Cruise Dress Code: Formal and Elegant Nights by Line

A 7-night cruise has 2 dressy nights on Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Holland America, 1 or 2 on Princess and Celebrity, at least one on Cunard, and none on Norwegian, Virgin Voyages, Viking, Oceania, Regent or a 7-day Silversea voyage; Disney and MSC do not say how many. A tuxedo is optional everywhere.

How to use it

Choose the cruise line and type the length as its name says it (a 7-night cruise; Carnival sells “7-day” cruises). The answer is the number of dressy nights, what the line calls them, what to wear on them and on the other evenings, and what its dining rooms turn away, each in the line’s own words. The table under it sets the fourteen lines side by side for the same length. The number of dressy nights is the line’s rule; the ship’s daily program says which evenings they fall on.

The fourteen lines’ rules

Read on each line’s own page on 2026-10-01 (Disney, Holland America, MSC and Virgin Voyages on 2026-10-04, and Viking, Cunard, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas and Silversea the same day), from a US address (from abroad, Norwegian and Princess serve their international sites, and Cunard, Oceania and Regent their British ones). Disney’s FAQ refuses automated readers and was read in a browser, as were Cunard’s pages, which serve a different version to a script; MSC’s US site sends readers to a queue, so its international English page, with the same rules, is quoted.

Carnival: “Select 5 days or shorter cruises will have one Cruise Elegant evening (short duration voyages not hosting a Cruise Elegant evening will host a White Hot Night)”, and “6 days or longer cruises will have two Cruise Elegant evenings”. Royal Caribbean: “The number of Dress Your Best is at the ship’s discretion and can vary by itinerary.” Its list starts at 5-night cruises, so a 3- or 4-night sailing is “not stated”. Princess: “Formal nights typically occur once or twice on cruises of 7 nights or longer.” Celebrity: “Each itinerary features one to two “formal” nights we call Evening Chic.”

Holland America prints a table by length: fewer than 4 days, none; 4 to 6 days, 1; 7 to 13 days, 2; 14 to 20 days, 3; then one more for about every ten days, and “Black tie or tuxedos have never been required.” Disney says that “on shorter sailings” you may have “an optional “dress-up night””, and “on longer sailings” “one formal and one semiformal night”, without saying where a shorter sailing ends. MSC: “On Gala Night, dress to impress!”, but not how many. Virgin Voyages: “We don’t do formal nights or strict dress codes”; its one dress-up party is Scarlet Night, where “the only suggestion” is to “wear something red”.

The premium and luxury lines dress up less, or on their own terms. Viking: “There are no “formal nights” in the evening; evening dress is “elegant casual” for all dining venues, performances and special events”, and “A tie and jacket are optional; jeans are not permitted.” Oceania asks for “effortless sophistication” and says a sport coat is “not required”. Regent Seven Seas sets no formal night either, but lets you choose: “You may choose to dress in chic Elegant Casual attire or opt for a more formal look throughout the evening. It’s up to you.” Cunard keeps the old ocean-liner Gala Evenings: “On voyages of three nights or more, at least one Gala Evening invites you to embrace the grandeur of ocean travel”, and they “are entirely optional”. Silversea counts by days: “Seven days or fewer: All evenings are Elegant Casual.” From 8 to 14 days, “Expect up to two Formal Optional evenings”; from 15 days, “two or more”.

Worked examples

A 7-day Carnival cruise. Two Cruise Elegant evenings, the first on the second or third evening. Pack two outfits for a special occasion (“A good rule of thumb is to dress for a special occasion.”); every other night is Cruise Casual.

A 12-night Royal Caribbean cruise. Three Dress Your Best nights: “Formal: Make it a night out in your best black-tie look – suits and ties, tuxedos, cocktail dresses or evening gowns.”

A 7-day Holland America cruise. Two Dressy nights, “usually” on the first full day and the second-to-last evening, never the first or the last night. “Slacks, skirts, dresses, blouses, collared shirts, and jackets are encouraged”; jeans are not allowed in the table service restaurants on those nights.

A 10-day Silversea voyage. Up to two Formal Optional evenings, where “cocktail dresses, evening gowns, tuxedos, or dark suits” are welcome “though Elegant Casual attire remains just as appropriate”. Ripped or distressed denim and athletic shoes are not.

A week on Norwegian. No formal night is named on its dress code page. Its dining rooms ask that “attire feels put-together and suited to the setting – shirts and footwear required, graphics respectful, and styles that offer appropriate coverage for a dining environment.”

Common mistakes

• Packing a tuxedo you will not wear. No line requires one: Carnival says “dress jeans, trousers, slacks, dress shirts, and sport coats (optional); some men may even choose to wear a suit and tie or tuxedo”.
• Jeans on a Holland America Dressy night, or a T-shirt on MSC’s Gala Night. Holland America: “Jeans are not allowed on Dressy Nights in table service restaurants.” MSC: “T-shirts are not allowed to be worn for Gala Night.”
• Shorts at dinner on Celebrity. “Shorts and flip flops are not considered Smart Casual.”
• Tank tops in the dining room. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity both turn them away at dinner.
• Thinking you must dress up to eat. On Princess the buffet and casual restaurants stay open every evening; on Celebrity, Smart Casual is fine on Evening Chic nights.

Plan the rest

What else goes in the suitcase: Can I Bring It on a Cruise? (no irons or steamers on most lines) and the Packing List Generator. What the trip costs: the Cruise Cost Calculator. First time aboard: first-time cruise tips; heading north: the Alaska cruise packing list and the Alaska cruise guide.