Shorts vs. Pants: Why the Debate? Are Pants Really That Challenging?

[clo]

2 hours ago, Donald said:

I finally moved to a more sophisticated country

And where would that be? Scratching my head over that one.

[Airbear232]

12 hours ago, VelvetSkeeter said:

I already know I'll probably get it from the shorts brigade in the comments, but oh well—it is a short post after all! 🤣

 

I am always surprised but also amused by the prevalent question of 'Can I wear shorts to dinner?' which is often followed by comments like 'Who cares what others think?' or 'It's my vacation, and I'll do what I want.' This disregard for basic guidelines and disrespect for others is increasingly common. It overlooks why others might have chosen a particular restaurant, place, or experience. This self-centered mindset will persist until every experience is diminished, where every nice restaurant resembles a Golden Corral, and date night becomes picking out your favorite Costco shorts and ironic T-shirt. 

You may want to dress down and be ready at all times to chase the ice creanm truck, but it isn't just about you. Guest attire can elevate or diminish the experience of others who have chosen and paid for a cruise or an experience. Seeing someone dressed like they're ready to order at McDonald's can be disappointing. If youdisliek the posdte dress code and must remain in shorts there are certainly other areas with out such dress codes that will acomidate you with soem good food , crayons and menu you can color on. 

Let's be honest, no one wants to see your bony, hairy legs at a nice dinner. If you are old enough to vote, then fight your inner manchild and wear pants to dinner! Your partner is likely dressing nicely, spending time doing their hair, putting on makeup, and sporting bling—so just throw on some dang pants for an hour! And it should go without saying, but please spare those around you from wearing man sandals or flip flops with your caterpillar toes and talons showing. Yes, women wear open-toed shoes, but they also get pedicures and paint their nails. Men in sandals look like they could use thier toenails to open boxes at UPS.

Even king of the manchild Charlie Harper, who wore nothing but shorts on 'Two and a Half Men,' put on pants when going out to dinner!

I completely agree with you, but, unfortunately, I think we're in the minority.  Even when we've taken our extended family and children, we all try to dress appropriately in the main dining room or specialty restaurants.  When the kids don't want to dress, we'll use the buffet.

[Charles4515]

13 hours ago, VelvetSkeeter said:

Can I wear shorts to dinner?' which is often followed by comments like 'Who cares what others think?' or 'It's my vacation, and I'll do what I want.' This disregard for basic guidelines and disrespect for others is increasingly common. It overlooks why others might have chosen a particular restaurant, place, or experience. This self-centered mindset will persist until every experience is

It seems like you are the one with the self centered mindset. You want to force others to cater to you. I could say you should choose another vacation if you disrespect the choice others make. What should matter to you is how you dress not the choices made by others. Most cruise lines don’t care about shorts in the MDR. A few do care. Choose them for your experience. 

[Charles4515]

5 hours ago, K32682 said:

I don't ask whether I can wear shorts I just do should the mood hit me. So far no objection from the people who run the boat. Should the sight of my legs cause anxiety, consternation or a case of the vapors among aging and overbearing matrons they are encouraged to dine at the buffet.

 

 

 

Besides when you are sitting at dinner no one can tell if you are wearing shorts. I usually don’t know until the end of dinner when they table mates stand up that they were wearing shorts. I don’t care. It does not bother me or ruin my experience. What ruins my experience is bad food or bad service. 

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, Airbear232 said:

I completely agree with you, but, unfortunately, I think we're in the minority.  Even when we've taken our extended family and children, we all try to dress appropriately in the main dining room or specialty restaurants.  When the kids don't want to dress, we'll use the buffet.

You get to decide for you and your family what is appropriate dress but you don’t get to decide for others. That is fortunate. 

[1025cruise]

My only comment. The cruise lines publish a dress code. IMHO, it is respectable to honor the dress code, regardless of whether or not the cruise line enforces it.

[Charles4515]

9 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

My only comment. The cruise lines publish a dress code. IMHO, it is respectable to honor the dress code, regardless of whether or not the cruise line enforces it.

While I think the dress requests should be honored and I do honor them I don’t think I should force my opinion on others. It is up to the cruise lines to decide if they want to force their guests to honor the dress requests. If we don’t like that the dress requests are not respected or not enforced we can whine it about it forever and there have been dress code threads forever but the only thing that has resulted in the last 25 years is more relaxed dress by passengers and less enforcement. I can’t do anything about either. Best to just relax and enjoy our cruises. 

[ldubs]

5 hours ago, VelvetSkeeter said:

Also, I am mainly referring to when a place like a specialty restaurant or main dining room has a posted dress code and people just don't want to follow it. And not talking suit here, just pants and a decent shirt!

 

Are you saying you don't really follow the posted dress code either?     

[XBGuy]

My normal embarkation day dress consists of slacks, a collared shirt (more often than not, a button-downed dress shirt from my work days) and leather shoes.  I may wear a sport coat for boarding, but that gets closeted in our cabin pretty quickly.  Some years ago embarking on a Princess cruise we were sitting in the ship theater waiting for the muster drill presentation.  A guy sitting near us started giving me some lip because I was "all dressed up."  He could not understand why I wasn't "comfortable" like he was.  Well, I was comfortable until he started up.

 

 

 

I really shouldn't post this because I feel like I am giving away one of my cruising secrets.  However, I truly believe that by dressing for dinner (and that probably does not include a coat and tie for me) we get better, more attentive and more personal service from the staff.  As often as not this starts as soon as we are greeted by the headwaiter at the entrance to the restaurant.   I feel I am telling the front-of-the-room staff that I appreciate their hard work, and that I will be respectful.  I am not here "to eat" but. rather, to dine.  Using this technique, and a few other tips. I have become successful at being treated as an honored guest rather than being treated as a customer.

[George C]

You would think that ships have no a/c , our favorite restaurant in Dallas where it’s pretty normal to be a hundred in summer doesn’t allow shorts or baseball caps in restaurant for both lunch and dinner , we go two or more times a week on average.

[Airbear232]

2 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

You get to decide for you and your family what is appropriate dress but you don’t get to decide for others. That is fortunate. 

Oh boy, here we go!  By "appropriate" I meant in line with what the cruise line specified in the dress code for the specific time and venue.  Our family's preference is to follow the guidelines and to dress up for the MDR and specialty restaurants. 

 

So, I do not get to decide the rules but apparently you do.  You don't follow directions and that's unfortunate for others.

 

I completely agree with the OP.

 

An interesting side note, as the dress code has lapsed in the MDR and specialty restaurants, so too has the quality of food and service.  Perhaps it wouldn't have gone so downhill if the "quality" of attire hadn't gone down as well.  You've made it easy for the cruise lines to cut back.  It's hard to argue with what is served now, when so many people show up dressed like they're going to Chuck-E-Cheese.

[zqvol]

Just follow the dress code of the cruise line. As an example NCL allows men to wear shorts in all venues except Le Bistro (and maybe one other specialty restaurant). If you don’t like that policy (rule) then select a different line with a dress code that meets your needs. 

[clo]

4 hours ago, Airbear232 said:

When the kids don't want to dress, we'll use the buffet.

Adult "kids"? Y'all don't have to dine together all the time, do you?

 

[Airbear232]

1 hour ago, XBGuy said:

My normal embarkation day dress consists of slacks, a collared shirt (more often than not, a button-downed dress shirt from my work days) and leather shoes.  I may wear a sport coat for boarding, but that gets closeted in our cabin pretty quickly.  Some years ago embarking on a Princess cruise we were sitting in the ship theater waiting for the muster drill presentation.  A guy sitting near us started giving me some lip because I was "all dressed up."  He could not understand why I wasn't "comfortable" like he was.  Well, I was comfortable until he started up.

 

 

 

I really shouldn't post this because I feel like I am giving away one of my cruising secrets.  However, I truly believe that by dressing for dinner (and that probably does not include a coat and tie for me) we get better, more attentive and more personal service from the staff.  As often as not this starts as soon as we are greeted by the headwaiter at the entrance to the restaurant.   I feel I am telling the front-of-the-room staff that I appreciate their hard work, and that I will be respectful.  I am not here "to eat" but. rather, to dine.  Using this technique, and a few other tips. I have become successful at being treated as an honored guest rather than being treated as a customer.

I completely agree with you.

[Airbear232]

1 minute ago, clo said:

Adult "kids"? Y'all don't have to dine together all the time, do you?

 

Don't have to and don't all the time, but for the most part when we travel as a multi-generational group, we dine together for dinner (breakfast and lunch is a little different).

[ldubs]

I wonder how many of those being critical of what other's wear are actually following the dress code themselves. I suspect most consider "slacks and nice shirt" as adhering to "formal dress".   Which of course, it does not.  

 

From my observations on RCI, Celebrity, Princess, and Carnival true formal wear is not in demand by most of the passengers.  The cruise would do better to eliminate meaningless dress codes and instead focus on what types of clothing are prohibited in the MDR and then enforcing it. 

[wcook]

9 hours ago, VelvetSkeeter said:

. Can make it a game, like a scavenger hunt!🤣 

One of our favorite games is “I hope that’s his daughter.” 

[Kristelle]

7 hours ago, clo said:

And where would that be? Scratching my head over that one.

 

It wouldnt be Australia, that's for sure.

 

We have a casual attitude to dress here thankfully and shorts at dinner in restaraunts (on land) are quite common and they were on our river cruise in Europe too.

 

 

[Kristelle]

18 hours ago, VelvetSkeeter said:

Yes, women wear open-toed shoes, but they also get pedicures and paint their nails.

 

 

lots of condescending generalisations in OP - but just on this one - No, whatever is suitable for women to wear is ok for men to wear

 

I am a woman and  I don't get pedicures or paint my nails.

 

and I can't imagine being so bothered by other people's toe nails,.(or their legs for that matter) especially when you cant even see them sitting at a table.

[Charles4515]

3 hours ago, Airbear232 said:

 

So, I do not get to decide the rules but apparently you do.  You don't follow directions and that's unfortunate for others.

Apparently you don’t read well. I posted that I think the dress requests(they are not rules) should be honored and that I do honor them. It is not my business though if other passengers decided not to honor them. It is only unfortunate for the fashion police. I don’t care what other passengers have decided to wear but if what they wear aggravates you do I guess all you can do is suffer because you have no power over what other passengers decide. 

[Airbear232]

2 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

Apparently you don’t read well. I posted that I think the dress requests(they are not rules) should be honored and that I do honor them. It is not my business though if other passengers decided not to honor them. It is only unfortunate for the fashion police. I don’t care what other passengers have decided to wear but if what they wear aggravates you do I guess all you can do is suffer because you have no power over what other passengers decide. 

Nah, not aggravated nor suffering.  Sorry to disappoint. 

[Donald]

14 hours ago, clo said:

And where would that be? Scratching my head over that one.

Japan

In Japan, only little boys and American / Australian tourists swear shorts.

Edited July 25 by Donald

[Kristelle]

I hope you like living in Japan.

 

I have never been there.

 

But I like living in Australia where men (and women and children) wearing shorts is extremely commonplace.

 

I make no claims to being sophisticated though.

[Charles4515]

3 hours ago, Donald said:

Japan

In Japan, only little boys and American / Australian tourists swear shorts.

That is a cultural difference and tradition. That does not make Japan more sophisticated. It makes it more rigid. 
 

That used to be the norm in the US many years ago. At least in the parts I lived in. It changed sometime in the 60’s.  Personally I didn’t have any shorts except for sports until about 1980. I didn’t wear shorts regularly until I retired. Glad to have become less rigid and dress for the climate. 

Edited July 25 by Charles4515

[sparks1093]

9 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

Apparently you don’t read well. I posted that I think the dress requests(they are not rules) should be honored and that I do honor them. It is not my business though if other passengers decided not to honor them. It is only unfortunate for the fashion police. I don’t care what other passengers have decided to wear but if what they wear aggravates you do I guess all you can do is suffer because you have no power over what other passengers decide. 

It depends a lot on how it's worded and it is usually both a request and a rule (at least in the ones that I've read). Usually it is something along the line of "we suggest A, B, and C for gentlemen for dinner, but X, Y, and Z are prohibited in the dining room at dinner".