Are the specialty/alternative restaurants formal on formal nights.....?

[buttah75]

Or are they the same as they would be any other night?

 

Basically, I'm wondering if the buffet or in-room dining are the only options for those who don't mind dressing nice, but want to skip the "formal" thing.

[robinsegg]

Hi

 

yes, the specialty restaurants have the same "formal" dress code on formal nights.

 

Robin

[dforeigner]

Yes, it is supposed to be formal as well. Having said that, please read the following so you can make up your own decision.

 

Onboard Attire

 

Princess makes it easy to know what to pack and what to wear when you're dining onboard. There are two designations for dress codes: Smart Casual and Formal.

Smart Casual Evenings:

• Passenger attire should be in keeping with what would be worn to a nice restaurant at home. Inappropriate dinner dress such as pool or beach attire, shorts, ball caps and casual jeans (with fraying and/or holes), is not permitted in the dining rooms. Shoes must be worn.

Formal Evenings:

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

Princess offers formal wear rental on all cruises; this can be arranged prior to embarkation. Please review the section entitled: formal wear. See below for a general evening attire schedule.

 

Dress code is subject to change with the ship's itinerary. The above is a general guide. The dress code suggested in the Princess Patter may vary from time to time.

 

 

 

The bottom line is that if you are wearing slacks and a dress shirt, you probably will be fine at any of the restaurants besides the buffet.

[buttah75]

Yes, I'm familiar with the dress guidelines. But I've read seemingly conflicting advice on whether Formal Night applies to all of the restaurants or just the main dining rooms. I know it doesn't apply to the buffet.

 

Thanks.

[zacc]

Formal dress applies to all dining rooms and the specialty restaurants. Casual dress on formal night is expected in the buffet and any casual eating location i.e. the Caribe Cafe on the Crown.

[tvaud]

Yes, formal night applies to all specialty restaurants as well as the main dining rooms, both traditional and anytime.

[geejay]

We have eaten at the Bayou, Sabitini's and Sterling Steakhouse on formal nights on various ships and very few people are in formal wear. Most are just dressed "smart casual." :)

 

Don't flame me here. I am just saying how it was! :rolleyes:

[Sandytoes]

Or are they the same as they would be any other night?

 

Basically, I'm wondering if the buffet or in-room dining are the only options for those who don't mind dressing nice, but want to skip the "formal" thing.

Why would anyone dress in formal if they were dining in their room? :confused:

 

No need to dress formal for buffet dining.

 

On formal nite it's like a 50\50.

Some are nicely dressed while some are in their casual attire. When you see this, you know exactly where they ate.

[skf]

Crown Princess' Crown Grill is "resort casual" on formal nights.

Steve

[taxatty]

We have eaten at the Bayou, Sabitini's and Sterling Steakhouse on formal nights on various ships and very few people are in formal wear. Most are just dressed "smart casual." :)

 

Don't flame me here. I am just saying how it was! :rolleyes:

Agreed--we've eaten in the Bayou Cafe on the Coral and Sterling's on the CB on formal nights and hardly anyone wore "formal" type clothing.

Les

[BigGuy25]

My experience in the specialty restaurants on formal nights is that it's a mix of dress with about 75% being on the forma side.

[Pam in CA]

Agreed--we've eaten in the Bayou Cafe on the Coral and Sterling's on the CB on formal nights and hardly anyone wore "formal" type clothing.

You will not be barred from entering and eating, and many people just don't give a darn about the guidelines -- it's their cruise and they'll do what they want. However, the dress code applies to the specialty restaurants as well as the dining rooms. What one does with it is up to the person.

[HighLordDave]

When we were on the Star a couple of years ago, there were some people eating in the main dining room who were not dressed up and none of the other passengers said anything to them and the staff didn't turn them away.

 

Personally, I think the formal nights are just an excuse for the cruise line to take your picture and then charge you $20 a pop to buy them back.

[Pam in CA]

When we were on the Star a couple of years ago, there were some people eating in the main dining room who were not dressed up and none of the other passengers said anything to them and the staff didn't turn them away. -- MOST of the time, you won't be turned away but it does happen.

 

Personally, I think the formal nights are just an excuse for the cruise line to take your picture and then charge you $20 a pop to buy them back.

You've posted this before and I disagree. They are not nearly as aggressive in taking your picture as they used to be. Whether you want a portrait is your choice, and many choose to do so. If you don't want your photo taken at the table, just say, "No" and they'll go to the next table. With five formal nights on my Sapphire Princess cruise in April/May, there was absolutely no pressure to have a photo taken. Most people chose to dress up; those who didn't went to the buffet.

[Putterdude]

I think that most regular posters will know that I am very much in favour (CDN spelling) of formal attire on formal nights and as much as I would love to be proven wrong on this topic, however as I read the "Cruise Answer Book" I don't think that the "Specialty Dining Venues" are subject to the dress code on formal evenings; at least it does not appear to be referenced as such.:confused: Incidently my booked is dated as being effective on 9/07.

[HighLordDave]

You've posted this before and I disagree. They are not nearly as aggressive in taking your picture as they used to be. Whether you want a portrait is your choice, and many choose to do so. If you don't want your photo taken at the table, just say, "No" and they'll go to the next table. With five formal nights on my Sapphire Princess cruise in April/May, there was absolutely no pressure to have a photo taken. Most people chose to dress up; those who didn't went to the buffet.

 

I agree that the photographers are less pushy than they used to be (and not just on formal nights; getting on and off the boat, laying around the pool, etc.).

 

However, to me the whole "formal night" thing seems contrived. It's not just the photographers coming to the table that are a photo-op scam, it's the fact that they set up three (or more) stations where people line up to get their pictures taken. It's those people who are more likely to buy pictures than people just eating dinner anyway. And it's not just the pictures where the cruise lines make money; they book their salons solid for hair and nails, too.

 

Personally, I don't want to go on vacation to get dressed up. I'm a business casual guy in pretty much everything I do, and if I never put a tie on again for the rest of my life, I wouldn't be sad about it. The notion that I have to get dressed up for two nights while I'm on vacation annoys me to no end. I know people say, "If you don't like formal nights, go to the buffet", but part of the reason (for me) to go on a cruise is for the food, and to be relegated to the Horizon Court (which is vastly inferior to the Windjammer on the bigger Royal Caribbean boats) just because I don't like to dress up also irks me.

 

Having said that, my wife lurves herself some formal night. She likes to get all prettied up and put on her little black dress and go out. So I see why some people enjoy the formal nights.

 

However, to be refused dinner service--which I've paid for--just because I'm not wearing a jacket and tie would make me not want to cruise on that line again.

[zacc]

I think that most regular posters will know that I am very much in favour (CDN spelling) of formal attire on formal nights and as much as I would love to be proven wrong on this topic, however as I read the "Cruise Answer Book" I don't think that the "Specialty Dining Venues" are subject to the dress code on formal evenings; at least it does not appear to be referenced as such.:confused: Incidently my booked is dated as being effective on 9/07.

 

Have to disagree sorry. Page 10(at least pg 10 in my copy) of the Q & A book under onboard attire, final sentence. Quote "Guests who wish to have a casual dinner on formal nights can take advantage of our casual dining options." At an additional cost of $25 and $30 I believe it is safe to say the specialty restaurants are not casual. My book is also dated 9/07.

[sultan_sfo]

Paid for -- But subject to any stipulations and guidelines of the cruiseline--. But NOTHING is going to change your "attitude" which you can keep preaching -- I have paid for it, it is MY vacation, etc. etc.

 

...

However, to be refused dinner service--which I've paid for--just because I'm not wearing a jacket and tie would make me not want to cruise on that line again.

[HighLordDave]

It is my vacation and I realise that if the cruise line says that Tuesday and Friday nights are "formal attire only" nights that they have the right to refuse dining room service to patrons who are not dressed appropriately.

 

How many times do you think they will actually do that? Every time? More often than not? Once in a while? In my observation, neither Princess nor Royal Caribbean have ever refused to seat someone at dinner because they were wearing a polo shirt to dinner on formal nights.

 

The sad reality of our flagging economy is that people are cutting back on discretionary spending, and vacations are purely discretionary. Fewer travelers combined with higher costs means slimmer profit margins. Do you really think that cruise lines, which have been expanding at record paces over the last decade or so, can afford to tick off patrons by refusing to seat them at dinner because their golf shirt and khakis don't meet the evening dress code?

 

As it is the cruise line's right to refuse service to people who fail to follow their guidelines, it's my right as a consumer to take my business to a competitor if I find the first company's guidlines not to my liking.

 

To get back to the original poster's original question, I've seen people in ship's specialty restaurants dress up even when it's not a ship-wide "formal night" because it's a special occasion (anniversary, birthday, family reunion, etc.), but I've never seen anyone refused service and I don't think that anyone will be turned away if they choose not to dress up.

[Putterdude]

Have to disagree sorry. Page 10(at least pg 10 in my copy) of the Q & A book under onboard attire, final sentence. Quote "Guests who wish to have a casual dinner on formal nights can take advantage of our casual dining options." At an additional cost of $25 and $30 I believe it is safe to say the specialty restaurants are not casual. My book is also dated 9/07.

 

No need to apologize :) I see exactly what you are referring to but now go to page 17 and look at the 2nd paragraph : "When formal nights .................... in the Traditional Dining and Anytime dining venues ........." to me it is silent on "Specialty" dining venues and thus in my pea brain the cause for confusion.:confused:

[sultan_sfo]

I AGREE completely with all your views expressed in this post (although I have omitted some of it in my reply). My view is that the "Guidelines for Dress Code" in the Specialty Restaurants is at best deliberately murky (despite the many views expressed by others above). A few extra bucks (the cover charge) seem to more readily bend the rules for formal dress! In any case, most are dressed "nicely" in Specialty Restaurants (even on NCL).

 

 

...

To get back to the original poster's original question, I've seen people in ship's specialty restaurants dress up even when it's not a ship-wide "formal night" because it's a special occasion (anniversary, birthday, family reunion, etc.), but I've never seen anyone refused service and I don't think that anyone will be turned away if they choose not to dress up.

[cruisingalaska]

Thank you for reading the Cruise Answer Book. You see that

formal nights refer specifically to the Traditional and Anytime Dining Rooms.

 

It does not specific the casino, hallways, buffet, grill, bars, internet cafe, library, gym, spa or anything else.

 

As long as Princess doesn't consistently enforce the formal night clothing rule in the specified venues: Traditional and Anytime Dining Rooms, there will always be ambiguity.

 

The problem is that Princess needs to enforce the rules they specify. Otherwise just say it's optional, but suggested.

 

Notice how they enforce the smoking rules, but not the dress rules?

I expect them to enforce the rules consistently, without prejudice. I would respect Princess more if they enforced their rules, whatever they published. That way you would know what product you were purchasing. Why should anyone go on their cruises not knowing if they'll be enforcing the rules?

 

What if they didn't enforce the smoking rules and let someone smoke in the dining room? Why don't they enforce

the dress code rules?

[vickie_bernie]

last month on the Diamond we didn't want to dress up on formal night and tried to get a reservation for Sabatinis, we were informed by the lady taking the reservation that it is formal night and formal attire is required. She said if we didn't want to dress up we could eat at the Sterling Steakhouse, which on this ship is located in a section of the Horizon Court.

 

At dinner there were a few that were dressed up, but most were "resort casual"

[buttah75]

Thank you all for your replies. putterdude and zaac, thanks for zeroing in on the conflicting, or at least vague, wording in the answer book. Now everyone can see why I asked the question - glad I'm not the only one who finds it ambiguous!

[B40 Tha Cruisa]

I agree that the photographers are less pushy than they used to be (and not just on formal nights; getting on and off the boat, laying around the pool, etc.).

 

However, to me the whole "formal night" thing seems contrived. It's not just the photographers coming to the table that are a photo-op scam, it's the fact that they set up three (or more) stations where people line up to get their pictures taken. It's those people who are more likely to buy pictures than people just eating dinner anyway. And it's not just the pictures where the cruise lines make money; they book their salons solid for hair and nails, too.

Formal dress on cruises is a tradition that goes back over 100 years, before they were selling photos.

 

Personally, I don't want to go on vacation to get dressed up. I'm a business casual guy in pretty much everything I do, and if I never put a tie on again for the rest of my life, I wouldn't be sad about it. The notion that I have to get dressed up for two nights while I'm on vacation annoys me to no end. I know people say, "If you don't like formal nights, go to the buffet", but part of the reason (for me) to go on a cruise is for the food, and to be relegated to the Horizon Court (which is vastly inferior to the Windjammer on the bigger Royal Caribbean boats) just because I don't like to dress up also irks me.

 

Having said that, my wife lurves herself some formal night. She likes to get all prettied up and put on her little black dress and go out. So I see why some people enjoy the formal nights.

 

However, to be refused dinner service--which I've paid for--just because I'm not wearing a jacket and tie would make me not want to cruise on that line again.

If you know what the dress guidelines are, and that it was a possibility that you would be turned away, why would you cruise that line in the first place?

 

IMHO