How do you dress for Cruise dinners?

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rhonda d

The first thing to remember is that you're on vacation and you are aboard one of our "Fun Ships" to have a good time. The second thing to remember is to travel light. If you keep those two things in mind, you should do just fine.

Casual attire and resort wear is the order of the day both on board and in port. Shorts, slacks, sundresses, blouses, etc., are in line for women. Clothing for men is just as casual. You should bring a pair of rubber-soled sandals or sneakers to wear on deck and a pair of good walking shoes. You might also want to consider bringing along a sweater or jacket for cool evenings and inexpensive rain gear in case of a sudden shower. Women may want to bring along a hat or scarf. You'll have a chance to dress up on two nights during 7 day or longer cruises (one night on shorter cruises) for the Captain's Cocktail Party and the Gala Farewell Dinner. On the other evenings you can dress casually for dinner (no shorts or tank tops).

For those not wanting to dress up, the Lido Restaurants are open nightly and have a casual dress code. Formal Wear: tuxedo; suit and tie; sport coat, tie and slacks; evening gown; cocktail dress; pantsuit Casual Resort Wear: sport shirts and slacks; dresses; skirts; pantsuit; Capri pants NOTE: Shorts, t-shirts, tank tops and bathing attire are not permitted in the Dining Room during dinner.

kingsgirl

The cruise line should inform you what night's are formal nights for dinner and which are casual nights (usually, on a 3-4 night cruise it is 1 formal night, on a 7-12 night cruise, 2-3 formal nights).
A lot of places will tell you that you need a formal gown for formal nights. A nice dress will do perfectly....only a hand full of people get really dressed up in gowns and tux's. On Casual evenings, dress slacks/skirt (no jeans), and a nice top would be appropriate.
So I suggest not to over dress and feel like the odd one out...hope you have a wonderful time!

quinner_64

My last cruise had two formal nights (a seven day cruise) I wore a longer black skirt and dressy top. The rest of the time, nicer skirts, gauchos, Capri's. Just no shorts and small tank tops. Have a great trip. I know I did!

Princess Buttercup

Carnival Cruises tend to be a little more casual than some other cruise lines, but generally, here's what you'll need to know:

Yes, you do 'dress' for dinner.

Normal nights would be
nice skirt and clean shirt (I'm a big fan of boho skirts and a nice Tank or T or Polo)
A pair of slacks and a nice shirt (no jeans, no tanks)
A sundress
Jeans and Shorts are typically not permitted in the dining room.

On a 7 day cruise, there are typically two formal nights. Formal can mean anything from a little black dress to an evening gown. Bring something that travels well, that you can dress up with heels, and that will be dressy enough for you to feel comfortable around men in full suits and tuxes. Irons are NOT in the staterooms and there is a fee to have items ironed, so bring something that will not be ruined from travelling. I basically always shoot for cocktail attire - midlength black dress, black or silver heels and some flashy jewelry.

I'll link to some examples below. Have Fun!!!

_me_

For formal nights I recommend you wear a cocktail or floor length dress, or a very dressy pantsuit. These are your nights to shine, and most women wear something silky and/or sparkly. The other nights at dinner you can wear a nice pants outfit or a more casual dress. No jeans, shorts or skorts.

During the day, shorts and tees or tank tops are fine (assuming you are going to warm weather). Pack two swim suits so you never have to put on a wet one - you will have one hanging up to dry and one to wear.

Don't forget lots of film or digital camera memory and extra batteries. A disposable underwater camera is fun if you plan to do any snorkeling.

Have a great time!

beadtheway

I just went on my first cruise a few months ago - it was fun!
Ours was a 7-day, and 2 of the nights were formal dinners. So take 3 changes of formal wear just in case. And of course for women, formal wear can simply mean something a little dressier like you would wear to a club.The others were casual acceptable and/or some type of theme.
Advice? Get a feel for all the activities during the cruise you'll want to take advantage of and plan accordingly.

pooh bear

Mainstream cruise lines used to always have one or two dress-up nights on a seven-day cruise where passengers would wear formal or semi-formal attire.
Along with the general trend towards more relaxed dress, some cruise lines have started to feature "resort casual" or "country club casual" dress every night. On these ships, they probably won't care if you want to be more formal, but you might feel awkward if you showed up without a tie for a semi-formal dinner on a more traditional ship. If you want to eat dinner in jeans, shorts, or very casual attire, you need to look towards small sailing ships like Windjammer of have dinner in your cabin or in one of the casual buffets most mainstream ships hav

Look at the brochure and Web Site pictures and read the brochures/schedules carefully on ships that you are considering.

If all of the pictures of people dining show everyone in semi-formal wear, then you will want to take along either your black suit, tux or white dinner jacket. Ladies will need either a silky suit, cocktail dress, or something "glittery." If you want to leave that tie and other semi-formal wear at home, then look for cruise ships with more relaxed dress for dinner.

soupgirljess

Theres a formal night and then theres just basic. It should say on the website. because i am going on the same cruise it will be my 4th

OK...how long is your cruise? The longer it is, the more "formal nights" you'll have. Just ask your friend to find out how many formal nights there are (you don't want to be underdressed) For these formal nights, you'd want to wear a nice cocktail dress (long or knee length is fine). You will have people that go over the top & other's that are simply "dressed up"...Then on the remaining nights, wear what makes you feel comfortable. I usually wore sundresses or capri pants w/ cute top. The biggest concern in clothing is the "formal nights"...Think of what you'd wear to a wedding, and that should be appropriate for formal night

I_M

I went on a Royal Carribean Cruise and most women as well as myself were dressed in skirts (knee length) and nice top. It's not some over the top wear.

Then again, I saw pictures of my parents on the Carnival ship dinners and they were dressed fancy...My mom would wear gowns, but that was back in the 80's.

So as long as you have a nice skirt and a fancy top you'll be fine...

Long skirt with tank top.

Evening night gown

Yarn Junkie

For formal nights I usually wear a gown, but almost anything except jeans or shorts is accepted. It really depends on what you feel comfortable in. A nice skirt and top, or dress slacks and top are fine, just go a little dressier on formal nights. Think New Year's Eve. If you don't like to dress up, you can always go to the buffet.. Ask your friend and her Mom to go shopping with you to help pick out appropriate wear. You will LOVE Carnival--my favorite line! It is a vacation--have fun! Check their site--they can probably give you information as well.
www.carnival.com

BrEd

whtever you want!!!!

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