Jeans on a cruise

[sgttami]

When my children were 12 and 8 I became a single parent. I knew I had to teach them about something more elegant than crock pot dinners when I got home from work so I instituted the dress up dinner night. About one night every 2 weeks or so I dubbed "dress up" night and posted it on the calendar in advance. Usually a weekend night and something a tiny bit fancier cooked than a casserole.

 

They balked at first, but when it became clear that the only way to get dinner on that night was to put on something nice and make sure they were groomed, they fell in line. Within a year or so they started inviting friends over for the special dinner. When they started dating, they seldom missed dress up night, making their plans around dinner or inviting their dates to dinner first.

 

My kids are in their 30s now but they remember these nights as very special and pseudo-complain about their wacky mom making them dress up to eat meatloaf LOL. Dressing for dinner used to be considered just an upper class thing to do and they did it every night. All of our kids are high class and they will get into it if we set the guidelines and proper example.

 

OP: sorry I got off track but I think that jeans in the dining room are not appropriate for anybody on any night unless you are doing a super casual cruise that doesn't advocate dressing for dinner. My opinion only of course :rolleyes:

 

That's really sweet.

 

Friends of ours also did that for many years and every Sunday was dress up for dinner at their house. Their kids now are in their late 20's (one's married) and still have Sunday dinner "dressed up" with their parents, even if it's meatloaf (LOL).

 

These same parents host an annual black tie cocktail party at their home..(beautiful home but not a mansion!!) Knowing them, you WILL BE properly dressed!!

 

On a funny note, they had a guest one time, a guy in a tux, very "proper", who apparently had too much too champagne, dipping his crudites into the warm potpourri burner... !! A long time ago, but we still laugh!

 

Jeans...??? I've only taken them to Alaska. Have never worn jeans in the DR on a cruise..(I was never a lover of jeans anyway!!)

[Disneycruisers]

 

These same parents host an annual black tie cocktail party at their home..(beautiful home but not a mansion!!) Knowing them, you WILL BE properly dressed!!

 

 

Will you ask them to please send me an invitation?

[kalamari]

Our neighbors are a 71 year old lovely woman and her 44 year old daughter. When you are invited to their home for dinner, you just "know" you need to dress..no questions asked!

 

We had a relative who was Southern USA born, who had a 95 year old mother..to this day I remember this beautiful woman always wearing her hair done, make up,etc.even at 95 we "just knew" when we went to visit her we had to dress..she was so lovely and would sit in her garden...

 

 

That's really sweet.

 

Friends of ours also did that for many years and every Sunday was dress up for dinner at their house. Their kids now are in their late 20's (one's married) and still have Sunday dinner "dressed up" with their parents, even if it's meatloaf (LOL).

 

These same parents host an annual black tie cocktail party at their home..(beautiful home but not a mansion!!) Knowing them, you WILL BE properly dressed!!

 

On a funny note, they had a guest one time, a guy in a tux, very "proper", who apparently had too much too champagne, dipping his crudites into the warm potpourri burner... !! A long time ago, but we still laugh!

 

Jeans...??? I've only taken them to Alaska. Have never worn jeans in the DR on a cruise..(I was never a lover of jeans anyway!!)

[MamaTried]

My two sons hated dressing up for our yearly cruise until they saw some young men in the black on black look . Black pants, black shirts and ties. Now at ages 16 and 18 they still love it and wear their clothes for many other events through out the year. I mostly love shopping thrift stores. Could well afford to do otherwise, but love the thrill of the hunt and the great bargins.

 

 

My 16-yr old did that this month on our cruise...black suit, black shirt, black tie - looked very sharp. Only problem, at 6'3", waiters kept asking him for wine/cocktail orders! :eek:

[Soxfan05]

Many posters from Texas have stated that jeans are acceptable - even on formal nights with a "Texas Tux".

[sgttami]

Will you ask them to please send me an invitation?

 

OK...I'll ask!!

 

Funny part is, that the cocktail parties they host are not snooty or pretentious. It's just a night that they reserve once a year for friends to gather and dress formally.

 

They find it fun that even the "least formal" of friends look forward to their gathering...and look forward to dressing up. One guy lives on a boat at the marina, the last you'd ever see dressed up, but he's there with his tux!!

 

It's been fun for many years!!

[kalamari]

You know, if any of us ordinary people received an invitation as a citizen to like, dinner with the governor , or to some special award ceremony, AND eere told to bring our kids, I venture to say most of us wouldn't even think "oh, I think I'll throw on a pair of jeans". When you are invited to a wedding do you ask the bride "Oh, I don't feel like dressing up so I'll be wearing jeans thank you"

 

So why should a cruise be any different that "it's ok" to contest the dresscode? I'm not saying the OP was doing that by no means, but it's easy to see who endorses wearing jeans on casual night and who does not.

 

 

OK...I'll ask!!

 

Funny part is, that the cocktail parties they host are not snooty or pretentious. It's just a night that they reserve once a year for friends to gather and dress formally.

 

They find it fun that even the "least formal" of friends look forward to their gathering...and look forward to dressing up. One guy lives on a boat at the marina, the last you'd ever see dressed up, but he's there with his tux!!

 

It's been fun for many years!!

[Kurbanfan]

I hear so much conflicting information and I'm confused.

 

We are taking our first cruise out of Galveston to the Caribbean on Carnival Conquest.

 

Is it acceptable in the dining room on casual nights for my 19 yr old son to wear jeans, a collared shirt and nice shoes? I'm not worried about formal night because he's bringing a suit but he doesn't have Docker type casual pants and I don't really want to buy something he's going to wear only one week. Carnival's website says shorts and tshirts are forbidden but doesn't mention jeans.

 

Also is the only option for girls (13) in the same dining area to wear capris or skirts?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Hope you didn't get scared off. Your son will be fine dressed in what you described above. You will find that out for yourself once you are on board. That is the honest truth.

Hope you have a wonderful cruise:)

[crystalblue0610]

They will be perfectly fine:) You'll find that the dining room is MUCH more laidback than you think. I sure did. We were in the Monet and people were dressed however they wanted. I saw one guy in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt:eek: now if they say no shorts then no shorts.

 

But other than that as long as everyone looks nice there will be NO problems. Most likely the ONLY people looking at them weird will be passangers who want to be huffy:rolleyes:

 

 

A cruise isn't the same thing as going to meet the governor or someone like that:rolleyes: it's a vacation for goodness sake.

 

People STILL think jeans are slouchy. Jeans are different now. Most teenagers and so forth dress jeans up. I usually wear a sparkly or silky top with some heels which doesn't look trash since people think jeans are

[kalamari]

No kidding a cruise is different than an invitation to have dinner with somebody important like a governor, etc. :rolleyes:

 

My point was that there is no reason why a mother can't tell her chilren that her expectation is that they will not wear jeans and that they will be expected to wear something else.

 

It's not about being laidback, it's about an expectation and not letting the children be in charge. Probably the parents who let their children be in charge are equal opportunity offenders of the dress code.

 

 

They will be perfectly fine:) You'll find that the dining room is MUCH more laidback than you think. I sure did. We were in the Monet and people were dressed however they wanted. I saw one guy in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt:eek: now if they say no shorts then no shorts.

 

But other than that as long as everyone looks nice there will be NO problems. Most likely the ONLY people looking at them weird will be passangers who want to be huffy:rolleyes:

 

 

A cruise isn't the same thing as going to meet the governor or someone like that:rolleyes: it's a vacation for goodness sake.

 

People STILL think jeans are slouchy. Jeans are different now. Most teenagers and so forth dress jeans up. I usually wear a sparkly or silky top with some heels which doesn't look trash since people think jeans are

[caviargal]

No kidding a cruise is different than an invitation to have dinner with somebody important like a governor, etc. :rolleyes:

 

My point was that there is no reason why a mother can't tell her chilren that her expectation is that they will not wear jeans and that they will be expected to wear something else.

 

It's not about being laidback, it's about an expectation and not letting the children be in charge. Probably the parents who let their children be in charge are equal opportunity offenders of the dress code.

 

Good observation, Melina.

 

Yes, you can get by with just about anything on Carnival in the dining rooms. As Kurbanfan says "that is the honest truth". They do have to cater to the least common denominator after all or risk a public scene or bad comment card review.

 

Yes, a parent should be willing and able to set ground rules but it is obvious these days that is not the rule, but the exception. Carnival prohibits shorts in the dining room at dinner as well, with little success.

 

Teaching kids that there is a time and place for jeans and a time and place to dress up is a good thing. I disagree with the poster who claims that jeans are not "slouchy". Teenange boys are generally not fashion oriented and will pull on their everyday, worn and baggy jeans with frayed cuffs, not a pair of well fitting, dark wash jeans with a nice pair of polished shoes and a button down (European style). Those type of clothes do not belong in a dining room, period, IMO.

[BlueHerons]

Wonderful story Sandy!

[Kurbanfan]

Ok I'm missing something here. The OP's son is not a child. He is 19. Why is this turning into how to teach our kids who is in charge:confused: I do believe her job is done by now. She was just asking if it was ok for him to wear jeans because it is not specified that he can't according to the dress code. Amazing:rolleyes:

[vjmatty]

Ok I'm missing something here. The OP's son is not a child. He is 19. Why is this turning into how to teach our kids who is in charge:confused: I do believe her job is done by now. She was just asking if it was ok for him to wear jeans because it is not specified that he can't according to the dress code. Amazing:rolleyes:

 

:rolleyes: I am such an idiot... I didn't even notice he was 19! She isn't really asking as the mother of a child, she is asking as a CC member for someone who isn't a CC member.... kind of like some of us do here for our DH's ;)

 

Thanks for clearing that up Kurban :)

[kalamari]

The gal was asking about attire for her son who HAPPENED to be 19, the way your husband might happen to be 60, etc.

 

The children in charge comment..was a spin off from other posters who made comments about how important it is to teach them at a young age that life isn't all about jeans, and how similar posters handled the same situation with great results.

 

 

:rolleyes: I am such an idiot... I didn't even notice he was 19! She isn't really asking as the mother of a child, she is asking as a CC member for someone who isn't a CC member.... kind of like some of us do here for our DH's ;)

 

Thanks for clearing that up Kurban :)

[Kurbanfan]

The gal was asking about attire for her son who HAPPENED to be 19, the way your husband might happen to be 60, etc.

 

The children in charge comment..was a spin off from other posters who made comments about how important it is to teach them at a young age that life isn't all about jeans, and how similar posters handled the same situation with great results.

 

 

No small wonder the op never came back:rolleyes:

[happysinglemom]

Ok I'm missing something here. The OP's son is not a child. He is 19. Why is this turning into how to teach our kids who is in charge:confused: I do believe her job is done by now. She was just asking if it was ok for him to wear jeans because it is not specified that he can't according to the dress code. Amazing:rolleyes:

 

He may not be a child by your standards, but according to the OP, he is still dependent upon his parents, at least for clothing. And I don't think the conversation "turned into" anything, other than a discussion about how young men/women can surprise themselves, and their parents, by actually enjoying getting "dressed up". Not amazing...just nice. :rolleyes:

[Kurbanfan]

He may not be a child by your standards, but according to the OP, he is still dependent upon his parents, at least for clothing. And I don't think the conversation "turned into" anything, other than a discussion about how young men/women can surprise themselves, and their parents, by actually enjoying getting "dressed up". Not amazing...just nice. :rolleyes:

 

And you can tell that by that one post:confused: Just because he wanted to know if he could wear jeans.......you must be kidding. For all we know he could be out serving our country........So yes to me that's amazing:rolleyes:

[kalamari]

Most likely he's a good guy who has a warm relationship with his parents and respects them even though he is an adult, and respects their wishes that he look presentable and not like a sloth.

 

The military reference is benign. What does that have to do about wearing jeans on a cruise?

 

And you can tell that by that one post:confused: Just because he wanted to know if he could wear jeans.......you must be kidding. For all we know he could be out serving our country........So yes to me that's amazing:rolleyes:

[Kurbanfan]

Most likely he's a good guy who has a warm relationship with his parents and respects them even though he is an adult, and respects their wishes that he look presentable and not like a sloth.

 

The military reference is benign. What does that have to do about wearing jeans on a cruise?

 

Believe me alot that is being said on here is benign:p

 

To the OP I hope you have a wonderful cruise:)

[Houstoncruiser2007]

Wow who knew that my simple little post would be so misconstrued.

 

Thanks Kurbanfan for actually reading it. :)

 

I haven't even talked to my 19 year old about what to wear, not to wear, etc. He wouldn't balk one way or the other if he had to wear some "big boy" ;) pants. He already has a suit which we purchased when he was a Freshmen in high school and it still fits (recommend having it tailored for growth!) I was just wondering about jeans on non-formal nights since its not specifically mentioned in Carnival's dress code. FYI - he looks quite nice in pressed jeans, a polo short, a leather belt and nice leather shoes. I think some people got the impression he'd be wearing low-riders replete with tennis shoes, and a baggy shirt. BUT if khakis are the way to go I will buy them. It was never an issue of what he would and would not wear and who is wearing the pants in the family (no pun intended!).

 

We can't wait for our cruise - August 12 - 19th out of Carnival. Thanks for the well wishes.

[Houstoncruiser2007]

I mean polo "shirt" not short.

[Buster27]

Trust me....he will look absolutely fine in nice jeans and a polo type shirt.....or in the khaki type pants so many seem to love. Either way, he will fit right in, please don't stress out over this.

 

Carnival is a very relaxed atmosphere and there is a lot more emphasis on having a good time than what someone is wearing to dinner.

 

Some people really get into dressing for dinner and that's fine.... but I don't know why they worry so much about what somebody else is wearing. Some people are just anti - jeans....I think there are some great looking jeans out there and they are accepted just about everywhere these days.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!!

[crystalblue0610]

Carnival is not a high end cruiseline. Now if this were a Cunard ship things would be different. If he wore jean once there would be no crime committed except to a few:rolleyes:

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

...........and with THAT, another JEANS thread comes to a conclusion!

 

 

BobK/Orlando