Dining room dress for children

[VentureMan_2000]

You sound like just another person justifying why you and your's don't have to dress appropriately... :rolleyes:

[LizaMM]

Little Girls - My younger DD has skorts that she has worn in the Dining Room and as stated previously we get the ones that look like skirts and she has also worn pretty capri's with a nice top. On Formal Night she always wear a very nice longer dress (think Easter dresses etc.).

 

Little Boys - When my son was 5 we packed only a couple pairs of pants for him. He pretty much only wore them during dinner so that was fine for the week.

 

Older Kids/Teens - I definetly think that they should be dressed for dinner.

 

I know that there are people who have different opinions but I honestly believe that dressing up each night is part of the whole fantastic cruise experience and I myself dress up every night and wear gown on Formal Night.

 

My kids were a little apprehensive about the whole dress thing before we embarked on our first cruise (ages 5,6,10 1/2 and 13 at the time) but once they experienced it they love it! My kids love to cruise as much as I do and planning for the Dining Room is part of the fun. The DIning Room experience has added so much for us and the conversation and bonding that takes place as a family - planning for it prior to a cruise and reminiscing about it after the cruise - has been wonderful for our family relationship!

[VentureMan_2000]

LisaMM... Very succinct. Thanks for the post.

[imlulu]

A teen should just wear pants to dinner not shorts. I can understand a 2 yr old wearing dressy shorts to dinner. They have those outfits for that age but I cant for the life of me picture my 13 yr old wearing a short outfit to dinner. I think he would die if I bought him a short outfit.

My boys wear khaki/navy cargoes with a golf shirt or camp shirt. It is stuff they would wear to school. I bring 2 pairs and they mix n match. For formal night, they do khakis with blue dress shirt and tie. They actually have navy blazers they wear also.

[JerseyGirl97]

It's very easy and cheap to dress appropriately for dinner. I recycle! My cruise is in December. From now until then my daughter will have Easter, school pictures, Thanksgiving, Christmas and at least one wedding. That is 5 nice outfits already! I'm not going to buy her new fancy cruise dresses, I think having her wear these holiday type dresses more than once will be a nice change! I'll finally get my moneys worth.

[Mom1977]

It's very easy and cheap to dress appropriately for dinner. I recycle! My cruise is in December. From now until then my daughter will have Easter, school pictures, Thanksgiving, Christmas and at least one wedding. That is 5 nice outfits already! I'm not going to buy her new fancy cruise dresses, I think having her wear these holiday type dresses more than once will be a nice change! I'll finally get my moneys worth.

 

It's even easier with boys. My younger ones took one pair of pants. (That's right, just one!) And 2 polo type shirts, one button down, one tie and one jacket.

 

I did have to shake out the pants after dinner. Of course, the napkin goes on the lap, so it helps protect the pants. And I did do laundry once during the week.

[Riley's Mom]

My teenage son..14yr has always worn a nice dark suit with tie,etc on the two formal nights. The other nights he wears black slacks/tan,etc. Usually he is only in attendance for the formal nights and maybe one other night. He and his "new" friends would rather hang out and eat pizza or the casual buffet

 

....................However........this is only MY opinion.......I can hear you all blasting me right now........................

I think that it would be okay for him to wear a pair of "nice" new jeans with a button down shirt on the "casual" dinner nights..And I know already he will not show up for those...But if he did I think that would be appropriate "casual" dinner wear..for a 14yr old.

 

Go Ahead...I am waiting for the emails stating how wrong I am...

[JerseyGirl97]

It's even easier with boys. My younger ones took one pair of pants. (That's right, just one!) And 2 polo type shirts, one button down, one tie and one jacket.

 

I did have to shake out the pants after dinner. Of course, the napkin goes on the lap, so it helps protect the pants. And I did do laundry once during the week.

 

I bet it's easier with boys. Less clothes to wash and less space in the luggage. That would be nice. It's not so easy with my daughter. She is 5 going on 15. She will not wear the same thing twice in one week. Not even jeans! I can't even remember what I wore yesterday and yet she remembers what she wore a week ago.:rolleyes: She is going to be a handful!!!

[cruisenk]

It's very easy and cheap to dress appropriately for dinner. I recycle! My cruise is in December. From now until then my daughter will have Easter, school pictures, Thanksgiving, Christmas and at least one wedding. That is 5 nice outfits already! I'm not going to buy her new fancy cruise dresses, I think having her wear these holiday type dresses more than once will be a nice change! I'll finally get my moneys worth.

 

That's exactly what I am doing for my 4 year old. We sail next weekend and I just brought out her Easter dress, Christmas dress, dress she wore to her little sister's baptism and three favorite dresses from last summer. It is a little more difficult to recycle for my little one (8 months old) - but she still has a couple of dresses that I bought at the end of the season last year - plus they will fit her through this coming spring and summer.

[Naismith]

A teen should just wear pants to dinner not shorts. I can understand a 2 yr old wearing dressy shorts to dinner. They have those outfits for that age but I cant for the life of me picture my 13 yr old wearing a short outfit to dinner. I think he would die if I bought him a short outfit.

 

I think it is what you are used to. Here in Florida, the private schools offer uniforms that can be either long pants or shorts (and I think some are cuffed shorts, actually). The shorts are popular for much of the year, worn with the same shirt and tie. To someone used to that look, it would not be as strange to have more formal short outfit.

[nybumpkin]

I bet it's easier with boys. Less clothes to wash and less space in the luggage. That would be nice.

 

Only if you can keep them from trashing their clothes while they're wearing them! I did laundry twice on our last cruise (3 boys, Dad plus me):eek:

[JerseyGirl97]

Only if you can keep them from trashing their clothes while they're wearing them! I did laundry twice on our last cruise (3 boys, Dad plus me):eek:

 

 

You did laundry twice!??! I bet those boys don't know how lucky they are! And I think maybe Mom might need an all girls cruise sometime to get away from all that testosterone at home. :D

[b8tzm]

Past cruisers! Can a young teenage boy wears nice kahki shorts and a golf shirt to dinner on evenings other than captains dinner?

 

Husband says No!

 

About anything goes in the dining room any night especailly for childrens. many of the kids I saw had jeans on even formal night

[marktac]

Well, since you asked....you guys crack me up ;)

 

Well, I don't remember asking, but since you offered, why are rules such an issue? And if you don't believe in them, are you raising your "wild" (to use your word) children to chase cars and bite tires (to use Bill Cosby's words)? Probably not. You probably have boundaries. Why not on a vacation?

 

If the cruise lines sets boundaries, why is it so difficult for some people to stay within them?

 

I bet you touch the bench to see if it really is "wet paint" don't you? :)

 

Mark T

[Kaki321]

hey mark, wow...my reply wasnt to you but to the person who asked "why not just throw in some pants with the polos." calm down. thought this was cruisecritic, not cruiseCRITICIZE

lol-geez!!! you gotta be kiddin me

[nybumpkin]

You did laundry twice!??! I bet those boys don't know how lucky they are! And I think maybe Mom might need an all girls cruise sometime to get away from all that testosterone at home. :D

 

Sounds like a great idea! I only planned on doing laundry once, but we ended up at sea an extra day thanks to Hurricane Dennis.

[bucket_O_beer4john]

With teens you could always just say that those shorts really were long pants at the beginning of the cruise - he grew 5 inches in a week! (we're at that stage with our son - yowzee - we can't keep him in clothes!)

 

Wearing the same clothes several times in a week is reason #5 why it's great to be a guy! And #6 is that you never ever worry about washing clothes on a cruise! So, Jerseygirl, I guarantee that those boys never thought about being lucky that mom washed their clothes. The only reason they would have noticed is when they weren't on the floor where they put them!

 

Personally, IMHO, and only in my case, I do believe in dressing the kids up. It's not supposed to seem like a trip to McDonalds. People having different standards for their own children is certainly not going to affect me in the least.

[katiesmom327]

My daughter is very excited about dressing up for the formal nights! She has her Christmas dress from last year and we are looking for the perfect Easter dress for the second formal night. She always wears skirts or dresses to church so she has a few to choose from for the casual nights.

 

That leads me to another question...one of her favorite skirts is a denim (jean:eek: ) skirt. Do you think that would be OK for casual dinners?

[dms_cruisers04]

Just had to go there didn't ya? :D

 

IMO, if the skirt looks like a skirt and not a pair of jeans that just don't have any legs in them, then sure, why not. A cute blouse and shoes (can you tell I have a daughter - I'm with you Jersey, 5 going on 15) would be fine.

[krb]

Hi

 

I wouldn't stress over the dress code. On my last cruise I saw more people (adults and kids) with shorts and jeans on in the dining room. Even on the formal nights I noticed the dress was less than formal.

[VentureMan_2000]

While you shouldn't stress, it really not a big deal to pull on double length shorts... what we in back-woods call pants.

[LeAnn0506]

I do not see the big deal in dressing up anyway. It is your vacation and you should be able to dress however you want within reason. Shorts, jeans, t-shirts, etc as long as they are clean. It is your vacation time and you should feel at home.

[jshawnh]

I suppose a skort would be within the dress code; it isn't technically "shorts", but I amthinking your son would really balk at the idea of wearing a skort, especially if the khakis are a problem. I don't think the chicks would dig that either, but you never know these days.

 

No shorts at dinner - you have to go change into pants before dinner.

 

Yes, it is obvious that shorts that fall below the knees are still shorts.

My kids grow fast, but I can'tt see myself going that long before buying them new pants. (Back in the 70's it was fashionable to sew psychodelic fabric to the bottom of outgrown pants and make super-wide elephant bell bottoms out of them, at least at my school.)

 

Just let the boy wear pants

[hstrybuf]

The dress guidelines are very simple. Carnival asks that shorts not be worn to the dining room and that the children follow the same rules as the adults. No to shorts in the dining room, no matter what the age of the children. There is no justification for doing otherwise.

[marktac]

I do not see the big deal in dressing up anyway. It is your vacation and you should be able to dress however you want within reason. Shorts, jeans, t-shirts, etc as long as they are clean. It is your vacation time and you should feel at home.

 

I can think of one big deal....there is a rule and a very specific request by the company you are cruising with that you abide by that rule.

 

Not meaning to beat up on you personally, but why is that so difficult? If you want a vacation where there are no such constraints, why not go there? There are cruiselines that do not have that policy...they will be glad to take your money. Go to the Lido for the evening dinner...they don't have that policy. But the dining room does have that policy, and people ought to have the wherewithall to stick to the rules, if not for others, for the rule itself.

 

Off my soapbox, but this is about the only major gripe I have with people on cruises that I can find absolutely no justification for.

 

Mark T