NCL and their Freestyle Dress Code

[MikeT718]

I have to laugh as I have an NCL cruise booked on the Crown to Bermuda in July of 07..I have been checking out thier boards. I saw a thread on thier Freestyle Dinning and Dress Code. Check out this thread and see if you can get the same laugh as I did::confused:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=341983

[jhannah]

Same song ... second verse. I can see where the freestyle concept can (and apparently does) lead to relaxed standards in dress. This is one more reason for HAL to stay with fixed seating times and their well-defined dress code.

[gizmo]

LOL. I loved the guy in the baseball cap. :D

 

What some people on this board don't realize is the "dress code discussions" take place on all the boards. It is not just Hal cruisers that get into these discussions. The same subjects get discussed, enforcing dress code, rules, people dressing like slobs, use another cruise line if you don't like it etc. There is a slight variation on the NCL board which is, what is proper for Freestyle.

 

Is it the horse travels from board to board or does each board have their own horse ? :rolleyes:

[FlorenceItaly]

While on the Zuiderdam(HAL!) in December there was man in the DINING ROOM in a ball cap. He was right in my line of vision. So, you will see it on HAL too....I did.

 

Marie

[Krazy Kruizers]

Unfortunately we have seen both men and women wear baseball caps in the main dining room - even on informal evenings. And no one said anything to them.

[bruce-r]

LOL. I loved the guy in the baseball cap. :D

 

What some people on this board don't realize is the "dress code discussions" take place on all the boards. It is not just Hal cruisers that get into these discussions.

Other topics not restricted to the HAL board are "Booze Smuggling" and to a lesser extent on HAL, "Chair Hogs". I usually just ignore those kinds of threads.

[RevNeal]

Same songs ... different singers.

I really did laugh when I caught sight of who must be my alter-ego ... the person who copied the NCL "Dress Code" to the board. :)

 

What a hoot.

Someone even had the gaul to suggest that "If you are uncomfortable around casually dressed diners then perhaps another cruiseline is for you." Imagine that!!! And to think ... we've had people whining about some on our board asserting the contrapositive! :D

 

And ... another person who said that those who were dressed like "slobs" must be fat Americans!!! :) HAHAHAHA.

[Sayyadina]

I loved this line from the dress code. I'm not picking on anyone from Texas, please believe me, but I just couldn't believe my eyes:

 

"Blue Jeans will be allowed in all dining rooms on all Houston departures, due to the Texas culture."

 

Wow.

[gizmo]

Rev,

 

When I saw the copied dress code, the first thing I thought of was you. :D

 

Did anyone notice "sofisticated and upscale" terms being used ? Is this the NCL equivalent of snobs?

[bruce-r]

And ... another person who said that those who were dressed like "slobs" must be fat Americans!!! :) HAHAHAHA.

Ha, Ha, as if other countries don't have "slobs" that are "fat" too.

[RevNeal]

Sayyadina,

 

Yes ... I'd seen that before, actually, in a pervious Dress-Code debate thread. They wanted to know why, since I was a Texan, I didn't abide by the "Texas Formal Code" of dress blue jeans, country-shirt, bolo tie and cowboy hat. :D I replied that I'm from Dallas ... the banking capital of the Republic and not Fort Worth, the cattle capital. We banker-types dress "yankee style." :D

[RevNeal]

Ha, Ha, as if other countries don't have "slobs" that are "fat" too.

 

Well ... the person who posted the claim made PRECISELY that assertion.

 

Originally Posted by Shappy

People that dress like slobs in a nice restaurant are showing disrespect to themselves and others. I would say this is a particular problem with Americans. They try to tell you they are just being "casual" when they are really being slobs. You don't see the average European being fat.

[fridayeyes]

At the risk of getting flamed, I think there are some jeans outfits that are smart enough to be included in 'country club casual'. This outfit, for instance. http://www.coldwatercreek.com/aspx/product.aspx?np=true&channel=1&productId=23253&deptId=1&ensembleId=30636

 

Leaving the rules aside for a moment, I wouldn't bat an eye if a woman in that outfit appeared at my dining room table for breakfast, lunch or even a casual dinner. I think the jeans outfit looks much nicer than this knit set, the like of which I see quite frequently and often with capris instead of long pants. http://www.coldwatercreek.com/aspx/product.aspx?np=true&channel=2&productId=27787&deptId=38&ensembleId=31414

 

Now back to the rules. :) I am not advocating flouting the dress code. If the rule is no jeans ever in the DR, so be it. If the rule is no jeans at dinner in the DR, so be it. I am only pointing out that not all jeans are horrid, ratty, slobby attire, and some jeans would look just fine in the DR if the material itself wasn't banned.

 

Greg - interesting quote re: Europeans not being fat. If I'm not mistaken, the obesity rate in Britian is *higher* than that of the US.

[fridayeyes]

oopsie, dbl post

[NorthernNeighbour]

What's next in the name of Texas culture? Guys in cowboy boots with something left on them from the barnyard.

 

I was born and raised in Texas and would never think of wearing jeans on a cruise ship in the name of it being a "cultural" thing. I find a lot of these types living in Texas now migrated there from somewhere else and just use the Texas "excuse" because it is convenient.

 

I find all cultures have their "reverse snobs" who think they have the right to "anything goes" when it comes to dress and behaviour.

 

I even met an academic onboard once who stated he had the right to dress anyway he wanted on a formal night -- it was a matter of "academic freedom"!!! We all had a good laugh at that one -- but I cannot say we enjoyed the results of his appearance -- which was gross.

 

As to wearing baseball caps while dining -- this is about as "gauche" as one can get and (of course) spoils the dining experience not for the wearer but for everyone else who has to look at it.

[MikeT718]

Same songs ... different singers.

I really did laugh when I caught sight of who must be my alter-ego ... the person who copied the NCL "Dress Code" to the board. :)

 

What a hoot.

Someone even had the gaul to suggest that "If you are uncomfortable around casually dressed diners then perhaps another cruiseline is for you." Imagine that!!! And to think ... we've had people whining about some on our board asserting the contrapositive! :D

 

And ... another person who said that those who were dressed like "slobs" must be fat Americans!!! :) HAHAHAHA.

 

Revneal I am so glad you looked at this thread..When I started this thread I thought of you and I thought you'd get a laugh

[Hollyhawk]

Sorry Rev but I gotta do this. There is a pic of your dining table on the O which you posted. In this picture is a young man in blue jeans wearing a dark blue velvet blazer. I thought it was innovative and rather snappy on the dressers part. I'm all for proper etiquette and a little innovation done tastefully.

[Atomica]

When I was on the NCL Sun last May, all I saw were people in the dining room in jeans. So I had to laugh that they're "allowing" it for the Dream's Texaribbean cruises. My sister and I were so discouraged that we eventually stopped dressing up for dinner altogether, simply because we felt out of place. Met a few Princess cruisers who felt the same way.

 

I don't think there's anything wrong with NCL's Freestyle approach; it's just not for me.

[jhannah]

I don't think there's anything wrong with NCL's Freestyle approach; it's just not for me.

I whole-heartedly agree on both points. It's a fine option for those so inclined. I am not.

[RevNeal]

Sorry Rev but I gotta do this. There is a pic of your dining table on the O which you posted. In this picture is a young man in blue jeans wearing a dark blue velvet blazer. I thought it was innovative and rather snappy on the dressers part. I'm all for proper etiquette and a little innovation done tastefully.

 

You mean this photo?

 

 

Holly, that was Brian on the Noordam IV this last March.

It was a casual evening -- our last night aboard ship -- and I would dare to say that his chic jacket (very "Paul Lynde" of him) balanced out his wearing designer jeans. :)

 

But, notice ... I didn't beat on him or berate him for not wearing slacks??? In PERSON I could care less. Besides, Brian was always "absolutely fabulous."

[Hollyhawk]

Sorry Rev but I gotta do this. There is a pic of your dining table on the O which you posted. In this picture is a young man in blue jeans wearing a dark blue velvet blazer. I thought it was innovative and rather snappy on the dressers part. I'm all for proper etiquette and a little innovation done tastefully.

[Oceanwench]

Thanks for posting the link!

I had to laugh at the "Texas culture" part of the NCL dress code.

 

I lived in Houston for a couple years. One day when my sister was visiting from Boston, there was a knock at the door. It was one of the reps for the builder who had constructed my new home.

He was tall and handsome. He was wearing jeans and boots, he had a big belt buckle studded with turquoise, and he was wearing a cowboy hat.

He had a Texas drawl and he called me "M'am."

When he left, my sister gushed about what a gorgeous Texas cowboy he was.

Then I told her I knew his wife ... and they were from Pittsburgh!

[HeatherInFlorida]

...............

Is it the horse travels from board to board or does each board have their own horse ? :rolleyes:

 

LOL, Gizmo! I'm thinking each board has several horses and just decides which one to beat from time to time.

 

Right now we're beating this one to death:D ! I think I feel sorrier for this horse than any other.;)

[fridayeyes]

Yes, I am quite certain that the poor dress code horse is actually a cat in a pony suit. Nothing I have ever seen has more lives than the dress code horse.

[gizmo]

LOL, Gizmo! I'm thinking each board has several horses and just decides which one to beat from time to time.

 

Right now we're beating this one to death:D ! I think I feel sorrier for this horse than any other.;)

 

It must be several, one horse couldn't be on 2 boards at the same time. :D

I think we should at least give the poor horse a name !