Formal Nights on Port Intensive Mediterranean

[ltcal94]

This year I will be on my first cruise in the Mediterranean. It is also going to be my longest cruise to date (14-day) and it happens to have a total of 4 formal nights. We are pretty used to how people dress on the 10-day and under Caribbean cruises and my DW and I enjoy dressing up for formal nights. I will typically be in black tie and my DW in a cocktail dress.

 

The questions are:

What should we expect on a 14-day port intensive Mediterranean with only 2 sea days?

Do passengers tend to be more casual or more formal especially considering that there is a greater mix of passengers on board (countries & cultures) then a typical Caribbean / Mexico cruise?

[skynight]

This year I will be on my first cruise in the Mediterranean. It is also going to be my longest cruise to date (14-day) and it happens to have a total of 4 formal nights. We are pretty used to how people dress on the 10-day and under Caribbean cruises and my DW and I enjoy dressing up for formal nights. I will typically be in black tie and my DW in a cocktail dress.

The questions are:

What should we expect on a 14-day port intensive Mediterranean with only 2 sea days?

Do passengers tend to be more casual or more formal especially considering that there is a greater mix of passengers on board (countries & cultures) then a typical Caribbean / Mexico cruise?

What ship & date?

Usually passengers dress more formally in Europe, and they dine later in the evening.

[paul929207]

Formal nights are normally on sea days. If there are not enough, then the extras would be on days with an early sailaway.

[Flainefan]

What ship & date?

Usually passengers dress more formally in Europe, and they dine later in the evening.

 

I agree. Passengers on European cruises tend to dress more formally and dine later. Port days are usually long and busy so people like to shower and change before relaxing in the evening with dinner and entertainment. This generally applies to casual nights too, but people particularly enjoy dressing more smartly for formal nights.

Mediterranean cruises are wonderful. You sample such varied cultures as you wake up each morning in a different port.

[Murphey]

I concur with the above. Mediterranean and European cruises tend to be more formal and dine later. And not just on formal nights. Passengers dress up more on the other nights too. It is definitely not a Carib demographic. Not over the top, but just more elegant attire.

Edited April 3, 2016 by Murphey

[ltcal94]

We are on the Royal , 11 June from Athens to Barcelona. We also selected anytime dining for the first time. We tend to dress up most nights, but I was hoping to hear, everyone dresses down because they are tired and need to get up early the next day for all day excursions.

[lljost]

We are on the Royal , 11 June from Athens to Barcelona. We also selected anytime dining for the first time. We tend to dress up most nights, but I was hoping to hear, everyone dresses down because they are tired and need to get up early the next day for all day excursions.

 

You can always skip dining in the main dining rooms on formal nights. Eat at one of the alternative restaurants or the buffet. Will save you room in your luggage by not taking your formal clothes. Having said that, we choose to dress on formal nights, no matter where we are cruising.

[ltcal94]

You can always skip dining in the main dining rooms on formal nights. Eat at one of the alternative restaurants or the buffet. Will save you room in your luggage by not taking your formal clothes. Having said that, we choose to dress on formal nights, no matter where we are cruising.

 

 

This cruise will be be very different for us . Normally we look forward to the dress up part, but now we are "freaking" out about the packing. Luckily it's easier for me, my tux and some shirts which can be washed . For my DW, it could prove to be challenging lol.

[eandj]

We are on the Royal , 11 June from Athens to Barcelona. We also selected anytime dining for the first time. We tend to dress up most nights, but I was hoping to hear, everyone dresses down because they are tired and need to get up early the next day for all day excursions.

 

Other than formal nights you will see smart causal dress. That's not really "dressing up" in my eyes. You will see jeans/khakis and a sport shirt many times over in the MDR. Women in capris, slacks or casual dress. On formal nights many men now choose just a sport coat and tie with nice slacks that can worn on other nights. Women in short dresses or pants overwhelming number over long gowns.

But as stated European travelers DO take formal nights more seriously. Doesn't mean you HAVE to if you don't want to.

 

On smart casual nights we dress the same if we choose the buffet and specialties as we do in the MDR. We like to fit in with evening apparel on the ship.

Edited April 3, 2016 by eandj

[Murphey]

The attire is similar on land. Europeans just dress nicer (IMHO). I've always been in awe of the women bounding down the cobblestone streets in heels. :eek: And it doesn't matter the age....young or old. I don't know how they do it! Also, if you want to "look" the part, throw a scarf around your neck, you'll fit right it. Again, men, women, didn't matter. They like their scarves! ;)

Edited April 3, 2016 by Murphey

[BratDet]

We would return from excursions,

 

have a drink at the IC (coffee & tea), shower up,

 

change for dinner, and enjoy a super relaxing MDR dinner, rehydrating (lots of water).

 

Once we entered 5 minutes to 9- FASTEST service ever!

 

We NEVER skipped the MDR!

 

Bernadette

[oskidunker]

There is no way there are 4 formal nights on a 14 day cruise. Check with Princess. Always 2.

[mjmalino]

I actually thought a 14 day cruise had 3 formal nights.

[Murphey]

They are right.....there are two formal nights a week because these are also sold as seven night cruises. So the 14 day is actually 2 7's. Hey, we booked the 28 day and have 8, count 'em, 8 formal nights!!:eek:

[Pam in CA]

As said, far more passengers respect the "formal" dress request in Europe and Asia than in the US. Very few, if any, gentlemen without at least a jacket. Most are in dark suits with quite a few in tuxes. Women are better dressed as well. Don't necessarily need beaded gowns but many wear long dresses.

 

I've taken a lot of port intensive European cruises and if I don't feel like getting dressed up after a long tour day, I go to the buffet, a specialty restaurant, room service, etc.

[skynight]

We are on the Royal , 11 June from Athens to Barcelona. We also selected anytime dining for the first time. We tend to dress up most nights, but I was hoping to hear, everyone dresses down because they are tired and need to get up early the next day for all day excursions.

We see that your are actually on two 7 day b2b cruises booked as a single cruise, Athens to Rome, then Rome to Barcelona. Also notice that most port departures are late afternoon, 5/6pm or some into the evening.

 

The Royal Princess operates Anytime Dining (ATD) pretty well. You should be able to dine at the time you want. On the Royal Princess you can enter the ATD rooms at either the port or starboard entrances. We found the starboard side to be less crowded. Be sure to check the Princess Patter when you board for the DR's and times for ATD. On formal nights only the MDR's are formal, other areas and dining venues are not formal, but you will find most passengers dress nicely and not a casual as the Caribbean. As alternatives to the MDR's if you are tired or wish a quicker meal the Royal Princes also has free dining at:

the Horizon Ct./Horizon Bistro. A really fine buffet area open continuously from 5am to 11pm. Never closes. It is very large with lots of selections so look around.

Alfredo's on Deck 6 mid ship, a sit down, waiter served restaurant serving individual pizzas, calzones, antipasto, salads, desserts. Really good.

The International Cafe in the Piazza, open 24/7 where you can get salads, panini's, soup, and in the morning cont. breakfast items. This is a walk up counter for an easy meal.

Also Prego Pizza and the Trident Grill by the Lido Pool are open from 11am to 11pm each day.

Room service, limited menu unless you are in a full suite.

 

For surcharge dining you can book the Crown Grill or Sabatini's, $25/pp. Both are really nice. Also available is the Crab Shack held some evenings in a closed off section of the buffet seating area, $20/pp. They also offer Fondues for $20/pp, probably one evening each voyage and also in the buffet area. Both of these are casual dress. The Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar has plates of menu priced items.

[pris993]

This year I will be on my first cruise in the Mediterranean. It is also going to be my longest cruise to date (14-day) and it happens to have a total of 4 formal nights. We are pretty used to how people dress on the 10-day and under Caribbean cruises and my DW and I enjoy dressing up for formal nights. I will typically be in black tie and my DW in a cocktail dress.

 

The questions are:

What should we expect on a 14-day port intensive Mediterranean with only 2 sea days?

Do passengers tend to be more casual or more formal especially considering that there is a greater mix of passengers on board (countries & cultures) then a typical Caribbean / Mexico cruise?

 

It is about the same as what you see elsewhere. My DH and I have done many Miditerranean cruises, on Princess, HAL, Cunard, Crystal, X and NCL.

 

Other than NCL, folks still dress up for dinner about the same. So if you enjoy dressing, you will be right at home.

 

We always do late Traditional dining, so that gives us plenty of time to return to the ship, rest a bit and then go to dinner.

 

The first very port intensive cruise we did was on the Grand when it was brand new, did the very first cruise out of Istanbul to Barcelona. We did not see much of the ship as we were so busy in port every day. We arrived in Barcelona exhausted, slept for 3 days at the ARTS Hotel, a Ritz Clartin-- had a room over looking the Mediterranean there, fantastic way to rest after a busy cruise. We have since learned to pace ourselves.... we figure we will be back we don't need to do it all. We have gone back many times since l998. Never tire of the Mediterranean. We just booked the Royal for a TA out of Barcelona for October 2017.

 

Have a great cruise, enjoy your formal nights, try to pace yourself if you can.

[cruisequeen4ever]

We are on the same cruise as you. [emoji3] When we went to the Med before, the dining room was very empty most nights because of the long port days. In fact, Horizon Court was so packed, they moved some of the dining room waiters up there to help out. Europeans dine later, so when they do go to the dining room, it's long after us. You are so tired after touring all day that sometimes it's nice to just grab a burger or pizza and watch MUTS instead of dressing up for dinner. We do plan on doing at least 1 formal night and maybe more, but we will likely ditch the dining room at least a few times on that cruise.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[caribill]

 

The questions are:

What should we expect on a 14-day port intensive Mediterranean with only 2 sea days?

 

 

The sea days will be used as formal evenings unless the sea day is the last full day of the cruise segment.

Edited April 4, 2016 by caribill

[latebloomer56]

It's not the dresses or the suit & a few shirts. It's the shoes :). We both need 2 pair for evenings. We have dress shoes for formal and just shoes for smart casual then sneakers or sandals during the day. Plus pool shoes (or water shoes) and slippers.

Think I am rethinking formals in May. Maybe room service on formal nights same menu.

[skynight]

It's not the dresses or the suit & a few shirts. It's the shoes :). We both need 2 pair for evenings. We have dress shoes for formal and just shoes for smart casual then sneakers or sandals during the day. Plus pool shoes (or water shoes) and slippers.

Think I am rethinking formals in May. Maybe room service on formal nights same menu.

If you are in a full suite (not mini suite) then you can order room service from the full menu. All other categories have a limited room service menu.

 

Shoes

Re-think what you really need and how long you will be gone. If you don't plan to go to a beach do you really require water shoes? Slippers? Where will you use them, for the little you move around the cabin? If you need something on your feet use socks, they pack a lot easier.

[Murphey]

Packing is a little easier for these cruises as you get a free luggage allowance for international flights...that helps us! I just noticed that we are also on the same cruise!!

[Corinda]

I'm also on the same cruise and tell your DW that it's okay to recycle an outfit. Since you are anytime dining and it's essentially 2 7 day cruises - no one will notice :)

 

I'm planning on recycling my formal wear; a different scarf and jewelry can change the whole look of an outfit.

Shoes - you only need 4 pair (IMHO) athletic, slip ons for the pool areas, dressy casual and dressy.

 

And have you joined the roll-call? - great info on excursions :)

[vinoblanco]

We are doing Rome to Barcelona in June on Royal. You will find a lot more Europeans on board, especially Spanish and Italians as well as us Brits.

 

We do like to dress for dinner every night, especially on formal nights. Its hot in summer, so cool dresses or capris, linen trousers and sleeveless tops for ladies, dinner suit or dark suit for men on formal nights with linen or chino style trousers and collared shirt on other nights. As previously stated continentals eat late, often as late as 10pm at home. Room service is good when you're tired and you do get tired when sightseeing. Have a wonderful cruise and look forward to reading your review.

[ckornuta]

Take alot of black mix and match outfits and throw on scarfs for different looks.1 or 2 dark dresses should be fine.I really found that the less you pack the better and that basics dressed up with scarfs and jewelry are fine.