KC&CruiseOn Posted October 17, 2017 #1 Share Posted October 17, 2017 Hi We are going on a 9 night cruise in Jan 2018 to the South pacific and I read on Carnival web page that there will be two formal nights. Are formal nights optional? Do you have to attend? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OzKiwiJJ Posted October 17, 2017 #2 Share Posted October 17, 2017 The Formal Night dress code only applies if you are dining in the Main Dining Rooms. You can stay casual and dine in the buffet instead on those nights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagtail_syd Posted October 19, 2017 #3 Share Posted October 19, 2017 You don't have to attend, you can just eat at the buffet on those nights. There is also a wide range of "formal" clothing worn so don't feel that you need a ball gown. If you're happy to wear a collared shirt (men) and cocktail dress/black pants and nice tope (women) then you will be ok, especially at the early seating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSWP Posted October 19, 2017 #4 Share Posted October 19, 2017 My neighbours and their two teenage kids regularly cruise on Carnival Spirit or Legend out of Sydney to the Islands. They say anything goes for formal night dress, many casually dressed as they do, shorts and jeans is the best clobber they take. I told them they were slackos, I may have even uttered that dreadful word...'Bogan' and were letting the side down. Then we made peace and had an adult beverage in the driveway, as you do.:halo::loudcry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinbadThePorter Posted October 19, 2017 #5 Share Posted October 19, 2017 Hi We are going on a 9 night cruise in Jan 2018 to the South pacific and I read on Carnival web page that there will be two formal nights. Are formal nights optional? Do you have to attend? Thanks There are only two mandatory things on a cruise, the safety lecture on boarding day, and saluting the captain whenever you meet him;p. The only cruise line that still thinks that "formal" means actual formal wear is Cunard. Less and less people worry about it nowadays. Smart casual will get you in anywhere. I would recommend shoes, as thongs in the dining room always puts me off, I don't know about anybody else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrYellowDuck Posted October 19, 2017 #6 Share Posted October 19, 2017 Blue jeans and a polo shirt exceed the minimum required standard for formal dress on Carnival. You can wear just about anything you want. A minority of passenger will dress up and the majority will do nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSWP Posted October 19, 2017 #7 Share Posted October 19, 2017 There are only two mandatory things on a cruise, the safety lecture on boarding day, and saluting the captain whenever you meet him;p. The only cruise line that still thinks that "formal" means actual formal wear is Cunard. Less and less people worry about it nowadays. Smart casual will get you in anywhere. I would recommend shoes, as thongs in the dining room always puts me off, I don't know about anybody else. You can bracket P&O UK with Cunard for formal dress. But their standards are slipping a little from my experiences recently.:evilsmile: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSWP Posted October 19, 2017 #8 Share Posted October 19, 2017 Blue jeans and a polo shirt exceed the minimum required standard for formal dress on Carnival. You can wear just about anything you want. A minority of passenger will dress up and the majority will do nothing. And that looks silly, a bloke who has made the effort and put on his tuxedo or suit sitting next to some bloke in T shirt and shorts or ripped daggy jeans in the MDR. I am no snob but I would not do it, nor do I like it. Some decorum, please. As I have said a million times before..'If a cruise Line is not going to enforce their dress codes/policy, then get rid of it !!!!:evilsmile: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrYellowDuck Posted October 20, 2017 #9 Share Posted October 20, 2017 And that looks silly, a bloke who has made the effort and put on his tuxedo or suit sitting next to some bloke in T shirt and shorts or ripped daggy jeans in the MDR. I am no snob but I would not do it, nor do I like it. Some decorum, please. The person in the penguin suit is the odd one out and will be feeling it; especially on an Australian or NZ itinerary. At a broadly affordable price point for most the right option for blending in when dressing like that is to sail with Cunard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSWP Posted October 20, 2017 #10 Share Posted October 20, 2017 The person in the penguin suit is the odd one out and will be feeling it; especially on an Australian or NZ itinerary. At a broadly affordable price point for most the right option for blending in when dressing like that is to sail with Cunard. Cunard/P&O UK, they are the formal wear lines these days.:loudcry: I have done both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OzKiwiJJ Posted October 20, 2017 #11 Share Posted October 20, 2017 When I went on Carnival Legend last November I was somewhat surprised at how many people dressed up. Sure, there weren't many tuxedos but there were a good number of men wearing suits or smart jackets. Quite a few women wore cocktail dresses or smart pants with very dressy tops. Even most of the kids were dressed up. The photographers were flat out taking formal pics, and everyone that we saw seemed to really enjoy being dressed up on both of the two formal nights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zowie57 Posted October 20, 2017 #12 Share Posted October 20, 2017 And that looks silly, a bloke who has made the effort and put on his tuxedo or suit sitting next to some bloke in T shirt and shorts or ripped daggy jeans in the MDR. I am no snob but I would not do it, nor do I like it. Some decorum, please. As I have said a million times before..'If a cruise Line is not going to enforce their dress codes/policy, then get rid of it !!!!:evilsmile: Could not agree more! I have generally found that Australian based cruises (eg: P&O, Carnival Legend & Spirit) don't worry too much about formal dress standards. Many Aussies prefer not to dress up. On overseas cruises which attract many Brits and Americans it is quite the opposite no matter what cruise line you are on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swissmiss6253 Posted October 20, 2017 #13 Share Posted October 20, 2017 In my experience on the Legend most in the dining room, and even in the main bars, dress up for formal nights more than they do for casual nights. Now dressing up means a collared long sleeve shirt, smart casual trousers and maybe a jacket for the men and something sparkly for the women but they do dress up. We dress up to that extent if we are going to eat in the dining room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icat2000 Posted October 20, 2017 #14 Share Posted October 20, 2017 Just got off Carnival Spirit on Tuesday. And its pretty casual in main dining room on formal night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSWP Posted October 20, 2017 #15 Share Posted October 20, 2017 Could not agree more! I have generally found that Australian based cruises (eg: P&O, Carnival Legend & Spirit) don't worry too much about formal dress standards. Many Aussies prefer not to dress up. On overseas cruises which attract many Brits and Americans it is quite the opposite no matter what cruise line you are on. Agree with your agreeance !! :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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