Dress code on Viking Ocean

I can confirm that jeans cannot be worn by men in the The Restaurant onboard the Viking Ocean ships in the evening. I was refused entry until I went back to the cabin and changed. However, there was at least one woman wearing jeans that was allowed in; nice jeans but jeans.

That has changed since last April/May on the Sky. Jeans were allowed and I asked the restaurant manager at the Meet and Mingle the second night of the cruise. She said that jeans could be worn in the Restaurant. We were onboard 3 weeks....we saw a few folks in jeans and I didn't care. Everyone was presentable. Interesting that they are enforcing a new policy.

What kind of jeans did you have on? There are jeans and then there are jeans.;):p

Were the jeans made of denim? We are going to be onboard in cooler months, and were planning to take needlecord or corduroy trousers. They are cut like denim jeans, but obviously are in fifferent fabric and different colours. They do look very smart casual when worn with coordinating tops.

Yes, things have changed. There was even a notice to the entry of the restaurant stating the policy. They were Levi jeans - yes they were casual and not fancy. Jeans were allowed at breakfast but not at dinner. BTW - I am ok with the policy.

Were the jeans made of denim? We are going to be onboard in cooler months, and were planning to take needlecord or corduroy trousers. They are cut like denim jeans, but obviously are in fifferent fabric and different colours. They do look very smart casual when worn with coordinating tops.

Yes, denim. No issues with Dockers. That is what I changed into,

Oh great -- another dress code thread. I've been reading these for over a year and I have two observations. One is that denim is apparently the problem. But more than that, it looks like the enforcement of the code is ship specific. It would be helpful as this thread continues -- as it most certainly will -- if those of you reporting your experiences would say which ship you were sailing on. Meanwhile, it reinforces our plan to relax in the World Cafe on our next cruise. In my not-so-humble opinion, the MDR is just not worth it.

Surely, considering the age demographic on board, it is not too difficult to change out of the denim jeans and wear other trousers when going to dinner. I really do not understand the problem. Nobody asks for formal wear but it would be considerate to others to shower and change before dinner.

surely, considering the age demographic on board, it is not too difficult to change out of the denim jeans and wear other trousers when going to dinner. I really do not understand the problem. Nobody asks for formal wear but it would be considerate to others to shower and change before dinner.

+ 1

I can confirm that jeans cannot be worn by men in the The Restaurant onboard the Viking Ocean ships in the evening. I was refused entry until I went back to the cabin and changed. However, there was at least one woman wearing jeans that was allowed in; nice jeans but jeans.

Thanks for letting us know. It looks like Viking is becoming more forthright about their policy.

No one asked me, but if I were Viking, I wouldn’t make the staff enforce policies like this. Awkward for everyone. I’d make the dress code more of a request than a rule and let peer pressure (or lack thereof) do the rest. But I obviously don’t feel as strongly about this as some of you do, and I’m pretty sure I’m on the outer edges of Viking’s target demographic.

Thanks for letting us know. It looks like Viking is becoming more forthright about their policy.

 

No one asked me, but if I were Viking, I wouldn’t make the staff enforce policies like this. Awkward for everyone. I’d make the dress code more of a request than a rule and let peer pressure (or lack thereof) do the rest. But I obviously don’t feel as strongly about this as some of you do, and I’m pretty sure I’m on the outer edges of Viking’s target demographic.

I agree that the situation can become awkward when staff is required to send guests back to change. The problem with not addressing the issue is that the more people see some in jeans in the restaurants, the more apt they are to copy that later on in the cruise or on their next cruise. Then it becomes a nice t-shirt with the jeans, and so on. Would that be the worst thing in the world? No, of course not, but Viking is still aiming for "elegant casual", and they built these great ships so I am happy to play by their rules.

Surely, considering the age demographic on board, it is not too difficult to change out of the denim jeans and wear other trousers when going to dinner. I really do not understand the problem. Nobody asks for formal wear but it would be considerate to others to shower and change before dinner.

Exactly. Shower & change. If elegant casual isn't the rule, things can cascade downhill. Just don't upgrade to formal night BS.

I always shower & change. How long does that take? But it's nice to have a venue where clean but REALLY casual dress is no big deal. I would like the World Cafe to continue to have a more relaxed policy for those with laundry issues or simply wishing to dress casually for dinner. My wife who does like to dress up, still liked the WC a lot.

I am not the least bit bothered that the inappropriately dressed are being asked to change, especially not when there's notice given at the entrance to the dining room for all to see. It's sort of like "What part of no don't you understand?" I doubt the request to change would be given in anything other than a respectful and unobtrusive tone so as not to draw any attention to the offenders.

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Well said!!

I am not the least bit bothered that the inappropriately dressed are being asked to change, especially not when there's notice given at the entrance to the dining room for all to see. It's sort of like "What part of no don't you understand?" I doubt the request to change would be given in anything other than a respectful and unobtrusive tone so as not to draw any attention to the offenders.

 

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I saw this happen respectfully on our Silversea cruise when the guy in front of us arrived without the required jacket.

I think but I am not sure that they may also have had a couple "emergency" suit coats for those without.

Our second day on board the Viking Sky, I did see a quiet conversation at the entrance to the main dining room between staff and a gentleman wearing shorts. The man offered to return to his cabin to change without much ado.

Wow, glad I saw this post. We will be on the Star in ~22 days (not counting at all!), so no jeans for guys. Is it blue jeans that’s frown upon? What if they are khaki-looking dark denim? Jacket required? I don’t wear fancy pants often. Lol

Wow, glad I saw this post. We will be on the Star in ~22 days (not counting at all!), so no jeans for guys. Is it blue jeans that’s frown upon? What if they are khaki-looking dark denim? Jacket required? I don’t wear fancy pants often. Lol

My DH wore dress jeans that were so dark they looked black and had no problem. No jacket required, but they do ask that men wear a collared shirt.

My DH wore dress jeans that were so dark they looked black and had no problem. No jacket required, but they do ask that men wear a collared shirt.

Perfect! Thanks. No problem with the collared shirt, all over that since that’s pretty much all I swear.

My DH wore dress jeans that were so dark they looked black and had no problem. No jacket required, but they do ask that men wear a collared shirt.

If the dress code states no jeans then why not comply?

If the dress code states no jeans then why not comply?

He forgot to bring his kilt.

If the dress code states no jeans then why not comply?

Dear "friendly"fifer:

In order to comply, I've looked a bit into making sure I will not be wearing jeans, and find it a bit complicated. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "jean" is a "heavy twilled cotton cloth, especially denim," and "denim" is "a hard-wearing cotton twill fabric, typically blue and used for jeans and other clothing." These definitions suggested to me that there were other heavy twilled cotton cloths that were not jeans. Indeed, I learned that both gabardine and chino, among many other fabrics, may be cotton twill, and are made in weights that overlap with the cotton twill used for denim. This was somewhat clarified by an online discussion that noted that "Jeans can also be made out of twill fabrics which are lighter in weight and not woven the same as denim. ... Hence blue denim is the fabric and blue jean's is the style of pants. Jeans traditionally had pocket grommets to strengthen the fabric for workers carrying tools in their jeans." This appears to create a somewhat ambiguous situation if a guest is wearing a denim cotton twill, not blue, not heavy, and without pocket grommets, or a pair of pants with pocket grommets but not made of heavy twilled denim. Another site noted that with today's factories and technologically advanced processes, a pair of jeans can include a multitude of fabrics for various effect, including plastic, cashmere, and elastic, so that "each fabric is unique."

Surely, we do not wish to delay seating in the Restaurant while the Maitre d evaluates the weight, composition, and details of each guests attire. Is the issue the color, the weight, the style, any two of these, or all three? Please let everyone know what the proper answer to this dilemma should be.

Richard2, I am sorry that you are so confused about what constitutes a pair of jeans and certainly the definition you've quoted does not help.

Can I suggest that you photograph the trousers/pants you intend packing and E-mail them to Viking to seek their opinion on whether or not you would be allowed access to the MDR? At the end of the day, you only need concern yourself with the cruise line, their dress code and the maitre d'.

This would ensure that you are not the reason for long delays while other passengers wait to be seated.

During our WC, Viking on occasion would have a "reminder" in the Daily about the dress code. The policy stated that trousers should be worn in all venues BUT the WC in the evening. i did not see any shorts in the dining room or specialty restaurants but it was not enforced in the other areas of the ship...Star Theatre, Torshaven, Explorer's Lounge....remember we were many days of 90 degrees with very high humidity! IMO dress shorts in the dining room could be "resort casual" but everyone is correct not that hard to change to slacks.

We were on the Viking Sea in March, and having read through many a dress code thread, I made a point to check the Viking Daily. There was mention of jeans whatsoever in the suggested dress code section.

There was the whole collared shirt yadda yadda without saying jeans would not be allowed. There was no sign at the entrance to the Restaurant. We were having a pre-dinner drink when we saw a couple both wearing jeans - the man also had suspenders attached to his - admitted to Manfredi’s. There was no delay. No discussion.

We ate most nights in the Restaurant and I can’t honestly say I paid much attention to what other diners were wearing. Everyone seemed appropriate, but as we walked in, they were all seated, so I couldn’t see what they were wearing on the bottom half of their bodies.

Once we were seated, I was either reading the menu, eating or too busy to notice what the people who came after us were wearing. Sorry to have been negligent in my observation duties [emoji5]

I did notice quite a few Hawaiian shirts - they do stand out what with all the colors. They did have the required collar!

So there you have it. One report on one cruise on one ship. Good night, and good luck.

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