Kids dress code for MDR

[silverbutterfly]

I am just wondering if kids have the same dress code as adults or if it's more relaxed. Thanks!

[thatoneguyyouknow]

officially no, its the same. but I highly doubt they would enforce the dress code on anyone under 16. Also the dress code isn't exactly hard to meet.

Edited February 29, 2016 by thatoneguyyouknow

[cb at sea]

Same dress code for everyone but "babes in arms"....a "onesy" is fine for toddlers!

[sg4crzn]

In my opinion the dress code is pretty relaxed for adults. No tank tops or gym shorts. On formal nights I dressed my young ones in slacks and a button shirt with tie because we had them. Slacks and a polo would look nice.

[Keith1010]

Officially the same but often you will see it more relaxed for children.

 

Keith

[silverbutterfly]

Ok, thanks, I guess I will force my 14 year old into something other than basketball shorts. He refuses to wear anything else so don't want to spend money on something he'll only wear once. But I guess he might be able to get away with wearing the same pair in the dining room every night. :eek:

[cherbear4000]

The dress code is the same for children. One year my nephew, who was 12 at the time, had on a nice sleeveless shirt and was stopped at the MDR door for lunch and had to change into a shirt with sleeves.

[KatieCharlotte]

Ok, thanks, I guess I will force my 14 year old into something other than basketball shorts. He refuses to wear anything else so don't want to spend money on something he'll only wear once. But I guess he might be able to get away with wearing the same pair in the dining room every night. :eek:

 

He absolutely can wear the same pair every night, or buy one pair of pants for elegant nights and one pair of non-athletic shorts for the other nights. When my son was in middle school and lived in basketball shorts, we bought him a pair of gray cargo pants with zippers that turned them into shorts. He alternated between those and a pair of cheap khaki pants for dinner. On elegant night, he wore a polo shirt, and he wore his best t-shirts on other nights. At 14, he started buying a wider variety of clothes for school and church, but he met us at the dining room one evening in his basketball shorts and they let him in without batting an eye. :D

Edited February 29, 2016 by KatieCharlotte

[Warm Breezes]

Ok, thanks, I guess I will force my 14 year old into something other than basketball shorts. He refuses to wear anything else so don't want to spend money on something he'll only wear once. But I guess he might be able to get away with wearing the same pair in the dining room every night. :eek:

 

Cargo shorts or jeans would work if he will wear those on casual nights. A pair of Khakis will work for elegant night if you can get him in them.

[Saltz]

My 12 year old son would wear a nice pair of jeans with a long sleeve dress shirt and tie. We never had an issue.

[Havingfun2010]

Always curious of the question. Dress codes are common for kids. For example, many schools have a dress code. When they become teenagers, they might work someplace and have a dress code. Adults in the workplace have a dress code. Why wouldn't the kids have to dress appropriately based on the current dress code for the establishment.....this goes beyond the cruise ship but in life in general.

 

With the price of drinks on the ship, just have one less drink and buy a pair of pants with the savings!

[MisterOJ2]

Always curious of the question. Dress codes are common for kids. For example, many schools have a dress code. When they become teenagers, they might work someplace and have a dress code. Adults in the workplace have a dress code. Why wouldn't the kids have to dress appropriately based on the current dress code for the establishment.....this goes beyond the cruise ship but in life in general.

 

Because in most other social settings that require a bit of dressing up - ie, church services, weddings, funerals, etc. - children are generally not held to the same standards as adults by societal norms. For instance, it's quite common to be at an event where most of the grown men are wearing suits, but young boys are wearing something still nice, but less formal than a suit - such as a sweater, or shirt and tie with no jacket.

[bamagirl16]

Ok, thanks, I guess I will force my 14 year old into something other than basketball shorts. He refuses to wear anything else so don't want to spend money on something he'll only wear once. But I guess he might be able to get away with wearing the same pair in the dining room every night. :eek:

 

My 14 year old is the same way!!! It is as he is allergic to regular pants and shorts! However....he has been much better as we have been talking about what he will need for dinner on the ship. Luckily he has 2 older brothers so we had some khaki pants and some nice shirts. And he actually said he would wear a tie if I let him pick it out. So now he has a loud yellow and purple paisley tie that he thinks is awesome!

 

He should absolutely be able to wear the same pair every night. And then he can change when dinner is over.. That's what I tell mine!

[mgoose1]

Yes, Star Wars and Marvel ties are good - still cool but meet the standard of the dress code.

 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[summersigh]

COPIED AND PASTED FROM THE CARNIVAL FAQ PAGE: (it's not really strict as you can see)

 

Evening Wear

Most evenings we have a Cruise Casual dress code, but there are those Cruise Elegant evenings where guests will have the opportunity to showcase their more elegant attire (one evening on a 2-5 day cruise; two evenings on a 6-day or longer cruise). The dress codes are described below and pertain to children as well.

 

Lido Restaurant

For those who want casual attire for dinner time, the Lido Restaurant is open nightly and has a more relaxed theme. However, shirts and footwear (including flip-flops) must be worn at all times.

 

The Steakhouse

The dress requirements for the Steakhouse follows the dress code specified for the Main Dining Room(s); if the evening is specified as Cruise Casual, shorts are not permitted.

 

Main Dining Room(s) Following is the dress code in the Main Dining Room(s) for both men and women and pertains to children as well:

 

Cruise Casual Dress Code

Men: sport slacks, khakis, Jeans (no cut-offs), dress shorts (long), collared sport shirts

Women: casual dresses, casual skirts or pants and blouses/tops, summer dresses, Capri pants, dress shorts, Jeans (no cut-offs)

Not permitted for both men and women: cut-off Jeans, men’s sleeveless shirts, gym or basketball shorts, baseball hats, flip-flops and bathing suit attire

 

Cruise Elegant Dress Code

Men: dress slacks, dress shirts, and we also suggest a sport coat; men may also wish to wear a suit and tie or tuxedo

Women: Cocktail dresses, pantsuits, elegant skirts and blouses; ladies may also wish to wear an evening gown

Not permitted for both men and women: Jeans, men’s sleeveless shirts, shorts, t-shirts, sportswear, baseball hats, flip-flops and bathing suit attire

[FlaMommy75]

My son is the same way- always wearing basketball shorts. However, I just ordered from Old Navy a few nice shirts, one pair of tan pants, and a few collared polos for our upcoming cruise. He already has a suit for formal night (Walmart $20) that he wears every cruise. He will wear them in the MDR and then run back upstairs to get changed into something more comfortable after dinner. It only takes a minute and he is usually not the only one in my family that wants to change after dinner (myself included).

[silverbutterfly]

It's not about having the money to do it, it's about spending money on something he will never wear again. Especially, since he is growing so fast right now. If I knew he would get more use out of them, I wouldn't bat an eye. It just seems wasteful to me.

 

 

Always curious of the question. Dress codes are common for kids. For example, many schools have a dress code. When they become teenagers, they might work someplace and have a dress code. Adults in the workplace have a dress code. Why wouldn't the kids have to dress appropriately based on the current dress code for the establishment.....this goes beyond the cruise ship but in life in general.

 

With the price of drinks on the ship, just have one less drink and buy a pair of pants with the savings!

[GMRPHRN]

I got my 17 year old into slacks, button down and tie for our recent cruise. (We borrowed the tie). I let him wear his sneakers. We even had some nice pictures made. It wasn't as painful as he thought it would be. For the regular nights he wore a polo with nice khaki shorts. Yes he wore the same one for all the identical nights.

[Warm Breezes]

It's not about having the money to do it, it's about spending money on something he will never wear again. Especially, since he is growing so fast right now. If I knew he would get more use out of them, I wouldn't bat an eye. It just seems wasteful to me.

 

I had that problem with my son. When he got into high school he needed dress pants to wear on game days when he had home basketball games. My problem was he was growing since birth at an average rate of 4" a year. By his Freshman year he was 6'2" and still growing. Before high school he mainly only wore dress pants for cruises and it was worn once and then too short. I did buy him a jacket once since he was in his Uncles wedding. He didn't even get to wear that on cruise before it was too small. I had a hard enough time finding pants to fit him since he was skinny and tall and not big and tall. They don't make pants for the skinny and tall boys/teens/young men.

 

I found a solution his Freshman year by purchasing special order dress pants from JC Penneys. I ordered the waist size for where he was and then order the pants to be unhemmed. When they came in I ironed them to the correct length and safety pinned them up and the let the hem out as he grew. He stopped growing about his Junior year at 6'7 1/2" tall. I had enough room on the hem to let it out that much and his waist didn't get that much bigger. Since he rarely wears them while in college (maybe 1 or 2 times a year for class presentation or a wedding or a cruise). I haven't bought him another pair since then. We are going on a cruise in May. He will be 22 (still at home going to college-he graduates in April). I asked him if he needed me to look for a new pair of dress pants for him. He said "No, they still fit just fine and look good. I just need a new belt." As for jeans I could never find them to fit him, although Arizona jeans come the closest. In high school he started wearing his basketball shorts under his jeans. This gave them just enough bulk to hold them up since I could get the right length but they were never skinny enough in the waist (again the big and tall thing). He's been doing that ever since.

[mibarron]

My youngest (11) hates wearing dress pants or khakis. It's either jeans or gym shorts. So for elegant night, I bought him a pair of black jeans, button down shirt and a cheap black tie I bought from Walmart for $5...which I still have. Going to use it for our next cruise in August. It's a nice happy medium that seems to work and we haven't had any issues.

 

My oldest (18) was the same way, but he seems to have gotten out of that mentality and looks forward to dressing up now.

[isaiahsnana]

Ok, thanks, I guess I will force my 14 year old into something other than basketball shorts. He refuses to wear anything else so don't want to spend money on something he'll only wear once. But I guess he might be able to get away with wearing the same pair in the dining room every night. :eek:

 

Just a suggestion, I spent 30 years teaching debate and coaching speech teams where kids had to dress up for the events: I made several trips to the local Goodwill stores - local cleaners send their things that were never picked up. Good buys on button down dress shirts for kids as well as khaki slacks can be had for a few dollars for these events. Never spent more that $5 on a full outfit, usually with a tie thrown in.

[Skippy]

I just saw this timely thread. My 5yo has several of those Kohl's jumping beans brand skorts (they are skirts with built in shorts underneath). Are those appropriate for non-formal nights with a nice top?

 

Are sneakers or sandals (keen type)okay for kids or do I need to buy dressy shoes for them for the evenings?

 

I don't really want to spend a lot of money for shoes my kids will wear once or twice.

Edited June 6, 2016 by Skippy

[dvond]

I am just wondering if kids have the same dress code as adults or if it's more relaxed. Thanks!

 

Just like adults shorts every night other than formal and any kind of shirt just no tank top

[kctwinmommy]

I just saw this timely thread. My 5yo has several of those Kohl's jumping beans brand skorts (they are skirts with built in shorts underneath). Are those appropriate for non-formal nights with a nice top?

 

Are sneakers or sandals (keen type)okay for kids or do I need to buy dressy shoes for them for the evenings?

 

I don't really want to spend a lot of money for shoes my kids will wear once or twice.

 

You'll be fine! My 12 year old son wore nicer shorts and plain tops (so no neon, satin, workout clothes! LOL!). And he wore gym shoes all the time. He's been growing so fast, it's a waste to buy dress shoes he'll wear two times. You may want to get a nicer or fancier dress for formal nights, it'd be a nice time to get a family portrait too. But again, don't stress about the shoes.

[Skippy]

Thank you! Dd has 1 dress, but I can check the consignment store for other stuff.