Can we really dress up on formal nights?

[Rigby the Dog]

I disagree. I think they should be there. Formal dinning nights have always been part of the cruise experience. Those that want to change that and say it is their vacation should probably look for a different vacation experience or more casual line like Nor or Carnival that cater to that.

Or perhaps those who want to dictate the way others should dress should look for a cruise that is nothing but formal.

[Rigby the Dog]

Well said. I am going to start the dialog with the Maitre d on all of my future cruises regarding expectations for dress on formal nights. I am going to write to customer service expressing my views and asking that the website clarify the Princess policy. I chose Princess and Cunard largely because of their dress codes. You are correct that their are many lines in all price ranges that cater to those who do not care for formal nights. Those who prefer no formal nights should gravitate to them and those who prefer formal nights should cruise Princess and Cunard.

The others have far more choice than we do so I really cannot fathom why they continue to complain so loudly.

 

Actually, it's the formal dress police who are the ones who are complaining. Have you read your post?

 

If the majority of the people don't favor formal wear then why would a ship want to cater to a minority that won't fill up a ship?

[oskidunker]

Because they do.

[Rigby the Dog]

in the same link please read the section "clothing reccomendations"

and it will spell out in words you can understand just what I originally posted - thank you - someday it may not work all the time and I hope I am there to witness it

 

"Recommendations" being the key word. A suggestion. So, "clothing suggestions"

[floridalover5623]

Ever notice how all the letter writers never come back and let all know the response from Princess. We here dozens say that the "code" should be enforced and are going to write about it but then nothing. And we all know how Princess has changed their policy on this lately.

I'm still patiently waiting to see the response to that letter. Of course it'll probably never show up here because if they even do send a response back it wouldn't be what that OP wanted to hear. So why would he post it?;)

[Potstech]

I'm still patiently waiting to see the response to that letter. Of course it'll probably never show up here because if they even do send a response back it wouldn't be what that OP wanted to hear. So why would he post it?;)

 

I was referring to all who said they were going to write not just one. There have been several on that subject by different posters.

[satxdiver]

I wish they would do this because I do not believe it would be the men who would be more frequently stopped but the many women who we see on formal nights who do not wear anything close to what approaches "formal attire for the women dress code." It seems anything goes for the female passengers because dress is so much more subjective when it entails more then just "a tie, dress shirt and suit."

 

I went to guest services one time to complain about the obvious different dress standards of men and women that are allowed. What they told me was that for men it easy to decide the dress code while for women they can wear almost anything and do. Ever notice the women on formal night with a pair of dark slacks, dark top with "sparkles" (their term here on CC) and flip flops with some sparkles on them? I see that on here all the time.

[floridalover5623]

I was referring to all who said they were going to write not just one. There have been several on that subject by different posters.

I haven't seen many people lately who have said they were going to write a letter of protest - just one in particular and I seriously doubt that it was sent.....

but I would love to read the response if there was one.

[pris993]

yes of course you can, we do every cruise... would not miss it...lol. We even dress up on other nights if we feel like... dress up and please yourself.

[mellon1]

We both like to dress up for formal or elegant nights. it's a throwback to old cruising when people relaxed and enjoyed themselves. Nowadays the new breed of cruisers go to have fun and drink a lot and are really missing out on the elegance of cruising. But to each his own.

 

Call me old fashioned...but wish it was that way now. It is so romantic.

[floridalover5623]

Call me old fashioned...but wish it was that way now. It is so romantic.

Did you ever consider HAL or even more formal ships like Cunard?

[Lucky TGO]

My husband and I are hoping to dress up as in formal gown and tuxedo. It seems most of the cruise lines are very lax and most people prefer casual wear to the extreme that even jeans are acceptable on chic or formal nights. Can we dress up and not feel out of place on a Princess cruise? If so, which ship is best for this?

 

I have been on almost every Princess ship.

I always wear my tuxedo and Never felt out of place.

Tony

[Dobby_The_Ship_Elf]

Me too. The wife loves it when I do.

 

To be honest I dress up to compliment her and really don't give a monkey's if others don't bother on formal nights.

 

I am like you, Mrs Elf puts in extra effort for those special nights and I try to compliment her efforts by displaying to everyone else what an excellent choice she made.

 

What other people think is none of my business!

[Griller]

I have been on almost every Princess ship.

I always wear my tuxedo and Never felt out of place.

Tony

 

I am kind of in the middle here, I cruise quite a lot and sometimes because of airline costs and having mobility problems I travel with just a carryon.

Then I just have a dark blue lightweight business suit which as far as I am concerned is not too out of place on a formal night when worn with dress shoes and a nice shirt and tie.

However recently on a couple of back to back cruises I was not flying to the port so I took a black tux, an ivory tux, my clan tartan dress and my top hat white tie and tails. One outfit for each formal night.

That was a fun cruise on Pacific Princess for dressing up! Lots of compliments from many passengers no matter how they were dressed themselves.

 

And we specifically mentioned to others on our table that we would be dressed formal but we really didn't care what they wore, we would prefer them to come dressed however they liked, wouldn't bother us a bit. And they did come to dinner on formal night in neat but fairly casual dress.

 

I bring way too many clothes as we usually get the odd free photo or two at various events so I always try to wear something different for each one.. Something fun to look back on in the years to come.

 

One MTP cocktail party it was also Halloween and I was dressed and made up as Beetlejuice in the photo.

I have no shame.

 

Someone once gave me a very good bit of advice - if you aren't comfortable in your formal wear then you need to buy a bigger size.

 

Done that 3 times so far.

[Steelers36]

I see this thread had quieted down at the end of June and then one innocuous comment a few days ago restoked the fire somewhat.

 

The thing is, it would be nice if folks would post what they like to do and enjoy and then stop there and not judge or harass others about their preferences. But then one or more fans of formal and/or one or more fans of smart casual make a testy remark and then it gets people up in arms and at each other.

 

I appreciate the formal fans who are not offended by those who are not inclined to dress to the nines. And the less formal fans who are similarly not offended at seeing a tux. I do think around 99% at least posting on these threads support no shorts and t-shirts or raggedy this or that in the DR. Princess documents to consider wearing what you would wear to a nice restaurant at home. And they do state what is definitely not permitted - and I don't recall any arguments over that. The rest are suggestions or guides and not requirements.

 

Yes, things have changed on the MSCL ( a new acronym - Main Stream Cruise Lines) over the years as society norms have changed. I think it is just fine that Princess is putting on planned formal nights. I think it is fine if some folks want to wear tuxes and gowns - just don't suggest that isn't the minority. What I observe in the Caribbean (and from majority who post re: other journeys) is that MOST people make a dress-up effort for formal nights (but that doesn't mean it's all tuxes and gowns). I think it is fine for those who choose not to.

 

I don't feel on a cruise anyone has ever judged or reacted to us in the manner some do on CC (anonimity right?). Not that we don't dress nicely - just not super formal. It's unfortunate if someone makes a joke on an elevator about a tux (an earlier post). I appreciated the poster who dines in a group and let the tablemates know they would be dressed to nines but no worries if the rest didn't. I think those of us who may choose to dress nicely but not all-the-way formal (tux or dark suit), should have similar attitude towards the formalwear - and I think most of us do.

 

While criticisms and put-downs fly both ways, it seems that, going by CC Posters, the smart casual fans are more tolerant of the formal dressers (bring it on; enjoy yourselves; dress as you like) than the reverse as SOME - not ALL - of that crowd would like to have enforcement for all to dress the way they do.

 

I think there is room and acceptance on Princess for a range of attire and I think folks should do as they enjoy and not worry about the rest of it. No matter what happens to the written dress policy, no one is going to turn away a couple dressed up for an occasion.

[Griller]

.

 

 

 

 

I don't feel on a cruise anyone has ever judged or reacted to us in the manner some do on CC (anonimity right?).

 

 

Indeed there are some extreme views online here, I was on Pacific Princess last month where I saw on our RollCall the name of such a poster who had been unfairly abusive to me and others on CC in the past so I did not attend the Meet and Greet or any CC events..I really didn't want to encounter them in a social situation. And then they were at the MTP lunch but thank goodness not on my table.

 

And our upcoming Nov 23rd cruise on Pacific has a RollCall with someone who has definite views about dress so there is another one to avoid. I hate confrontation, I have seen that result in both the guilty and innocent parties being thrown off the ship at the next port.

[Zooguy]

It's interesting how things have turned around re formal dress. Now people worry about being over dressed. About four years ago while on HAL I was asked on two occasions to leave the dining room for lack of a jacket.

 

 

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[RocketMan275]

I see this thread had quieted down at the end of June and then one innocuous comment a few days ago restoked the fire somewhat.

 

The thing is, it would be nice if folks would post what they like to do and enjoy and then stop there and not judge or harass others about their preferences. But then one or more fans of formal and/or one or more fans of smart casual make a testy remark and then it gets people up in arms and at each other.

 

I appreciate the formal fans who are not offended by those who are not inclined to dress to the nines. And the less formal fans who are similarly not offended at seeing a tux. I do think around 99% at least posting on these threads support no shorts and t-shirts or raggedy this or that in the DR. Princess documents to consider wearing what you would wear to a nice restaurant at home. And they do state what is definitely not permitted - and I don't recall any arguments over that. The rest are suggestions or guides and not requirements.

 

Yes, things have changed on the MSCL ( a new acronym - Main Stream Cruise Lines) over the years as society norms have changed. I think it is just fine that Princess is putting on planned formal nights. I think it is fine if some folks want to wear tuxes and gowns - just don't suggest that isn't the minority. What I observe in the Caribbean (and from majority who post re: other journeys) is that MOST people make a dress-up effort for formal nights (but that doesn't mean it's all tuxes and gowns). I think it is fine for those who choose not to.

 

I don't feel on a cruise anyone has ever judged or reacted to us in the manner some do on CC (anonimity right?). Not that we don't dress nicely - just not super formal. It's unfortunate if someone makes a joke on an elevator about a tux (an earlier post). I appreciated the poster who dines in a group and let the tablemates know they would be dressed to nines but no worries if the rest didn't. I think those of us who may choose to dress nicely but not all-the-way formal (tux or dark suit), should have similar attitude towards the formalwear - and I think most of us do.

 

While criticisms and put-downs fly both ways, it seems that, going by CC Posters, the smart casual fans are more tolerant of the formal dressers (bring it on; enjoy yourselves; dress as you like) than the reverse as SOME - not ALL - of that crowd would like to have enforcement for all to dress the way they do.

 

I think there is room and acceptance on Princess for a range of attire and I think folks should do as they enjoy and not worry about the rest of it. No matter what happens to the written dress policy, no one is going to turn away a couple dressed up for an occasion.

Standing ovation.

[floridalover5623]

It's interesting how things have turned around re formal dress. Now people worry about being over dressed. About four years ago while on HAL I was asked on two occasions to leave the dining room for lack of a jacket.

 

 

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Things have changed since 4 years ago....for the the better I might add.:)

[Griller]

Things have changed since 4 years ago....for the the better I might add.:)

 

That is a matter of opinion. You have yours and other people have theirs.

 

Pushing your opinions on the general forum is one thing but doing it on roll calls is not a good idea though. Sometimes the least said the better on roll calls as you may meet others face to face, specially on a smaller ship when its really going to happen.

And of course people do tend to tie up a name on the general forum with one on the RollCall specially if its a little memorable.

[marypat01]

If I don't have to fly, the tux comes with me.

 

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[GoHuskies!]

I never did find in this thread any real explanation (or picture) of what the guayabera shirt is about. In many countries--Cuba, Philippines, Mexico, all over the Caribbean and central America, the guayabera shirt is not only acceptable formal wear but indeed is expected, and in the case of Cuba, in 2010, Cuba declared the guayabera to be its "official formal dress garment". It is even called a wedding shirt. I suppose this picture could push some people over the edge--after all, the people here do not conform to the norteamericano image of acceptability in the MDR on formal nights. I know it's hard to take--so many tuxedo fanatics frothing at the mouth over it--but the world includes much more than what is just beyond our noses. And since Princess sells itself as a cruise line for the world--

 

 

[Potstech]

I like how some who just post their opinion and experiences on something are being accused of "pushing an agenda" of some sort or the other. That accusation always seems to come from the other side of the discussion. Guess only one side is able to "push an agenda" while the other is just discussing the subject at hand.

[elfinmagic]

That is a matter of opinion. You have yours and other people have theirs.

 

Pushing your opinions on the general forum is one thing but doing it on roll calls is not a good idea though. Sometimes the least said the better on roll calls as you may meet others face to face, specially on a smaller ship when its really going to happen.

And of course people do tend to tie up a name on the general forum with one on the RollCall specially if its a little memorable.

 

To answer the OP - YES you can still dress up on formal nights and request to be seated with others who are dressed formal - you will stand out

[marypat01]

I like how some who just post their opinion and experiences on something are being accused of "pushing an agenda" of some sort or the other. That accusation always seems to come from the other side of the discussion. Guess only one side is able to "push an agenda" while the other is just discussing the subject at hand.

As a WSP this type of shirt is what I wear 90% of the time. I have white, black, two different shades of blue, orange, and lime green. Since I am a big guy, they can ride up when I reach, so I have matching t-shirts.

 

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