Enforcement of Dress Code

[CALMOM]

If it makes you feel better I was on a Crystal cruise on the Mexican Riviera one spring a few years ago. Everything was fine until we stopped in a port where the guests from Mexico City boarded. They were rude, didn't dress up (jeans, print cowboy shirts, etc), were extremely loud and cut in line.

 

Why did they let guests on from Mexico City if that is not where the cruise began. I thought you could only board the ship at the beginning port, not mid cruise at other ports. I would of complained too, they had no right to allow it to disrupt your cruise.

[Colo Cruiser]

Why did they let guests on from Mexico City if that is not where the cruise began. I thought you could only board the ship at the beginning port, not mid cruise at other ports. I would of complained too, they had no right to allow it to disrupt your cruise.

 

That was Crystal Cruise Lines unlike Princess.

[caribill]

To be fair...I talked with a couple of guys last week on the Emerald who were not informed of the dress code by either a travel agent or any mailing by Princess.

 

As another poster noted, this will happen more and more since Princess no longer mails out the "Cruise Answer Book."

 

Yes, it is available online. But I am willing to bet less than 5% of CC members have actually read the 2010 edition online and know what changes there are from the previous year.

 

I also bet less than 1% of people read any of the user agreements that many sites have online.

[DrivesLikeMario]

...What good is a policy if it is not enforced???...-DK

 

You hit the nail on the head with that comment. I wish Princess would enforce the policy or not have it at all. :rolleyes:

[1 HappyCruiser]

You hit the nail on the head with that comment. I wish Princess would enforce the policy or not have it at all. :rolleyes:

 

I'm grateful that it's headed in the direction it is with only some enforcement. To remove all dress requirements would not be preferable but the way it stands is just about right.

[veggie59]

Oh me oh my. We are cruising for the first time with Princess in September. We have been on about 10 cruises with various lines, so we are not new to cruising. We have seen the decline of proper dressing in the MDR and lack of enforcement. I think some of it has to do with bag charges with the airlines, and some is just non-compliance. My husband always brought 2 suits on a 7 day cruise along with dress slacks, shirts, and ties to wear to dinner. We had a 2 year hiatus from cruising and could not believe the stories we read before last years 2 cruises about how lax things had become. With not wanting to bring 2 suits (baggage fees) when others arent dressing up as much, he resorted to just dress shirt, slacks, and ties.....and he was pretty dressed up compared to others. Luckily for myself, I never did get into the whole gown/formal dress thing, and still wear dressier tops with slacks or dressy capris.

 

Now....in September will be our first cruise with Princess and I assumed things would be the way it used to be as far as dressing up. Should hubby bring suits? I really dont want him to bring them if hardly anyone else wil be wearing one. We will be on a 10 day cruise and he will be nicely dressed either way. Just why worry about paying for another bag at the airport if rules arent going to be enforced.

[Hunwolf]

 

Now....in September will be our first cruise with Princess and I assumed things would be the way it used to be as far as dressing up. Should hubby bring suits? I really dont want him to bring them if hardly anyone else wil be wearing one. We will be on a 10 day cruise and he will be nicely dressed either way. Just why worry about paying for another bag at the airport if rules arent going to be enforced.

 

I would say that the vast majority of male passengers will be wearing suits on the formal nights. There will even be a few tuxedos in the mix.

 

I know the "outliers" get a lot of the attention...but the people who are not in line with the dress code are still the small minority. However, I do wish that Princess would send out a quick "FAQ" sheet/mailer...especially to those that might be new to cruising.

[veggie59]

I would say that the vast majority of male passengers will be wearing suits on the formal nights. There will even be a few tuxedos in the mix.

 

I know the "outliers" get a lot of the attention...but the people who are not in line with the dress code are still the small minority. However, I do wish that Princess would send out a quick "FAQ" sheet/mailer...especially to those that might be new to cruising.

 

Thanks! I think maybe he will just bring one suit....but also many dress shirts, ties, and slacks. We like to dress nicely for dinner.

[mrsafety]

Princess needs to enforce their rules about dress code and other rules that they do not enforce. We do enjoy our princess cruise, but we get tierd of the lack of inforcement of their rules.

[ingeegirl]

We were very excited about formal dressing for our first cruise and even our second when our son joined us. After that we cut down on the amount that we wanted to haul with us, so on formal nights we don't go to the dining room, as I think it is disrespectful to those that do take the time to dress appropriately. I also used to get upset about the sloppy attire that I would see on non-formal nights but then realized that I was just stressing myself out and that you should not be stressed out on a cruise. So I just look at those that dress like hillbillies and laugh to myself. Yes I'm judgmental - but I don't expect more of others than I do myself.

[Hunwolf]

Princess needs to enforce their rules about dress code and other rules that they do not enforce. We do enjoy our princess cruise, but we get tierd of the lack of inforcement of their rules.

 

To be fair though...they also need to do a better job of communicating their expectations to passengers. That is especially true of first timer cruisers. Most people are not going to go "hunting and pecking" for their online cruise guide which is a bit unwieldy to peruse.

 

Are there some that just thumb their noses at the rules? Yes.

 

But there are also others that are honestly not aware of some of the guidelines...and that is the fault of the company/organization.

[1 HappyCruiser]

[

 

Princess needs to enforce their rules about dress code and other rules that they do not enforce. We do enjoy our princess cruise, but we get tierd of the lack of inforcement of their rules.

 

What other "rules" don't they enforce? It seems to me they run a decent cruise line the way things are right now.

[6pack]

If the rules are in place and communicated, which they are, they should be enforced. This goes with my other pet peeve: Holding chairs on the deck for hours and not using them!:mad:

[hubofhockey]

Princess needs to enforce their rules about dress code and other rules that they do not enforce. We do enjoy our princess cruise, but we get tierd of the lack of inforcement of their rules.

 

They don't need to enforce that rule or the alcohol rules. If they needed to, they would.

[sbelle2000]

You hit the nail on the head. I can't find any pertinent information ANYWHERE on the Princess site. You have to hunt all over to get any information, and never did see a dress policy. Their site is sorely lacking.

[kywildcatfanone]

A couple of cruises back, we were talking to one of the head waiters and told him that we were not coming to formal night because we didn't bring formal clothes. He encouraged us to come anyway, and we did and had a good time. It might have been because we were eating early (6pm) though.

 

I had one employee tell me it was difficult on the staff to enforce some of the rules because when they are trying to enforce these policies, passengers complain about them to higher up's - so they ere on the side of leniency.

 

Mike

[chipmaster]

:eek: or should I say :D another fashion fascist

 

I'll first say I do dress up as do my kids, but never would my enjoyment of the evening be affected the least if my neighbor at a nearby table came in shorts and flipflops or kilt for that matter. Didn't / woiuldn't effect the tastes of my food, my formal pictures, the service my waiter gave me, the nice time with my family and others at my table. Damm if they choose to have the folks seated at my table I might even welcome them to better learn at least once why they like to dress the way they do.

 

I find many other things much more distrurbing and aggrivating then whether cruisers wear flipflops, jeans, t-shirts on formal night, but those don't seem to be as important sadly....

 

Hey Folks:

 

Just curious, as I took my first cruise with Princess a month ago. I am one of these types that respects the rules and policies of an establishment and feel that if I cannot live up to them, I should not involve myself.

 

More than once on the cruise, which was the Emerald Princess, I noticed cruisers that were not adhering to the dress code for dinner in the formal dining rooms. Many were wearing shorts, or even t-shirts. One evening, I looked over and a gentleman was wearing shorts, a t-shirt AND flip-flops.

 

I hate to sound like a kill-joy or anything, but is Princess in general that lax on enforcing their dress policy? If I had any choice, I would prefer to wear nice shorts and all as well (from a comfort standpoint), but as I said, the policy is what it is, and I do honestly feel it gives a much more professional and formal feel when everyone is dressed nicely.

 

This type of thing really grates me, because in my career, I have learned the importance of consistency in enforcing policy. What good is a policy if it is not enforced???

 

I previously cruised with Norwegian and they did not hesitate to turn people away at the door, which I respect, as they were enforcing their policy.

 

Other than that, I had a wonderful time with Princess and plan on cruising with them again this fall, so it is not that big of a deal to me. I was just curious as to what others have seen.

 

Take care,

 

-DK

[zguyturbo]

I am not sure if it is Princess or a particular ship but on our last Princess cruise aboard the Sea Princess there was total lack of enforcement in the MDR. We had shorts, tees and flip flops on each formal nite. Like everyone else here, I wish they would either enforce or eliminate. I sure would save some money on baggage fees!

[Storm Monkey]

I was on the Star Princess in April and during the first few nights at dinner there was someone at the door enforcing the dress code. We saw several people turned away wearing shorts or jeans.

I would also like to respond to the comments that younger cruisers are breaking the rules. I celebrated my 30th birthday on the cruise - wearing a full length gown since my birthday corresponded with formal night. Why? because I wanted to. Oh- and I also wore a cocktail dress on all the other nights of the cruise. Again because I wanted to.

In my opinion - and it's just my opinion - the dress code and formal nights are part of what make cruising special.

Also - I find your cruise documents clearly state the number of smart casual and formal nights on your sailing.

[hubofhockey]

I am not sure if it is Princess or a particular ship but on our last Princess cruise aboard the Sea Princess there was total lack of enforcement in the MDR. We had shorts, tees and flip flops on each formal nite. Like everyone else here, I wish they would either enforce or eliminate. I sure would save some money on baggage fees!

 

On ships with multiple dining rooms, one could be designated as casual and one as smart casual. There are ways, especially on the larger ships, to keep everyone happy.

[1 HappyCruiser]

 

I had one employee tell me it was difficult on the staff to enforce some of the rules because when they are trying to enforce these policies, passengers complain about them to higher up's - so they ere on the side of leniency.

 

Mike

 

I imagine it becomes a little difficult to try & explain to the higher ups why there are so many complaints from passengers about a their attitude. It's best for the staff to say nothing at all then have their name constantly be highlighted for enforcing any rules.

 

I am not sure if it is Princess or a particular ship but on our last Princess cruise aboard the Sea Princess there was total lack of enforcement in the MDR. We had shorts, tees and flip flops on each formal nite. Like everyone else here, I wish they would either enforce or eliminate. I sure would save some money on baggage fees!

 

It sounds as though you dress only because you're being forced & not because you want to. Why not either dress down somewhat or go to the buffet if it upsets you that much.

[CALMOM]

On our Island cruise to Alaska we saw at least 4 couples turned away on Formal Night because the men did not have a suit or Tux on, just a long sleeve dress shirt & tie, the women were in gowns. However, I have been on other cruise lines and I have seen shorts on formal night but these cruises were to Mexico and Caribbean ports during the summer. I really think it is where you are sailing, if it is summer and hot, passengers don't like to dress. If you sail to cooler weather like Alaska, most don't mind dressing up. I personally dress to the dress code on Formal night, as I love to see my DH, dressed up and a great chance to get some portraits. I wish everyone would adhere to the dress code but it is just not going to happen, too many passengers, too many passengers from different countries and cruise lines not having the guts to enforce their dress code. We always travel with at least 6, so we always have our own table, so I don't care what anybody else wears but if we shared a table and the other table mates we're not dressed properly, then I probably would say something.

 

PRINCESS EITHER ENFORCE YOUR DRESS CODE OR REMOVE IT, IT'S THAT SIMPLE

[bjkTX]

The rules, at least enforcement wise, seems to vary greatly from ship to ship.

 

We just returned from the 14 day Alaska cruise on the small Royal Princess. I dislike playing dress-up and we decide what we're going to do ahead of time then go accordingly. This being a longer cruise, with a much more "mature" passenger mix (we're 62/64 and were in the youngest 10%) we figured it would be a tad more "dressy" than some of our previous cruises. Accordingly I rented a tux to wear on the 3 formal nights.

 

As it turned out we've never seen such a casual group of passengers, and while I appreciate casual, many were way below even my standards. One of our 4 table mates wore a sweatsuit top to dinner the first formal night and a totally wrinkled casual shirt the second - and he wasn't alone. There were very few men in tux's and not that many in suits compared to what we had been used to.

 

We elected to eat at the Steakhouse the third formal night so we didn't see the mix that evening.

 

I'm not one of those who cares much what anyone is wearing, and it won't make or break my night, it was just unexpected.

[1 HappyCruiser]

We always travel with at least 6, so we always have our own table, so I don't care what anybody else wears but if we shared a table and the other table mates we're not dressed properly, then I probably would say something.

 

You always have the choice of selecting your table size to fit the group you're traveling with so the problem of others not dressing at your table has been eliminated.

[basil's mom]

I just spoke to two Princess representatives. The dress code is a "suggestion." Both representatives told me they do not enforce the dress code.