Formal Night Attire in a Specialty Restaurant

[JohnHall1965]

If we choose to eat in one of the specialty Restaurant on Formal nights , are we still required to dress formal ?

[Pam in CA]

Restaurants are always smart casual. I've found that on formal nights, people tend to be dressier than smart casual, probably because many book to celebrate a special occasion.

[Cruisin' Chick]

We've only been in Sabatinis once and most of the tables weren't full, but it seemed people were a little dressier than smart casual.

[timetravler]

I enjoy eating in the Crown grill on formal night. Like Pam said many dress up a bit more when eating at a specialty restaurant. But so nice to not have to dress in formal wear. It is a great alternative to eating in the buffet or the IC on formal night.

[dmwnc1959]

I've worn nothing more dressy than dockers and a nice pullover-styled polo shirt on formal nights and it was not an issue.

 

:cool:

[JohnHall1965]

Thank you for the reply's . After 4 cruises the formal dress thing has lost it's luster for us , we have decided we no longer want to drag along an extra garment bag with suits and dresses for dress up pictures . I always wear dress pants or dockers with a nice button up shirt for dinner .We have never cruised Princess before and was curious about the other restaurants aboard ship.

[Shelly97060]

Dockers and a nice button up shirt will be fine in specialty restaurant.

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

Thank you for the reply's . After 4 cruises the formal dress thing has lost it's luster for us , we have decided we no longer want to drag along an extra garment bag with suits and dresses for dress up pictures . I always wear dress pants or dockers with a nice button up shirt for dinner .We have never cruised Princess before and was curious about the other restaurants aboard ship.

 

What you describe wearing will work for the main DR or Specialty restaurant on formal evenings.

[Cruise Junky]

Thank you for the reply's . After 4 cruises the formal dress thing has lost it's luster for us , we have decided we no longer want to drag along an extra garment bag with suits and dresses for dress up pictures . I always wear dress pants or dockers with a nice button up shirt for dinner .We have never cruised Princess before and was curious about the other restaurants aboard ship.

 

Welcome to the club :) We usually eat at the specialties on formal night and would be dressed smart casual. Our last cruise dining at Sabatinis we noticed about 50% were dressed formal and it seemed the later the reservation the more formal it became but there was still a good amount of smart casual.

[Potstech]

All that you really need is a nice pair of pants, long sleeve shirt and a tie to eat in the MDR on formal night. That is what Princess permits so you should be good to go without taking all the extra stuff.

[JanetMarie]

DH and I are Princess cruisers by and far! We always dine at Sabatinis, and I, too, have noticed that on formal night the attire is on the more formal side. We celebrate our special occasion and I think our fellow diners are doing the same. I've also noticed at Sabatini's that our waiters seem to really, really enjoy "seeing" us dressed. They just seem to radiate a hugh smile! On the flip side, it makes me sad to see that Sabatini's is not as packed as it used to be . . . not sure why. Anyone???

[Miss Pat]

DH and I are Princess cruisers by and far! We always dine at Sabatinis, and I, too, have noticed that on formal night the attire is on the more formal side. We celebrate our special occasion and I think our fellow diners are doing the same. I've also noticed at Sabatini's that our waiters seem to really, really enjoy "seeing" us dressed. They just seem to radiate a hugh smile! On the flip side, it makes me sad to see that Sabatini's is not as packed as it used to be . . . not sure why. Anyone???

I'm sure their smile was only to make you feel more comfortable & increase the odds of a better gratuity and not how you were dressed. DH always wears a Polo with dockers or jeans and never had a problem.

 

I think when Sabatini's abandoned the original style of serving each course they lost lots of dedicated fans. We've been back a few time since & it's just not the same.:(

[geoherb]

What you describe wearing will work for the main DR or Specialty restaurant on formal evenings.

It may or may not work for a main dining room but would work for the specialty restaurants. Some maitre d's are fussier than others when it comes to the attire for formal nights. Generally men can get away with wearing a dress shirt with a tie or a dress shirt and jacket without a tie.

[Colo Cruiser]

It may or may not work for a main dining room but would work for the specialty restaurants. Some maitre d's are fussier than others when it comes to the attire for formal nights. Generally men can get away with wearing a dress shirt with a tie or a dress shirt and jacket without a tie.

 

Always those that twist what the OP asked to satisfy their own agenda. Eh?

[rbt001]

What you describe wearing will work for the main DR or Specialty restaurant on formal evenings.

 

From the Princess website:

 

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 gowns and cocktail dresses for women
  
• Tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits with a tie for men
  

So as GeoHerb points out, it will depend on how strictly the Maitre d' in the MDR decides to enforce the policy.

[NavyVeteran]

The official Princess Clothing Recommendations (http://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/pre_cruise/bring.jsp) say "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." Note that specialty restaurants are not mentioned - this policy on formal nights only applies to the main dining rooms (traditional and anytime).

[Miss Pat]

It may or may not work for a main dining room but would work for the specialty restaurants. Some maitre d's are fussier than others when it comes to the attire for formal nights. Generally men can get away with wearing a dress shirt with a tie or a dress shirt and jacket without a tie.

 

Yes, some Matre D's are more fussier than others but my DH had been just wearing a long sleeve dress shirt without the jacket or tie for years now & has never been questioned. It was somewhere around 2001 when he last wore a jacket & ever since then abandoned it for comfort. I doubt if I could get him to cruise on Princess if he had to dress formally in the DR.

[Colo Cruiser]

this policy on formal nights only applies to the main dining rooms (traditional and anytime).

 

 

Which the OP never asked about. ;)

[Colo Cruiser]

It may or may not work for a main dining room but would work for the specialty restaurants. Some maitre d's are fussier than others when it comes to the attire for formal nights. Generally men can get away with wearing a dress shirt with a tie or a dress shirt and jacket without a tie.

 

I agree......

Was going to add to my post above that I agree about the different views that MD's have. It sure varies from ship to ship. :)

[capriccio]

Yes, some Matre D's are more fussier than others but my DH had been just wearing a long sleeve dress shirt without the jacket or tie for years now & has never been questioned. It was somewhere around 2001 when he last wore a jacket & ever since then abandoned it for comfort. I doubt if I could get him to cruise on Princess if he had to dress formally in the DR.

 

As has my husband for the last 3 or 4 years (7 or 8 cruises) - sometimes adding a nice sweater to the shirt. He doesn't pack a jacket or tie and we always eat in a specialty restaurant on formal night. No maitre'd has ever commented on his dress or even given him a dirty look :D.

Edited April 23, 2015 by capriccio

[panoramaofthepast]

My husband wears a sweater/turtleneck with a jacket/khakis for formal night - hasn't worn a tie in years! He looks very nice and hasn't been refused admittance on any major cruise line!

[Colo Cruiser]

My husband wears a sweater/turtleneck with a jacket/khakis for formal night - hasn't worn a tie in years! He looks very nice and hasn't been refused admittance on any major cruise line!

 

The OP was asking about specialty restaurants, they have always been resort casual on formal nights. There would be no reason for anyone to deny him entrance there. :)

[Miss Pat]

As has my husband for the last 3 or 4 years (7 or 8 cruises) - sometimes adding a nice sweater to the shirt. He doesn't pack a jacket or tie and we always eat in a specialty restaurant on formal night. No maitre'd has ever commented on his dress or even given him a dirty look :D.

Being from Florida for many years our selection of sweaters has become very limited. We donated most of them to Goodwill when we moved years ago & never looked back. Our heavy clothes consists of a sweatshirt for the colder weather in Jan/Feb for the 2 or 3 weeks it cools down.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

The official Princess Clothing Recommendations (http://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/pre_cruise/bring.jsp) say "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." Note that specialty restaurants are not mentioned - this policy on formal nights only applies to the main dining rooms (traditional and anytime).

 

This is my understanding also. It always seemed odd to me that the upcharge venues on Princess choose not to follow the MDR dress codes on formal nights, but they don't.

[LMaxwell]

It always seemed odd to me that the upcharge venues on Princess choose not to follow the MDR dress codes on formal nights, but they don't.

 

Why? The Formal theme code is only for the dining rooms. It is not a ship wide evening dress code. I don't find it odd at all. It gives people who don't want to dress formal an option for a sit down dinner with table service. After all, the specialties need revenue and the company has created guidelines that guests wanted.