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Formal nights on Princess Cruises


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We were on the Ruby for a 10 day two years ago, the Mexican Coast...a long sleeve shirt and a tie were more than adequate. It does vary a bit by itinerary and length of ship, just off the Royal for a 10 day southern Caribbean, again a long sleeve shirt and tie were fine, but there were a few older folks dressed up for the "prom".. off the shoulder, glittery gowns etc.. but each to their own. I don't think there is as much friction over this issue as there used to be. Dressing up too much and needing all the attendant items, such as the special shoes and jackets just doesn't do it for folks traveling by plane. A bit of an effort is nice.. but doesn't need to be overdone.

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There were plenty of young folks on our Spring Break cruise in beautiful long dresses and elegant men's evening wear. If people want the option of wearing more casual clothing, it would be nice to also allow people to dress up, whether for photos or fun or to get another wearing of a dress they bought and loved and only wore once, without reference to prom or criticism of formal wear that they may well have bought long ago, but if they like it how does it hurt you ?

 

Piazza filled with people dressed in evening wear was a special sight .. and I liked wearing my floor length sparkly dress too, with some more comfortable shoes.

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I have read all the posts in this thread and I still have one question regarding formal night. Do people dress up more on European Baltic cruises than on cruises to warmer places? I see a lot of people talking about men coming to the MDR in shorts, but I'm thinking that Northern Europe is not about shorts, sandals and fun in the sun!

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There were plenty of young folks on our Spring Break cruise in beautiful long dresses and elegant men's evening wear. If people want the option of wearing more casual clothing, it would be nice to also allow people to dress up, whether for photos or fun or to get another wearing of a dress they bought and loved and only wore once, without reference to prom or criticism of formal wear that they may well have bought long ago, but if they like it how does it hurt you ?

 

Piazza filled with people dressed in evening wear was a special sight .. and I liked wearing my floor length sparkly dress too, with some more comfortable shoes.

 

Please show where anyone has said or is trying to,prevent anyone from dressing up if they want. No problem if you want to wear tuxes and or long evening gowns. But id Princess permits it then others should be allowed to dress in a less formal attire without being told to eat somewhere else or told they dress like the rednecks at Walmart. Or being told it is demeaning to be asked to sit next to them. It s a two way strett but some insist it is only one way or the highway.

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I have read all the posts in this thread and I still have one question regarding formal night. Do people dress up more on European Baltic cruises than on cruises to warmer places? I see a lot of people talking about men coming to the MDR in shorts, but I'm thinking that Northern Europe is not about shorts, sandals and fun in the sun!

Yes, most people dress in long gowns and a dark suit or tuxedo on formal night on all European cruises. Some of the dress styles described here as acceptable are the every night dress for many including us.

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Our experiences have always been on cruise lines that do not have "formal" dining nights; we purposefully opt for lines that have more relaxed dress codes. The most dressed up we want to be could be best described as "resort casual." We have a family reunion coming up on a Mexican Riveria trip on the Ruby Princess. We noted that there are 2 formal nights as part of the itinerary. If we do not want to participate in formal nights, are there other dining options available to us? (A proper dinner; not a cold sandwich and beer...:D). In addition, are men's jackets required in any of the other restaurants? Thank you!

 

 

My DW and I were talking about this the other night. Gist of the conversation? We decided that since we "dress up" 4 nights out of 5 as it is - why bother to do the "formal night" thing? I mean, nothing whatsoever against those who enjoy it, but I was thinking that they are "Sea" nights, right? So we would prefer to sit out on the balcony, sip a cold beverage and maybe read a book....Room Service seems like an ideal.

 

And besides, I can always tear up a good club sandwich.... :D

 

So, yeah, the operative model is "Come back new"....well, at least for me, that means leaving the suit and tie at home! ;)

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You don't have to be wealthy to dress nicely. Just wait for a good sale or buy through consignment.

 

I wish Princess would clarify and enforce it one way or the other instead of leaving it up to the DR host.

 

My comment about wealthy was in reference to belonging to a country club and not what clothes cost. I dress for formal night to be comfortable and enjoy my meal. Looking like a penguin is not in my nature.

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Yes, most people dress in long gowns and a dark suit or tuxedo on formal night on all European cruises. Some of the dress styles described here as acceptable are the every night dress for many including us.

 

Definitely not... On crown now in Mediterranean and last night was formal night . Majority had no ties nor gowns. Dresses and a sports jacket with polo or dress shirt was norm

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Yes, most people dress in long gowns and a dark suit or tuxedo on formal night on all European cruises. Some of the dress styles described here as acceptable are the every night dress for many including us.
We found it depends on the demographic of the passengers onboard.

 

We did 2 Princesss cruises from Southampton a couple of years ago. The first was a British Isles cruise and most of the passengers were American and on formal night the dress mostly was very 'informal'. The second cruise a Norwegian Fjords cruise most passengers were British and the dress on formal night was noticeably very different and 'formal'. Infact on casual nights the dress was still quite formal.

 

Sometimes people say the reason for not taking formal wear with them is because of weight restrictions on flights but we always manage to do so when we do fly cruises.

 

It seems strange to me to want to dine in a formal dining room but wear shorts and t-shirts.[emoji848] but then again here in the north of England due to the climate we do not get the chance to wear shorts so it isnt normal for us.

 

Sent from my SM-T580 using Forums mobile app

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Definitely not... On crown now in Mediterranean and last night was formal night . Majority had no ties nor gowns. Dresses and a sports jacket with polo or dress shirt was norm

Six months ago on the Crown Princess in Europe it was the opposite to what you describe.....methinks you want to see it differently?

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My DW and I were talking about this the other night. Gist of the conversation? We decided that since we "dress up" 4 nights out of 5 as it is - why bother to do the "formal night" thing? I mean, nothing whatsoever against those who enjoy it, but I was thinking that they are "Sea" nights, right? So we would prefer to sit out on the balcony, sip a cold beverage and maybe read a book....Room Service seems like an ideal.

 

And besides, I can always tear up a good club sandwich.... :D

 

So, yeah, the operative model is "Come back new"....well, at least for me, that means leaving the suit and tie at home! ;)

Aside from the dressing part, why on earth would you opt for a sandwich on a night when they always prepare some of their best classic meals?

It's one of the things that attract us to the DR on formal nights.

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Six months ago on the Crown Princess in Europe it was the opposite to what you describe.....methinks you want to see it differently?

 

I see it the way people dressed last night when I was in the piazza last night on the crown on a seaday

 

Made me chuckle seeing some guys in polo shirts with sports jacket but sketcher shoes .

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Aside from the dressing part, why on earth would you opt for a sandwich on a night when they always prepare some of their best classic meals?

It's one of the things that attract us to the DR on formal nights.

 

Menu wasn't that attractive on the first formal and no way I wanted to wait in line with mass of people. So walked into sabitini and they were able to seat me without a reservation luckily and had a nice calm dinner with no crowds

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Menu wasn't that attractive on the first formal and no way I wanted to wait in line with mass of people. So walked into sabitini and they were able to seat me without a reservation luckily and had a nice calm dinner with no crowds

Oh, I can understand going to Sabatini's but not a sandwich.

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Aside from the dressing part, why on earth would you opt for a sandwich on a night when they always prepare some of their best classic meals?

It's one of the things that attract us to the DR on formal nights.

 

Because it's her cruise, not yours.

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  • 1 year later...
  • 2 years later...

It is always interesting to read the comments about formal nights on a cruise ship. I know it's a hassle to pack appropriate formal attire, but it is such fun to get a chance to wear them. I'm already looking forward to pulling my gowns out for the Ruby Princess in April, 2023. 

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1 hour ago, macsails said:

It is always interesting to read the comments about formal nights on a cruise ship. I know it's a hassle to pack appropriate formal attire, but it is such fun to get a chance to wear them. I'm already looking forward to pulling my gowns out for the Ruby Princess in April, 2023. 

Yes, but there are far more current and relevant threads than re-opening one that was started 4 years ago.

 

Dress up to black tie or down to smart casual and you will be fine.

 

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1 hour ago, macsails said:

It is always interesting to read the comments about formal nights on a cruise ship. I know it's a hassle to pack appropriate formal attire, but it is such fun to get a chance to wear them. I'm already looking forward to pulling my gowns out for the Ruby Princess in April, 2023. 

 

Not all of us think it is fun to have to dress up. I wore suits or jackets and ties for my job and never thought it was fun. Now that I am retired I have zero interest in dressing up like a funeral director while on vacation. Now those suits and jackets are used for appropriate events - like funerals. 

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On 4/21/2018 at 1:16 AM, gilboman said:

 

Definitely not... On crown now in Mediterranean and last night was formal night . Majority had no ties nor gowns. Dresses and a sports jacket with polo or dress shirt was norm

This is has been our experience on most European cruises too.  Alaska, Mexico, Hawaiian and Caribbean cruises tend to be way more casual on formal nights and European cruises tend to have more formal dressers but they definitely are not in the majority.  It is not like they are use to going to Royal Balls.

Edited by PrincessLuver
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2 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Yes, but there are far more current and relevant threads than re-opening one that was started 4 years ago.

 

Dress up to black tie or down to smart casual and you will be fine.

 

For some reason I am not able to access the roll call for Ruby Princess 4/14/23. I did luck onto a message board of a more current trip once, but not again.  Probably "user error" but that's why my post was on the one I found regarding formal nights.  

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3 minutes ago, DrSea said:

necro bump

 

I wear business casual daily. It doesn't bother me to dress up. It did when I was younger

My doctor (GP) dresses casually every day and he's doing just fine. 

I trust him to take my well being as his most important concern, not how he dresses to influence his patients.

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Just now, MissP22 said:

My doctor (GP) dresses casually every day and he's doing just fine. 

I trust him to take my well being as his most important concern, not how he dresses to influence his patients.

It's company policy that I wear business casual. If it were up to me, I would wear flip flops and board shorts or just laundered gym cloths

 

There is a study that shows that doctors who dress more casually are less trusted 

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