most men normally wear pants to dinner? I am concerned about my (60 year old) father being uncomfortably hot. Or maybe it doesn't matter because the restaurants are air conditioned? Do most men wear slacks to dinner on casual nights, and then change into dressy shorts after dinner (for the nighttime entertainment)?

 

Would he look out of place by wearing dressy shorts and a nice shirt to dinner? (I am not trying to disregard the written DCL rules; I just want to clarify whether most men actually wear pants to dinner. I remember seeing photos of men in shorts at dinner in some trip reports.)

 

Also, we are cruising on May 9-16; will be warm or chilly on the ship in the evenings? Is there normally a breeze that would make it feel chilly and require a jacket while on the decks?

 

We have never cruised before; thanks in advance for your response!

 

 

Hello,

your question is kinda of a hard one.

It is true they say NO shorts at dinner. But there is usually someone who will show up in them. They have never turned them away but they will get some LOOKS from a few people. So thats something to keep in mind.

 

The restaurants are airconditoned. Most complain they are too cool and bring a sweater. Because there are so many people in one room they tend to keep it a bit on the cool side.

Out of 18 cruises I think twice we had warm dining rooms.

I guess it depends on what is cool to you. Some say 70 is cool , others 65 is cool.

 

Ok, some wear slacks but for casual nights most men wear Dockers or Khaki type pants and a shirt with a collar. It can be short or long sleeves, it really makes no difference.

 

As far as going to shows or clubs, shorts are great. My husband lives in his shorts on board accept at dinner.

In the buffet for breakfast or lunch it is real casual. Shorts, bathing suits with covers on them, sandals, tank tops etc...

For me I wear jeans to the clubs and shows because i think they tend to be on the cool side.

 

 

Anytime of year most want a light weight jacket for outer decks. On the ocean there is always a breeze and when the ship moves it can get pretty strong. Parts of deck 9 are not as bad against the wall side when you sit down but the rest is very breezy and cool. Early morning is the same way.

 

The rest of the day you should have great weather, warm but not too humid.

If you have an early morning excursion you may need a light jacket too.

 

 

Hope this helps you some,

please feel free to ask all the questions you want.

People here are great about answering questions .

 

Kathy

[OneParticularHarbour 71]

It has been our experience that the majority of men wear pants to dinner. I've seen younger children in dress shorts, but don't recall ever seeing a grown man in shorts at dinner (that doesn't mean they weren't there, I just didn't notice! :) ). The dining rooms are all air conditioned and I actually find them a little cool.

 

It will be breezy up on deck at night - it's usually a warm breeze, but on occasion it can be cool.

 

We always pack a light sweater or jacket for everyone just in case.

[DrD]

Please please no shorts. Also, the dress code is expected throughout the evening, not just at dinner.

 

It is never hot at sea in the evening, trust me.

[ubermama]

My husband was concerned about this too. He didn't want to be hot either. We never saw anyone wearing shorts in the dining room. The rooms are very well air conditioned so being hot was never an issue. My husband wore light weight dress slacks and a golf shirt most nights and he fit right in. There were a few people wearing suits but for us holidays are about relaxing. Besides dinner only takes about 2 hours and it's nice that everyone respects the rules.

[cruiserbryce]

I would recommend going with pants rather than shorts in the DR

[brucechase]

Disney will not refuse you seating in the main dining room if you wear shorts. The only place Disney will refuse you seating if not dressed per their SUGGESTIONS is at Palo.

 

I have seen plenty of shorts in the dining room. I have seen plenty of jeans in the dining room. You can wear what is comfortable and still have a wonderful meal. Do not stress out over what to wear for the cruise.

 

If you look at the navigators, the only night Disney doens't want you to wear shorts is on Formal night where it says (No Shorts Please).

[tneah]

Disney will not refuse you seating in the main dining room if you wear shorts. The only place Disney will refuse you seating if not dressed per their SUGGESTIONS is at Palo.

 

I have seen plenty of shorts in the dining room. I have seen plenty of jeans in the dining room. You can wear what is comfortable and still have a wonderful meal. Do not stress out over what to wear for the cruise.

 

If you look at the navigators, the only night Disney doens't want you to wear shorts is on Formal night where it says (No Shorts Please).

 

Well, not on my Palo night dinner. The woman next to me wore a swim cover-up over her bikini. It was very short and the slits in the dress were cut up to her hips.

 

I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but Disney doesn't seem to enforce their own guidelines.

[akl432]

Thanks to everyone for your responses! I feel much better now; I will tell my father to wear slacks and not to worry about the temperature. We'll also bring our jackets for morning and evening on deck.

 

Thanks again!!

[mistergq]

just one disagreement, slacks/pants for dinner. After dinner, you can switch to shorts if you wish. If there is a dress code for the whole night, its not enforced, nor should be enforced. Its a vacation after all.

[atinkerbellmom]

I usually do not open these threads as they can be "hot topics"; I have now just learned to reply with my exsperience and just to be objective..... So here goes without needing to put on a flame suite.

 

Yes DCL ask no shorts for dinner..... It has been my exsperience that most people follow this request when at dinner. Now it has been my understanding that in the past three years on the Wonder that not ALL people are following this request. Now we have not cruised the Wonder in 5 years; even though those the rules were followed back then. Now on the Magic I have to say I have only seen shorts on pople older than 4 yrs old one time. These were non-english speaking people though and the server told us that they actually felt bad. :( The Magic does attract a different type of population than the Wonder. I want to say if you are cruising the Magic, I would not do it but if you are cruising the Wonder, I guess anything goes these days. Now my family only cruises the Magic now and we enjoy dressing for dinner as we feel it is not much to ask and people use to dress for dinner out of respect all the time. Most of the population on the Magic also feels this way. For goodness sake, we are the ones that pull out a Tux and suite for formal and semiformal night. For dinner both my DS & DH both wear Docker like pants and a Polo shirt. Since they are only in them a couple of hours at a time, the pants get reused on the cruise a couple/few times. The restaurants are a bit chilly. We are Minnesotans and tend to never get cold and we actually bring sweaters to dinner. We find them chilly and not the WDT as many say. I hope this helps.;)

BTW, we have been on Numerous DCL cruises all the Magic except for the first 2.

[Cruisin' Ron VA]

I usually do not open these threads as they can be "hot topics"; I have now just learned to reply with my exsperience and just to be objective..... So here goes without needing to put on a flame suite.

 

Yes DCL ask no shorts for dinner..... It has been my exsperience that most people follow this request when at dinner. Now it has been my understanding that in the past three years on the Wonder that not ALL people are following this request. Now we have not cruised the Wonder in 5 years; even though those the rules were followed back then. Now on the Magic I have to say I have only seen shorts on pople older than 4 yrs old one time. These were non-english speaking people though and the server told us that they actually felt bad. :( The Magic does attract a different type of population than the Wonder. I want to say if you are cruising the Magic, I would not do it but if you are cruising the Wonder, I guess anything goes these days. Now my family only cruises the Magic now and we enjoy dressing for dinner as we feel it is not much to ask and people use to dress for dinner out of respect all the time. Most of the population on the Magic also feels this way. For goodness sake, we are the ones that pull out a Tux and suite for formal and semiformal night. For dinner both my DS & DH both wear Docker like pants and a Polo shirt. Since they are only in them a couple of hours at a time, the pants get reused on the cruise a couple/few times. The restaurants are a bit chilly. We are Minnesotans and tend to never get cold and we actually bring sweaters to dinner. We find them chilly and not the WDT as many say. I hope this helps.;)

BTW, we have been on Numerous DCL cruises all the Magic except for the first 2.

 

I am confused.

 

I thought Magic and Wonder are basically the same. Why would each ship attract two different types of passengers?

 

I don't understand. :confused:

[Coracii]

I am confused.

 

I thought Magic and Wonder are basically the same. Why would each ship attract two different types of passengers?

 

I don't understand. :confused:

 

The ships are very similar, almost identical, but they travel on very different itineraries. I can't say that I've noticed a difference in the passengers on the two ships, but then I've only sailed on the Wonder once and the Magic many times (only because I prefer the longer sailings).

[mistergq]

I am confused.

 

I thought Magic and Wonder are basically the same. Why would each ship attract two different types of passengers?

 

I don't understand. :confused:

 

The ships are very similar' date=' almost identical, but they travel on very different itineraries. I can't say that I've noticed a difference in the passengers on the two ships, but then I've only sailed on the Wonder once and the Magic many times (only because I prefer the longer sailings).[/quote']

I have never been on the wonder, but I think if they did attract different customers is because Magic is 7 day itineraries and European cruise ship, while the wonder is Castaway Cay and Nassau itineraries.

[atinkerbellmom]

You come off sounding snobby with these statements. People who cruise on the Wonder are no less than those who cruise the Magic. You make it sound like a bunch of neanderthals go on the Wonder and high society goes on the Magic.

Not trying to do that at all. Called myself actually trying to very tactfully make a point. I am not one who likes to argue, so I will probably not come back to the matter if you even make another reply. Just an observation we have discussed in GREAT detail on the other boards. It is an observation that many have agreeded with. The Magic being a longer cruise tends to attract the "Die Heart" Disney Addict people who try to plan the cruise down to what color underwear is worn by each each day. :D They have read every piece of information that is available and watch every show on every form of media. They can tell you which page, which line, which font and quote you everything that DCL has placed in print down to the line that DCL ask for no shorts in the diningrooms at dinner. This same group bring Tuexes and ball gowns including for the preschoolers for dinner. It tends not to be a big deal to this population because they have "packed" only for this vacation and dinner is a part of the check list. This tends to be the entire vacation for them/us. People who are traveling the Wonder are making shorter cruises and many times it is a "part" of the larger vacation. It is not the only focus. The Wonder does not have the same type of Formal night as the Magic and the guest are not as focused on the attire as detailed.

 

Everyone needs to stop trying to push their values on others and just let everyone else enjoy their vacation.

These are not VALUES I am trying to push. Values are something that are installed in one from birth and by the time one becomes an adult I hope they are there.

 

Respect has nothing to do with how you are dressed. Respect is in how you treat people. I actually agree with this; but also think as a guest respect is following the host rules and request. We are guest DCL are our host.

 

Also, I never found the dining room cold either. I felt fine in my shorts when I ate dinner (and I grew up in Florida). Good for you. Just have stated what many have said when under-dressed in the restaurant. But this does tell me why you are defensive about this subject.

 

When I have spent $6,500 to $10,000 for each of our cruises giving DCL over $35,000 over the past few years for the Magic; I can have my family RESPECT my host request and wear shorts. My DH can also follow the Palo request and wear a jacket to Palo. If I choose not to follow this simple request, then I would choose a cruise line where this was not a request.

 

This use to be a heated debate on other boards and we finally have come to the conclusion with the exception of a few individuals; we have observered a couple of things. Peolpe who come back and tell us of all of the non-traditional attire they have seen on a cruise for the most part have been disembarking the Wonder and the peopple who tend to say "shorts are fine" or "screw DCL's request it is your vacation dress how you want" tend to not be Magic people. This is all I am saying, not judging. I just feel people who are packing Suits and Tuxes tend to find it not a big deal to pack a pair or two of Dockers. ;)

[brucechase]

I can have my family RESPECT my host request and wear shorts. My DH can also follow the Palo request and wear a jacket to Palo.

 

 

Per DCL FAQs, Palo dress does not require a jacket (see Wonder people can research too)

 

Dress for dinner at Palo on all cruises:

• Men: dress shirt or jacket
  
• Women: dress or pantsuit

[brucechase]

Peolpe who come back and tell us of all of the non-traditional attire they have seen on a cruise for the most part have been disembarking the Wonder and the peopple who tend to say "shorts are fine" or "screw DCL's request it is your vacation dress how you want" tend to not be Magic people. This is all I am saying, not judging.

 

I have seen just as many people say shorts are OK on the Magic and the Wonder. I don't think you can lump everyone into these categories.

[brucechase]

Would he look out of place by wearing dressy shorts and a nice shirt to dinner?

 

Despite all that is said, the answer is still yes, he can wear shorts and he will be allowed to eat in the dining rooms.

[atinkerbellmom]

Per DCL FAQs, Palo dress does not require a jacket (see Wonder people can research too)

 

Okay, I stand to be corrected. The requirements were that men needed jackets in Palos until 4 moths 3 weeks ago. According to DCL this is when they changed the requirements. According to DCL they changed the requirements because many were not aware of the guidelines due to whatever reason; so they decided to change it to at least a dress shirt which most did have available on the ship. Came from one of my Favorite DCL reps. Yes I am on first name/ personal story bases with about three of the CM there.....

 

Here is a copy and paste from DCL's site directly though......

 

What to Pack for Your Cruise

Pack for both comfort and style on your Disney Cruise Line® vacation. The atmosphere is casual and informal, though you might want to take part in some "dress-up" occasions at night. Dinner attire is "cruise casual," which means no shorts, swimwear or tank tops. Dinner attire at Palo is dressier, though you may also choose to dress up for Lumiere's and Triton's. Finally, there are optional formal meals on 7-night or longer cruises.

 

So directly from the DCL site, only altered to change the color of the print....... Want to know where I found it? I do think I am reading "No shorts" right before swimwear.....;)

[brucechase]

Okay, I stand to be corrected. The requirements were that men needed jackets in Palos until 4 moths 3 weeks ago. According to DCL this is when they changed the requirements. According to DCL they changed the requirements because many were not aware of the guidelines due to whatever reason; so they decided to change it to at least a dress shirt which most did have available on the ship. Came from one of my Favorite DCL reps. Yes I am on first name/ personal story bases with about three of the CM there.....

 

Here is a copy and paste from DCL's site directly though......

 

What to Pack for Your Cruise

Pack for both comfort and style on your Disney Cruise Line® vacation. The atmosphere is casual and informal, though you might want to take part in some "dress-up" occasions at night. Dinner attire is "cruise casual," which means no shorts, swimwear or tank tops. Dinner attire at Palo is dressier, though you may also choose to dress up for Lumiere's and Triton's. Finally, there are optional formal meals on 7-night or longer cruises.

 

So directly from the DCL site, only altered to change the color of the print....... Want to know where I found it? I do think I am reading "No shorts" right before swimwear.....;)

 

Interesting, in October, the Palo requirements were the same as now.

I worked at Disney for 4 years.

Why on every Magic (7 day) navigator is the only time NO SHORTS is put in the dining section is on formal night? That really suggests that other nights it is OK since it is not mentioned.

[Host Mick]

Okay, I stand to be corrected. The requirements were that men needed jackets in Palos until 4 moths 3 weeks ago. According to DCL this is when they changed the requirements. According to DCL they changed the requirements because many were not aware of the guidelines due to whatever reason; so they decided to change it to at least a dress shirt which most did have available on the ship. Came from one of my Favorite DCL reps. Yes I am on first name/ personal story bases with about three of the CM there.....

 

Here is a copy and paste from DCL's site directly though......

 

What to Pack for Your Cruise

Pack for both comfort and style on your Disney Cruise Line® vacation. The atmosphere is casual and informal, though you might want to take part in some "dress-up" occasions at night. Dinner attire is "cruise casual," which means no shorts, swimwear or tank tops. Dinner attire at Palo is dressier, though you may also choose to dress up for Lumiere's and Triton's. Finally, there are optional formal meals on 7-night or longer cruises.

 

So directly from the DCL site, only altered to change the color of the print....... Want to know where I found it? I do think I am reading "No shorts" right before swimwear.....;)

 

Here's the rest of the Disneycruise.com statement (FAQ section):

What should I wear to dinner?

 

Dining Dress requirements vary by venue or theme night on your cruise. In general, most meals are "Cruise Casual" -- no shorts, swimwear or tank tops. Most cruises also have special theme nights with additional attire requirements. Here's a breakdown of these events by cruise itinerary.

 

On 3-night cruises

:

• First night: cruise casual — no shorts, swimwear or tank tops
  
  
• Second night: pirate or tropical deck party
  
  
• Final night: "dress-up night" — jacket for men, dress or pantsuit for women
  
  

On 4-night cruises

:

• First night: cruise casual — no shorts, swimwear or tank tops
  
  
• One pirate or tropical night (deck party)
  
  
• One "dress-up night" — jacket for men, dress or pantsuit for women
  
  
• Final night: cruise casual — no shorts, swimwear or tank tops
  
  

On 7-night cruises

:

• First night: cruise casual — no shorts, swimwear or tank tops
  
  
• Three additional "cruise casual" nights — no shorts, swimwear or tank tops
  
  
• One pirate or tropical night (deck party)
  
  
• One formal and one semi-formal night — formal wear for men: tuxedo or suit; for women: gown or dress; semi-formal wear for men: suit/jacket; for women: dress or pantsuit.
  
  

Dress for dinner at Palo on all cruises

:

• Men: dress shirt or jacket
  
  
• Women: dress or pantsuit
  
  

Just stick with the DCL requirements and everything is good.

They're not going to kick you out of the dining room for ignoring the dress requirements but they are polite like that. I heard however that Palo will send some away.

[brucechase]

Just stick with the DCL requirements and everything is good.

 

They're not going to kick you out of the dining room for ignoring the dress requirements but they are polite like that. I heard however that Palo will send some away.

 

This is all that really needs to be said.

 

The whole reason threads like these end up bad is because some people will say no shorts and leave it at that. They will make you think that you can't wear shorts and eat. That really isn't what is being asked (the OP read the DCL requirements). If the "rest of the story" is told - no shorts but if you wear them Disney will let you eat in the dining room and say nothing about it - then all would go well. There is no reason to bring anything personal into this.