Haven't Sailed With Princess in Several Years...MDR Question

We haven't sailed with Princess in several years. We have sailed with several other lines, all of which now allow dress shorts in the main dining room (except formal nights). I read that princess may not allow this. Any thoughts?

On the Crown Princess early this year, it was not allowed in the MDR at dinner

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No shorts in the MDR for dinner. They are OK for breakfast & lunch

Are they "nice" dress shorts? [emoji897][emoji897][emoji23][emoji23]

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One would almost certainly be turned away at the door. No shorts at dinner in MDR. Lots of other venues available that allow shorts.

Not so fast there fellow cruisers. We were on the Ruby last month and I was doing my usual of checking out the MDR (early TD) and my fellow pax. I saw at the next table no less two men wear jean shorts to dinner several nights without any problem. I also saw men wearing hats in the MDR and tshirts. For formal night I saw only one male walk in in tux, there may have been more but not in my immediate area and we were seated towards the middle of the room. On formal night I saw several males wearing a polo style shirt and pants or a short sleeved shirt with collar and yes the 2 top next to our table the male wore a hat every night. Personally it did not bother me and my food was as good as ever with excellent service. I do like to people watch.

Bummer. I think men wearing hats at dinner are rude and have no manners.

Bummer. I think men wearing hats at dinner are rude and have no manners.

The worst was a guy across from me one dinner who wore a ballcap and shades AND picked his nose. Thank God we had Anytime.

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Bummer. I think men wearing hats at dinner are rude and have no manners.

In that case you would not make it here in the southwest where men wear hats in the restaurant all the time. Love the young men with hats on backwards which is a frequent sight.

We haven't sailed with Princess in several years. We have sailed with several other lines, all of which now allow dress shorts in the main dining room (except formal nights). I read that princess may not allow this. Any thoughts?

Which cruise lines? Happy to see some are relaxing their dress guidelines in keeping with the times...

Not so fast there fellow cruisers. We were on the Ruby last month and I was doing my usual of checking out the MDR (early TD) and my fellow pax. I saw at the next table no less two men wear jean shorts to dinner several nights without any problem. I also saw men wearing hats in the MDR and tshirts. For formal night I saw only one male walk in in tux, there may have been more but not in my immediate area and we were seated towards the middle of the room. On formal night I saw several males wearing a polo style shirt and pants or a short sleeved shirt with collar and yes the 2 top next to our table the male wore a hat every night. Personally it did not bother me and my food was as good as ever with excellent service. I do like to people watch.

Anything that can happen, will happen. We were on the Ruby in September and saw a couple of guys in shorts being turned away at the MDR.

On the Island Princess in Sept while cruising Alaska, our son (37) was wearing knee dress shorts with knee high socks. IMO, I thought he looked very nice. He was immediately turned away from the MDR, plus the remark was made in a bragging manner that this was the 5th gentleman they rejected that night! He was not aware that this would be unacceptable as his legs were covered,🙀We were mortified by this tone of arrogance. Our wonderful family vacation had a dent in it because the staff was making a production of embarrassing people.We just came to eat supper as a family on vacation,not be humiliated. So, better dress right! Remember, it’s not what you know that is important, but rather how you Dress!

There are two recommendations for evenings and dinners:

• Smart casual:
  Dress the same way you would do for a visit to a restaurant at home. Skirts, dresses or trousers with t-shirt or blouse for ladies, trousers and shirt or poloshirt for gentlemen. Shorts and swimwear are not allowed in the restaurant.
  

• Formal:
  Evening gown, cocktail dress or pantsuits for ladies, suit, combination or dinner jackets for gentlemen. Princess Cruises offers formal wear rental on all cruises.
  

The worst was a guy across from me one dinner who wore a ballcap and shades AND picked his nose. Thank God we had Anytime.

 

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Maybe he thought no one would notice since he had shades on. ;p

On some of our short cruises (Ruby and Caribbean Princess)--five days and fewer--they did unexpectedly allow shorts in the dining room for dinner. I was shocked. I haven't seen them allow shorts at dinner on week-long and longer cruises.

Anything that can happen, will happen. We were on the Ruby in September and saw a couple of guys in shorts being turned away at the MDR.

It is all in who was at the door and how much flack they want to take. Like everything Princess, rules can be simply suggestions.

I have seen dress shorts on a women and she had a suit jacket on with them and she was allowed. They will ask you to go change or go to the buffet. I just don't understand why people want to push the rules. We met a wonderful couple on our last cruise who just wanted to not worry about packing a lot of clothes so they never ate in the dinning rooms. They always ate in the buffet and they not one bit upset that they could not go in the dinning room. As a matter of fact they like the fact they could just crab their food and go. This couple were Elite and could care less but they also felt that for those who wanted to eat in the MDR they should follow the rules. Period.

On a five night getaway on Royal last month I heard a gentleman loudly grousing to his companions about the blankety-blank dress code. Seems he was turned away from the MDR for wearing shorts--even on embarkation day. I guess the fact that his shorts were paired with a Tommy Bahama shirt that costs more than a tuxedo was not persuasive enough, though I have no doubt that is what he wore on formal night. :rolleyes:

Oh and memo to the OP: unless referring to Bermuda shorts worn with a blazer and knee socks, the term "dress shorts" is an oxymoron. An opinion I am thankful Princess generally agrees with.

Bummer. I think men wearing hats at dinner are rude and have no manners.

Even though everyone knows what they publish occasionally you'll see someone with shorts on at dinner.

They're were none that I saw on the Royal recently but some people choosing to dress down & that was fine on formal nights.

I wear my casual visor during the day -khaki with white lettering.. at night I switch to my more formal visor with the black lettering...

On a five night getaway on Royal last month I heard a gentleman loudly grousing to his companions about the blankety-blank dress code. Seems he was turned away from the MDR for wearing shorts--even on embarkation day. I guess the fact that his shorts were paired with a Tommy Bahama shirt that costs more than a tuxedo was not persuasive enough, though I have no doubt that is what he wore on formal night. :rolleyes:

 

Oh and memo to the OP: unless referring to Bermuda shorts worn with a blazer and knee socks, the term "dress shorts" is an oxymoron. An opinion I am thankful Princess generally agrees with.

I will wear a Tommy on Smart Casual nights but never on a Formal night. Shorts in MDR... Yes for lunch. Been there and done that. Never for dinner.

There were some folks turned away from MDR for inappropriate dress on our last cruise. When I mentioned it to the Maitre 'd (Rui Pereira) I think he thought I was going to complain but instead was pleased when I thanked him for maintaining the dress code. I really do appreciate his professionalism and his welcoming attitude.

On a five night getaway on Royal last month I heard a gentleman loudly grousing to his companions about the blankety-blank dress code. Seems he was turned away from the MDR for wearing shorts--even on embarkation day. I guess the fact that his shorts were paired with a Tommy Bahama shirt that costs more than a tuxedo was not persuasive enough, though I have no doubt that is what he wore on formal night. :rolleyes:

 

I think at least 1/2 the dining room was dressed like that on formal nights.

 

Oh and memo to the OP: unless referring to Bermuda shorts worn with a blazer and knee socks, the term "dress shorts" is an oxymoron. An opinion I am thankful Princess generally agrees with.

:):):)

I wear my casual visor during the day -khaki with white lettering.. at night I switch to my more formal visor with the black lettering...

:'):'):')

My husband will wear chinos and a collared shirt in the MDR at night but he isn’t a fan of formal dressing