I wouldn't bet on them looking the other way. I have seen people sent to change of Royal Carib and Holland America.

We did a 16 day TA on HAL and met a really nice guy in the casino. He brought only shorts so went up to the buffet every night. We ended up there too as the food in the MDR was not very good.

We just did a 15 night Panama Canal crossing on Disney.. We wore shorts to dinner every night (even formal) with the exception of our visit to Palo, the upcharge restaurant. I am on vacation in a hot climate, dressing up was not on my agenda. Obviously your cruise line may vary in policy.

I'm a Royal Caribben cruiser. While I have seen the policy enforced on longer cruises, I can tell you that the dress code is a lot more lax on the 3 & 4 night cruises like the OP's. It's just a completely different atmosphere on those cruises than on other cruises. So it is possible that the staff may allow shorts in the dining room on the OP's cruise (even though the stated policy says no shorts). But since it's not a definite he does need to throw a pair of pants in his bag.

Crazyhotelguy, yes the policy is different on other lines and enforcement levels can even vary among ships. Some cruiselines even have rules where you can't use most of the public areas after a certain time in the evening unless you are dressed up.

thanks for everyone's help i'll be packing some white khakis and some brown oxfords. I'll throw a polo shirt on if I feel it's starting to get a little fancy.

Cant wait for the trip. Thanks for the patience and just have a few more questions that i couldnt find by researching.

Is there a brick and mortar store that sells the camera cases where I can put my digicam and take pictures underwater? I ordered one from amazon but i dont think it is going to come in time. I've tried Walmart instore and looked on best buy's site and couldnt find it.

I've done some side research and found that people were raving about the cabinettes and cabanas on coco cay. Can I book a cabinette after i get on board? I also did not order any drinks can I get that on board (we are getting the $6.50/day soft drink cup for each of us)? We have yet to book anything yet and i noticed the site wouldnt let me book because it's too close to the date.

How much are ATM fees on board? We are planning on bringing ~1000 USD but just wanted to know in case overspend and need to withdraw more. Wondering if we should just bring 2k but am wary about carrying that much cash even though we have a safe in room.

Any tips on bringing wine in checked luggage? I noticed a lot of people wrap it in clothes and put it somewhere in the middle? 2 bought 2 bottles of wine but I'm thinking about returning it and just buying by the glass on board because of all the horror stories about breakage and leaking onto other people's luggage etc. Or is there a chance to buy wine anywhere in between FLL via SAS transport to port of Miami? I highly doubt that SAS would let us stop at a liquor store.

Yes you can buy the drink packages once you board. As soon as you board there will be tables from all the main departments advertising things like drink packages, spa treatments, kids clubs (not that you need that one), etc. I think you can also buy them from the bars but don't quote me on that one as I don't use the drink packages myself.

As to the wine, if you want to bring two bottles onboard it needs to be in your carryon when you board the ship, not your checked baggage. For flying, I always wrap in bubble wrap, put in a large ziploc bag, and then put in the middle of a pile of clothes. No issues ever (this is for coming home, but it will work the same way going to the ship). When you get to FLL, make sure to take the wine out of your checked bag and put in your carryon.

I think the ATM charges are something like $6, and the machines can run out of cash/not be working. You can also get cash from the cashier in the casino - I think the percentage there is 3%. And I believe you can cash checks at guest relations. I'd say $1,000 cash should be more than enough for a short cruise. If you need more, I think the fees for the ATM or the Casino are worth it rather than carrying large amounts of cash.

Sorry I haven't been to CocoCay since they added the cabanas so no advice there.

This will be fine for this ship.

One tip for boarding the ship, when you arrive at the pier have your passport, setsail pass (or documents), credit card, and a pen readily available (you usually have to fill out a health questionare and sometimes some other documents). To enter the terminal you will have to show your passport and setsail pass at least once, if not a few times, so just have it in your hand. Also, you will go through a brief security check before you proceed to check in - metal detector, baggage scanner, kind of like it was going through airport security before 9/11. No shoes off thankfully, but make sure there isn't anything metal in your pockets before you get there.

And just in case I forget, have a great cruise.

We always board a couple of hours before they tell you to board and have a nice lunch and relax. You might not be able to get in your cabin but they'll announce when you can.

thanks all! we are very excited and i know we'll have a great time!