I'm a little confused on what "formal dress" on Carnival means . . .

My last cruise was on Celebrity and when they "suggested" one wear formal attire on formal nights . . . it was more or less understood that one wore formal attire . . . as in a ball gown or at the very least a beaded cocktail dress for women and a tux or dark suit for men. I've never been on a Carnival cruise (first time on Carvival will be the end of this month on Triumph). From what I've read . . . "formal" doesn't seem to mean the same thing on Carnival. What exactly does one wear to the Captains Dinner and the other formal night. I have several outfits that I sort of thought might be appropriate but now . . . I'm not sure. I have a royal blue below the knee dress with lots of beading and "bling" . . . another that is dusty blue (also below the knee) with silver sequines (sp) . . . and a third that is a black pant suit (with fly away pants), shell and long duster with silver beading. Are these outfits too formal for Carnival? If not . . . what would be appropriate?

Sad to say, for many, FORMAL is not what most of us consider FORMAL on Carnival :( However, you will see plenty of women in beaded gowns and people that do understand "Formal"... it's a great experience and you won't be overdressed at all! I enjoy getting dressed up on formal night :D

There is no such thing as "too formal," unless you're sailing NCL or WJBC.

What should I pack?

from

http://www.carnival.com/CMS/FAQs/Dress_Attire.aspx

I wear long dresses on formal night- one sequined and another is velvet.... My SO also wears a tuxedo.. We love getting dressed up and most of the folks we've seen do treat formal nights like New Year's Eve and really enjoy the photo opportunities, too!

There is no such thing as "too formal," unless you're sailing NCL or WJBC.

Tef . . . I've always wanted to ask you . . . if you didn't lose the shaker of salt . . . who did? Tee Hee!

I was just on the Celebration....and most people wore cocktail dresses. Some wore long gowns....but not as many as the cocktail dresses. Some wore dressy, beady,sequiny flowy pant suits.....and then alot of people just wore a simple 'churchy' type dress. And no one really seemed to care about what other people had on.

Each cruise you will find on both formal nights tux & gowns to jeans & tshirts, and all that is inbetween. Important thing is that you enjoy your cruise.

I haved sailed with X four times and CCL twice. IME CCL was decidedly less formal than X and there were far more people attired in what I would consider casual clothes.

I would wear exactly what I want to wear - for me, formal means formal - on formal night and enjoy myself.

Listen,

if more people wear 'real' formal wear...and not worry about being overdressed, maybe, just maybe the 'formal wearers' will start to out number the 'casual wear' people, and things will get back to the way they should be.

Wear your formal stuff with pride...and don't feel uncomfortable for having some class. :D

Go ahead casual people...bash me, I can take it. :p

Listen,

if more people wear 'real' formal wear...and not worry about being overdressed, maybe, just maybe the 'formal wearers' will start to out number the 'casual wear' people, and things will get back to the way they should be.

Wear your formal stuff with pride...and don't feel uncomfortable for having some class. :D

 

Go ahead casual people...bash me, I can take it. :p

No bashing. I totally agree. Same for Vegas... wish it were as formal and glitzy as in the old days.

Y'know, as much as it can be a pain in the posterior to wear a suit and tie, I love doing it for a change. It's one, maybe two nights. Big deal. The rest of the evenings you can wear your khakis and gaudy Hawaiian shirt for all I care.... ;) But "playing dress up" is fun.

"I'm a little confused on what "formal dress" on Carnival means . ."

It MEANS exactly the same thing on Carnival as it does on any other line..... now the percentage of folks following the guidelines is an entirely different (and frequently incendiary) subject.

"I'm a little confused on what "formal dress" on Carnival means . ."

 

 

It MEANS exactly the same thing on Carnival as it does on any other line..... (.

Bravo!

My last cruise on Fantasy a month or so ago, I saw everything from jeans to tuxes. There were ladies at my table in work out pants and tank tops. There were even two people in bathrobes viewing the gala buffet that night....for real....

I always feel when I see the jeans folks on formal nights why the heck do I bother, when I could be comfy in jeans, and not be strangled by my panty hose. I guess I feel it is less than respectful of my fellow passengers NOT to follow the dress code, so I do.

And you can bet if I want to wear those jeans on formal night, I wont be eating in the dining room.

I think the biggest difference you'll notice nowadays is how many people will STAY DRESSED FORMALLY once dinner is over.

I think the biggest difference you'll notice nowadays is how many people will STAY DRESSED FORMALLY once dinner is over.

That's why it's called Formal Night and not just Formal Dinner. :rolleyes:

My last cruise on Fantasy a month or so ago, I saw everything from jeans to tuxes. There were ladies at my table in work out pants and tank tops. There were even two people in bathrobes viewing the gala buffet that night....for real....

 

I always feel when I see the jeans folks on formal nights why the heck do I bother, when I could be comfy in jeans, and not be strangled by my panty hose. I guess I feel it is less than respectful of my fellow passengers NOT to follow the dress code, so I do.

 

And you can bet if I want to wear those jeans on formal night, I wont be eating in the dining room.

That is really unbelievable, tank tops and workout clothes; I wish they ould just go to the casual dining options. IMHO it is disrespectful to the cruise line who is trying to create an atmosphere as well as the passengers who are feeling festive on a special night.

I personally do not wear jeans often, and do not find them at all comfortable. I am much happier in dresses and skirts. I seldom wear pantyhose anymore as it is a pain but do wear cocktail dresses and high heels.

I seldom wear pantyhose anymore as it is a pain but do wear cocktail dresses and high heels.

ahh....have you tried the spray on panty hose??? They are not bad at all....not to mention that if you have a nice tan, panty hose are totally unnecessary.

Just think about this when questioning formal night:

Who do you remember more from formal night?

A - the person who came in jeans and a tank top

OR

B - one of the people dressed appropriately in a dress/gown or suit/tux

Don't be a bad cruise ship memory for someone, dress appropriately.

This public service announcement has been brought to you by the Formal Cruisers of North America who remind you to please cruise carefully and wear the appropriate formal attire on formal nights.

Here is my take on this; please don't flame me. My husband and I always dress up for formal night!

First off, those sequined dresses are not really in style any more. You'll still see many people wearing them on cruises, but if you check out the latest formal wear in department store, you too will notice less "bling" and more "understated" albeit elegant outfits for women. Very elegant knee length silk black dresses are very much in style, as are other dresse and pant outfits. For better or worse, you won't see many with those pretty embroidered sequins and beads that were all the rage a few years ago. If you see them in stores, they are usually on the clearance racks.

With that said, in the winter, velvet last year was "in" and with Prom season around the corner, I've been seeing more "big" dresses - long ball gowns with trains! Now at 40 , I consider myself a little too old for a prom dress!

Suffice it to say, as less dressy formal dresses seem to be "in" that is what you can expect to see on a cruise. If you go to Macy's, for example, check out what formal outfits are there. Here on the West Coast, what I described is what I saw on the Pride last Nevember.

Hope this helps.

I forgot to add that although some people opt to not dress up at all on Formal night, most people do. I personally would prefer a more casual cruise experience, but as long as the suggested dress on Carnival and other cruise lines is formal on Formal Nights, my husband and I will dress up.

It's been my experience that the vast majority of people on most ships follow suggested guidelines. And the few that do not, really don't bother me. We do our own thing, so we don't pay much attention to how others dress.

unfortunately while the first seating is all dressed up enjoying dinner, the second seating group is still running around in shorts, and when the second seating is ready to eat, the first seating has gone back to cabins to change and they're running around in shorts.

Phlydude, I needed that...

and hey, I would take ANYONES out of fashion sequin dress over tank top and workout pants (the noisy nylon style)

Not everyone can afford to be high fashion, but you gotta salute those folks who at least attempt to look what they feel is their "bestest"

I did notice everyone stays dressed up longer, last cruise about a month ago. More so then I remember in the past. Seems like I saw more "attire" along bar alley than I did in the dining room

Phlydude, I needed that...

 

 

Not everyone can afford to be high fashion, but you gotta salute those folks who at least attempt to look what they feel is their "bestest"

 

I agree whole heartedly.