New to Princess: Questions

[Terre]

Rufus and I will be sailing on the Star Oct. 23, first time on Princess. My questions:

 

What does Princess have in the way of a Welcome Aboard party; Bon Voage party, etc.

 

I seem to be reading a lot of posts where the itineraries have been changed after boarding. Does this happen often, why do they change itineraries so often? Makes it hard to book your own excursions...

 

Thanks for your answers.:D

[Terre]

One more question: how formal is formal night on Princess and how casual is the dress for the other nights? I've gotten so used to Carnival's casual dress for dinner, so I need to know what to bring.

 

Thanks again!:D

[prophotogirl]

Princess has a Sail Away party up near one of the pools (great time to start the week long party).

 

Normally Itineraries don't get changed after boarding (but it does happen). It all depend on weather and sea conditions (can the ship get to the port or not).

 

Formal night is FORMAL! But you will see some people who choose not to partake of the suggested attire of the evening.

 

The rest of the nights think Nice resort wear or what you may wear to a wedding or church on sundays (or saturdays). No jeans. For me it what I would wear to work.

[busybusybusy]

On formal night you will see everything from formal, long gowns (think prom or bridesmaid) to pretty cocktail dresses. I agree with the previous poster, dress the other evenings like you might for work. No shorts or jeans ever, except on the first night, when not everyone has gotten their luggage.

 

 

Have a wonderful time!:D

[sue d. miller]

Hi Terre!! :) I am also sailing the Star on your date!! Here is a link to our roll call!!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=97174&page=7&pp=25

[Terre]

Thanks everyone. Is there a Welcome Aboard party with drinks and hors d'oeuvres?

[minke]

We are also first time Princess cruisers, this fall in the Med after 21 cruises with 10 other lines. Surprised at the comment that formal night is Formal? thought the tend is for Princess to go less formal & that is why they introduced personal choice dining! We did HAL in Med last year, I took my DJ & was surprised how low the standard of formal dress was on that ! are you telling me Princess is more formal than HAL ??

[jcruise67]

minke,

 

Formal night has always been what you make it. On Princess the majority of pax are between 40-60 years old. The formal nights are about 60/40 in favor of tux and gowns/cocktail dresses. However, if need be men can wear a dark suit and women can dress a bit more informal. My suggestion is to dress the nines. This is our 12th cruise and we always enjoy the formal nights.

 

John

[BJS]

We are also first time Princess cruisers, this fall in the Med after 21 cruises with 10 other lines. Surprised at the comment that formal night is Formal? thought the tend is for Princess to go less formal & that is why they introduced personal choice dining! We did HAL in Med last year, I took my DJ & was surprised how low the standard of formal dress was on that ! are you telling me Princess is more formal than HAL ??

Formal nights are formal. Very few do not dress in some type of formal attire, tux or dark suit for the men and long gown, cocktail dress or chiffon pants and fancy top (beaded, sequin, chiffon, etc.) for the ladies. When they don't wear those it is a sports coat and tie for the men and nice pants and nice top for the ladies. There are always a few that don't go to the dining room and don't dress and those that change after dinner rather than stay in the suggested dress for the evening.

 

Personal choice dining has nothing to do with the dress for the evening. It was to give people a choice of what time to eat, "anytime" dining, and to vary that selection from night to night. The dress for the evening applies to the entire ship. Many interpret it to be just for the dining rooms and those that do go to the Horizon Court or order room service for their meal. Can't remember ever seeing someone go to either the traditional or "anytime" dining rooms on formal night in casual clothes.

 

Last time on HAL, May 2004, we were really surprised on how much the dress has changed compared to 2001. I guess you can say the dress wasn't as formal but even more noticeable were all of the jeans in the dining room. :(

[Terre]

Thanks, everyone.:D

[donna5]

Thanks everyone. Is there a Welcome Aboard party with drinks and hors d'oeuvres?

The sailaway party has no free hors d'oeuvres or free booze. If that was what you were asking. Most of the bars have a snack mix, pretzels, nuts, or potato chips that you can ask for.

[niborHS]

I've been hearing that Princess has a 24 hour buffet, so why be concerned about hors d'hoeurves at the sail away.

[jcruise67]

Thanks everyone. Is there a Welcome Aboard party with drinks and hors d'oeuvres?

 

The sailaway party is actually held on the lido deck at the time of embarkation. There is live entertainment, and most of the cruise director's staff is on hand to join in during the Bon Voyage celebration. Drinks unfortunately, are not included, but its a great time to meet & Mingle duirng the sailaway.

 

John

[lizneely]

No Jeans? Please tell me that's only for when you're in the dinning rooms? Will they kick you out of the dinning room if you try to enter with jeans on (on regular nights, not on formal night)?

 

Liz

[jcruise67]

Liz,

 

On regular nights, the dress code is casual formal. I'm not one to be politically correct all the time, but IMHO...jeans in the formal dining rooms is pushing it. I know shorts are not permitted, so I can only assume jeans aren't either.

 

Jjohn

[totallynewtocruising]

Liz, the seasoned cruisers were kind enough to give me a lot of tips in the forum here about dress. If you run a search there you will read their answers. And this is from the Princess site:

 

ONBOARD ATTIRE

Princess has made it easier than ever to know what to pack and what to wear when you’re onboard. There are two designations for dress codes: if dress is Smart Casual, passengers dress as they would for a fine restaurant at home. Appropriate attire includes skirts/dresses, slacks, and sweaters or blouses for ladies and pants and openneck shirts for men. A jacket and tie is optional. In the dining room, items such as cutoff T-shirts, shorts, halter tops, and jeans are not permitted; shoes must be worn at all times. On Formal nights, appropriate attire includes evening gowns and cocktail dresses for ladies and tuxedos, slacks with dinner jackets, or suits for men.

and jeans are not permitted (I tried to highlight this above)

 

I also found this on their site:

Question: How many formal/smart casual nights are scheduled for my cruise?

Answer: When you're in port, evening dress is casual, slacks, sweaters, blouses, open-neck shirts, etc. are typically worn. Shorts, cut-off T-shirts, "torn" jeans and bare feet are not permitted in the dining room. We only have formal and smart casual. Tuxedo rental can be arranged prior to the cruise on certain itineraries. On formal nights,

ladies prefer evening gowns or cocktail dresses and men turn out in tuxedos, dinner jackets, or dark suits. See the chart for general dress code schedule.

 

So I gather from this, as people said, jeans may be seen the first night in port when all the luggage has not arrived. But otherwise Princess emphasizes "smart casual resort" and wants to see that on the ship in the evening unless it is a formal night.

[lizneely]

Thanks for the info! I'll have to do some shopping before the cruise ;)

 

Liz