Formal night rules

[FourAces]

This is actually in response to a question on another board along the same lines

How strict is the cuiseline on dress for dinner? Can you wear nice jeans? Sport coat on formal night?

 

 

This one makes me angry, and yes it does tell you in the paperwork etc about the formal nights. I will explain this part in a moment, but first let me answer your question.

They allowed casual dress, shorts in the buffet. NO SWIMMING TRUNKS

In your assighned dining room (you dont have to eat here, altho its fun and you get to sit with people and have dinner with them, its cool) you can wear jeans and shirts just no shorts.

Formal night, whole different animal. Slacks, Tie, long sleeves. This is a guys perspective, now my wife went in on the second night and they allowed her...if we had stayed, in in her black jeans and nice shirt.

I had bought a "silk" tie from the onboard store and had a nice shirt and black jeans, the maitra dee stopped me and said no jeans were allowed. So in answer to your question, NO JEANS. A sport coat is nice, but from what I saw wasnt absoulutly nessasary.

 

 

DISCLAIMER TIME THIS IS THE OPINION OF MY WIFE AND MYSELF I DO NOT REPRESENT ANYONE OTHER THAN SUCH.

 

And here is my rant on that topic......You have four main dining rooms (Vivaldi, Santa Fe, Savoy and Pacific Moon) in addition you have the buffet, and the grill which serves hamburgers, hotdogs and fries and or onion rings. Now if the cruiseline wants to offer a couple of nights of formal wear I dont have a problem with that...here is what they might consider first off not everyone wants to play the dressup game. As an example my wife and I arent rich, not stuffy and really dont enjoy having to do the dressup thing, and then have to feel uncomfotable throughout the meal as a result of having to be dressed up.

So my suggestion would be Princess have your formal nights, but take one of your resturants and say we will serve you the same as what the formal folks are getting but come in regular clothes....after all you paid for it.

So what happened the second formal night, I returned the tie and we had buffet, not the lobster, not the Alaskan bake or the other fine foods that we had looked forward to. My wife was so upset over this she did not want to return to that resteraunt the next night, and if she isnt going to be happy about going to the resturant over this matter I am not going to force the issue just to go to a dinner. We met some wonderful folks at dinner and its a shame we didnt get to enjoy their company the last evening, and I hope they understand (should they read this Dave and Nancy) it wasnt anything personal. Its a policy thats just uncomfortable for some.

Thats my rant for now, other than that we had an awesome trip and Im sure you will as well. Hope this helps

 

I am sure someone will chime in with the fact that this is assighned seating and I understand that, take a survey find out who doesnt want the formal dining and go from there...the arguments to this could go on and on again this is just our opinions

[Coracii]

On their website for 2010/11 Princess is now stating "formal" for the specialty restaurants

 

Would you like to say where you're seeing this information on the Princess website? Page 28 of the brand new Cruise Answer Book continues to state that smart casual dress is completely acceptable in all specialty restaurants, even on formal nights. Please provide exactly where you're seeing your information, otherwise I'll have to assume you're just fabricating it based on your own preferences.

[Duck Duck Cruise]

Ahh … you ask about the dress code, especially on formal nights.

 

This is a rather contentious issue on these boards and many a poster has felt that it would have just been better to walk the plank after the snarky comments they received.

 

Here is a “tongue in cheek” listing of some of the comments you can expect to hear.

 

You will have some that say men must wear a tuxedo and women a formal gown. End of story. Absolutely, positively MUST wear a tux or formal gown, depending on your gender.

 

You will have some that say to lighten up as cruising has changed and you can wear anything nice. For some this includes Birkenstocks and Tie Dyed polo shirts.

 

You will have some that say men can wear a suit with tie and women can wear Capri pants with a sparkly top or a dress. They only travel with carry on luggage and wad these items into a ball and just shake them out a bit when they get to their cabin.

 

You will have some that say they wear whatever they darn well please because they paid for this vacation and nobody is going to tell them how to dress. They will insist that removing their bathrobe before sitting at the table is all that is necessary.

 

You will have some say that if you aren’t dressed perfectly (their idea of perfectly) you will be refused entry to the dining room and will be completely embarrassed because they believe the entire world will view you with disgust. Your expulsion from the dining room will be video taped by the ship’s videographer and will be included with the DVD of the cruise so your embarrassment will be able to be viewed by everyone at home.

 

You will have some that say they have never seen anyone turned away from the dining room because of the way they were dressed. Aren’t shorts and torn jeans dressy enough?

 

You will have some that say you must stay dressed formally to be in the public areas of the ship for the entire formal evening so that you won’t spoil their cruise. If you’re passive/aggressive this is a wonderful way to taunt the self-righteous.

 

You will have some that say they immediately change out of their formal clothes after dinner before going to shows or lounges.

 

You will have some say you have to eat in the buffet, away from the proper people and immediately return to your cabin and stay there. You should be in steerage.

 

You will have some that say they eat in the buffet because they don’t want to dress up and are appalled that some people dress formally and then have the nerve to eat at the buffet and spoil their casual dining experience.

 

Some will tell you to stay in your room, out of sight of the properly dressed people. You should be in an inside cabin, on a lower deck, with the lights out and a towel rolled up against the bottom of the door. You can only open your door briefly when the steward comes by with your chow and you should tip them for the delivery because you have probably removed the auto-tips. (That’s another thread altogether)

 

Some will tell you that you can’t eat in the Pay Per Chew Specialty Restaurants on formal night unless you are dressed formally.

 

Some will tell you that you can eat in the Pay Per Chew Specialty Restaurants dressed “smart casual” on formal nights.

 

I suggest you sit back, have a drink, maintain a sense of humor, watch the discussion (if you can call it that) on this thread and realize that a very, very small percentage of cruisers post to Cruise Critic and you won’t ever get a consensus of what is appropriate to wear on formal night. Everyone who posts here believes that they are absolutely right.

 

Personally, we dress smart casual on formal nights and eat in one of the specialty restaurants. Afterward we enjoy the use of the public areas of the ship and never feel out of place or underdressed. Is this right? Maybe, maybe not. For us it works.

 

We choose not to dress formally and choose not to eat in the main dining room on formal nights out of respect for those who want to dress up. We choose to eat in the specialty restaurants on formal night because we generally find the buffet food to be less than satisfying and the Princess website states the following:

“When a casual mood calls, you have plenty of choices – even on formal nights. Whether it be one of our specialty restaurants, the 24-hour buffet at the Horizon Court, the pizzeria, burger & hot dog grill, or 24-hour room service, you’re able to choose how you dine with us.”

Have a great cruise!

[Coracii]

Ahh … you ask about the dress code, especially on formal nights.

 

This is a rather contentious issue on these boards and many a poster has felt that it would have just been better to walk the plank after the snarky comments they received.

 

I was wondering how long it was going to take before you posted this again...

[Duck Duck Cruise]

I was wondering how long it was going to take before you posted this again...

 

It generally kills the thread ;)

[Coracii]

It generally kills the thread ;)

 

Is that a bad thing?

[satxdiver]

I usually don't even wear a tie on formal night. I wear a sports jacket and slacks with a button down shirt but take the jacket off right when I get to the table and don't put it back on. Right after dinner I go back and change into shorts, t-shirt and flip flops for the rest of the night. I wear a suit to work every day and when on vacation it's the last thing I want on. The books always say the entire night is supposed to be formal but on over 20 cruises I have never had one issue with changing after dinner.

 

I do the same on formal nights and I refuse to put a noose around my neck! My pants are dockers. Other than dinner in the MDR, you will find me in tevas, shorts (real ones not the half pants style) and tshirt.

 

To the OP you will be fine and not the only one in the MDR dressed in that manner. Have a great cruise.

[Cancun01]

Would you like to say where you're seeing this information on the Princess website? Page 28 of the brand new Cruise Answer Book continues to state that smart casual dress is completely acceptable in all specialty restaurants, even on formal nights. Please provide exactly where you're seeing your information, otherwise I'll have to assume you're just fabricating it based on your own preferences.

 

It says the same in my cruise personalizer. However, yesterday when I was going over all of the material on the website I came across a one liner that stated this in one of the new dining " links" when I was looking if the menus had changed. And yes I can read in the proper context.

I recall it clearly because I was surprised and double checked if it stated on formal nights but it was a stand alone sentence. You can call me a fabricator if you like. I was trying to be helpful...one thing that I do know is that I don't really care if what people wear as long as they remember their manners.

[Cruzin-K]

Ahh … you ask about the dress code, especially on formal nights.

 

This is a rather contentious issue on these boards and many a poster has felt that it would have just been better to walk the plank after the snarky comments they received.

 

I was wondering how long it was going to take before you posted this again...

 

 

lol. I've read it before and it still brings a smile to my face. I choose to dress up on formal night but having others around me just wearing "pants and a sparkly top" doesn't take away from my enjoyment. I don't get to dress up much at home, so formal night is kind of a treat for me. I'll be taking my Mom on her very first cruise next year and hope that formal nights on the Star will be very elegant - I can't wait to see my Mom all dressed up.

[Coracii]

It says the same in my cruise personalizer. However, yesterday when I was going over all of the material on the website I came across a one liner that stated this in one of the new dining " links" when I was looking if the menus had changed. And yes I can read in the proper context.

I recall it clearly because I was surprised and double checked if it stated on formal nights but it was a stand alone sentence. You can call me a fabricator if you like. I was trying to be helpful...one thing that I do know is that I don't really care if what people wear as long as they remember their manners.

 

And where on the Princess site would that "one-liner" in the new dining links be located? I just searched the website again and found nothing resembling that information.

[Cancun01]

And where on the Princess site would that "one-liner" in the new dining links be located? I just searched the website again and found nothing resembling that information.

 

I am not going to go searching for it - I have integrity and would not write something to serve my own purposes - it was certainly there yesterday afternoon. I'll just accept that you are always right. It is unfortunate that the o/p who asked an honest question and had the expectation of straight forward answers has become caught up in this nonsense.

[Host CJSKIDS]

Glad to see I take almost a year off from here and things have not changed!

These threads always seem to bring out the worst in people.

[NthernLgts]

How out of place would we be if we did not go by the formal night rules?

 

Would a Navy blazer and dark grey trousers be ok? Or is a tux needed?

 

What if you dont dine in the MDR?

 

You'll get by with a navy Blazer w/Dark trousers & tie. Tux is not required but you will see them. Suits are probably the most common. If you dont dine in the MDR's and eat in the buffet areas the dress is pretty much casual. Just as some land restaurants have dress codes and some dont, the same is true onboard. Enforcement generally seems to be more lax on the ships though.

[kooljamming]

How can you get reality from this forum???? Whenever a dress code thread starts you will get a zillion different answers! Which one is right. And, as you say it varies from ship to ship so your chances of getting a good answer are 18 ships X 365 days x 3 MDR's per ship = 1 chance in 19,710.

 

Yor answer was I "think" would indicate that you are not sure either.

 

Maybe 'reality check' is a wrong term but this forum provides enough good information for a great vacation. These forums can be very helpful even with one too many opinions posted as facts. You get zillions of opinions but after a few minutes you know some posters will lead you in the right direction. Over 10 years I have used forums to plan 2-3 different kinds of vacations per year. Only twice did I feel the information was way off.

 

I used I 'think' because I am afraid of the death, oooops I meant dress squad. I used to think my buttocks was too dark to feel the heat until I mentioned my intent to wear skinny jeans. They had me back in gowns, high heels and push up bra before the first seating

:D:)

[Iamcruzin]

How out of place would we be if we did not go by the formal night rules?

 

Would a Navy blazer and dark grey trousers be ok? Or is a tux needed?

 

What if you dont dine in the MDR?

 

That's what I wear and they still feed me.

[CrusinAgain]

[quote name='Cancun01']On their website for 2010/11 Princess is now stating "formal" for the specialty restaurants[/quote]

I have been trying to find that. I don't see where anything is labeled for 2010/2011 on their website but here is what I have found:

[URL]http://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/pre_cruise/bring.jsp[/URL]

[B]Smart Casual[/B]
Passenger attire should be in keeping with what they would wear to a nice restaurant at home.
[LIST]
[*]Skirts/dresses, slacks, and sweaters for ladies
[*]Pants and open-neck shirts for men
[/LIST]Inappropriate dinner wear such as pool or beach attire, shorts, ball caps and casual jeans (with fraying and/or holes) are not permitted in the dining rooms. Shoes must be worn.

[B]Formal[/B]
When formal nights are held, please observe the dress code in the Traditional Dining and Anytime Dining venues for the enjoyment of all our guests.
[LIST]
[*]Evening gown, cocktail dress, or elegant pant suit for women
[*]Tuxedo, dark suit or dinner jacket and slacks for men
[/LIST]
[URL]http://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/onboard/dining_nightlife.jsp[/URL]
[B]Casual Dining Venues[/B]

When a casual mood calls, you have plenty of choices – even on formal nights. Whether it be one of our [B]specialty[/B] restaurants, the 24-hour buffet at the Horizon Court, the pizzeria, burger & hot dog grill, or 24-hour room service, you’re able to choose how you dine with us.

[URL]http://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/other/Cruise_Answer_Book.pdf[/URL]

on page 28 same as above

[BigGuy25]

[quote name='Cancun01']On their website for 2010/11 Princess is now stating "formal" for the specialty restaurants[/QUOTE]

On the Pacific Princess last week the Specialty Restaurants did NOT require formal on formal nights. We dressed Smart Casual in those restaurants on those nights as did about 2/3's of the other guests.

[1 HappyCruiser]

[quote name='FourAces'][COLOR=red]This is actually in response to a question on another board along the same lines[/COLOR]
How strict is the cuiseline on dress for dinner? Can you wear nice jeans? Sport coat on formal night?


This one makes me angry, and yes it does tell you in the paperwork etc about the formal nights. I will explain this part in a moment, but first let me answer your question.
They allowed casual dress, shorts in the buffet. [SIZE=1][B][COLOR=Red]NO SWIMMING TRUNKS[/COLOR][/B][/SIZE]
In your assighned dining room (you dont have to eat here, altho its fun and you get to sit with people and have dinner with them, its cool) you can wear jeans and shirts just no shorts.
Formal night, whole different animal. Slacks, Tie, long sleeves. This is a guys perspective, now my wife went in on the second night and they allowed her...if we had stayed, in in her black jeans and nice shirt.
I had bought a "silk" tie from the onboard store and had a nice shirt and black jeans, the maitra dee stopped me and said no jeans were allowed. So in answer to your question, NO JEANS. A sport coat is nice, but from what I saw wasnt absoulutly nessasary.


DISCLAIMER TIME THIS IS THE OPINION OF MY WIFE AND MYSELF I DO NOT REPRESENT ANYONE OTHER THAN SUCH.

And here is my rant on that topic......You have four main dining rooms (Vivaldi, Santa Fe, Savoy and Pacific Moon) in addition you have the buffet, and the grill which serves hamburgers, hotdogs and fries and or onion rings. Now if the cruiseline wants to offer a couple of nights of formal wear I dont have a problem with that...here is what they might consider first off not everyone wants to play the dressup game. As an example my wife and I arent rich, not stuffy and really dont enjoy having to do the dressup thing, and then have to feel uncomfotable throughout the meal as a result of having to be dressed up.
So my suggestion would be Princess have your formal nights, but take one of your resturants and say we will serve you the same as what the formal folks are getting but come in regular clothes....after all you paid for it.
So what happened the second formal night, I returned the tie and we had buffet, not the lobster, not the Alaskan bake or the other fine foods that we had looked forward to. My wife was so upset over this she did not want to return to that resteraunt the next night, and if she isnt going to be happy about going to the resturant over this matter I am not going to force the issue just to go to a dinner. We met some wonderful folks at dinner and its a shame we didnt get to enjoy their company the last evening, and I hope they understand (should they read this Dave and Nancy) it wasnt anything personal. Its a policy thats just uncomfortable for some.
Thats my rant for now, other than that we had an awesome trip and Im sure you will as well. Hope this helps

I am sure someone will chime in with the fact that this is assighned seating and I understand that, take a survey find out who doesnt want the formal dining and go from there...the arguments to this could go on and on again this is just our opinions[/quote]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS]I tend to agree with you whole post other than the swim trunks part. In the Horizon we've always fount that the guys can just throw on a shirt still in their bathing suit and the gal with a cover-up. Even on the Grand last Feb in the DR at lunch they were letting people dressed like this as long as they didn't bring any towels to the table. (They let them leave the towels at the door or put them in a beach bag) [/FONT]

[Coracii]

[quote name='Cancun01']I am not going to go searching for it - I have integrity and would not write something to serve my own purposes - it was certainly there yesterday afternoon. I'll just accept that you are always right. It is unfortunate that the o/p who asked an honest question and had the expectation of straight forward answers has become caught up in this nonsense.[/quote]

Definitely not always right, I'm more than willing to admit the times that I'm wrong. However, I'd love to see where you found this information though since no one else can seem to locate it either. Go to your browser history for that day, it'll show you every website page on Princess.com that you visited and it should be listed there.

[BigGuy25]

[quote name='Coracii']Definitely not always right, I'm more than willing to admit the times that I'm wrong. However, I'd love to see where you found this information though since no one else can seem to locate it either. Go to your browser history for that day, it'll show you every website page on Princess.com that you visited and it should be listed there.[/QUOTE]

I can't find any such language either ... this is still what is on the Princess site under the casual dining area:

"When a casual mood calls, you have plenty of choices – [B]even on formal nights[/B]. Whether it be one of our specialty restaurants, the 24-hour buffet at the Horizon Court, the pizzeria, burger & hot dog grill, or 24-hour room service, you’re able to choose how you dine with us."

[Cuizer2]

[quote name='cruisin36']I think dress code posts should be deleted before the first answer is posted.[/quote]

There goes half the content on CC.

[cruisin36]

[quote name='Cuizer2']There goes half the content on CC.[/quote]

Is that a Bad thing????[IMG]http://boards.cruisecritic.com/images/icons/icon7.gif[/IMG]

[lilacbirman]

We just returned from aboard the Sapphire. For formal nights my hubby wore a navy blazer and slacks as did several other men. I only saw two guys with tuxes, they actually looks out of place because most every else wore dark suits. Most women wore cocktail dresses. No jeans or resort wear during formal that I ever saw. There was a table next to ours who had four kids under 12 and they were all dressed casually.

My sister actually wore shorts on one of the smart casual nights :eek:! Thank goodness she had a pretty top on so once she sat down you couldn't tell.