Divina Dress Code Guidelines...Need Advice Please!

[amygutman]

Very excited to go on our first MSC cruise on the Divina in September. We are laid back cruisers - a vacation to us means NOT getting dressed up unless a very special occasion. 

 

As my husband literally does not own a pair of slacks (we live in Bermuda and shorts = business attire), we are hoping that there is no requirement for formal wear in the restaurants. We are respectful diners - no bathing suits, ripped clothing or gym wear, but we prefer shorts, casual dresses and collared shirts vs tuxes and gowns. 

 

NCL had restaurants we could not eat in as they required formal attire - is it the same on MSC? We are also in the Yacht Club and would hate to be "banned" from the YC restaurant. And before you ask - the aggravation of arguing my DH into buying and wearing pants is not worth any meal. 

 

Thanks for any advice, Amy

[alyssamma]

LOL, if you ask 3 people you'll get 4 responses 🙂

 

And be aware that this thread will probably quickly devolve into whether or not you *should* dress up...which isn't what you asked at all.

 

I hate dressing up for dinner, but my advice is do what I do...I pack a single pair of Dockers and put them on right before dinner and take them off right after.

 

That being said, only certain restaurants do require certain dress. For example, if you are in the Yacht Club, you must wear long pants (but some wear jeans) and a collared shirt.

 

In the buffet anything goes.

 

In the MDR, you can probably get away with nice shorts, regardless of what the rules are. No one will kick you out.

 

Specialty restaurants and the Yact Club restaurannt are the only ones where you will have a problem.

[no1talks]

While I was (and will be again) in a tux every night for dinner, I'm not one of those you-are-doing-fun-wrong types who gripe about who is wearing what.

 

However, I must admit, I don't comprehend why some guys are so opposed to dressing up when that's the vibe.

 

The song doesn't go, "Every girl's crazy for a sharp-dressed man," for nothing.

[amygutman]

6 hours ago, alyssamma said:

LOL, if you ask 3 people you'll get 4 responses 🙂

 

And be aware that this thread will probably quickly devolve into whether or not you *should* dress up...which isn't what you asked at all.

 

I hate dressing up for dinner, but my advice is do what I do...I pack a single pair of Dockers and put them on right before dinner and take them off right after.

 

That being said, only certain restaurants do require certain dress. For example, if you are in the Yacht Club, you must wear long pants (but some wear jeans) and a collared shirt.

 

In the buffet anything goes.

 

In the MDR, you can probably get away with nice shorts, regardless of what the rules are. No one will kick you out.

 

Specialty restaurants and the Yact Club restaurannt are the only ones where you will have a problem.

Thank you for the candid answer...and yes, I do not want to spark the dreaded "dinner dress up" discussion, just a simple "yes or no" - which you have supplied and I thank you.

 

We are very respectful of the different choices people make on cruises as long as those choices themselves are respectful - flip flops, bikini tops, and daisy dukes just aren't respectful at non-pool / beach restaurants. But if tailored shorts are good enough for the Premier of Bermuda, then it should be good enough for a cruise...ce la vie...

 

Well - looks like I will be on pants patrol for hubby then. I am excited to eat in the specialty YC restaurant and I will motivate hubby to purchase (and wear) pants by showing him the menus.

[amygutman]

5 hours ago, no1talks said:

While I was (and will be again) in a tux every night for dinner, I'm not one of those you-are-doing-fun-wrong types who gripe about who is wearing what.

 

However, I must admit, I don't comprehend why some guys are so opposed to dressing up when that's the vibe.

 

The song doesn't go, "Every girl's crazy for a sharp-dressed man," for nothing.

I do love myself a man in a tux (oh...Sean Connery...I miss you so....), but I also love being "respectfully relaxed" at dinner.

 

We never gripe about others - in fact, people watching is a favorite past-time on cruises (and lord knows...there are some crazy people to watch). 

 

But, if buying and wearing pants lets us not worry about making dinner choices, so be it. It's crazy but a lot of it comes down to cost and inconvenience believe it or not - living on Bermuda, EVERYTHING has to be shipped in and taxed. He cannot buy a pair of pants here - no stock. So a 50$ pair of slacks costs nearly 100$, AND takes 6-8 weeks to arrive. Then must be tailored (DH is a big and tall)...all to go on a cruise and eat in a restaurant for a four night cruise.

 

Ah well...it's worth it to vacation again!

[DCGuy64]

Have a great cruise! I’ve heard such positive things about the Divina and think you and hubby will have a wonderful and relaxing time. Our experience on MSC is that it’s mostly Europeans and they very much like to dress up. I would think that being dressed down on an MSC ship, you might feel very out of place. But you’re on vacation so as long as you’re comfortable, that’s what counts. If you’re concerned about your husband not having any long trousers, why not stop by a shop in Miami (or wherever you’re embarking from) and buy some there? From what you’ve described, it sounds like that would be a lot cheaper than having them shipped to Bermuda. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the Divina and the MSC “difference.” We sure do! 

[orangemini]

9 hours ago, alyssamma said:

LOL, if you ask 3 people you'll get 4 responses 🙂

Funny and accurate.

[Nunagoras]

Hi!... As DCGuy says, MSC is mostly Europeans whom want to dress a little bit up. Certainly with all the ongoing worsening airline luggage restrictions, us Europeans are now dressing far less up than we used to do some 20 years ago when cruising... But, there is a thing we are retaining for sure: Dinner as a social experience we want to enjoy. On Sundays and holidays, dinner is for us the moment where we stop to enjoy the nice food while we discuss both our day's adventures and our plans for the nearest future. Sometimes we save some 2 hours or more for that ritual. Unless we are at the beach or on such a pool grill, dinner is set to be something for what we tend to be little bit more dressy... Do also note that the YC is the most expensive, and then the most sophisticated area on the ship. Surely a nice pair of trousers/pants that may be some nice jeans and some collared shirts are certainly required for the evening activities if you don't want to look like out of place there. No ties nor anything fancy on top of that.

 

Have a nice day and nice sailings!...

Edited July 18, 2021 by Nunagoras

[alyssamma]

3 hours ago, amygutman said:

Thank you for the candid answer...and yes, I do not want to spark the dreaded "dinner dress up" discussion, just a simple "yes or no" - which you have supplied and I thank you.

 

We are very respectful of the different choices people make on cruises as long as those choices themselves are respectful - flip flops, bikini tops, and daisy dukes just aren't respectful at non-pool / beach restaurants. But if tailored shorts are good enough for the Premier of Bermuda, then it should be good enough for a cruise...ce la vie...

 

Well - looks like I will be on pants patrol for hubby then. I am excited to eat in the specialty YC restaurant and I will motivate hubby to purchase (and wear) pants by showing him the menus.

I wasn't sure if you were sailing in the YC or not. Since you *are*, yeah...get the pants. The YC restaurant is well worth the inconvenience of buying the pants. Once your spouse takes his first bite he'll forget about it 🙂

 

And like I said, put them on, eat, take them off...easy peasey.

[amygutman]

5 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Have a great cruise! I’ve heard such positive things about the Divina and think you and hubby will have a wonderful and relaxing time. Our experience on MSC is that it’s mostly Europeans and they very much like to dress up. I would think that being dressed down on an MSC ship, you might feel very out of place. But you’re on vacation so as long as you’re comfortable, that’s what counts. If you’re concerned about your husband not having any long trousers, why not stop by a shop in Miami (or wherever you’re embarking from) and buy some there? From what you’ve described, it sounds like that would be a lot cheaper than having them shipped to Bermuda. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the Divina and the MSC “difference.” We sure do! 

I agree - it's been nearly 2 years since I've seen the inside of a Walmart, Target of Big and Tall shop...and feel I will be spending a LOT more than 100$ 🙂 

 

It's just the tailoring pre-cruise that would be an issue. 

 

Thank you so much - I am glad to hear about your positive experiences!

[amygutman]

3 hours ago, orangemini said:

Funny and accurate.

Agree

Especially on CC!

 

[amygutman]

3 hours ago, Nunagoras said:

Hi!... As DCGuy says, MSC is mostly Europeans whom want to dress a little bit up. Certainly with all the ongoing worsening airline luggage restrictions, us Europeans are now dressing far less up than we used to do some 20 years ago when cruising... But, there is a thing we are retaining for sure: Dinner as a social experience we want to enjoy. On Sundays and holidays, dinner is for us the moment where we stop to enjoy the nice food while we discuss both our day's adventures and our plans for the nearest future. Sometimes we save some 2 hours or more for that ritual. Unless we are at the beach or on such a pool grill, dinner is set to be something for what we tend to be little bit more dressy... Do also note that the YC is the most expensive, and then the most sophisticated area on the ship. Surely a nice pair of trousers/pants that may be some nice jeans and some collared shirts are certainly required for the evening activities if you don't want to look like out of place there. No ties nor anything fancy on top of that.

 

Have a nice day and nice sailings!...

I do love a good lingering meal - although, with a 12 year old, we are often limited by his attention span (though as long as we have wifi we should be good). It is very hard to do anything except dine and dash, so it may be a nice change of pace to just sit and enjoy the meal. 

 

Also agree with packing light - we are trying to travel with 3 backpacks and a small suitcase for the cruise plus 4 days in universal. The laundry package on ship has already been purchased to help "go home clean". 

 

You have all convinced me to "Go European" for the cruise, and have put in my Amazon order for slacks. Oddly enough, he has no issues with ties, so I will sneak one in my bag as well!

[kelleherdl]

7 hours ago, amygutman said:

 

But, if buying and wearing pants lets us not worry about making dinner choices, so be it. It's crazy but a lot of it comes down to cost and inconvenience believe it or not - living on Bermuda, EVERYTHING has to be shipped in and taxed. He cannot buy a pair of pants here - no stock. So a 50$ pair of slacks costs nearly 100$, AND takes 6-8 weeks to arrive. Then must be tailored (DH is a big and tall)...all to go on a cruise and eat in a restaurant for a four night cruise.

 

If you are renting a car from MCO to Port Canaveral take a short trip south of Cape Canaveral on A1A to the original Ron Jon’s Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach before going to the port. It’s pretty much a destination onto itself.  Pick up a pair of chinos and your husband will be good to go.  
 

We are in the Yacht Club for the Sept 26th 4-day.  If you see two couples eating together, ‘dressed for dinner’ come over and say hi.  I’ll ‘buy’ you a drink and have a laugh.

 

BTW.  If the 4-day has a White Night, I will be in white linen Bermudas with a white linen jacket. I doubt I will be turned away from YC Restaurant.  😀

[JohnJayJotaJames]

MSC have confirmed by email in the past that dress codes are only a suggestion and not enforced.
I wear shorts 360+ days a year. I have a couple of pairs of pants that come out in the middle of our Brazilian winter. I hate being told what to wear and am 100% sure that if I wanted I could dine in the YC in a pair of shorts. In 2019 a cruisecritic user argued so much that it was impossible that I almost wore my shorts to dinner to prove him wrong! But so far I have put my pants on for dinner in YC for our three cruises.
I do feel that someone should test this one day!!!

[amygutman]

2 minutes ago, kelleherdl said:

If you are renting a car from MCO to Port Canaveral take a short trip south of Cape Canaveral on A1A to the original Ron Jon’s Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach before going to the port. It’s pretty much a destination onto itself.  Pick up a pair of chinos and your husband will be good to go.  
 

We are in the Yacht Club for the Sept 26th 4-day.  If you see two couples eating together, ‘dressed for dinner’ come over and say hi.  I’ll ‘buy’ you a drink and have a laugh.

 

BTW.  If the 4-day has a White Night, I will be in white linen Bermudas with a white linen jacket. I doubt I will be turned away from YC Restaurant.  😀

Dennis and Joanne - it's a pleasure, and looking forward to also buying you a drink! 

 

Most people recognize my boys and not me from photos....Mike (the bigger), Ronan (the littler), and myself...(and a random tushie of a fellow Bahamas cruiser). 

 

bahamas.jfif

 

[amygutman]

11 minutes ago, JohnJayJotaJames said:

MSC have confirmed by email in the past that dress codes are only a suggestion and not enforced.
I wear shorts 360+ days a year. I have a couple of pairs of pants that come out in the middle of our Brazilian winter. I hate being told what to wear and am 100% sure that if I wanted I could dine in the YC in a pair of shorts. In 2019 a cruisecritic user argued so much that it was impossible that I almost wore my shorts to dinner to prove him wrong! But so far I have put my pants on for dinner in YC for our three cruises.
I do feel that someone should test this one day!!!

Hmmmm....I sense a challenge here! Perhaps we will provide photographic evidence if we do test the collared shirt - shorts combo. 

 

It is always interesting to me how people "are 100% confident" that their answer is correct without any specific data to back it up. I do know that we were turned down once at the fancy seafood restaurant on NCl Escape as long pants were "required". When we mentioned it to a fellow cruiser (hubby was pretty steamed and was grumbling at the bar), he pulled out his cellphone with a photo of him at that same restaurant IN A KILT. He had been turned away the prior cruise and purchased a legitimate kilt solely to wear at that restaurant on his next cruise. 

 

Bravo!

 

[alyssamma]

17 minutes ago, JohnJayJotaJames said:

MSC have confirmed by email in the past that dress codes are only a suggestion and not enforced.
I wear shorts 360+ days a year. I have a couple of pairs of pants that come out in the middle of our Brazilian winter. I hate being told what to wear and am 100% sure that if I wanted I could dine in the YC in a pair of shorts. In 2019 a cruisecritic user argued so much that it was impossible that I almost wore my shorts to dinner to prove him wrong! But so far I have put my pants on for dinner in YC for our three cruises.
I do feel that someone should test this one day!!!

It is possible if you argue and yell enough they'll let you in, but the YC is one place where they are pretty strict about long pants.

 

A nice non-collared shirt will prob work. And as mentioned I see Italians in jeans all the time. 

 

For dinner, I've never seen anyone in shorts.

 

But, like I said...if it means that much and you argue enough you can prob make it happen. Easier to just buy a pair of pants imho.

[amygutman]

33 minutes ago, alyssamma said:

It is possible if you argue and yell enough they'll let you in, but the YC is one place where they are pretty strict about long pants.

 

A nice non-collared shirt will prob work. And as mentioned I see Italians in jeans all the time. 

 

For dinner, I've never seen anyone in shorts.

 

But, like I said...if it means that much and you argue enough you can prob make it happen. Easier to just buy a pair of pants imho.

Arguing on a cruise defeats the purpose of having a relaxing experience. Unless someone somehow threatened the safety of my kiddo, I could not even imagine making a scene - certainly not over pants!

 

But, we do respect cultural expectations...and I am so glad that I asked because if the MSC culture is more formal, then we will adapt accordingly. 

 

Afraid to even ask, but what do you think about kids? I just looked through 12s closet and again...pantsless. Perhaps a trip to RonJon's is in store for us after all....

 

[JohnJayJotaJames]

21 minutes ago, amygutman said:

It is always interesting to me how people "are 100% confident" that their answer is correct without any specific data to back it up.

For our formal evenings, we would reccomend guests would dress smartly such as black tie/dinner jackets, or alternatively, jacket with shirt/tie would also be suitable.
However, we would like to point that MSC Cruises does not enforce dress codes onboard. 

For the remainder of the cruise, the general dress code is smart casual

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you require any further assistance

Regards

MSC Cruises

 

You mentioned that MSC Cruises does not enforce dress codes onboard, does that include dining at Le Palmeraie on MSC Preziosa?

 

 

Yes, dress codes advised are purely as a guide only on all of our ships regardless of which bar and restaurant. This is by no means mandatory in any case

Regards

MSC Cruises

 

Sorry, forgot to include the e-mail confirmation that made me 100% confident. Although, I agree that on MSC you can get different responses from everyone you speak to.

 

A dining hostess (I think that was her title) overheard us discussing pizza and asked if we'd like one one afternoon/evening. (She interrupted our private conversation about not having time for pizza whilst on our excursion in Portofino) We said it would be fun as we'd never be back in Italy again. Restaurant manager said no way, not happening! (We understood it to be "Not happening in HIS restaurant") YC Director planned a surprise pizza on gala night for us!!! YC Director wanted to show him that it wasn't his restaurant. I've got a photo proof if needed.

 

Buying a kilt is a great suggestion. Searching kilts on Amazon! Looking forward to seeing photos.

[JohnJayJotaJames]

44 minutes ago, alyssamma said:

It is possible if you argue and yell enough they'll let you in, but the YC is one place where they are pretty strict about long pants.

 

A nice non-collared shirt will prob work. And as mentioned I see Italians in jeans all the time. 

 

For dinner, I've never seen anyone in shorts.

 

But, like I said...if it means that much and you argue enough you can prob make it happen. Easier to just buy a pair of pants imho.

That's what you claim, your opinion, based on your experience but you've never tried, have you?

I'm not arguing or yelling with anyone. Just mentioning that some CruiseCritic users will try to push folks to push and test the limits. I wear pants. So I don't know why you're so upset. I'm just saying, I'd be much happier in shorts. That's a fact. I just shouldn't feel the need to wear shorts to make you happy!

 

Others say jeans are not allowed. We know that's not true. They don't yell or argue. They even have torn ripped jeans.

So sad that you feel the need to argue and yell to get things in the YC. Not a good way to enjoy your cruise. Take a deep breath, relax and you'll have a much better vacation.

[zekekelso]

I’m now really curious what would happen if somebody showed up in the stereotypical Bermuda business outfit - classy shorts, button down shirt, tie, blue blazer. 

[kelleherdl]

8 minutes ago, zekekelso said:

I’m now really curious what would happen if somebody showed up in the stereotypical Bermuda business outfit - classy shorts, button down shirt, tie, blue blazer. 

Well, like I said earlier.  If there is a White Night I will.  No tie, as my linen shirt will not collar.  I will need to check to see who the YC Director and Restaurant Manager are.  As I expect they are in Ocean Cay now.

[alyssamma]

22 minutes ago, JohnJayJotaJames said:

That's what you claim, your opinion, based on your experience but you've never tried, have you?

I'm not arguing or yelling with anyone. Just mentioning that some CruiseCritic users will try to push folks to push and test the limits. I wear pants. So I don't know why you're so upset. I'm just saying, I'd be much happier in shorts. That's a fact. I just shouldn't feel the need to wear shorts to make you happy!

 

Others say jeans are not allowed. We know that's not true. They don't yell or argue. They even have torn ripped jeans.

So sad that you feel the need to argue and yell to get things in the YC. Not a good way to enjoy your cruise. Take a deep breath, relax and you'll have a much better vacation.

Whoa...I think you need to go back and carefully read what I said.

 

No clue where you're coming from or why you chose to respond that way.

 

Based on where you are from (Brazil?) I'm guessing English isn't your first language so it's understandable you didn't understand what I was saying. If I was trying to read Portuguese I'd do a much worse job I'm sure.

 

But your response is WAY off base and not related to my post AT ALL.

[alyssamma]

47 minutes ago, amygutman said:

Arguing on a cruise defeats the purpose of having a relaxing experience. Unless someone somehow threatened the safety of my kiddo, I could not even imagine making a scene - certainly not over pants!

 

Oh, I 100% agree  That's why I said...

 

26 minutes ago, JohnJayJotaJames said:

Easier to just buy a pair of pants imho.

 

But I've seen people do it for other things in the YC.

 

I think there is a much larger leeway with kids. I think smart shorts would be fine for them.

[kelleherdl]

I think we’ve answered the OP’s question.