Formal Nights and Xmas on Princess

[Muffinz]

Forgive me if this topic has been discussed before on here, but do Princess have 'formal' nights on their cruises? (ours is 12 days) We need to know if we should pack our glad rags 

 

Also the last sea day of the cruise will be Christmas day - do princess do anything special for Christmas, such as Christmas themed menus or something?

 

thanks in advance

[reedprincess]

1 hour ago, Muffinz said:

Forgive me if this topic has been discussed before on here, but do Princess have 'formal' nights on their cruises? (ours is 12 days) We need to know if we should pack our glad rags 

 

Also the last sea day of the cruise will be Christmas day - do princess do anything special for Christmas, such as Christmas themed menus or something?

 

thanks in advance

Yes, Princess has formal nights. They're not all that formal overall anymore, but lots of people put in some effort, ie suits, dresses, sports coat and slacks, etc. 

 

Yes, Christmas Day is a special holiday aboard. Santa visits, the ship is entirely decorated, there's caroling, a special Christmas show, and so forth. 

[karatemom2]

1 hour ago, Muffinz said:

Forgive me if this topic has been discussed before on here, but do Princess have 'formal' nights on their cruises? (ours is 12 days) We need to know if we should pack our glad rags 

 

Also the last sea day of the cruise will be Christmas day - do princess do anything special for Christmas, such as Christmas themed menus or something?

 

thanks in advance

Yes, Princess has formal nights. On a 12 night cruise I believe you will have three formal evenings. You can find the recommended dress on the Princess web site. It is recommended only - completely up to you on how dressed up you want to be. You will see a full range from tuxes and gowns to khakis and sundresses. Most people fall somewhere in the middle. Some don’t dress up at all. We do find on our holiday cruises people dress up a bit more than non holiday cruises so if you want to wear your “glad rags” you will be in good company. 
 

Princess usually schedules one of the formal evenings for Christmas Eve and it’s lovely. The ships we have been on follow the UK tradition of placing Christmas Crackers at each place setting and it’s all very festive. Ships are beautifully decorated and there is usually some sort of caroling gathering, gingerbread house building, Santa visit for the kids (and kids at heart) and other fun activities. You will not be disappointed - they make it very special. 

[startedwithamouse]

The CD will read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas

 

All the guests under 18 will receive a Princess branded stuffed animal. 

[Muffinz]

Thanks for the replies - I wasn't aware of any 'dress to impress' night, but will look out for that.

 

On our celebrity cruise in 2018 they had 2 formal nights, but like some of the replies here some did dress up and some didn't

 

sad to hear though that Princess allows 'under dressed' people in the MDR.... I treat it like I'm going to a really nice restaurant and dress accordingly (smart casual)

[Potstech]

And it begins, again.

[Steelers36]

6 hours ago, Muffinz said:

sad to hear though that Princess allows 'under dressed' people in the MDR.... I treat it like I'm going to a really nice restaurant and dress accordingly (smart casual)

You will be fine.

[love to cruz]

8 hours ago, Thrak said:

On a 12 day cruise you will most likely end up with 2 "Formal" nights and 1 "Dress to Impress" night. On our recent 63 day (6 cruise) trip we found that pretty much nobody but us was aware of the "Dress to Impress" nights. To us it was "odd" that nobody seemed to have a clue. We got asked, "Is it a Formal Night or something?" multiple times. Perhaps it was the region - Australia/New Zealand - but we have never seen so few people who "dressed" for the specialty nights. Also, we have never seen people in the main dining rooms in such an "under dressed" fashion - not only on the "Formal" or "Dress to Impress" nights but also on regular nights. We have never seen people in such ratty and tacky clothing in a Princess dining room. Ratty shirts and shorts and flip flops in the Main Dining Rooms didn't use to be allowed.

 

Yes, all of the "It's MY cruise so bite me!" people can shake their heads at the uptight old fart but... Cruising used to be more dignified and people seemed to have more dignity and self respect. While the dress of others didn't "ruin our cruise" it certainly was sad to see such a tacky display of "The People of Walmart" dress.

Pretty soon people will wear their painting clothes & farm mucking boots to dinner. After All "it is their cruise." As my Mother always said "Class will tell."

[MissP22]

7 hours ago, Muffinz said:

Thanks for the replies - I wasn't aware of any 'dress to impress' night, but will look out for that.

 

On our celebrity cruise in 2018 they had 2 formal nights, but like some of the replies here some did dress up and some didn't

 

sad to hear though that Princess allows 'under dressed' people in the MDR.... I treat it like I'm going to a really nice restaurant and dress accordingly (smart casual)

It sounds like you might be a little disappointed with Princess lately since it's left up to the individual to dress as they seem appropriate. 

Don't let that stop you from dressing as formally as you like to enjoy your cruise.

[Arizona Wildcat]

30 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

It sounds like you might be a little disappointed with Princess lately since it's left up to the individual to dress as they seem appropriate. 

Don't let that stop you from dressing as formally as you like to enjoy your cruise.

If you want formal try Cunard.  All of the mainstream lines have a more casual approach.   I wear a sportscoat and sometimes a tie.  DW a nice top and long silk pants.

Be aware on a Christmas cruise you will have at least a couple hundred children.  They tended to walk about in a "herd" texting and moving about with little regard for others.  For us, never again as I was knocked down by one group.

[Elevatorman]

Hi there cruiser, Princess does have two dressy nights on all 7 night or more sailings.My husband and I do not pack formal clothes or his suit jacket any more. I wear dress slacks and a sparkly top and he wears slacks and a long sleeve collared shirt for all our nights on board. We were on Sky Princess for Xmas and outfits ran the gamut. Silly Santa suits, elf costumes, a few tuxedos and mother of the bride type dresses. 
I would dress the way you are most happy on a night out to a restaurant and you can’t go wrong.

[Muffinz]

thanks for the replies.... how others are dressed is not really of a concern to me.... if they are happy wearing a basketball singlet and shorts / flip flops, then good on them

We will dress how we want to - depends on how warm / chilly it is in the evenings... but I am tempted to take my old Santa costume 😁

Edited February 22 by Muffinz

[reedprincess]

29 minutes ago, Muffinz said:

thanks for the replies.... how others are dressed is not really of a concern to me.... if they are happy wearing a basketball singlet and shorts / flip flops, then good on them

We will dress how we want to - depends on how warm / chilly it is in the evenings... but I am tempted to take my old Santa costume 😁

Go for it.

You'll see LOTS of Christmas-y type wear throughout the cruise - sweaters, hats, T-shirts, whatever.  It's very festive... Your Santa suit will fit right in..

Dress to Impress is a less formal formal night, lol.

Celebrity ditched formal nights back in 2015 or early 2916 for "Evening Chic" which is a whole lot less "formal".  Your 2018 wouldn't have had formal nights, just the EC, where folks can choose to dress up or not, and the guidelines for dressing for those evenings were much relaxed.

(Which is basically what formal nights in Princess now are, regardless of the name)

 

Enjoy, holiday sailings are quite festive and fun.. 

[MissP22]

20 hours ago, Muffinz said:

but I am tempted to take my old Santa costume 😁

We saw a few of those last Christmas.

Some folks really get into the spirit, some don't.