Formal Dress

[I Love Cruising 3]

On 1/3/2020 at 3:42 PM, chrysalis said:

nope.....see post #94 and read the Notifications....

 

 

The part of the statement is absolutely not true and was a mistake including the speciality restaurants. We were on the Crown & dines in Sabatini's wearing jeans & a T shirt around the same time. We were not questioned at all about our dress.

It's been a long standing practice to not include the speciality restaurants in the formal dress code since they began operation.

[satxdiver]

On my cruise last year I overheard the maitre'd telling someone who was complaining about the lack of enforcing the dress code on formal night that corporate would not allow him to strictly enforce the dress code making it pretty much an honor system.  Several years ago I complained to the maitre'd about women wearing what appeared to be pajamas with some sparkles and flip flops.  I was told that women can wear anything and declare it fashionable.  November 2018 I was on the CB at my usual TD in the aft MDR.  They were allowing shorts on regular nights which I had observed and later tried it myself.  On formal nights they were allowing jeans and polo or even Hawaiian shirts.  On my HI cruise on the Star I saw several men in shorts on regular nights for TD in the aft MDR.  On both these cruises I am not referring to the usual first and last nights dinner when about anything is allowed. 

 

Every patter I have ever seen the formal night patter includes the usual formal night dress standards and have seen signs at the entrance to the MDR with the same message.  The other cruise lines (CCL, RCI and HAL) have all moved from formal night to a less dressed standard.  CCL calls it elegant night.  Princess is trying to maintain the image while the world moves on.  One thing I am starting to see more of is men in suits and no tie and also more sport coats and way less tux.  So yes the pax following the "standards" is becoming less.  

[CruiseVA]

"For more formal settings, men should bring a suit and a nice pair of shoes (or, at the very least, a shirt, tie and slacks)"

[I Love Cruising 3]

1 hour ago, satxdiver said:

On my cruise last year I overheard the maitre'd telling someone who was complaining about the lack of enforcing the dress code on formal night that corporate would not allow him to strictly enforce the dress code making it pretty much an honor system.  Several years ago I complained to the maitre'd about women wearing what appeared to be pajamas with some sparkles and flip flops.  I was told that women can wear anything and declare it fashionable.  November 2018 I was on the CB at my usual TD in the aft MDR.  They were allowing shorts on regular nights which I had observed and later tried it myself.  On formal nights they were allowing jeans and polo or even Hawaiian shirts.  On my HI cruise on the Star I saw several men in shorts on regular nights for TD in the aft MDR.  On both these cruises I am not referring to the usual first and last nights dinner when about anything is allowed. 

 

Every patter I have ever seen the formal night patter includes the usual formal night dress standards and have seen signs at the entrance to the MDR with the same message.  The other cruise lines (CCL, RCI and HAL) have all moved from formal night to a less dressed standard.  CCL calls it elegant night.  Princess is trying to maintain the image while the world moves on.  One thing I am starting to see more of is men in suits and no tie and also more sport coats and way less tux.  So yes the pax following the "standards" is becoming less.  

We were on the CB cruise with you that Nov & it was one of the most casual trips we've ever experienced (along with our recent Crown trip).

Princess is trying very hard to please all of their passengers without offending anyone. (except that the women have always had a pass on dressing which seems totally unfair) 

[Iamcruzin]

The tuxedo company that rented tuxedos on the ship went out of business. That speaks volumes about the cruise industry and formal nights. Princess passengers are the last of formal dressing passengers on  mainstream cruise ships.

[RMMariner]

3 hours ago, I Love Cruising 3 said:

I agree but what would happen if the more formal DR's were filled & some people couldn't get in? There would be outrage among those diners, after all there are some long time Princess cruisers who demand that the DR have formal evenings so they can dress to impress. 

 

I doubt the real formal passengers would even fill one dining room. To be honest they might not even fill a seating if the option was to be more casual but not classless.

[RocketMan275]

15 hours ago, RMMariner said:

Maybe make one dining room formal dress on those nights. The other could be more relaxed with dressy but not formal. And the last dining room could be anything goes. I might even visit the last dining room to see just how low some passengers would go. 

That, or something similar, has frequently been suggested.  Those who prefer to dress up are usually the only ones to protest.  Those who prefer to dress up believe that dressing up enhances the enjoyment with few, if any drawbacks.  Those who prefer to dress casually do not believe dressing up is an enhancement and is certainly not worth the effort.  Those who prefer to dress up believe that those who do not dress up, distract from the 'ambiance'.  Those who prefer casual dress couldn't care less what others wear.  

 

 

Edited January 5, 2020 by RocketMan275

[I Love Cruising 3]

Perhaps installing a folding movable partition separating the DR so neither side would take offence.

[voljeep]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

That, or something similar, has frequently been suggested.  Those who prefer to dress up are usually the only ones to protest.  Those who prefer to dress up believe that dressing up enhances the enjoyment with few, if any drawbacks.  Those who prefer to dress casually do not believe dressing up is an enhancement and is certainly not worth the effort.  Those who prefer to dress up believe that those who do not dress up, distract from the 'ambiance'.  Those who prefer casual dress couldn't care less what others wear.  

 

 

and everyone has an agenda of some sorts 

 

the pro-formal look at a dining room and say 70% are in tux or suits and ties

 

the pro-casual look at that same crowd and state 70% were in khaki's and dress/polo shirts

[RocketMan275]

26 minutes ago, voljeep said:

and everyone has an agenda of some sorts 

 

the pro-formal look at a dining room and say 70% are in tux or suits and ties

 

the pro-casual look at that same crowd and state 70% were in khaki's and dress/polo shirts

As the lyrics of a song say:  "A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest."  - Simon and Garfunkel. 

Why not dress the way you want and ignore how others dress?

Edited January 5, 2020 by RocketMan275

[CruiseVA]

5 hours ago, satxdiver said:

November 2018 I was on the CB at my usual TD in the aft MDR. 

What is a "TD"?

[RMMariner]

27 minutes ago, CruiseVA said:

What is a "TD"?

 

Traditional Dining

 

[Lynniepoo]

On 1/3/2020 at 5:36 PM, jennybenny said:

 

The formal night dress is for the MDR.  You can do buffet and specialty dining in less formal clothes and no one bats an eye. This last Christmas Eve on the Royal was the first time I've seen people in jeans turned away from the MDR on Formal night (we had 3 instead of 2 for a 7 day cruise).  It was a port day and they were recommended to change and come back. Not sure if they did.  They had a large family and it was the men who were dressed in Jeans and T shirts. There have been inconsistencies in the application of policy, but it's best to just follow Princess Guidelines.  

 

We always dress up for formal nights. There are nights on cruises we stay in our formal attire all night and some that we change right after dinner and go back out.  The kids always change after dinner.

We just disembarked the Sky after a 12-19 - 1-4 sailing and we were in the MDR.  Throughout the cruise, some people (on smart casual nights) were arriving in shorts, jeans, sweatpants, and tshirts and were being admitted

[jennybenny]

4 minutes ago, Lynniepoo said:

We just disembarked the Sky after a 12-19 - 1-4 sailing and we were in the MDR.  Throughout the cruise, some people (on smart casual nights) were arriving in shorts, jeans, sweatpants, and tshirts and were being admitted

Yeah, things are different depending on the ship. While I didn't see any shorts or sweatpants in the MDR on smart casual nights, there were jeans and T-shirts for sure. 

[Potstech]

3 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

As the lyrics of a song say:  "A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest."  - Simon and Garfunkel. 

Why not dress the way you want and ignore how others dress?

👍👍👍🤗👍👍👍👍

[Ken the cruiser]

Well after reading this thread as well as some other recent dress code ones, I mentioned to my DW that I was thinking about bringing a coat to go along with my dress shirts, slacks and ties on our upcoming Island cruise.

 

She then asked if I wanted her opinion and I said of course. Her opinion was for me to leave it at home. So being the happily married person I am, I'm taking her advice and leaving it at home. So if you see someone not wearing a coat at formal nights on the upcoming Island cruise, please don't judge as I'm only doing what my DW suggested I do.

[Renmar]

12 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Well after reading this thread as well as some other recent dress code ones, I mentioned to my DW that I was thinking about bringing a coat to go along with my dress shirts, slacks and ties on our upcoming Island cruise.

 

She then asked if I wanted her opinion and I said of course. Her opinion was for me to leave it at home. So being the happily married person I am, I'm taking her advice and leaving it at home. So if you see someone not wearing a coat at formal nights on the upcoming Island cruise, please don't judge as I'm only doing what my DW suggested I do.

At a boy, we all have to do what DW (Suggests) says. 😉

 

Theo

[Lynniepoo]

Just now, Renmar said:

At a boy, we all have to do what DW (Suggests) says. 😉

 

Theo

Happy wife, happy life (just ask DH!!)  

[stoneharborlady]

On 1/3/2020 at 4:38 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

… and then for those of us men who don't mind dressing a little nicer for dinner on formal nights, but don't want to pack a suit or sports coat, or for those ladies who don't wish to wear a gown, there is this paragraph on the Princess website:

 

"For more formal settings, men should bring a suit and a nice pair of shoes (or, at the very least, a shirt, tie and slacks), while women may want to bring an evening dress or a skirt with a good blouse."

 

Found at this link towards the end of the last paragraph:

https://www.princess.com/cruise-tips-vacation-ideas/cruise-destinations/cruise-tips-advice-and-information/tips-on-what-to-pack-for-a-cruise.html

I think they are deliberately confusing.  There is a world of difference between an evening dress, and a skirt with a good (?) blouse.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

1 minute ago, stoneharborlady said:

I think they are deliberately confusing.  There is a world of difference between an evening dress, and a skirt with a good (?) blouse.

There are women that wear stilettos with slacks and a blouse that look stunning.

[stoneharborlady]

Just now, twodaywonder said:

There are women that wear stilettos with slacks and a blouse that look stunning.

I dont disagree, just wish Princess would make up their minds.

[Ken the cruiser]

40 minutes ago, stoneharborlady said:

I dont disagree, just wish Princess would make up their minds.

Actually, they kind of have. For men like me who really don't like wearing a coat or suit to dinner for any reason, they have provided us the optional minimum on formal nights which is a dress shirt, slacks and a tie. This makes most of us happy. For ladies of similar thinking with regards to gowns or similar formal attire, all they have to do is wear something nice which makes my DW happy.

 

BUT at the same time, folks who like to really get dressed up in tuxes and formal gowns, Princess has at least decided to continue to offer official Formal Nights in the MDR unlike HAL and X that have gone to a more informal attire which they refer to as their Gala (HAL) and Chic (X) nights. So, from my point of view Princess has chosen a middle ground position which makes a majority of their passengers happy.

Edited January 5, 2020 by Ken the cruiser

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

32 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Actually, they kind of have. For men like me who really don't like wearing a coat or suit to dinner for any reason, they have provided us the optional minimum on formal nights which is a dress shirt, slacks and a tie. This makes most of us happy. For ladies of similar thinking with regards to gowns or similar formal attire, all they have to do is wear something nice which makes my DW happy.

 

BUT at the same time, folks who like to really get dressed up in tuxes and formal gowns, Princess has at least decided to continue to offer official Formal Nights in the MDR unlike HAL and X that have gone to a more informal attire which they refer to as their Gala (HAL) and Chic (X) nights. So, from my point of view Princess has chosen a middle ground position which makes a majority of their passengers happy.

If a guy wants wot wear nice pants and shoes with a nice collared shirt. That should be fine. Casual should be accepted in the MDR. If anyone wants to go all out. Great !

[I Love Cruising 3]

39 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Actually, they kind of have. For men like me who really don't like wearing a coat or suit to dinner for any reason, they have provided us the optional minimum on formal nights which is a dress shirt, slacks and a tie. This makes most of us happy. For ladies of similar thinking with regards to gowns or similar formal attire, all they have to do is wear something nice which makes my DW happy.

 

BUT at the same time, folks who like to really get dressed up in tuxes and formal gowns, Princess has at least decided to continue to offer official Formal Nights in the MDR unlike HAL and X that have gone to a more informal attire which they refer to as their Gala (HAL) and Chic (X) nights. So, from my point of view Princess has chosen a middle ground position which makes a majority of their passengers happy.

Most people miss that part of the dress code & continue to complain that people are just ignoring it when going to the DR. Too bad that Princess doesn't make it more obvious to put an end to these discussions. 

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

9 minutes ago, I Love Cruising 3 said:

Most people miss that part of the dress code & continue to complain that people are just ignoring it when going to the DR. Too bad that Princess doesn't make it more obvious to put an end to these discussions. 

Do not remember which. But there have been large posters prior to entering the MDRs on the dress code and what is not accepted. Same as the buffet. Swim suits are fine at the pool not in the buffet.