what to wear nonformal nights

[humboldt]

I've been reading this forum for awhile now and I'm still not sure about what to wear to eat in the dining room on nonformal nights. Myself and 3 good friend are cruising on Carnival, April 2009 and we originally planned to wear nice dresses or pant suits, but the more I read the more I feel like

we may be way overdressed. This is our first cruise, we are celebrating our 60th birthdays and would enjoy dressing up alittle in the evening. Thanks in advance for any advice any one could give us, we don't really want to look out of place if most everyone will be dressed very casual.

[jkudzu]

I've been reading this forum for awhile now and I'm still not sure about what to wear to eat in the dining room on nonformal nights. Myself and 3 good friend are cruising on Carnival, April 2009 and we originally planned to wear nice dresses or pant suits, but the more I read the more I feel like

 

 

we may be way overdressed. This is our first cruise, we are celebrating our 60th birthdays and would enjoy dressing up alittle in the evening. Thanks in advance for any advice any one could give us, we don't really want to look out of place if most everyone will be dressed very casual.

 

 

I've never been on Carnival but I always try to dress a little nicer even on casual nights. I wore sundresses and skirts on our last cruise. I'd much rather be over-dressed than under. Wear what makes you feel the best and have a wonderful time!

[Gingee]

I am planning on wearing casual dresses.

[Nebr.cruiser]

What you are planning sounds perfect. I always like to dress up a little, even on 'casual' night. Casual doesn't mean sloppy, shorts, what you'd wear at home. I sometimes wear a cocktail dress, usually a cute skirt and top or slacks and top. Sundresses and capris are about the most casual I see.

 

Some people wear nice jeans and tops; it's just not for me. I don't wear jeans much anyway.

 

You will see a gamut of dress on casual night from very dressy to quite casual. Most people are somewhere inbetween.

[sunshinestyles]

I usually wear a DKNY, Ann Taylor or Jones New York sleeveless jersey dress, halter style or sleeveless, with a little pair of low heeled sandals. That way I look elegant but not cocktail-party-ish. Matte jersey is great, since it doesn't wrinkle, and I always remember my Spanx underneath to keep the look smooth!

[Cathy Maneri]

Ladies, I think it's time to bring back some style at dinner on cruises.

 

On my next cruise, I'm going to leave the Chico's black travelers at home and wear some nice dresses for dinner every night. On formal night I will wear not a long gown, but a silk formal-style dress.

 

It's probably easier to pack as well, I'll save the capris for daytime wear on the ship.

 

I'm 54 and retired now, but when I worked in Manhattan, I always wore dresses, skirts and blouses or pantsuits to work.

 

Let's bring back some style to cruising. Dresses are in this year!

[Cruising Carol]

Since I find the dining rooms and theatres on ships are often very cool, I usually wear slacks with a coordinating top and add a scarf, cotton jacket, or light sweater. Or I wear a long or 3/4 sleeve top with the slacks. I usually don't wear skirts or dresses in my daily life -- have a few but they are rarely worn. So on cruises, I don't take dresses or skirts. Just slacks (lightweight for warm climates and heavier weight for Alaska) and tops ranging from casual to very dressy.

[pcur]

I wear knit slacks and nice tops every night except formal night on cruises. I especially like the slinky knit material in "twofer" styles, which look like a jacket and top combo. I also wear nice knit pantsuits.

 

I take a black long skirt to mix up the look, so some nights I wear the tops with a skirt, and others with the pants.

 

Dressy sandals every night.

 

It's what I wear on land to nice restaurants.

[bamacruisenqueen]

For my cruise I plan on wearing nice skirts or a dress to dinner. I love to dress up. I am sticking to my long dress for formal night....

[Curt Jerome Wild]

I've been reading this forum for awhile now and I'm still not sure about what to wear to eat in the dining room on nonformal nights. Myself and 3 good friend are cruising on Carnival, April 2009 and we originally planned to wear nice dresses or pant suits, but the more I read the more I feel like

we may be way overdressed. This is our first cruise, we are celebrating our 60th birthdays and would enjoy dressing up alittle in the evening. Thanks in advance for any advice any one could give us, we don't really want to look out of place if most everyone will be dressed very casual.

What you are planning will be perfectly fine.

Bear in mind that, they just changed the dress codes to a little more casual on Carnival for the first time in years. So you are reading far more questions than usual about "how casual can I get away with".

 

Secondly, I'm a life long cruiser of several lines, and have been sticking to Carnival lately...

On Carnival I find a very interesting thing. Even though, there is a somewhat casual-ness compared to some of the other lines - there is a large portion of people on any given cruise who really dress up.

They seem to be of the "I don't get many opportunities to dress up in my regular life, so I'm going to go for it on my cruise".

 

So, you are fine in what you are planning - enjoy it!

Don't forget that Carnival has some of the best photographers out there, and they are available before and after dinner even on casual nights.

Take advantage to get some great shots in your nice dresses!

 

Have fun!

[poochierebelbear]

Hi,

 

Seeing as how I'll be buying new clothes to wear on my cruise since I'm losing weight, I will be wearing a lot of casual dresses and sundresses. I was always shy about showing my legs but boy will I be strutting my stuff on the cruise. I like the look of the Jersy dresses so I'm sure they will be included in my waredrobe. I just hope they look ok with my Merrell slideins. I surely don't want to take them back.

 

Erica

[kmbcruiser]

I love dressing up, so I'll be wearing nice dresses each night plus my two formals. Some are a bit dressier than others, but I hardly ever get a chance to dress up, so I'm wearing them all. The key for me is wearing comfortable yet cute shoes.

[mykidsmom]

we'll be on a 5 day to Bermuda - only 1 formal night - we don't do too dressy. Just something a little dressier than the other nights - even if it is just a dressier top - jewely always works.

Other nights - dress pants and casual comfortable shoes .

[laurspag]

Me and my daugthers are on a 5 night Bermuda cruise too. We plan on wearing casual dresses except on formal night, where we are raising the bar a bit! We like the idea of dressing nice. We aren't wearing uncomfortable clothing - all our dresses are comfy, but nice looking.

 

We don't always talk too much about what men wear, but the DH is wearing docker style pants, (nice ones - they won't be falling off his butt, lol) casual shoes, and short sleeved button down shirts. On formal night, he is wearing his dress suit and dress shoes.

[Verity]

The only cruise ship that I have ever been on that enforced a dress code was on the Carnival Glory. I have cruised on Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. The captain made an announcement that no shorts would be allowed in the dining room for dinner and he meant it. They had the fashion police stationed outside the dining room doors in the evening turning people away. What everyone who has posted is planning to wear is perfect. I always take my travel clothing from Chico's for casual nights. I have quite a collection and a lot of it doesn't look like the typical travel clothing. I like wearing skirts and tops for dinner because it's cooler in the hot climates than pants. Make sure you find a nice shawl to wear with your sundresses. sometimes the dining room is cool.

[E Heffa]

I haven't quite made up my mind as to what I'm going to wear to dinner on the non-formal nights. I don't think we've even decided whether we'll eat in the dining room or just eat at the dinner buffet. If we do the buffet, it'll probably be much more casual, in that we'll just wear what we wore on deck that day.

 

I have bought a couple of jersey-like dresses that I will probably wear. I've also put aside my black gauchos that can be spiffed up with a nice top and shoes.

 

One essential item I will carry with me always is a wrap or sweater. I've already put aside a black sweater, a white sweater and a red pashmina for the trip. Yes, I know I'm probably on the verge of over packing! Help!

[Chan_T]

I usually wear capris and nice tops on casual nights. On our last Carnival cruise, I did notice varying degrees of attire on casual nights. I saw some that looked as though they had just rolled out of bed...I saw some that were dressed up a bit ...and quite a few in between those two.

[meggie711]

I've been reading this forum for awhile now and I'm still not sure about what to wear to eat in the dining room on nonformal nights. Myself and 3 good friend are cruising on Carnival, April 2009 and we originally planned to wear nice dresses or pant suits, but the more I read the more I feel like

 

 

we may be way overdressed. This is our first cruise, we are celebrating our 60th birthdays and would enjoy dressing up alittle in the evening. Thanks in advance for any advice any one could give us, we don't really want to look out of place if most everyone will be dressed very casual.

 

On all of my cruises so far (RCCL & Carnival), I've worn a dress to dinner. Some nights, they were more of a sundress/resorty type. Other nights, they were a touch dressier. I never felt out of place, as I saw most women wearing dresses.

[meggie711]

Hi,

 

Seeing as how I'll be buying new clothes to wear on my cruise since I'm losing weight, I will be wearing a lot of casual dresses and sundresses. I was always shy about showing my legs but boy will I be strutting my stuff on the cruise. I like the look of the Jersy dresses so I'm sure they will be included in my waredrobe. I just hope they look ok with my Merrell slideins. I surely don't want to take them back.

 

Erica

 

Good for you!!! You strut! :D