A couple of questions (dress code and wi-fi)

[bortaz]

Good afternoon, friends. Looking forward to our cruise (10-day Alaska on NCL Sun from Seattle on July 28)...first vacation we've taken in 6 years (last was a NCL Jewel to Alaska). Was looking for some insight on how strict the dining dress code is for the main DR and the specialty restaurants. Would a sport jacket over a polo and jeans be appropriate? I do not plan to pack a suit. A simple sun dress for my wife?

 

Also, is there any hope of having cell data/service on the ship, and if not...is the upgraded wi-fi worth the $200-300 they charge?

 

Thanks in advance.

[schmoopie17]

On NCL a sports jacket is considered being overdressed. I typically wear t-shirts or polo shirts with shorts/jeans. A couple of restaurants require long pants, so that's when I pull out the jeans.

 

I have never had good internet reception on an NCL ship. Would never consider "upgrading" to a more expensive plan just to get the same lousy connectivity.

 

Haven't used cell phones on the ship until docking. We have T-Mobile, which has coverage in Europe and other foreign countries for free. As soon as we get near a port, our cell phones perk up with a message welcoming us to whichever port we are pulling into.

[bkrickles1]

19 minutes ago, bortaz said:

Good afternoon, friends. Looking forward to our cruise (10-day Alaska on NCL Sun from Seattle on July 28)...first vacation we've taken in 6 years (last was a NCL Jewel to Alaska). Was looking for some insight on how strict the dining dress code is for the main DR and the specialty restaurants. Would a sport jacket over a polo and jeans be appropriate? I do not plan to pack a suit. A simple sun dress for my wife?

 

Also, is there any hope of having cell data/service on the ship, and if not...is the upgraded wi-fi worth the $200-300 they charge?

 

Thanks in advance.

As was said already, a sport jacket is almost "black tie" on an NCL cruise. Lmao!!

Not true actually.

I mostly wear nice shorts with a t shirt or short sleeved button down.

As I've gotten older, I do like the sport jacket with jeans look. And I'll even wear a t shirt under the sport jacket. So, I do bring a jacket.

And, yes, a sun dress for the wife always works.

Bottom line is ncl is very casual.

The wifi sucks but I always upgrade my minutes as I do need to send and receive emails and it will get the job done for that, barely.

Have a great cruise!!

[destar]

2 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

On NCL a sports jacket is considered being overdressed. I typically wear t-shirts or polo shirts with shorts/jeans. A couple of restaurants require long pants, so that's when I pull out the jeans.

For MDR polo shirts and shorts is fine. I know Le Bistro and Palomar require slacks. Other than that everything else is very casual.

[1025cruise]

NCL really doesn't have a dress code. For the most part, as long as you are presentable, you're fine. One of the MDRs and a couple of the specialty restaurants do require pants. Unless you want the jacket, save yourself the suitcase space.

[Mistizoom]

I'm on the Norwegian Pearl this week and the breaking news is that "cruise casual" is now allowed in every restaurant (including specialty) except Le Bistro which is smart casual. As recently as a week or two ago the aft main dining room (Summer Palace on Norwegian Pearl) was listed as smart casual, but no longer!

[graphicguy]

1 hour ago, Mistizoom said:

I'm on the Norwegian Pearl this week and the breaking news is that "cruise casual" is now allowed in every restaurant (including specialty) except Le Bistro which is smart casual. As recently as a week or two ago the aft main dining room (Summer Palace on Norwegian Pearl) was listed as smart casual, but no longer!

👏👏👏

[complawyer]

le bistro requires a collared shirt for men. other than that, almost anything goes. i usually wear jeans, and a printed t shirt in all other venues

[AstoriaPreppy]

On 7/17/2023 at 4:34 PM, bortaz said:

Good afternoon, friends. Looking forward to our cruise (10-day Alaska on NCL Sun from Seattle on July 28)...first vacation we've taken in 6 years (last was a NCL Jewel to Alaska). Was looking for some insight on how strict the dining dress code is for the main DR and the specialty restaurants. Would a sport jacket over a polo and jeans be appropriate? I do not plan to pack a suit. A simple sun dress for my wife?

 

Also, is there any hope of having cell data/service on the ship, and if not...is the upgraded wi-fi worth the $200-300 they charge?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

NCL is very casual compared to ever other mass market cruise line... which is why many passengers enjoy sailing them. Only one of the specialty dining venues (Le Bistro) requires "smart casual," and this is generally considered to be a collared shirt (polo or nicer) and no shorts. As others have noted, one of the MDRs also used to be smart casual, but reports vary if this is still the case. You won't be out of place in any restaurant onboard in jeans.

 

Re: internet. NCL is also notorious for having the worst internet of any mass market cruise line. It's a combination of poor internet/satellite, and infrastructure on the ship that hasn't been updated to meet current needs. Additionally, Alaska is also pretty fickle with internet coming from the satellites, since mountains and fjords don't lend themselves to good coverage. I wouldn't suggest getting the upgraded internet on NCL, especially in Alaska. 

The good news is that if you have an American mobile phone plan (AT&T, Verizon, etc), your phone and data will work flawlessly in most of the major ports. You'll have 5G coverage in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, and 4G many places while sailing the inside passage. 

[bortaz]

Thanks so much for all the great information. Much appreciated. 9 days to go!

[DCGuy64]

I believe NCL is rolling out the Starlink internet access across the fleet on a gradual basis. It is supposed to offer faster speeds.