Do you have to eat in the dining room?

[inanotherlife]

My husband (28yo) is not sure if his clothes will be dressy enough (he doesn't own a tux obviously or even a suit jacket, but he does have ties, dress shirts, dress pants, & dress shoes) for the two formal nights on our Carnival Liberty Cruise in September.

 

So my question is, do we have to eat in the dining rooms during formal night or is there another area that we can eat at? I'd rather find something else for dinner on those nights than for him to think he's embarassing me, as he's stated he's afraid of doing. He knows how much this cruise means to me! :p

[AZCRZR]

You can eat on the Lido deck where they have all sorts of food (don't forget it's buffet), or the 24 hour pizza and hamburger/hotdog section.

But if your husband has a nice long sleeved shirt with a tie and a nice pair of slacks, that should be fine on formal night.:)

[finoky]

You do not have to eat in the main dining room. On our last cruise we ate there the first night and the first formal night. All the other meals we had up on lido. I have to say it was the most relaxed cruise we have ever been on. We will definitely try it that way again.

[Tapi]

My husband (28yo) is not sure if his clothes will be dressy enough (he doesn't own a tux obviously or even a suit jacket, but he does have ties, dress shirts, dress pants, & dress shoes) for the two formal nights on our Carnival Liberty Cruise in September.

 

So my question is, do we have to eat in the dining rooms during formal night or is there another area that we can eat at? I'd rather find something else for dinner on those nights than for him to think he's embarassing me, as he's stated he's afraid of doing. He knows how much this cruise means to me! :p

 

You'll see many passengers with a long sleeve shirt and a tie on formal night.

However, if you feel as if he might be uncomfortable, you can try:

 

Emile's (casual restaurant, buffet style featuring:)

- 24 pizzeria

- Asian station

- NY Deli

- The Grill

Origami (Sushi)

24 hour room service

 

As an alternative, there's Harry's Supper Club (for a $30 fee pp) but if it's formal night at the main dining room, this restaurant will also require formal attire.

[dan40]

You could eat at the buffet, or eat pizza, or have sandwiches from room service. You could also almost surely eat in the dining room if he wears slacks, collared shirt and tie. Very, very, unlikely he would not be admitted.

 

 

But another thought is, every man on the planet should own a plain black suit for some occasions, both good and bad.

 

 

Dan

[spartygrad95]

I do not wear a tuxedo for formal nights. I think they should be reserved for weddings and appearances on the red carpet Oscar night. I have worn a black suit, and I have also worn blue blazer with khaki dress pants and tie for formal night and did not feel out of place at all. We were paired up at the dinner table with 20 and 30 somethings and none of the men wore tuxedos. We did opt one formal night for the Lido buffet, but buffet food isnt all that groovy in my book. Eat in the dining room if you can.

[seaman54]

My husband (28yo) is not sure if his clothes will be dressy enough (he doesn't own a tux obviously or even a suit jacket, but he does have ties, dress shirts, dress pants, & dress shoes) for the two formal nights on our Carnival Liberty Cruise in September.

 

So my question is, do we have to eat in the dining rooms during formal night or is there another area that we can eat at? I'd rather find something else for dinner on those nights than for him to think he's embarassing me, as he's stated he's afraid of doing. He knows how much this cruise means to me! :p

Dont miss the dinning room, its the best. GO to good will an by a 5 dollar sports coat you will be fine. Have a great cruise. P.S better yet you go to good will an buy him the sports coat, that way you can get him the coat that you like SEEYA:cool:

[jordanaire]

Miss the diningroom meals on formal nights? No way! That's the best part of the cruise is eating the fine meals in the evening. A casual sport shirt and slacks are fine for every night dining, and a long-sleeved shirt, tie and slacks will be absolutely fine on formal nights. I like the idea of picking up a sport coat or jacket at Goodwill. But PLEASE..don't worry about being embarrassed on formal nights! Only about 5-10% of the men wear tuxedos! Most wear a suit or sport coat. You will even see men with short-sleeved casual shirts and jeans! Take it from someone who has sailed 14 times with Carnival and seen it all! Have a great cruise and DON"T miss formal nights, OK?

 

:cool: Bill

[jordanaire]

Miss the diningroom meals on formal nights? No way! That's the best part of the cruise is eating the fine meals in the evening. A casual sport shirt and slacks are fine for every night dining, and a long-sleeved shirt, tie and slacks will be absolutely fine on formal nights. I like the idea of picking up a sport coat or jacket at Goodwill. But PLEASE..don't worry about being embarrassed on formal nights! Only about 5-10% of the men wear tuxedos! Most wear a suit or sport coat. You will even see men with short-sleeved casual shirts and jeans! Take it from someone who has sailed 14 times with Carnival and seen it all! Have a great cruise and DON"T miss formal nights, OK?

 

:cool: Bill

[maxamuus]

But another thought is, every man on the planet should own a plain black suit for some occasions, both good and bad.

 

Yup, this will be the first time i wear my suit that someone didnt have to die to prompt me to do so.

[inanotherlife]

Thanks for the kind words and advice. I think we will take his dress clothes and play it by ear. If we look really out of place we'll skip it, and if we see that we are on a "level playing field" then we'll eat in there. I just don't want to get any nasty eyes or looks ya know. We've been saving for quite some time for this trip and we're just so darn exciting, but we are rule followers...so we'd understand if we couldn't/shouldn't be in the dining room on formal nights.:)

[Tapi]

Thanks for the kind words and advice. I think we will take his dress clothes and play it by ear. If we look really out of place we'll skip it, and if we see that we are on a "level playing field" then we'll eat in there. I just don't want to get any nasty eyes or looks ya know. We've been saving for quite some time for this trip and we're just so darn exciting, but we are rule followers...so we'd understand if we couldn't/shouldn't be in the dining room on formal nights.:)

 

Someone mentioned getting a sports coat from Goodwill. The FIRST navy blue sports coat I ever purchased was during my college years at Goodwill (I probably paid like $10) and it was probably the best $10 I've spent in my life. I used it for parties, fraternity functions, and even for my first "real" job interview. Very easy to match with slacks, khakis, etc. I think it might be worth your while to make a trip to Goodwill if you want for him to have a jacket but don't want to spend money on a jacket that he might not wear after you return from your cruise...

[cruiselover999]

Please please please don't let anything like your mode of dress keep you from the dining room on formal night! Believe me when I tell you that you will see all kinds of dress in the dining room. And frankly, you will be surrounded by so many people that you will blend in no matter what...well, unless you're wearing bermuda shorts or something! No one will be paying attention to what you are wearing, honest! There are just too many people there to notice. And you will be so focused on your wonderful food that you won't notice anyone else, either! Eat, drink and be merry!!:D :D :D

[kyrisong1]

Inanotherlife, you can go to the thrift or goodwill stores in the really good area of your city and find great suits and jackets, try it, you might find some great deals.

I had a manager that dressed like a fashion plate and she did most of her shopping at the "better" good wills lol

Happy sailing, Carole

[tonaly]

I stressed about formal night on our first cruise, I was 6½ months pregnant and didn't want to buy formal maternity clothes. I got some nicer maternity stuff at Target and was so relieved the first formal night to see a wide range of dress. Women in everything from formal gowns to nice pants suits...some men in tuxedos, some in suits, some in dress slacks & ties. My dh did wear a jacket, but he would not have been out of place if he hadn't. Don't stress it if it is just the clothes holding you back, the dining room is great and you get to try so many foods you wouldn't normally try.

[splash_in_the_water]

you'll be fine! (from a young couple to another-also getting married in 3 months on the victory) the only part to me that was weird was cuz we were all formal and whatever, i felt like i had to eat more formal. i'm a polite eater as is but still i felt like i had to step it up a notch. turns out i didn't and it's NOT bad at all. and the boat was all wavy so the guy at our table yakked anyway. felt bad for him though, a lot of people got sick that night from the rockin' but tell him to go and have fun , you will! hell, i had to rent pants cuz i forgot mine and i had to get shoes too. i looked so tacky but i thought it was funny. good times.

 

p.s. i just told my fiance and she thought it was adorable that he considered your feelings that way and wish i'd do the same sometime. i'm sure i do im my own way though.......i'm shameless like garth brooks so.you know. have fun you two!

[ILUVCRUZEN]

Tell your husband he is going to miss the Lobster if he doesnt go to formal night:D I've been on 10 Carnival cruises so far and I would have to say the majority of the men are NOT wearing tuxedos. Also don't let the table setups intimidate you. They have about 40 pieces of silverware layed out there for each person:eek: , wine glass water goblet bread dish blah blah blah.......My first 2 or 3 cruises I was very intimidated and ONLY ate in the dining room for formal night. Now I eat in the dining room every night. Whatever silverware you don't use they just scoop it up and take it away. If you don't want wine then they pour tea in your in wine glass and water in your water glass. I get them to bring my daughter's chocolate milk to her in the water goblet because she wants to be "fancy" like everyone else. Nobody watches over you to make sure you use the right fork for your salad or the right spoon for soup. You just use whatever piece suits your fancy cause nobody cares. Plus the food & desserts at the buffet are NEVER as good as the food in the dining room.

[cathyoo]

Inanotherlife (like your screen name). I remember the days my DH did not own a suit or a jacket. Young and broke that was us. I'd have to agree with the Goodwill suggestion. Not for the cruise but to have on hand for a funeral or some other real life situation that could come when you least expect it.

 

What I really wanted to say is ENJOY your cruise. Our first cruise wasn't until our early fifties and I'm sad for all those years we didn't know what we were missing.

 

Make yourself some wonderful memories.