Here are cruise packing lists to read, save and share: Planning what to wear on a Royal Caribbean cruise isnt as hard as it seems. "Evening chic" nights encourage passengers to go all out with tuxes and evening gowns. Related: 7 cruise ship packing mistakes you want to avoid at all costs. Our opinions are our own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by our advertising partners. Formal Nights Men: Collared shirts with slacks, nice jeans or suit pants. Jump to section . The above definition comes directly from Royal Caribbean. Guests may also choose to get their hair styled or get a manicure prior to formal night. 15, 2022. Cruise ship formal nights are often a cause for concern for many first time cruisers. Finally, check to see if your cruise line has any special theme nights planned. Have you ever had that nightmare where you're at work, in school or giving an important presentation, and you look down to discover you're wearing only your underwear (or worse, nothing at all)? about Can you wear shorts in the dining room on a Royal Caribbean cruise? The Amex Platinum comes with access to a premium concierge service that can help you with everything from booking hard-to-get reservations to finding destination guides to help you plan out your next getaway. Anecdotally, many cruisers. As long as the dress/skirt isnt particularly short it would be acceptable. This latest website update reverses the policy and clarifies the cruise line's stance on the issue. Royal Caribbean has started to rename Formal night with Dress Your Best night. Celebrity Apex, Flora and Millennium. As a general rule of thumb, you dont want to wear the clothes you would wear to the pool deck or walking around port on a cruise ship formal night. This card is also incredibly rewarding for travel purchases, helping you rack up a ton of Membership Rewards points for your next award trip. Unlike most other lines, the same goes at dinnertime, with jeans and T-shirts just as common as dressier attire like slacks and button-downs. As for Holland America formal nights, on sailings shorter than a week, there will be one "gala night," where travelers don evening or ball gowns, suits or tuxedos. Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Are you having trouble figuring out what to wear on Royal Caribbean formal nights? (Enrollment required for select benefits.). The Royal Caribbean dress code of the day is on the front page of your cruise compass. In reality, though, this is rarely the case. Affluent Media Group, a Dotdash Meredith company. Compare the cost in points or miles to cash, and see which option is best. In fact, expect a lot of other guests to be dressed casually, regardless if it's formal night or not. Although Royal Caribbean describes the formal night dress code as night your best black-tie look, with suits and ties, tuxedos, cocktail dresses or evening gowns suggested as options, in reality its not as formal in practice. I actually had some taken too! Can you wear shorts in the dining room on a Royal Caribbean cruise? Should you get Global Entry or TSA PreCheck? Chinos would be acceptable as long as these are smart. For lunch and breakfast, you can wear shorts, however pool wear is best kept for the Lido deck. Jump to section . Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPGs editors and is not influenced by the card issuer. Hi All, Im Ilana. $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year in baggage fees and more at one select qualifying airline. You do not have to participate in formal night on a cruise, but your dining options in the evening will be more limited. Formal night is certainly the most dressed up evening attire required on your Royal Caribbean cruise, but it is not as ornate as you might imagine. Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. The concept of dress codes emanatesfrom the early days of cruising on passenger liners that most of us recall looking like something out of the 1997 filmTitanic. Collared shirts, slacks, and dress shirts are typical options for men on formal night. However its far more common to see men in suits, or even a nice pair or pants and a dress shirt. Passengers will be just fine in jeans, T-shirts, tank tops, shorts and bathing suits for their days on board or ashore. Tuxedoes are optional and occasionally seen. There can be 1-3 formal nights during a sailing and is at the ships discretion. If you prefer a more relaxed formal night motif, a polo shirt and slacks for men will suffice, as will a nice blouse and skirt or pants for women. Princess cruise formal nights are special because the line is one of the few industry holdouts in that it still has an official formal night. Smart casual nights are a bit fancier than the casual dress code. I understand your concern, and you could alternatively rent or purchase a tuxedo prior to your cruise from somewhere other than through Royal Caribbean. Dress to impress with collared shirts, dresses, skirts and blouses, or pantsuits. Shorts and a tshirt may be somebody's best. It's not uncommon to see jeans, shorts, T-shirts or bathing suits during the day. Perhaps no topic is as hotly debated among cruisers as if shorts are acceptable to be worn in the dining room. If you are cruising on a cruise that is 3 or 4 nights in length you will just have one formal night and the rest will be casual. Can you wear shorts in the dining room on a Royal Caribbean cruise? 7 cruise ship packing mistakes you want to avoid at all costs, 10 unexpected items I won't cruise without, A beginners guide to picking a cruise line, The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship, The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship, A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines, 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly, 12 best cruises for people who never want to grow up, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. It is relatively easy to switch between casual and smart casual so I dont think this is a problem. It is unclear when the webpage was changed, but the good folks at the Internet WayBack Machine show the old version of this web pagedo not mentionshorts,as of August 2016. Smart casual attire includes wearing pants and a collared shirt, dresses, skirts and blouses, or pantsuits. For women, pantsuits and dressy pants outfits are a great choice, as are party dresses or even ball gowns. Royal Caribbean states the following about the formal night dress code: Think of our formal dress code as a night out in your best black-tie look suits and ties, tuxedos, cocktail dresses or evening gowns are all acceptable options. Most of Royal Caribbeans specialty dining restaurants do not have strict dress codes. Cruises 6-13 nights in length have 2 formal nights and Royal Caribbean cruises over 14 nights have 3 formal nights. The ones that show up on your voyage will depend on the length of the cruise. The dress code is similar to that that you might wear to a restaurant at home. According to the cruise line website, the Royal Caribbean dress code is as follows: On casual nights nice jeans, polo shirts, casual dresses and nice tops are suggested for the main dining room in the evening. The dress code for casual nights is as below: Youre on vacation relax! I saw guests wearing amazing long gowns and having photos taken around the ship. The Cruise Compass on Mariner of the Seas lists a dinner dress suggestion of "Wear Your Best", which is described as "Say goodbye to Formal Night, and hello to Wear Your Best. Check out these articles: Perhaps no topic is as hotly debated among cruisers as if shorts are acceptable to be worn in the dining room. The most casual yet acceptable outfit for men on formal night is a polo shirt and slacks. I also answer some questions about how to dress on a Royal Caribbean cruise, including for formal nights. The unscientific poll ran for about 36 hours, and accumulated 1,458 responses, with a lot of comments from cruisers who feel strongly about the issue. Men: Collared shirts with slacks, nice jeans or suit pants. Spotted: Formal night name change on Harmony of the Seas, about Spotted: Formal night name change on Harmony of the Seas, Spotted: Wear Your Best dress suggestion on Mariner of the Seas, about Spotted: Wear Your Best dress suggestion on Mariner of the Seas, Everything you need to know about formal night on a Royal Caribbean cruise, about Everything you need to know about formal night on a Royal Caribbean cruise, Royal Caribbean updates dining room dress code again and removes shorts, about Royal Caribbean updates dining room dress code again and removes shorts, Royal Caribbean adds shorts to approved clothing for main dining room, about Royal Caribbean adds shorts to approved clothing for main dining room, 5 questions about what to wear on a Royal Caribbean cruise, about 5 questions about what to wear on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Jeans, polos, sundresses and blouses are all the right amount of laid back. Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. As with the line's smart casual dress code, jeans are not allowed in the main dining rooms on formal nights. . Keep in mind that it could rain and that you need correct . Since formal night is so flexible, though, its easy to participate even by wearing an outfit as casual as khakis and a polo shirt. Name tag must be worn on the side of the uniform determined by the cruise line. Here is the basic information. Suits and ties or tuxedos for men are suggested attire for formal night, however, they are far from required. The first night of every cruise will be a casual night. Ive also included real photos from the cruise ship and the cruise outfits we wore, to give you some cruise outfit inspiration. Jeans are not allowed in the main dining rooms on formal nights, and cut-off shorts, baseball caps and flip-flops are banned at all times during dinner in the main dining rooms. There can be 1-3 formal nights during a sailing and is at the ships discretion. Exceptions are the line's "dress-up" nights two on sailings of a week or more and one on shorter voyages. I knew that Royal Caribbean had formal nights but had no idea what the dress code actually meant in practice. This wasn't only applicable at dinner - but all day long, with guests dressing their best even while enjoying lounge chairs on deck (which had to be rented at cost, by the way). You may be required to wear certain things like comfortable shoes/coats/jackets if your excursion is in any way physical. That change did coincide with the ship's recent amplification. With your support, we can create more exciting content and share with everyone! This comment exemplifies the sentiment of a lot of cruisers who prefer not to engage in trying to police others and focus on themselves. During your cruise, you should dress the same way you would do ashore. If not, just leave blank, about What to wear on a cruise formal night. I share cruise tips, tours, and videos on this website to help you master cruising on a budget.