Are shorts at dinner on ships too casual?

[cruisetarp]

No shorts in the dining room please. It just seems part of the cruising tradition to dress for dinner.

It certainly would not ruin my cruise but it shows a certain amount of the all too prevalent attitude of "rules are for everyone else but not for me - I'm above that"

[jacketwatch]

You know, there are "shorts" that can be considered "business casual" attire. Just ask any Bermudian! I remember being docked in Hamilton, Bermuda years ago and staring in amazement as I watched businessmen, dressed in shirts with ties, black business shoes and sporting very classy looking Bermuda shorts. These shorts were knee high and looked like normal business type pants that were cut to the knee. They were not insulting to the rest of the attire at all. I feel that shorts like these would be acceptable. I still agree that tank-tops and swim suits should still be banned. If you want to impress someone by your looks and want to dress that way for meals onboard, feel free to do it topside at the buffet!!! JMHO..........

Similarly Aloha shirts in Hawaii is ok as business wear in many cases.

[Mach]

No shorts in the dining room please. It just seems part of the cruising tradition to dress for dinner.

It certainly would not ruin my cruise but it shows a certain amount of the all too prevalent attitude of "rules are for everyone else but not for me - I'm above that"

But when the rules allow it the concept that 'rules are for everyone else' goes out the window.

I DO believe that the changes in the dress codes are a response to what the cruise lines are seeing on the ships. People showing up at dinner dressed in shorts and such... it's easier for them to lower the standards than enforce the ones they have.

To me, it's a lot like the smoking issues... the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Smokers simply aren't a vocal about how they're treated as non-smokers are. Rather than being concerned with making sure that everyone can their cruise they bow to the highest noise level...