Dress code at dinner

I am going on my first cruise october 2017 I needed to know do you have to dress formal every nite for dinner. I am trying to figure out what to pack I am going to be going wed thru sunday leaving monday morning

No, not every night. I believe there are 3 formal nights and the rest are either casual or some kind of theme (Maybe country, or carribean night) on a 7-day cruise. I really don't get dressed up like I used to, and by observing others on the cruise you can wear whatever the heck you want. #sarcastic

Carnival has one of the most relaxed dress codes for the main dining rooms (MDR) and is also fairly casual for the specialty restaurants.

For your cruise which is only 5 days you will only have 1 Elegant Evening (EE) and the rest are cruise casual. On cruises 6 days or longer there are 2 EEs, and on cruises of 9 days or more there are 3.

Carnival on EE night(s) will expect anyone that wants to eat in the MDR or a specialty restaurant to wear at minimum Business Casual (khaki pants and a polo). BUT you will see every thing from that to tuxes and ball gowns, to people skipping the restaurants and MDR in favor of staying in shorts and tees going to eat at the buffet. A lot of it has to do with what they person traveling wants out of the evening and any luggage restrictions their mode of transport to the cruise might impose. None of the other venues have any special dress code beyond footwear must be worn indoors and no wet bathing suits except at the pool and spa areas.

For Cruise Casual nights walking or Bermuda shorts with graphic tees are the minimum dress code for the MDR. BUT the specialty restaurants may request men wear pants and ladies wear a skirt, pants, or sundress.

Just got off dream. Saw tshirts and shorts most nights in dining room. Jeans. I'd estimate 5% were dressed up for elegant night. Saw no tuxes or suits! Saw 2 women each in a long gown.

We did steak house for elegant night and they did request we dress up. I wore cold shoulder blouse and white casual linen pants with Born thong sandals.

To be clear, Carnival does NOT have a formal night. They barely have a cruise elegant night... fading fast...

good we can pack so much less, I do not even bring a jacket or tie.

Even the steak house didn't require a jacket on formal night.

Disappointing to hear elegant nights are going by the wayside on Carnival. We are still planning on dressing appropriately! The cruise experience is what you make of it, eating out has always been a big deal for us as is dining in the mdr on the ship. Other than elegant night, I at least wear pants or nice jeans and collared shirt in mdr but to each their own.

Disappointing to hear elegant nights are going by the wayside on Carnival. We are still planning on dressing appropriately!

When they put tablecloths on the tables again, I'll start dressing the part. Until then, the tabletops and food are TGI Fridays quality and they're going to get shorts.

To me it seems like with the tablecloths removed, there's parity in the food and ambiance. What will they take away next, the near-fine-dining-level service?

Oh this will be a good thread. ;p

They do table clothes on elegant night.

We used to dress up, husband in tux, me in ball gown. We did that for years and it was fun. But as I have cruised more and gotten older, I just wear a nice dress for elegant night. My daughters still like to put on a formal dress ( think prom dress gets a second chance!).

Basically, you can get as dressed up as you like. If you want to wear shorts or jeans, go to Lido deck. Anything nicer is fine for Elegant night.

"We are still planning on dressing appropriately!"

Appropriate is somewhat subjective. I wear a silk Tommy Bahama shirt, slacks and shoes and feel appropriately dressed. I might wear golf attire on regular nights.

Just got off dream. Saw tshirts and shorts most nights in dining room. Jeans. I'd estimate 5% were dressed up for elegant night. Saw no tuxes or suits! Saw 2 women each in a long gown.

 

Was this 5 % observed on both elegant nights ?

I am going on my first cruise october 2017 I needed to know do you have to dress formal every nite for dinner. I am trying to figure out what to pack I am going to be going wed thru sunday leaving monday morning

Dress on Carnival is very relaxed even on their Elegant Nights.

Men don't need to wear a coat an tie any night. ;)

Was this 5 % observed on both elegant nights ?

Put it this way: I had no idea there was a second elegant night.

ETA: what day would that have been? The second sea day (first one going back home)?

Dh said he saw a few in suits second elegant night and a few women wearing formal dresses. Maybe I just didn't notice them...

I wear slightly nicer clothes in the MDR than I would wear on the Lido deck for dinner. Nice jeans (not shredded/destroyed), Bermuda shorts, skirt, that kind of thing, and a top that keeps everything together while being a bit nicer than a tee-shirt. DH wears nice shorts, khakis, or nice jeans, and usually a polo shirt. For elegant night we like to get dressed up in a suit for him (sometimes a tie, but not this last cruise), and a formal gown or cocktail dress for me. However, I've seen a lot more sun dresses and pants suits on women in the last couple of cruises. As long as you're not in a tee and cutoff shorts, I think you're fine! :D (Personal opinion: I honestly wouldn't mind if another cruiser did wear a tee and cutoffs in the MDR. I'm on vacation and couldn't care less what someone else is wearing! *hides under the table*)

I just returned and was pleasantly surprised to see that most people cleaned up and dressed for dinner. There was always a dude or two with their ballcaps firmly in place and a few with jeans on, but some people just don't "get it." We eat fairly late, however, so hard to say what the early diners dress like. Saw lots of sport coats and a few suits on guys and a few long dresses on the ladies on "fancy" nights. I did however, miss the tablecloths and really disliked the "bread boxes" and they were there on formal night also which made me chuckle so the ambiance kind of matches the clothing these days. There was an absence of silverware on most nights - only one fork and a knife....I asked for a salad fork each night and the servers happily retrieved. If you are clean and dressed in something other than athletic wear you will be fine on Carnival.