Formal night attire help for a newbie!

[evilbutterfly]

Hey guys, I'm going on my first cruise in May on the Carnival Breeze. It's a 6 night cruise so we have two formal nights, my question is what is the normal attire on this ship for formal night long or short dresses? Any suggestions would be helpful, or pictures of what any of you have worn on this cruise or similar ship. Thanks!

[okgirl]

Hey guys, I'm going on my first cruise in May on the Carnival Breeze. It's a 6 night cruise so we have two formal nights, my question is what is the normal attire on this ship for formal night long or short dresses? Any suggestions would be helpful, or pictures of what any of you have worn on this cruise or similar ship. Thanks!

 

It's called Elegant evening now.

 

You will see everything from office casual (pants and a top), to pants and a sparkly top, to go to church dresses, to cocktail dresses, to long gowns.

 

Men wear everything from, slacks and a polo style shirt, or a collard shirt with/without a tie, to a sport coat with/without a tie, to a suit, to a tux.

 

Some will probably say they've seen shorts and stuff on elegant evening, but I've cruised a lot and I've never seen anyone in the dining room on that night dressed inappropriately.

 

The 1st formal night will be Monday and the 2nd will be Thursday.

[grumpyjr88]

My last cruise had 2 formal nights and I wore a long ball gown the first night and a cocktail dress the 2nd. You will see people dressed in everything from casual to white tie, even at the same table.

[Javajoni]

In my experience: A nice black skirt. A jeweled top. Some glitzy jewelry. Simple but elegant sandals (like jeweled thong type). Can all be mixed and matched with casual wear for any time on the ship, but works well for formal night and on nights when you dine at the table. Smart mixing and matching means less luggage.

[HappyAboard]

Everyone's opinion's vary, so you can't go wrong staying in the middle with a dress shirt, tie, jacket for men and a cocktail dress for women.

[cbell21219]

Can't go wrong!!!

 

[dubois]

Can't go wrong!!!

 

 

I actually saw the Maitre D' on the Freedom refuse entry to someone wearing a similar shirt.

[cbell21219]

I actually saw the Maitre D' on the Freedom refuse entry to someone wearing a similar shirt.

 

Lol, won't be long before formal nights on a Carnival ship are things only the old people remember in their dreams.

[Fern Crest]

The advice from the others here is perfect. Khakis and a polo shirt all the way to tuxedos (I did see one gentlemen in white tie ... very nice looking!), and slacks/skirt with a pretty top all the way to evening gowns (though we only saw a couple of those).

 

However, we were directly behind two men in (badly wrinkled) cargo shorts, one had a polo shirt, one had a dark t-shirt, and those were also badly wrinkled. They sailed right past the door, and no one said anything, sadly.

[Paumavista]

Seriously.....when do you ever wear a long or fancy dress anymore? - I've even borrowed a friends prom and bridesmaid dresses - I had admired them and both girls had only worn them once and were very pleased I wanted to wear them! They were beautiful and I felt like "queen for an evening".

 

My husband just wears a jacket and tie and my teen boys are basically just button shirt and tie guys....but my daughter and I go all out for the fun of it!

 

After dinner my daughter and I will sit in a main hall way and people watch - we pick our favorites and we ALWAYS make a point of complimenting those who have dressed up beautifully for the evening (we like tasteful dressing for age and figure); isn't it nice when we get compliments from complete strangers.....? Luv it!!

[PortSideCruzan]

Hey guys, I'm going on my first cruise in May on the Carnival Breeze.

It's a 6 night cruise so we have two formal nights, my question is what is the normal attire on this ship for formal night long or short dresses?

Any suggestions would be helpful, or pictures of what any of you have worn on this cruise or similar ship. Thanks!

 

Hi Evilbutterfly :)

 

From Carnivals website:

http://www.carnival.com/core/faq.aspx

 

Cruise Elegant Dining Dress Code:

Gentlemen - Dress slacks, dress shirts. We also suggest a sport coat. If

you wish to wear suits and ties or tuxedos, by all means we invite you to

do so.

 

Ladies - Cocktail dresses, pantsuits, elegant skirts and blouses; if

you‘d like to show off your evening gowns, that's great too!

 

Not permitted in the dining room during the Cruise Elegant dinner for ladies

and gentlemen: shorts, gym shorts, T-shirts, beach flip-flops, bathing suit

attire, jeans, cut-off jeans, sleeveless shirts for men, sportswear, and

baseball hats.

 

 

:)

[fireman935]

I know it is called formal night per say!! Just a let you know they do FREE photo sittings ow of course you have pay for the pictures but there is no sitting fee. But my opinion it is your vacation so I say wear what you want. I have dressed up jeans before and khakis with a button up shirt. I fill I paid to be here I can enjoy my vacation as I please I have to wear a uniform at work and I am not a big fan of playing dress up so NICE blue jeans and a Nice shirt If and when I go to the MDR for dinner. But to be honest my last couple cruises MDR service was slow and food quality was not that great so we have opted to just eat on the lido.

[wbc12345]

You should feel free to be as dressy as you would like! I find most people are more formal on the first elegant night than the second. For the first, I wear a more formal dress (more formal than something I would wear at home to a nice dinner, but not exactly a prom dress either) and my husband wears a suit. On the second elegant night, I usually wear a short cocktail dress and my husband wears slacks and a button down with tie (no jacket).

 

You can't go wrong, unless you wear jeans/shorts. Dress as formal as you like, because the degree of formality will change every cruise. Good luck!

[Prinycesa07]

I always do a little black dress, husband does black pants and button up white shirt, 4 yr old daughter goes all out because she loves dressing up and 3 yr old son wears black pants and a button up.

[Smiling Cruiser]

Lol, won't be long before formal nights on a Carnival ship are things only the old people remember in their dreams.

 

LOL it doesn't take as long as you think to become the "old people". :eek: :D

[Mysticks1]

Hey guys, I'm going on my first cruise in May on the Carnival Breeze. It's a 6 night cruise so we have two formal nights, my question is what is the normal attire on this ship for formal night long or short dresses? Any suggestions would be helpful, or pictures of what any of you have worn on this cruise or similar ship. Thanks!

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic - As some of the others have said it can really vary a lot. I would say if you are a dress up kind of person then wear long or short, whichever you already have in your closet or what you would love to wear. I usually do the dressy mix and match pants and tops. I just don't enjoy dressing up anymore and don't want to carry a lot of extra clothes.

[Gingee]

Over the years since we started cruising, it has really become more casual. Our first couple years we wore formals (which I thought was fun). Now I just wear a dressy dress. Husband doesn't do a jacket any more.

 

Do what you want.

[T. Advisor King]

One more vote for "wear more or less what you want". If you want to be dressy, you'll be on the high end of that scale. If you want to wear something much more casual, you'll still fit right in.

 

In my experience, the "dressiness" quotient is higher for the late seating and lower for the early seating. It also tends to be less dressy in the warmer months and during peak family vacation times.

[OCruisers]

Hey guys, I'm going on my first cruise in May on the Carnival Breeze. It's a 6 night cruise so we have two formal nights, my question is what is the normal attire on this ship for formal night long or short dresses? Any suggestions would be helpful, or pictures of what any of you have worn on this cruise or similar ship. Thanks!

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic and the Wonderful World of Cruising! :)

 

As others have said, just wear something you'd wear to a decent restaurant at home on elegant nights.

 

Have a fantastic cruise! :D

 

LuLu

~~~~

[ccruisequeen]

For my upcoming 7-day, I will wear the same sparkly blouse and Jersey slacks, but change it up by adding a sparkly jacket.

Edited February 6, 2014 by ccruisequeen

[Cruisin 4 Ever]

It's called Elegant evening now.

 

You will see everything from office casual (pants and a top), to pants and a sparkly top, to go to church dresses, to cocktail dresses, to long gowns.

 

Men wear everything from, slacks and a polo style shirt, or a collard shirt with/without a tie, to a sport coat with/without a tie, to a suit, to a tux.

 

Some will probably say they've seen shorts and stuff on elegant evening, but I've cruised a lot and I've never seen anyone in the dining room on that night dressed inappropriately.

 

The 1st formal night will be Monday and the 2nd will be Thursday.

 

Agreed, I just finished a cruise and I was impressed with how nicely people dressed for dinner. Some posters make it sound like people show up in their bathing suits. That doesn't happen, especially on elegant night. Most men were wearing suits or tuxes. A few wore just slacks, shirts and ties. And hte ladies were just as you describe

[sjcarter407]

I am going to follow this since I will be on my first cruise in June. Am I the only one that pictures Katniss Everdeen in her gold blouse and black slacks as the perfect outfit for the second formal night? Just me? Alright, I am crazy. :D