Getting dressed for dinner has long been part of the Carnival Cruise Line experience. On “Cruise Elegant” evenings, passengers are encouraged to swap casual poolside clothing for dressier attire like slacks, skirts, and dress shirts.
However, passengers on some of Carnival’s shorter sailings may no longer find the event on their onboard schedules. The cruise line has replaced it with a “White Hot Night” party on select voyages lasting five days or fewer.
Carnival hasn’t officially announced the change or identified which specific ships and departures are affected. But recent passenger reports and language on the cruise line’s website suggest that dining experiences can vary.
Carnival Glory Passengers Report No Cruise Elegant Night On Their Sailing
A passenger who recently completed a four-night voyage aboard Carnival Glory said Cruise Elegant had been replaced by White Hot Night.
“I just got off a four-night Carnival Glory cruise this morning where Elegant Night was completely replaced by White Night. Apparently this is a new thing that is being implemented for most cruises less than five days long, and Elegant Night is not going to be on these short cruises moving forward,” the passenger wrote on Reddit.
According to the passenger, however, the change wasn’t entirely clear. Although crew members reportedly emphasized that the dress code was “cruise casual” and no longer referred to the event as Cruise Elegant, several elements of Cruise Elegant remained.
For example, formal photography backdrops were set up, and some passengers still arrived dressed in their formal attire. The menu was also labeled as an “American Feast” menu. However, the menu’s contents differed from the usual Elegant Night offerings, reportedly including a frozen soft pretzel as an appetizer.
“The weird part was that they still served a menu labeled American Feast (but it was completely different than the standard Elegant Night menu, and one of the appetizers was literally a frozen soft pretzel), they still had photo backdrops with diamonds and stuff, and plenty of people showed up dressed for formal night. … Even the crew told us that the dress code was ‘cruise casual’ and that they don’t use ‘elegant night’ to describe it anymore,” the passenger continued.
Another traveler in the comments who claimed to have been on the same Carnival Glory sailing corroborated the original poster’s story, writing, “Yep, I just got off too. Packed for elegant night and everything.”
The passengers’ experience aboard Carnival Glory doesn’t appear to be happening across the board, though. Another commenter said a recent three-night Carnival Freedom cruise still included an Elegant Night.
Carnival Confirms Some Short Sailings Will Host White Hot Night Instead
In addition to Carnival placing more emphasis on weekend-only sailings this year, the cruise line’s current evening attire policy confirms that some short sailings will no longer include a Cruise Elegant evening.
“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),” the policy states.
Voyages lasting six days or longer will continue to have two Cruise Elegant evenings. These sailings may also offer a White Hot Night.
What Should Guests Expect On White Hot Night?
White Hot Night is a party for guests of all ages hosted by the cruise director either on the Lido deck or in the ship’s atrium. Guests are encouraged to wear white clothing and accessories for an evening of dancing, giveaways, and other entertainment.
According to The Carnival Cruise Blog, another passenger who was on the cruise said the meal felt more like a typical night in the dining room than the special dinner usually offered on Cruise Elegant evenings. The menu included Cajun fried frog legs, lasagna Bolognese, bourbon barbecue meatloaf, and Boston cream pie.
The Change Has Received A Mixed Response From Carnival Passengers
Carnival’s dress code has previously divided passengers. Unsurprisingly, not everyone considers the disappearance of Elegant Night on some sailings a major loss, one commenter writing, “Elegant Night isn’t what it used to be anyway.”
Many passengers agreed with the more relaxed direction but questioned whether an all-white dress theme was the best replacement.
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“I don’t need an elegant night, but there’s got to be a better alternative than white night. I hate wearing all white.” |
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“I love Carnival cruises (and every other cruise line I’ve been on), but I don’t like elegant/formal nights. I also don’t like ‘white nights.’ … I would really just prefer to pack my favorite cruise casual clothes and NOT pack an outfit for a specific night.” |
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“In no way am I eating dinner wearing all white. That’s just begging to spill something on yourself.” |
Other commenters said they would continue bringing formal clothing regardless of the scheduled theme.
- “I don’t care if there’s Elegant Night or not, I’m bringing my fancy dress, and I’m wearing it.”
- “I don’t care either. But I love an excuse to go full glam! I will make my own elegant night!”
Meanwhile, it may be difficult for some passengers to plan in advance because of the uncertainty about which sailings will have White Hot Night rather than Cruise Elegant.
“We’re going on our first cruise in December…when do you find out about any ‘theme nights’ on your cruise?” one traveler asked.
Passengers who have booked a cruise of five days or less can use the Carnival Hub app for theme night details, although Carnival has not stated how far in advance those details will be made available.
TheTravel contacted Carnival Cruise Line for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
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