NCL Allowing JEANS in the dining rooms
 

I see NCL changed their dress code so one can now wear blue jeans in the formal dining room. What a strange thing to do. Guess one can dine while looking at some guy in jeans and a muscle shirt with his hairy armpits hanging out.

IMHO this is a dumb thing to do. What is wrong with the "business casual" look?

I was annoyed on a recent P&O cruise when people were coming into the dining room (for lunch) straight from the sunloungers- wearing their shorts,skimpy tops and sandals.
What irritated me most was the fact that there were notices up saying that people would be refused entry if inappropriately dressed - eg shorts!!!
The head waiter should turn them away.
I guess all the cruise lines will end up doing everything more casually. I think it's a shame that standards have to drop. I love getting dressed up for lunch and dinner -It's all part of the holiday for me and like you Reisender - I hate seeing someone's hairy pits!!!

What does NCL do on formal nights? Anyway that is the way things are going. Personally I like dressing in "smart casual" attire for dinner and don't mind dressing up for formal nights though the former is more my style. However even for me I find "too casual" an attire to take away from the overall cruise experience. JM2C. Larry :-)

I understand NCL is starting it on one ship then it will go to all ships. We HATE it! Formal is optional on NCL. We just don't like seeing jeans and baseball caps in the dining room at night! When we started cruiseing they had formal nights-a tux or dark suit, semi formal- men wore jackets but no ties, and informal- didn't wear a jacket, polo shit fine. That was part of taking a cruise. We do not like NCL at all and now have another reason not to sail with them!

NCL has only validated what other cruise line accept which is that passengers will wear jeans - and worse - whenever they feel like and not be turned away.

So IMO it is a non issue though still a sad commentary on our lazy society.

NCL's optional formal nights are sparse in terms of those who actually dress up IME.

Almost all mainstream cruise lines are reducing their dress codes to accomodate the minimal standards apparently cherished by the new generation of cruisers. Princess removed the jeans restriction from their posted policy as did HAL. I saw jeans, shorts and sweats at dinner on Celebrity last 2 cruises. RCI has no standards at all to speak of and I saw tanks, swim baggies and ballcaps in the dining room on most all nights.

IMO, it is quite frankly just another change in the cruise experience that turns me off and we really have no plans to cruise for pleasure in the future but will stick with land vacations.

There are a variety of things that make the whole experience less desirable than it once was.

I have never sailed NCL (too many bad reviews - on topics that matter to me).

The nickle and diming is annoying (defeats the whole AI experience). The prices are low and the experience is less enjoyable. "CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP" is not my top priority. Nor is no limit spending. Something in between appeals to me.

The new staff ratio in the dining room makes it a totally different experience. Every member of staff seems stretched too far and stressed. I loved it when the waiter had an assistant that offerred salad dressings and veggies - nice to pick if I wanted my salad dressed lightly or heavily and have extra of one veggie and none of the ones I don't like. Now the assistants are doing half the waiter's job since the waiter has too many tables to cover.

OP, the jeans thing bothers me, too. I am wearing jeans right now. I love jeans. I also love to dress nice once in a while. It's one of the traditions of the shipboard dining experience that I enjoy and have fond memories of sharing with family members. It is not like there is nowhere on the ship for those who prefer jeans to eat.

I find that people in general dress very relaxed/borderline sloppy these days. I know I am in the minority on this. I don't have to like it. I dress more relaxed than I once did, too. However, dressing nice is one of the things that helps an event feel special to me. I miss it in general and will miss it if I sail again.

Very sad that NCL has stooped to such a low level. I guess their true "classless" colors are coming out!

Of all the cruise lines we've sailed on (many), NCL ranks at the very bottom.

Actually as we all know rules are stretched so if jeans are allowed then it seems to me a free for all will be next. Yet another reason for me to avoid NCL. What are they thinking?

I have seen some good deals with NCL.
I definitely won't be considering them after reading your comments.
Thanks!

Well you usually get what you pay for. And seldom more than just that :S-

I too agree. It seems that in our society we keep lowering the bar instead of challenging others to hold to a standard.

I must have been raised differently, but I'm stunned to see men who wont hold a door open for a woman, people who cut in line without even an "excuse me" and my biggest pet peave... people standing in the buffet line, eating food from their plates...while still in the line. Uggh! I think I was born about 50 years too late. :(

Since when do NCL allow jeans in dining rooms for evening dinner?

I thought they are allowed only on ships departing from Texas (Galveston).

We went on NCL last Xmas and no, the jeans weren't allowed in dining rooms for evening meals.

Interesting. I looked at the NCL web site and of course I saw nothing stating jeans are accepted so where does this come from? Did the OP SEE people wearing jeans and assume NCL had changed their policy or did you actually see it written about the code being amended to include jeans? Thank you.

Moly hackerel! they sure did officially: Here it is from their web site.
How should I dress for dinner?

Freestyle Cruising gives you the freedom to dress as you please – morning, noon and night.

Casual attire is perfect for all restaurants during the day -- Khakis, skirts, jeans, casual tops, shorts or whatever. Swimwear with a cover-up is fine at the buffet and outdoor restaurant.

For dinner, collared shirts and pants or nice jeans work for guys. Slacks or jeans, dresses, skirts and tops are perfect for women. But if you want to dress up and add a little glamour when you dine out, that’s OK too – we’ve reserved one restaurant each night just for that.

For kids 12 and under, nice shorts are appropriate in all restaurants at all times.
Pass the pepto.

I read their press release in a trade magazine announcing the new policy.

Why should anybody be surprised? This is NCL, remember?

" Guess one can dine while looking at some guy in jeans and a muscle shirt with his hairy armpits hanging out."

" I think it's a shame that standards have to drop."

"However even for me I find "too casual" an attire to take away from the overall cruise experience."

" We just don't like seeing jeans and baseball caps in the dining room at night!" ...."We do not like NCL at all and now have another reason not to sail with them!"

"So IMO it is a non issue though still a sad commentary on our lazy society."

"IMO, it is quite frankly just another change in the cruise experience that turns me off and we really have no plans to cruise for pleasure in the future but will stick with land vacations."

"I find that people in general dress very relaxed/borderline sloppy these days."

"Very sad that NCL has stooped to such a low level. I guess their true "classless" colors are coming out!"

"I too agree. It seems that in our society we keep lowering the bar instead of challenging others to hold to a standard. "

"Pass the pepto. "

"Why should anybody be surprised? This is NCL, remember?"

Why do I have such an overwhelming feeling of relief that I won't be meeting some of these people on my next NCL cruise?

Life must be so challenging for those who worry that they might find themselves on a cruise with people not up to their wardrobe standards. I mean the 'horror' of being forced to share a dining room with people who don't follow one's dress code!

On my cruises, I am usually too busy enjoying friends and family and new places to give a damn what anyone else is wearing.

Semi: We all have an opinion and thank you for yours no matter how sarcastic it is. Cheers. :-)

Hi Semiramis,

Well I guess you will have to add my name to the list of those you wouldn't want to sail with. If I wanted the dining experience of McDonalds I could stay at home and save a lot of money. Dining is a big part of the "Cruise Experience" and in my opinion a perfect time for parents to teach their children the proper way to dress on different occasions.

A friend of mine does the hiring for a large corporation and recently a young man came in for a job interview. He was dressed slightly less than business casual and was wearing boots. His credentials were fine but he lost the job to someone else with the same credentials who applied dressed in business attire. I can't imagine anyone going to a Corporate formal Christmas party dressed in jeans.

If throng baring jeans are now permissable I can see people pushing the envelope and soon bathing suits will be haute couture on formal nights. Yep a very, very sad commentary on our social mores today.

Thankfully my five children (ages 22 to 29)know how to dress and actually enjoy dressing up for an evening of fine dining. My 5 year old grandson has a suit for formal nights and is so proud when people comment on his appearance. Well despite the changes I will continue to dress appropriately.

Stay Savvy!
Hugs,
The Savvy Old Lady(c)
www.thesavvyoldlady.com

I was on the Sun a few weeks ago. On that particular ship. ONE of the main dining rooms, did allow jeans, the other DID NOT. All stated t shirts were not allowed as well as shorts.

Problem is, people think they can do as they please anyway. I did see them telling people to go to the other resturant however and did not see jeans in the dining room prohibiting them.

cruisecritic.com has lots of posts about this one!

Well I side with those against the jeans for dinner - first, who wears jeans in hot weather? Cruising is not a "dude ranch" experience - it is a "summer resort" experience no matter the time of year. I have a December cruise on NCL planned and I will wear resort casual and ignore the tacky people in the jeans and ball caps. With free style cruising it is not like I have to sit with them (snob alert). Many "dressy" restaurants will seat people with jeans - their money is green - that is the way of the world now. But I dress to feel good for my own experience, not for someone else. Jeans obviously make some people feel more comfortable in their experience. Being from the south, I am used to jeans and ball caps in inappropriate places. But as we say in the south: tacky is just tacky:-)

" a perfect time for parents to teach their children the proper way to dress on different occasions."

Interesting comment - I was brought up by my parents to believe that the host rather than the guest determines what the "proper" attire is for an occasion.
NCL has made it clear that they feel resort casual wear is appropriate dining wear on all evenings on their ships.

Yes Semi, at a party the host does determine or recommend the attire. However in this instance the host is being paid by the guests for a true cruise experience.

Stay Savvy,
Hugs, The Savvy Old Lady(c)

You know Semi your post is about tolerating others dress not matter what so then why can't you tolerate others POV's that differ from yours w/o resorting to sarcasm? In other words practice what you preach and try to be civil.

Uhm - jacketwatch - considering some of the comments you have made about the wardrobe habits of others - I think I can safely say "Pot" and "Kettle".

It is interesting that when I point out things - I am somehow "uncivil" for expressing my opinions but when others make comments about people who simply do not choose to dress the way they do that is just fine. I have just as much right to my opinions as you do. Apparently "looking down your nose" at people is OK but pointing out that that is what someone is doing is somehow wrong.

"Yes Semi, at a party the host does determine or recommend the attire. However in this instance the host is being paid by the guests for a true cruise experience."

Not sure that I agree - since I don't see anywhere in the literature where a "true" cruise experience is defined. And I am sure that that what constitutes a "true" cruise experience would be a matter of personal opinion.
That being said - it is of course your option to sail with those cruiselines that will give you your version of a "true" cruise experience - just as it is my option to sail with NCL and enjoy their version of a cruising experience.

Which I guess is why I truly don't "get" what the fuss is about wardrobe standards - I mean it is not like NCL is hiding the fact that their dress code is casual. If that bothers you, do as one poster did and decide to cruise with another line.

To me this makes a lot more sense than making comments about what people "should" (according to ones's personal dress standards NOT NCL's) be wearing. On NCL cruisers ARE appropriately dressed as long as they follow any standards NCL has given.

As for my personal views, I don't even care if my fellow cruisers are "appropriately dressed by NCL standards" as long as they are clean and don't smell. I don't waste a lot of precious vacation time analyzing the wardrobe habits of fellow cruisers and I don't "get" why anyone would. Although I guess to be fair some people probably wonder why I would rather stare dreamily out to sea rather than at fellow cruisers.

Semi: It was you who looked down your nose on this thread with your sarcasm my friend. "Pot and kettle" indeed. I make no apologies for expressing my preferences and it was you who assumed how others would be treated as persons due to this preference. FYI I don't treat people based on what they wear anymore than you. I simply prefer a different standard of dress for dinner on cruises. Get it?

How long have blue jeans, muscle shirts and flip flops been "resort casual wear"? Must be at a different resort then we usually go to.

Larry, good post :)


Semiramis: Most cruise lines do have posted dress codes. However, there is apparently a new generation of cruiser who finds it a burden to comply for whatever reason. Some of us choose a cruise for the experienced advertised, including a more formal dining experience. One the several reasons I avoid NCL is because of their Freestyle product (been there, done that and have no interest in doing it again).

IME, casual attire breeds casual behavior and I do not like my cruises to feel like a week at the mall, food court and all.

Reisender, you beat me to it. I was thinking exactly the same thing. For me, jeans and sneakers are what I wear to a football game or a concert in the park. I would never consider them to be resort casual.

jacketwatch:
"Pass the pepto"

I still don't "get" it??? If you don't
like the way people dress on NCL - DON'T CRUISE ON NCL - it really is that simple. WHY is it necessary to make remarks like "classless" and "pass the pepto" and "hairy armpits hanging out".

Why not just say - "I don't like NCL's dress code - so I choose to cruise on other cruiselines" WITHOUT making value judgements about other people's wardrobe choices. AND WHY when I quote people's OWN words am I being "uncivil".

Oh I will confess to sarcasm - let's just say that snotty unnecessary comments don't always bring out the best in me!

Well I am done with this - my advice - focus your energies on enjoying your vacations - they are a time to RELAX not to stress out over trivia like who is wearing what. Enjoy the sea, the Sun and your family and friends. Your last thoughts (at least I hope so) are not going to be
"I always dressed appropriately".

Yes, certainly different strokes for different folks. Even if the dress code weren't lowered, NCL just wasn't my type of cruise line so it's a non-issue for us. I have never felt so nickel and dimed in my life as we have on NCL cruises. Never again!

Semiramis: Now just relax. No need to "jump ship" so to speak. In time I hope you will learn to express yourself non-judgementally when you think others are being judgemental. You'll make a better impression that way vs. flying off half-cocked. learn to disagree w/o being so disagreeable in the process. Then we can call you a "fullramis" Just kidding. :D :D Have fun on whatever ship you sail. Larry :-)