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It’s 7:45 on the first evening. You’ve showered off the sailaway margarita, the dining room opens in fifteen minutes, and the suitcase on the bed holds four swimsuits, a sequinned gown and absolutely nothing in between.
That gap, between pool clothes and “formal night”, is where most cruise packing goes wrong. The good news: modern cruise dress codes are far more relaxed than the brochures of the 1990s made them sound. The catch: each line draws its lines in slightly different places, and a handful of Caribbean islands will fine you for an outfit the ship doesn’t care about at all.
We read Carnival’s, Royal Caribbean’s, Norwegian’s and Princess’s own dress code pages on October 18, 2026, plus the UK government’s travel advice for eight Caribbean islands. Here’s what to wear, line by line, and what to leave at home.
What to Wear on a Cruise: The Short Answer
By day, wear whatever you’d wear at a beach resort: shorts, T-shirts, sundresses, and swimwear with a cover-up. At dinner in the main dining room, step it up to “smart casual”: trousers or nice jeans and a collared shirt, or a casual dress, skirt or blouse. On a seven-night cruise, expect one or two optional dressy nights, when a suit, cocktail dress or simply your smartest outfit fits in. Shoes are required everywhere indoors, and swimwear stays by the pool.
Princess’s own dress code guide sums up the day: “relaxed resort wear such as shorts, T-shirts, sundresses and swimwear with cover-ups.” Royal Caribbean’s dress code FAQ puts it even more simply: “You’re on vacation – relax!” Then both lines add the evening rules, and that’s where the details matter.
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Send me the free kit →What Do the Cruise Dress Codes Actually Mean?
Every big line uses three rough levels, even if the names differ:
- Casual (daytime, the buffet, the pool deck): shorts, T-shirts, sundresses. Swimwear is fine on the pool deck, with a cover-up and shoes when you walk inside.
- Smart casual, or “cruise casual” (most dinners in the main dining room and specialty restaurants): Royal Caribbean defines it as “collared shirts, dresses, skirts and blouses, or pantsuits,” with jackets and blazers “snazzy and welcome.” Princess describes it as “trousers and a collared shirt” for men, and “dresses, blouses with skirts or trousers, or a polished casual outfit” for women.
- Formal, or the dressy night (one to four evenings per cruise, depending on length): suits and ties, tuxedos, cocktail dresses or evening gowns are all welcome. Carnival calls it “Cruise Elegant,” Royal Caribbean “Dress Your Best,” Princess “Dress to Impress,” and Norwegian “Norwegian’s Night Out.”
The key thing to know is that dress codes apply to places, not to the whole ship. They govern dinner in the main dining room and the sit-down restaurants. The buffet, the pool grill and casual counters stay open every evening with relaxed rules, which Princess’s guide spells out for formal nights in particular. If you hate dressing up, you can skip it every night and still eat well.
What Does Each Cruise Line Allow at Dinner?
Here are the four biggest lines side by side, from their own pages. This is the table to check before you pack.
| Line | Normal evenings | Dressy nights | Not allowed at dinner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carnival | “Cruise Casual”: sport slacks, khakis, tailored dress shorts and jeans (no cut-offs) with collared shirts for men; casual dresses, skirts, capris, dress shorts and jeans for women. | “Cruise Elegant”: none on one-day cruises, one on 2-5 day cruises, two on 6+ days. Dress slacks and dress shirts, sport coat suggested; cocktail dresses, pantsuits or gowns. | Cut-offs on any night. On Elegant nights, Carnival’s published code (as reported in 2019) also listed jeans, shorts, T-shirts, sportswear and men’s sleeveless shirts. |
| Royal Caribbean | Smart casual: collared shirts, dresses, skirts, blouses or pantsuits. | “Dress Your Best”: one on 5 nights, two on 6-10 nights, three on 11-14 nights, three to four on 15+ nights, “at the ship’s discretion.” Chef’s Table always enforces a formal code. | Tank tops at dinner in the main dining room and specialty restaurants. Bare feet “at any time in any venue.” |
| Norwegian | No set level: attire that “feels put-together and suited to the setting.” Smart casual in its upscale specialty restaurants. | No mandatory formal nights. “Norwegian’s Night Out” is an optional dress-up evening. | “Shirts and footwear required, graphics respectful.” Swimwear and “extremely short shorts” belong elsewhere. Some premium restaurants bar shorts and flip-flops (see below). |
| Princess | Smart Casual: trousers and a collared shirt; dresses, skirts, blouses or “a polished casual outfit.” | “Dress to Impress”: “Shorter cruises typically include one formal night, while longer voyages may include two or more.” | Swimwear, gym shorts, ripped jeans and ball caps in the main dining rooms. |
Where the sources disagree
- Royal Caribbean contradicts itself on the count. The same FAQ page says there can be “1-3” Dress Your Best nights in one paragraph and “1 to 4” in the next. The night-by-night breakdown above is the more detailed of the two. Cruise Mummy (December 2025) calls the nights “Dress to Impress” and puts two on a 6-7 night cruise, which matches.
- Princess doesn’t publish a fixed count. Its guide says only “one” on shorter cruises and “two or more” on longer ones. Cruise Mummy’s April 2026 guide gives a sharper table, with none on 1-4 nights, one on 5-6, two on 7-13 and three on 14-20. Treat that as a guide, not a promise, and check the daily planner on board.
- Norwegian has changed its mind at least once. Its 2024 travel blog says men’s tank tops, flip-flops, baseball caps, visors and “overly faded jeans or ones with tears and holes” are not permitted in the dining rooms. In February 2026, Cruise Hive reported that, after guest backlash to stricter signs, newer signage was softer (“put-together and suited to the setting”), which is the wording now on ncl.com. Cruise Hive also reported that shorts and flip-flops are still not allowed at dinner in Palomar, Ocean Blue, Onda, Cagney’s, Le Bistro and the Haven Restaurant. We couldn’t find that list on an ncl.com page, so treat it as reported, not official.
Do You Really Have to Dress Up on a Cruise?
No. On all four of these lines, the dressy nights are optional in practice, as long as you meet the normal smart-casual standard. Carnival’s own wording is gentle. For men on Elegant nights it says “We also suggest a sport coat,” and it says “you can always wear what you want — most onboard spots are ‘come as you are.'” Cruise Mummy says Royal Caribbean guests in smart casual are “allowed to enter” the dining room on formal night, “provided you aren’t in pool wear or barefoot.” Its Princess guide says formal wear is “recommended only” and “You won’t get turned away.”
Carnival’s brand ambassador John Heald has gone further. When a guest asked Carnival to ban jeans from the dining room in 2025, he replied, according to Cruise Hive: “But a nice pair of jeans? How does that hurt somebody?” Cruise Hive reports he considers strict dress codes pretty much unenforceable, given how many people eat in the dining room each night.
The rules that do get enforced are the basic ones: shoes on, shirt on, no wet swimwear indoors. Royal Caribbean’s FAQ is blunt: “Bare feet are not allowed at any time in any venue,” and the casino requires “Shirt and shoes” at all times, with cover-ups over swimwear. Cruise Mummy reports seeing a child in swim shorts and no shirt turned away from the Windjammer buffet while trying to grab ketchup.
And there’s one place where “optional” doesn’t apply: Royal Caribbean’s Chef’s Table, which its FAQ says “enforces a formal dress code policy.” If you book a premium dining experience on any line, check its dress rule when you book.
What Not to Wear in Port: The Caribbean Camouflage Ban
This is the dress code that can actually get you in trouble, and it isn’t the cruise line’s. Several Caribbean countries make it illegal for civilians to wear camouflage. The UK government’s official travel advice says so for eight islands, word for word:
| Country | What the UK’s travel advice says |
|---|---|
| Barbados | “It is illegal for anyone, including children, to wear camouflage clothing.” |
| St Lucia | “It’s illegal for anyone, including children, to dress in camouflage clothing.” |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Same: illegal for anyone, including children. |
| Grenada | Same: illegal for anyone, including children. |
| Dominica | Same: illegal for anyone, including children. |
| St Vincent and the Grenadines | Same: illegal for anyone, including children. |
| St Kitts and Nevis | Illegal, and “You could get a 250 Eastern Caribbean dollar (EC dollar) fine and 3 months in prison.” |
| Trinidad and Tobago | “It is an offence for anyone, including children, to dress in camouflage clothing or bring any into the country.” |
Carnival has warned passengers too. In September 2024, Cruise Hive and Cruise Radio reported that a guest had been told to go back to his ship for wearing camouflage in Nassau, and that John Heald responded: “These are the island’s rules and we have absolutely no control over them.” Both reports also name the Bahamas and Jamaica, which aren’t on the UK’s list, so pack as if they were. Cruise Hive puts the maximum penalty in Barbados at a $2,000 fine, a year in prison, or both; the UK page doesn’t give a figure.
Why? Cruise Radio says the rules are meant to stop civilians being mistaken for soldiers. Whatever you think of the reasoning, the UK wording covers “anyone, including children,” so it applies to the camo cap, the camo swim shorts and the kids’ camo T-shirt. The simplest fix is to leave all camouflage at home for a Caribbean cruise, especially if you’re stopping in Trinidad, where even packing it is an offence.
What Else Should You Pack to Wear?
A few things the dress code pages don’t put in the headline but do mention:
- A warm layer, even in the Caribbean. Princess suggests “a sweatshirt or windbreaker for cooler temperatures,” and Norwegian’s Caribbean guide warns it can be “chilly at night on board.”
- A rain jacket. Princess recommends a rain jacket and compact umbrella “in case the weather interrupts a scheduled shore excursion,” and Norwegian points out that Caribbean weather “can change at a moment’s notice.”
- Proper shoes for shore days. Norwegian suggests closed-toe walking shoes or water shoes for some excursions, and long trousers or skirts in jungle areas to keep mosquitoes off.
- Wrinkle-resistant clothes, because there’s no iron. Royal Caribbean’s prohibited items policy says “Clothing irons and garment steamers are prohibited,” though curling and flat irons for hair are fine. Princess says its “staterooms aren’t equipped with irons,” though there are irons in its self-service laundry rooms, and suggests “wrinkle-free items” or rolling your clothes. Our packing don’ts cover the rest of what security confiscates.
- Respectful graphics. Norwegian now asks for “graphics respectful,” and Carnival’s published code, as reported in 2019, barred clothing with nudity, profanity or “sexual innuendo.” The joke T-shirt can stay home.
A Seven-Night Cruise Clothing List
This is our own suggested list for a warm-weather seven-night cruise with two dressy nights, built from the rules above. Adjust it for your line and how often you’ll do laundry.
- Pool and beach: two swimsuits (one can dry while you wear the other), one cover-up, flip-flops or sandals for the deck, a hat and sunglasses.
- Daytime: five or six outfits of shorts, T-shirts, sundresses or light trousers. Mix and match, and pack quick-drying fabrics.
- Smart-casual dinners: four or five outfits, such as chinos or dark jeans (no rips) with collared shirts, or casual dresses, skirts and blouses. Repeating outfits is fine; nobody is counting.
- Dressy nights: one or two smarter outfits. A dark suit, or a blazer with dress trousers, covers both nights for men; a cocktail dress, smart pantsuit or skirt and dressy top for women. A tuxedo or gown only if you’ll enjoy it.
- Shoes: walking shoes or trainers for port, sandals for the pool, and one pair of closed or dressier shoes for dinner.
- Layers: a light sweater or jacket, and a packable rain jacket.
- Leave at home: camouflage anything (if you’re sailing the Caribbean), the clothing iron and steamer, and ripped jeans you want to wear to dinner.
Pack the first night’s dinner outfit in your carry-on. On embarkation day, checked bags can take hours to reach your cabin. Our embarkation day guide explains why. None of the four lines publishes which night the dressy evening falls on, so check the daily planner (Carnival’s is called Fun Times) once you’re aboard.
Quick Answers
Can you wear jeans to dinner on a cruise?
Usually, yes. Carnival lists jeans (no cut-offs) as Cruise Casual, and Royal Caribbean’s casual code includes jeans. Ripped jeans are the problem: Princess asks guests to avoid them in the main dining rooms. On Carnival’s Elegant nights, jeans were listed as not permitted.
Can you wear shorts to dinner on a cruise?
It depends on the line. Carnival allows tailored dress shorts on Cruise Casual nights. Princess bans gym shorts in the main dining rooms. Norwegian reportedly bans shorts in its premium restaurants, and Royal Caribbean welcomes shorts at breakfast and lunch. Long trousers are the safe choice for dinner.
How many formal nights are on a 7-night cruise?
Usually two. Carnival has two Cruise Elegant nights on cruises of six days or more, and Royal Caribbean has two Dress Your Best nights on 6-10 night cruises. Princess says longer cruises “may include two or more.” Norwegian has no formal nights, just an optional dress-up evening.
Do you have to dress up for formal night on a cruise?
No. Formal night is a suggestion, and the buffet and casual venues stay open with relaxed rules. In the main dining room, smart casual is generally accepted. The exceptions are special venues such as Royal Caribbean’s Chef’s Table, which enforces a formal dress code.
The Bottom Line
Pack for a beach resort by day and a nice restaurant by night, and you’ve covered 90% of any big-ship cruise. The dress codes only bite in the dining rooms, and even there they mostly mean “shoes on, no swimwear, no rips.” Bring one or two dressier outfits if you’ll enjoy formal night, and skip it guilt-free if you won’t. The rule to take seriously is the one the cruise line can’t help you with: on a Caribbean itinerary, no camouflage in port.
Cruise Chaos earns nothing from cruise lines, clothing brands or booking links. Every fact in this guide links to where we read it, using Carnival’s, Royal Caribbean’s, Norwegian’s and Princess’s own pages and the UK government’s travel advice wherever they publish one, checked on October 18, 2026. Dress codes change and vary by ship, so check your line’s page and the onboard daily planner. If something has changed, tell us and we’ll correct it.
Coming up on Cruise Chaos: cruise formal night, what to wear. What “Cruise Elegant,” “Dress Your Best” and “Dress to Impress” really mean, outfit by outfit, and how to pack for it without a second suitcase.
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Keep Reading
- 5 Most Forgotten Cruise Items
- What to Expect on Cruise Embarkation Day
- What Do I Need to Know Before Going on a Cruise?
Sources
- Royal Caribbean: What is the dress code onboard? and Prohibited items onboard policy
- Carnival Cruise Line: dining page with the Cruise Casual and Cruise Elegant dress code
- Norwegian Cruise Line: What should I pack? and What to wear on a Caribbean cruise vacation (updated April 2, 2024)
- Princess Cruises: What to pack for a Princess cruise, dress code guide (updated April 1, 2023)
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office travel advice: Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago
- Cruise Hive: Carnival issues reminder to avoid certain clothing in port (Catie Kovelman, September 10, 2024) and Cruise Radio: Carnival reminds guests that camo is banned in some Caribbean ports (September 9, 2024)
- Cruise Hive: Are jeans ever dining-room-ready? Carnival discusses (Melissa Mayntz, October 22, 2025)
- Cruise Hive: Norwegian softens dining dress code after backlash, but confusion still reigns (Melissa Mayntz, February 27, 2026)
- WKRG News 5: Carnival Cruise Line dress code (December 24, 2019, updated December 28, 2019)
- Cruise Mummy: Royal Caribbean formal night dress code (December 10, 2025) and Princess Cruises dress code and packing guide (April 29, 2026)
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