Dining and Dress on Pacific Princess

[Hawaiian Mongoose]

We are going to be on the Pacific Princess in September 2009 to Hawai'i, and have a couple of questions. First, what are the casual or alternative dining options on board? Second, how rigidly are the formal night dress codes enforced? I ask because the casual destination (Hawai'i) and the return trip (some extra fees added US airline) restrict us on what we would pack for the formal nights. Any advice would be appreciated. Many thanks in advance. Patric :)

[chrysalis]

In addition to the traditional dining room, there is the Panorama Buffet, and on alternate nights, Sabaitini's and Sterlings, both "pay extra" dining venues.

 

Enforcement of dress codes is likely up to the Maitre d', and to get an accurate reading on that, I suggest that you ask closer to the date of your sailing.

[Hawaiian Mongoose]

Thanks for the reply and advice. I am loath to take a lot of non-aloha wear clothes since we would use them so little.

[Pam in CA]

The smaller ships, such as the Pacific Princess, attract older passengers who generally dress up more even on Smart Casual evenings. You can wear a Hawaiian shirt at dinner for the Smart Casual evenings but you'll find people generally pretty dressed up for formal nights. It's definitely not as casual as on the larger ships or shorter itineraries.

[flamomo]

We were in the Tahitian a few weeks ago, and despite the South Pacific cruise being pretty casual otherwise, formal nights were embraced by the majority of passengers. There were a number guys in tuxes and ladies in beautiful floor length formal gowns, as well as many men in dark suits and gals in cocktail-type dresses. Those who wanted to dress down ("nice" trousers with Hawaiian type shirt), I presume, dined in the alternative restaurant on those nights, and those who wanted to be really casual must have gone to the buffet.

Smart Casual night attire was also adhered to by the vast majority of passengers who ate in in the dining room on those nights.

The atmosphere of the small ship is very different from that of the ships with 200+++ pssengers.

[paul929207]

Men need to wear a tux or at least a sport coat & tie for formal nights in the dining room.

[Hawaiian Mongoose]

...for your advice. It will help a lot in our planning and packing. Aloha, Patric.

[dreamer09]

Can anyone advise if wearing capris with nice shoes and jewlry is allowable on casual nights/traditional dining/cb?

[rcacace]

While it's true that most people do dress on formal nights, on most Princess ships you can still dine on formal nights in the DR without a jacket & tie. Occasionally you'll hear of people being rejected but it's a rare occurrence if you don't look like a total slob.

[coiran]

While it's true that most people do dress on formal nights, on most Princess ships you can still dine on formal nights in the DR without a jacket & tie. Occasionally you'll hear of people being rejected but it's a rare occurrence if you don't look like a total slob.

 

And you know this to be a fact because???

 

Ron

[mii]

While it's true that most people do dress on formal nights, on most Princess ships you can still dine on formal nights in the DR without a jacket & tie. Occasionally you'll hear of people being rejected but it's a rare occurrence if you don't look like a total slob.

 

Here we go agaon.

[CCSSDRC]

We are going to be on the Pacific Princess in September 2009 to Hawai'i, and have a couple of questions. First, what are the casual or alternative dining options on board? Second, how rigidly are the formal night dress codes enforced? I ask because the casual destination (Hawai'i) and the return trip (some extra fees added US airline) restrict us on what we would pack for the formal nights. Any advice would be appreciated. Many thanks in advance. Patric :)

 

They most likely will let you dine without a jacket if you have a dress shirt with you. If you want to wear the Hawaiian shirt on formal night you will need to tell Princess the suit is in the lost luggage. :cool:

[Cruisin Bob]

And you know this to be a fact because???

 

Ron

 

I think he knows it from his personal experience on Princess ships and numerous reports on CC that people are routinely seated with out a jacket and tie. This has been my personal experience and what I have observed other passengers wearing in the MDR.

 

The suit is in the lost luggage comment provided by others also seems to be the "get out of jail free card" so to speak for people who choose to dress casually.

[coiran]

I think he knows it from his personal experience on Princess ships and numerous reports on CC that people are routinely seated with out a jacket and tie. This has been my personal experience and what I have observed other passengers wearing in the MDR.

 

The suit is in the lost luggage comment provided by others also seems to be the "get out of jail free card" so to speak for people who choose to dress casually.

 

We just got off the Grand, and although I didn't check all three dining venues I did not see any man with less than a suit and tie on. There were not as many tuxes as I have seen on other cruises.

 

Also, at the entrance to the alternate dining rooms there were NO signs stating casual dress. I asked the Headwaiter at one of the rooms and he stated that on formal nights it is formal there also. I guess it just depends on the ship or the Maitr De.

 

My personal experience, and I have been on several of the Princess Fleet, is a minimum of suit and tie.

 

Ron

[dreamer09]

oh my, I just wanted to know about capris on casual nights. I wasn't asking about formal nights. To me formal is formal. But casual is very broad. Not jeans. Capris. When you go shopping for woman's summer ware, capris are the #1 seller. Everyone wears them. Even in corporate america - as long as they look nice. :confused:

[Parrot Mom]

oh my, I just wanted to know about capris on casual nights. I wasn't asking about formal nights. To me formal is formal. But casual is very broad. Not jeans. Capris. When you go shopping for woman's summer ware, capris are the #1 seller. Everyone wears them. Even in corporate america - as long as they look nice. :confused:

 

IT WOULDN'T make a difference to me, but if your wearing capris.. you had darn better be wearing high heel and lots of jewelry.. I am finding that Princess people are rather snobby when it comes to dress. It might be fine for MAine, but these cruisers mostly believe in putting "on the dog"...Parrot Pop will not be bringing a tux, but I will have cocktail type tops with black pants..Wear them.. let them talk...

[California Native]

To answer the capri question

Aloha!

I spent 24 days on the Pacific Princess for the Hawaii -Tahiti run

For smart casual nights

capris with a nice blouse and sandals (not rubber flipflops) are perfectly acceptable

Hawaiian wear in modest taste is perfectly acceptable. If I wasn't wearing a hawaiian pattern and wearing "normal clothes" I usually accesorized with a shell necklace or hawaiian patterned hair accesories (which can be purchased in Hawaii at ABC, Longs Drugs or Hilo Hatties to name a few locations)

Please ignore Parrotmom's comments she does NOT live in the spirit of Aloha and gets a perverse joy out of insulting Princess passengers.

If you would like to see my Pacific Princess photos they are on a our personal website, just go into the link below and into Karen's Cruise Corner

Also in our blog on page 2 I did a pretty big blog on the island of Oahu which you might enjoy!

A hui hou!

 

http://ourpassportstamps.com

[Parrot Mom]

oh my, I just wanted to know about capris on casual nights. I wasn't asking about formal nights. To me formal is formal. But casual is very broad. Not jeans. Capris. When you go shopping for woman's summer ware, capris are the #1 seller. Everyone wears them. Even in corporate america - as long as they look nice. :confused:

 

Sorry I was so rudely interupted.lol We from N.E. (count me in) dance to our own drummer as they say..For informal nights absolutely wear the capris with a pretty top.. for us.. we are on the conservative side.lol..not as flashy but classy..lol.. I love wearing my Parrot Shirts...and accessories..it makes a statement..and at my age.. I could care less..lol

[JudithLynne]

My husband and I have been on 3 Hawaii cruises, all of them with different cruise lines. We were on the Diamond 15 day Hawaii one year ago today, in fact.

 

What I really enjoyed on the cruises, was the number of people in Hawaiian wear, especially couples with matching men’s shirt and woman’s moo moo. Some of these moo moo’s can get quite fancy. Several women had matching flowers in their hair. It was such a nice atmosphere to see passengers dressed like this on smart casual nights.

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

We were on the Tahitian Princess a couple of years ago. We did not feel like dressing for formal nights so my DW and I ate in the buffet. It appeared that most folks who were out and about were dressed formally. I met some dressed informally who ate in the main dining room and were not turned away. I guess it depends on what you are comfortable with. While my DW and I don't feel like dressing formally, there are alternatives for us. By taking advantage of the buffet we didn't upset others who may take the dress code more seriously.

[caribill]

Can anyone advise if wearing capris with nice shoes and jewlry is allowable on casual nights/traditional dining/cb?

 

 

Simple question.

 

The simple answer is "yes."

[coo359a2]

Yes to capris. I wear capris, nice shirts and sandals for smart casual nights. We (DH) suffers through formal nights in a regular suit but immediately after dinner we change back into our daytime clothes. :eek::eek: We just are more comfortable in shorts or whatever we wear during the day. On our cruise last month on the Grand Princess we wore shorts/capris all the time - no formal night for us on that cruise. There were a lot of others do the same as us.

[coiran]

He seems to get his panties in a wad when anyone even suggests not being completely formal. Don't even mention the word "jeans" or he'll go ballistic other than wearing them on the plane.

It's true that I haven't been on the Pacific but what I've said has certainly held for all the other Princess ships I've been on and there's no need to turn this thread into another dress code battle.

 

Check the responses RACACACA - Who turned it into a dress code battle?? If the shoe fits, wear it. Good luck on your future cruises, and do not forget your baseball cap!!

 

Ron

[coiran]

To RCACACACA - I could not edit my earlier post - I just wanted you to know that I do not want to make this thread a personal war with you - just give me some informative positive proof that casual dress is allowed on formal night on all Princess ships, all itineraries, 365/24/7 and I will back off.

 

Ron

[venusbello1]

Here we go agaon.

 

I traveled on the Royal Princess in December (sister ship to the Pacific), and the Maitre d' did turn folks away at the door if they were not dressed appropriately on formal night. One of the members of our group usually wore dockers/khakis and a polo shirt or Hawaiian themed shirt on casual nights and he was never turned away.

 

Have a fabulous cruise! :D The smaller ships are amazing!

 

VB1