Formal night ??

[Zeno]

How many formal nights on a 14 day cruise?  Is formal wear mandatory or suggested on formal nights?  My husband simply will Not dress formally - nice pants, nice shirt and tie - no problem.  What alternative dining possibilities that are not formal on formal nights would be available

Thx

[NownZen]

This topic comes up about once per week. Nice pants and shirt are fine.

Go to the buffet if you are uncomfortable but many (most?) people do not dress up so there will be no issue with being comfortable.

[Doug R.]

Ready? Set? GO!!!!! (Opening Popcorn Concession)

[NownZen]

1 minute ago, Doug R. said:

Ready? Set? GO!!!!! (Opening Popcorn Concession)

I thought I would give an actual correct answer and then we can get into the emotional replies which are so much fun to see.

[Alaskanb]

My husband wears black or grey dress pants, white or grey shirt, and a tie --as well as undies, socks, and shoes. 

[Lady Arwen]

There no such thing as “formal night”.  Wear what you want, but try to look a little nicer than when mowing the lawn.  My DH wears dress pants, dress shirt and tie and usually a nice jacket, but lots don’t bother with the tie and jacket.  Just be you and enjoy your cruise.

[NownZen]

People will ask if it is ok to wear shorts in the dining rooms. The answer is yes--as long as they are under your long pants.

[travelin.sisters]

on a 14-day Hawai'i there are 3 formal nights, but if you go to your travel summary it will tell you the number for your cruise, as stated there are a wide variety of clothing choices that are accepted on formal nights in the MDR, in all other venues (specialty resturants, alfredos, buffet of course) the dress is the same on formal or non formal nights

 

[JimmyVWine]

9 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

Wear what you want, but try to look a little nicer than when mowing the lawn.

 

Speak for yourself!

 

[sloopsailor]

53 minutes ago, Alaskanb said:

My husband wears black or grey dress pants, white or grey shirt, and a tie -- as well as undies, socks, and shoes. 

 

Good. Going "commando" would hugely upset the formal night purists. 

[riffatsea]

Slacks and a decent  shirt is all that is necessary these days

[EDDY0827]

4 minutes ago, sloopsailor said:

 

 Going "commando" would hugely upset the formal night purists. 

Shock and awe?

[Potstech]

1 hour ago, NownZen said:

I thought I would give an actual correct answer and then we can get into the emotional replies which are so much fun to see.

But is there a correct answer for all?

[Lady Arwen]

1 hour ago, JimmyVWine said:

 

Speak for yourself!

 

This gentleman would be the exception to the rule.  He can mow my lawn any day!  lol

[NownZen]

44 minutes ago, Potstech said:

But is there a correct answer for all?

The correct answer for all is that Princess does not care. There are those who do not like that answer.

[Kay S]

Oh goodie!  A dress code thread!  Princess has an actual dress code somewhere in the FAQs, but in practice, it's seldom followed.  The answer is you can wear what the dining staff will let you wear.  It's been awhile since I saw anyone turned away on Formal Night.  My favorite was the guy in a flannel shirt and denim overalls.  I do, however, love a man in a tux!

[voljeep]

47 minutes ago, NownZen said:

The correct answer for all is that Princess does not care. There are those who do not like that answer.

and for those people - there are other cruise lines that strictly enforce a 'formal' dress 'code' ... and having a choice of different cruise lines, cruise price points, itinerary is a beautiful thing

[NownZen]

2 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

 

Speak for yourself!

 

My wife and I were looking hard at that picture for different reasons. I really want that lawnmower.

[PrincessLuver]

3 hours ago, Doug R. said:

Ready? Set? GO!!!!! (Opening Popcorn Concession)

 

Agree...making Kettle Corn... 🙂

[ChemistBabe]

I'm actually glad to hear that slacks/shirt and tie are okay.

 

Its not that we object to dressing up for dinner!  Its just that for Alaska we are already planning to bring SO many clothes (layers....) that packing a bulky suit can be really hard.  (Cocktail dresses are easy, suits just take up so much space in a suitcase!)

[Ombud]

2 hours ago, Potstech said:

3 hours ago, NownZen said:

I thought I would give an actual correct answer and then we can get into the emotional replies which are so much fun to see.

But is there a correct answer for all?

@Zeno There were 2 Dress-to-Impress and 1 Formal night on my last 15 day cruise. 

Edited September 30, 2022 by Ombud

[Alaskanb]

4 hours ago, ChemistBabe said:

I'm actually glad to hear that slacks/shirt and tie are okay.

 

Its not that we object to dressing up for dinner!  Its just that for Alaska we are already planning to bring SO many clothes (layers....) that packing a bulky suit can be really hard.  (Cocktail dresses are easy, suits just take up so much space in a suitcase!)

I've never owned a cocktail dress but do have several long black ones that are rollable and look great with bling.

 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

Our 15 day cruise has three formal nights. I believe MDR is the only place where an effort is made to make things more formal.

 

Our cruise is a Hawaii one so I am going to wear a sport coat (blue blazer) grey slacks and no tie. If I didn't have a sport coat I'd skip the MDR and do the Crown Grill or Sabatini's (o buffet). I don't see many tuxedos on Hawaii cruises. I think they look nice, but I am not taking one to Hawaii.

[NownZen]

5 hours ago, ChemistBabe said:

I'm actually glad to hear that slacks/shirt and tie are okay.

 

Its not that we object to dressing up for dinner!  Its just that for Alaska we are already planning to bring SO many clothes (layers....) that packing a bulky suit can be really hard.  (Cocktail dresses are easy, suits just take up so much space in a suitcase!)

We pack light and I decided that the tie took up too much room.

We will be doing Antarctica with a carry on so Alaska would not be an issue.

On a trip the South Africa, they said the game drive would be fine as they had blankets in the cars. After the first day, we literally put on everything we brought with us, Three pairs of pants, three pairs of socks, three shirts, a sweater, and a windbreaker. With the blanket it was ok.

[Lucky TGO]

I always where my tax on formal nights.

The Captain of The Rowboat,

Tony

 

Edited October 1, 2022 by Lucky TGO