Denim jeans are so popular that research shows the market is expected to reach $128.7 billion annually by 2028, according to Euromonitor International.

Popular? Yes. But some cruise passengers are angry that the clothing item is becoming all too common on formal nights.

“NO WAY is denim of any color a formal material,” a Carnival Spirit guest angrily shot in a comment to Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador John Heald, once again sparking the age-old debate on what is and isn’t appropriate attire.

Sailing on the cruise line’s current transatlantic repositioning voyage, which departed from Barcelona on March 16, 2025, for Miami, the passenger said there were “at least half-dozen men and women in jeans for formal night.”

In the note to Heald, he suggested that passengers “who do not respect the rules should be forced out of the main dining hall and sent to the buffets.”

“If the crew refuses to do this, then you will lose more and more [passengers] to [another cruise line],” he continued, suggesting Carnival Cruise Line has a bad reputation for allowing rules to be broken.

Heald responded in his usual self-deprecating humor, adding, “Jeans, wear them, don’t wear them, just enjoy your meal, enjoy the company of your family and friends and the service from our brilliant crew. Simple.”

After receiving more than 1,000 comments on the subject, Heald also added a survey asking guests when they wear jeans – only on casual nights, any night, or never. 

He also asked if any respondents were equally offended at fellow passengers wearing jeans on formal occasions onboard.

More than 1,900 took the poll, with 22 percent saying they never wear jeans to the dining room, 22 percent saying they only wear jeans on non-elegant occasions, and just 6 percent wearing jeans on formal nights.

Worth Reading: Are Jeans Ever Dining-Room-Ready? Carnival Discusses

That said, 46 percent of those surveyed said it “certainly would not bother me at all” if another guest did choose to wear jeans on elegant evenings.

Of course, the comments rolled in, with most cruisers suggesting to each their own.

Said one passenger, “I’ve seen everything from a tux to a kilt in the [main dining room]. As long as it’s not a bathing suit, I’m pretty much OK with it.”

Others suggested that Carnival Cruise Line drop its unenforced rules, such as its dress code.

“Personally, what other people wear does not bother me, but the dress code has been debated on here relentlessly – the same as wearing hats in the dining room,” commented one.

“There will never be total agreement of what is acceptable to some yet offensive to others.”

The Official Policy

Carnival Cruise Line does publish a dress code but says, “life on board is dominated by a casual atmosphere.”

It recommends women wear long skirts, pants, dresses, and tops while men don shorts, polo shirts, and Tees.

Read Also: 14 Cruise Etiquette Rules You Need to Know About

During the one or two nights when passengers can wear “cruise elegant” apparel, the cruise line suggests ladies put on cocktail dresses, pantsuits, elegant skirts, blouses, and evening gowns.

For men, sports jackets, shirts, dress pants, suits, ties, and tuxedos are listed with no-no’s for all passengers dining in the main dining room specifically referring to jeans, as well as t-shirts, flip-flops, swimsuits, sportswear, and ball caps.

While the cruise line suggests anyone not in cruise-elegant clothing visit the Lido deck’s buffet on formal nights, it doesn’t offer any ramifications for ignoring the suggestions.

This is what most passengers agree with, noting that not everyone can afford, let alone travel long distances with, formal wear.

A back-to-back sailing is a bucket list adventure for many cruisers, but how exactly does one manage the minutia of such a double (or triple, or quadruple) cruise?

One eager guest reached out to Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, about their upcoming back-to-back cruise with questions about how the luggage arrangements are handled.

“We will be sailing on the Vista in June. We have back to back cruises and we have different staterooms,” the guest explained. “They are only [two] rooms down from one another. Is it necessary to print out luggage tags? What do we do? What happens?”

While the guest does not clarify which Carnival Vista cruises they are on, the ship is homeported year-round from Port Canaveral, offering 6- and 8-night sailings to Southern Caribbean and Eastern Caribbean destinations.

Rather than offer a by-the-book answer, Heald opened up to comments from other cruisers who have themselves managed back-to-back sailings.

“It is really simple and rather than me waffle about it please, anyone that has done a [back-to-back] please share your experiences,” he said.

Many commenters chimed in with a variety of back-to-back experiences. While the process is smoother and simpler for guests staying in the same stateroom for both cruises, even switching rooms isn’t too difficult.

“Easy. No tags required. Tell you steward. He knows what to do,” one commenter explained.

“If it’s only 2 doors down, I don’t even pack. He brought a cart, piled our stuff on and unloaded in new room. He will usually clean your new room as soon as it is vacated. If rooms are on different floors, he will coordinate with the steward up there. I have done it many times.”

Worth Reading: Carnival Guest Gets Hung Up on Stateroom Hangers

Other travelers note that sometimes items on hangers can be left on those hangers and simply transferred to the new room, while some cruisers prefer to pack their bags for moving to a new room.

Of course, with the cabin attendants providing the extra help of switching cabins, this would be an ideal time for an extra gratuity or a very sincere thank you for their excellent service!

How Guests Move Between Back-to-Back Sailings

Guests doing two (or more) consecutive sailings also need to be sure their own paperwork is in order. Printing boarding passes for both cruises is helpful, and experienced back-to-backers recommend visiting Guest Services during the first cruise to confirm that they’re on the list for the next cruise as well.

Read Also: How Much Does It Cost to Live on a Cruise Ship?

On debarkation day for the first sailing, guests still need to vacate their staterooms and will be told where to meet with other back-to-back cruisers for customs and immigration processing. This will usually be in a lounge or restaurant, and guests will be given their new Sail and Sign cards for the next cruise.

A crew member will verify that all B2B cruisers have gathered and will escort them off the ship for quick processing. After a brief stop with customs inspection (no need to bring any bags along!), guests will be escorted back onboard the ship.

On some sailings, depending on the number of cruisers remaining onboard and the individual port facilities, the customs processing might happen onboard and guests never need to leave the ship at all.

To commemorate such a special type of sailing, back-to-back cruisers get a coupon for a free drink as well as a free souvenir photo (restrictions do apply).

Once back on the ship as the very first to board for the next sailing, guests can do what they wish – enjoy a leisurely late breakfast, stroll around the nearly empty ship, or find a great people watching spot to see new cruisers come aboard.

It is well known among cruisers that you should always give yourself extra time to get on the ship, especially since travel plans can change at any moment.

The rule of thumb is to fly into the city where the cruise will be embarking at least one day prior to sailing, giving passengers enough time in case of delays for weather, airport closures, etc.

However, this extra time is not something everyone has the luxury of adding at the end of their cruise. This was a harsh reality for one family that had a flight change on disembarkation day that caused them to cancel their vacation.

One of the family members took to Reddit to share how booking with a budget airline ultimately led to the hard decision of cancelling their upcoming Carnival cruise.

“We originally had a 5 p.m. flight out of Miami on port day, but Spirit rescheduled it to 7 a.m. on port day back to Miami —making it impossible for us to make the flight,” explained the poster. “We were just a few days before the 100% refund deadline for our cruise cancellation.”

The family had wanted to stay an extra night in Miami after the cruise, but was unable to because of work. With their return flight being moved up 10 hours, the cruise was no longer an option.

Some commented on why they did not just change the flight, but since the cruise was happening soon, they were told rebooking flights would cost the family $2,000, which they did not have.

Read Also: End Your Cruise Smoothly With My 9 Disembarkation Tips

After realizing there were no other options, the family cancelled the cruise just in time to get a full refund.

They also received a full cash refund from the airline — but only after being on the phone with customer service for several hours.

Fellow cruisers took to the comments to share their grievances about booking with budget airlines, also sharing some of their unfortunate experiences.

“Personally I would never risk a flight with this airline. I’ve tried to fly them a few times and each time it was cancelled or delayed, I’d rather pay a little extra to ensure I’ll get to my destination or at least not have to fight for a refund or exchange,” replied one person.

“All the airlines change flight times, several flights have changed 3-4 times on me. My last cruise we ended up renting a car from Florida and driving to St. Louis because of changed flights,” added another.

The poster replied to several comments, even agreeing that the 17-hour drive to Miami would be more reliable in the future than booking with airlines.

Ultimately, the family was able to book a new cruise out of New Orleans — though the cabin was a step down from the one originally booked.

While the poster was a little disappointed about the downgrade, they did add that they were happy to be traveling anywhere with their husband and son — and that they know in the future to request additional PTO for cruises.

How to Plan Ahead

Something most, if not all, cruisers could agree on is that extra time is everything! Rushing to get on or off a cruise creates an unnecessary amount of stress for an experience that should be fun and relaxing.

Carnival Cruise Line does offer express debarkation which allows passengers to disembark early — which is a good option for guests with early flights.

To expedite the process, this option does require that passengers carry their own luggage off of the ship, which saves more time than checking bags.

It should be noted that the cruise line does recommend booking a flight no earlier than five hours after departure to ensure you have enough time to make it to the airport in time.

The Redditor who shared their story did initially book their flight for 5 p.m. but it was moved up to 7 a.m. — so what can passengers do in those situations?

There are several ways to ensure that your cruise does not need to be cancelled due to flight changes.

The first thing to do is to book your flights with airlines that allow you to reschedule or cancel if need be with little to no fees. Additionally, make sure to set up alerts when booking so you can be notified if there are any changes.

Then, make sure to keep track of your cruise’s cancellation period so that you can get refunded if your trip needs to be cancelled.

Finally, if you are able to, consider extending the end of your trip by one or two days at the final port to allow for a smoother travel experience back home.

All in all, planning ahead could end up sparing you from cancelling a much needed cruise!