carnival spirit info needed
 

hello-we (8 of us ) are going on our first ever cruise in july ,with carnival spirit,(alaska) the perplexing problem for the men is this: is a sport coat (with tie)adequate for the required dress stipulation or are suits also needed.thanks for your help

You'll find a wide range of dress on Carnival formal nights. A relatively small percentage of men will wear tuxedos (maybe 5%-10%); the largest group will wear suits (40%-60%) and probably 20%-30% will be in sport coat and tie.

You won't be the worst dressed (there will always be people without ties or even in jeans--it is Carnival after all) but most people will be more dressed up than you are.

Bottom line--it's your vacation. Dress however you think you'll be most comfortable.

Enjoy!

thanks triathlete-but your comment about "it is carnival after all' makes me a little suspect-am i going to be disappointed?

I wouldn't think so. I've been on 4 Carnival cruises and wouldn't hesitate to go again.

Carnival is a mass-market line--median passenger age around 35. Different generation than those sailing HAL or Cunard or Celebrity (who are more concerned with formality).

There is some interesting info on Carnival at www.cruisecritic.com. I would go Carnival again w/o hesitation BTW but the article states that Carnival was "blue collar" shall we say when it first came into business a good # of yrs ago but since then has gone way past that. Unfortunately reputation oftens lags behind reality. You will be fine I am sure. BTW their food was terrific with prime entrees every night such as lobster, filet mignon, Chateaubriand, beef Wellington, etc. As this thread asks specifically about Carnival don't be surprised if some regular bashers show up but also don't be deterred as well. Have a great trip. BTW a sport coat and tie will be fine. For non-formal nights smart casual is recommended. Bon voyage :-) Larry.

thanks jacket and triathlete-your advice will make my life easier

Thats good! Now just relax and enjoy your trip amigo. :-) :-)

We did the Spirit Inside Passage on May 11-18. It was the first cruise for me also. The cruise week was the first part of an overall five-week vacation, and I had already decided if I had to Pack a suit for two nights on the ship, I'd just eat in the pizza sections instead on that nights. I couldn't see using up my precious packing space for an almost useless suit. I did have a decent sport coat and a nice turtleneck, and my wife convinced me to wear that on the first formal night. I didn't feel much out of place at all. Only a few of the men had opted for tuxes, probably half had suits (both light and dark colored), and the rest had sports coats with or without ties. We were at the early seating dinner; I don't know if it were more formal at the later seating. Since Carnival now has the optional formal supper club, I wish they'd limit the formal dress to that part. On a cruise to Alaska, the regular dining room should be neat and comfortable every night.