Disney Cruise Dress Code
Are you trying to pack and wondering what to wear on a Disney Cruise? On our first cruise, I had that hardest time deciding what to bring. Let’s break down the Disney Cruise dress code so you don’t have that problem.
Please note, this list is for a warm-weather cruise, such as in the Caribbean or Mediterranean. Obviously, packing for Alaska will be a little different depending on temperature.
First, what you need to wear (and pack) depends on how long your cruise is. The following lists pertain to your Disney Cruise dinner attire in the main dining room.
Disney 3-Day Cruises
- One cruise casual night
- One pirate night themed deck party
- One optional “dress-up” night
Disney 4-Day Cruises
- First night is cruise casual
- One pirate night themed deck party
- One optional dress-up night
- Final night is cruise casual
Disney 7+ Day Cruises
- First night is cruise casual
- One pirate night
- 3 additional cruise casual nights
- One formal and one semi-formal night
Check your Navigator (either the paper copy or on your phone) for the latest details on your Disney cruise dinner dress code for that evening. It’s very easy to forget which night is what!
What is Cruise Casual?
Cruise casual, defined by Disney, is anything except swimwear and tank tops. Feel free to wear shorts, sundresses, capris or dressier options for those nights deemed cruise casual.
I often wore leggings with long shirts or a maxi-dress on our last Disney Caribbean Cruise. However, most often, I also brought along a light sweater as the dining rooms were chilly, in my opinion.
My husband usually always wore some type of travel pant (we like the ones from Eddie Bauer) and a polo shirt, while Little K mostly stuck to skorts or sundresses (with a definite cardigan sweater for warmth).
Disney Cruise Pirate Night Attire
Disney Cruises go all out for pirate night. Characters and wait staff will all be decked out in their finest pirate attire.
You can even have your picture taken with Captain Jack Sparrow!
In your room, your steward will leave a red bandana for each member of your party. Wear this with your normal clothes or dress up for pirate night!
Approximately half the people on our cruise brought some type of pirate outfit. Since I planned our cruise 18 months out, I bought pirate costumes from Amazon and used them for Halloween, then wore them again for our cruise.
It’s completely up to you. If you choose to not dress up, you will not feel out of place because so many others are not in costume either.
Admittedly, our costumes just added to our suitcase load and the number of items we took, so take that into consideration.
There is a small onboard shop called Whozits and Whatzits that sells pirate attire, but it is pricey.
Do you need to dress up for formal night?
Again, this is another optional event. I will say most people dressed up to some extent. While many wore formal attire, others wore simple dresses that you would find at a wedding.
Not sure I saw any man in a tuxedo on our trip (except for the crew). Most of the men wore suits or sport coats dressed up with a tie.
Read more about the Disney Cruise formal night.
On formal nights, professional photographers are around to take family pictures. These were my favorite pictures of the entire cruise. Some people use this opportunity for a family portrait to include in their holiday cards.
On our cruise, photographers were in three areas: with Mickey on the balcony, in front of the large Christmas tree in the atrium and in front of the atrium’s grand staircase. Take your pick of one spot or all three!
If I had to choose between bringing pirate costumes or formal attire, I would definitely choose the formal attire. I loved that evening, probably because I don’t get the chance to dress up often.
Even the Disney characters dressed up. This picture of us with Mickey in his captain’s attire is my favorite. Honestly, these Disney Cruise formal night photos are probably my favorite of the entire trip!
Disney Cruise dress code – Palo and Remy (adults-only)
While other areas of the ship you can get away with cruise casual, that is definitely not the case for Palo and Remy.
Palo is the northern-Italian restaurant found on all Disney Cruise Line ships. It is less expensive than Remy, which is the French restaurant currently only on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.
Disney states this on its website:
So that we may provide an enjoyable and refined dining experience for all Guests, please be advised that tank tops, swimsuits, swimsuit cover-ups, shorts, hats, cut-offs, torn clothing, t-shirts with offensive language and/or graphics, flip-flops or tennis shoes are not permitted at Palo or Remy.
In addition, they have a strict restaurant dress code listing what is required for each dining experience. This is taken directly from Disney.
Palo Dinner and Brunch
- Men: dress pants or slacks and collared shirt; jacket is optional
- Women: dress, skirt or pants with a blouse
- Jeans may be worn if in good condition (no holes)
Remy Brunch and Dessert
- Men: Dress pants and a shirt are required for men. A jacket is optional. Please no jeans, shorts, capri pants, sandals, flip-flops or tennis shoes.
- Women: A dress or pantsuit is required. Please no jeans, shorts, capri pants, sandals, flip-flops or tennis shoes.
Remy Dinner
- Men: A jacket (such as a sport, suit or tuxedo jacket) is required, with dress pants/slacks and shoes. Ties are optional. Please no jeans, shorts, sandals, flip-flops or tennis shoes.
- Ladies: Cocktail dress, evening dress, pantsuit or skirt/blouse are required. Please no jeans, shorts, capri pants, sandals, flip-flops or tennis shoes.
Daytime dress code
We have talked so much about what to wear on your Disney Cruise at night, we haven’t even touched on what to wear during the day.
This depends on what your day entails. Are you going on an excursion at the port? Just walking around? Staying onboard?
Many people wear swimsuits and coverups, especially if just lounging around by the pools or on deck.
Others, like me, stuck with casual clothing like capris and tank tops. It depends on what you are doing. Kevin and I hung out at the Cove Café several mornings after breakfast while Little K enjoyed the kids club. Therefore, we wore casual clothes instead of bathing suits.
Plus, there are so many onboard activities to go to instead of just the pool. Think Bingo, family games or movies! Often, one of the theaters had a matinee of the evening show, so we attended that instead of watching it after dinner (we had the early dinner, late show).
What to pack for your Disney Cruise?
Admittedly, I packed more for our seven-day cruise than I did for three weeks in Europe. It was just the combination of shoes, formal attire, costumes, evening and daywear, in addition to all the fish extender gifts.
It took me forever to pack because I didn’t want to miss anything. In the end, we could have just ordered room service! The only thing you really need is your passport and you are good to go.
Are you stressed about what to wear and what the norm is for Disney Cruise attire? Do you have any more questions on the Disney Cruise dress code? If you have been on a cruise, did you pack more than you should have?
For more family Disney cruise tips, check out the below articles.
- How to Organize Your Disney Cruise Stateroom
- Connect at Sea – How to Use the Disney Cruise Wifi
- 15 Embarkation Tips for Your Disney Cruise
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