Dinner attire in Main Dining Room on non-formal nights

[Colo Cruiser]

I can't find the exact wordage on the website, but I am almost positive that it is acceptable to wear Bermuda shorts on cruises that include a stop to Bermuda. But, these have to be the traditional (and immaculate) Bermuda shorts. The same rule applies to wearing crisp jeans on cruises that hit Galveston.

 

When the dress code mentions that casual jeans aren't acceptable, I interpret that to mean that jeans with t-shirt/sneakers aren't appropriate. However, a nice pair of well-fitted jeans with a sports coat and dress shoes would be passable on a non-formal night.

 

My general rule has always been if you even have the slightest thought that you might be turned away, it's best to up your game a little. The staff always tries to be polite and not upset the guests, so they usually try to be more lenient to avoid offending anyone. However, just because they didn't kick a guest out, doesn't mean that the guest was appropriately dressed. There are plenty of appropriate and comfortable clothing choices on the market and there are alternative dinner options on the ship, so I would recommend not testing your luck to see what degree of slovenliness it takes to actually get your son dismissed from dinner.

 

 

 

Really? Crisp jeans and Galveston?

Princess does use Galveston. :confused:

[Sapphire723]

Really? Crisp jeans and Galveston?

Princess does use Galveston. :confused:

 

I apologize everyone! I think I may have been mistaken in which cruise line I had read that for. I believe the policy for jeans in Galveston, Bermuda shorts in Bermuda, and Hawaiian shirts in Hawaii is for NCL and not Princess.

[RickT]

What seems to bother you most about the others not complying? The fact they they're more comfortable dressing down somewhat or do you feel slighted by the fact that they don't follow your lead.

Either way it's nice to know that the CB is in sync with all the other ships.

 

What bothers me most is that Princess publishes the guidelines and expectations, and people feel because they have paid for a vacation they can choose to ignore them... and the fact that Princess does nothing about it.

 

Seriously... how would you feel if I showed up wearing a wife beater t-shirt and a speedo? That's not allowed in the MDR but what would you think if Princess didn't stop me? Or, how would you feel if someone showed up at your wedding (or a child's wedding) and everyone was in shirt and tie or suit... and they were wearing shorts and a t-shirt...

[Pam in CA]

Really? Crisp jeans and Galveston?

Princess does use Galveston. :confused:

I think it's been several years since Princess stopped in Galveston. Wasn't the Grand home ported there? But that was before Katrina.

[Colo Cruiser]

One of my pet peeves about cruise lines (not just Princess) is that they often don't enforce their own dress code. Many of you have mentioned that shorts (and t's) are not allowed in the MDR, however I'm just off the Caribbean Princess and we saw a fair amount of both. Thank god most people were dressed according to the dress code (including some ladies wearing very nice looking capris). We also saw a fair number of people in jeans, some of which I wouldn't wear to work on my truck :eek:

 

And don't get me started on formal night. We saw a few people in khakis and golf shirts.

 

Seriously, if the cruise line can't (or won't) enforce their dress code, why even bother? If you don't want to dress up... go to the buffet.

 

 

Shorts are allowed in the DR just not at dinner.

 

I have never even seen a couple let alone a fair amount of shorts in the DR at dinner.

[Colo Cruiser]

I apologize everyone! I think I may have been mistaken in which cruise line I had read that for. I believe the policy for jeans in Galveston, Bermuda shorts in Bermuda, and Hawaiian shirts in Hawaii is for NCL and not Princess.

 

 

Gotcha. ;)

[Colo Cruiser]

I think it's been several years since Princess stopped in Galveston. Wasn't the Grand home ported there? But that was before Katrina.

 

 

Yes the Grand.

[Pam in CA]

I have never even seen a couple let alone a fair amount of shorts in the DR at dinner.

I've seen shorts only once on Princess and once on HAL. On Princess last summer on our British Isles cruise, a somewhat chunky young woman wore a bright red, shiny, one-piece shorts outfit to dinner. It was NOT flattering but there she was. On HAL one evening, a very curvey young woman in a Daisy Duke outfit, jeans shorts with her cheeks showing, was not only allowed in the dining room but was being led to a table by the Maitre 'd. Mouths were open (for different reasons) throughout the dining room. HAL is much stuffier than Princess when it comes to evening dining.

[sherryf]

I think it is an uncomfortable situation when people can't even muster up the bare minimum requirement, because it can be distracting from the experience similar to the effect a tchotchke hanging on the wall might be. It can also make others feel uncomfortable because most people have had experiences in their life when they've felt embarrassed or out of place and they are sympathetic for the passengers who are receiving negative attention for their gauche behavior.

 

Maybe it was just a coincidence, but the ONLY rude person that we sat with at dinner all last week was also someone who was seriously underdressed. It was a formal night, and he was wearing khaki pants and a golf shirt. His wife was similarly dressed in very casual clothes. The dinner started out okay, but then he started talking politics and was quite adamant about his side. Nobody wanted to talk about it, and we tried to brush him off, but he persisted. We left before dessert. SO, was it just coincidence? Or is someone who ignores the dress expectations also likely to ignore other social courtesies? He was very much a "I'm always right and I don't care what anyone else thinks" kind of guy. I didn't care for him at all, and spent the rest of the cruise turning away and pretending I didn't see him whenever we saw him on the ship the rest of the week.

 

I won't assume that all people who dress inappropriately are rude, but I do have to wonder about the attitudes of people who flaunt the dress suggestions so blatantly.

[pg.]

Maybe it was just a coincidence, but the ONLY rude person that we sat with at dinner all last week was also someone who was seriously underdressed. It was a formal night, and he was wearing khaki pants and a golf shirt. His wife was similarly dressed in very casual clothes. The dinner started out okay, but then he started talking politics and was quite adamant about his side. Nobody wanted to talk about it, and we tried to brush him off, but he persisted. We left before dessert. SO, was it just coincidence? Or is someone who ignores the dress expectations also likely to ignore other social courtesies? He was very much a "I'm always right and I don't care what anyone else thinks" kind of guy. I didn't care for him at all, and spent the rest of the cruise turning away and pretending I didn't see him whenever we saw him on the ship the rest of the week.

 

I won't assume that all people who dress inappropriately are rude, but I do have to wonder about the attitudes of people who flaunt the dress suggestions so blatantly.

 

Please tell me you are kidding. One badly behaved person who did not dress well is hardly a study.. sigh. Does this mean that all well dressed people who carefully always follow all the rules make snap judgments based on random events?

[pg.]

What bothers me most is that Princess publishes the guidelines and expectations, and people feel because they have paid for a vacation they can choose to ignore them... and the fact that Princess does nothing about it.

 

Seriously... how would you feel if I showed up wearing a wife beater t-shirt and a speedo? That's not allowed in the MDR but what would you think if Princess didn't stop me? Or, how would you feel if someone showed up at your wedding (or a child's wedding) and everyone was in shirt and tie or suit... and they were wearing shorts and a t-shirt...

 

"a wife beater and a speedo" yes,, thats the same as a shirt and tie( no jacket) on formal night.. LOL

It helps if one does not exagerate too much to make a point.

[sherryf]

Please tell me you are kidding. One badly behaved person who did not dress well is hardly a study.. sigh. Does this mean that all well dressed people who carefully always follow all the rules make snap judgments based on random events?

 

That's why I said that I wasn't going to generalize that all bad dressers are rude. I certainly can't go by one person. What I was saying is that there certainly seemed to be an "attitude" correlation in this case. I've also noticed an attitude with people who post on these boards about not following the dress guidelines. There are some who say they will do whatever they darn well please, even breaking the "rules", and they don't care what anyone else thinks. I don't necessarily care for that attitude. That's all I was saying. :rolleyes:

[1 HappyCruiser]

We'll be on the Emerald Oct 9 and Grand Dec 6 and don't plan formally dressing for dinner in the main dining room.

Also most likely the Ruby in Jan/Feb and the Crown in April/May.

[hansi]

What is a Capri? Over here it was a car years ago, and an island off Naples.

[Coracii]

What is a Capri? Over here it was a car years ago, and an island off Naples.

 

A pair of womens pants (all of my wifes are some form of khaki, but not all of them are) that end between the high ankle and mid calf depending on the cut. Quite a few of the styles seem to have a slit on the outside of the pant cuffs. I'm betting their name origin has something to do with the Island of Capri.

[doubletree07]

Shorts are allowed in the DR just not at dinner.

 

I have never even seen a couple let alone a fair amount of shorts in the DR at dinner.

 

Here's our experience. I called from our stateroom to see if DH could wear shorts to the dining room (this was for lunch) and was told no shorts allowed. So DH changes into nice dockers - we go to lunch and there are numerous men in shorts. :confused: I think the key here is Princess does not stick to the rules. :mad: They can say no over the phone but not to a person directly face to face. :rolleyes:

[1 HappyCruiser]

Here's our experience. I called from our stateroom to see if DH could wear shorts to the dining room (this was for lunch) and was told no shorts allowed. So DH changes into nice dockers - we go to lunch and there are numerous men in shorts. :confused: I think the key here is Princess does not stick to the rules. :mad: They can say no over the phone but not to a person directly face to face. :rolleyes:

 

Your question was mistaken about shorts at dinner not lunch where they're perfectly acceptable. The person answering the question did not fully understand your intent.

On the Grand even men in bathing suits were allowed for lunch as long as they had a T shirt on & they were dry.

[hansi]

Here's our experience. I called from our stateroom to see if DH could wear shorts to the dining room (this was for lunch) and was told no shorts allowed. So DH changes into nice dockers - we go to lunch and there are numerous men in shorts. :confused: I think the key here is Princess does not stick to the rules. :mad: They can say no over the phone but not to a person directly face to face. :rolleyes:

 

So now I know what a Capri is, what's a docker?

[Coracii]

So now I know what a Capri is, what's a docker?

 

Dockers are a specific brand of khaki pants, but kind of like referring to facial tissue as Kleenex or photocopies as a Xerox it's been turned from the specific brand to a generic term.

[Colo Cruiser]

Here's our experience. I called from our stateroom to see if DH could wear shorts to the dining room (this was for lunch) and was told no shorts allowed. So DH changes into nice dockers - we go to lunch and there are numerous men in shorts. :confused: I think the key here is Princess does not stick to the rules. :mad: They can say no over the phone but not to a person directly face to face. :rolleyes:

 

 

Shorts have always been allowed at breakfast/lunch in the DR.

 

I was speaking of dinner where they are not, perhaps staff misunderstood your question?

[Putterdude]

I always wear shorts to the MDR for breakfast and dinner in warmer climates but they certainly don't want them at dinner.

[pg.]

Its funny,,, I do tend to argue on the live and let live,, or if you don't like it don't look type of attitude towards smuggling booze and dress code..

 

Whats funny is I personally always dress correctly, and do not smuggle booze. I just don't understand why others CARE so much about what other people do. It impacts me not one iota what "Gordon and Susan" do in their cabin, with their alcohol , or when they dress or nt dress for dinner.

 

I would WAY rather sit with interesting and amusing people who are wearing shorts and t shirts then stuffy boring types in suits and long gowns. I will even laugh at their smuggling stories.. LOL

[Pam in CA]

Whats funny is I personally always dress correctly, and do not smuggle booze. I just don't understand why others CARE so much about what other people do. It impacts me not one iota what "Gordon and Susan" do in their cabin, with their alcohol , or when they dress or nt dress for dinner.

Some people react to others telling people with legitimate questions what can be misleading information. Whether someone is in shorts or wearing jeans in the dining room isn't going to ruin my cruise but if someone asks, what should I bring, I don't think it's appropriate to advise them to ignore the cruiseline's suggested guidelines and tell them what they can get away with. Let them cruise and then make their own decisions. Some people aren't comfortable being "different"; that doesn't make them bad or uninteresting.

[Colo Cruiser]

Its funny,,, I do tend to argue on the live and let live,, or if you don't like it don't look type of attitude towards smuggling booze and dress code..

 

Whats funny is I personally always dress correctly, and do not smuggle booze. I just don't understand why others CARE so much about what other people do. It impacts me not one iota what "Gordon and Susan" do in their cabin, with their alcohol , or when they dress or nt dress for dinner.

 

I would WAY rather sit with interesting and amusing people who are wearing shorts and t shirts then stuffy boring types in suits and long gowns. I will even laugh at their smuggling stories.. LOL

 

 

Yes "Gordon and Susan" I know them well.

I don't care what they do either.

[Aloha Me]

When we took our family including 4 grandkids, dressing was a concern as we are a pretty casual family. However, we put in the effort to dress appropriately for the dining room and the kids loved it (they ranged from 14 to 18). No matter the plans, we all agreed to eat in the dining room every night to catch up on the days activities and it was wonderful. For children the dining room is a great place to learn and watching the waiters discreetly help the kids with which fork was appropriate for what they were eating was great. They were confident young adults and made us proud. Following dinner we got some great professional photos done and they were so willing. At home it's like pulling teeth to get them into a studio! When all was done we told them they could change and low and behold they opted to stay in the dress clothes as they made their way to different venues, meeting others from different lands.

 

I'm not one to spend tons on clothes but can look just as good as those that do. If it's your first cruise try to do your best and take advantage of all it can teach you. Most people can eat at a buffet any day, any time at home. How many times do you and the kids get to experience formal dining? Believe me it is something to remember. Good luck to you all.