Thinking about booking but don't understand "freestyle."

[sparks1093]

[quote name='Out to sea!']I would really love for someone to explain how things are "more casual" on NCL. Unless you got away with wearing your bathrobe or tightie whities to the MDR, the dress code is pretty much the same as CCL.[/quote]

It's more than just casual, it's the lack of designated formal nights. Yes, CCL has "elegant night" but it's my understanding that the other lines still have a formal night and while they may not require tuxes any longer they are still expecting passengers to dress up (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, this gives us choice and choice is good:)).

[flarad]

[quote name='Out to sea!']I would really love for someone to explain how things are "more casual" on NCL. Unless you got away with wearing your bathrobe or tightie whities to the MDR, the dress code is pretty much the same as CCL.[/QUOTE]


I think for me it's a release from expectations. We cruised the freedom last summer and evenings were much dressier affairs. Most women wore dresses or fancy slacks and men looked sharp. We traveled with three eighteen year olds and they dressed In khakis and collars every night. There were two formal nights and a large number of people participated including our group. Combine that with the need to be at the dining room at six o'clock every night the expectations, for me, were far different on NCL. Relaxed feel. Yes, I know you make it what it is but the freestyle is freeing for me.


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[KevinsCruising]

[quote name='Out to sea!']Actually, that depends on each person. Personally, I prefer a traditional set time with having the same table and wait team every evening. They get to know my likes and dislikes. On NCL, you will have a different table and wait team every evening so they don't get to know you and you don't get to know them. On my last Carnival cruise, by the 3rd night, they didn't even bring my son a menu anymore, they just brought him his 2 Caesar Salads, 2 steaks, and glass of orange soda. He was a happy camper!!! Even with Freestyle on NCL, we found ourselves eating at the same time every night anyway, just as if we had early seating on the traditional cruise lines.[/QUOTE]


You can actually request the same wait staff and sit in their area. We done that on the Breakaway and Gem.


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[Out to sea!]

[quote name='sparks1093']It's more than just casual, it's the lack of designated formal nights. Yes, CCL has "elegant night" but it's my understanding that the other lines still have a formal night and while they may not require tuxes any longer they are still expecting passengers to dress up (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, this gives us choice and choice is good:)).[/QUOTE]

[quote name='aprilrad']I think for me it's a release from expectations. We cruised the freedom last summer and evenings were much dressier affairs. Most women wore dresses or fancy slacks and men looked sharp. We traveled with three eighteen year olds and they dressed In khakis and collars every night. There were two formal nights and a large number of people participated including our group. Combine that with the need to be at the dining room at six o'clock every night the expectations, for me, were far different on NCL. Relaxed feel. Yes, I know you make it what it is but the freestyle is freeing for me.


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Yes Carnival has "Elegant Night" but it is no different than NCL's "Dress Up or Not Night". I saw about the same amount of formal wear on those types of nights on both cruise lines. I have not sailed other lines recently enough to know how strict they are with their dress code but CCL and NCL are pretty much identical with the exception of the designated dining times on CCL. Both are very casual.

[Out to sea!]

[quote name='KevinsCruising']You can actually request the same wait staff and sit in their area. We done that on the Breakaway and Gem.


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That must be an unstated capability. I never say anything on board stating this could be done. If I run into a wait staff worth seeing a second time, I'll keep this in mind.

[sparks1093]

[quote name='Out to sea!']Yes Carnival has "Elegant Night" but it is no different than NCL's "Dress Up or Not Night". I saw about the same amount of formal wear on those types of nights on both cruise lines. I have not sailed other lines recently enough to know how strict they are with their dress code but CCL and NCL are pretty much identical with the exception of the designated dining times on CCL. Both are very casual.[/QUOTE]

Yes, CCL did a fair job copying NCL's success. CCL's "Elegant Night" and relaxed dress code came along a couple of years after NCL instituted Freestyle.

[jaz2411]

Excuse my ignorance but can someone on here please explain 'casual' regarding the dress situation for freestyle evening dining ?
I'm sailing on the Epic next week from Barcelona with my girlfriend (in her early 30s) and we're both looking forward to it.
She's excited and as I write this she is shopping for nice cocktail dresses, nails and hair booked in (typical girlie stuff):rolleyes:

Some of the comments on here like 'freesyle dining is great, you dont even have to dress up' give me cause for concern.

Dont get me wrong, Theres casual...and casual....casual to me is a nice pair of jeans, shoes, shirt/polo shirt...girls in a nice dress...but I don't fancy the idea of sitting next to someone early evening, straight in from the pool, flip flops, bermuda shorts and hasnt even made the effort :eek:

[KeithJenner]

If you go to the Manhattan Room then you won't find a problem with the things you mention. They were turning people in shorts etc away last week.

In Taste you will certainly find people in shorts.

The speciality restaurants don't have a strict dress code, but people tend to dress up a bit for them.

The clothes you describe are probably about what most wear, but you will see others more dressy, and others less.

[sparks1093]

[quote name='sparks1093']Yes, CCL did a fair job copying NCL's success. CCL's "Elegant Night" and relaxed dress code came along a couple of years after NCL instituted Freestyle.[/quote]

Just for grins I searched "elegant night" on CCL's board and they were discussing the change to "elegant night" in June of 2008. "Freestyle" has been discussed on this board since 2004.

[sparks1093]

For comparision here are the dress codes for Royal, Princess and Celebrity:

[B][FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3]Royal[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]“There are three distinct types of evenings onboard: casual, smart casual and formal. Suggested guidelines for these nights are: [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Casual: Sport shirts and slacks for men, sundresses or pants for women[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Smart Casual: Jackets and ties for men, dresses or pantsuits for women[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Formal: Suits and ties or tuxedos for men, cocktail dresses for women”[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT]
[B][FONT=Times New Roman]Princess[/FONT][/B]
[FONT=Times New Roman][B]“Smart Casual[/B][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman]
Passenger attire should be in keeping with what they would wear to a nice restaurant at home.[/FONT]
[LIST]
[*][FONT=Times New Roman]Skirts/dresses, slacks, and sweaters for ladies[/FONT]
[*][FONT=Times New Roman]Pants and open-neck shirts for men[/FONT]
[/LIST][FONT=Times New Roman]Inappropriate dinner wear such as pool or beach attire, shorts, ball caps and casual jeans (with fraying and/or holes) are not permitted in the dining rooms. Shoes must be worn.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][B]Formal[/B][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman]
When formal nights are held, please observe the dress code in the Traditional Dining and Anytime Dining venues for the enjoyment of all our guests.[/FONT]
[LIST]
[*][FONT=Times New Roman]Evening gowns and cocktail dresses for women[/FONT]
[*][FONT=Times New Roman]Tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits with a tie for men”[/FONT]
[/LIST][B][FONT=Times New Roman]Celebrity[/FONT][/B]
[FONT=Arial]You will need three types of clothing on your Celebrity cruise: casual shipboard attire or day wear, conservative port wear, and eveningwear.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Daywear includes slacks or pants, blouses or shirts, knit tops or polo shirts. Bring a pair of sneakers or rubber-soled shoes for deck sports and a swimsuit cover-up for cool areas on the ship.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Port wear for women includes a casual dress, skirt and blouse, or pants outfit; for men, casual pants or walking shorts, and polo-type shirts. Comfortable walking shoes are a must.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][B]"Smart Casual & Above" attire includes:[/B][/FONT][FONT=Arial]
Ladies: Skirt or pants (no holes, rips or tears) with a sweater or blouse. Gentlemen: Pants (no holes, rips or tears) with a sports shirt or sweater. Shirts must have sleeves.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][B]"Formal" attire includes:[/B][/FONT][FONT=Arial]
Ladies: Cocktail dress, gown, or dressy pantsuit. Gentlemen: Tuxedo, suit, or dinner jacket with slacks.[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman][/FONT]

[flarad]

[quote name='jaz2411']Excuse my ignorance but can someone on here please explain 'casual' regarding the dress situation for freestyle evening dining ?

I'm sailing on the Epic next week from Barcelona with my girlfriend (in her early 30s) and we're both looking forward to it.

She's excited and as I write this she is shopping for nice cocktail dresses, nails and hair booked in (typical girlie stuff):rolleyes:



Some of the comments on here like 'freesyle dining is great, you dont even have to dress up' give me cause for concern.



Dont get me wrong, Theres casual...and casual....casual to me is a nice pair of jeans, shoes, shirt/polo shirt...girls in a nice dress...but I don't fancy the idea of sitting next to someone early evening, straight in from the pool, flip flops, bermuda shorts and hasnt even made the effort :eek:[/QUOTE]


Your girlfriend will be fine. Like Keith above we are just off the barcelona cruise. For the most part women were in dresses or nice slacks. There were few sloppy people except on the day we boarded. Resort casual was the norm. For specialty dining people were a little more dressy. Give your girlfriend a nice night out and book LeBistro or Cagneys. Really nice.


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[Out to sea!]

[quote name='jaz2411']Excuse my ignorance but can someone on here please explain 'casual' regarding the dress situation for freestyle evening dining ?
I'm sailing on the Epic next week from Barcelona with my girlfriend (in her early 30s) and we're both looking forward to it.
She's excited and as I write this she is shopping for nice cocktail dresses, nails and hair booked in (typical girlie stuff):rolleyes:

Some of the comments on here like 'freesyle dining is great, you dont even have to dress up' give me cause for concern.

Dont get me wrong, Theres casual...and casual....casual to me is a nice pair of jeans, shoes, shirt/polo shirt...girls in a nice dress...but I don't fancy the idea of sitting next to someone early evening, straight in from the pool, flip flops, bermuda shorts and hasnt even made the effort :eek:[/QUOTE]

Truthfully speaking, if you're wearing pants, shirt, and shoes, you're pretty much good to go. ;)