Am I the only one who'd love to cruise without formal night?

[jff50]

Sounds like formal evening to me..

 

From my May 21, 2005 Coral Princess Patter, the first day of our Alaska cruise.

 

Dress Codes..

 

During the day, sportswear and casual clothes are suggested. However, we ask that you do not wear bathing suits or beach attire in public rooms or lounges, especially the Dining Rooms. Guidelines for wear from 5:30pm and throughout the evening are:

 

Formal: A Dinner Jacket or dark business suit for gentlemen and a full length evening gown, cocktail dress or trouser suit for ladies.

 

Smart Casual: An open-neck shirt and slacks for gentlemen and a dress, skirt and blouse or trouser suit outfit for the ladies.

 

I understand what Princess' guidelines are. The question was around whether Princess should enforce this policy outside the dining room. Should they allow those that dress casually before/after dinner on formal nights into public areas--including the showrooms or casino.

[Pam in CA]

I took a shortcut down the basement steps, so it is my own fault for going too fast. I guess this too will pass. Karen

It's the "little" things. My daughter is a middle school teacher and they'd taken the kids to a nearby boy scout camp for a 2-day encampment and workshops. She was doing a workshop on the Civil War and stepped back. The ground was uneven and that's all it took. Fortunately, one of the other teachers is an EMT so her ankle was stabilized quickly. She has no idea what actually happened.

[LARGIN]

I understand what Princess' guidelines are. The question was around whether Princess should enforce this policy outside the dining room. Should they allow those that dress casually before/after dinner on formal nights into public areas--including the showrooms or casino.

 

The dress code that I quoted seems to be talking about all public rooms, not just the dining areas. But as many stated in other previous posts, it is only a suggestion..

[lesharona]

I wanted to have Princess clarify for me personal choice dining as it pertains

to Formal nights. Linda assured me since we are signed up for personal

choice dining we would not be turned away if we choose not to dress up

on formal night. I told her the attire would be dockers, sport shirts for the

guys and blouse and long pants for the ladies, she said this would be perfectly fine and not to worry about being turned away.

We are a family of 9 and everyone has chose to do this upcoming cruise

casual. No packing suits, dress shoes, long dresses. etc.

[stoneharborlady]

I wanted to have Princess clarify for me personal choice dining as it pertains

to Formal nights. Linda assured me since we are signed up for personal

choice dining we would not be turned away if we choose not to dress up

on formal night. I told her the attire would be dockers, sport shirts for the

guys and blouse and long pants for the ladies, she said this would be perfectly fine and not to worry about being turned away.

We are a family of 9 and everyone has chose to do this upcoming cruise

casual. No packing suits, dress shoes, long dresses. etc.

 

 

So perhaps Personal Choice will be the answer for those who dont wish to dress formally, but would still like to dine in the dining room.

[Pam in CA]

I wanted to have Princess clarify for me personal choice dining as it pertains

to Formal nights. Linda assured me since we are signed up for personal

choice dining we would not be turned away if we choose not to dress up

on formal night. I told her the attire would be dockers, sport shirts for the

guys and blouse and long pants for the ladies, she said this would be perfectly fine and not to worry about being turned away.

We are a family of 9 and everyone has chose to do this upcoming cruise

casual. No packing suits, dress shoes, long dresses. etc.

You and/or the Princess rep are confusing the term Personal Choice with Anytime dining. "Personal Choice" means that you have a number of dining choices: the option of dining in either a dining room (Traditional or Anytime), buffet or room service so that the Princess rep was correct, i.e., you can be casual in the buffet (which is part of Personal Choice). However, the dress code for "Anytime" and "Traditional" dining in the dining rooms remains the same for Formal nights, i.e., the requested dress code is formal. You'll be fine in your clothing in the buffet but it's not appropriate for the Anytime or Traditional dining rooms. No one will angrily toss you out but it's not appropriate any more than showing up at a friend's wedding in dockers and sport shirts.

[jff50]

I wanted to have Princess clarify for me personal choice dining as it pertains

to Formal nights. Linda assured me since we are signed up for personal

choice dining we would not be turned away if we choose not to dress up

on formal night. I told her the attire would be dockers, sport shirts for the

guys and blouse and long pants for the ladies, she said this would be perfectly fine and not to worry about being turned away.

We are a family of 9 and everyone has chose to do this upcoming cruise

casual. No packing suits, dress shoes, long dresses. etc.

 

I'm not sure who Linda is, but everything I've seen indicates that all the dining rooms (including personal choice) have the same dress codes. I have never seen anything from Princess that distinguishes between Traditional and Personal Choice dining in terms of the dress code. The only option that you can be assured of is the buffet. Since the enforcement of the dress code doesn't seem to be consistent, you might get by with wearing casual on formal night--but I wouldn't rely on it.

[Pam in CA]

I'm not sure who Linda is, but everything I've seen indicates that all the dining rooms (including personal choice) have the same dress codes.

Just to clarify, all dining rooms, including the Traditional and Anytime dining rooms, buffet, alternate restaurants, etc. are part of "Personal Choice." You can choose your dining option.

[LARGIN]

I wanted to have Princess clarify for me personal choice dining as it pertains

to Formal nights. Linda assured me since we are signed up for personal

choice dining we would not be turned away if we choose not to dress up

on formal night. I told her the attire would be dockers, sport shirts for the

guys and blouse and long pants for the ladies, she said this would be perfectly fine and not to worry about being turned away.

We are a family of 9 and everyone has chose to do this upcoming cruise

casual. No packing suits, dress shoes, long dresses. etc.

 

Incorrect info.. Both the Traditional and Anytime Dining Rooms have the same nightly dress code per phone call with Princess today. You will be out of place in these dining areas wearing casual clothes on formal night..

[jff50]

No one will angrily toss you out but it's not appropriate any more than showing up at a friend's wedding in dockers and sport shirts.

 

I haven't seen it, but several posters to this thread have commented on having seen people dressed casually being excluded from the dining rooms on formal nights. I'm not sure if they were referring to the traditional dining room or the others/anytime, but Princess supposedly doesn't distinguish in applying it's dress code.

[Pam in CA]

Incorrect info.. Both the Traditional and Anytime Dining Rooms have the same nightly dress code per phone call with Princess today. You will be out of place in these dining areas wearing casual clothes on formal night..

For "Personal Choice," it is correct but incomplete info since Personal Choice also includes the buffet where you can wear casual clothes. But as you said, the information is incorrect when referring to Anytime dining.

[jff50]

For "Personal Choice," it is correct but incomplete info since Personal Choice also includes the buffet where you can wear casual clothes. But as you said, the information is incorrect when referring to Anytime dining.

 

We seem to be nit-picking on the semantics, which could be confusing. Isn't the correct answer, casual attire does not fit Princess' dress codes for any of the dining rooms on formal nights--it is only considered appropriate in the buffet. If you choose to wear casual attire to a dining room you may not be allowed in--depending on how stringently Princess chooses to enforce the dress code.

[WCAB]

I too was curious as to what Princess is telling callers. I called Princess and was very specific about choosing personal choice dining room and atire on formal night. I was told that "Personal Choice" not only gives you options of what time you eat, where you eat but how to dress for the event. I was told anyone would be welcome in the personal choice dining wearing dressy casual, despite what is being said on this board. So there you go. I trust that they would not be giving the customer false or misleading information.

[stephp6]

We did the 1st formal night and skipped the 2nd.

[spongerob]

Is this the same Customer Service that you can call three times and get three different answers? ;)

[bdjam]

You might want to refer back to you previous post--#97 shown below (among others). It doesn't look like a reference to 1993 to me. I included it in it's entirety so I'm not accused of taking it out of context.

OK – that was my post and what was your point? I don’t remember anymore. That’s my opinion of what a formal evening should be. If you feel that by stating that opinion, I’m relegating someone to a lesser cruise experience, again I’ll say that they have the choice to join in on the formal evening or not…that is based on my opinion. Obviously and unfortunately, I don’t make or enforce the rules.

How about some consistency--is it a formal evening or a formal dinner?

Again, it depends on the context of my post. In this case I was referring to people who don’t dress for formal DINNERS and the fact that in my opinion, they’re probably not interested in seeing production shows either. I think you’re automatically discounting my posts without trying to understand what I’m posting – and if I’m not posting well enough for you to understand, my apologies.

 

Since you choose to characterize it as an evening rather than just dinner, it seems that your interpretation is presumptuous and wrong, as well as wild.

Apparently I’ve not communicated my message properly. Let me ask you this – hypothetically – if a cruise line presents a formal EVENING and a minority of passengers decide not to dress for dinner, or dress for dinner and then run back to their cabin to change into casual clothes after dinner, does that make the formal EVENING become a formal DINNER? It sounds like you're making the assumption that because some people don't partake in the formal EVENING, the rest of us all have to change our definition of what it is...I don't agree with that.

I dress for dinner--and I think that (with up to 7 dining rooms) Princess should be able to accomodate those that want to dress casually on formal night in a dining room (not buffet).

And I think the alternatives that Princess already presents is adequate for the number of people who do not partake in formal DINNERS/EVENINGS/EVENTS/WHATEVER. And perhaps the NCL argument isn't old for those who don't realize there are cruise lines out there that offer casual experiences. Not everyone has our experience.

Hauling the accrutrements necessary to dress up for 3 formal nights is just a hassle I'm not willing to put up with. I just wish others wouldn't assume I'm a nasty, horrible person because I don't want to wear formal clothes.

I don’t assume that – I just assume you don’t want to partake in the formal evening. Please try the casual alternatives offered by the cruise line…thanks!

I understand what Princess' guidelines are. The question was around whether Princess should enforce this policy outside the dining room. Should they allow those that dress casually before/after dinner on formal nights into public areas--including the showrooms or casino.

And just to be clear, my opinion is yes, they should enforce the guidelines they set forth...as I posted before - if they'd pick a direction and go with it, those of us who don't like it could choose something else. This way they keep us guessing - which might be a marketing ploy right there. In reality, I know that no, they won’t enforce the policy because they want to be sure casual cruisers are comfortable and come back for another cruise. So in response to that, I have voiced my opinion directly to Princess and have been quite satisfied with their response.

I was told anyone would be welcome in the personal choice dining wearing dressy casual, despite what is being said on this board. So there you go. I trust that they would

not be giving the customer false or misleading information.

You’re very trusting. That wasn’t the case in April when I was on Island Princess, nor when I was on Sun Princess last year. Is this a new policy?

[jff50]

I too was curious as to what Princess is telling callers. I called Princess and was very specific about choosing personal choice dining room and atire on formal night. I was told that "Personal Choice" not only gives you options of what time you eat, where you eat but how to dress for the event. I was told anyone would be welcome in the personal choice dining wearing dressy casual, despite what is being said on this board. So there you go. I trust that they would not be giving the customer false or misleading information.

 

In my business, I find that anytime you use terminology such as "personal choice" you need to make sure all parties understand what it means to you, and that your question is very specific (not vague). If Princess defines "personal choice" to describe its entire array of dining options, the information you received is technically correct, but misleading. You would be welcome in the personal choice dining wearing casual, there is a personal choice option--but only the buffet part of personal choice.

 

If you want to know if casual dress is appropriate in any of the dining rooms (other than the buffet), you need to ask "is casual dress appropriate in any of the dining rooms, other than the buffet". Everything I've seen indicates it is not considered appropriate--although that may not be enforced.

[Oi]

I enjoy the formal nights. Mostly because when we are at home and working all the time, there is rarely an occasion to get dressed up, so while on vacation, we welcome the opportunity to play dress up and look nice and have fun in an elegant setting.

 

Thats just me though. I hope everyone enjoys all aspects of the cruise.

 

Happy cruising!

[jff50]

And just to be clear, my opinion is yes, they should enforce the guidelines they set forth...as I posted before - if they'd pick a direction and go with it, those of us who don't like it could choose something else. This way they keep us guessing - which might be a marketing ploy right there. In reality, I know that no, they won’t enforce the policy because they want to be sure casual cruisers are comfortable and come back for another cruise. So in response to that, I have voiced my opinion directly to Princess and have been quite satisfied with their response.

 

At last, something we can agree on. I seem to recall that we may have also agreed on the subject ot SUVs and the environment in another post (or was it another life).

[ripleysmom]

Personally I would like to see an option (besides the buffet) available for people who do not want to "dress" for dinner. Yes I do participate but I firmly believe that people should not have to dress up to receive a meal that they have paid for. If there were an option available to me so that I did not have to get dressed up to enjoy the same menu as is available in the dining room on formal night I would take it.

[Pam in CA]

We seem to be nit-picking on the semantics, which could be confusing.

Not really. Personal Choice is not the same as Anytime Dining yet people use them interchangeably.

Isn't the correct answer, casual attire does not fit Princess' dress codes for any of the dining rooms on formal nights--it is only considered appropriate in the buffet. If you choose to wear casual attire to a dining room you may not be allowed in--depending on how stringently Princess chooses to enforce the dress code.

Yes, this is the correct answer. If you chose to be casual, you can eat in the buffet and be casual. That's part of Personal Choice and technically, the Princess Rep was correct. However, it was misleading because they inferred that you could also be casual in Anytime dining which is incorrect. Anytime dining rooms have the same dress code guidelines as Traditional dining. It's sort of nit-picking but it's also a bit infuriating that the Princess Rep would give out incomplete/misleading information. Nothing new there but that's why we exchange information in these boards. :)

[bdjam]

At last, something we can agree on. I seem to recall that we may have also agreed on the subject ot SUVs and the environment in another post (or was it another life).

That was this lifetime.

[AliceS]

Personally I would like to see an option (besides the buffet) available for people who do not want to "dress" for dinner. Yes I do participate but I firmly believe that people should not have to dress up to receive a meal that they have paid for. If there were an option available to me so that I did not have to get dressed up to enjoy the same menu as is available in the dining room on formal night I would take it.

 

 

If they didn't have to "dress" at all for dinner, that dining room would be popular! You know, with issues in today's world, especially in London today, this thread is lame. I'm out of here.

[lasifguvui5uh]

What sparked my interest in Princess was a recent post on another board (HAL I think) about the great alternatives to formal night Princess has. They posted pics of a lobster/crab leg/sushi buffet on what I thought was formal night. This was on the Carribean Princess I believe. Seems like the formal/casual debate rages on all lines. While banishing casual dressers to the buffet and "up on deck" during the shows may seem harsh, referring them to NCL is worse.......much, much worse.

[Pam in CA]

What sparked my interest in Princess was a recent post on another board (HAL I think) about the great alternatives to formal night Princess has. They posted pics of a lobster/crab leg/sushi buffet on what I thought was formal night. This was on the Carribean Princess I believe.

Yes, the Caribbean buffet is in the Cafe Caribe on the Caribbean Princess, and only one or two nights on a 7-day cruise. I don't think it was formal night(s) but others probably know better.