First time cruiser> Formal night?

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

That's what we are thinking will happen on the Coral!! Too many late ports and fabulous scenery to worry about changing into formal clothes in Alaska. We don't mind the Horizon Court at all for meals.

The Horizon will probably be packed but with the new layout they should be able to handle it without overcrowding.

[Cowbell Kingdom]

Formal nights are amazing. It harkens back to a day when getting dressed up for dinner was A Thing. And you get why it was.

 

We will be dressing for dinner every night. Tux for him on formal nights. Suits otherwise. Gowns and LBD's for me.

 

We don't go out to Big Time Grown Up dinner very often and usually, when we do, we're still in casual wear. The last time we got out the Big Kids Clothes was for a wedding.

 

If you don't want to... that's cool. Loads of options other than the MDR.

[Cowbell Kingdom]

But that's not FORMAL. For all the other regular dining nights? It is plenty fine. But on FORMAL nights.... it's formal dress.

[sherryf]

Just back from Alaska on the Grand. Although there were a few men in just shirts and ties on formal nights, the VAST majority were in suits or sport coats. Even most of the teens and little boys I saw were wearing suits. We even saw several tuxedos. I don't think they turn anyone away, unless maybe wearing shorts, but casual attire on formal nights is far from the norm, even in Alaska.

[MJSailors]

You can wear pretty much what you want on formal night ,but keep in mind that some Maitre ds will strictly adhere to the dress code and turn away diners who do not follow those guidelines

It seems to depend on the ship and particular Maitre ds to choose to follow the guidelines strictly or not.

There are many other dining venues to choose from besides the main dining rooms.

My husband and I usually go to the Crown Grill on formal nights. He wears a suit and I usually wear a cocktail dress.

There are others in the spevialty restaurant dressed in a similar way and there are others dressed more casually.

I always think it is a pleasure to see passengers dressed for the occasion.

It reminds me of prom nights!

Just curious.what kind of shop is a Bettie Page shop?

[retrembl]

Hello! My husband and I are first time cruisers and we will be sailing on the Golden Princess to Alaska on Sept. 6th.

 

I am curious about the formal night and just would like some general information. I hear people talk about it and have read a few posts about other places being open during that night. Can someone fill me in? Is that when pictures are done too and how does THAT work. We are staying in a full suite if that matters. DH is 47 and was going to wear a tie and dress shirt and pants. Does he HAVE to wear a jacket. I and 35 and I was going to wear a dress from the Bettie Page shop.... probably. It says we will have 2 formal nights...

 

ANY info will be helpful. Thanks everyone.

 

We attend all Formal nights. In the past I have worn a Tux and my wife a gown. The past couple of cruises we have change slightly. I wear a Dark Suite with a Tux Vest and my wife wears a Cocktail dress. If you are going to attend the main dinning room on Formal Nights a Jacket is required.

[MauiLvrs]

Formal nights are amazing. It harkens back to a day when getting dressed up for dinner was A Thing. And you get why it was.

 

We will be dressing for dinner every night. Tux for him on formal nights. Suits otherwise. Gowns and LBD's for me.

 

We don't go out to Big Time Grown Up dinner very often and usually, when we do, we're still in casual wear. The last time we got out the Big Kids Clothes was for a wedding.

 

If you don't want to... that's cool. Loads of options other than the MDR.

 

That's the spirit. Couldn't have said it any better.

[my_crib_too]

If you hate to wear a jacket, go to an alternate dining venue or go to NCL. Don't try to turn a Princess cruise into another night at Denny's or the bowling alley. A cruise is supposed to be special.

 

Ouch....

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

We attend all Formal nights. In the past I have worn a Tux and my wife a gown. The past couple of cruises we have change slightly. I wear a Dark Suite with a Tux Vest and my wife wears a Cocktail dress. If you are going to attend the main dinning room on Formal Nights a Jacket is required.

 

Requested but not required. Big difference.

[DebJ14]

Seriously, they would actually turn someone away if they didn't have a jacket and tie on? I think that is absurd. Dress pants, a long sleeved dress shirt and tie should be acceptable in my opinion. On our last cruise with Carnival, as well on Royal Caribbean, my husband did not wear a suit and we had no problem being seated.

 

Sorry, but you cannot compare Carnival's dress code with that of Princess. Carnival specifically permits shorts in the MDR on casual nights and basically any shirt with a collar and any long pants are good enough for "Elegant" nights on Carnival. They no longer call it formal and a suit is not required, so no wonder you had no problem being seated on Carnival.

 

We have seen people turned away on RCCL and Princess for wearing shorts on casual nights and saw one guy turned away on formal night on Princess. He was wearing jeans, flip flops and a tee shirt.

 

We find that traditional late dining seems to have more tuxes and dark suits on all cruise lines than early dining or anytime. Perhaps veteran cruisers who are use to the old days of stricter dress codes?

 

We did anytime dining once and that was on the Golden Princess. Unless you wanted to eat the minute the dining rooms opened there was a pretty substantial wait. We solved it that cruise by making reservations and eating in the specialty restaurants every night. After that it was back to traditional late dining for us.

[dne698]

Sorry, but you cannot compare Carnival's dress code with that of Princess. Carnival specifically permits shorts in the MDR on casual nights and basically any shirt with a collar and any long pants are good enough for "Elegant" nights on Carnival. They no longer call it formal and a suit is not required, so no wonder you had no problem being seated on Carnival.

 

We have seen people turned away on RCCL and Princess for wearing shorts on casual nights and saw one guy turned away on formal night on Princess. He was wearing jeans, flip flops and a tee shirt.

 

We find that traditional late dining seems to have more tuxes and dark suits on all cruise lines than early dining or anytime. Perhaps veteran cruisers who are use to the old days of stricter dress codes?

 

We did anytime dining once and that was on the Golden Princess. Unless you wanted to eat the minute the dining rooms opened there was a pretty substantial wait. We solved it that cruise by making reservations and eating in the specialty restaurants every night. After that it was back to traditional late dining for us.

Agreed, Carnival does have a looser dress code than RCCL or Princess.

It is totally understandable that someone wearing jeans, flip flops and a tee shirt on Princess would be turned away!

My husband wears dark dress pants, long sleeved dress shirt and a tie. On RCCL, and on our last Princess cruise. Never got turned away.

[Mrs.Gosse]

The Bettie page shop is a clothing store that focuses on 50s and 69s style dresses. I love it. I did get two dresses from there. I believe they are now called tatyana designs.

 

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[tserface]

We haven't been on Princess for a while, but I think I'm reading in this thread that wearing a nice shirt, tie, nice sports jacket, and dress slacks would work OK for formal nights? Is that true?

 

On our last few cruises (on RCI) we toyed with the idea of not going to formal nights, but the food is usually so good on those nights we hate to miss it; so we comply. It would be fun to not have to dress in a black suit or tux for a change.

 

With all the talk these days about gender equality, it seems unfair that guys have to wear a suit and tie to be formal and women can wear just about anything (pants, shorts, flip flops, etc.) A guy could be dressed like a GQ model in stylish new clothes and not be consider dressed up, but if he puts on a ratty coat from a thrift shop and a Dr. Seuss tie he all of a sudden is formal. I kind of don't get it.

 

But, I will comply because I don't want to miss out on the best food of the cruise :rolleyes:

 

Tom

[rdsqrl]

We haven't been on Princess for a while, but I think I'm reading in this thread that wearing a nice shirt, tie, nice sports jacket, and dress slacks would work OK for formal nights? Is that true?

 

On our last few cruises (on RCI) we toyed with the idea of not going to formal nights, but the food is usually so good on those nights we hate to miss it; so we comply. It would be fun to not have to dress in a black suit or tux for a change.

 

With all the talk these days about gender equality, it seems unfair that guys have to wear a suit and tie to be formal and women can wear just about anything (pants, shorts, flip flops, etc.) A guy could be dressed like a GQ model in stylish new clothes and not be consider dressed up, but if he puts on a ratty coat from a thrift shop and a Dr. Seuss tie he all of a sudden is formal. I kind of don't get it.

 

But, I will comply because I don't want to miss out on the best food of the cruise :rolleyes:

 

Tom

Yes, what you describe will be fine. I'm somewhat curious how dress slacks, nice shirt, tie, and sport jacket are somehow "more fun" to wear than a black suit, but upon reflection, I don't really care . . .

 

I have yet to see women wearing shorts and flipflops on formal nights on Princess, so there's no need to make up ridiculous scenarios. And if you're bemoaning women in pants, you're about 100 years behind the times.

[tserface]

Yes, what you describe will be fine. I'm somewhat curious how dress slacks, nice shirt, tie, and sport jacket are somehow "more fun" to wear than a black suit, but upon reflection, I don't really care . . .

 

I have yet to see women wearing shorts and flipflops on formal nights on Princess, so there's no need to make up ridiculous scenarios. And if you're bemoaning women in pants, you're about 100 years behind the times.

 

 

If you had to wear the same thing every formal night of every cruise you may tire of it as well. It would be nice to be able to change it up a bit. I don't care what women wear. I just think it's a double standard that they can wear almost anything nice and be considered dressy and guys have to wear coats and ties to achieve same. There are lots of dressy guy clothes that don't need ties!

 

I think cruise lines need to catch up.

 

Tom

[BrandiGreg]

If you had to wear the same thing every formal night of every cruise you may tire of it as well. It would be nice to be able to change it up a bit. I don't care what women wear. I just think it's a double standard that they can wear almost anything nice and be considered dressy and guys have to wear coats and ties to achieve same. There are lots of dressy guy clothes that don't need ties!

 

I think cruise lines need to catch up.

 

Tom

I enjoy wearing my tux. My normal day-to-day life does not give me an opportunity to wear it. I "change it up a bit" by wearing a black shirt sometimes, and different colors of bow ties or vests. My wife always wears very formal dresses as well, and she looks LOTS better than she would look in a pantsuit. Formal nights are one of our favorite times of the cruise.

[tserface]

I enjoy wearing my tux. My normal day-to-day life does not give me an opportunity to wear it. I "change it up a bit" by wearing a black shirt sometimes, and different colors of bow ties or vests. My wife always wears very formal dresses as well, and she looks LOTS better than she would look in a pantsuit. Formal nights are one of our favorite times of the cruise.

 

 

Don't get me wrong... I enjoy formal nights as well. I just think the standard is a little out dated. But, yeah, I work at home and I'm a computer programmer so I don't have occasion to get dressed up much. And, I confess to being bored always wearing the same suit. I also enjoy seeing my wife dressed up. She doesn't wear the same dress both formal nights though. She'd feel kind of awkward doing that.

 

All that said, I don't care what anyone else wears and I'm certainly not trying to degrade formal nights. I just think there are other kinds of dressed up besides ties and black suits. Maybe women like guys to wear ties because it's kind of like a collar and leash? :)

 

Tom

Edited August 1, 2014 by tserface

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

If you had to wear the same thing every formal night of every cruise you may tire of it as well. It would be nice to be able to change it up a bit. I don't care what women wear. I just think it's a double standard that they can wear almost anything nice and be considered dressy and guys have to wear coats and ties to achieve same. There are lots of dressy guy clothes that don't need ties!

 

I think cruise lines need to catch up.

 

Tom

 

Don't get me wrong... I enjoy formal nights as well. I just think the standard is a little out dated. But, yeah, I work at home and I'm a computer programmer so I don't have occasion to get dressed up much. And, I confess to being bored always wearing the same suit. I also enjoy seeing my wife dressed up. She doesn't wear the same dress both formal nights though. She'd feel kind of awkward doing that.

 

All that said, I don't care what anyone else wears and I'm certainly not trying to degrade formal nights. I just think there are other kinds of dressed up besides ties and black suits. Maybe women like guys to wear ties because it's kind of like a collar and leash? :)

 

Tom

 

I feel the same as you do. There is a double standard on Princess as far a women's dress is concerned. They can get away with practically anything (but shorts) on a formal night although Princess has been more lenient in the past 10 years about enforcing formal dress for the guys also. What you describe is fine for yourself & won't be questioned. Even the lack of a jacket will be overlooked if you have a long sleeve shirt. Of course you would be in the minority but you will be able to enjoy the best food of the cruise and not have to eat at the buffet on a formal night.

[pablo222]

A guy could be dressed like a GQ model in stylish new clothes and not be consider dressed up, but if he puts on a ratty coat from a thrift shop and a Dr. Seuss tie he all of a sudden is formal. I kind of don't get it.

 

When I was on HAL, they requested that gents wear a jacket on one

evening.

 

In the dining room, there was a gent wearing a windbreaker.

 

Maybe he was a bit too literal.

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

When I was on HAL, they requested that gents wear a jacket on one

evening.

 

In the dining room, there was a gent wearing a windbreaker.

 

Maybe he was a bit too literal.

 

Maybe it was his only jacket he had & still wanted to eat in the DR.

HAL is still much to formal for me.

[sherryf]

 

I have yet to see women wearing shorts and flipflops on formal nights on Princess, so there's no need to make up ridiculous scenarios. And if you're bemoaning women in pants, you're about 100 years behind the times.

 

A woman could wear a skirt (or skort!) and dressy sandals, which really isn't that different from shorts and flip flops, but looks nicer. It's too bad they can't just say "dress nicely" and leave it at that.

[rdsqrl]

The easiest packing I ever had was for my QE2 crossing. Six cocktail dresses, two pairs of strappy shoes and their matching bags, and done. Formal attire actually makes things so much simpler.

[Raring to go]

We are currently booked on our 20th cruise, and 3 of those have been on Princess. For our Princess cruise coming up in October, I have told my husband, who since he has retired from business, has retired from dressing up, too, that I am totally comfortable with his wearing a nice dress shirt and tie for formal night. I will wear evening pants and a sparkly top. If we are turned away, then we will eat else where on the ship. However, having seen what I have seen on the last 3 Princess cruises we have taken (2 in Asia, one in the Caribbean), I doubt that will happen. We do any time dining, and eat early at a table for 2. Once we are seated our fellow diners cannot see what we are wearing anyway. Pretend away people, the food and service you receive on Princess is not on par with land based restaurants that require a coat and tie for males.

Edited August 2, 2014 by Raring to go
spelling error

[MJSailors]

The Bettie page shop is a clothing store that focuses on 50s and 69s style dresses. I love it. I did get two dresses from there. I believe they are now called tatyana designs.

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Forums mobile app

 

Thank you for the info.

Do they have a web site for online ordering?

Love shopping!

I am always on the lookout for cruise wear.

You never know when the next cruise will be and I like to be prepared?

Hope you enjoy your cruise!

[OllieO]

We do not dress up, refuse to be intimidated by people who like that sort of thing. Look pretty and if your spouse has a sports coat have him wear it. He can always take it off once he is in the dining room. Don't go out and buy a bunch of stuff you will never use. camera men are everywhere and will take your pics in different settings. It is fun and you are in for a great time. I remember our first cruise, we were in total awe.