Formal night ?

[lefy]

I'll be sailing on the Regal Princess in December & was wondering about formal night. 

On other cruise lines when they have formal night in the main dining room, it is not mandatory & you can still be seated without wearing a jacket. 

I asked a Princess representative about their policy & they didn't know the answer. This is our first Princess cruise so don't know what to expect. 

Neither myself or my wife plan on packing formal wear.  Does anyone have any experience with this issue on Princess?    

[c-boy]

ahhh, you'll be fine

[mom says]

You do not have to wear a jacket for the MDR.

[candy4040]

ooooooooooooooh no!  Here it comes.  Wait for all the responses.

 

Everyone has a different view on this.  On formal nights I generally wear a dressy blouse and black plants and my DH wears a suit.  Many other men wear a nice shirt and pants.  Very few wear jeans and generally no shorts.  Some dress up in tux and formal dresses.

 

On less formal nights I wear either black pants or capris  with a nice blouse.  DH wears a nice shirt and docker type pants.  Usually last night of cruise is very informal and practically anything goes.

 

I've even seen some in flannel shirts but that is rare.   Generally, cruises in Europe are more formal. 

 

 

[Thrak]

Up until our last cruise (May) I always wore a suit. On the last cruise I settled for a long sleeved dress shirt and a tie with black pants, belt, and shoes. On our cruise leaving December 2nd I will do the same. A dark blue shirt and a dark red shirt with complimentary ties. I'm sure there will be a bunch of men with suits and likely a smattering of tuxedos but things have become more casual these days and there will be plenty of men dressed more casually than I will be.

[donswife]

DH wore a dark polo shirt and slacks. I wore a nice dress. No problem. 

[MissP22]

The comments above are all correct- Princess has relaxed their formal requirements in the DR on formal nights where practically anything is acceptable.

For the men even a pair of nice jeans, Dockers or dress pants with a Polo shirt are now being worn.

For the women a pair of slacks & any dressy top are OK.

Aside from wearing shorts there doesn't seem to be much difference between any other nights in the DR.

Of course the men can always dress up in a suit and tie and the women can wear a long gown if they prefer but many people are leaving all the really formal clothing at home.

The important thing is that Princess has now given people the choice to decide for themselves what is appropriate - except I haven't see anyone in shorts, yet. 

[Torfamm]

You can certainly be seated without a jacket. The only enforcement of the dress code is over shorts at dinner. People have been turned away over that although many have been allowed in. So long as you have long pants you are sure to have no problem.

[sparks1093]

2 hours ago, MissP22 said:

The comments above are all correct- Princess has relaxed their formal requirements in the DR on formal nights where practically anything is acceptable.

For the men even a pair of nice jeans, Dockers or dress pants with a Polo shirt are now being worn.

For the women a pair of slacks & any dressy top are OK.

Aside from wearing shorts there doesn't seem to be much difference between any other nights in the DR.

Of course the men can always dress up in a suit and tie and the women can wear a long gown if they prefer but many people are leaving all the really formal clothing at home.

The important thing is that Princess has now given people the choice to decide for themselves what is appropriate - except I haven't see anyone in shorts, yet. 

I have no problem with this, but Princess needs to adjust their policy to match the practice. As a first time cruiser with Princess I would follow their guidance to a T and bring my tux. It could be a little off-putting for a first time Princess cruiser to find out once onboard that they didn't mean it. (For me personally I always wear what I wear and don't really care what others choose to wear and I'm likely to bring my tux anyway, since I need an excuse to make sure it still fits, but people sailing for the first time do have expectations based on what the website says.)

[MissP22]

49 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

I have no problem with this, but Princess needs to adjust their policy to match the practice. As a first time cruiser with Princess I would follow their guidance to a T and bring my tux. It could be a little off-putting for a first time Princess cruiser to find out once onboard that they didn't mean it. (For me personally I always wear what I wear and don't really care what others choose to wear and I'm likely to bring my tux anyway, since I need an excuse to make sure it still fits, but people sailing for the first time do have expectations based on what the website says.)

By all means, bring your tux or anything else that makes you feel you've met what Princess advertises for their formal nights. 

Dressing has changed ever since the return from Covid but it shouldn't keep you from making what sailing was years ago. Just don't be surprised that not everyone will follow that same advice. 

Enjoy the experience what ever you choose to do. 

[sparks1093]

38 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

By all means, bring your tux or anything else that makes you feel you've met what Princess advertises for their formal nights. 

Dressing has changed ever since the return from Covid but it shouldn't keep you from making what sailing was years ago. Just don't be surprised that not everyone will follow that same advice. 

Enjoy the experience what ever you choose to do. 

As my parenetical comment shows that is exactly what I will do, but there are some who would read Princess's requirements and would be upset to find out that the reality is different than what the website states. It's not a good way to start out a relationship with a customer.

[mtnesterz]

13 hours ago, lefy said:

Neither myself or my wife plan on packing formal wear.  Does anyone have any experience with this issue on Princess?    

I see you post on the Celebrity board. What you would wear on Celebrity will be fine on Princess.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, sparks1093 said:

As my parenetical comment shows that is exactly what I will do, but there are some who would read Princess's requirements and would be upset to find out that the reality is different than what the website states. It's not a good way to start out a relationship with a customer.

Sure, but even the Princess recommendations as written allow flexibility and do not literally suggest tux to the exclusion of any other formal wear. 

 

The advice thus far has been on the money from contributors and IMO the OP's question has been answered.

 

ETA:  PCL could easily "man up" and alter their recommendations to match the reality on the ships.  By that I mean expand the examples of acceptable wear.

Edited November 21, 2022 by Steelers36

[sparks1093]

17 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Sure, but even the Princess recommendations as written allow flexibility and do not literally suggest tux to the exclusion of any other formal wear. 

 

The advice thus far has been on the money from contributors and IMO the OP's question has been answered.

 

ETA:  PCL could easily "man up" and alter their recommendations to match the reality on the ships.  By that I mean expand the examples of acceptable wear.

It doesn't exclude other "formal" wear but it does seem to exclude someone wearing nice pants and a nice shirt. While the FAQ title says "Clothing Recommendations" the FAQ for formal night actually says:

 

When formal nights are held, please observe the dress code in the dining venues for the enjoyment of all our guests.

• Evening gown, cocktail dress or elegant pant suit for women
• Tuxedo, dark suit or dinner jacket and slacks for men

 

That sounds more like a requirement then a recommendation. And I reiterate that I am fine with the way it is done, but this could be a dis-satisfier for some others sailing Princess for the first time. 

[Colorado Coasty]

Just my personal opinion. If you are not going to wear a jacket, please, for the sake of fashion and all grocery store clerks, DON'T wear a tie.

[SantaFeFan]

5 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

I have no problem with this, but Princess needs to adjust their policy to match the practice. As a first time cruiser with Princess I would follow their guidance to a T and bring my tux. It could be a little off-putting for a first time Princess cruiser to find out once onboard that they didn't mean it. (For me personally I always wear what I wear and don't really care what others choose to wear and I'm likely to bring my tux anyway, since I need an excuse to make sure it still fits, but people sailing for the first time do have expectations based on what the website says.)

 

The only reason Princess keeps their current dress code policy in their publications is to appear to be an upscale cruise line. It is more about an image they want to project than in what kind of cruise line they actually are. They want people to think they are a more luxurious cruise line than they are.

 

Edited November 21, 2022 by SantaFeFan

[SantaFeFan]

2 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Sure, but even the Princess recommendations as written allow flexibility and do not literally suggest tux to the exclusion of any other formal wear. 

 

The advice thus far has been on the money from contributors and IMO the OP's question has been answered.

 

ETA:  PCL could easily "man up" and alter their recommendations to match the reality on the ships.  By that I mean expand the examples of acceptable wear.

 

2 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

It doesn't exclude other "formal" wear but it does seem to exclude someone wearing nice pants and a nice shirt. While the FAQ title says "Clothing Recommendations" the FAQ for formal night actually says:

 

When formal nights are held, please observe the dress code in the dining venues for the enjoyment of all our guests.

• Evening gown, cocktail dress or elegant pant suit for women
• Tuxedo, dark suit or dinner jacket and slacks for men

 

That sounds more like a requirement then a recommendation. And I reiterate that I am fine with the way it is done, but this could be a dis-satisfier for some others sailing Princess for the first time. 

 

What to wear depends on where on the Princess website you go to. One page called "Dress Code" says:

 

"Formal:
"Evening gown, cocktail dress or pantsuits for ladies, suit, combination or dinner jackets for gentlemen."

 

There is no mention of Tuxedos on that page. Even their own recommendations aren't consistent.

 

 

 

Edited November 21, 2022 by SantaFeFan

[MissP22]

37 minutes ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

The only reason Princess keeps their current dress code policy in their publications is to appear to be an upscale cruise line. It is more about an image they want to project than in what kind of cruise line they actually are. They want people to think they are a more luxurious cruise line than they are.

 

Of course. This way they can please both types of the crowd.  There are very few of the formalists who would leave the cruise line if everyone didn't follow their lead.

[chubbypiggy]

Is it okay to wear shorts to the dining room at lunch time?

[Potstech]

4 hours ago, Colorado Coasty said:

Just my personal opinion. If you are not going to wear a jacket, please, for the sake of fashion and all grocery store clerks, DON'T wear a tie.

No. who cares about some arbitrary standard someone else tries to set. I am to old to worry about that.

[MissP22]

36 minutes ago, chubbypiggy said:

Is it okay to wear shorts to the dining room at lunch time?

Yes it is and unofficially it's been OK in the evenings also, on casual nights is you so choose.

[Thrak]

5 hours ago, Colorado Coasty said:

Just my personal opinion. If you are not going to wear a jacket, please, for the sake of fashion and all grocery store clerks, DON'T wear a tie.

 

Oh, well. I will wear a tie anyway. 😜

[beg3yrs]

3 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

Oh, well. I will wear a tie anyway. 😜

That's exactly what I did for a long time as I was used to it as a working engineer at an aerospace firm. Now I've ditched the tie and wear a dark sport coat.

[Thrak]

4 minutes ago, beg3yrs said:

That's exactly what I did for a long time as I was used to it as a working engineer at an aerospace firm. Now I've ditched the tie and wear a dark sport coat.

 

I worked in IT and for the final 8 years or so I wore Aloha shirts (mostly Tommy Bahama floral design),  Levis, and Birkenstocks.  😁

[ldubs]

13 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

I have no problem with this, but Princess needs to adjust their policy to match the practice. As a first time cruiser with Princess I would follow their guidance to a T and bring my tux. It could be a little off-putting for a first time Princess cruiser to find out once onboard that they didn't mean it. (For me personally I always wear what I wear and don't really care what others choose to wear and I'm likely to bring my tux anyway, since I need an excuse to make sure it still fits, but people sailing for the first time do have expectations based on what the website says.)

 

We all roll our eyes at these dress code threads, but you bring up a very valid reason for them.  I would be comfortable dressing more casually but I've experienced Princess and know what to expect.   For someone new to the line, this is a very helpful thread -- as long as the arguments are avoided. 

 

In my experience there are still a fair number of folks on Princess who dress formally.  Bring the tux if that is what you like.  Likewise, you will be fine if you wear something less formal.