Norwegian Cruise Line is asking guests to lose the flip-flops when dining at certain specialty restaurants.
NCL recently updated its dress code, and shorts and flip-flops are not permitted at six dining venues: Palomar, Ocean Blue, Onda, Cagney's Steakhouse, Le Bistro and, at dinner only, Haven Restaurant.
"These adjustments allow our guests to better understand the dining experience they can expect in advance of their dining reservations, making for a smoother experience for all on board," a spokesperson for the cruise line said.
Packing recommendations on the website describe the line's more upscale specialty restaurants as having a smart-casual dress code.
"For women, it includes slacks or jeans, dresses, skirts and tops," it says. "For men, it's jeans or slacks with a collared shirt and closed-toed shoes. Kids 12 and under are welcome to wear shorts in all our restaurants."
The dress code change comes shortly after NCL debuted a television ad that highlights how it welcomes guests to wear flip-flops to dinner.
Virgin Voyages cheekily jumped in on the chatter by announcing that its dress code will remain informal. In the form of a letter, it wrote that "despite extensive internal discussion, we have been unable to ban open-toed footwear from our restaurants."
It signed the letter, "With love and zero dress code."