For many passengers, cruise ship formal nights are an elegant highlight of the voyage. On formal nights, the true splendor of the sea glitters along with the polished shoes, gleaming jewelry, and fabulous gowns of fellow cruisers, and the evening's dining and entertainment are exemplary even above other nights. However, to truly enjoy the best of cruise ship formal nights, it is vital that vacationers be prepared for the event.
Formal night is exactly that: an evening aboard the ship when passengers have the opportunity to dress in their finest attire, try the most sumptuous dishes the ship's gourmet chefs can devise, and pose for innumerable photographs to commemorate their vacation. Formal nights are unique to the cruise industry, because while a land-based resort or restaurant may require a particular standard of dress, they will not offer photography and elite activities as well.
For many passengers, formal night is reminiscent of the golden age of transatlantic cruises, when patrons were required to dress formally each evening. Different cruise lines have different guidelines for placing formal night during each voyage, but the event will never be held on either the first or last evening of the cruise because of luggage handling concerns. Some cruise lines schedule formal nights to occur while the ship has been at sea all day, guaranteeing that passengers have ample time to prepare for the gala event.
On other lines, it is a set evening such as the second night of the voyage. Depending on the length of the cruise, there may be more than one formal night. Most seven-day cruises offer two formal nights, but the first is usually the most elaborate event.
For the exact formal night date s on a particular cruise, contact the cruise line or ask at the beginning of the voyage. The more relaxed the line, the less restrictive the attire guidelines will be. On most mainstream cruise lines, including Carnival and Royal Caribbean , men's formal attire requires at least a shirt, tie and a suit jacket.
Ladies are expected to wear dress slacks, cocktail dresses, or skirt suits. While the most formal attire is not required, many passengers choose to indulge in elegance with suits, tuxedos, and ball gowns. More reserved cruise lines, such as Cunard and Celebrity, have stricter requirements for dress, and the maitre d' of the dining room can offer suggestions and advice if passengers have any doubt about the proper attire.
All cruiselines have rules that forbid svimwear, casual shorts, t-shirts and jeans in the restuarants. The "Formal" dresscode for children and teens is the same as it is for adults.
For passengers who forget their formalwear or want to rent appropriate clothing, larger ships are equipped with a tuxedo rental shop offering elegant tuxedos and classic formal options for both men and women. Styles and sizes may be limited, however, and in order to insure the best selection, passengers who choose this option should visit the shop early in the cruise to make proper arrangements.
Many guests also choose to arrange spa treatments such as facials, manicures, and hairstyling during the day of formal night in order to look their best that evening. Many cruise ships arrange special discounts or packages during that day, particularly if the ship is in port. Formal night dinners are typically among the best of the voyage. The Dress Code: "Cruise casual" is acceptable most of the time on Norwegian and includes khakis, jeans, shorts and casual shirts for men and summer and casual dresses, skirts, regular or capri pants, shorts, jeans and tops for women.
Swimwear is fine at the buffet and outdoor restaurants -- so long as you put on a cover-up and footwear. For dinner in the main dining room or more upscale specialty restaurants, collared shirts and pants or "nice" jeans not overly faded, with holes or tears or worn below the hips are suggested for men with closed-toe shoes. Slacks or jeans, dresses, skirts, and tops are standard for women. Tank tops for men, flip-flops, baseball caps and visors are not permitted in the main dining room or any of the specialty restaurants.
There are no official formal nights, but "Norwegian's Night Out" is the line's freestyle and optional version of a formal night though there is no associated dress code. Cruisers might also want to pack an all-white ensemble for the line's signature White Hot Party. Nightly Casual Option: It's all casual, though each ship typically reserves one main dining room and one specialty restaurant for passengers who prefer to dress up slightly via smart-casual attire.
The Dress Code: Oceania keeps its policy simple and casual. Country club and resort-style attire are generally appropriate; think button-down shirts and slacks for men and dresses, nice pants or skirts and tops for women. In all evening dining venues, passengers are requested to adhere to a more "elegant" interpretation of country club casual dress code. Jeans, shorts, T-shirts, baseball caps and tennis shoes should not be worn at dinner or in any public areas after 6 p.
Tank tops and swimsuits are not appropriate attire for any of the onboard restaurants at any time. Nightly Casual Option: The ship maintains a more casual dress code than most upscale lines, so evening casual wear is appropriate throughout the ship. Shorts and casual shirts are allowed in Terrace Cafe during the evening.
Room service is always an option for the sweatpants and T-shirt crowd. The Dress Code: "Country club casual" also referred to by the line as "elegant resort wear" dress is requested for most evenings after 6 p. Men should wear slacks and collared shirts, while women should don dresses, skirts or slacks with blouses or sweaters. The line requests that passengers do not dress in casual wear, such as shorts, T-shirts, jeans that are frayed or with holes, baseball caps, flip-flops and Crocs, after 6 p.
Bathing suits are likewise not permitted in the ship's restaurants and lounges; shirts and shoes must be worn in all public areas. At the once-per-cruise Captain's Welcome Reception, some men choose to wear a jacket though ties are not expected. There is also a Polynesian Night once every sailing, when passengers are encouraged to wear Polynesian-style attire, so pull out your tropical shirts and dresses.
Nightly Casual Option: Come evening time, it is country club casual in all public spaces and restaurants. The Dress Code: Princess has formal and smart-casual nights. Formal attire is tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits for men and evening gowns, cocktail dresses or elegant pantsuits for women. Smart-casual attire includes pants and open-neck shirts for men and skirts or dresses, slacks and sweaters for women.
In the dining rooms, items such as shorts, pool wear and baseball caps are not permitted; shoes must be worn at all times. Jeans are permitted as long as they aren't fraying and don't have holes.
Number of Formal Nights: Five- to six-night cruises have one formal evening, seven- to night cruises have two, to night cruises have three, to night cruises have four and cruises of 29 nights or more have a minimum of five. Short voyages four nights or less have a "dress to impress" night -- not technically a formal night, but a notch above daywear.
Nightly Casual Option: Passengers wishing to avoid the dressy evenings can head to the casual buffet venue for dinner. The dress code is almost always "elegant casual" after 6 p. Men should wear slacks and collared shirts sport jackets are optional and ties are not required ; skirts or slacks paired with blouses or sweaters, pantsuits or dresses are acceptable for women.
Jeans, T-shirts, shorts and tennis shoes are not allowed in any public area, apart from the pool area, after 6 p. Longer cruises have optional formal or semiformal nights. On these evenings, passengers can either wear elegant casual attire or opt for a more formal look gowns, cocktail dresses, dark suits or tuxedos. Number of Formal Nights: Voyages of 16 nights or longer have two or more formal or semiformal nights, but these are optional.
Shorter cruises are always "elegant casual. Nightly Casual Option: The outdoor Pool Grill is the only public area onboard that does not subscribe to the evening dress code. The Dress Code: Royal Caribbean has formal, smart-casual and casual nights. Formal attire includes suits and ties or tuxedos for men and cocktail dresses and evening gowns for women. Smart-casual attire includes collared shirts and slacks for men jackets, sports coats and blazers are welcome and dresses, skirts and blouses or pantsuits for women.
Casual attire includes jeans and collared shirts for men and sundresses or pants with blouses for women. No caps, tank tops or bathing suits are permitted in the main dining room or specialty restaurants, and footwear is always required. Shorts are not allowed during dinner. Number of Formal Nights: Three-, four- and five-night cruises have one formal night; cruises of six nights and longer typically have two formal nights. Note: There are no formal nights on Empress of the Seas sailings.
The Dress Code: Seabourn is typically casual resort-style attire, and shorts and jeans are acceptable in all public areas, including restaurants. However, swimsuits, cover-ups and gymwear should be limited to the pool, spa and fitness center and outer decks.
The dress code after 6 p. Women should choose dresses, pantsuits or skirts or slacks with nice tops. On the limited formal nights, proper attire includes tuxedos, suits or slacks jackets required for men and evening gowns, cocktail dresses or dressy pantsuits for women.
Jeans are welcome in all dining venues during the day, but they're not appropriate in any public venues after 6 p. Number of Formal Nights: There is one formal optional evening on cruises of up to 13 nights, two on to night cruises and three for cruises of 21 nights or more. Nightly Casual Option: Formal attire is only expected in the main dining room; "elegant casual" attire is acceptable in all other ship venues come evening time. On casual nights, resort-style wear is requested -- open-neck shirts and slacks are appropriate for men, while women wear casual dresses, blouses and skirts or pants.
Many people love having the opportunity to dress up and many have photos taken with the captain. There may be a special formal night menu in the main dining room and there may be additional entertainment. Skipping formal night may mean dining in a different restaurant, the buffet, or having room service delivered.
The best thing that you can do is pick a cruise line that aligns with your requirements. If you are new to cruising and would like to learn which cruise line is the best fit for you, including how to book for the cheapest price, start here: How to Cruise For Less. In recent years a number of cruise lines have started to reduce the dress codes and formality of formal nights. For the purposes of this article when talking about formal nights this means the most formal night of the cruise where many guests choose to dress nicely and some have photos taken with the captain.
The formal night dress codes usually only apply to the main dining room. There are some cruise lines such as Cunard where the dress code is applied ship-wide but generally speaking, the formal night dress code is usually only applied to the main dining room.
The buffet is the most popular and probably most obvious choice when it comes to avoiding formal nights on a cruise. On most cruise lines the dress requirements for the buffet are that you are not wearing swimwear and are wearing shoes. Some more upscale luxury lines do have dress code requirements such as no jeans or sneakers. If you are cruising with Norwegian Cruise Line one of my favorite places to eat is a bar called The Local. The Local serves things like hot dogs, burgers, and chicken wings and is usually open 24 hours a day.
Before you cruise make sure that you do your research into the ship and find out what food is included.
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