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Club Class and Formal Nights

triptolemus

By triptolemus,
in Princess Cruises

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cflutist

cflutist

Posted
Posted
Reading that brought a smile. When we cruise with our friends we rotate one seat clockwise or counterclockwise each night at our 4-top - it's just automatic. :cool:

That is only being polite and respectful of your fellow diners.

I should also mention that there were two other couples who sat alone at 2 other 2-tops along the wall. We respected their privacy as well.

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satxdiver

satxdiver

Posted
Posted
We don't pack formal wear either. We were on the Caribbean Princess last month and had Club Class dining.

The head waiter in Club Class told us that they were not strict on formal night and we were welcome to dine in Club Class in smart casual. We already had a reservation for the Crown Grill so we did not see if anyone was in Club Class in smart casual attire on formal night.

I would suggest you dine in Club Class before formal night and ask the head waiter about the required dress on formal nights.

 

We all know that "formal" on Princess is a suggestion despite what the cc fashion police want to post. It will not be long before the "formal" issue will be put to bed by Princess when they follow the lead of HAL and others. Formal wear on Princess, HAL and others is dead and it will be a breath of fresh air to end these senseless debates.

 

Pass the popcorn.

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Times Prince

Times Prince

Posted
Posted
Thanks everyone.

 

Like I said, I'm not looking to fire up the formal debate and I know everyone could use a break from that. I was just wondering if the dress code applied to Club Class and we have that answer. DW and I will avoid formal nights and eat elsewhere, or do the suite room service thing.

While I respect your decision, I do have a question.

Why would one sign up for upscale Club Class dining and not accompany it by upscale dress?

 

This is more of a curiosity question, not a criticism.

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cflutist

cflutist

Posted
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While I respect your decision, I do have a question.

Why would one sign up for upscale Club Class dining and not accompany it by upscale dress?

 

This is more of a curiosity question, not a criticism.

Maybe because they want to sail in a 900 sq ft Owner's Suite on the Pacific Princess but don't want to dress up? The man wearing just a shirt and tie on formal nights in our 6-some was sailing in the OS across the hall from our OS. The man wearing a tux was sailing in a CC Mini. Heck I don't know why.

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Steelers36

Steelers36

Posted
Posted
While I respect your decision, I do have a question.

Why would one sign up for upscale Club Class dining and not accompany it by upscale dress?

 

This is more of a curiosity question, not a criticism.

 

Really? From posts I have read, I think some people were expecting/hoping more.

Other than a special app offering, the CC diners are going off the same menu as the rest of the cruisers.

Seems to me the main perq is the CC diner can show up anytime and be assured of no wait or a few moments wait for a table. No need to stand in line or have a buzzer for regular AT dining and no need to be tied to a specific TD time slot. Gives more flexibility to get full DR dinner service when have a longer day ashore or just feel like eating when ready to eat.

Same room, decor, tables, settings, lighting, etc.

 

So some special access and treatment, but once seated, not really any more or less upscale than the rest of the crowd. Am I misunderstanding CC dining?

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Cruiserkenn

Cruiserkenn

Posted
Posted
While I respect your decision, I do have a question.

Why would one sign up for upscale Club Class dining and not accompany it by upscale dress?

 

This is more of a curiosity question, not a criticism.

It can be just an issue with the packing. We have had to cut back, as the car service we use to go to the airport wants only three suitcases, not four. We used to take four. We fly Southwest, so not a problem with the baggage fees.

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triptolemus

triptolemus

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Posted
While I respect your decision, I do have a question.

Why would one sign up for upscale Club Class dining and not accompany it by upscale dress?

 

This is more of a curiosity question, not a criticism.

 

Well, it comes with a suite booking, so... I didn't really sign up for anything.

 

And is it really an upscale experience? Reading the responses here, it's just a designated section within an existing DR, and possibly a "special" door, 1 additional menu item, and special napkins. Is that really an upscale experience?

 

And yes, its a packing issue. We are going to Alaska. You already have to over-pack with jackers, sweaters, boots and jeans. Car service allows three bags. It's too much to add a suit/tux and gowns to the mix. Also, we just prefer not to dress up like that. So, again, I'm asking what the rule or expectation is, and not trying to redefine either or bend them to my preference.

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peety3

peety3

Posted
Posted
I don't need a reprimand from you. I wasn't looking to debate the matter. You'll notice I wasn't sure which is why I asked. The other ancillary conversations are not my concern.

 

To me, it seems pretty easy for Princess to edit the FAQ to include "Club Class" next to "Anytime" and "Traditional" where they describe the dress code.

It wasn't a reprimand - I said nothing about you. I merely said that claim was incorrect. And I wasn't looking to debate the matter either; color of napkins/tablecloths or tableside dishes aside, Club Class is merely Anytime Dining with "class-based" capacity controls.

 

Princess knows their Anytime Dining isn't really Anytime during the times that people want it most. They're locked into an existing design that has three MDRs on most of their ships. Enough people still ask for TD that they feel compelled to commit two MDRs to TD for first seating, leaving only one MDR for ATD. That means their ATD capacity is 50% (of what it could be) during the first half of dinnertime, and only up to 100% of potential capacity after the first seating clears out. If other lines have different MDR options that allow them to bolster capacity for one or more classes of passengers, this is simply Princess' best ability to "fix" it for some (at the expense of others), right or wrong.

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pacruise804

pacruise804

Posted
Posted

 

Snip

  • Formal:
    Evening gown, cocktail dress or pantsuits for ladies, suit, combination or dinner jackets for gentlemen. Princess Cruises offers formal wear rental on all cruises.

Snip

 

When I have looked at this it appears to only be tux rental for men. Does Princess also rent formal wear for women and I just don't see it?

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Steelers36

Steelers36

Posted
Posted
When I have looked at this it appears to only be tux rental for men. Does Princess also rent formal wear for women and I just don't see it?

 

Nope, and I suppose that might be considered old-fashioned and sexist.

If you look under Princess' FAQ's on their website, there is a section for formal wear rental and it directs customers to: https://cruiselineformal.com/cf_pages/?c=pcl

If you check that out, there is only men's wear.

 

(I have no interest in the clothing personally, but I got curious on cost since they want to know voyage length. It's one price if you were going to rent something for the 2 nights of a 7-night cruise, but the price jumps up a lot for long cruises up to 40 days and you have to call for 60 days like we are going on soon. I imagine that must be super expensive and it would only be for 5 nights. Of course one is welcome to wear a tux once or twice a week should one choose.)

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koko1

koko1

Posted
Posted
Really? From posts I have read, I think some people were expecting/hoping more.

Other than a special app offering, the CC diners are going off the same menu as the rest of the cruisers.

Seems to me the main perq is the CC diner can show up anytime and be assured of no wait or a few moments wait for a table. No need to stand in line or have a buzzer for regular AT dining and no need to be tied to a specific TD time slot. Gives more flexibility to get full DR dinner service when have a longer day ashore or just feel like eating when ready to eat.

Same room, decor, tables, settings, lighting, etc.

 

So some special access and treatment, but once seated, not really any more or less upscale than the rest of the crowd. Am I misunderstanding CC dining?

 

I have been in Club Class twice & you are absolutely correct. As to dress, it was just like the MDR on formal nights. Some people dressed up, others wore smart casual. No one was being turned away. Real formal nights are pretty much dead.

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Potstech

Potstech

Posted
Posted
Princess seems to be the last Cruise line with formal nights. If I were against dressing up I would probably try Celeberty. Supposed to be comparable to Princess.

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Princess seems to be one the last cruise line with formal nights. If I was for strict dress standards I would probably try Cunard or one of the others. Why get frustrated trying to change something you can not.

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