Cruise passengers hoping for an invitation to the Captain's Table could be in for a long wait. The age-old tradition is on its way out as cruise lines try to move away from cruising's stuffy image and attract younger clients.

Norwegian Cruise Line has led the way with its Freestyle Cruising concept which is aimed at people who don't want to dress up for dinner or be told where to sit.

The cruise line says it wants to move away from the formal, two-sitting, banquet-style dining which is common on many larger cruise ships.

As well as introducing a casual dress code, NCL says it will offer passengers a greater choice of restaurants, meals cooked to order, open seating and extended hours in the main dining room. Rather than being assigned to a specific table for the duration of the cruise, passengers can request a different table every night and choose their own dinner companions.

On board activities will also reflect the changing interests of passengers. Old favourites such as bridge and birdwatching will make way for computing and yoga.

The concept has already been introduced on Norwegian Sky and Norwegian Majesty and there are plans to extend it to the rest of the fleet before next April.

Head of sales Nick Sharps said: 'There's a huge potential market for cruising but many people are put off because they see it as too regimented and stuffy. We wanted to introduce a more relaxed, resort-style option and the feedback has been excellent so far.'