Dressing for formal night?

[cheeseclan]

My friends wife and daughter confirmed that they were turned away with other families for no sport coat.

We will be on the Regal in a month and i will try and find out and let you all know.

[Times Prince]

Simple question. I have no interest in starting drama.

 

We're sailing the BI in 2017. Party of 7. We've got to fly to Europe. Quite frankly, I'm not excited about packing formal clothes. (Quite frankly, I'm not excited about formal clothes when I sail from FLA, and drive there).

 

I know that in the MDR a jacket will be required.

 

Other options? Would we need a jacket in the paid dining venues? Or should we just hit the buffet that night?

 

Luckily we've only got one formal night. I'm reading I have to pack for all seasons and I don't really want to deal with black tie too.

 

Thanks.

We took a cruise out of Southampton with many UK citizens on board where the dress at dinner was definitely more formal than any cruise we've taken out of the USA. The first night many men were dressed in dinner jackets that made most formal wear look informal. Being dressed casually I felt underdressed for the evening.

 

I would recommend making the effort to bring nicer clothes with you.

[Husky61]

My friends were on their very first cruise on the Regal in the caribbean last month. The gentleman did not want to bring a sport coat and was NOT allowed in the dining room.

 

I was on the Regal for two weeks in January and never observed anyone with just a shirt and slacks denied entry to the MDR on formal night, and I was one of them with a shirt and slacks.:)

[floridalover5623]

My friends wife and daughter confirmed that they were turned away with other families for no sport coat.

We will be on the Regal in a month and i will try and find out and let you all know.

Usually people who are refused entrance don't have a long sleeve **** on although on some ships it doesn't seem to make much difference. This happened to me once & it's no big deal. My wife sat down to hold our seat & I changed out of my Polo which took all of 5 minutes.

[clueless2]

Usually people who are refused entrance don't have a long sleeve **** on although on some ships it doesn't seem to make much difference. This happened to me once & it's no big deal. My wife sat down to hold our seat & I changed out of my Polo which took all of 5 minutes.

"long sleeve ****". I think someone had a typo on "shirt" :)

[floridalover5623]

"long sleeve ****". I think someone had a typo on "shirt" :)

 

In that case you'll never be allowed in the DR. :D

[HI-C-Dubs]

We were on the Ruby last week --- We saw several gentlemen without jackets on formal nights. One guy worn an aloha shirt both nights.

 

 

 

I wear a jacket over a sport shirt, and I prefer not to wear a tie. I did not feel under-dressed.

 

 

Heck yeah!! I'm doing this! I'm a resident of Hawaii and we don't use sport jackets or tuxes ever! You can't keep me out because of my culture! [emoji6]

 

On another note I am curious why people don't post their formal night attire pictures... It would help us first time cruisers see what real people do...

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[GUT2407]

I hate to get involved these "dress" threads, so I will just say that I can read the dress code, I understand English and therefor adhere to the code....to me its pretty simple. I take my tux or dinner jacket, never feel embarrassed about not being properly dressed, my tux weighs no more that a suit or a sports jacket...well maybe the cummerbund weighs an extra 2 oz. :rolleyes:

 

But a dark suit is in the code too.

[tinybiny]

My husband cannot wear a tie, due to an enormous neck from a medical condition. He cannot even button the top button on a shirt. Normally, he will wear a nice shirt with a jacket. Would that be okay?

 

I am just planning on bringing a couple regular business style dresses. They are not long gowns and not after 5 wear. Would be okay or is it better to skip MDR on the formal nights?

[RJ2002]

We will bring sports coats with us for our next Asia cruise on the Diamond. Will also bring ties, which we may, or may not, wear. But we will wear the sport coats for sure.

[cruzsnooze]

My friends were on their very first cruise on the Regal in the caribbean last month. The gentleman did not want to bring a sport coat and was NOT allowed in the dining room.

 

He had to be wearing shorts and flip flops because it just doesn't happen if you're wearing long pants and a collared shirt.

[SwissDave]

We took a cruise out of Southampton with many UK citizens on board where the dress at dinner was definitely more formal than any cruise we've taken out of the USA. The first night many men were dressed in dinner jackets that made most formal wear look informal. Being dressed casually I felt underdressed for the evening.

 

I would recommend making the effort to bring nicer clothes with you.

 

From my cruise just finished, round trip Southampton, 2 Americans in Vines said 'never in our lives have we seen so many tuxes on a cruise'.

[Tayscot]

On over 20 cruises on P & O I have adhered to the dress code on formal nights along with c. 95% of the other passengers. My wife and I are due to go on our first Princess Cruise in the Baltic in a few weeks and wonder from what I have been reading if we should bother dressing up or simply dress tidily on formal nights. My problem is I normally take the full kilt outfit to wear on these nights and with the weight of the outfit (considerable) taken in conjunction with only 2 formal nights (a lower percentage than on P & O) and the impression I get that there will be a much lower number of passengers formally dressed, I wonder if it will be worth it. Any comments or advice ?

[shredie]

I love seeing a man in a kilt!

[cheeseclan]

cruzsnooze: sorry my friend does not wear shorts and flip flops. He and all the other gentleman around him not in a coat were turned away. I have seen this on other cruises but not in awhile. Maybe they are trying to spiff things up again.

 

I remember when all men were in a tux and ladies dressed to the nines. Then the men moved to suits and ladies still dressed to the nines. Now men can wear a suit or slacks and a sport coat. I still dress to the nines since this is the only time i get to! My DS has been cruising since he was 3 and is now 18. He never wore jeans to the MDR. He had slacks as a little kid and then had a sport coat. Now he has a suit!

 

IMHO: i do not like to see people in jeans on formal night. It is nice seeing people dressed up a bit. No flaming just my opinion.

[SuiteTraveler]

My husband cannot wear a tie, due to an enormous neck from a medical condition. He cannot even button the top button on a shirt. Normally, he will wear a nice shirt with a jacket. Would that be okay?

 

I am just planning on bringing a couple regular business style dresses. They are not long gowns and not after 5 wear. Would be okay or is it better to skip MDR on the formal nights?

 

Did I see you guys on NCL Getaway in The Haven last year? Anyway, a nice shirt and jacket are fine and your dresses should be fine - I typically do a black maxi dress with flashy earrings on formal night. Don't worry at all.

[Husky61]

My husband cannot wear a tie, due to an enormous neck from a medical condition. He cannot even button the top button on a shirt. Normally, he will wear a nice shirt with a jacket. Would that be okay?

 

I am just planning on bringing a couple regular business style dresses. They are not long gowns and not after 5 wear. Would be okay or is it better to skip MDR on the formal nights?

 

It has been my experience that he doesn't even need to wear a sports jacket. A shirt and slacks would suffice, at least it does for me and the numerous other men I have seen in the MDR on formal night.:)

[HI-C-Dubs]

My problem is I normally take the full kilt outfit to wear on these nights and with the weight of the outfit (considerable) taken in conjunction with only 2 formal nights (a lower percentage than on P & O) and the impression I get that there will be a much lower number of passengers formally dressed, I wonder if it will be worth it.

 

This intrigued me because I'm from Hawaii and we don't wear tuxes or dinner jackets on ANY formal occasion except if you're in a wedding party or going to prom. Usually a formal night is nice shoes, slacks, and a nice (not touristy tacky) collard Aloha shirt. We have thought of the idea of buying a jacket for the cruise and the off chance I may need one in the future, but that doesn't seem to be a good investment.

 

I think I'll bring the nicest Aloha formal outfit I can, and if they try to deny my entrance into a MDR, I'll flash my Hawaii ID. If they still refuse, well... I guess we will have some words with the higher ups. :D

[Cruise Raider]

Simple question. I have no interest in starting drama.

 

We're sailing the BI in 2017. Party of 7. We've got to fly to Europe. Quite frankly, I'm not excited about packing formal clothes. (Quite frankly, I'm not excited about formal clothes when I sail from FLA, and drive there).

 

I know that in the MDR a jacket will be required.

 

Other options? Would we need a jacket in the paid dining venues? Or should we just hit the buffet that night?

 

Luckily we've only got one formal night. I'm reading I have to pack for all seasons and I don't really want to deal with black tie too.

 

Thanks.

 

Why would you think you might be starting drama? :D

As others stated, no jackets required. A dress shirt with a tie and nice slacks for men is fine and less formal wear is required for women.

Specialty restaurants are always smart casual.

[Potstech]

My friends wife and daughter confirmed that they were turned away with other families for no sport coat.

We will be on the Regal in a month and i will try and find out and let you all know.

 

Wonder what week it was they cruised?

[dtb55]

 

...I'm always shocked by "if you booked the cruise you'd know you were supposed to bring those clothes". I know and if I choose not to, I'll go somewhere else.

 

 

 

...

 

If you all want to fly extra suitcases for beaded gowns and tuxs have at it. Not my thing.

 

 

 

 

 

You specifically asked about dressing on formal night, so why are you surprised when people mention Princess' dress code.

[susancruzs]

Just off the Regal, 25 days Grand Adventure Ft. L. to the Baltic and I saw everything in terms of dress on formal nights. I do traditional dining and our large table for 10 was in the back so I had to walk past many tables to get there. I didn't notice any real casual clothes on formal night, but not all men had jackets, some had long sleeve shirts, ties and no jacket. There were sports jackets and no ties, too. I've never seen anyone turned away from the dining room in all my years of cruising.

 

I thought everyone looked nice, no one stuck out like a sore thumb! :) Some women were really dressed up like the good old days, others were middle of the road like me, shiny slacks with a very sparkly gold top. I didn't see any women dressed in what I would consider casual.

Edited May 15, 2016 by susancruzs

[UpcountryTravelers]

On over 20 cruises on P & O I have adhered to the dress code on formal nights along with c. 95% of the other passengers. My wife and I are due to go on our first Princess Cruise in the Baltic in a few weeks and wonder from what I have been reading if we should bother dressing up or simply dress tidily on formal nights. My problem is I normally take the full kilt outfit to wear on these nights and with the weight of the outfit (considerable) taken in conjunction with only 2 formal nights (a lower percentage than on P & O) and the impression I get that there will be a much lower number of passengers formally dressed, I wonder if it will be worth it. Any comments or advice ?

 

As you can see below, we do a lot of Princess cruises. I always take the kilt and, on Princess there are almost always several other gents in the kilt. You won't be out of place if you choose to do so. Haven't done the Baltic (yet) so can't comment on that specific venue.

[Montrealais]

This is not a comment!

 

FAQ: What To Pack

Princess makes it easy to know what to pack and what to wear when you’re dining onboard our spectacular ships. There are two designations for dress codes: Smart Casual and Formal.

SmartCasual

Guest attire should be in keeping with what they would wear to a nice restaurant at home.

 

• Skirts/dresses, slacks, and sweaters for ladies
  
• Pants and open-neck shirts for men
  

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.

Formal

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.

 

• Evening gowns and cocktail dresses for women
  
• Tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits with a tie for men
  

[GUT2407]

This is not a comment!

 

FAQ: What To Pack

Princess makes it easy to know what to pack and what to wear when you’re dining onboard our spectacular ships. There are two designations for dress codes: Smart Casual and Formal.

SmartCasual

Guest attire should be in keeping with what they would wear to a nice restaurant at home.

 

• Skirts/dresses, slacks, and sweaters for ladies
  
• Pants and open-neck shirts for men
  

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.

Formal

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.

 

• Evening gowns and cocktail dresses for women
  
• Tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits with a tie for men
  

 

Pretty simple if you read it isn't it?