Dress Code MDR

[barriechris]

I know what the website says but what do people actually wear and what is acceptable?   Are nice shorts and collared shirts acceptable or only pants.   And shoes for men can they be sandals (not flip flops) or only shoes?  Just trying to understand what is actually worn and acceptable.  

[Schoifmom]

In my experience, as long as you don't do the "don'ts" you're fine.

 

Cruise Casual - Not permitted: cut-off jeans, men’s sleeveless shirts, tee-shirts, gym or basketball shorts, baseball hats, flip-flops and bathing suit attire.

Cruise Elegant - Not permitted: jeans, men’s sleeveless shirts, shorts, tee-shirts, sportswear, shorts, baseball hats, flip-flops and bathing suit attire.

 

Having said that, I have noticed the the HUB app does not say no jeans on cruise elegant night and we have worn them.  I have seen others dressed in "dressy" shorts on elegant night.

[barriechris]

4 minutes ago, Schoifmom said:

In my experience, as long as you don't do the "don'ts" you're fine.

 

Cruise Casual - Not permitted: cut-off jeans, men’s sleeveless shirts, tee-shirts, gym or basketball shorts, baseball hats, flip-flops and bathing suit attire.

Cruise Elegant - Not permitted: jeans, men’s sleeveless shirts, shorts, tee-shirts, sportswear, shorts, baseball hats, flip-flops and bathing suit attire.

 

Having said that, I have noticed the the HUB app does not say no jeans on cruise elegant night and we have worn them.  I have seen others dressed in "dressy" shorts on elegant night.

Yes elegant night i would wear dressier stuff it was more so the other nights.  

[groundloop]

44 minutes ago, barriechris said:

I know what the website says but what do people actually wear and what is acceptable?   Are nice shorts and collared shirts acceptable or only pants.   And shoes for men can they be sandals (not flip flops) or only shoes?  Just trying to understand what is actually worn and acceptable.  

 

Shorts and a decent shirt (or even a T-Shirt) are accepted on "cruise casual" nights.  For "Cruise Elegant" at least decent pants and a polo or collared shirt are ok. 

 

With that being said, last week on Glory I saw someone get seated on Elegant Night wearing a t-shirt, cut off shorts, and flip-flops.  On other cruises though I've seen folks turned away for similar "offenses".  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 30, 2023 by groundloop

[mz-s]

"No shirt, no shoes, no problem"

 

Carnival absolutely does not enforce dress code anymore. They might turn you away if you're wearing a bathing suit, but that's about it.

[hillbillycruisers]

Nice shorts are acceptable on non elegant nights...but apparently, the enforcement is hit and miss as to attire. We were on the Vista last November, and one of our table mates...a guy in his early sixties...wore shorts and a t-shirt every night, except one of the two elegant nights...that night he wore jeans and a t-shirt. He was a great dinner companion, and his attire didn't bother me in the least.

[kwokpot]

There's ZERO issues wearing jeans on Elegant Night. ZERO. 

[dallasdan]

I wear dress pants and long sleeve button up to elegant night.  However, I would prefer they did away with having to dress up so I can wear shorts with a polo shirt and flip flops.  What others wear doesn't bother me at all.

[mz-s]

2 minutes ago, dallasdan said:

I wear dress pants and long sleeve button up to elegant night.  However, I would prefer they did away with having to dress up so I can wear shorts with a polo shirt and flip flops.  What others wear doesn't bother me at all.

 

At least one other cruise line calls it "dress up optional" night. I like it.

[dallasdan]

I like that option.

[hurricane0226]

No shoes, no shirt, no problem, lol

[Underxdog]

Ive never had a problem yet, formal night or not, all i wear are shorts an tshirts

[gtouch]

All I know is they think underwear and hiking boots are not proper without pants.

[teknoge3k]

I used to wear jeans, a polo and tennis shoes to the MDR on elegant nights and cargo shorts, a polo and my sandals every other night. Over the years, I slowly morphed into just wearing cargo shorts, a polo and my sandals every night, including the elegant nights. On occasion I am dressed nicer than quite a few people. I don't let the fashion police online deter me, and have never had any issue on board.

[cruiser4305]

Sometimes hubby gets turned away when he wears his favorite (older) jeans shorts, but more recently they have been more forgiving. Just be careful on formal nights, they are stricter and wouldn't let us in with our touring jackets on (leather and tasteful patches) but they let us in after we took them off, even though we just had (clean) white t-shirts on! Where's the logic there? They've even been fine with sandals and aquasox when we were a little late leaving the pool one night. Basically as long as you aren't sopping wet you'll be fine. Have fun and don't skip the lobster!

[Jasonsterling]

As long as you don't go naked (unless it's one of those naked cruises and then just let it hang- I'd probably still wear a bow tie though) they'll let you in, lol. 

[groundloop]

This topic has morphed from answering the original question into everyone sharing their personal opinions, so here's some of my thoughts.

 

Once upon a time I never saw anyone in the dining room on formal night without at least a nice shirt and a tie.  And I never saw anyone in the dining room on other nights with shorts, much less shorts and a T-shirt.  Now it seems that a few folks are getting away with cut off shorts, T-shirts, and flip flops on formal night.

 

And once upon a time everyone would be considerate of their neighbors and take care to not let their cabin doors slam shut at night.  Now you hear cabin doors slamming until well after midnight, and on my last cruise I even had the pleasure of hearing a woman at 2 AM pounding on a door screaming "open this fu#$!in door!!!!!".  

 

I think I'm seeing a pattern.

[Laurab23]

On 1/30/2023 at 4:40 PM, mz-s said:

"No shirt, no shoes, no problem"

 

Carnival absolutely does not enforce dress code anymore. They might turn you away if you're wearing a bathing suit, but that's about it.

After my Oct cruise I would totally agree with this statement.

 

Laura

[jsglow]

OK, here's what the majority of male cruisers do.  Casual: Nice shorts/polo. Elegant: slacks/button down. Are there outliers? Of course.

 

@BlerkOneshow dinner pics from Dream last week.  If I'm in one you owe me a beer.

[Mic101680]

On 1/30/2023 at 2:54 PM, barriechris said:

I know what the website says but what do people actually wear and what is acceptable?   Are nice shorts and collared shirts acceptable or only pants.   And shoes for men can they be sandals (not flip flops) or only shoes?  Just trying to understand what is actually worn and acceptable.  

The attire you mention here would be acceptable, even on elegant nights, and you would be dressed nicer than most other cruisers.. The exception would be some of the specialty dining venues, which tend to be a little more strict with their dress code,  you may want to pack slacks and shoes if you plan on dining in some of them.

 

 

[simplelife]

We used to dress up more, but over the years, we have dressed more casually. In MDR on "regular" nights, DH wears docker-style shorts and a polo shirt with Birks.  On elegant nights he wears docker-style long pants and a dress shirt with a tie (Though a tie is not necessary) and enclosed shoes. Regular nights I wear long shorts/capris and a nice top with casual sandals. Elegant night I wear black slacks with a black top dressed up with jewelry and strappy sandals. If there is more than one elegant night, I usually wear the same black outfit with different jewelry and/or wrap. When I even notice what others are wearing, we seem to be dressed typically.

[Heartgrove]

We just returned Sunday from our first Carnival cruise. In the past we have sailed on Holland America Lines, MSC, Viking Ocean, and NCL. I found that Carnival is the most informal of those five with even hats being worn in the MDR by men as well as T-Shirts, shorts, and sandals. What amazed me was the dichotomy, even on the "Formal" nights!

[cacruisin]

On 1/31/2023 at 8:38 PM, Mic101680 said:

The attire you mention here would be acceptable, even on elegant nights, and you would be dressed nicer than most other cruisers.. The exception would be some of the specialty dining venues, which tend to be a little more strict with their dress code,  you may want to pack slacks and shoes if you plan on dining in some of them.

 

 

I was wondering about this, I have reservations at but Jiji's and Cucina del Capitano....do those have any dress code?  TIA

[mz-s]

4 minutes ago, cacruisin said:

I was wondering about this, I have reservations at but Jiji's and Cucina del Capitano....do those have any dress code?  TIA

 

No. Chef's Table does have a bit more restrictive dress code, in fact I believe it requires closed-toe shoes due to the galley tour. And in my experience, Chef's Table attendees typically do dress more closely to traditional "cruise elegant" than any other dining venue onboard.

[cusecruise]

No issues with jeans on “elegant” night on Radiance, in fact, I did not even realize there were a don’t until I saw it here!