Many cruise passengers like to know the schedule of onboard activities such as theme parties, production shows, and formal nights before they set sail so they can be prepared to make the most of every event.
Some external events, however, can have a tremendous impact on what happens onboard.
Such is the case with Carnival Cruise Line when some ships’ formal nights are about to conflict with the single biggest sporting event of the year – the Super Bowl.
The cruise line has already confirmed that the big game – Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles – will be broadcast on the Seaside Theater screens as well as in key bars throughout the fleet. This gives passengers the opportunity to enjoy the game with other fans in a fantastic at-sea setting.
But what about when the game falls on what is traditionally a ship’s formal night or “Elegant Evening?” That night is filled with special dinner menus, multiple photo opportunities, a cocktail party with the ship’s captain or officers, and the chance to strut your stuff in more elegant attire for a very memorable evening.
The Super Bowl, however, begins at 6:30 p.m. – timing that can dramatically interfere with Elegant Evening activities for football fans.
Carnival Cruise Line’s formal nights are typically the second night of a sailing, as well as the sixth night (on 7-night cruises). Formal nights may vary on other cruise lengths.
With the Super Bowl being on Sunday, February 9, any Carnival Cruise ship that departs on a new sailing on Saturday, February 8 will have that elegant evening on Super Bowl Sunday. Or will it?
Multiple guests have reached out to Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, asking about the potential conflict.
“Trying to get a straight answer for Carnival Dream is not changing the elegant night due to the Super Bowl. Many people don’t dress up for elegant nights, and more people care about the Super Bowl,” one guest explained.
Carnival Dream is currently homeported from Galveston, Texas. Her Super Bowl cruise is an 8-night itinerary departing on Saturday, February 8, with ports of call planned for Key West on Monday, February 10, followed each day by Freeport on Tuesday, Half Moon Cay on Wednesday, and Nassau on Thursday. The ship will return to the Lone Star State on Sunday, February 16.
Traditionally, Sunday would be the first formal night of the sailing, but with it being Super Bowl Sunday, Heald reached out to the team onboard to ask about any rescheduling.
“Both the Super Bowl and elegant night are I think equally important but I (we) do understand how excited people are to see the game on the big screens and in the lounges on the ship,” Heald noted.
He has heard back from this one vessel already, and notes that the “provisional plan” for Carnival Dream is to move the first Elegant Evening to Monday, February 10 – the third night of the cruise and the day the ship will be visiting Key West.
“I will post the other ships that may have a football/elegant night clash and will do that as soon as I hear,” Heald noted.
Why Can’t Formal Night Be Changed?
Ultimately, each ship’s cruise director and other top leadership staff collaborate to work out the onboard activity schedules. While there will be every effort made to ensure top events are highlighted with few conflicts, it might not be possible for every ship to shift formal night away from the Super Bowl.
For example, ships departing on Saturday for 3-night weekend sailings may be unable to make such a change.
It is challenging for formal night to be the first night of a sailing, when many guests may be exhausted from travel and the craziness of embarkation. Furthermore, luggage might not be delivered to staterooms until later in the evening, making it hard to ensure best-dressed duds if formal night was so early.
Read Also: Carnival Cruise Line Addresses Attire Concerns for Formal Night
Similarly, moving formal night to the last night of a 3-night sailing is not practical. On these days, many guests need to have their formal attire packed away in luggage to set it out for collection earlier in the evening in preparation for debarkation.
Longer cruises can have more flexibility in their onboard scheduling, but still need to balance top onboard events with venue availability, timing, staffing, and other concerns.
Of course, guests do not need to participate in formal night, as dressing up, taking photos, and attending any activities onboard is always optional. No matter what guests choose to do, there is always plenty of fun to be had onboard!