You Can Skip Formal Nights on a Cruise – Here’s How

If you are considering taking a cruise, you may wonder if you can skip the formal nights on board.

I am personally not a huge fan of formal nights, and in this post, we will discuss how I often avoid them so that you can do the same if you’d like to.

What is a Formal Night on a Cruise?

A formal night is an element of traditional cruising where guests wear their finest clothes and enjoy dinner.

Many people love having the opportunity to dress up, and many have taken photos of themselves with the Captain.

There may be a special formal night menu in the main dining room, and there may be additional entertainment.

Not all cruise lines have formal nights. Many have a casual dress code, and you need never dress up if you don’t want to.

Choose the cruise line carefully, it makes little sense to book a traditional cruise with Cunard, if you don’t want to have to follow dress codes.

Can You Skip Formal Nights on a Cruise?

Formal nights on a cruise are not mandatory and it is almost always possible to skip formal night if you don’t want to attend.

Skipping formal night may mean dining in a different restaurant, the buffet, or having room service delivered. 

It’s important to remember that the type and frequency of formal nights vary dramatically by cruise line.

The best thing that you can do is pick a cruise line that meets your requirements. There are many cruise lines which have very relaxed or no formal nights at all.

If you don’t would rather not dress up, consider one of the following cruise lines:

• Royal Caribbean
• Carnival Cruise Line
• Marella Cruises
• MSC Cruise Line
• Norwegian Cruise Line

Find out what Norwegian cruise line have instead of formal nights here:

Norwegian Cruise Line Don’t Have Formal Nights – Here’s What They Have Instead

Other Names For Formal Nights:

In recent years a number of cruise lines have started to reduce the dress codes and formality of formal nights.

On very few cruise lines, you will see a night described as ‘Formal’. They may be called ‘Gala’ nights, ‘Elegant’ nights, or ‘Dress to Impress’ nights.

For the purposes of this article, when talking about formal nights, this means the most formal night of the cruise, where many guests choose to dress nicely, and some have photos taken with the Captain.

On the majority of cruise lines, wearing a shirt and trousers for men and a dress or top/trousers combination for women is almost always enough for the formal night as dress codes have been increasingly relaxed.

Formal Night Dining Alternatives

The formal night dress codes usually only apply to the main dining room.

There are some cruise lines, such as Cunard, where the dress code is applied ship-wide, but generally speaking, the formal night dress code is usually only applied to the main dining room.

Find out about the transatlantic crossing I took with Cunard here:

Even if you don’t want to take part in the formal night, you’ll probably still want to take part in dinner, but fear not, there are other options available.

Buffet

The buffet is the most popular and probably most obvious choice when it comes to avoiding formal nights on a cruise.

On every night of a cruise, you’ll find the buffet busy, and formal nights are no exception.

Cruise ship buffets usually have VERY relaxed dress codes, and you definitely won’t find the same type of atmosphere as you would in the main dining room on formal nights.

On most cruise lines, the dress requirements for the buffet are that you do not wear swimwear and that you wear shoes.

Generally speaking, as long as you are dressed you’ll be allowed to dine in the buffet. Some more upscale luxury lines do have dress code requirements, such as no jeans or sneakers.

It’s often the case that you’ll find the exact same food being served in the main dining room and the buffet, so you may not miss out on the formal night food.

On many cruise lines, you’ll find that on a formal night, there is a special menu, many of which were created in collaboration with celebrity chefs.

Alternative Dining Venues – Included Dining

The number of dining venues onboard a cruise ship really does vary, but on many lines, you’ll have more included dining options than just the buffet and the main dining room.

You may find that there is a pizza restaurant onboard, a grab-and-go section or a more relaxed pub/bar where you can eat.

If you are cruising with Norwegian Cruise Line one of my favorite places to eat is a bar called The Local.

The Local serves things like hot dogs, burgers, and chicken wings and is usually open 24 hours a day. It’s a very easy place to dine and food is usually fast.

Speciality Restaurants

Most cruise ships have some “speciality” or extra-charge restaurants.

In these venues, there often aren’t such strict dress codes.

If you decide you do want to go to a speciality restaurant, you could book it on a formal night so that you don’t need to go to the main dining room.

When I sailed onboard Norwegian Prima, I was lucky enough to get to try all of the speciality restaurants onboard. Find out about the amazing choices I had here:

Room Service

I have cruised many times with Cunard, who have the most strictly enforced dress codes of any cruise line.

Formal night dress codes are enforced ship-wide after 6 pm, and Cunard cruisers tend to take the dress codes very seriously.

When I didn’t want to dress up for dinner, I stayed in my cabin and had room service delivered to me.

There is a charge for room service on some cruise lines. It used to be completely free on Cunard, but now it’s only free at breakfast time (unless you are in a higher-grade cabin, which I never am!).

Find out more about that here:

Cunard Now Charges For Room Service After Breakfast – Price Lists & More

Have a look at the rocky transatlantic crossing I took on the last Ocean Liner at sea, Cunard’s Queen Mary 2. It was a very memorable experience, but not one I am keen to repeat!

Find out why here:

Before You Go

Find out about the seven things you need to know before booking your first cruise here:

7 Things You Need to Know Before Your First Cruise

Find out why cruise ships have more balconies than ever before here:

Why Cruise Ships Have More Balconies Than Ever Before