what do kids wear to dinner?

[macnmum]

I'm assuming my 11 -year old will mostly be wearing a bathing suit or shorts and T, but what's appropriate attire for them at dinner? Would NIce shorts or khakis and a polo shirt be appropriate? What happens on formal nights? Do kids eat separately?

 

[lucky]

From my past experiences I have seen children follow the ships dress code. Often children will dine with their Ocean Adventure group, but if they attend dinner in the dining room I have seen ,and have dressed ours accordingly. Slacks and a polo shirt are quite accecptable for a casual dinner. A shirt and shorts or bathing suit covered up is also the norm for Windjammer /Johnny Rocket luncheon, or for circulating around the ship. Bathing suit attire alone is normally seen only poolside. Formal nite is a great time for a family photo with everyone dressed up in fine cruising style. Our children enjoy the idea of dressing up for dinner with the adults, especially our 8 and 10 year olds who think they are teenagers already, Plus it's a great opportunity to allow them to learn basic ettiquite lessons on dressing, dining, ordering multiple courses from a menu etc.Happy Cruising.

 

[Lady Jag]

No shorts whatsoever for dinner in the dining room and even jeans are kind-of a no-no.

Our sons have always worn pants with a shirt (either a dressier Union Bay type shirt or a button down shirt). On formal nights, we either rent tuxes for them, have them wear dark suits or (this is what they prefer) have them eat in the Windjammer buffet area before we go to the formal dinner in the dining room. Another thing that works well is to order room service or get pizza for dinner.

 

[Camelia]

Agree with Lucky - our7 yr old son has been on 3 cruises and he always eats dinner with us to learn basic etiquette. On formal night we all dress up for the photos. The kids areas are great, but the dinning room and dressing up gives them an experience they normally don't get.

 

[cruisequeen]

They need to follow the dress codes that are set. The dress codes don't say adults only. Shorts are not OK. Nice slacks and nice tops are OK. No t-shirts. No tank tops. The children can eat separate in the childrens programs.

 

[jano]

I agree with Lucky and Lady Jag..On the Mariner we had 4 teen boys and one teen girl. Our only rule was that they show up for dinner dressed properly. They loved it..they wore dark suits with ties on formal night; and slacks and proper shirts on other nights..They loved ordering anything they wanted and experimented with Duck , Escargot and other exotic fare. They adored eating Lobster with the tails removed by the Maitre d. They loved ordering more than one desert...
and they had a few tastes of after dinner liquor..They pulled the chairs for the ladies there were 13 of us); were polite to the waiters and were wonderful travelers..they ranged from 18-12. They ordered room service and kept a pile of $1.00 bills to tip the staff. All in all it was a dream trip for one and all.. We had the 4 boys in a 4 bunk room away from the parents (to give them a break) and next to the girl cousin (18)...they used her room for the hang-out!!! They are still talking about it...The teen girl was no problem..18..you know she showed up dressed to kill!! They had never been on a ship; they had never been to a foreign country; they had never bargained with locals; they had never swam with dolphins....all of these were defining moments in their lives. The standards were set and Met!!!