Teens Dress Code

[cruisekap]

Wow, I guess I should have known this would stir the pot. Truthfully, my son is NOT a disrepectful kid. He is one of the kindest teenagers I know, gets great grades, makes good choices, so what if he feels more comfortable in shorts. This is not about a kid not wanting to follow the rules, I just think that I don't need to buy a whole new wardrobe that won't be worn again. Thanks to those of you for the ideas that he can just wear the same thing several times. And thanks for the vallidation that a suit won't be a "requirement". I'm fine buying a couple pairs of pants and a couple nice shirts and tie.

 

And to be honest with you, for the NON formal nights, I think that shorts can look just as classy and appropriate as clothes that technnically fit the standard. I've seen lots of totally tacky and age inappropriate clothes on kids. I'd rather see my daughter in a pair of nice shorts and a nice shirt than some of the homecoming dresses that are out there these days. Just a thought....

 

 

Don't worry about the can of worms that you opened. You seem to want to abide by the rules and still not break the bank. Buy an inexpensive pair of dress pants and nice shirt at Walmart or somewhere similar. Dark snearkers are fine and if your son is okay with it have him borrow a tie. Use the same outfit for both formal nights. For the other nights he can wear a nice pair of jeans and polo shirt. Nobody cares if he wears the same outfit more than once. It is only for a couple of hours. Your daughter is easy. Sun dresses are acceptable and they can wear any type of footware that they want.

 

Enjoy your cruise and don't break the bank on clothes that will never be used again. You will have a fantastic time. Avoid shorts. My son was turned away and it is not pleasant. Unless you are the confrontational type you run the risk of being asked to leave.

[Karysa]

This is one time that it pays to have 3 teenage girls.

Our girls love the cute little boho sundresses that can take them from day to night and the formal dinners give them a good reason to wear their rarely worn dressy dresses. Now limiting the shoes... that can be an issue!

[BamaB4]

We've taken our teens on many cruises and there are nights that my son wore cargo/golf shorts with a polo in the MDR. On formal nights he has worn anything from a tux to khakis and a polo. I agree, you shouldn't have to break the bank for clothes that are not practical in everyday life. You should be fine with a pair of dark and a pair of light "khakis" and polos and a LS button down. Girls are much more flexible and I would imagine that there are many items in her current wardrobe that will be appropriate. I have never seen anyone turned away for dinner, even in the upcharge dinning rooms. Having said that, we typically cruise caribbean where the atmosphere is much more casual and relaxed.

[amc2scott]

When my kids cruise w me I tell them right up front that they must have dinner w us every night except one, and that they will dress for dinner.

 

I have a 13 year old that is a Tom boy, but I bought a single comfortable trendy inexpensive blk skirt, that she could wear multiple nights with some light cotton tops. Forth formal nights we bring 2 sundresses that can be used at other times. They get changed before dinner and meet us at the table on time, and right after dessert they go and get changed into what they want to wear.

 

This is not about them dressing how they want to dress, it is about them wearing appropriate clothing and enjoying a nice dinner in a lovely dining room. Just like the real world. Sometimes you need to do things you don't want to.

 

For your boys I think visit walmart, target or old navy, buy one pair khakis and one pair blk khakis, bring a few polo shirts, and 2 shirts w one belt. They can change right after dinner

[SASSYIN2]

We were just on RCI last May and they did not allow shorts in the dining room except for young kids ( around age 5) they did send a few young adults back to change into long pants. When we travelled with our teen boys- who preferred jeans and tshirts, we bought 2 pairs of nice pants and 5 tops ( they do spill). a combo of polo's and long sleeve button down tops. For the formal night, a sport coat and dress pants is a must. Yes black athletic shoes will work. Everyone is right, if they do not want to wear a suit, then go to the WJ. If you are going to spend the time and money on a med cruise, then do it right. Thrift shops are great for saving money, also with Kohl's and their great sales, you can pick up pants and tops very inexpensivly. Most of the young women wore sun dresses, or nice capri's and tops. In Europe versus in the Caribbean, jeans were very rarely seen in the dining room. The Europeans do dress up for dinner. We found many families who did not want to dress up, ended up eating in the WJ nightly.

[ascatsob]

Wow! I have cruised many a time....4 in the last year between NCL, RCI, and DCL, and teen boys (including mine) wore anything from nice shorts with polo shirts on casual nights and pants with button down shirts on dressy nights. As a matter of fact, apx 30% of all males in the dining rooms wore shorts! I have never, and I mean ever, seen anyone turned away from dinner in the main dining room. I have even seen grown men wearing athletic shorts and old t-shirts. I am not offended by the dress of others nor am I uncomfortable with the dress of my children. I want our family to be happy and comfortable on their vacation and so I choose our experience, not the expectations of others. I just find it crazy for people to get so excited and distraught over dinner dressing. Be comfortable, be happy, be relaxed, enjoy your hard earned vacation!

[akcruz]

Wow! I have cruised many a time....4 in the last year between NCL, RCI, and DCL, and teen boys (including mine) wore anything from nice shorts with polo shirts on casual nights and pants with button down shirts on dressy nights. As a matter of fact, apx 30% of all males in the dining rooms wore shorts! I have never, and I mean ever, seen anyone turned away from dinner in the main dining room. I have even seen grown men wearing athletic shorts and old t-shirts. I am not offended by the dress of others nor am I uncomfortable with the dress of my children. I want our family to be happy and comfortable on their vacation and so I choose our experience, not the expectations of others. I just find it crazy for people to get so excited and distraught over dinner dressing. Be comfortable, be happy, be relaxed, enjoy your hard earned vacation!

 

Isn't part of choosing the experience to look at suggested dress codes, expected behaviors, activities, etc for the vacation you are choosing? When you go to a restaurant that has a suggested dress code on land do you dress the way you are most happy and comfortable, after all its your dinner??? Or, do you take into consideration the choice of restaurant you have made and dress appropriately?

 

If you want to dress in shorts and t-shirts for dinner, then choose a vacation that supports that.

[OGCFreddie]

First, thanks to those of you that didn't bash me and had some good advice as to how much/little we had to pack to make everyone happy. I truly appreciated it.

 

Second...I didn't say I would send him to the dining room in basketball shorts. He will likely wear nice jeans and/or pants on the non formal nights, Formal nights, he will dress up a bit more...but to get slammed for asking the question is not very nice.

 

Really I don't understand why this is such a hot topic with everyone.

Maybe you all live in areas that are WAY different than where we live, but on the West Coast at least where we are at, nobody cares nearly as much. Looking clean and tidy and respectful is what matters.

How are nice longer shorts any different than a thigh high excuse my language, sleasy, dresses that I guarantee you I will see. Personally I find that much more offensive. But now I know I will get bashed some more...oh well, I guess I know now not to post anything that has differing opinions.

All I can tell you is to simply ignore the troublemakers and the bashers. Most people on this site sincerely want to help their fellow cruisers and get advice when they need it. Unfortunately, there are always a few who would rather say what someone is doing wrong than try to help. It seems if your ideas and theirs differ, then you are automatically wrong because they are never wrong. Don't sweat it.

From personal experience, I have never seen anyone turned away from the MDR because they were wearing jeans with the exception of one individual who's jeans had so many holes that his business was close to coming out. I wear jeans on casual nights often and have never felt out of place. For formal, I do always wear my tux but that's because I like to. You will see quite a few men in just nice slacks and a dressy button-down shirt as well as others with ties or jackets. I do agree, however, that shorts really shouldn't be worn in the MDR for dinner.

Yes...there is a form of discrimination since a woman can wear capris as well as nice tanks where men cannot, but like others have said...RCL sets the rules so I try to abide by them.

By the way...a message to the OP. If you want to avoid bashing and getting flamed, it is a fair statement to try to avoid threads regarding 1) Dress Codes, 2) Smoking, 3) Chair hogs and 4) alchohol smuggling.

Have a great cruise with your family!!!

[cleopetra]

We have been traveling with our kids on cruises since they were young (they are 23 and 19 now). My son normally lives in shorts and t-shirts too but for cruises he wears khakis and a nice polo shirt. On formal nights, he wears a button down shirt and a tie with the khakis. When he was younger we went to a second hand store and got him a jacket. It served him well on a few occasions that year. Perhaps he can borrow one from a friend (if they have one)? He wore dressy looking sneakers to the MDR and it was fine.

 

We have never been on a European vacation and as many have said, they tend to be a bit dressier. But I think if you have 3 long pairs of pants that he can reuse, some nice shirts and at least one button down and tie, you should be fine.

 

Hope this helps and enjoy your cruise!

[morgan1312]

We cruise with our grandson (now 13) every year. He's not big on eating in the MDR with us, he doesn't like that it takes so long and after the 1st day or 2 he's made friends that he wants to hang out with. It's his vacation too, and we always eat dinner together as a family when we're not on vacation so it's not that big a deal to us. A lot of times we go to the WJ with him when it opens and have a snack while he has dinner, then we go to the late seating in the MDR and enjoy the company of our table mates and a leasurely dinner.

 

However, he does come to the MDR for 'lobster' night which is one of the formal nights. I buy him a pair of black jeans that serve as his dress pants and a button down shirt. He doesn't wear a jacket or tie and he wears his sneakers which are usually also his new ones for the coming school year. The boy has been growing like a weed for the last couple of years and we can't keep him in the same size pants or shoes for longer than 6 months, so I can't justify spending a lot of money on clothes that he will wear once or twice on the cruise. If he chooses to come to the MDR any other nights, he just wears the same black jeans with a polo shirt.

 

I never feel like he stands out, there are always people dressed even more casual than he is as well as people dressed to the nines.