Dress code for formal nights

[waynedog]

We will be on the Island Princess on the Sept 19 cruise out of Venice. How do I find out which nights are the formal nights? What is the dress code/normal dress for formal nights? Have not cruised Princess in a while - for other cruise lines, nice shirt and slacks are ok. Do I need jacket/tie?

[HJH]

There are published guidelines for formal night dress that would require tie and jacket for men. In reality an ever increasing number of people try to dress down on formal nights and see what they can get away with and not be turned away at the Dining Room door. Good Luck.

[JVilleGal]

Go to the Princess Website... Log in to "my account" or set it up. You need to fill out required info anyway. The FAQ has all info you need.

[shredie]

Oh dear. :( Another formal wear thread. OP, you will get lots of answers and they will be all over the place. My advise is to read the Princess guidelines and follow them. That will be the safest and easiest thing to do.

[Steelers36]

Shredie is right, but if you take them literally, you might think you over-dressed if you were looking to take it a bit easier.

 

I wear a tropical linen jacket which is light colored, over a shirt and tie and my dress silk pants are a dark color. I am quite formal enough, TYVM, but not literally as described by Princess guides. I'm plenty well dressed compared to others. But I don't care whether other men go all the way to a tux - it's YOUR cruise and whatever feels comfortable to do is good. I don't blame Princess for not re-wording the standard because if they did, there'd be guys coming in shorts.

[skynight]

Do I need jacket/tie?[/quote

Need? If you are in a nice collared shirt with long pants you most likely will not be turned away. However, very few will be dressed this way especially in Europe. Probably 98/99% of men will be in either tux, suit & tie, sport jacket & tie or shirt & tie, no jacket. This dress is only for the MDR's. Sabatini's and The Bayou Cafe are smart casual every evening, the Horizon Ct. is casual all the time.

[Cruisin' Chick]

As for "which" nights, the first day Patter will give a run down as to which nights are formal and which are smart casual in the MDRs. And as noted above, specialty restaurants are smart casual (but some will dress up more if celebrating a special occasion) and the Horizon and poolside eateries are casual.

 

The Princess website has a lot of great info so I recommend reading the Cruise Answer Book on the site, which will answer many questions.

[Steelers36]

Yes, sknight is right. I should have clarified that my wear is for Caribbean cruising. As I understand it, Europe is a bit more formal then Caribbean and Alaska from everything I have read and heard.

[19woody19]

Some people dress up in tux and gowns and look great and I think it's wonderful if that's their choice. I have seen others, mostly men, come almost too casual and I don't think that is appropriate. I have always worn a suit and tie but, saying that, on our next Hawaiian cruise in March, my DW bought me two very dressy Hawaiian shirts that I will wear with either a regular tie or a bow tie. If that isn't suitable I have no problem eating elsewhere as not to "underdress" for the occasion. Haven't quite decided what I will wear next month to Alaska, perhaps just skip the formal nights and dress for Crown Grill instead.

[chipmaster]

It's been a few years since I did the Med.

 

You'll be fine in everything from tuxs, suit and right ddown to jeans, nice shoe and collared shirt. Of course the later will be far and few, probably single digit percentage, but I have yet to see anyone turned away.

 

Kind of like going to a nice wedding. You'll see some guest dressed casually, but in this case you won't know anyone so there won't be any embarrassment factor. I guess like going to a first class eating place, its business they won't turn you away.

[shredie]

Yes, sknight is right. I should have clarified that my wear is for Caribbean cruising. As I understand it, Europe is a bit more formal then Caribbean and Alaska from everything I have read and heard.

 

The Princess guidelines for formal wear do not change from one itinerary to another. Same guidelines for every cruise, everywhere.

[Colo Cruiser]

The Princess guidelines for formal wear do not change from one itinerary to another. Same guidelines for every cruise, everywhere.

 

 

Correct.

[OCruisers]

Most actually dress way less formally than they once did on Princess Formal nights.

DH no longer takes his tuxedo ... a Navy sports coat instead. :)

[emmak8]

Best to follow the Princess guidelines. Dark suit is DH's choice.

[PrincessLuver]

Oh dear. :( Another formal wear thread. OP, you will get lots of answers and they will be all over the place. My advise is to read the Princess guidelines and follow them. That will be the safest and easiest thing to do.

 

I agree......not another what do I wear on "Formal Night" thread......yikes.....just do a search.....:rolleyes:

[sunsetbeachgal]

Most actually dress way less formally than they once did on Princess Formal nights.

DH no longer takes his tuxedo ... a Navy sports coat instead. :)

 

Agree. Sport coat/trousers/dress shirt and tie for him and either cocktail dress or Chicos Traveler black slacks and jacket with nice top for me. He hasn't taken a tux or dark suit in years, see less and less each year.

Edited August 8, 2015 by sunsetbeachgal

[WupperAV]

They take pictures on formal nite and we always dress in Tux and Gown. We've had 1 pic with a Norwegian Captain which actually turned out good and gets a lot of comments. We hung 4 pics on the wall in formal attire from Diamond Princess. It's just a nice thing to do and then ignore the shorts and jeans crowd for the evening. How often does one get to dress up? As far as just another formal question, have the manners to answer the question, don't tell them to go elsewhere. in the time you typed your snotty answer you could have replied.

Edited August 8, 2015 by WupperAV

[flamomo]

On both of my Med cruises, I noted that most followed the Princess recommended attire for formal nights than on Caribbean and Mexico cruises.

There will always be a few of those "It's MY vacation" types around who refuse to comply with the guidelines and show up in whatever suits them .... some are allowed into the dining rooms and some get sent away to either change in to appropriate attire or choose a non-dining room option, depending on how strict the Maitre `d is.

[billco]

Try doing a Google or Bing search for "Formal night on Princess cruise." When the results come up, click on "images," That should give you a pretty good idea.

Edited August 8, 2015 by billco

[kruisey]

We will be on the Island Princess on the Sept 19 cruise out of Venice. How do I find out which nights are the formal nights? What is the dress code/normal dress for formal nights? Have not cruised Princess in a while - for other cruise lines, nice shirt and slacks are ok. Do I need jacket/tie?

I have cruised with Princess many times and I just follow the dress code given by Princess.There is also a section when you have booked your cruise on what to bring regarding clothing for your cruise.You cannot go wrong there.

We all have different interpretations of 'The Dress Code'. I just follow Princesses guide rules and have never been turned away from any event on board.Enjoy your cruise:)

[shredie]

Try doing a Google or Bing search for "Formal night on Princess cruise." When the results come up, click on "images," That should give you a pretty good idea.

 

I did that. :) Mostly posed photos taken by the ships' photographers. Some candid pictures of people in the dining rooms. One picture of a lady in the bathtub, drinking champaigne. :eek: One common theme I noticed was ties on the gentlemen. Another was the "unique" taste of some of the ladies in their choice of dress. ;)

[JerseyShore]

People tend to dress up more on European cruises. Yes, I would pack one jacket and a tie for formal nights.

[Colo Cruiser]

I did that. :) Mostly posed photos taken by the ships' photographers. Some candid pictures of people in the dining rooms. One picture of a lady in the bathtub, drinking champaigne. :eek: One common theme I noticed was ties on the gentlemen. Another was the "unique" taste of some of the ladies in their choice of dress. ;)

 

 

Well at least she wasn't holding that item that was discussed yesterday.

[shredie]

Well at least she wasn't holding that item that was discussed yesterday.

 

ROFL! :D BTW, she seemed to be wearing bubbles. :)

[majortom10]

We love cruising with Princess but in our opinion the dress code is the only thing that really disappoints us. Formal should be a minimum dark suit and tie for men, Americans have a different idea of Formal and think black t-shirts or shirts with no jacket at all or jacket with no tie is Formal which I think spoils the ambiance of the ship in the evening. The dress code is clearly stated on their website and in the brochure and Princess should enforce it when eating in MDR in the evening.