MDR dress code for dinner

[takeavacation]

Cruising with 2 boys - 11 and 13 -- the 11 year old NEVER wears pants --ever! He has accepted that his mom wants him to "dress up" on the elegant nights but....can he wear basket ball shorts into the MDR for dinner on the other nights? Or - will he need dressier shorts? We'll be on the Panorama in April.

 

Thanks!

[tdoner]

I dont think that would be an issue. Personally, I would have my son wear khaki shorts and a polo to dinner in the MDR, but I dont see his basketball shorts getting you kicked out.

[bartzcrew]

Not sure about the enforcement, but the Carnival site says "Not permitted in the dining room during the Cruise Casual dinner for ladies and gentlemen: shorts, gym shorts, basketball shorts, beach flip-flops, bathing suit attire, cut-off jeans, sleeveless shirts for men and baseball hats."

From this link

I have an 18 year old who lives in them too, and I told him he has to wear his one pair of khaki shorts just for dinner. 

 

Edited February 26, 2020 by bartzcrew
add

[happylittlefamily]

I don't think they are technically allowed.  But maybe someone has experienced being allowed to dine despite them?

[skrufy]

1 hour ago, takeavacation said:

Cruising with 2 boys - 11 and 13 -- the 11 year old NEVER wears pants --ever! He has accepted that his mom wants him to "dress up" on the elegant nights but....can he wear basket ball shorts into the MDR for dinner on the other nights? Or - will he need dressier shorts? We'll be on the Panorama in April.

 

Thanks!

You can try it. Have seen many people break the dress code and allowed in the MDR. I would bring the dresser shorts and collared shirts ( I’m assuming he wears  t-shirts with the shorts ) with me just incase you are not allowed in the MDR with the b-ball shorts.

Edited February 26, 2020 by skrufy
Addition

[Laurab23]

Saw a man last week on Pride on elegant night in Nike sweatpants and sweatshirt.

 

Laura

[originalgeek]

I don't wear pants to elegant night either - I wear my kilt!

 

Edited February 26, 2020 by originalgeek

[hurricane0226]

Nice kilt

[PhillyFan33579]

The reality over the last few years is Carnival does not enforce their dress code in the MDR, on both casual and elegant nights. I have seen people wear everything from gym shirts, t-shirts, hats, flip-flops, etc. to formal dresses and tuxedos on elegant night. Personally it doesn’t bother me what other people wear as long as they are clean. I wouldn’t be thrilled sitting next to someone who just worked out for an hour without showering, no matter what they were wearing, but I have never experienced that before. 

[VitaLuna]

Whether it's allowed or not, I'm not sure. I'm assuming it is. However, I would use it as an opportunity to teach that there are rules that we follow when we're privileged enough to get these kinds of vacations, and have him bring khaki shorts. (I'm working on the "rules" thing with my little kiddos, too. Not about dress, but other things. There are certain things we have to do/follow, even if other people don't. My current goal is getting them to stay seated at the table, so they're not *that* kid at dinner 😅)

[eileen2664]

I understand.  While my 9yo will wear things (begrudgingly) other than gym shorts, the other day, when I made him try on his dockers-style shorts and broke the news that he'd have to dress for dinner each night he was so confused and basically gave me a "what the heck" look 😆 he'll survive it.  I'm only forcing the issue halfway....I'm taking nicer, plain (non screen printed) tshirts for him to wear on non-formal nights.  Not quite as casual of his usual uniform of a fortnite tee and basketball shorts but not so stuffy he'll give too much grief.  FWIW, I have no idea how people dress, we're first-timers.

[hurricane0226]

For my two cents. My wife and I have always dressed up for formal nights, hence the

name elegant night, and will always, we do not do if for the rules but do it for us,

we take the formal pictures for out kids and grand kids to enjoy, but it seems to me

if Carnival was to stop doing elegant nights, then I probably presume there will

be alot of people complaining, why not do the right thing,  like they say, doing the right thing  at night when no one is watching

[takeavacation]

5 hours ago, bartzcrew said:

Not sure about the enforcement, but the Carnival site says "Not permitted in the dining room during the Cruise Casual dinner for ladies and gentlemen: shorts, gym shorts, basketball shorts, beach flip-flops, bathing suit attire, cut-off jeans, sleeveless shirts for men and baseball hats."

From this link

I have an 18 year old who lives in them too, and I told him he has to wear his one pair of khaki shorts just for dinner. 

 

Yep -- that's what we told him also. Just curious if they enforce this rule. Thx!

[takeavacation]

2 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

The reality over the last few years is Carnival does not enforce their dress code in the MDR, on both casual and elegant nights. I have seen people wear everything from gym shirts, t-shirts, hats, flip-flops, etc. to formal dresses and tuxedos on elegant night. Personally it doesn’t bother me what other people wear as long as they are clean. I wouldn’t be thrilled sitting next to someone who just worked out for an hour without showering, no matter what they were wearing, but I have never experienced that before. 

He's an 11 year old kid -- it's his 1st cruise. He knows he needs to dress up for the elegant dinners -- just seeing how much they enforce the rules on the other nights. I promise he'll be clean....lol. Thanks!

[takeavacation]

2 hours ago, VitaLuna said:

Whether it's allowed or not, I'm not sure. I'm assuming it is. However, I would use it as an opportunity to teach that there are rules that we follow when we're privileged enough to get these kinds of vacations, and have him bring khaki shorts. (I'm working on the "rules" thing with my little kiddos, too. Not about dress, but other things. There are certain things we have to do/follow, even if other people don't. My current goal is getting them to stay seated at the table, so they're not *that* kid at dinner 😅)

Just to clarify -- this isn't my child. But, I am traveling with them...as is his mom. We've all discussed the dinner rules -- but, it really doesn't make sense that shorts are allowed -- but basketball shorts are not --- shorts are shorts. He'll dress accordingly in the appropriate clothing. Just curious what they enforce.

[takeavacation]

2 hours ago, eileen2664 said:

I understand.  While my 9yo will wear things (begrudgingly) other than gym shorts, the other day, when I made him try on his dockers-style shorts and broke the news that he'd have to dress for dinner each night he was so confused and basically gave me a "what the heck" look 😆 he'll survive it.  I'm only forcing the issue halfway....I'm taking nicer, plain (non screen printed) tshirts for him to wear on non-formal nights.  Not quite as casual of his usual uniform of a fortnite tee and basketball shorts but not so stuffy he'll give too much grief.  FWIW, I have no idea how people dress, we're first-timers.

It's my nephew and I believe that is what his mom is planning to do as well. Plain t-shirts and docker shorts -- but, if he can wear the basketball shorts for a night or 2 (not formal nights), that would help with not wearing the same thing every night. For formal nights he'll be dressed up 🙂

[lindsay0526]

6 hours ago, takeavacation said:

Cruising with 2 boys - 11 and 13 -- the 11 year old NEVER wears pants --ever! He has accepted that his mom wants him to "dress up" on the elegant nights but....can he wear basket ball shorts into the MDR for dinner on the other nights? Or - will he need dressier shorts? We'll be on the Panorama in April.

 

Thanks!

Technically basketball shorts aren’t allowed, but he may be able to get in regardless (enforcement of the dress code is somewhat of a gamble). If he’s willing to chance it, I would just throw in a pair of nicer shorts/pants in his bag, and let him know that someone might say something and he might have to go back to the room and change. He may decide on his own that he’d rather just wear the nicer shorts/pants and not chance it.

 

and this is why shorts are allowed and basketball shorts technically aren’t. One just looks a little more appropriate for a sit-down dinner. 

Edited February 27, 2020 by lindsay0526

[billslowsky]

You can wear jeans.  I did.

[ObstructedView2]

1 hour ago, lindsay0526 said:

 

Basketball shorts aren’t allowed

and this is why shorts are allowed and basketball shorts aren’t.

One just looks a little more appropriate for a sit-down dinner. 

 

 

 

⬆️⬆️          This         ⬆️⬆️

 

⬇️⬇️       And This    ⬇️⬇️

 

 

Carnival What To Wear located @:

https://help.carnival.com.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/133/~/what-to-wear

 

 

 

 

 

✌️

Edited February 27, 2020 by ObstructedView2

[billslowsky]

10 hours ago, ObstructedView2 said:

 

Carnival What To Wear located @:

https://help.carnival.com.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/133/~/what-to-wear

 

 

 

 

 

✌️

 

Little more than lip service.  On my last cruise, many wore jeans in the dining room on the so-called elegant night, passengers who visited some chain bars came back wearing shirts with uncensored profanity around the ship and no one cared. 

 

Putting something in writing is not policy; enforcing it is.  What's enforced is that jeans are ok, and certainly a kid wearing basketball shorts is ok.