This cruise line confused its passengers with a sudden new dress code

One popular mainstream cruise line quietly updated its policies to tighten the dress code at a few of its onboard restaurants. 

Now, casual attire — including flip-flops and shorts — is not permitted in certain specialty restaurants aboard Norwegian Cruise Line's fleet. 

"Flip flops and shorts are not permitted for dinner at Palomar, Onda, Cagney’s, Le Bistro and Haven," reads the new policy, which was shared on Facebook. 

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It's important to note that the updated cruise dress code only applies to those five restaurants. No major changes were made to what passengers can wear in the other casual dining venues, including O'Sheehan's, the Indulge Food Hall, and the buffet.

That said, the notice continues, saying that tank tops, hoodies, robes, jeans with holes or excessively revealing tears, and caps/hats are not allowed in the dining rooms or specialty restaurants.   

Moreover, attire with offensive language or images is not permitted to be worn aboard NCL's fleet. And during the day, shirts, cover-ups, and footwear are required in all restaurants, including the 24-hour venues, food halls, and other daytime outlets. 

Read more: I tried my first extra-cost restaurant on my Norwegian cruise

"'Dress comfortably' doesn’t mean 'dress in whatever'"

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The new policy has sparked discussion among cruisers. Norwegian has long marketed its "Freestyle Cruising" concept as a relaxed alternative to the stuffy formal nights. Rather than abiding by strict dress codes, the cruise line traditionally allowed guests to wear whatever they were most comfortable in. 

While some believe that the change is conflicting with the brand’s laid-back identity, others think it's a necessary step to maintain a level of decorum in the extra-cost restaurants. 

"[It's] goofy that people need others to dress a certain way to enjoy their dining experience. It's definitely more of a Boomer/Gen X thing that will probably continue to get phased out as those generations become a smaller customer base," Crudstaceous commented on a Reddit post. 

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Otherwise-Pirate6839 countered, saying, "Doing away with the enforced formal attire is one thing but letting people come in [tank tops] or bathrobes or whatever to the main restaurants is also pushing it too far. You wanna eat in your pajamas? Order room service or go to the buffet and get your stuff to go."

"No shorts or flip flops in the Haven is not a fair or reasonable change, especially for Summer/hot weather ports. I straight up don't agree that shorts are inappropriate or informal. I am team 'resort wear for vacations'. I'm trying to imagine who would care (weird country club rich people?) because most rich people generally don't care," another user said.

Conversely, Apart_Olive_3539 thought that those who don't have respect for the rules should be turned away from the ship's nicer restaurants. 

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"Bare minimum of effort, respect for rules, and low [self-respect] is more the norm now. Nice shorts or pants and a decent shirt aren’t THAT hard. So if you walk into the MDR in pool attire or looking like you rolled out of bed, you deserve to be turned away," they commented.