Does Royal Caribbean pay attention to dress code?

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Do they enforce? Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Wear what you're comfortable wearing in a beautiful dining room setting. The MDR for dinner isnt club med or a cafeteria. What someone wears doesnt affect our dining experience, except for the outlandish when folks are asking to be noticed. I would not be comfortable in a MDR environment wearing any type of shorts or tee shirts, but thats just me and my family. We have noticed very few wearing shorts, really, very few, if any on some of our cruises. I know for my family, if we ate dinner in the MDR in shorts, even ones some might consider dressy and the other 98% are dressed appropriately, we wouldnt feel comfortable.

 

It is easy to read what people write, but to find out for yourself and make your own decision, google, youtube and find pictures. You know what they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words".

stacey k CruiseDivaNJ

[bellaphia]

I know most don't think shorts are "appropriate" in MDR but would capris be acceptable for women...on casual nights?

[dizzlepop]

I know most don't think shorts are "appropriate" in MDR but would capris be acceptable for women...on casual nights?

 

I've always worn capris in the MDR. (We don't go there on formal nights.) I felt comfortable in them, both because they are comfy and how I fit in with the crowd. :)

[rubrrick]

I have to agree with Carol, and say, pretty emphatically, that NO dress code is required on the MDR.

 

A few cruises ago, on the first formal night, a lady (really?) was seated at the Captains Table........in a pink T-shirt.:eek:

 

Nothing more needs to be said as to where Royal Caribbean stands on their dress code!:rolleyes:

 

Rick

[Cruzface]

I have to agree with Carol, and say, pretty emphatically, that NO dress code is required on the MDR.

 

A few cruises ago, on the first formal night, a lady (really?) was seated at the Captains Table........in a pink T-shirt.:eek:

 

Nothing more needs to be said as to where Royal Caribbean stands on their dress code!:rolleyes:

 

Rick

 

Wow. That is just rude. The standards are way down now.

[aqhacruiser]

No, they do not have a dress code in my experience. People wear what they want in the MDR. Yes, they do make suggestions about what to wear in writing, no they do not enforce them as they are only suggestions. :)

[foxesden1]

The MDR Dress Code gets worse and worse aboard all RCI Ships and staff appears disinterested enforcing the policy. I have written to Corporate on several occasions and received the standard PR reply. The point for me is either enforce the policy or do away with it. A major problem in out society is people do not want to take responsibility for their own actions, no matter what they are.

 

There are sufficient alternatives to dinning and if people do not want to dress appropriately then they should not be allowed into the MDR. It's an insult to those of us that dress as suggested. However, it's all about the almighty dollar and I sincerely doubt that RCI will adhere to enforcement for fear of loosing those dollars to another cruise line.

 

 

Well said, I recal my brother being turned away from the dining room of a ship we sailed on when we were teenagers. he was dress, but he had a mens dress hat on. (think 80's) shirt, dresspants, tie, hat. (on 2nd thought it might have been the pink dress shirt with black cuffs.. LOL)

 

T

[Cruzface]

Well said, I recal my brother being turned away from the dining room of a ship we sailed on when we were teenagers. he was dress, but he had a mens dress hat on. (think 80's) shirt, dresspants, tie, hat. (on 2nd thought it might have been the pink dress shirt with black cuffs.. LOL)

 

T

 

He was probably turned away for the fashion faux pas. ;)

[Tika]

Do they pay attention? Generally, no. But on Ex this past summer, the Portofino reservation card specifically stated, "No Shorts", and another cruiser confirmed that a man was refused admittance here for wearing shorts.

Yes, and on our 2/6/11 EOS cruise when two men appeared Formal Night in the MDR for their traditional seating table , in Bermuda shorts, they were sent on their way by the Maitre D to either the Windjammer or perhaps room service. Everyone was dressed accordingly with some more fancy than others and the ambiance of the evening was thoroughly enjoyed without the disregard those two had for their fellow passengers or the requested dress code for Formal Night.

One little black dress and some jewels can go a long way for us ladies and the guys ......slacks......shirt/tie and sport jacket does not mean long evening gowns and a Tux to look great on a Formal Night.

 

Amen!

[tx_sweetpea]

I don't want to be the fashion police. My rule is that do not look like you have been hanging out by the pool all day. I was appalled yesterday when I saw 2 teenage girls walking into the MDR with shorts and flip-flops and they look like they just left the pool.

[waxing witch]

i'm really excited at any chance to dress up. i have my outfits all planned out for each night. dh and i don't get many chances to dress up and i really like the feel of a fancy dinner. while it's not a super fancy, like zagat rated restaurant, there are extra forks and a bread waiter and they put your napkin on your lap (if you're a lady that is:D). i think that every one should be dressed appropriately - i'd like to see at the very least slacks/trousers and button downs or polo shirts. if i put all this time and thought into my cocktail dress, hair and makeup, and teeter down the steps on a rocking ship in 4.5" heels, then i think my tablemates should be dressed for dinner as well.

 

and of course, if you *don't* want to put that kind of time and effort into dressing (and walking in heels lol) there's always the windjammer or room service.

[sailawayjack]

:cool:I DO. I wish RCCL would enforce their own suggestions. It sure would make things easy. Dinner in MDR, other than casual nights should be special. Suit for men on formal night (still wear my tux), sport coat semi-formal night. Slacks and nice shirts casual nights. I can do without shorts, t-shirts all nights. If they would enforce, there would be no question, and no one could complain, because they let you know ahead of time. There are many nights when I change into shorts after dinner just for comfort, but I make the effort, not only for myself, my wife, and fellow passengers to make the night special:cool:JACK IS SAILING AGAIN -69 days

[SeaBaby]

As others said here, it's a suggested dress code, not a requirement. DH no longer takes his tux or a tie. But we would never think of wearing shorts or jeans for dinner, nor would we in a nice restaurant at home.

 

SeaBaby

[shash]

DH and I are just off LOS and I will say that not all dressed up in the MDR on formal nights but I didn't notice any shorts, t-shirts, etc. either.

But for me the bottom line is I do what I feel comfortable doing (and we do dress up for formal nights) but don't care what others choose to do!!

[delboy1145]

This is why my wife and I choose a table for two in MTD as we do dress up for dinner and enjoy the experance and are guanteed we will not be sat next to underdressed people we pay good money to enjoy OUR SELVES. Selfish may be but if RCI won't impose a dress code we will:)

[Tranquil Waters]

Do they pay attention? Generally, no. But on Ex this past summer, the Portofino reservation card specifically stated, "No Shorts", and another cruiser confirmed that a man was refused admittance here for wearing shorts.

 

ymmv

 

Yep, MMDV (my milage did vary :D). We saw a man with shorts in Portofino on Freedom this past Fall. They were very nice cream linen "dress" shorts with a white linen, collared, button down shirt - so as nice a "shorts outfit" as you could probably get. But none the less shorts. Then on Radiance (also this past fall) we saw a man with docker type shorts and regular polo shirt.

[PLEIKU68]

apparently, they don't.

 

after reviewing what was expected of us, the table next to us clearly did not. when we asked the main head guy, he shrugged his shoulders, and said, "what am i supposed to do?"

 

therefore, our next cruise, we are packing shorts, and leaving the jackets home. if it's good for "them", it's good for me.

 

 

Oh great, now we have one more who will ruin the evening meal. Why would you come down to their level. Show some backbone.

[H82seaUgo]

your evening meal.will be ruined by my shorts?

 

now I've heard it all.

[galavant3]

It is important to note the differance between a "dress code" which is mandatory and RCCL's "suggested guidlines" which are not mandatory.

 

I think this is really where the controversy lies. There are those that will dress as requested because they feel that it is the polite and appropriate thing to do. Others will dress anyway they like because no one will force them to do otherwise.

 

When we attend an event that is "formal", we don't call ahead and ask if someone will be at the door checking to see if we are dressed properly. We just dress according to the invitation.

 

Personally, it wouldn't bother me if all nights were casual but I don't really agree with those that insist that casual dress is appropriate on formal night because formal dress isn't "mandatory".

[Aquahound]

your evening meal.will be ruined by my shorts?

 

Mine certainly wouldn't. Maybe it's because of where I live. Here, nice shorts (not bathing suits or jean shorts) and a nice comfortable shirt, like a Tommy Bahama or something similar, is the norm for dinner wear. It's that way because of the tropical climate. I do wear pants on cruises for dinner, but seeing people in shorts (well presented outfit, of course) has never bothered me. Like I said, where I live, it's normal.

 

Edited to add...Just to be clear, I do still enjoy formal nights though. It's just my opinion the shorts aren't appropriate that night. Still wouldn't ruin my dinner though.

[Canusa02]

would it be acceptable for me to wear collared golf shirt w/Dockers ?

I really don't want to wear a tie or sport jacket on my vacation.

 

I have no problem with it. I like dressing up on the formal nights, but feel free to be comfortable. After all, it is your vacation that you paid for. These other people that love to point out that there are other venues in which to dine should heed their own advice. If it really bothers them that much, you'd think they wouldn't mind paying the extra $$$ to eat at a specialty restaurant.

[isdoo]

I will be wearing shorts each night on my next 2 cruises as they are fairly short (less than 7 days) and I have no intention of lugging my tux with me for 1 formal night.

 

I am on holiday and paid the same as the next person.

 

The MDR is the only option for a waiter service, so will eat in there.

 

BTW - my shorts are tailored ones, as opposed to sports shorts, and are the usual attire of many people at work, especially in warmer climates - so if they are fine for work, they are fine for the MDR of a mass-market cruiseline.

 

Sorry if this offends some people, but I have a right to relax and enjoy my cruise as I wish - after all my shorts are probably longer than most skirts on women - okay my legs are probably not as attractive!

[galavant3]

your evening meal.will be ruined by my shorts?

 

now I've heard it all.

 

Earlier this month, we attended one of the Crown and Anchor events and the invitation clearly said "no shorts". There was one man at the event wearing shorts. I don't think his shorts had any impact on the rest of the attendees but he certainly did stand out. The event was held on formal night and he was the only one in attendance not dressed as suggested.

 

He certainly didn't ruin anyone's evening but I think he stood out like a sore thumb! I would be surprised if he wasn't at least a little bit uncomfortable.

[Ocean Boy]

:cool:I DO. I wish RCCL would enforce their own suggestions. It sure would make things easy. Dinner in MDR, other than casual nights should be special. Suit for men on formal night (still wear my tux), sport coat semi-formal night. Slacks and nice shirts casual nights. I can do without shorts, t-shirts all nights. If they would enforce, there would be no question, and no one could complain, because they let you know ahead of time. There are many nights when I change into shorts after dinner just for comfort, but I make the effort, not only for myself, my wife, and fellow passengers to make the night special:cool:JACK IS SAILING AGAIN -69 days

 

Of course, one could make the argument that you already know ahead of time that RCI doesn't enforce their suggestions so you shouldn't complain.

 

I don't change into shorts after dinner. But I sure don't care if you do.

[Mavro]

I just came off of Allure this week. There were a handful of people wearing shorts in the MDR, mostly teens and lower. Last night I was in Giovanni's Table and the man beside me was wearing dress shorts.

 

So to answer the question, RCI does not seem to enforce the policy.