Confused by the Freestyle Concept

[Lerin]

I'm traveling with a group next summer and it looks like we will be on NCL for the first time. We've cruised quite a bit on luxury lines as well as Carnival and Celebrity.

One of my favorite things about cruising is dressing up for formal nights.

 

I understand that NCL touts its self as casual and freestyle. While everyone else in my group is thrilled about this, I'm a bit worried.

I'm picturing mealtimes like the food court in the mall. Not my idea of a good time.

 

Please tell me this is wrong and there is somewhere to dress up and have a fine dining experience. I know there are speciality restaurants, but is there any dressing up for dinner in a no extra fee venue? :confused:

[phoenix1181]

Relax. The MDR is lovely & NCL does dress up or not night. You won't be out of place in your finery & you won't be alone

[puddles99]

I'm traveling with a group next summer and it looks like we will be on NCL for the first time. We've cruised quite a bit on luxury lines as well as Carnival and Celebrity.

One of my favorite things about cruising is dressing up for formal nights.

 

I understand that NCL touts its self as casual and freestyle. While everyone else in my group is thrilled about this, I'm a bit worried.

I'm picturing mealtimes like the food court in the mall. Not my idea of a good time.

 

Please tell me this is wrong and there is somewhere to dress up and have a fine dining experience. I know there are speciality restaurants, but is there any dressing up for dinner in a no extra fee venue? :confused:

 

Freestyle gives you more options, not less. On each Norwegian ship there are two main dining rooms - one is more casual than the other. There are also one or more "dress up or not" (sometimes now referred to as "Norwegian's Night Out") during each cruise.

 

A few resources you may find helpful:

The Freestyle Dining Guide - http://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/DiningGuide_06242013.pdf

"What to Pack" FAQ - http://www.ncl.com/faq#packing

 

Enjoy your adventure!

[Cruising4]

While my family didn't dress up for those nights I really enjoyed seeing lots (and lots) of people dress up for dinner.

 

No, you will not be out of place. You'll see many couples and families dressed up for the night!

 

Think of the buffet as the food court. Stick to the dining room with the dress code and I'm confident you won't be disappointed.

 

I love the freestyle of NCL. No doubt it is different from traditional cruising but we're hooked on freestyle!

[ajtraveler66]

I haven't read the other replies....I don't want to be influenced by what they have said.

 

First, I personally like the casual. But as I recall there were some folks who did dress up (at least on occasion).

 

I've been on three NCL cruises. I primarily did the main dining rooms. I found it to be a very pleasant experience.

 

I think your best shot, however, at having your "finer dining experience" would be in the specialty restaurants. We splurged once and paid a little extra to go to the French restaurant. The atmosphere was a lot more intimate. I didn't dress up for the occasion because I prefer casual....but I'm sure there were folks who were (I'm not into that...so I really didn't pay that close attention to what everyone was wearing). But it was obviously less crowded, and VERY QUIET....and I think that really might be what you're looking for (dress-up or not.....QUIET and good food, of course).

 

The food in the main dining room was very good....but the food in the French restaurant (La Bistro, I think it's called) was worth the extra nominal fee.

 

I've not been to Cagney's (the steak house), but friends that have absolutely raved about it.

 

I would give 'casual' a try, however. You might like it. But I would suggest La Bistro or Cagney's (or maybe some of the other specialty restaurants). They will probably be a bit closer to what you are looking for.

 

Good luck.

 

Oh by the way.....as I recall, you CAN make reservations for these specialty restaurants.

[B6ConMe]

My DH and I have been to all of the specialty restaurants and yes, they are certainly a step up as far as dress goes. Having said that though, don't expect everyone to be dressed as you prefer to dress. Remember that this is Freestyle and that means... we wear what we want, not what you want us to. Respectable, of course, posh... not so much. RELAXATION, is a very fine word that gets bandied around a lot on Norwegian Cruise Ships and we've come to love that word as many others have as well.

 

So, relax, enjoy your cruise, dress as you wish, don't worry what others are wearing and you'll be just fine...

 

Bon voyage,

[Sammae]

My DH and I like getting a little dressed up for dinner. Most nights he will wear khakis and a dress shirt and tie, and I'll wear a cocktail dress. It's not super-formal, but we dress like we're going for a nice dinner out. I've never felt out of place doing this. I've seen everything from shorts and t-shirts to formal gowns at dinners. We tend to stick to the more formal dining room and specialty restaurants for dinner. The ships are great in that it's like you dress the way you want and head wherever suits your mood for dinner! Like going downtown!

[Lerin]

Thanks for the replies, sounds much better than I was picturing.

 

I do want to clarify that I wasn't worried abut what others were wearing so much as worried about missing the opportunity to dress up myself.

Dressing up for dinner is one of my favorite parts of cruising. I personally don't want to go to dinner in my jeans-I can do that at home! lol However, I don't really care if someone else decides to wear jeans.

 

Does NCL have photographers at dinner time? Cruises are the only time we get family pictures. :)

[Demonyte]

Does NCL have photographers at dinner time? Cruises are the only time we get family pictures. :)

 

Sure they do, they have photographers making rounds in sit-down restaurants as well as the photo setups (usually) in the atrium.

[sparks1093]

Thanks for the replies, sounds much better than I was picturing.

 

I do want to clarify that I wasn't worried abut what others were wearing so much as worried about missing the opportunity to dress up myself.

Dressing up for dinner is one of my favorite parts of cruising. I personally don't want to go to dinner in my jeans-I can do that at home! lol However, I don't really care if someone else decides to wear jeans.

 

Does NCL have photographers at dinner time? Cruises are the only time we get family pictures. :)

 

On our last NCL cruise I was eating dinner in a suit and a couple of tables over someone else was in shorts. I would say over 50% of the diners were dressed a few steps higher than normal (I think I even saw a tux). If none of that bothers you then you will be fine:).

[BryceRun]

I feel your concern, not as much about dressing up because not like the “non-luxury” cruise lines enforce dress codes anymore.

Booked a cruise for my wife’s birthday and she decided she wanted to invite friends, brothers, etc. Here is the problem; whenever we go out at home we can never decide on a time or place etc. I don’t like buffets and I’m going on a cruise to sit down, get served, and enjoy my meals. For the group I so wish we HAD a time and HAD a place. Not having a rigid dinner time will cause everyone to just say, “whats the big deal we can just go whenever and we miss it so what, there is a buffet.” My wife agrees with me but will let that type of stuff run the show. I already know I will be eating in the MDR solo at least one night. Thats fine with me though.

[caseympierce]

I wear a dress pretty much every night. Leave it to women to look for any excuse to look nice :)

[sweet1iad]

That's the beauty of free style. Do what you want! There were plenty of people dressed up every night. I enjoyed not having to but we did for ncls night out. The mdrs have a nice atmosphere and are kind of "fancy". Certainly you would not be out of place.

 

 

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[RJ2002]

Some people have mentioned shorts in the dining room at dinner. I thought they didn't allow that for the more formal dining room (it was Versailles on the Star).

[sparks1093]

Some people have mentioned shorts in the dining room at dinner. I thought they didn't allow that for the more formal dining room (it was Versailles on the Star).

 

I was eating in the less formal dining room on the Sky on dress up or not night (as it was called way back then).

[roger001]

Some people have mentioned shorts in the dining room at dinner. I thought they didn't allow that for the more formal dining room (it was Versailles on the Star).

 

 

Correct. There should be no shorts in the more formal of the two MDRs or in Le Bistro. Maybe they were referring to the other MDR where shorts are ok.

[sweet1iad]

Actually, on the Dawn I was a little surprised to see shorts in the Venetian as well as Aqua.... They definitely did not enforce the rules. But I think the Dawn is just a more laid back ship.

 

 

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[weltek]

Just to be clear for the OP (and others that may be new to Freestyle dining):

 

• There are 2-3 main dining rooms (MDRs) that are free on every ship (plus other fee-based restaurants and other free options like the buffet and a small, very casual sit down restaurant)
  
• The first night, anything goes for dress (because some might not have luggage yet...though that's a very, very, very small minority).
  
• The rest of the cruise, one MDR will have a more formal dress code (usually the larger dining room). By that, it really just means no shorts, no casual flip flops, and no jeans with holes, etc. This often confuses guests, as they say "but I was here last night (embarkation night) in my shorts, why do I have to change tonight?" Some Maitre'Ds enforce this more stringently than others.
  
• At least one night (depending on length of cruise) will be "Norwegian's Night Out," where many get dressed to the nines. As someone said earlier, some guests still wear nice jeans to dinner that night, so it's a mixed bag. The Captain is available for formal photos only that night. The rest of the nights there are formal and candid photos being taken, too, but not with the Captain.
  

[WaldosPepper]

Actually, on the Dawn I was a little surprised to see shorts in the Venetian as well as Aqua.... They definitely did not enforce the rules. But I think the Dawn is just a more laid back ship.

 

 

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If you were on the Dawn to Bermuda that would explain why you saw shorts in the MDR. The ships sailing the Bermuda itinerary adjust the rules to mirror the attire in Bermuda... Bermuda Shorts. Usually there is a blurb about this in the Freestyle Daily. ;)

[jayjaycan]

Thanks for the replies, sounds much better than I was picturing.

 

I do want to clarify that I wasn't worried abut what others were wearing so much as worried about missing the opportunity to dress up myself.

Dressing up for dinner is one of my favorite parts of cruising. I personally don't want to go to dinner in my jeans-I can do that at home! lol However, I don't really care if someone else decides to wear jeans.

 

Does NCL have photographers at dinner time? Cruises are the only time we get family pictures. :)

 

Just my observations.

Your husband should not take a tux or dinner jacket as he would probably be the only one.

In general there are as many suits, blazers, & sport jackets (the latter 2 predominate0 as not on "Dress up or not night". You will also see more on photo with the Captain night.

Most, but not all, dress in cruise casual; dress slacks, Dockers and collared shirts most nights.

Women dress to match their husbands attire or vise versa.

 

There are also shorts of all persuasion (cut offs, cargo, Bermuda, etc.) and T shirts and tank tops. I have even seen striped work out pants in a specialty dining room. Unfortunately the staff look the other way because it is "freestyle. These are not common but be forewarned.

[sweet1iad]

If you were on the Dawn to Bermuda that would explain why you saw shorts in the MDR. The ships sailing the Bermuda itinerary adjust the rules to mirror the attire in Bermuda... Bermuda Shorts. Usually there is a blurb about this in the Freestyle Daily. ;)

 

Thank you. I believe you and that makes sense. But, the dailies specifically said no shorts or flip flops in the Venetian. Personally, I think those people looked out of place in a very nice dining room, IMHO

 

 

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[WaldosPepper]

Thank you. I believe you and that makes sense. But, the dailies specifically said no shorts or flip flops in the Venetian. Personally, I think those people looked out of place in a very nice dining room, IMHO

 

 

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Very interesting. Perhaps they are no longer making that adjustment. I always used to find it amusing, because the shorts being worn were rarely of the Bermuda Short variety.

[Lerin]

[*]At least one night (depending on length of cruise) will be "Norwegian's Night Out," where many get dressed to the nines. As someone said earlier, some guests still wear nice jeans to dinner that night, so it's a mixed bag. The Captain is available for formal photos only that night.

A Ha! This sounds like exactly what I'm looking for!

 

OK, I'm starting to get excited. Looks like I'm going to have to hang out on the NCL board more often so I can learn the ins and outs. :)

[Barb Nahoumi]

Correct. There should be no shorts in the more formal of the two MDRs or in Le Bistro. Maybe they were referring to the other MDR where shorts are ok.

 

There shouldn't be, but I've seen shorts in the "formal" MDR.