What should kids wear in MDR?

[shellyclark]

I have a 10 yr old boy and a 7 yr old girl. I am not so much worried about my daughter as she has sundresses which I know will be fine. BUT, what about my 10 yr old son? What are the requirements for him to wear in MDR? Can he wear nice khaki shorts with golf shirt? Or does he need to wear pants each night? I know he needs to wear pants for formal night but what about the other nights? Oh, and the cruise in on Freedom of the Seas if that makes any difference. Thanks so much!

[cb at sea]

Long pants and collared shirt are the preferred dress for dinner in the mdr....for breakfast and lunch, shorts are fine.

[twometresplus]

I can't see any problem with a ten yr old wearing smart shorts and a golf shirt, no problem at all. Remember the dress code is "suggested"

[sandinmypants]

I saw other kids in khaki shorts & polos. Myself, I wouldn't be comfortable not wearing the "suggested" dress code - my son wore new, dark denim jeans a couple of the casual nights, but not shorts. Honestly, it's so freakin' cold in the MDR, I was freezing in my short skirts!

[RetireeWannabee]

you asked what "should" they wear and my opinion is that he should "dress for dinner", which means pants. however, he can wear whatever he wants.

 

I think that 10 is plenty old enuf to be in training to be a gentleman. But I honestly would not give a crap if a 10 yo boy at the next table was wearing shorts.

[Ashland]

Long pants and collared shirt are the preferred dress for dinner in the mdr....for breakfast and lunch, shorts are fine.

"Preferred" by Who :rolleyes: ?!!....A 10 yr. old boy probably prefers to wear shorts on non formal nights, especially on a tropical cruise and he will look great doing it !! I hope he enjoys his cruise !!!:D

[jerin]

He won't be turned away. My rule for my kids is that if they're able to read the host's (cruiseline's) requests for no shorts for dinner, they're old enough to honor it and wear big boy pants instead of toddler shorts. The host will be gracious and accept people however they show up, but it's never too early to learn to be a good guest.

[ehfl]

I think if you just follow the recommended guidelines on the RCL website, everyone will be OK. They really don't enforce it, but the guidelines are pretty simple, so I don't think it will be an issue. Enjoy your vacation!

[shellyclark]

Thanks everyone! I agree that is can get chilly in the dining rooms. I will bring a little of each and we will go from there.

[DPurcell58]

If your son is going to be going to the kids club, he won't have the pants on for long. Even if he doesn't, you don't need one pair of pants for each night, they really only have them on for a few hours so they can be worn more than one night.

[sandinmypants]

If your son is going to be going to the kids club, he won't have the pants on for long. Even if he doesn't, you don't need one pair of pants for each night, they really only have them on for a few hours so they can be worn more than one night.

 

Our son went directly from dinner to the kids club - even on formal night. We just took his tie off of him, he went in dress pants & long sleeved button down shirt. It's inside, and air-conditioned as well. They keep the a/c so cold there - either that or we're just not used to having ours set that low, I don't know....but we froze almost everywhere. I thought it was the southern Caribbean and we would be warm, but that wasn't the case. Even the solarium was cold!

[Bound4Bermuda]

While my 2.5 and 14 yo daughters wore dresses, my 11 yo son was a different matter. He wore black jeans and t-shirts most nights--a dress shirt and black jeans on formal night. I know I'll get flamed for being a terrible mother by allowing him to wear that. ;) But, honestly, I think other passengers will be more concerned with the behavior of your children than what they are wearing. As long as they have polite table manners and remain relatively quiet, you'll get showered with accolades on what beautiful and well-behaved children they are no matter what they're wearing. Of course, if they act boorishly and are wearing shorts, then it will be like a double-whammy of terribly inappropriate children! :D

[Morecruisesplz]

He won't be turned away. The host will be gracious and accept people however they show up...

 

You have that part right!

[Bound4Bermuda]

You have that part right!

 

You take pictures of people you deem inappropriately dressed and then post them on the Internet?! :eek: Wow. You're like the Joan Rivers of Cruise Critic! [Picturing you asking people, "Who are you wearing?!" while the paparazzi shoots the fashions.] :rolleyes:

[Sugar*Magnolia]

On 3 different cruises we saw guys asked to remove their baseball caps.

One was at our table in 2007, it was really very cute too!! A 19yo wore a captains hat, jacket, etc. The other 2x were tables next to us and baseball caps were asked to be removed. that is so wrong and so disrespectful. If you're not at a sports bar you should not have a cap on! :eek:

 

Sorry, that was off topic, but a response to the picture posted.

 

IMHO it is not too early at 10 yrs old to be taught how to dress for different occasions and places you will go.

[ctcruiser1721]

When my son was younger, I used to just bring 1 or 2 pairs of khakis for the whole week. I do think it's nice to see the kids in pants but honestly it's not worth buying them to wear for 2 hours a day for one week of thier life if they don't already have them. IMHO as long as they don't look like they are going to the beach they should be OK. And the way they behave will always leave a more lasting impression than clothing choice.

[cruiseguy1016]

On 3 different cruises we saw guys asked to remove their baseball caps.

One was at our table in 2007, it was really very cute too!! A 19yo wore a captains hat, jacket, etc. The other 2x were tables next to us and baseball caps were asked to be removed. that is so wrong and so disrespectful. If you're not at a sports bar you should not have a cap on! :eek:

 

Sorry, that was off topic, but a response to the picture posted.

 

IMHO it is not too early at 10 yrs old to be taught how to dress for different occasions and places you will go.

 

You should not be wearing a hat inside ANY bar. I was taught growing up that hats are meant to be worn outdoors and should not be worn indoors anywhere.

[davekathy]

I have a 10 yr old boy and a 7 yr old girl. I am not so much worried about my daughter as she has sundresses which I know will be fine. BUT, what about my 10 yr old son? What are the requirements for him to wear in MDR? Can he wear nice khaki shorts with golf shirt? Or does he need to wear pants each night? I know he needs to wear pants for formal night but what about the other nights? Oh, and the cruise in on Freedom of the Seas if that makes any difference. Thanks so much!

 

 

You should have them dress to the same standard you and your husband are dressing to for the MDR evening meal. If that happens to be in line with RCCL’s suggested/recommended guide lines that should make your decision for your children easy. You’re not talking babies. Enjoy your Cruise.

[Bakincakes]

Amazing that so many adults have no idea what proper dress is for dinner in the MDR, let alone having to ask what their kids should be dressed in.:eek:

 

Who do they call when they have to decide what to wear to a wedding ?:confused:

[Havingfun2010]

Kid's should be always expected to dress exactly as the adults are dressed. Really, for the amount of the cruise, can't everyone spend an extra $20.00 to buy 2 nice pants?

[Morecruisesplz]

You take pictures of people you deem inappropriately dressed and then post them on the Internet?! :eek: Wow. You're like the Joan Rivers of Cruise Critic! [Picturing you asking people, "Who are you wearing?!" while the paparazzi shoots the fashions.] :rolleyes:

 

It's not me deeming the dress inapprropriate. It is RCL's rules posted at the door to the MDR, listed on the daily compass and sent to guests priorr to boarding.

 

In case you missed it: My point was that if adults can dress like that in the MDR and get pats on the back from the head waiters who would care what the OP's kids are wearing?

 

But, I don't need to ask who made the clothing... I know a Target baseball cap when I see it and on formal night I don't care who made the t-shirt or the worn out jeans! And I did not take the photos for that reason. (You might be able tell that by the cropping.) When posting our cruise photos to our website I noted these policy infractions and saved for when the subject comes up again on CC - it always does! (Notice I did gray out the faces that showed though.)

 

IMHO kids are cute in just about anything appropriate for the venue. A polo shirt and just about any pair of pants fills the bill. I don't even think anyone would call them out on wearing shorts.

[Bound4Bermuda]

It's not me deeming the dress inapprropriate. It is RCL's rules posted at the door to the MDR, listed on the daily compass and sent to guests priorr to boarding.

 

In case you missed it: My point was that if adults can dress like that in the MDR and get pats on the back from the head waiters who would care what the OP's kids are wearing?

 

But, I don't need to ask who made the clothing... I know a Target baseball cap when I see it and on formal night I don't care who made the t-shirt or the worn out jeans! And I did not take the photos for that reason. (You might be able tell that by the cropping.) When posting our cruise photos to our website I noted these policy infractions and saved for when the subject comes up again on CC - it always does! (Notice I did gray out the faces that showed though.)

 

IMHO kids are cute in just about anything appropriate for the venue. A polo shirt and just about any pair of pants fills the bill. I don't even think anyone would call them out on wearing shorts.

 

 

Sorry! I was just joking. Haven't you ever seen Joan Rivers on the red carpet and her Fashion Police shows? :D But, okay, perhaps your photos were more like the "Who Wore it Best?" or "Fashion Don'ts" photos in trashy magazines. :p (Kidding again! :D) That's good to know that these just happen to be people caught in the background of photos taken for other reasons. I know this is a very touchy subject on CC, so I thought that perhaps there were some who are SO outraged by what other people are wearing, that they go to the extent of seeking them out and photographing them. Honestly, that probably wouldn't surprise me. ;)

[Sugar*Magnolia]

You should not be wearing a hat inside ANY bar. I was taught growing up that hats are meant to be worn outdoors and should not be worn indoors anywhere.

Ken, In all honesty, I 1,000,000,000% agree with you. No doubt my comment kept natives at bay. :)

[gerif]

I can't see any problem with a ten yr old wearing smart shorts and a golf shirt, no problem at all. Remember the dress code is "suggested"

 

Yes, the dress code is "suggested" BUT there is a RULE that says no shorts in the dining room totally different IMO.

[Paul65]

I can't see any problem with a ten yr old wearing smart shorts and a golf shirt, no problem at all. Remember the dress code is "suggested"

 

Technically, shorts are "not allowed" in the main dining room during dinner. That part of the dress code is different from the "suggested" attire. Now, it is true that they rarely, if ever, enforce the ban on shorts, especially for children. But you're not supposed to wear them, regardless of age.