Dressing "Down" for dinner

The last time my husband and I cruised to Alaska we just didn't feel comfortable dressing "up" for dinner. Is there anyone out there that feels the same.. We would just want to bring our jeans a few nice shirts and hoodies with our rain coat and or winter coat if we choose to go at the beginning or the end of the season.

I haven't dressed up in over 10 years. :)

I haven't dressed up in over 10 years. :)

Oh sweet, so do u not go to the MDR for your meals?

Nothing wrong with clean jeans and a nice shirt in MDR in my experience

I feel the same way. Besides with luggage restrictions, it is easier to not have to pack "dinner clothes".

Alaska has always been more casual compared to other cruises IMO.

It would be great to now do another formal night if I had my say.

Oh sweet, so do u not go to the MDR for your meals?

Of course you (or anyone) can go to the MDR :rolleyes:...It's suggested dress not "mandatory"...and we too stopped doing formal dress...especially on Alaska cruises.

On our Alaska cruise, we wore jeans every night to the MDR that wasn't formal and I never felt out of place. My tops weren't even particularly fancy, but a couple nights I tossed a scarf over a cotton shirt to dress up. :P

I haven't dressed up in over 10 years. :)

Many others haven't either.

Oh sweet, so do u not go to the MDR for your meals?

Always go to the MDR for dinner.

Oh sweet, so do u not go to the MDR for your meals?

Meals are a very low priority on Alaska cruises. I seldom eat in the MDR on any cruise. Just too much time involved.

Especially in Alaska- I greatly enjoy the later port visits and scenic sailing. I don't go to any shows either. :)

Meals are a very low priority on Alaska cruises. I seldom eat in the MDR on any cruise. Just too much time involved.

 

Especially in Alaska- I greatly enjoy the later port visits and scenic sailing. I don't go to any shows either. :)

After reading and enjoying many of your posts...I'm not surprised dining isn't a priority for you....But it is to many of us, and this assumption of some that you have to dress formal on those formal nights to eat in the MDR is so misleading ;)

Check your cruise lines dress code, most mainstream lines will permit un-patched un-fray jeans in the MDR on smart casual nights. That said. you will find jeans wearers to be in the minority.

Gosh, I got pasted on the Princess forum for suggesting that baggage limits was a reason why people cant find space for formal wear. I have no idea why people want to don tuxedoes on formal night in Alaska - their choice but dont expect me to follow suit. But apparently what I wear (decent, clean, tidy clothes) offends their sensibilities.

A lot has changed in 11 1/2 years (the time I've been here on CC).

(My avatar a picture of my spouse and I, a bit "dressed down" on Majesty of the Seas in 2004. Oh my!)

Gosh, I got pasted on the Princess forum for suggesting that baggage limits was a reason why people cant find space for formal wear. I have no idea why people want to don tuxedoes on formal night in Alaska - their choice but dont expect me to follow suit. But apparently what I wear (decent, clean, tidy clothes) offends their sensibilities.

Well For the reason that Alaska is no different than a cruise to Asia, Europe or Australia, there is no separate dress code for any of them. I have found through experience that a tuxedo for a gentleman weighs no more that a suit or a jacket and slacks and as a matter of fact of less. As Princess's dress code suggests that gentleman and as I can read, I wear a tuxedo of business suit I take a tuxedo and I have found that it fits very well within our luggage limits.

I really enjoy dressing up for formal night, whether on an Alaska cruise or another cruise. My husband and i always choose late dining, so we always have time after excursions to change and relax before dinner.

After reading and enjoying many of your posts...I'm not surprised dining isn't a priority for you....But it is to many of us, and this assumption of some that you have to dress formal on those formal nights to eat in the MDR is so misleading ;)

I agree- formal nights offer a WIDE range, I've seen polo shirts many times along with sneakers.

Nonformal nights- t shirts are usually acceptable.

I like the reactions I get- trotting by the dining rooms- on my outside cross overs- on formal night. Have gotten some interesting snubs. :) All dressed up, and me, walking by in my junky Alaska jacket, ugly knit hat and binoculars around my neck.

The thing with taking a tuxedo is that the only time you wear it is on one or two formal nights. Other jackets and pants can be worn on every night. My thrifty packing says a tuxedo is out when travelling for four weeks - taking something and wearing it just twice makes no sense when having leave much more worn items out.

On our Alaska Princess cruise last month, it looked like about 10% of the men in the MDR weren't wearing a jacket, so you'll have company.

On our Alaska Princess cruise last month, it looked like about 10% of the men in the MDR weren't wearing a jacket, so you'll have company.

Just recently off RCI Radiance Alaska and the % of jackets was a lot higher than that....the most popular jacket was the Alaska sleeveless fleece vests :D

The thing with taking a tuxedo is that the only time you wear it is on one or two formal nights.

I had heard that dining room dress was much more relaxed on an Alaskan cruise. And that's exactly what we experience on our Princess cruise a few weeks ago. Neat jeans and collared shirts for men were very commonplace in the dining room in the evening. Even I wore jeans one night ... and I've never done that before.

What is the MDR (main dining room)? On the star princess last month I went to the Portofina and Almarfi. There was no mention of a MDR. I wore jeans all the time on board and no-one acted weird. You are in Alaska.

What is the MDR (main dining room)?

I'm not sure if you're being serious or sarcastic. But, assuming you're serious ... the MDR or Main Dining Room is the large dining room that you are assigned to for your traditional evening meal. In addition to the buffet, Breakfast and Lunch is also served in the main dining room.

I'm not sure if you're being serious or sarcastic. But, assuming you're serious ... the MDR or Main Dining Room is the large dining room that you are assigned to for your traditional evening meal. In addition to the buffet, Breakfast and Lunch is also served in the main dining room.

On Princess - MDR also refers to the Anytime dining rooms that serve the same menu as the Traditional Dining room.

The Star Princess has 3 main dining rooms. Traditional is aft on Deck 5 aft and then there are 2 off of the atrium that are used for Anytime dining.