Acceptable attire for formal night

[CrusinNewbie656]

what is allowed for my kids to wear for formal night? Is tennis shoes ok are dress dress required? Also can they wear nice khaki shorts or had to be pants. They are 13 &17 year old boys

[jcdean]

Looking forward to the answer to this also. My boys are 10 and 14

 

 

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[CA_Cruzing]

we've always made our sons wear at least khakis with a collared shirt of some sort and either shoes or clean/like new flip flops.

 

Carnival formal nights run the full gamut; from very dressy dresses for ladies and men in suits and ties, all the way to very clean-cut kids in pressed shorts with a polo shirt wearing new/clean tennis shoes with socks.

 

my own recoo is to avoid looking like you came from working in the fields, beach, or digging ditches. clean and neat appears to work for all.

 

here's a link to a google search showing people's posted pics: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=carnival+formal+night+family+pics&iax=1&ia=images

[Ahays00]

My cousins 2 boys were not allowed to dine in khakis with Polo shirts. Had to be pants. They were turned away.

 

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[JAMST3RZ]

I think if the kids are under 10 shorts & flip flops should be fine but 10+ they should wear full length pants and closed shoes, tennis shoes should be ok as long as they are not bright neon.

 

 

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[Havingfun2010]

Carnival does not have a formal night, and it is now the cruise line of I make up my own rules and anything goes. However, kids have the same dress code as adults. So if the dress code was to be formal, it would be expected that they would wear a suit, including a tie, and trust me, they won't die, get strangled or be uncomfortable if the clothes are the proper size. My kids always were suits when it was appropriate. They also had shoes to wear.

[CA_Cruzing]

here's two pics: http://www.aloneontheweb.com/images/photos/cruise-01.jpg

https://candietravels.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/dscn2151.jpg

 

i've seen this style/attire many times in the MDR on formal night on multiple cruises.

[teknoge3k]

My kids don't even own a suit and tie. Khakis and polo is perfectly acceptable for both adults and kids.

 

 

You will see people dressed like this and some older folks dressed with a tie and jacket on. Personally this is how my boy and myself dress.

[CA_Cruzing]

what is allowed for my kids to wear for formal night? Is tennis shoes ok are dress dress required? Also can they wear nice khaki shorts or had to be pants. They are 13 &17 year old boys

 

one thing to consider is that formal night is a huge pictures night with many families electing to take a family photo for keepsake. there are usually a few different scenes set up by the onboard picture company.

 

if you're seeking to buy one of these family photos, you might want to consider getting more dressed up if you're seeking to create a family memory.

 

Carnival cruisers are from a diverse background and are usually more casual than say a Holland American cruiser. Celebrity cruisers tend to be more modern in their dress and do dress up more than the Carnival cruiser.

 

you're going to get a full spectrum of responses here with some people complaining about how lack of formal Carnival is.

 

err on the side of caution and dress them up more than dress them down. especially if you want a family photo for the collection to remember the cruise by.

[bar1068]

My cousins 2 boys were not allowed to dine in khakis with Polo shirts. Had to be pants. They were turned away.

 

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Really, what ship was this and when? Polos and khakis have been acceptable on elegant nights for years...

[Monalis]

Really, what ship was this and when? Polos and khakis have been acceptable on elegant nights for years...

Maybe she mentioned khaki shorts.

 

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[SadieN]

Sneakers are fine to wear. If it (kind of) bothers you, they can be black sneakers.

 

Way back in college (when Vans only had a store or two), the guys would buy black slip-on Vans for our fall and spring dances.

 

 

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[ABQrobin]

Cruise Elegant nights are BIG photo nights for most people, couples, and families. They dress up, sometimes matching outfits, and get the photos prior to dinner. The photographers are set up everywhere on the ship. It is really cool to see the families posing, some look amazing! It is fun regardless. Keep that in mind....if you want a photo, bring clothes for it.

 

We saw a few people turned away on the Magic a few weeks ago who showed up on Elegant night in shorts. It all depends on the staff and how sloppy people look.

As far as other nights -- We also saw on a regular dress night a guy told to go to room and change as he was wearing a tank top. Not allowed in main dining room any night.

We saw some teens get turned away from the dining room who showed up on a regular dress night because they were wearing gym shorts and swimsuits...can't believe they thought they could come in to eat. They were told to go to the Lido buffet.

 

So it is NOT come however you want like some people imply. There are standards.....except the first night when many people haven't gotten their luggage, so no dress code at dinner. Every other night, people are expected to dress up a bit.

[GradUT]

Here's the word from Carnival itself. You'll see that khakis and Polo shirts aren't included for "Elegant Night", but your sons won't be turned away wearing them. However, they likely will be turned away if they are in shorts, even khaki shorts.

 

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1093/~/what-to-wear---evenings

[Sooner-Cruisers]

Old Navy is great option for affordable pants and button up shirts, they are doing 30% off right now & free shipping over $50. They can wear the same outfit to each formal night.

[CJHAN]

My kids don't even own a suit and tie. Khakis and polo is perfectly acceptable for both adults and kids.

 

 

You will see people dressed like this and some older folks dressed with a tie and jacket on. Personally this is how my boy and myself dress.

The same goes for me and my boy.

 

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[jayscore]

As I have said before, I used to wear a sport jacket, button down shirt, tie, dress pants, and leather shined up shoes. Then, I forgot my tie(s), and all was accepted. Now, it's a button down shirt, cardigan sweater, tie (maybe), and khakis, with leather shoes.

I do believe CCL knows and concedes to the fact that air travel restricts how much you might be able to pack.

All I can say is try to look "sharp" and not sloppy for the now Elegant night.;)

[bUU]

My cousins 2 boys were not allowed to dine in khakis with Polo shirts. Had to be pants. They were turned away.

What distinction did they make between khakis and pants?

[KevnSue]

My cousins 2 boys were not allowed to dine in khakis with Polo shirts. Had to be pants. They were turned away.

 

What distinction did they make between khakis and pants?

I believe there might be a minor misconception/regional difference in definition: my traditional understanding of "khakis" is that they are long pants, often (but not restricted to), tan or similar light colors. They are generally a non-ironed material, somewhere on the formality scale between jeans and slacks.

 

I also know some people refer to a tan color pant/shorts as being khaki.

 

Bottom line for this conversation is that SHORTS are typically disallowed on Formal night.

 

Not trying to be fashion police or say anyone is wrong here (and I apologize if it sounds at all like I am saying that!) - just trying to help delineate!

 

(And IMO, I prefer to be around somewhat dressy folks that night - although I didn't wear a tie, I did wear a dress shirt, slacks, and a sport coat - but I understand that not everyone wants to, so I've learned to be more forgiving. When you get down to it, it's a pretty petty thing to let lessen your vacation!)

[bUU]

I believe there might be a minor misconception/regional difference in definition: my traditional understanding of "khakis" is that they are long pants, often (but not restricted to), tan or similar light colors. They are generally a non-ironed material, somewhere on the formality scale between jeans and slacks. I also know some people refer to a tan color pant/shorts as being khaki.

Makes sense. The word khaki is a type of fabric, but from there the word has been used both to refer to pants made from the fabric and anything that is the natural color of that fabric. I think is it safe to assume that the cruise line doesn't care about the fabric itself, and surely doesn't care about the color.

[Boston Mom]

 

My cousins 2 boys were not allowed to dine in khakis with Polo shirts. Had to be pants. They were turned away.

 

 

 

That surprises me on Carnival. One of the reason we chose Carnival for our family cruise is that it allows my two boys (ages 15 and 16) to be a little less formal as they really don't like to get dressed up. They don't own suits and I am not going to spend a ton of money on something that they will wear once.

 

That said - I definitely get it about not looking like a bum in the MDR. For formal nights my boys will be wearing tan dress pants, white or light blue button downs, nice belts, and Sperrys. Not sure about ties - I plan on bringing them. For the cruise casual nights they will probably have khaki shorts and the Sperrys, with either a nice polo or a Hawaiian shirt.

 

We've had several family members and friends that have cruised Carnival with kids and I don't know any of them that have bought their boys suits or even sport coats.

[Staceman225]

We usually only dress up (suit, tie, etc) for weddings and funerals. These are arguably the same thing. With that said, I like formal night. It gives us a reason to dress up for a happy occasion. I usually match my tie with the wife's dress.

 

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[coevan]

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/khaki

 

Over the years Khaki became generic to pants, but it is actually a color or a kind of fabric

[angiem0217]

You are not supposed to wear shorts but I doubt they will turn you away. That's the one night we like to dress up and take pictures, it's always fun to get dressed up. Buy your 10 year old a cute bow tie. My son is 10 and we always make him wear a tie that night. He actually enjoys it. We just got off the Fantasy on Monday and this was our elegant night.

 

 

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[Sweet Dutch Girl]

Wear what you want...if it is inappropriate Carnival (not the women at the next table) may suggest that you eat else where or change or clothes. If the staff doesn't say anything then you are good to have dinner.

 

Most other passengers would appreciate you being clean and groomed and not flaunting all your body parts. Use your best judgment, I am sure you know how to dress for a public dinner in a nice dining room.