Pegs222 Posted September 15, 2009 #26 Share Posted September 15, 2009 DH and I discussed this on our cruise this weekend, and we've decided we're going to skip Elegant Night from now on. We always have such a great time at the Captain's Cocktail Parties, and it always ends up being a highlight of our cruise. The tiny lobster tail and 3 shrimp in the dining room, on the other hand, are just not worth packing dressy clothes for! We'll just head to Lido and eat there in our casual wear. Will anyone else skip elegant night since there's no need to get dressed up for the cocktail party? I do not dress up in my formal gown for a free drink, nor do I dress up in my formal gown for the food. I dress up in my formal gown because I want to and it is one of the few times my DH and I get to do that. No one forces you to eat the lobster. There are other things on the menu. The Prime Rib is very good, I had that last month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPete Posted September 15, 2009 #27 Share Posted September 15, 2009 The Cocktail Party is not over. It is the booze that is now offered at a discount. The FREE booze has been moved to the end of the week, to the farewell party. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cathy p Posted September 15, 2009 #28 Share Posted September 15, 2009 DH works at the shipyard and wears work clothes all the time for the 46 years he has been there. Normally he wears a tux but this time I said nope just a suit will be fine and I have nice dresses. Saving the really dress up Elegant nights for the Dream! I could care less if we meet the Captain.lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kebhouse Posted September 15, 2009 #29 Share Posted September 15, 2009 I've always found the Captain's Parties to be really lame. I'm certainly not going to skip Elegant night- I love to get dressed up! I do enjoy a free drink, so I'm sad that's gone. But it just gives me a good reason to skip the Captain's Party now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegs222 Posted September 15, 2009 #30 Share Posted September 15, 2009 DH works at the shipyard and wears work clothes all the time for the 46 years he has been there. Normally he wears a tux but this time I said nope just a suit will be fine and I have nice dresses. Saving the really dress up Elegant nights for the Dream! I could care less if we meet the Captain.lol We did not even meet the Capitan on the Spirit last month. The crew were brought up on the stage and introduced by the Capitan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazeleyez3 Posted September 15, 2009 #31 Share Posted September 15, 2009 I have never gone to the Captains Party, never attended a Past Guest Party, and couldn't care less about any pin. I enjoy dressing up, and my husband does like the lobster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imacruiser2 Posted September 15, 2009 #32 Share Posted September 15, 2009 We will continue to dress up, Captain's Party or not. Although I do enjoy meeting the Captain, getting my picture with him, I have a picture from all of our cruises and will continue to do so when I can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonniemari Posted September 15, 2009 #33 Share Posted September 15, 2009 I'll still be dressing up for formal night. I can't remember the last time I went to the Captain's party anyway-same for the past guest party-haven't done one of those in awhile either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Timmys_mom Posted September 15, 2009 #34 Share Posted September 15, 2009 The very first thing out of our son's mouth when we told him we had booked another cruise was "So you're going to get me a new tuxedo, right? Because the old one doesn't fit anymore."LOL! That is exactly what my boys would say, too. I wasn't dressing for the Captain's Party. I dressed up because I wanted to, so no, it won't change my plans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonniemari Posted September 15, 2009 #35 Share Posted September 15, 2009 After about 20 cruises we stopped going to the dining room and the Captain's parties. I prefer to eat mostly salads and fruit. (I gain less weight that way!) I also like the freedom of spending the two hours it normally takes to eat in the dining doing something else.:) That sounds good also-but my problem is I would probably spend those 2 extra hours in the casino. Formal night gives the DH a reason to wear that tux he bought a few years ago. He looks so handsome in it. I guess if I want to see that I will have to suck it up and wear those heels that kill my feet for a few hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judyzoo Posted September 15, 2009 #36 Share Posted September 15, 2009 Whether they have a captain's cocktail party or whether they serve free drinks there, has no effect on whether we dress for formal/elegant night. We always dress for those nights, party or not. The two are not at all connected, as far as I'm concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jljlinda Posted September 15, 2009 #37 Share Posted September 15, 2009 We sailed our 49th cruise (18th on Carnival) last week on the Glory. For the first time ever, we chose to skip the Captain's discounted Cocktail Party but chose to observe the dress code for the occassion nevertheless. My DW and I are of the opinion that Carnival is taking steps in these tough economic times to cut expenses in all ways possible including the elimination of free drinks at thr Party. (Incidentally, the welcome back party seemed not to be affected by any cutbacks.) We had a great trip and still believe that the overall cost was a bargain due to the great rate that we received when we booked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maraprince Posted September 15, 2009 #38 Share Posted September 15, 2009 A formal/elegant night by any name is an occasion to dress up! Since it is not something I get a chance to do often, I look forward to doing so on a cruise. If the formal/elegant night goes away, I would still dress up but not in a long dress. Part of the fun of being on a cruise is the formal/elegant nights and seeing how everyone "cleans up". If you don't like this, than maybe a cruise isn't for you. No one will force you to do it. But you could just as easily stay at a hotel and dress in shorts and flip flops for your entire vacation. Don't attempt to take away formal/elegant nights because you have to pay for a drink at the Capt.'s party. We don't sail for the free drinks. In my group, we are all non drinkers either by choice or for health reasons. I like to see who the Capt. and the officers are early on in the cruise so if I run into one, I will at least recognize who it is. The Capt.'s party and repeat cruisers party have led to us meeting passengers early on in the cruise and enjoy spending time with them during it. MARAPRINCE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blissed Out Posted September 15, 2009 #39 Share Posted September 15, 2009 I love formal night and even though I realized it was in conjunction with the Captains Party/free drinks we've never attended that soiree. Instead, we dress up, and stroll on the deck taking gorgeous pictures of the sunset, and admiring everyone else's pretty attire. For me to walk on the deck with my husband bedecked in his suit and tie is spectacular, as well as dressing up myself. It sort of feels like how it did the day we got married. We're taking our three teenagers on their first cruise in February and I'm so looking forward to them being dressed up with us and taking pictures of them. They are practicing their poses already. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mouche Posted September 15, 2009 #40 Share Posted September 15, 2009 Oh no!! Would not skip it, love dressing up on that night, plus this will be my then husband's 1st cruise. He does not drink, but I though he may enjoy the Captains Cocktail party anyway, I know I do.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruskatab Posted September 15, 2009 #41 Share Posted September 15, 2009 We have gone to the Captains parties and the welcome back parties. We like to dress up for formal because were such slobs at home and eat on the couch most nights being empty nesters. We bring our own booze and we buy drinks so the free drinks are nice but no big deal. We always do a dress up night on land vacations too. Its fun to do something different every once in awhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr0315 Posted September 15, 2009 #42 Share Posted September 15, 2009 Just off the Pride on Sunday. They still had both the Captain's Welcome Party and the past guest party AND both still had free drinks. When is the change supposed to occur? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hondu Posted September 15, 2009 #43 Share Posted September 15, 2009 Why miss the lobster and shrimp just because free booze is cancelled? Just a polo shirt and dockers gets you into the dining room. Much better than the buffet or meals in the cabin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joebat1 Posted September 15, 2009 #44 Share Posted September 15, 2009 Now that Good jeans & Good flip-flops are allowed in the dining room... no need to skip formal night... BYOFlask ~~!!~~ Now if they would only allow Tee's and leather biker vest in the MDR with already approved jeans & flip-flops..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joebat1 Posted September 15, 2009 #45 Share Posted September 15, 2009 What other freebies are they cutting out????:mad: Rumor mill has it's the free pizza, free hamburgers & hot dogs, and the free ice cream ~~!!~~ Charging for the shows are also under consideration..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carolin Posted September 15, 2009 #46 Share Posted September 15, 2009 I put on a cocktail dress and go to the party then to dinner. Never take any of the pictures. After dinner I'll either stay dressy or change to something more comfortable dependin on my news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sargent_Schultz Posted September 15, 2009 #47 Share Posted September 15, 2009 The only thing eliminated was the ability to skip dinner in the main dining room and attend two free cocktail hours on formal night, which some people were doing. The free cocktails on lobster night were replaced with free drinks on the last night of the cruise. I still plan on attending - at least for now. Hopefully some officers will show up so we can meet them and if there are fewer people competing for their attention, so much the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowan555 Posted September 15, 2009 Author #48 Share Posted September 15, 2009 Just off the Pride on Sunday. They still had both the Captain's Welcome Party and the past guest party AND both still had free drinks. When is the change supposed to occur? It just happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowan555 Posted September 15, 2009 Author #49 Share Posted September 15, 2009 The only thing eliminated was the ability to skip dinner in the main dining room and attend two free cocktail hours on formal night, which some people were doing. The free cocktails on lobster night were replaced with free drinks on the last night of the cruise. I still plan on attending - at least for now. Hopefully some officers will show up so we can meet them and if there are fewer people competing for their attention, so much the better. We always went to both parties AND dinner - and more than "some" people were doing it b/c the cruise directors TELL PEOPLE they can attend both! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare geoherb Posted September 15, 2009 #50 Share Posted September 15, 2009 If I were to sail on Carnival again, I'd definitely miss the free drinks at the captain's cocktail party. Just like I wouldn't invite my friends to a party and then charge them for drinks, I don't think the captain should either. But I would still bring my tuxedo to wear to the dining room. That's my dining place of preference for all my meals. And I don't have many chance at home to wear my tux without looking like Seinfeld on Leno last night--overdressed for the occasion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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