guys dress code

[mrdrdoso]

Hi All,

I have read the dress code and this is new for me, our dd boyfriend(17 yo) is sailing with us and he is a very casual dresser, actually only seen him wear black jeans, t-shirt and sneakers. What can he get away with wearing in the dining room? I don't need the sites dress code sent to me please, i am looking for real opinions of what he can wear. We paid for his cruise and he can't afford to buy himself a line of clothes. I would appreciate your thoughts. thanks in advance.

[STARFISH*4]

dk jeans-not holey or faded and a polo shirt/island print shirt those type usually just a nice pair of jeans and collared shirt.....khakis

this is what hubby wears unless we are getting dressed up but he has never had a problem with this in our last 6 sailings on NCL.

[STARFISH*4]

i posted dk-dark we just find that they look nicer but really just a nice pair of clean jeans...i dont mean expensive just not ripped or faded

[romrai]

clean, non raggy black jeans would be acceptable. T-shirts are ok, but tanks/muscle shirts are not. runners are ok too. The only person I saw turned away was a guy in a tank.

[mjroseville]

I would suggest that he make a trip to Target or Kohl's and pick up an inexpensive pair of khakis ... he could even go black, if that's more his style. Then a collared shirt of some sort. NCL is pretty casual, but not quite as casual as his everday attire. It could be a good lesson for him in how to address for the right environment.

 

And hat's off to you as parents for even having him along on the cruise!

[uppitycats]

Hi All,

I have read the dress code and this is new for me, our dd boyfriend(17 yo) is sailing with us and he is a very casual dresser, actually only seen him wear black jeans, t-shirt and sneakers. What can he get away with wearing in the dining room? I don't need the sites dress code sent to me please, i am looking for real opinions of what he can wear. We paid for his cruise and he can't afford to buy himself a line of clothes. I would appreciate your thoughts. thanks in advance.

 

I think if he can manage to snag a few shirts with collars, he probably will be fine. Stores like Wal-Mart are selling guys' shirts for $8 - $10 right now; at least they were this last weekend when I bought a couple for my husband...

[rhinomike]

I have been on about 15 cruises.... Not on NCL (Carnival and Royal Caribean).... First Cruise we dressed up for formal night but I didnt like it... Once I saw what others were wearing I never did it again....

 

From every cruise after that I have always worn a nice pair of jeans (blue) and a nice T Shirt with sneakers. On formal night I throw on a polo with my jeans and sneakers..... Done. Everyone in our groups has always doen the same.... I see many others wearing shorts in the MDR..... He will be fine in nice jeans and a T Shirt.... I know some here on the forum may frown on this but I dont care. It is my vacation too and I dont like to dress up. I dont put them down because they dress up.... it is their vacation too.... you should be able to do what you want on your vacation... Just my 2 cents...

[luddite]

I have been on about 15 cruises.... Not on NCL (Carnival and Royal Caribean).... First Cruise we dressed up for formal night but I didnt like it... Once I saw what others were wearing I never did it again....

 

From every cruise after that I have always worn a nice pair of jeans (blue) and a nice T Shirt with sneakers. On formal night I throw on a polo with my jeans and sneakers..... Done. Everyone in our groups has always doen the same.... I see many others wearing shorts in the MDR..... He will be fine in nice jeans and a T Shirt.... I know some here on the forum may frown on this but I dont care. It is my vacation too and I dont like to dress up. I dont put them down because they dress up.... it is their vacation too.... you should be able to do what you want on your vacation... Just my 2 cents...

 

Most of that is not strictly true.

[alwalaska]

I would suggest that he make a trip to Target or Kohl's and pick up an inexpensive pair of khakis ... he could even go black, if that's more his style. Then a collared shirt of some sort. NCL is pretty casual, but not quite as casual as his everday attire. It could be a good lesson for him in how to address for the right environment.

 

And hat's off to you as parents for even having him along on the cruise!

 

I don't understand this. NCL's policy even says that jeans are acceptable in most of their dining rooms. Why should he have to go out and buy something new if he has nice jeans?

[mjroseville]

I would assume a teenager isn't sporting the expensive dark-rinse nice jeans people are talking about. Also, again, a good life lesson in dressing appropriately in a largely adult crowd (I am big on teaching this to my own kids). Not sure what the big deal is if he can buy a decent pair of casual pants for $15 or so.

[pmd98052]

One dining room is "no jeans" at night and one isn't. If you don't mind not going to the "no jeans" one your problem is solved. Menu is the same at both.

[mtwingcpa]

What can he get away with wearing in the dining room?

 

Based on my experience aboard NCL he can probably "get away with" shorts, an obviously wet or soiled T-shirt, and a ball cap (yes, even at dinner). But I wouldn't recommend dressing that way.

 

I would suggest that he buy a polo shirt. He can probably find one for under $10 bucks - and he only has to wear it at dinner. With that, over a decent pair of jeans, he ought to be unquestionably OK in virtually every restaurant on board. Note that one of the two main dining rooms MIGHT enforce a "no jeans" rule during dinner.

[mrdrdoso]

Thanks everyone for your help, we are completely paying his bill because he simply cannot afford anything, his family is really poor, and he won't let me buy him clothes and I don't want to offend him by getting him a shirt or two. So here's to hoping it all works out, which I'm sure it will.

[bar_20]

You're paying for his trip and and he has no problem with that, but he woud if you spent $35-40 on a pair of pants and a couple of polo shirts? I doubt if it is buying him the clothes, but rather what you are buying him to wear. Buy him the clothes and leave the tags on, if he doesn't use them on the cruise then you can return them to the store.

[GigCrusier]

You're paying for his trip and and he has no problem with that, but he woud if you spent $35-40 on a pair of pants and a couple of polo shirts? I doubt if it is buying him the clothes, but rather what you are buying him to wear. Buy him the clothes and leave the tags on, if he doesn't use them on the cruise then you can return them to the store.

Ok, here is an opinion from a Dad who has been in this situation three times now. We are the proud parents of an “only child” who we spoil as much as possible. When she was about 12 we invited one of her girl friends to join us on a cruise. Her friend simply had clothing that did not seem to compliment the rest of our family. While we never said a word, we noticed that she ended up wearing the same outfit to dinner. While in Port we purchased both the Girls new outfits just for the fun of shopping and that seem to take care of the problem.

Fast forward to age 17 and BOYS…. Now we are bringing the BF. We knew he could not afford new clothing. I had an old Tux that fitted him just fine and I have long since out grown it. We also had a “spontaneous” shopping day and we all purchased some Bon Voyage clothes compliments of DAD. For this young man, this dressing well turned out to be a very important issue for him.

Now to last year…. We took the most recent BF. This trip we were on the Star and in a Garden Villa. Again, my kid’s guest had limited financial ability regarding a clothing budget. So, again we tired the spontaneous shopping for Bon Voyage gifts. He would have nothing to do with the event. Somehow he managed to get a nice collection of clothing together.

My point is…. It depends on the individual if dressing is an important concern. I think it is a good idea to share what you will be wearing in port, at dinner and on formal nights so he will have an idea what to expect. Then follow your good old common sense…

Reality is you can wear just about anything on NCL.

[fightpiter]

Last year our family went on our first cruise. We spent hundreds of dollars buying clothes for all four of us. What a mistake!!! When we got on the ship I was stunned by the amount of blue jeans and t-shirts, I wished that I had brought more than 2 pairs. When we go again in May I might bring a couple pairs of khakis but thats it, all the rest will be jeans. As far as shirts go clean T-shirts or Polos are great.

 

I might also mention that never did I see anyone turned away from ANY of the restaurants including the upcharge places.

[mtwingcpa]

Thanks everyone for your help, we are completely paying his bill because he simply cannot afford anything, his family is really poor, and he won't let me buy him clothes and I don't want to offend him by getting him a shirt or two. So here's to hoping it all works out, which I'm sure it will.

 

Note that you can probably find polo shirts (with an NCL logo, no doubt) in the gift store on board. So you can easily buy something if it turns out you "need" to.

[luddite]

He can get by with one pair of slacks and maybe 2 polo or Hawaiian shirts-something with a collar.

Change out of 'em after dinner and all is good. Try to explain to him why a T-shirt isn't appropriate in the MDR.

[rhinomike]

Thanks everyone for your help, we are completely paying his bill because he simply cannot afford anything, his family is really poor, and he won't let me buy him clothes and I don't want to offend him by getting him a shirt or two. So here's to hoping it all works out, which I'm sure it will.

 

He will be fine... Dont worry about it. I have even wore shorts, Tshirt and sneakers into the dining room.... In fact I have done it numerous times along with others in my group. Not on formal night... We have always put on nice blue jeans, T****s and sneakers for formal nights...

 

Before i get blasted.... I am very well off (semi retired at 36) and I do know what class is..... I just dont care what others think. It is my vacation and I paid for it. I want to be comfortable. Like I said if other want to dress up then great... that is fine but I dont want too. I go to many high end resterauns in Palm Springs, LA and New York and dress the same way.... Nobody has ever said anything to me nor do I feel uncomfortable. Times have changed.

 

Dont worry about it.... He will fit right in. Have a great time.

[mrdrdoso]

thank you everyone I do feel better, I think I will have my hubby pack a few extra shirts so he can loan them to him. happy sailing to all

[sjbdtz]

Try to explain to him why a T-shirt isn't appropriate in the MDR.

 

 

One would have to agree with that statement first, before doing so.

 

 

Also, he can skip the slacks & just wear his jeans.

[luddite]

You only get one chance to make a bad first impression.

[beaches4me]

Just curious. If the shirt is clean and one of the non-printed type, what would be wrong with wearing a T-Shirt? I don't see any differance between this and a Polo shirt - except that the polo shift has a collar.

[mjroseville]

Polos are just a notch up from t-shirts. They're a staple in the "business casual" dress codes, which are the ideal model for what to wear to dinner on NCL. The way I always think about it is, do I really want to look like I dressed for a meal at McDonald's when I'm in the formal dining room on a cruise?

[luddite]

Just curious. If the shirt is clean and one of the non-printed type, what would be wrong with wearing a T-Shirt? I don't see any differance between this and a Polo shirt - except that the polo shift has a collar.

 

And that's what's wrong.