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Elegant Dress?

leitmotif

By leitmotif,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Giantfan13

Giantfan13

Posted
Posted
On 12/17/2021 at 11:56 AM, hapytobehr said:

There are "elegant" nights when people do dress up.

 

However, it is not a requirement.

 

If you don't mind people pointing a finger at you and whispering about how "underdressed you are, then go as you please! (j/k)

 

Enjoy your cruise

I think these days it's the people that DON'T dress up and go into the dining room wearing basically what they wore all day long that do the snickering at those that choose to dress up. These are now the one who are far and few between.  LOL

 

Cheers

Len

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vamartha

vamartha

Posted
Posted

I never got out of casual attire on two of the last three cruises I have been on. The MDR doesn't impress us anymore after 10 cruises.  We did gussy up a bit on the last one (twice) but the damn thing was 14 nights long and I had over $1000 OBC to burn, so Steakhouse it was.

 

Leaving again in 30 days, not packing a fancy dress, not packing DH a tie and not planning to dress up. I'm finally retired, finally turning Platinum and I don't give two cents about how anyone is dressed. I'm on permanent vacation and dress clothes don't exist in my world either. 😁

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jus4fun

jus4fun

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Posted

As I have grown older and hopefully wiser, my advice is wear what makes you happy and feel good, life is too short to do otherwise.   As for myself and my DH, we like to play "dress-up" every now and then so we are one of those older couples you will see all gussied up on elegant night.  To be truthful, he actually does it for me.  In fact on our upcoming NYE cruise, he will be wearing his first tux to celebrate is 65th birthday (he is a NYE baby).  So we will dress-up and celebrate us while being comfortable with ourselves and those around us regardless of how everyone is dressed. ☺️

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icft

icft

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Elegant Night is a nostalgic throw-back to the sailing days of the late 19th and early 20th centuries when travel by ship was the only way to cross the ocean. Most of the ship travel was not for entertainment; it was to get somewhere. In those days one traveled with steamer trunks carrying what you would need for protracted period and attempts were made to keep the upper class happy with formal social events which were a major source of entertainment for them at home. The elegance of ship travel was promoted by the cruise lines and Hollywood long after air travel became common. That romanticized ideal was in the dreams of many young ladies and still existed when cruising for entertainment came along.

 

The current Elegant Night is what remains after the promotion of Hollywood and the days of steamer trunks (necessary when you will be away for a long period and formal social events would be part of your normal life while away) has passed and it caters to fantasies of a long passed age as kind of a tradition.

 

We don't do Elegant Night. We don't travel with several steamer trunks with room for fancy clothes. For us ship travel is not "dead travel time" requiring formal social functions to fill the time in the manner to which we are accustomed. But we don't eat in the MDR on Elegant Nights as a courtesy to those who do wish to engage in that fantasy. For us it is not a question of our "rights" or what we can get away with. It is simple courtesy to not rain on someone's parade.

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Cherries Jubilee

Cherries Jubilee

Posted
Posted

I feel like I see more people who don’t dress up than people who do. I usually get dressed up but that’s because I like to. It’s like going to the prom without any of the pressure lol.

 

 I completely skipped dressing up on 2 of my cruises and I was completely comfortable and didn’t feel like anyone cared to notice.

 

Do whatever you’re comfortable with and have fun!

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hapytobehr

hapytobehr

Posted
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11 hours ago, jus4fun said:

As I have grown older and hopefully wiser, my advice is wear what makes you happy and feel good, life is too short to do otherwise.   As for myself and my DH, we like to play "dress-up" every now and then so we are one of those older couples you will see all gussied up on elegant night.  To be truthful, he actually does it for me.  In fact on our upcoming NYE cruise, he will be wearing his first tux to celebrate is 65th birthday (he is a NYE baby).  So we will dress-up and celebrate us while being comfortable with ourselves and those around us regardless of how everyone is dressed. ☺️

I'm with your girl!  My husband is wearing a tux for the first time this NYE as well!

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teknoge3k

teknoge3k

Posted
Posted

Jeans are just fine. That's what I wear, jeans, a polo and tennis shoes on the 2 elegant nights. I do not own dress pants/a jacket/ tie. I am like you, there's no need for me to waste money on those clothes that I would never in my life wear again.

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sanger727

sanger727

Posted
Posted
On 12/17/2021 at 4:50 PM, leitmotif said:

I see men’s dress clothes as an antiquated method for taking away one’s individuality. A standard designed in the old days of the corporate world. Sure, nowadays there are more colors and styles which allow for moderate expression but I have never been a fan. The times have changed and for all you know I could be a millionaire or I could run a charitable organization that saves lives but some Karen on a cruise would judge me because I show up to dinner in denim. 
 

I guess I’m still a bit irked by the above posters who assumed I was either a younger person with negative connotations  or that I had kids/work events/date nights and confirmed to the life they built for themself. I just don’t deal with this sort of thinking. Ever. I have a great job and nice place to live and a great life so how dare you. You know who owns a suit? Criminals going to court. I’m taking the first vacation I’ve been on in almost a decade and you’re pissing in my kool aid because I asked about dress code.

 

100% disagree with this one. I am in court often (law enforcement), criminals rarely wear suits to court.... lol

 

I'm one of those people that couldn't care less what you wear. I see things the opposite of you; I am required to wear a men's uniform every day to work (I'm a female), so I enjoy dressing more feminine and pretty when I'm on vacations. But for what it's worth here is what carnival says:

"Men: sports slacks, khakis, jeans, long dress shorts and collared polo shirts

  • Women: summer dresses, casual skirts, pants, capris, dress shorts, jeans blouses and tops
  • Not permitted: cut-off jeans, men’s sleeveless shirts, tee-shirts, gym or basketball shorts, baseball hats, flip-flops and bathing suit attire

The first “Cruise Elegant” evening is scheduled for the second or third evening of the cruise and the second “Cruise Elegant” evening is the second or third evening prior to the end of the cruise, itinerary schedule permitting. 

  • Men: dress slacks, dress shirts, and we also suggest a sport coat; men may also wish to wear a suit and tie or tuxedo
  • Women: cocktail dresses, pantsuits, elegant skirts and blouses; ladies may also wish to wear an evening gown"

 

 

So the jeans should be fine on every night but elegant night. 

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land64shark

land64shark

Posted
Posted
On 12/17/2021 at 8:02 PM, nlktx49 said:

Don't say what port you're leaving from, but if it's Galveston you're OK. In Texas jeans are formal wear if they're clean and you haven't got them ripped too often by the barbed wire. Collared shirt, some shoes, you're good to go. Formal wear has died a natural death. RIP.

Yeah, not a fan of Texas formal wear. Big discussions going on about this and my daughters wedding next year.

 

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hurricane0226

hurricane0226

Posted
Posted
On 12/20/2021 at 10:59 PM, jus4fun said:

As I have grown older and hopefully wiser, my advice is wear what makes you happy and feel good, life is too short to do otherwise.   As for myself and my DH, we like to play "dress-up" every now and then so we are one of those older couples you will see all gussied up on elegant night.  To be truthful, he actually does it for me.  In fact on our upcoming NYE cruise, he will be wearing his first tux to celebrate is 65th birthday (he is a NYE baby).  So we will dress-up and celebrate us while being comfortable with ourselves and those around us regardless of how everyone is dressed. ☺️

Glad you like to get dressed up, my wife and I like to get dressed up, want to enjoy the whole 

experience .

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KmomChicago "Live from...." Rare

KmomChicago

Posted
Posted

Late to this party but on Legend this past week, most people made a modest or better effort on the first elegant night, though there were lots of shorts and t shirts in the MDR and by the 2nd elegant night people were hardly paying attention whatsoever. Formalwear was heavily outpaced by Christmas pajamas and other extremely casual attire.
 

I’ll get roasted but it’s time to get rid of this. I think they only do it to sell Pixels portrait packages. The guests largely couldn’t care less and if they do, they’re still welcome to wear whatever they like.

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icft

icft

Posted
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4 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

...

I’ll get roasted but it’s time to get rid of this. I think they only do it to sell Pixels portrait packages. The guests largely couldn’t care less and if they do, they’re still welcome to wear whatever they like.

I agree it is time to get rid of Elegant Night. I have wondered why they haven't and you may have hit the nail on the head with speculation it is to push the sale of portrait packages. They must make a lot of money off those pictures. They let those guys be a major nuisance blocking walkways and doors.

 

We have never had our pictures taken on a ship. But this has me thinking we might want to get the perfect memory of our cruising days for when we are old and bedridden. It will be a pic of my wife and I standing in a walkway waiting for a photographer (standing in front of us) to finish his pic and get out of the way...

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auburn77

auburn77

Posted
Posted
On 12/18/2021 at 2:29 PM, wgeddings said:

Oh the inhumanity!   Horrors!😄  everyone knows bacon is nature’s natural vaccine. 

I heard a guy on the radio say that you lose 8 minutes of life for every piece of bacon you eat. If that's true, I should have died in 1987!

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geckoaz

geckoaz

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Posted

Tuxes died out once carnival stopped renting them. I have a tux i brought at pennys and sometime wear it on longer cruises. I once broke a toe on an excursion and could only wear flip flops with it. I heard a number of comments. However my food tastes the same no matter how others are dressed. People watching is a cruise activity. Keep it interesting

 

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