Dinner In Dining Room First Night Of Cruise

[oceanstogo]

Can anyone tell me if they allow you to wear very casual clothes the first night of any Carnival cruise?? Seems to me I remember from our last cruise that they allow you to be very casual the first night in the dining room, even allowing you to wear shorts. Can someone verify this for me???

[iluvdoxies]

yes you can, if you have early seating, you may not have your luggage yet.

[TRESE]

The first night is deffinantly casual. Casual being no shorts or tees. But you would be surprised at what some people think casual means. i've seen jeans and t-shirts before. they won't turn you away no matter what you wear.

[Sealicker]

I have heard them say "come as you are"...

[smarks]

I will try again. We were on the Miracle last year in April. We had a late seating and we didn't have our luggage yet, so my husband had to wear his shorts and tennis shoes. Many others were dressed the same. I think it is expected. Sorry ladies. But sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do. :D But the rest of the cruise we dressed the part.:)

[LRene]

I don't think I'll ever complain about jeans in the DR again. Last week on Fantasy on the last night, a 20-something guy decided to be cute and test the policy by being shirtless in the DR at the end of the evening. He was jetting back and forth between two tables of girls, no doubt seeing how long before he got caught.

 

What made me maddest was that the waiters were busy so they just let it slide. We, however, did not.

[oceanstogo]

Thanks everyone for verifying what I thought I remembered from our last cruise! I just wanted to be double sure we'd be okay in just very casual clothes that first night! We have requested early seating for dinner, so I think we'll be okay as long as we wear some kind of long pants!

 

Thanks again everyone!!!

[choclitsnda]

yes you can, if you have early seating, you may not have your luggage yet.

 

 

That's why we usually pack a change of clothes(including long pants) in our carry-on.

[terraweb]

Last week on Fantasy on the last night, a 20-something guy decided to be cute and test the policy by being shirtless in the DR at the end of the evening.

 

Yes, that was really.....astounding. I'm still a little speechless. :eek:

 

To the OP: I've always heard that shorts are acceptable on the first night because the luggage might not be delivered in time for you to dress for dinner. I just don't think I could feel comfortable in the dining room in shorts, though, so I pack something to wear to dinner in my carry-on bag.

[heathriel]

There's a simple solution to this question, if you're worried about eating in the formal dining room and not yet having your luggage:

 

Don't dress like a slob when you board the ship :)

 

They're going to take your picture when you embark, so why would you want to be dressed down? I understand people feel the need nowadays to dress all gross when they're flying, but, honestly, pajamas on an airplane? Please.

 

I guess I'm old school, but I still dress up when I travel. I wear comfortable but "elegant" clothing on airplanes, and likewise if I were coming straight from a plane to a ship (which I would never do - I always fly in the night before) I would be dressed just as well when boarding. As it is, I always have a nice, more casual but still dressy-ish outfit prepared for boarding, even though I always skip the picture.

 

It's a vacation, not a license to look like a... it's too early to think of a word other than slob, so I'll just say that.

 

Feel free to flame me, but I'm also the kind of person who would never be caught dead in a printed T-shirt and winces whenever my husband puts on a baseball hat. Dressing down to me means Abercrombie/Express instead of Ann Taylor/Limited.

 

Other people can wear what they want, it's just my personal preference (and obviously it leaks onto my husband as well). I have no problem seeing anything I wouldn't wear on other people, and there are plenty of things that look good that I just wouldn't wear, and things people enjoy wearing that make them happy, which is really what vacationing is all about (being comfortable). If I saw a shirtless guy in the dining room I would have totally complained, though. T-Shirts, shorts and jeans I can deal with, but that, no. There are lines.

[Knights on the Beach]

There's a simple solution to this question, if you're worried about eating in the formal dining room and not yet having your luggage:

 

Don't dress like a slob when you board the ship :)

 

They're going to take your picture when you embark, so why would you want to be dressed down? I understand people feel the need nowadays to dress all gross when they're flying, but, honestly, pajamas on an airplane? Please.

 

 

I don't believe the OP had any intention of dressing like a "slob". You must have missed their second post in this thread:

 

Thanks everyone for verifying what I thought I remembered from our last cruise! I just wanted to be double sure we'd be okay in just very casual clothes that first night! We have requested early seating for dinner, so I think we'll be okay as long as we wear some kind of long pants!

Thanks again everyone!!!

 

Sounds perfectly fine to me! :)

[iluvdoxies]

That's why we usually pack a change of clothes(including long pants) in our carry-on.

 

 

 

Well good for you !

[HockeyMom44]

Ok ...here's one. I'm going to be dressing "FORMAL" on our first night. My DD will be getting married b4 we sail. I will not be changing for dinner. On FORMAL night I will be eating on the lido deck!:eek: Its your cruise, do what you want.

[heathriel]

Ok ...here's one. I'm going to be dressing "FORMAL" on our first night. My DD will be getting married b4 we sail. I will not be changing for dinner. On FORMAL night I will be eating on the lido deck!:eek: Its your cruise, do what you want.

 

Congratulations to her!

 

I hope everything isn't rushed... I was on a cruise where my friends were married at the first port, and we ended up having to rush back from the reception even though it was all set up by the cruise line! The Justice of the Peace in St. Thomas was not exactly, um, on time.

 

90 degrees in floor-length tweetie-bird tafetta on the beach... oh yeah, good times. I looked like the portrait of Dorian Gray by the time we made it back.

 

But I wasn't saying that the OP was going to look like a slob, I was just saying that people shouldn't look like slobs and they wouldn't have to worry about what to wear in the dining room. If you're worried about not getting your luggage, then don't dress like Borat on a day at the beach ;)

[we2cruze]

The idea is that if you have not recieved your luggage by dinner, then you are allowed to come to dinner in the clothing you are wearing. Only one time have we not received our luggage by dinner (late seating that time, early all the rest). That was on the Tahitian Princess and we had not boarded the ship until around 7pm. Usually you receive your luggage in time, unless you have boarded the ship late in the day or a piece of luggage is misplaced. Many people look at this allowance as meaning that you can wear whatever you want in the dining room the first night, luggage received or not, but I don't think that is really the intention of the allowance. You do usually see some shorts and t-shirts the first night.

[johnaricka]

I wore capris (not jean) and a dressy tee shirt when we boarded. I didnt want to look like a slob when taking pics of the boat (you all know how many pics you take when you just get on the ship). There was a really laid back vibe on the boat. In fact, the vibe wasnt extra dressy any night except on the formal night.

[oceanstogo]

I don't believe the OP had any intention of dressing like a "slob". You must have missed their second post in this thread:

 

 

 

Sounds perfectly fine to me! :)

 

I must be the "OP"...I assume that stands for Original Poster??? Anyway, I totally agree that looking like a slob, even traveling TO and embarking ON a ship, would be something I would never do. I make sure we look presentable! We will be driving from Kentucky down to Cape Canaveral but the day we actually arrive at the dock for embarkation, we will be dressed in something appropriate! No need to worry!! If you see someone in the dining room that night in shorts, it won't be me!!!!

 

Thanks again everyon!

[cvrgrl2b]

I agree with everyones comment about dressing like a slob and what not. We will be driving into Port, leaving Wednesday evening, not sure if we will arrive near Port Canaveral on Friday Night or get up early Saturday and hurry the rest of the way, however; either way I will be exhausted from such a long drive from Indiana. I love any occasion to look cute and but I want to be comfortable.

I plan on wearing a pair of adorable hollister capri sweats (not very warm, but sweats nonetheless) and a matching aqua racerback tank, the outfit is very cute, but comfortable. I will also have my bikini under or in my carry on so I can take a nap in the sun. Unless I totally space out, I plan to pack a cute dress into my carry on that way I won't have to wear the sweats into the dining room because I wouldn't feel comfortable. However it is a cute outfit and I'm not going to be ashamed to have a million pictures in it.

[I Luv Crusin]

There's a simple solution to this question, if you're worried about eating in the formal dining room and not yet having your luggage:

 

Don't dress like a slob when you board the ship :)

 

 

I usually dress nicely too when traveling. One one cruise I told my dining staff that I was sorry I was so dressed down for dinner. They told me it was my vacation and I could wear what I wanted!:eek: