Formal Nights..

[cptncrunch]

Are the two formal nights mandatory. Im not really sure how it works. I mean where does it take place? There are alot of other restaurants on the ship as well, Like do you have to dress formal in all of those restaurants including the buffet? Or does this "formal dining" take place in its own place. Kinda confused about the whole formal thing, please bare with me. Will be cruising on the Ruby Princess in the near future.

[Croptop]

You do not need to dress for formal night to eat at the buffet restaurants.

[Duck Duck Cruise]

Ahh … you ask about the dress code, especially on formal nights.

 

This is a rather contentious issue on these boards and many a poster has felt that it would have just been better to walk the plank after the snarky comments they received.

 

Here is a “tongue in cheek” listing of some of the comments you can expect to hear.

 

You will have some that say men must wear a tuxedo and women a formal gown. End of story. Absolutely, positively MUST wear a tux or formal gown, depending on your gender.

 

You will have some that say to lighten up as cruising has changed and you can wear anything nice. For some this includes Birkenstocks and Tie-Dyed polo shirts.

 

You will have some that say men can wear a suit with tie and women can wear Capri pants with a sparkly top or a dress. They only travel with carry on luggage and wad these items into a ball and just shake them out a bit when they get to their cabin.

 

There are some that say your dress shirt must be long sleeved and worn with a tie. After all, dress shirts are, by definition, long sleeved only. This is an absolute, a fact of etiquette and you are uncouth if you don’t know that.

 

There are some that say they wear a short sleeve shirt with a tie because it is too darn hot in the dining room.

 

Then the discussion will go into whether or not you will be allowed in wearing only a short sleeve shirt, even with a tie.

This leads to a discussion about clip on ties and if they are okay for children to wear. Of course, they are a faux pas for an adult to wear. Then, at what age does a child become an adult and have to wear a real tie.

 

You will have some that say they wear whatever they darn well please because they paid for this vacation and nobody is going to tell them how to dress. They will insist that removing their bathrobe before sitting at the table is all that is necessary.

 

You will have some say that if you aren’t dressed perfectly (their idea of perfectly) you will be refused entry to the dining room and will be completely embarrassed because they believe the entire world will view you with disgust. Your expulsion from the dining room will be video taped by the ship’s videographer and will be included with the DVD of the cruise so your embarrassment will be able to be viewed by everyone at home.

 

You will have some that say they have never seen anyone turned away from the dining room because of the way they were dressed. Aren’t shorts and torn jeans dressy enough?

 

You will have some that say you must stay dressed formally to be in the public areas of the ship for the entire formal evening so that you won’t spoil their cruise. If you’re passive/aggressive this is a wonderful way to taunt the self-righteous.

 

You will have some that say they immediately change out of their formal clothes after dinner before going to shows or lounges.

 

You will have some say you have to eat in the buffet, away from the proper people and immediately return to your cabin and stay there. You should be in steerage.

 

You will have some that say they eat in the buffet because they don’t want to dress up and are appalled that some people dress formally and then have the nerve to eat at the buffet and spoil their casual dining experience.

 

Some will tell you to stay in your room, out of sight of the properly dressed people. You should be in an inside cabin, on a lower deck, with the lights out and a towel rolled up against the bottom of the door. You can only open your door briefly when the steward comes by with your chow and you should tip them for the delivery because you have probably removed the auto-tips. (That’s another thread altogether)

 

Some will tell you that you can’t eat in the Pay Per Chew Specialty Restaurants on formal night unless you are dressed formally.

 

Some will tell you that you can eat in the Pay Per Chew Specialty Restaurants dressed “smart casual” on formal nights.

 

I suggest you sit back, have a drink, maintain a sense of humor, watch the discussion (if you can call it that) on this thread and realize that a very, very small percentage of cruisers post to Cruise Critic and you won’t ever get a consensus of what is appropriate to wear on formal night. Everyone who posts here believes that they are absolutely right.

 

Some (Pearlbill) will say that you should think of a high school prom. Just more wrinkles.

 

Personally, we dress smart casual on formal nights and eat in one of the specialty restaurants. Afterward we enjoy the use of the public areas of the ship and never feel out of place or underdressed. Is this right? Maybe, maybe not. For us it works.

 

We choose not to dress formally and choose not to eat in the main dining room on formal nights out of respect for those who want to dress up. We choose to eat in the specialty restaurants on formal night because we generally find the buffet food to be less than satisfying and the Princess website states the following:

“When a casual mood calls, you have plenty of choices – even on formal nights. Whether it be one of our specialty restaurants, the 24-hour buffet at the Horizon Court, the pizzeria, burger & hot dog grill, or 24-hour room service, you’re able to choose how you dine with us.”

Have a great cruise!

[cptncrunch]

Ahh … you ask about the dress code, especially on formal nights.

 

This is a rather contentious issue on these boards and many a poster has felt that it would have just been better to walk the plank after the snarky comments they received.

 

Here is a “tongue in cheek” listing of some of the comments you can expect to hear.

 

You will have some that say men must wear a tuxedo and women a formal gown. End of story. Absolutely, positively MUST wear a tux or formal gown, depending on your gender.

 

You will have some that say to lighten up as cruising has changed and you can wear anything nice. For some this includes Birkenstocks and Tie-Dyed polo shirts.

 

You will have some that say men can wear a suit with tie and women can wear Capri pants with a sparkly top or a dress. They only travel with carry on luggage and wad these items into a ball and just shake them out a bit when they get to their cabin.

 

There are some that say your dress shirt must be long sleeved and worn with a tie. After all, dress shirts are, by definition, long sleeved only. This is an absolute, a fact of etiquette and you are uncouth if you don’t know that.

 

There are some that say they wear a short sleeve shirt with a tie because it is too darn hot in the dining room.

 

Then the discussion will go into whether or not you will be allowed in wearing only a short sleeve shirt, even with a tie.

This leads to a discussion about clip on ties and if they are okay for children to wear. Of course, they are a faux pas for an adult to wear. Then, at what age does a child become an adult and have to wear a real tie.

 

You will have some that say they wear whatever they darn well please because they paid for this vacation and nobody is going to tell them how to dress. They will insist that removing their bathrobe before sitting at the table is all that is necessary.

 

You will have some say that if you aren’t dressed perfectly (their idea of perfectly) you will be refused entry to the dining room and will be completely embarrassed because they believe the entire world will view you with disgust. Your expulsion from the dining room will be video taped by the ship’s videographer and will be included with the DVD of the cruise so your embarrassment will be able to be viewed by everyone at home.

 

You will have some that say they have never seen anyone turned away from the dining room because of the way they were dressed. Aren’t shorts and torn jeans dressy enough?

 

You will have some that say you must stay dressed formally to be in the public areas of the ship for the entire formal evening so that you won’t spoil their cruise. If you’re passive/aggressive this is a wonderful way to taunt the self-righteous.

 

You will have some that say they immediately change out of their formal clothes after dinner before going to shows or lounges.

 

You will have some say you have to eat in the buffet, away from the proper people and immediately return to your cabin and stay there. You should be in steerage.

 

You will have some that say they eat in the buffet because they don’t want to dress up and are appalled that some people dress formally and then have the nerve to eat at the buffet and spoil their casual dining experience.

 

Some will tell you to stay in your room, out of sight of the properly dressed people. You should be in an inside cabin, on a lower deck, with the lights out and a towel rolled up against the bottom of the door. You can only open your door briefly when the steward comes by with your chow and you should tip them for the delivery because you have probably removed the auto-tips. (That’s another thread altogether)

 

Some will tell you that you can’t eat in the Pay Per Chew Specialty Restaurants on formal night unless you are dressed formally.

 

Some will tell you that you can eat in the Pay Per Chew Specialty Restaurants dressed “smart casual” on formal nights.

 

I suggest you sit back, have a drink, maintain a sense of humor, watch the discussion (if you can call it that) on this thread and realize that a very, very small percentage of cruisers post to Cruise Critic and you won’t ever get a consensus of what is appropriate to wear on formal night. Everyone who posts here believes that they are absolutely right.

 

Some (Pearlbill) will say that you should think of a high school prom. Just more wrinkles.

 

Personally, we dress smart casual on formal nights and eat in one of the specialty restaurants. Afterward we enjoy the use of the public areas of the ship and never feel out of place or underdressed. Is this right? Maybe, maybe not. For us it works.

 

We choose not to dress formally and choose not to eat in the main dining room on formal nights out of respect for those who want to dress up. We choose to eat in the specialty restaurants on formal night because we generally find the buffet food to be less than satisfying and the Princess website states the following:

“When a casual mood calls, you have plenty of choices – even on formal nights. Whether it be one of our specialty restaurants, the 24-hour buffet at the Horizon Court, the pizzeria, burger & hot dog grill, or 24-hour room service, you’re able to choose how you dine with us.”

Have a great cruise!

 

:confused:

[RickEk]

:confused:

 

You asked... LOL... :)

 

To answer your questions a bit more directly, formal night is observed in the main dining rooms, both traditional and anytime. It is not observed in the buffet or the specialty restaurants or the poolside eateries.

 

As for the definition of "formal", here is what Princess says:

 

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 gown, cocktail dress, or elegant pant suit for women

Tuxedo, dark suit or dinner jacket and slacks for men

 

Interpret that as you will... and be aware that formal night only pertains to the main dining rooms... once you're finished with dinner, go back to your cabin and change or not. It's your choice. :)

[1 HappyCruiser]

In the dining rooms you can be dressed in as little as dress pants & a long sleeve shirt and still be admitted although most people will have jackets & dress shirts but it's not a strict requirement by any means. If you choose to skip the formal nights in the DR you'll be missing out on some of the better meals.

In the Horizon buffet you may wear anything you wish short of a bathing suit in the evenings and of course shoes. :D

[GracefulOceanWaves]

Out of respect to your fellow passengers in the dining rooms, on formal night please dress appropriately. It was appalling to see men dressed in torn jeans and flip flops in the main dining room on formal night.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[CALMOM]

Ahh … you ask about the dress code, especially on formal nights.

 

Personally, we dress smart casual on formal nights and eat in one of the specialty restaurants. Afterward we enjoy the use of the public areas of the ship and never feel out of place or underdressed. Is this right? Maybe, maybe not. For us it works.

 

We choose not to dress formally and choose not to eat in the main dining room on formal nights out of respect for those who want to dress up. We choose to eat in the specialty restaurants on formal night because we generally find the buffet food to be less than satisfying and the Princess website states the following:

Have a great cruise!

 

I really couldn't of said it better :D I do have a question on the specialty dining rooms. I have heard that on Formal night, they also require formal attire. True or not true? Maybe it depends on the ship and where your cruising. I notice Alaska is pretty formal and the Caribbean, pretty casual. DH and I will be cruising to Hawaii and I refused to dress formal, I will dress smart casual. I have done the formal attire on all of our other cruises and this cruise, I don't want to lug a tux and formal dresses, especially since it is a 14 day cruise instead of our usual 7 day. If I need to eat at the buffet or room service, that's fine but specialty dining rooms would be my preference, as long as, no formal attire on formal night.

 

O.K. I'll start dodging the daggers that will be thrown at me :eek: by the Fashion Police

[NoGvmnt]

You asked... LOL... :)

 

To answer your questions a bit more directly, formal night is observed in the main dining rooms, both traditional and anytime. It is not observed in the buffet or the specialty restaurants or the poolside eateries.

 

 

Of course there are those who dress up and go to the buffet thinking that the buffet is also formal, then they make snide comments about those who know the rules and choose to dress casual.

 

I had that happen to me so I just sat down right across from the #@%***#'s and gave them the STINK EYE (0)(0), and all was good.:D

 

Jim

[Duck Duck Cruise]

I really couldn't of said it better :D I do have a question on the specialty dining rooms. I have heard that on Formal night, they also require formal attire. True or not true? Maybe it depends on the ship and where your cruising. I notice Alaska is pretty formal and the Caribbean, pretty casual. DH and I will be cruising to Hawaii and I refused to dress formal, I will dress smart casual. I have done the formal attire on all of our other cruises and this cruise, I don't want to lug a tux and formal dresses, especially since it is a 14 day cruise instead of our usual 7 day. If I need to eat at the buffet or room service, that's fine but specialty dining rooms would be my preference, as long as, no formal attire on formal night.

 

O.K. I'll start dodging the daggers that will be thrown at me :eek: by the Fashion Police

 

The specialty restaurants are always smart casual according to Princess corporate and the emails they send you before your cruise. There have been posters that said that on the Ruby and sometimes other ships they have tried to make the specialty restaurants formal when it is formal night in the dining rooms.

 

Here are directions to find the information from Princess on their website:

 

Here are two places on the Princess website that explain their policy on smart casual clothing being appropriate on Formal Nights in the Specialty Restaurants.

 

1) Go to the Princess website at www.Princess.com

Highlight “Prepare For Your Cruise” by putting your curser over that tab.

From the drop down menu that appears click on “FAQ: Cruise Answer Place”

On the left hand side click on “Dining & Nightlife” under the Onboard section.

Scroll down to the “Casual Dining Venues” and click on the + sign.

 

It states the following:

 

“When a casual mood calls, you have plenty of choices – even on formal nights. Whether it be one of our specialty restaurants, the 24-hour buffet at the Horizon Court, the pizzeria, burger & hot dog grill, or 24-hour room service, you’re able to choose how you dine with us.”

 

2) Go to the Princess website at www.Princess.com

Highlight “Prepare For Your Cruise” by putting your curser over that tab.

From the drop down menu that appears click on “FAQ: Cruise Answer Place”

On the left hand side click on “Onboard Experience” under the Onboard section.

Click on the + sign next to “Onboard Atmosphere”

 

Read the first bullet point that again states that on Formal Nights the dress code should be observed in the Main Dining Room and Anytime Dining Rooms. Not included are the Specialty Restaurants. So Smart Casual is the dress code in the Specialty Restaurants, even on Formal Nights.

 

It states the following:

 

“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.”

[1 HappyCruiser]

Out of respect to your fellow passengers in the dining rooms, on formal night please dress appropriately. It was appalling to see men dressed in torn jeans and flip flops in the main dining room on formal night.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

On what cruise line & ships do you travel on? I'm positive it wasn't a Princess ship where you saw that. It could have been Carnival no doubt. ;)Princess at least tries to keep it somewhat dressy although not strictly true formal.

[Katelab]

Princess seems to be catching on slowly. We prefer cruising, but chose to spend $200K on a Motor Home over cruising to australia, etc. due to their inconsistent "formal" policy. The $200k could have been spent cruising.

[GracefulOceanWaves]

On what cruise line & ships do you travel on? I'm positive it wasn't a Princess ship where you saw that. It could have been Carnival no doubt. ;)Princess at least tries to keep it somewhat dressy although not strictly true formal.

 

Wrong. It most certainly was a Princess ship. The Emerald Princess, last week.

 

Torn jeans in the MDR on both formal nights - each time with flip flop sandals. And this was no young child. The man looked to be in his late 30's. The rest of the week? The same man wore a baseball cap throughout dinner each night in the MDR.

 

I've sailed with Princess a total of 7 times since 2003 and what people consider to be "formal" gets worse and worse each cruise. I blame the Maitre D's who allow it.

[rdsqrl]

Princess seems to be catching on slowly. We prefer cruising, but chose to spend $200K on a Motor Home over cruising to australia, etc. due to their inconsistent "formal" policy. The $200k could have been spent cruising.

You're driving a Motor Home to Australia? A magical vehicle indeed. . .

But, hey, go ahead, give up cruising entirely just because of spotty enforcement of a dress code on two nights out of every seven. That'll show Princess, yessirree . . .

[RickEk]

You're driving a Motor Home to Australia? A magical vehicle indeed. . .

But, hey, go ahead, give up cruising entirely just because of spotty enforcement of a dress code on two nights out of every seven. That'll show Princess, yessirree . . .

 

Really... *****?.... :rolleyes:

[Katelab]

I have not given up cruising. I just spend a lot more money on a motor home than if Princess was not so unreasonable about their dress code.

 

If Princess prefers I spend my money else where that is their business decision.

[1 HappyCruiser]

Wrong. It most certainly was a Princess ship. The Emerald Princess, last week.

 

Torn jeans in the MDR on both formal nights - each time with flip flop sandals. And this was no young child. The man looked to be in his late 30's. The rest of the week? The same man wore a baseball cap throughout dinner each night in the MDR.

 

I've sailed with Princess a total of 7 times since 2003 and what people consider to be "formal" gets worse and worse each cruise. I blame the Maitre D's who allow it.

 

Well that surprises me for sure. Was it in the anytime DR or traditional? We were on the Emerald in May & I'm going again shortly. I do know that they are more relaxed than most other ships but not to the extent you're saying. It's nice to know that even though I don't dress formally as most I'll be accepted without question.

btw- I don't do baseball caps or flip flops but it doesn't bother me in the least if someone else is wearing them.

Thanks again.

[GracefulOceanWaves]

Well that surprises me for sure. Was it in the anytime DR or traditional? We were on the Emerald in May & I'm going again shortly. I do know that they are more relaxed than most other ships but not to the extent you're saying. It's nice to know that even though I don't dress formally as most I'll be accepted without question.

btw- I don't do baseball caps or flip flops but it doesn't bother me in the least if someone else is wearing them.

Thanks again.

 

Traditional, main dining room (Botticelli), 2nd (8:15pm) seating. "More relaxed" is one thing but allowing torn jearns and flip flops in the main dining room on formal night is another. It's an actual reflection of society today where we are more concerned about upsetting a misbehaver's tender sensibilities than we are about expecting (and requiring) people to do the right thing. And, yes, dressing appropriately on formal night is the right thing. If you don't want to conform, that's perfectly fine and within your rights - simply don't dine in the main dining room on those nights.

[BayouGirlUSA]

Ahh … you ask about the dress code, especially on formal nights.

 

This is a rather contentious issue on these boards and many a poster has felt that it would have just been better to walk the plank after the snarky comments they received.

 

Here is a “tongue in cheek” listing of some of the comments you can expect to hear.

 

You will have some that say men must wear a tuxedo and women a formal gown. End of story. Absolutely, positively MUST wear a tux or formal gown, depending on your gender.

 

You will have some that say to lighten up as cruising has changed and you can wear anything nice. For some this includes Birkenstocks and Tie-Dyed polo shirts.

 

You will have some that say men can wear a suit with tie and women can wear Capri pants with a sparkly top or a dress. They only travel with carry on luggage and wad these items into a ball and just shake them out a bit when they get to their cabin.

 

There are some that say your dress shirt must be long sleeved and worn with a tie. After all, dress shirts are, by definition, long sleeved only. This is an absolute, a fact of etiquette and you are uncouth if you don’t know that.

 

There are some that say they wear a short sleeve shirt with a tie because it is too darn hot in the dining room.

 

Then the discussion will go into whether or not you will be allowed in wearing only a short sleeve shirt, even with a tie.

This leads to a discussion about clip on ties and if they are okay for children to wear. Of course, they are a faux pas for an adult to wear. Then, at what age does a child become an adult and have to wear a real tie.

 

You will have some that say they wear whatever they darn well please because they paid for this vacation and nobody is going to tell them how to dress. They will insist that removing their bathrobe before sitting at the table is all that is necessary.

 

You will have some say that if you aren’t dressed perfectly (their idea of perfectly) you will be refused entry to the dining room and will be completely embarrassed because they believe the entire world will view you with disgust. Your expulsion from the dining room will be video taped by the ship’s videographer and will be included with the DVD of the cruise so your embarrassment will be able to be viewed by everyone at home.

 

You will have some that say they have never seen anyone turned away from the dining room because of the way they were dressed. Aren’t shorts and torn jeans dressy enough?

 

You will have some that say you must stay dressed formally to be in the public areas of the ship for the entire formal evening so that you won’t spoil their cruise. If you’re passive/aggressive this is a wonderful way to taunt the self-righteous.

 

You will have some that say they immediately change out of their formal clothes after dinner before going to shows or lounges.

 

You will have some say you have to eat in the buffet, away from the proper people and immediately return to your cabin and stay there. You should be in steerage.

 

You will have some that say they eat in the buffet because they don’t want to dress up and are appalled that some people dress formally and then have the nerve to eat at the buffet and spoil their casual dining experience.

 

Some will tell you to stay in your room, out of sight of the properly dressed people. You should be in an inside cabin, on a lower deck, with the lights out and a towel rolled up against the bottom of the door. You can only open your door briefly when the steward comes by with your chow and you should tip them for the delivery because you have probably removed the auto-tips. (That’s another thread altogether)

 

Some will tell you that you can’t eat in the Pay Per Chew Specialty Restaurants on formal night unless you are dressed formally.

 

Some will tell you that you can eat in the Pay Per Chew Specialty Restaurants dressed “smart casual” on formal nights.

 

I suggest you sit back, have a drink, maintain a sense of humor, watch the discussion (if you can call it that) on this thread and realize that a very, very small percentage of cruisers post to Cruise Critic and you won’t ever get a consensus of what is appropriate to wear on formal night. Everyone who posts here believes that they are absolutely right.

 

Some (Pearlbill) will say that you should think of a high school prom. Just more wrinkles.

 

Personally, we dress smart casual on formal nights and eat in one of the specialty restaurants. Afterward we enjoy the use of the public areas of the ship and never feel out of place or underdressed. Is this right? Maybe, maybe not. For us it works.

 

We choose not to dress formally and choose not to eat in the main dining room on formal nights out of respect for those who want to dress up. We choose to eat in the specialty restaurants on formal night because we generally find the buffet food to be less than satisfying and the Princess website states the following:

 

“When a casual mood calls, you have plenty of choices – even on formal nights. Whether it be one of our specialty restaurants, the 24-hour buffet at the Horizon Court, the pizzeria, burger & hot dog grill, or 24-hour room service, you’re able to choose how you dine with us.”

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Now that there was funny and right on the money about what will be posted! Thanks for the laugh!

[Times Prince]

Are the two formal nights mandatory. Im not really sure how it works. I mean where does it take place? There are alot of other restaurants on the ship as well, Like do you have to dress formal in all of those restaurants including the buffet? Or does this "formal dining" take place in its own place. Kinda confused about the whole formal thing, please bare with me. Will be cruising on the Ruby Princess in the near future.

I believe your question has been correctly answered by the Duck Duck Cruise posting below. Other comments concerning what is or is not worn in the Main Dining Room do not apply, do they?

 

You will also find that a great majority of people from the main dining rooms continue to wear their formal finery to the theater. This does not mean one cannot also attend, but if one wears casual clothes there one might "stick out". Dark colors are less obvious.

 

I have dressed to the formal guidelines while eating at the Horizon Court or Cafe Caribe, and although people looked oddly at me, I didn't care because I dressed nicely for my wife, not anyone else.

[Richie2pies]

>>>>I dressed nicely for my wife, not anyone else.<<<<

 

I hope she "rewarded" you.

[caribill]

"More relaxed" is one thing but allowing torn jearns and flip flops in the main dining room on formal night is another.

 

Especially when even the smart casual dress code says no torn jeans.

[GracefulOceanWaves]

Especially when even the smart casual dress code says no torn jeans.

 

Correct. What I can't understand is why not a single member of the staff said anything. And it wasn't as if he sat in his seat the whole meal. He got up at least three times, walked across the dining room, presumably to the men's room and back to his table which made me take notice. He wore torn jeans and flip flops both formal nights so it wasn't just an "oops" moment.

[karenem]

Welllllll... maybe he was one of those unfortunate souls whose luggage never made it onto the ship. Hey, it could happen!

[GracefulOceanWaves]

Welllllll... maybe he was one of those unfortunate souls whose luggage never made it onto the ship. Hey, it could happen!

 

Yes of course, it could happen. Just as it could happen that a beluga whale was swimming in the aft pool.

 

1) He didn't wear those same torn jeans and flip flops the entire voyage so it was not a case of lost luggage

 

2) If you cannot or do not want to dress appropriately on formal night, there are other alternative places to eat than the main dining room

 

It's really not that difficult.