Went on cruise with 16-year-old daughter. We weren't together 24/7, but I did tell her to let me know where she was going and I did the same with her. I don't recall any problems on the ship. We did get separated at the beach, but that's another story. 😄
Yes, we had 2 formal nights on a 6-night cruise, 3 formal nights on a 15-night cruise. People didn't seem to get as dressed up as past cruises. Yes, I saw men wearing shorts in the dining room. I have seen men wearing shirts with a tuxedo print. They have a dress code, but it's not enforced.
It's been a while since I did traditional dining. I thought when we did it, we didn't order dessert with the other courses. They would also try to serve everyone at the table at the same time (even if you were not together). We wanted to get to the early shows so we told our waiter to speed ours up. It was better when we did this. We weren't rushing through the meal, but we didn't need to linger.
I don't understand that.
When my daughter's suitcase was damaged by an airline, I had to show that I tried to get it fixed before I could get any money from airline. I thought that was ridiculous.
My first cruises, MDR was lengthy. MyTime is better. We order all our courses at one time. Plus, I think they want turnover, unlike in the regular dining room.
I think someone said Explorer is due for renovation or something early next year. I'm due to sail on her in April.
Went on Serenade a few years back and had a good time.