That ship has sailed.
Norwegian Cruise Line is facing a torrent of backlash after appearing to tighten its once-laid-back dining dress code rules, which some furious travelers declared “idiotic.”
Passengers hoping to dine inside six of the ship’s ritzy restaurants — Palomar, Ocean Blue, Onda, Cagney’s, Le Bistro and Haven — are banned from wearing shorts and flip-flops, according to its policy page.
The popular cruise line, which expects to host 3 million guests across 34 ships in 2025, champions a “freestyle cruising” culture where travelers can wear casual attire at certain restaurants.
The apparent wardrobe crackdown was not welcomed by customers of the cruise line, which touts itself as “a leading global cruise company.”
“Been on 15 cruises with Norwegian, loved the relaxed style. Tell the fuddy daddies where to go. You will lose me as a customer going to this NEW IDIOTIC RULE,” one Facebook user raged.
“How does someone else wearing flip flops have any impact on you?” a Redditor asked, responding to someone who appeared to welcome the rule change.
“No shorts or flip flops in the Haven is not a fair or reasonable change, especially for Summer/hot weather ports,” a third traveler claimed.
“I straight up don’t agree that shorts are inappropriate or informal. I am team ‘Resort wear for vacations.’”
Another furious traveler described the policy crackdown as “seriously dumb.”
“Casual dining was a big plus for me with NCL,” they added.
“Dressing up on vacation for dinner in 90 degrees heat locations is stupid.”
Norwegian cruise passengers were also banned from wearing clothes bearing offensive material and images.
Guests have also been warned that they might not be allowed to wear tank tops, hoodies, robes, baseball caps or ripped jeans.
But travelers can still dress casually when eating in the buffet and other specialty restaurants, according to the cruise line.
Some restaurants on board ships have a smart-casual dress code, which means men and women can wear jeans.
Children under 12 can also wear shorts in restaurants, according to the company.
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