Dining Room Attire on Formal Nights

[thecruisers723]

Traveling Royal Princess in Oct 2020.  Is formal attire mandatory in the main dining rooms on formal night, or will they allow you in dressed in smart casual?

[Times Prince]

2 hours ago, thecruisers723 said:

Traveling Royal Princess in Oct 2020.  Is formal attire mandatory in the main dining rooms on formal night, or will they allow you in dressed in smart casual?

Formal (really semi-formal now) is the recommended attire in the main dining rooms on formal night.

 

It appears that most ships will allow smart casual, but be prepared to be in a minority dressed like that.  A sport coat would blend in a little better.

[Potstech]

2 hours ago, thecruisers723 said:

Traveling Royal Princess in Oct 2020.  Is formal attire mandatory in the main dining rooms on formal night, or will they allow you in dressed in smart casual?

They WILL allow you in dressed in smart casual.

[birdiebill]

Our observation over the last three years on the Regal Princess in both the Caribbean and Canada/New England is that smart casual is allowed.  Most men wore a sport coat with or without a tie.  Some wore a dress shirt without a sport coat either with or without a tie.  A few wore a tux.  A smaller number wore smart casual.

 

 

[riffatsea]

Actual formal attire is not required at all!

Some folks get very dressed up and others do not.

It is really up to you.

There is a wide range of how people dress.

A sports jacket is nice but there are others like my DH who just wear slacks and a dress shirt.

[K.T.B.]

2 minutes ago, birdiebill said:

Our observation over the last three years on the Regal Princess in both the Caribbean and Canada/New England is that smart casual is allowed.  Most men wore a sport coat with or without a tie.  Some wore a dress shirt without a sport coat either with or without a tie.  A few wore a tux.  A smaller number wore smart casual.

 

 

 

I no longer wear ties, though I do wear a dress jacket.  This is the type of shirt I wear now:

 

 

I don't feel it's an issue to pack a jacket along with some dress shirts, the weight involved is basically negligible.  But I'm also one of those who does enjoy getting dressed up for dinner on occasion.  

[kywildcatfanone]

They won't turn you away dressed smart casual.

[birdiebill]

3 hours ago, K.T.B. said:

 

I no longer wear ties, though I do wear a dress jacket.  This is the type of shirt I wear now:

 

 

I don't feel it's an issue to pack a jacket along with some dress shirts, the weight involved is basically negligible.  But I'm also one of those who does enjoy getting dressed up for dinner on occasion.  

I don't feel it's an issue either.  We enjoy getting dressed up on occasion also, but not because of the photo opportunity; we never purchase photos from the ship anyway.  So we do not waste their time by posing.

[MissP22]

Last night was formal on the Regal & looking around in the DR you could see almost one guy at every other table with a sports shirt or Polo not wearing a jacket. 

[mevs904]

On the Crown right now.  For our first formal night there were some passengers in casual dress, but the majority were in some type of special attire.  There were a great deal of men on suits or jacket and tie and a few tuxedos.   Cocktail dress were prevalent for the women, but there were several in long dresses.  We enjoyed the festivity of the evening and appreciated the passengers efforts at dressing up.

[Reina del Mar]

I think it would make it easier for everyone if Princess and other cruise lines posted their 'required'  rather than 'suggested' dress code...and enforced it, fleet wide, whatever it may be !

[dog]

2 hours ago, Reina del Mar said:

I think it would make it easier for everyone if Princess and other cruise lines posted their 'required'  rather than 'suggested' dress code...and enforced it, fleet wide, whatever it may be !

Agree. 
Has anyone been turned away from MDR on formal night without tie/ jacket (men)?

[PrincessLuver]

16 minutes ago, dog said:

Agree. 
Has anyone been turned away from MDR on formal night without tie/ jacket (men)?

 

I have never seen it and have seen plenty of men enter in just a dress shirt, tie and slacks....

[Thrak]

2 hours ago, PrincessLuver said:

 

I have never seen it and have seen plenty of men enter in just a dress shirt, tie and slacks....

 

I've always worn a suit but have no problem with the above attire. I am, however, always surprised when I see folks in the Piazza and "main deck areas" (the lower few decks and the theater) who are wearing tank tops or tees with flip flops and shorts on formal nights. I totally understand that folks up on Lido don't want to be dressed up for MUTS, the buffet, etc. Hanging out on a lounger watching a movie or something is certainly much more comfortable when not dressed up. I'm also always amazed when folks post that very few people "dress" on formal nights as I always see the crowds of people on those lower decks who are dressed up and the few who aren't do really stand out. I'm not trying to condemn them or anything like that - I'm just saying that, at least in those areas of the ship, they are the exception rather than the rule on formal nights.

[PrincessLuver]

3 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

I've always worn a suit but have no problem with the above attire. I am, however, always surprised when I see folks in the Piazza and "main deck areas" (the lower few decks and the theater) who are wearing tank tops or tees with flip flops and shorts on formal nights. I totally understand that folks up on Lido don't want to be dressed up for MUTS, the buffet, etc. Hanging out on a lounger watching a movie or something is certainly much more comfortable when not dressed up. I'm also always amazed when folks post that very few people "dress" on formal nights as I always see the crowds of people on those lower decks who are dressed up and the few who aren't do really stand out. I'm not trying to condemn them or anything like that - I'm just saying that, at least in those areas of the ship, they are the exception rather than the rule on formal nights.

 

Agree with your assessment....I am sure some of it has to do also with how long people have been on the ship....we do a lot of 30 day cruises with a minimum of 5 formal nights and by the time number 4 and 5 or 6 roll around we are over it..... :-)

 

[Potstech]

Ans as is often stated the "Formal Dress" scenario only applies the the MDR.

[Expat Cruise]

Most of the time the crew lacks the backbone to enforce the dress code which has not changed. It is now more about you as a guest do you want to respect others on the ship and follow the rules, or do you feel you are somehow special and the rules don't apply to you?  The choice is yours but understand sometimes Princess crews have a backbone and enforce the rules I have seen smart casual turned away on Princess cruises within the last year.  The formal night dress code is not a suggestion or recommendation, it is the rule on the ships.

 

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.

Smart Casual
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

Dinner wear such as pool or beach attire, shorts, ball caps and casual jeans (with fraying and/or holes) are not welcomed 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

Edited February 3, 2020 by Expat Cruise

[RocketMan275]

12 minutes ago, Expat Cruise said:

Most of the time the crew lacks the backbone to enforce the dress code which has not changed. It is now more about you as a guest do you want to respect others on the ship and follow the rules, or do you feel you are somehow special and the rules don't apply to you?  The choice is yours but understand sometimes Princess crews have a backbone and enforce the rules I have seen smart casual turned away on Princess cruises within the last year.  The formal night dress code is not a suggestion or recommendation, it is the rule on the ships.

Perhaps the crew would find a backbone if the majority of the passengers preferred formal dress. 

 

Passengers have voted and those who prefer dressing for formal night are in the minority.

[Expat Cruise]

1 minute ago, Potstech said:

By their own written policy it is truly a suggestion.  And later on their written information contradicts what you posted.  It is definitely not a "rule" 

 

Sorry but it is not a suggestion it is a dress code. When you see a sign on a door and it says crew only is that a suggestion or a statement of the rule ? The bridge says authorized personal only can the guest just decide they don't want to follow that rule and storm the bridge? The answer to all these including the dress code is they are the rules. As I already said the only question is does Princess and the crew have the backbone and integrity to follow their own rules.  

[RocketMan275]

27 minutes ago, Expat Cruise said:

 

Sorry but it is not a suggestion it is a dress code. When you see a sign on a door and it says crew only is that a suggestion or a statement of the rule ? The bridge says authorized personal only can the guest just decide they don't want to follow that rule and storm the bridge? The answer to all these including the dress code is they are the rules. As I already said the only question is does Princess and the crew have the backbone and integrity to follow their own rules.  

There is a difference between those signage rules and the dress code.  Crew Only and Authorized Personnel are enforced for safety reasons.  No one believes formal dress has anything to do with passenger safety.  

 

BTW, do you believe the majority of passengers prefer formal dress?

 

[PrincessLuver]

48 minutes ago, Potstech said:

By their own written policy it is truly a suggestion.  And later on their written information contradicts what you posted.  It is definitely not a "rule" 

 

I agree and you are correct....it is a suggestion that is not enforced by Princess just like many of their other suggestions...."your boarding the is at"....."no saving of seats in the theater"....."let's not talk about pool chairs and rules for the pools".....it goes on and on!!!!

[billco]

1 hour ago, Expat Cruise said:

 The choice is yours but understand sometimes Princess crews have a backbone and enforce the rules I have seen smart casual turned away on Princess cruises within the last year.  The formal night dress code is not a suggestion or recommendation, it is the rule on the ships.

I think I would be upset if I were turned away after following the guidelines for packing in which Princess describes itself as smart casual.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, Expat Cruise said:

The formal night dress code is not a suggestion or recommendation, it is the rule on the ships.

Nope and putting up straw-man arguments in regards to private crew areas on the ship doesn't sway things.  The only rule in regards to clothing appears under the title "Clothing Recommendations" and refers to prohibited items:

 

Dinner wear such as pool or beach attire, shorts, ball caps and casual jeans (with fraying and/or holes) are not welcomed in the dining rooms. Shoes must be worn.

 

You have postulated your "rule" argument before and Princess also publishes this in the FAQ's:

 

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.

 

Bottom line is that you and others are welcome to wear tuxes or suits, as well as nice smart casual clothing, as well as something in between, such as a jacket, or tie, or jacket and tie, etc.  Let's all get along, okay?

[susancruzs]

Great post, Steelers!  I haven't worn an evening dress or skirt in quite some time.  I had a scary situation with a long skirt, heels and stairs in the piazza.  There were two football type gentlemen just a head of me and they caught me as I tripped, very scary.  I no longer wear dresses, skirts or heels. 

 

I've seen comments about women getting away with wearing slacks and pajama type tops, none of my fancy tops would I wear to bed!  I feel I'm dressier than smart casual and not as formal as some, basically not a big deal.  For myself, I really don't look around thinking, why aren't these people dressed up.  For me, it doesn't seem complicated.

[Expat Cruise]

49 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Nope and putting up straw-man arguments in regards to private crew areas on the ship doesn't sway things.  The only rule in regards to clothing appears under the title "Clothing Recommendations" and refers to prohibited items:

 

Dinner wear such as pool or beach attire, shorts, ball caps and casual jeans (with fraying and/or holes) are not welcomed in the dining rooms. Shoes must be worn.

 

You have postulated your "rule" argument before and Princess also publishes this in the FAQ's:

 

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.

 

Bottom line is that you and others are welcome to wear tuxes or suits, as well as nice smart casual clothing, as well as something in between, such as a jacket, or tie, or jacket and tie, etc.  Let's all get along, okay?

Sorry but not a recommendation... observe the dress code seems to be be very clear. Does not say we suggest says "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."

 

Not your choice to change the rules because you do not like them.

 

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