Carnival: How many elegant evenings are best?

[Honolulu Blue]

I was inspired by some comments here to ask this... how many elegant evenings do you think are best on Carnival for cruises between 6 and 10 days?

 

As most of you know, there are currently two on cruises between those lengths.  And it doesn't look like it's going to change any time soon.  But should they?  Are elegant evenings a concept that should be phased out or discarded?  Or maybe elegance should be emphasized on Carnival ships.  Please answer from your perspective and not worry about the rest of us passengers too much.

 

Thanks in advance, and please be decent to each other. 😇

[Island Dog]

Here's a great idea that will never happen. Lol.

 

Make one dining room "always elegant" and one "come as you are". As there are two schools of thought on dress codes, this would seemingly satisfy everyone.

 

Yeah, right. Lol.

[MistyRo76]

I love dressing up...so I would say a minimum of two! 

[LibertyBella]

 

I am actually a very elegant person and I always over-dress. (I have been cruising for decades.)  I also try to match my fashion to itinerary. That means clothes, jewelry, shoes, bags, and wraps (and make-up) must all coordinate, and be appropriate for the weather and the location.  I select every thing at least a month or more in advance.

 

For formal nights I always wear a gown, unless I am on a cruise that is less than five nights.

 

I prefer to have two formal nights on cruises less than seven nights.  Every other night I also wear a dress, but the simplest dresses are on the first night (just unpacking) and the last night (packing everything up again.).  

 

When I am on Carnival, I wear more fun, trendy styles and husband will wear suits.  If it is a tropical climate we wear bright colors and whites, and I wear open-toed heels. If we are in a colder climate we wear darker colors, and I will wear pump heels.   

 

This Summer we cruised on Cunard and husband wore his tuxedo both formal nights (just changed his bow tie), while I wore two long sweeping gowns, one of gold net and sequins, and one of white satin.  For the regular nights I wore short dresses with sequins, categorized as cocktail dresses.  I do like luxurious styles, and I have some dresses that are actually too fancy for cruises.

 

We take lots of photos on every cruise!  I never worry about what other passengers wear, just that I look my personal best, because that is how I enjoy my cruise experiences!

 

[Joebucks]

Eventually, it will go to zero. Times have changed. As the older generations are replaced with new, that allure continues to shrink. Sadly, I think the MDR death isn't too far off that either

[spleenstomper]

I voted zero. I’m on vacation and I don’t want to dress up. On “elegant” night I dress exactly the same as other nights. (If people want to dress up, it doesn’t bother me. Im answering the question presented).

 

 

[talkorpi]

I like the current number.  I enjoy getting dressed up and making dinner into more of an "experience."

 

That being said, even though I'm in my early twenties, I have much older taste for my age.  I prefer a lot of "old-style" cruise experiences and habits that I realize are probably on their way out.  I'm honestly more a Princess type of person but alas I am bound to Carnival for budgetary reasons 😆

Edited November 9, 2022 by talkorpi

[Theosprey247]

Depends on the length of the cruise.

 

3-4 ZERO

5+ one

[angela12345]

We are very similar to LibertyBella.  Maybe slightly less dressy on regular evenings. 
 
On elegant evening, hubby is in tuxedo, I am in long gown.  On regular evenings, I wear a dressier dress or skirt and dressy top, most likely not quite "cocktail" attire.

[fireofficer5]

Every night should be an elegant night, want to dress down go to the buffet or order room service and sit on the balcony.

 

But CCL might not be around much longer, so there is the tub line NCL.

 

[CruiserLucas]

I just entered my 30's and my partner is mid-20's and we both like elegant evenings. But I don't think on a line like Carnival or other mainstream or family-focused lines that every night should be elegant and hide in your cabin otherwise. It's nice to opt into the experience for a fun formal night. If you don't want to, that's your choice and I don't think you should be judged either for not wanting to dress up. 

[vicky3vicky]

I think 2 is perfect, but I have no problem whatsoever with others on elegant night wearing whatever they please. I have been wearing the same 2 dresses for elegant night for over 30 years and plan to be buried in my favorite of the 2.