Formal night - sneakers...

[MacThespian]

From the Princess Cruise Answer book:

 

Formal:

Evening Gowns, Cocktail Dresses, or elegant pant suit for women

Tuxedo, dark suit or dinner jacket for men

 

Not only is a tie for men not mentioned, but neither are shirts or shoes or socks. Do I have to wear shoes?

 

It doesn't mention underwear either!

[rcacace]

[/b]

 

You don't have to. The buffet is free. Your friend might find the dining room stuffy on any given night.:o

 

It's not the dining room that's stuffy, it's some of the people in it that are.

[sunnytag]

Stay home That way you can do what you want.

[Fishndawg]

It's your choice. Dress like the guidelines suggest or eat somewhere else. We're actually choosing not to take suits this year due to luggage charges but will wear long sleeve shirt, tie and dress shoes out of respect for the recommended dress code and other passengers.

[satxdiver]

My friend and I will be going to Alaska in July, and he absolutely refuses to dress up for formal night. He is willing to wear a dress shirt and khakis, but will not wear shoes to dinner. Considering that we are only bringing one carry-on bag each with us (refuse to bring luggage with the airline's extra charges nowadays), I'm thinking that I will just be bringing sneakers as well. If we wear a dress shirt, khakis, and sneakers, will we be able to eat in the dining room or will they turn us away? From what I have read, the recommendation for formal night are guidelines rather than mandatory. And they don't mention footwear. I wouldn't mind eating in the buffet if the food is the same, but we both want the lobster tails.

 

You are correct in that the rules so often quoted are actually suggestions. What is required for all meals in the MDR is footwear such as shoes. Bare feet are not allowed. On casual nights jeans, khakis or pants and a shirt with footwear is required. On formal nights pants and a long sleeve dress shirt with footwear is required. Ties are not required nor are tux, suits or sport coats. Posters on CC would have you believe different but they are not telling the truth. Your friend will be fine as long as he wears some kind of footwear. If you want to wear athletic shoes, pick some muted color. Frankly few if any check out what kind of footwear you are wearing which of course will be placed under the table.

 

I wear khaki pants and a polo or hawaiian shirt for casual nights. On formal nights I wear dark colored docker pants and a long sleeved dress shirt sometimes with a blue blazer and sometimes not. Footwear on all nights is a pair of leather sandals. I adamantly refuse to put a d***d noose around my neck to make someone else happy. On the Alaska cruise I substituted a sweater for the blue blazer. I have never had a problem and the crew has never made any comments.

 

You will enjoy the Alaska cruise and hopefully will be able to spend some time in our 49th state. Denali (Mt McKinley) NP, Fairbanks and Anchorage are not to be missed. If you have more time go down towards Homer on the coast.

[kendon]

Yes, it's stooping pretty low to have to lie to get out of wearing a tie...time to grow up.

[kendon]

Stay home That way you can do what you want.

 

Love it!

[rcacace]

I agree, but don't be upset if you are among the 5% that is turned away. If you take the risk, be willing to take the consequences.

 

I've been waiting 20 some odd years to be turned away. Do you think it'll happen anytime soon? ;)

[rcacace]

It doesn't mention underwear either!

 

You are right. I suppose I can leave it off if I choose or will it upset the formalists. :D

[DNArocks]

I understand you asking the question. First time out there are many unknowns. Many answered you, gently and less gently. As you keep trying to make those sneekers and casual clothes okay you are just trying to justify your decision.

 

You know the answer. Choose. Lobster tail??? Dress up (and enjoy the fun of it!!!). No dress up...enjoy the buffet. Two choices.

 

I read on a different post where a group of women wore boas to upscale a casual dress and made a hit. Maybe you can find a tuxedo t-shirt or do something else slightly "off" without being so casual it is a slap. Don't try to justify something that even you realize is wrong. We can tell you know it is wrong by your wording.

 

Enjoy your cruise. There is plenty for everyone from the most casual to the most formal.

[Road Pirate]

Monkeyrat100. If you and your friend refuse and hate the formal wear so much then eat somewhere else those nights. I'm not being flip or anything, but why do you have that attitude. This is suppose to be fun. Look I am no big fan of putting on tux myself, but dang, just work around the luggage thing by making the cloths you do take acceptable. For guys, take a black leather blazer you wear almost all the time, a new white shirt, two ties, a dark grey pair of Dockers, and a pair of slip on leather shoes. Bingo! With a variety of causal shirts, another pair of pants, shorts, personals, and sneak's, you've got more mix and match items then you can stand. All in one carry-on. Make all but the leather jacket washable and you can just do a load of cloths mid-cruise. See wasn't that easier? For the ladies, a navy or dark pair of slacks and a nice top. change the entire look with a different color scarf on each of the two nights. With a variety of tops you've got all the "smart casual" nights covered as well.

[satxdiver]

I've been waiting 20 some odd years to be turned away. Do you think it'll happen anytime soon? ;)

 

No I do not. I have only been waiting 6 years so I have a ways to go. On a similar hot issue on CC, I also have been waiting the same amount of time to have my friend Jack confiscated and be denied boarding which is frequently claimed to have happened to a friend of a friend of a friend (you get the picture).

 

You are right. I suppose I can leave it off if I choose or will it upset the formalists. :D

 

I think there should be an underwear check at the door. Everyone entering will have to be inspected for the proper attire including their underwear. Since I was an Army officer and did many troop inspections, I would volunteer my services to do the underwear check. Do we also need a short leg inspection? (Army joke).

 

Most pax could care less what you wear in the MDR as long as it is decent and presentable. They are there to have a good time.

 

[Texaswinediva]

It looks like you have two choices---

 

1. Dress up with appropriate shoes and get the lobster you want.

2. Dress in your tennis shoes and eat in the buffet.

 

You can always get a nice lobster meal when you get home.:D

[rcacace]

I think there should be an underwear check at the door. Everyone entering will have to be inspected for the proper attire including their underwear. Since I was an Army officer and did many troop inspections, I would volunteer my services to do the underwear check. Do we also need a short leg inspection? (Army joke).

 

I really think there are a few things you would rather not see. If you get my drift.

[rcacace]

It looks like you have two choices---

 

1. Dress up with appropriate shoes and get the lobster you want.

2. Dress in your tennis shoes and eat in the buffet.

 

You can always get a nice lobster meal when you get home.:D

 

Is there anything wrong wearing Princess slippers in the DR?:confused:

[sillysailor 1955]

Since Princess seems to have guidelines for Formal Night and you can't seem to comply, perhaps you and Little Abner should book your next cruise on NCL. :rolleyes:

[Tennessee88]

We just got off the carribbean a few weeks ago and there were many people turned away from the dinning room. If a man did not have on a jacket at dinner then he was turned away at the door on formal nights. The also turned away people on smart casual night for wear shorts. Anyone wearing a hat also had to remove it. We sat by the door every night in anytime and wittnessed this alot.

[kooljamming]

[quote

You don't have to. The buffet is free. Your friend might find the dining room stuffy on any given night.:o

 

Maybe not. The dining room would be fine, but might wonder if some of the well dressed people are truly uppity, wanna-be upper class snobs, underneath the formal wear. He might look around and smile wondering if dressing up was so important because some think this is as good as life gets, on a mass market, Wal-Mart shined up line. If the dining room becomes stuffy it might have nothing to do with the menu.

 

What's underneath can be as big a mystery as who is behind the computer monitor. JMOP

[monkeyrat100]

You are correct in that the rules so often quoted are actually suggestions. What is required for all meals in the MDR is footwear such as shoes. Bare feet are not allowed. On casual nights jeans, khakis or pants and a shirt with footwear is required. On formal nights pants and a long sleeve dress shirt with footwear is required. Ties are not required nor are tux, suits or sport coats. Posters on CC would have you believe different but they are not telling the truth. Your friend will be fine as long as he wears some kind of footwear. If you want to wear athletic shoes, pick some muted color. Frankly few if any check out what kind of footwear you are wearing which of course will be placed under the table.

 

I wear khaki pants and a polo or hawaiian shirt for casual nights. On formal nights I wear dark colored docker pants and a long sleeved dress shirt sometimes with a blue blazer and sometimes not. Footwear on all nights is a pair of leather sandals. I adamantly refuse to put a d***d noose around my neck to make someone else happy. On the Alaska cruise I substituted a sweater for the blue blazer. I have never had a problem and the crew has never made any comments.

 

You will enjoy the Alaska cruise and hopefully will be able to spend some time in our 49th state. Denali (Mt McKinley) NP, Fairbanks and Anchorage are not to be missed. If you have more time go down towards Homer on the coast.

 

Thanks! I wish everyone had your attitude. We will be spending a week in Alaska precruise, so that we can make the most of our vacation and the one way flight. Since we're only bringing carry-on, we will either be doing laundry in Alaska or on the cruise.

 

Some of the people on this forum are downright rude! I never said I was going to lie to get out of wearing a tie or dress shoes. I'll probably wear a tie, but have no room in our carry-on for any shoes. I don't see why others should care about what we wear anyway. As long as I'm not wearing anything offensive, I don't see how I am ruining anyone else's trip. It's not like I will be running into their photos or eating from their plates!

[paul929207]

You are correct in that the rules so often quoted are actually suggestions. What is required for all meals in the MDR is footwear such as shoes. Bare feet are not allowed. On casual nights jeans, khakis or pants and a shirt with footwear is required. On formal nights pants and a long sleeve dress shirt with footwear is required. Ties are not required nor are tux, suits or sport coats. Posters on CC would have you believe different but they are not telling the truth. Your friend will be fine as long as he wears some kind of footwear. If you want to wear athletic shoes, pick some muted color. Frankly few if any check out what kind of footwear you are wearing which of course will be placed under the table.

 

I wear khaki pants and a polo or hawaiian shirt for casual nights. On formal nights I wear dark colored docker pants and a long sleeved dress shirt sometimes with a blue blazer and sometimes not. Footwear on all nights is a pair of leather sandals. I adamantly refuse to put a d***d noose around my neck to make someone else happy. On the Alaska cruise I substituted a sweater for the blue blazer. I have never had a problem and the crew has never made any comments.

 

You will enjoy the Alaska cruise and hopefully will be able to spend some time in our 49th state. Denali (Mt McKinley) NP, Fairbanks and Anchorage are not to be missed. If you have more time go down towards Homer on the coast.

Just courious, where in all the suggestions for clothin in the Cruise Answer Book does it says shoes are required?

[Pam in CA]

Considering that we are only bringing one carry-on bag each with us (refuse to bring luggage with the airline's extra charges nowadays)...

IMHO, this is a complete cop-out. Wanting to bring only a few pieces of clothing is your choice but using the airline regulations as an excuse is pretty feeble. I use one 25" suitcase for cruises less than three weeks, including any pre-cruise stays, am well within the suitcase weight limit, and have all the clothing I need for up to 3 seasons (some of my cruises go from very hot to very cold on the same cruise)... plus clothes for formal night. It all comes down to planning and packing right.

[Pam in CA]

Just courious, where in all the suggestions for clothin in the Cruise Answer Book does it says shoes are required?

I'm pretty sure there's a sign outside the dining room door that says shoes required. :) With all the broken glass that's probably still in the carpeting, not wearing shoes will earn you a trip to the medical center.

[vannagreen]

I think you might want to just look into renting the formal wear. Its probably not that expensive (maybe cheaper than paying for an extra bag of luggage)...plus you wont have to worry so much about what you are wearing and nothing will distract you from enjoying your lobster!!

[paul929207]

I'm pretty sure there's a sign outside the dining room door that says shoes required. :) With all the broken glass that's probably still in the carpeting, not wearing shoes will earn you a trip to the medical center.

If my sneakers hurt my feet, is it OK if I wear flip-flops? They are nice ones. :)

[Mom33]

As for the dining room appearing to be stuffy, that reply was for the OP"s friend who is adamant about sneakers on formal night.

The OP's friend may not be comfortable with fine linens and china and the formality of service. He may be used to Applebees and Outback type dining.

He may be uncomfortable having a linen napkin placed in his lap.

 

I don't find the dining room stuffy. I find it classy. I dress accordingly.

 

PS. The lobster tails in the dining room are the size of a large shrimp when removed from their shell. Be sure to order 3 or 4.