new carnival vs old carnival

[CruzCouple]

Somehow I missed hearing about the changes to the dining room and dress code for Carnival before we booked our cruise for this June. I'm sure there have been plenty of discussions about the changes being good vs bad so I'll ty not to go there.

 

What's it like on board now? Do jeans and shorts in the dining room make the atmosphere more like one of the more upscale casual lines (Azamara or Oceania)? Is there anything formal at all about the elegant nights? I'm willing to leave the tux at home but the truth is that cruising is the only reason I bought the silly thing. That and the fact that the wife says I look good in it.

 

Do most people think that all cruising is moving in this direction? It seems that any time dining sure is spreading. Maybe its part of the move by cruise lines to become more family friendly.

 

So, like I asked before - what's it like on board now?

-Scott

[red lobster]

Last time we were on Carnival was May 2008 and they had just implemented the shorts being allowed, there were some men dressed in nice golf type shorts with polo shirts and they looked fine. I did not notice that many women dressed in shorts it wouldn't work for me I'm alway's cold in the dining rooms. That cruise we left the tux and long dresses at home and DH wore a sports coat and tie, and I wore a cocktail dress. I love the dressy clothes, but now that we are older we don't need any more formal pictures and it's more about relaxing for us now.

[Amber F]

I had no idea anything had changed until I read this post, I curious as well to see how things have changed.

[deborahjo]

Just off the Splendor and yes it has changed for us in 18 months. So much more relaxed. We love the Dressing up and the night life. We still dressed up the first formal night but refused to the second night.

[stlrboo]

We sailed on the Freedom in December, and even tho' the 'code' is more relaxed, CCL suggests you dress as you please, and Tuxs and coat/shirt/tie are suggested on 'Cruise Elegant' nites..:) HOWEVER....

 

The guidelines, are just that, and the cruiselines are leaving the 'code' wide open for 'what makes you comfortable'..:p

 

We still did at least' a dress shirt and tie for the 'dress up nites', and slacks and a polo for the rest of the nites in the DR, but others opted for the 'relaxed' code... DO what you are comfortable wearing...:D

 

We sail on the Legend in a month, and am skipping the tie, but taking a sport coat.. We are now 'going with the flow'..

 

I always think of my Mom, and wear what I think would please her... And I'm 62!;)

[chiefs18]

 

I always think of my Mom, and wear what I think would please her... And I'm 62!;)

 

;) Mom would be proud.

[MrPete]

A dress code change does not dictate how one dresses for dinner. In fact, I've never turned to any cruiseline how to dress appropriately.

 

That came from mom and dad.

[Chigirlcruzin]

I've done 5 cruises since they've relaxed the dress code, and I really haven't noticed much of a difference.

[crusinpsychRN]

Please keep wearing the tuxes, military uniforms, kilts. The men always look so nice in those!

 

I find it much less formal. One night I argued with my 17 y/o son about wearing jeans to the DR. He put on his black slacks I had to mend with, ta da, duct tape, because the hems were out. On the way to the DR we were behind no less than 12 men wearing jeans, one in overalls! My son said nothing but after that night he did wear jeans.

[cruisinlarge]

It is asked that you do not wear shorts in the DR on formal night . Depending on the length of the cruise I usually wear slacks and nice shirt , maybe a tie, somtimes a suit on formal night . The other nights I stick to shorts , but, we live in Florida where shorts are acceptable for most occasions and I ALWAYS go back to the room for nicely presses shorts and shirts.

 

I have been on 3 cruises since Sept . I haven't noticed a real change as we saw Tuxes in the DR as well.

 

I will say as far as we are concerned they could drop the formal nights on 3 days , except I understand that some people can only afford 3 nighters and this could be the highlite of their cruise ( been there in a younger life ) so most formal night we buffet

[gone_cruisin]

Wait.....huh?

Carnival has relaxed their DR attire policy?

It's been almost 3 years since I've been on a cruise and I am about to take my boyfriend and his son on their first cruise. They are definitely not suit and tie wearing guys and would love to wear to jeans (but I have told them no because of past experiences). So have they indeed changed it?

 

Could someone please let me know what the men are wearing on regular nights and the formal nights? (So I'm not out spending $400 getting these guys new clothes). Is it written anywhere?

 

Please!!!!

 

As for me - I love dressing up, so you'll see me in the long gown standing next to the guys in jeans.

 

Thanks.

[zirka]

My husband is going to be wearing a shirt and tie instead of a tux on October--other than that he wears Dockers and a Polo shirt.

[Casino Player]

Somehow I missed hearing about the changes to the dining room and dress code for Carnival before we booked our cruise for this June. I'm sure there have been plenty of discussions about the changes being good vs bad so I'll ty not to go there.

 

What's it like on board now? Do jeans and shorts in the dining room make the atmosphere more like one of the more upscale casual lines (Azamara or Oceania)? Is there anything formal at all about the elegant nights? I'm willing to leave the tux at home but the truth is that cruising is the only reason I bought the silly thing. That and the fact that the wife says I look good in it.

 

Do most people think that all cruising is moving in this direction? It seems that any time dining sure is spreading. Maybe its part of the move by cruise lines to become more family friendly.

 

So, like I asked before - what's it like on board now?

-Scott

 

I never have taken or rented a Tux on a cruise. I don't know about elegant nights since they still called them formal nights when I was last on Carnival. I do cruise Carnival often. At least once every two years.

My experience with anytime dining was on a different cruise line and the only thing anytime about it was you had the privledge of waiting on a line to get to eat. Sometimes those lines took a long time to get through. Then you never had the same waiter. So you have to ask for every little thing. I'll stick to traditional dining. The same wait staff every day means they get to know what you like and will sometimes have it for you before you get to your table.

[zqvol]

Somehow I missed hearing about the changes to the dining room and dress code for Carnival before we booked our cruise for this June. I'm sure there have been plenty of discussions about the changes being good vs bad so I'll ty not to go there.

 

What's it like on board now? Do jeans and shorts in the dining room make the atmosphere more like one of the more upscale casual lines (Azamara or Oceania)? Is there anything formal at all about the elegant nights? I'm willing to leave the tux at home but the truth is that cruising is the only reason I bought the silly thing. That and the fact that the wife says I look good in it.

 

Do most people think that all cruising is moving in this direction? It seems that any time dining sure is spreading. Maybe its part of the move by cruise lines to become more family friendly.

 

So, like I asked before - what's it like on board now?

-Scott

 

Isn't it interesting that the main stream lines are moving their dress codes toward that of a number of the luxury lines? We often sail one of the luxury lines that has a "country club casual" dress code. You rarely find anyone in shorts, but polo shirts with a sport coat are common. Tuxes are unheard of as are suits.

 

Having said that Carnival is dressier than most of these lines but is rapidly moving toward country club casual being the norm. You can still wear the tux, but don't feel like you have to.

[okgirl]

I haven't noticed that much of a difference. You still see people in formal wear, some in suits, some sport coats and a few just in dress shirts and ties.

 

And the whole range for the ladies as well, long formal gowns, cocktail dresses, flowy pant suits some just slacks and pretty top. I don't do elegant night on cruises that I have to fly to. I just don't want to take the extra cloths.

[cathyz]

Wait.....huh?

Carnival has relaxed their DR attire policy?

It's been almost 3 years since I've been on a cruise and I am about to take my boyfriend and his son on their first cruise. They are definitely not suit and tie wearing guys and would love to wear to jeans (but I have told them no because of past experiences). So have they indeed changed it?

 

Could someone please let me know what the men are wearing on regular nights and the formal nights? (So I'm not out spending $400 getting these guys new clothes). Is it written anywhere?

 

Please!!!!

 

As for me - I love dressing up, so you'll see me in the long gown standing next to the guys in jeans.

 

Thanks.

Here's the dress code description from the Carnival website. DH has worn nice shorts and Tommy Bahama shirts on casual nights on our last 3 cruises and slacks and a dress shirt (sometimes a tie) on elegant nights, but you will also see a few tuxes.

 

What to Wear?

 

Casual attire is the order of the day. We suggest shorts, sundresses, tank tops, etc. for the ladies, and for men; shorts, polo shirts, T-shirts, etc. will do. We suggest you wear rubber-soled, low heeled or flat shoes for extra traction while onboard. The use of any footwear with wheels, including but not limited, to Heelys© shoes, is prohibited on board our ships. For dining you may want to dress up a bit and/or bring along a light sports jacket or cardigan.

 

Most evenings we have a Cruise Casual dress code, but there are those Cruise Elegant evenings one or two nights throughout your “Fun Ship” voyage, where you will have the opportunity to showcase your more elegant attire. For those who want casual attire for dinner time, the Lido Restaurant is open nightly, and has a more relaxed theme. However, shirts and shoes/footwear (flip-flops) must be worn at all times inside the Lido Restaurant.

 

Both dress codes for the dining rooms are described below.

 

Cruise Casual Dining Dress Code: Gentlemen - Sport slacks, khakis, jeans (no cut-offs), dress shorts (long), collared sport shirts; Ladies - Casual dresses, casual skirts or pants and blouses, summer dresses, Capri pants, dress shorts, jeans (no cut-offs).

 

Not permitted in the dining room during the Cruise Casual dinner for ladies and gentlemen: shorts, gym shorts, basketball shorts, beach flip-flops, bathing suit attire, cut-off jeans, sleeveless shirts for men and baseball hats.

 

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.

[glrounds]

Dockers and polo shirt on dress casual nights.

Suit & tie for formal "elegant" nights.

Got rid of the tux years ago. I don't see as many tuxes these days anyway. Years ago, everybody had them (even rented a tux for my then 8 year-old for a cruise).

"Change is constant and is necessary for things to remain the same"

[04cruises]

We just did the Freedom 2 weeks ago and had a great cruise.We were quite surprise to see more formals and suits/tuxes then on Rccl.The other nights there were long shorts and collar shirts on the guys but a lot still wore business casual. However,we did cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale and have always seen a little more formal dress on cruises from there.

[LorrieB]

We last cruised the Conquest in September 2008, so that was quite a few months ago. But, I will say that we noted more people dressed formally than not. I actually don't recall seeing anyone not elegantly dressed for "elegant night". But, if they had, it wouldn't have bothered me. We dressed up because that was our choice. Someone else wearing shorts and a t-shirt to dinner isn't going to change the taste of the food or the wonderful experience of cruising. If it does, then those people need get a life.

[BlueJacketsFan1]

There weren't nearly as many people wearing a tux on our last cruise. Then again, it didn't bother us, because we simply dress up for us. My wife loves to get dressed up and get our pictures taken. We dressed up better than most on the other night too. I would have to say the dress code is that there isn't really much of one these days.

[gone_cruisin]

Thanks everyone!

I know the guys are going to be much happier with the more relaxed clothing.

[livestocruisetoo]

We are booked on the Pride on September and have opted for the flexible dining option. From what I have read so far, it seems to be working well. There have been times when we have gone a little overboard, pun intended, when having a tide us over snack on the Lido deck and would have been happy to delay dinner an hour or so. The new plan doesn't exclude anyone from eating at or around the traditional times.

 

On our cruise to Canada last summer, I wore a suit rather than take the tux. Mom would have approved. :) Like many others, it is one of the few times we really get dressed up and it was no big deal. As glamorous as a cruise on one of the upscale, luxury lines appears to be, I suspect wearing formal attire wouldn't be welcomed.

 

I think one of the things that keeps us returning to Carnival, besides always having the best value, is that the changes they make are inclusive, and the "Evolutions of Fun" encompasses more than just adding a waterpark and big screen.

 

We always look forward to our next cruise with them because 99.99% of the staff and crew and 99.99% of our fellow passengers always make for a wonderful voyage.