When is formal/elegant night - and what do men wear?

[First and Ten]

"Fun" filled post I truncated. Wear pants. The rest is just details. Cruise Elegant night means khakis and a polo or Tommy Bahama shirt and casual shoes or sandals. Casual nights the khakis go in the closet and shorts come out with the same style shirt and sandals.

 

Thirty-seven cruises in the past forty-one years, it's been casual on Carnival for more than a decade.

 

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Ball, I agree with that...."dress up" to Carnival consists of slacks and a collared shirt for men....that's no big deal, combine that with they only ask you to "dress up" 2 nights out of 7....yet people still want to push that envelope....I don't get it

[cloudninecat]

Being married to a teacher we could only cruise in the summer. Why in earth any man would want to wear a full suit in 100 degree heat is beyond me. The days yore are not coming back. Cruising is getting more casual.

I'm usually freezing in the dining room. Never has my husband been uncomfortable and he always wears a suit and tie on cruise elegant nights. If you don't want to wear a suit then don't. While I wish more would dress up, it doesn't negatively affect my cruise if they don't. If it were still tux and formal evening gowns I'd be skipping the MDR on that night myself.

[cherbear4000]

My husband has not brought a suit on a cruise in years. He usually wears dress pants and a dress shirt, although this year he may just wear khakis and a polo.

[cyberjoys]

The biggest reason my husband no longer takes a suit or sport coat is we often extend our traveling beyond just the cruise dates. This time our 11 day cruise will get stretched to 10 extra days in Europe. We are going to pack as light as we can to permit easy train travel in Europe. I get the feeling most people are packing lighter these days. It just keeps the journey less stressful and easier to manage. We can keep the dressing up for events closer to home in my humble opinion. And we can still manage to look sharp :)

[fuddrules]

The biggest reason my husband no longer takes a suit or sport coat is we often extend our traveling beyond just the cruise dates. This time our 11 day cruise will get stretched to 10 extra days in Europe. We are going to pack as light as we can to permit easy train travel in Europe. I get the feeling most people are packing lighter these days. It just keeps the journey less stressful and easier to manage. We can keep the dressing up for events closer to home in my humble opinion. And we can still manage to look sharp :)

 

Same

[BallFour4]

Ball, I agree with that...."dress up" to Carnival consists of slacks and a collared shirt for men....that's no big deal, combine that with they only ask you to "dress up" 2 nights out of 7....yet people still want to push that envelope....I don't get it

I misunderstood your direction, my mistake.

 

When Carnival came to Galveston in 2001 and we returned to cruising after the Disney decade 2/3 of the dining room had a jacket and tie for dinner with a random tux here or there. We cruised 2-3 times a year after that and once the shorts on casual night guideline was the norm then for all practical purposes it was lots more casual.

 

Personally, I'd like to see pants required for dinner every night and have no Cruise Elegant. I'd go with the attire I described earlier. It's just as comfortable and we can change to shorts after dinner. I've worn a suit or scrubs to work for thirty-five years, and when Carnival says shorts are OK, then what someone else posts or thinks is of no consequence for me.

 

We cruised four times from Galveston just in the past twelve months, and with the exception of the Welcome Aboard Show at 7:30pm we had time to have dinner, change to workout gear and get a bike ride in the gym prior to the show. We broke all social norms by going to the show as we were a couple of nights. The other nights we had time for a shower and shorts, a sweatshirt and leather flip-flops were our theater attire of choice.

 

There are some that think a Emily Post lesson on Cruise Critic will make Carnival change their policies back, but we know that's not going to happen. Looks like we'd both settle for enforcement of what's there!

 

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[mamiamjo]

I'm going with Khakis and Polo shirt so I don't have to bring a pair of dress shoes.

[riclop]

We're going on a five night cruise, with sea days on the first full day and the fourth full day. Any way to find out when formal night will be? I assume there will be photo taking opportunities?

 

Also, can men get away with a shirt and tie and dress pants, or do most men wear suits?

 

Thanks.

Anything goes on Carnival including shorts.

[bUU]

My personal standards??????

No. What I wrote was "some random person's personal standards" not your personal standards. Please go back and read my comment as it was written, for understanding. I was explaining to you what people actually object to:

 

"What I've seen people taking as an affront is the claim that they should eat at the buffet if they don't dress to meet some random poster's personal standards for what people should be wearing, standards that either apply cruise line suggestions as requirements or otherwise exceed the minimum requirements the cruise line sets forth."

 

That's what I've seen people taking as an affront, the negative insinuations that some other passenger makes about their decision to *minimally* comply (but still comply).

 

It's hot, I'm on vacation, I wear at work, I'm retired, I'm this, I'm that, luggage fees, no room to pack, it get's wrinkled, etc etc are all excuses, and not reasons for keeping the philosophy it's my vacation and no one will tell me what to do.

How about, "It is not required." Do you consider that an "excuse". (If so, you would be self identifying as one of the folks that I referred to above.)

 

This message may have been entered using voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

Edited June 28, 2017 by bUU

[cyberjoys]

I'm going with Khakis and Polo shirt so I don't have to bring a pair of dress shoes.

 

Exactly my husband's plan. Men's shoes are bulky and heavy - he's trying to lighten things up. The dress shoes are going to stay home this trip. But like I said before - we'll still look sharp :)