Hello fellow cruisers. My family will be going on the Conquest next month, and I am wondering about the dress code...there are 2 formal nights. For a 14 year old, is a blazer and slacks okay? And what would an 11 year old girl wear? Is it also true that adults must wear a suit or tux?
On casual night, a Polo shirt and khakis is okay, right?
At lunch, are shorts and T-shirts permitted in the Main Dining Room?
After reading the other post about dress code on RCCL it made me start wondering about this...
Alot of Qs I know! Thanks!!!

Yes, the man should wear a suit on formal night. Your son will be fine in a blazer and slacks. For your daughter, any kind of dress or pantsuit.
For casual nights, polos and khakis are fine. Carnival is very informal. They let people in the dining room at lunch time wearing just about anything except a bathing suit.

Matt:

A blazer & tie is OK for an adult on formal night as well--at least there will be plenty of other people dressed that way. A lot of men will wear suits; very few will wear tuxedos.

It's your vacation--dress however you feel most comfortable.

Enjoy!

Our 14-year-old son wore a dress shirt and a tie and he definitely was not underdressed! Our daughter wore her nicer church dresses both formal nights, and again, she was more formal than most of the kids her age.

I was so stressed out about formal nights before we went, but there's no reason to be. The restaurants are so busy and people are coming and going, that no one really notices who is dressed up and who isn't.

I have noticed that some people who post on this board believe that Carnival is the Wal-mart of cruiselines and anything goes. I have cruised on several Carnival ships and my experience is that the shorter the cruise, the more cheapskates and trailer trash that are on the ship.

Yes, a 4 days cruise with one formal night will generate few men in a tux, but go on a new ship (such as the Pride) for a 7 day voyage, and the world changes. A lot less trash and you will see many more men wearing a tux. Realize that the appropriate option for men on a formal night is either a tux or a dark suit (I believe that one of the above posters forgot about the tux).

In general, most of the other comments above are accurate. I see that Triathlete even was cautious in his/her wording about what is appropriate because if you read the literature that comes with your tickets, which many people do not, then you will see that a blazer and tie are NOT appropriate on formal night. Regardless, Triathlete is correct that there will be men dressed wearing just that on formal night.

Thanks! Actually, I'm the 14 year old figuring all of this out for my family (LOL).

Hello,

Carnival is very casual, and a nice shirt and khakis will be fine for most nights. A tie, nice slacks and dress shirt will be just fine for formal nights for men of all ages. Business casual is fine for dinner. As long as you are in shorts and a nice, neat tee-shirt or tank top, you will be welcome in the dining room. Don't wear your grubbies, but don't go back to change if you have casual vacation clothes on for breakfast or lunch. I wear shorts and tee shirts with sandals during the day, and nice, flowing casual linen or rayon dresses with sandals and a light sweater in the evenings.

Best Regards,
Julia Elzie
E-mail: [email protected]

Shorts and a tank top are not appropriate in the dining room for dinner. However, they are fine during the day.

You will be fine with khakis and a polo shirt most nights. A shirt, tie and dress slacks (or a blazer) will be fine on formal nights.

You may see people who are not as dressed up as you are, but I think you will feel better if you are dressed appropriately.

Have fun!

When I took my 4 night on RCL I was surprised that many people were dressed very appropriately on formal night.

JimSmith,
Not all 3 & 4 day have trailer trash people. As a matter of fact - I am taking a 3 night on Labor Day weekend and the following week I fly to Greece for a 7 night Greek Island Cruise. I guess that goes to show that we should not generalize as much as we do.

Mr. Smith:

Good comments. I didn't realize that Carnvial specified no blazers in their lit (Oops! Of course, they also specify no booze smuggling!) I'll have to think hard on it next time: I just hate wearing wool--even light-weight wool--in the tropics. Sigh.

And you're right, I have to say the overall dress level was a lot more casual on the last 4-nighter I did vs. the 7.

Finally, I have to come to your defense. I'm a a Carnival fan, but I don't see any reason for anyone to deny the obvious: yes, you do see members of the socio-economic group known as "trailer trash" on the ships, with more on shorter cruises than on longer ones. Certainly you see a wide range of other types of people too, but hey, it's a cheap vacation and you get all kinds.

Many of these people can be obnoxious, but they can also be fun to party with too. The short cruises especially are not for the sedate...

Cheers all!

Your choices are fine. I have to agree on some points about "anything goes" with Carnival, I have 30 cruises under my belt and many with Carnival- most always I have seen tshirt and shorts cruisers heading into the dining room on formal nights. This wouldn't be seen on HAL.

To the 14 year-old who posted this, please don?t be confused by the people above who implied that dressing causal is appropriate on formal nights. Some of the people who posted above are dead wrong. One lady even said that you will be welcome in the dining room in shorts and a nice T-shirt or tank top. Let me make this crystal clear, it is never appropriate to wear shorts in the dining room during dinner.

Also, antmaril made a comment that You will be fine with khakis and a polo shirt most nights. A shirt, tie and dress slacks (or a blazer) will be fine on formal nights.


Although you will not be turned away from the dining room if you dress like this, please read your cruise material because I believe that the only clothes for men that are appropriate are dark suits and tuxedos on a formal night.

However, you are young and can get away without a suit, but just realize, just because they will let your dad in the dining room on formal night if he isn?t wearing a tux or suit, it doesn?t mean that it is appropriate.

The thing with cruises is that 1000-3200 passengers will be on the ship and most people have little or no clue as to what really is appropriate. If enough people are underdressed, they feel as if they are dressed appropriately. Since the cruise companies do not want to alienate the passengers, they never turn someone away from the dining room for not being dressed appropriately, even when they should turn them away.

The bottom line is you can wear what you want, but read the material that the cruiseline sends you, because people on this board (as well as your fellow passengers) obviously do not read the material and kind of wing it and then make bold proclamations as to what they think is appropriate.

By the way, has anyone ever seen someone on HAL get turned away from the dining room for not being dressed appropriately?

bravo. Hopefully the ignorant people who wear whatever they want will realize that they are wrong.

The rule of thumb for Carnival is that if you can find the attire for sale at WalMart, then it's okay on the cruise ship. You'll probably see a lot of last year's NASCAR stars on the t-shirts from the marked-down bin on aisle 7 there this year.