Princess dress code failure

[dtb55]

Men have been allowed in the MDR wearing polo shirts for a while. I was on the Star in October and saw a few people turned away for wearing shorts. Even if they had been allowed in it wouldn't have ruined my dinner.

 

 

Denise

[Colo Cruiser]

I see polos all the time.

That does not bother me as much as a filthy white undershirts worn by a father and his 2 teenage sons on formal night last week. :(

Edited March 6, 2014 by Colo Cruiser

[Irvine Traveler]

Men have been allowed in the MDR wearing polo shirts for a while. I was on the Star in October and saw a few people turned away for wearing shorts. Even if they had been allowed in it wouldn't have ruined my dinner.

 

 

Denise

 

I find polor shirts on non formal nights within the dress code and should be permitted. T-shirts however should never be permitted in the MDR for dinner, in my opinion.

 

It does not ruin my dinner, but it does diminish the dinning exerience. As I said it is the difference from a special night out for dinner versus a night at Denny's for the evening special.

[tootsiescurly]

That seems to be the most common complaint about Princess no matter the subject, is their inconsistency from ship to ship. Stated policy doesn't mean much.

 

Mike:)

 

FYI - it is not much different on other cruise lines.

[fairsky1984]

We just returned for the Star Princess Hawaii trip.

 

We are Elite members and have been cruising for many years.

 

I am disappointed in the failure of Princess staff to enforce the dress code in the dinning room for the evening meals.

 

It used to be that on formal nights men were not permitted in the dinning room without a tie. On this trip there were men in polo shirts on formal night.

 

The dress code at the door also states that you can not wear shorts and/or t-shirts to the dinner period. This was not enforced and has not been enforced for some years by Princess. There were both men and women at dinner in shorts and I observed several men each night in t-shirts.

 

The failure of Princess Head Waiters to enforce there own dress code diminishes the dinning experience, in my opinion. I feel that when the overall atmosphere is a bit more dressy the mode of the room and the feel is an enhanced dinning experience.

 

To show up in shorts make the event like a night at Denny's restuarant.

 

There are other dinning options on the ship if you don't want to dress properly for the evening.

 

When I asked the Head Waiter why he did not enforce the rule he said, "The guest say they are on vacation and will dress as they want". Then why have a dress code.

 

What about the majority of the persons in the room for the evening meal that did follow the dress code and approved of the enhanced atmosphere you gain with better dress attire.

 

Princess should enforce the policy on each and every ship period.

 

We just returned from a B2B on the Sapphire. On several occasions, the Head Waiter or Dining Room Captain refused entrance to men in shorts.

 

I overheard one man comment, "well, we wore this the other night" (meaning the first night onboard when often anything goes). He was told the rules and that shorts (or whatever) is restricted to the first and last night and why. Another man carrying his child stopped, acknowledged the rule, and the family left.

 

It sounds like it is a ship-to-ship enforcement, and we appreciated the staff doing so and very pleasantly.

 

What I don't enjoy is them NOT enforcing the closing of the doors 15-20 after the stated dining time. Passengers were allowed into the dining room as late as 45 minutes! Not only does that disrupt the staff, but it certainly is awkward and uncomfortable when tablemates arrive as you are enjoying your dessert. Happened to us twice during this B2B.

 

Enforce that rule please!

[bhopal21]

Your first sentence sums up the whole problem.

 

Mike:)

[kendon]

More than 99% of Princess passengers adhere to the dinner dress code. By far the vast majority would prefer that Princess enforce their standards.

.

Princess would be better served to cater to the majority than to continue to make exceptions for a small minority

 

Well said!

 

To the OP, we agree with your post.

[kendon]

I see that as a major problem, the passenger demographics have changed considerably in recent years.

 

I have seriously considered Regent.

 

Mike:)

 

Have you been on the Royal yet? Seems that the old Princess may be coming back. Now what they have/do on the Royal and Regal should also be carried through on the rest of the fleet.

[cruzrbachoua]

Have you been on the Royal yet? Seems that the old Princess may be coming back. Now what they have/do on the Royal and Regal should also be carried through on the rest of the fleet.

 

AHH from your lips to the cruise gods ears.....we will be on the Regal next year and can't wait!

Edited March 6, 2014 by cruzrbachoua

[jean s]

We do not participate in formal nights and go to Crown Grill or Sabatini's instead. I still dress as I would to a nice restaurant and my dh wears dress slacks and a polo shirt. We just don't want to go to the next level of dressing more formally. We always fly to a port so we do not want to pay the extra luggage charge. We both must dress up quite a bit for work so on vacation we do want to relax a bit. I wonder if eventually Princess will do away with the formal dress evenings.

[bhopal21]

Have you been on the Royal yet? Seems that the old Princess may be coming back. Now what they have/do on the Royal and Regal should also be carried through on the rest of the fleet.

 

No, I will leave the mega ships to others.

 

Too many passengers and too small balconies for me.

 

Mike:)

[MandE-UK]

We just returned for the Star Princess Hawaii trip.

 

We are Elite members and have been cruising for many years.

 

I am disappointed in the failure of Princess staff to enforce the dress code in the dinning room for the evening meals.

 

It used to be that on formal nights men were not permitted in the dinning room without a tie. On this trip there were men in polo shirts on formal night.

 

The dress code at the door also states that you can not wear shorts and/or t-shirts to the dinner period. This was not enforced and has not been enforced for some years by Princess. There were both men and women at dinner in shorts and I observed several men each night in t-shirts.

 

The failure of Princess Head Waiters to enforce there own dress code diminishes the dinning experience, in my opinion. I feel that when the overall atmosphere is a bit more dressy the mode of the room and the feel is an enhanced dinning experience.

 

To show up in shorts make the event like a night at Denny's restuarant.

 

There are other dinning options on the ship if you don't want to dress properly for the evening.

 

When I asked the Head Waiter why he did not enforce the rule he said, "The guest say they are on vacation and will dress as they want". Then why have a dress code.

 

What about the majority of the persons in the room for the evening meal that did follow the dress code and approved of the enhanced atmosphere you gain with better dress attire.

 

Princess should enforce the policy on each and every ship period.

I agree with this post. The rules are only enforced spasmodically.

[timesurfer7]

My behavior is not dictated by what I wear or don't wear. I agree with what others are posing though. If you have rules then abide by them and if not, get rid of the rules. I will enjoy my cruise whether you wear shorts at the table or not. I dress up for myself and my husband and what others feel about it is their business. But please don't have different rules on certain nights or for certain people. We are all on the cruise to have fun and when the rules are not enforced or enforced haphazardly then it ruins it for us. With that being said, don't worry what others are doing or wearing as it does not impact the enjoyment you should be having.

[NewCruiserMPC]

I agree with you about this for Formal Nights only.

 

For the other nights however, I say let the people dress as they please! We are on a vacation! Shouldnt have to dress up if we dont want to or forced out of the dinning room for being in shorts or a t-shirt.

[flamomo]

I definitely agree with the OP. The dining room attire recommendations should be enforced every night ... period!

 

IMO, any Maitre D' or headwaiter who is too chicken to turn away the noncompliantly attired passengers at the entrance to any dining room on any Princess ship is not doing his job adequately.

 

And that line that one of the Maitre D's used .... something about "It's their vacation" .... that sounds like a wimpy way of trying to excuse themselves for not having the guts to do what they are supposed to do, and trying to make themselves sound like Mister Nice Guy for not doing it.

[tothemall&beyond]

I totally agree, however there are quite a few on here that will tell those of us who would rather adher to the rules to find a more upscale line as it would appear that the Walmartification of Princess is well on its way of being implemented.

 

I would like to see all rules enforced equally, not selectively as it really does cut into the enjoyment of the cruise when folks think that just because they paid a lot of money for the cruise they can do what they want. The people above our balcony who thought it was OK to smoke on their balcony and toss their used butts down on our balcony seemed to believe the smoking policy was just a suggestion.

 

Without Princess buckling down on enforcement it will only get worse.

 

 

I hope you reported those people who smoked on their balcony. Princess can't enforce what they don't know about. While slovenly clothes in the MDR may be annoying, those people above you broke two major safety rules: no smoking on balconies, and, even more important, no throwing anything over the sides - especially cigarette butts. You actually had an obligation for the sake of everyone on board to report them. They would've been fined $250 for violating the no smoking rule, and if not already (certainly deservedly) kicked off the ship for tossing the butts over the rails, would've found themselves tossed after two smoking fines/violations.

Edited March 7, 2014 by tothemall&beyond

[Iamcruzin]

This has been going on since my first cruise in 1991. My wife and I were on our honeymoon and back then it was more common for men were a tux on formal night and women would wear gowns. We were seated with a couple in their 50's who were from Alaska and claimed that the travel agent never told them about formal night. The man would wear jeans and a flannel shirt every night in the dining room ( this was a Caribbean itinerary) and his wife would wear a sundress that looked more like a house dress. This was before specialty restaurants and 24 hour buffets so the traditional MDR was the only eating option. The couple would be let in and seated early before the dining room opened so that nobody but us really noticed what they were wearing. They were a very nice couple and we enjoyed their company. How they were dressed did not bother us in the least.

[Ethel5]

More than 99% of Princess passengers adhere to the dinner dress code. By far the vast majority would prefer that Princess enforce their standards.

.

Princess would be better served to cater to the majority than to continue to make exceptions for a small minority

 

Are you listening Princess?

 

The vast majority want the dress policies enforced. NO EXCUSES! We all are on OUR vacation, most have to fly, most work where a certain form of dress is required-be it a suit, a post office uniform, a nurse etc. Keep Princess the product we came to enjoy.

[JudithLynne]

“Formal night” refers to more than how one dresses for dinner. It is the atmosphere of the ship for the evening. How many passengers do you see showing up at the shows dressed in blue jeans, Tshirts, shorts, etc. after formal dinner is over?

 

I imagine that there are those of you out there like my husband, Mark, and me who have been cruising for many years. In the “olden days” one did not see many, if any, violations of dress codes. Formal nights had a dignity that was reflected through the entire ship. We have wonderful memories of those evenings. (Our first cruise was on the Fair Princess.)

 

It is interesting that some passengers think that the dress code is negotiable, when it is clearly stated before they board the ship and from the time of booking.

 

I have commented to my husband on more than one occasion that something is wrong when the wait staff is significantly better dressed than the passengers!

 

One of our irritations in this area is parents who dress formally when appropriate but bring in their teenage kids in Tshirts. We saw a lot of that on our last cruise.

 

I, like others on this thread, support the OP and thank those of you that support formal night with your attire. You really enhance our cruise experience…..

 

Judith

[golfb4cruzing]

One night I wear a suit, the other it's khakis and a polo. Funny but the food tastes the same.

[bdjam]

it's good to see that this new thread about formal night dress is swayed toward the adhering to the rules. But as many threads that I've seen on this subject, resolution is never achieved because there are people who just refuse to follow the guidelines. And apparently it's not just Princess that doesn't enforce dress guidelines - so the best thing to do is just try to ignore it.

 

It's hard to ignore if the issue is at your table...them it becomes a matter for the Matre'd to resolve.

 

All that being said, As my grandmother used to proclaim, "you can't expect more than a grunt out of a pig."

Edited March 7, 2014 by bdjam

[Guest arowe6]

I 100% agree with you.

 

Last cruise, saw a dude come out from dinner wearing shorts and a Harley t-shirt. Did it affect my cruise? Nope.

 

But it made me wonder.. Why does Princess have a policy that isn't enforced? Oh well. A cruise is a cruise :)

 

-Andrew

[NewCruiserMPC]

I'll dress up for formal night as will DH... But on other night expect to see me in my casual "It's MY vacation" wear. Those who would like to dress up, do so. Those who don't, don't. Why do people get so upset. I don't get it? I'm on the "younger" side of the spectrum. Late 20s/early 30s. Must be a generational thing. But I really enjoyed my first cruise. And look forward to my second cruise at the end of the month. I would hate something as petty as dress code to leave a sour taste in my mouth and deter me from cruising in the future. To each their own. Why not?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Starlaker]

I heartily agree about standards of dress on the MDR, but I do have to take issue with the post that feels that formal night needs to be adhered to all over the ship. Do you really think that those who don't participate in formal night need to hide out in their rooms on formal nights? That is taking it just a bit too far.

[landnsea]

You want dress code enforcement, step up and pay the extra bucks and sail with Cunard, where Formal means Formal.

Unlike Princess a suit and tie or a pants suit is NOT formal attire.

Unless your wearing a tuxedo or evening gown you will not be eating dinner in The Queens Grill.

 

John, Laura and Gaby

Seattle,Wa.

Go Hawks