Formal night in Australia?

[shofer]

We are considering a cruise in Australia on Princess.  Our last cruise was on Celebrity which has given up on true Formal nights.  Hubby does not want to pack a jacket, especially since it appears the weather will be quite warm.  Does Princess still have actual Formal nights in Australia?

[SinbadThePorter]

6 minutes ago, shofer said:

We are considering a cruise in Australia on Princess.  Our last cruise was on Celebrity which has given up on true Formal nights.  Hubby does not want to pack a jacket, especially since it appears the weather will be quite warm.  Does Princess still have actual Formal nights in Australia?

 

They do, but smart casual will get you in anyway.

[floridalover5623]

Of course they still have formal nights since it's a big money maker for them & many people still enjoy getting dressed for it but it's no longer a true requirement to dress up if you don't feel the need to.

Just a dress shirt (or Polo) & dress pants will suffice without the jacket.

[Expat Cruise]

Yes they have formal nights on all cruises longer than 4 days. On a longer cruise you will have several of them. The dress code says dark suit & Tie for men, long evening dresses for ladies. And yes the MDR can turn you away if you do not meet these requirements.  That is the policy that is printed and they say is in force.

 

In true it really is not followed most of the time On every Asia Cruise,  (15 of them)  I have done you see some people in tuxes, suits, long dresses and others not following it. I have seen Polo Shirts and dress shirts no jacket and no tie and the crew seems to do very little. On Royal I saw T-shirts worn on formal night and nothing,  in all fairness they were designer $100 dollar plus T-shirts.  You could be turned away from the MDR but not likely.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I thought that, on whole, formal dress on cruises out of Australia tended to be less formal than other places. However, on the Sapphire Princess in Asia, long sleeved shirts or jackets at a minimum were required for men on formal nights. Men in polo shirts were turned away. There are Maitre d’s out there who still have higher requirements and you could get one of them on your cruise.

[Potstech]

Asked and answered now to the "discussion" that will do nothing but confuse the issue.  And Awwwwwway they go.

Edited February 5, 2019 by Potstech

[LSGDRG]

Thanks for asking this question.  I have an upcoming cruise leaving from Sydney and was also wondering about the dress code for Australian cruises.

[Colo Cruiser]

19 hours ago, shofer said:

We are considering a cruise in Australia on Princess.  Our last cruise was on Celebrity which has given up on true Formal nights.  Hubby does not want to pack a jacket, especially since it appears the weather will be quite warm.  Does Princess still have actual Formal nights in Australia?

The policy is standard across the fleet and does not change with region/cruises etc.

[gottagocit]

The formal night dress code does not apply to the buffet or some other dining venues beside than the main dining rooms.

[shofer]

3 hours ago, LSGDRG said:

Thanks for asking this question.  I have an upcoming cruise leaving from Sydney and was also wondering about the dress code for Australian cruises.

Hubby wore a long sleeved dress shirt, no tie and looked fine.  But this was for "Smart Casual" on Celebrity.  We'll have to address the issue when we do book Australia.

[Colo Cruiser]

16 minutes ago, shofer said:

Hubby wore a long sleeved dress shirt, no tie and looked fine.  But this was for "Smart Casual" on Celebrity.  We'll have to address the issue when we do book Australia.

He will be fine with that too.   😉

[Obsi]

Sadly we missed the formal night on our Adelaide cruise last year (daughter was feeling a bit sea sick and felt better sitting out on the deck so we spent half the cruise sitting outside), so I don't know what people were wearing then, but I didn't see many people in suits or very formal dresses that night.  On the 2016 cruise I did (Golden Princess to Tasmania)  the passengers in suit/evening dresses were in the minority, with the majority of people wearing the same sort of clothing you'd see in any normal land based restaurant (here in Australia).... eg smart casual...  Most men were just in shirt and tie, some not even a tie.   

 

So more dressy than the usual daily tshirt, but most were not in full formal attire.
(Which was a shame, I was hoping for opera gloves and lots of bling :P )

Edited February 6, 2019 by Obsi

[getting older slowly]

On our last Cruise, two formal nights.... which really only applies to MDR..... what I have done is buy a cheap black suit jacket ( $60 ) add long sleeve shirt, tie, black jeans and boots, and bingo formal night dress.... some people do and some people don't.... really it is up to you, and what you felt comfortable in.. and other half is simple black slacks, and a nice top... and she blends in very well...

 

Remember it is your cruises and do what you feel comfortable with.... yes black jeans and a shirt, is what a general wear to dinner....

 

Cheers Don 

[Expat Cruise]

What guest need to understand is the dress code on Princess Cruise Lines is very clear. And while many times the MDR staff will look the other way and allow things not with in the code this can change at anytime. It also depends who is on the ship and what is going on at the time. If people from Corporate are on the ship  etc. 

 

Yes most of the time guest can take liberties with  the dress code but at any time the Maître d  can force the dress code any time he sees fit to due so. I have seen times when it seems the crew doesn't know the dress code other times they follow it very close  Also if you select any tie dinning and they are over booked, very easy to turn away people for dress code. Guests are free to make the choice what to do as the cruise line is free to enforce the rules.

 

[Potstech]

What some poster here need to realize is that no matter how they push and complain the current dress wear on Princess WILL not change.  Princess has made the decision to not enforce their own standards so that isthe way it will be for the future.  Yes at anytime a Maitre D can attempt to enforce dress standards but when the complaints start to hit the Passenger Services desk it will be short lived.  Many things are easy but rhe reprucussions are not.

Continuing to do the same thing over and over again expecting different results has a name.

[land lover]

We spent 38 days last Sept./Oct in Australia on Sea Princess.....Most men in sports coats, women in pants with dressy tops. Captain's tier parties were smart casual.  In the past these  parties were the main reason why DH brought his Tux but in the last few years on more cruises than not these parties have been smart casual. So DH is now just wearing a dark shirt no tie or jacket.  I still like a cocktail dress. He still takes his tux when we go on European Cruises ...But in Australia we felt it was not necessary and we were correct.

 

 

Edited February 6, 2019 by land lover

[land lover]

12 hours ago, Expat Cruise said:

What guest need to understand is the dress code on Princess Cruise Lines is very clear. And while many times the MDR staff will look the other way and allow things not with in the code this can change at anytime. It also depends who is on the ship and what is going on at the time. If people from Corporate are on the ship  etc. 

 

Yes most of the time guest can take liberties with  the dress code but at any time the Maître d  can force the dress code any time he sees fit to due so. I have seen times when it seems the crew doesn't know the dress code other times they follow it very close  Also if you select any tie dinning and they are over booked, very easy to turn away people for dress code. Guests are free to make the choice what to do as the cruise line is free to enforce the rules.

 

 I have not seen any enforcement on my recent cruises...in  South America, SE Asia, Australia, Scandinavia, Europe, Mexico, Pacific Coastal as I mentioned above as most Captains tier parties have become smart casual dress...why bother. In fact on a cruise out of Houston about 5 years ago...5 men in line in front of us told the MD they were gng to wear their caps and shorts into the dining room and he could do nothing about it....and he didn't and why should he. So many lines are gng away from formal night.

No need to make a scene about dress especially when everyone is carrying a camera/cell phone......MD's have more important things to worry about these days than dress code.

Edited February 6, 2019 by land lover

[floridalover5623]

13 minutes ago, land lover said:

We spent 38 days last Sept./Oct in Australia on Sea Princess.....Most men in sports coats, women in pants with dressy tops. Captain's tier parties were smart casual.  In the past these  parties were the main reason why DH brought his Tux but in the last few years on more cruises than not these parties have been smart casual. So DH is now just wearing a dark shirt no tie or jacket.  I still like a cocktail dress. He still takes his tux when we go on European Cruises ...But in Australia we felt it was not necessary and we were correct.

 

 

At the cocktail parties just about anything is acceptable lately. I even saw a guy exiting the lounge in shorts one formal evening.

[land lover]

16 minutes ago, floridalover5623 said:

At the cocktail parties just about anything is acceptable lately. I even saw a guy exiting the lounge in shorts one formal evening.

 I am surprised how at times how casual some of the most traveled guests dress at captain events .....Not Princess, but on Royal Caribbean a cruise on Oasis, 3 years ago the most traveled couple over 2,000pts. wore matching T-shirts that said "I don't give a rats A$$....." not to be judgemental but..... I will be...😉 total lack of class..and their attitudes matched..lol

Edited February 6, 2019 by land lover

[satxdiver]

It is clear to those of us who cruise often on Princess that the published "dress codes" for formal are simply ignored.  Then the maitre d is faced with a large number of pax who refuse to conform, all he can do is let them enter which seems to be the situation today.  Men can wear a tux or a dress shirt and dockers and anything in between.  Women can wear whatever they want and claim it to be formal according to a Maitre'd I once asked.  

 

We will be on the Sapphire in Aussie land later this year so interesting to read about the non-enforcement of the formal dress code much like all other Princess cruises around the world.  

[floridalover5623]

33 minutes ago, satxdiver said:

Women can wear whatever they want and claim it to be formal according to a Maitre'd I once asked.  

Totally unfair. 

[getting older slowly]

I think the whole, thing is as a lot of people have said, that formal dress is not enforced.

 

Also in todays world, there is a lot more entitlement, and people say the rules do not apply to them.

 

Another thing is common-sense, somewhat lacking today....  remember any cruise line is there to make money, for the stock holders, and the executives.

 

And cruising it now open to the masses,  and tradition goes out the window ( porthole in this case ). These people do not dress for dinner, and it is their holiday and they will wear short to MDR on formal night, which show to total disregard for any decorum.

 

Right off the soap box.....

 

As stated I am willing to go halfway, jacket, shirt and tie, with black jeans and boots.... I do not look out of place.. and the ambiance of formal night is kept in tack...

 

Right back to my coffee     Don    

Edited February 6, 2019 by getting older slowly
spelling

[floridalover5623]

12 hours ago, getting older slowly said:

I think the whole, thing is as a lot of people have said, that formal dress is not enforced.

 

Also in todays world, there is a lot more entitlement, and people say the rules do not apply to them.

 

Another thing is common-sense, somewhat lacking today....  remember any cruise line is there to make money, for the stock holders, and the executives.

 

And cruising it now open to the masses,  and tradition goes out the window ( porthole in this case ). These people do not dress for dinner, and it is their holiday and they will wear short to MDR on formal night, which show to total disregard for any decorum.

 

Right off the soap box.....

 

As stated I am willing to go halfway, jacket, shirt and tie, with black jeans and boots.... I do not look out of place.. and the ambiance of formal night is kept in tack...

 

Right back to my coffee     Don    

So what it all boils down to is that you also choose what you consider formal. 

Not that I disagree with what people choose to wear on formal night, but should you really complain? 😉

[Steelers36]

On 2/6/2019 at 1:53 AM, Expat Cruise said:

What guest need to understand is the dress code on Princess Cruise Lines is very clear. And while many times the MDR staff will look the other way and allow things not with in the code this can change at anytime. It also depends who is on the ship and what is going on at the time. If people from Corporate are on the ship  etc. 

 

Yes most of the time guest can take liberties with  the dress code but at any time the Maître d  can force the dress code any time he sees fit to due so. I have seen times when it seems the crew doesn't know the dress code other times they follow it very close  Also if you select any tie dinning and they are over booked, very easy to turn away people for dress code. Guests are free to make the choice what to do as the cruise line is free to enforce the rules.

 

The Princess "dress code" as you term it, is largely a set of recommendations and requests and not requirements.  If you read it carefully, the restrictions are things like t-shirts, shorts, flip-flops and similar very casual attire.  Smart casual dress should not be turned away at all.  That said, it not wearing a jacket, I would suggest guys wear a long-sleeve shirt and you can opt for a tie or not.  I usually go at least part way to the standard, but we came to Australia for two months and are beginning our vacation with a cruise around NZ on Majestic.  First formal night is tomorrow and I will try and remember to come back and report, but other posters indicate Aussies are going less than formal (sounds like the Caribbean market situation).  Anyway, I was not going to pack any jacket or other formal type gear for two nights out of two months.  If the MD wants to turn us out, we will go to the World Market Buffet.  On the second formal night, I have us booked into the Crown Grill for our treat night out, so formal wear is never required there.

 

[Steelers36]

15 hours ago, land lover said:

 I have not seen any enforcement on my recent cruises...in  South America, SE Asia, Australia, Scandinavia, Europe, Mexico, Pacific Coastal as I mentioned above as most Captains tier parties have become smart casual dress...why bother. In fact on a cruise out of Houston about 5 years ago...5 men in line in front of us told the MD they were gng to wear their caps and shorts into the dining room and he could do nothing about it....and he didn't and why should he. So many lines are gng away from formal night.

No need to make a scene about dress especially when everyone is carrying a camera/cell phone......MD's have more important things to worry about these days than dress code.

Boorish of them to stuff it all in the MD's face.  They don't write the corporate policies.  They are left to interpret and decide what passes and doesn't.  And the MD is certainly not everywhere all at once (3 MDR's on most ships), so it's the HW's and greeters that have to handle the situation.  Princess could write a two-page dress code and there would still be questions of interpretation. 

 

It seems to be that Princess has decided to keep the tradition of a formal night for those who wish to participate to the fullest, while recognizing the practicalities of the modern world.  Perhaps they think if they dropped the recommendations, or re-worded them, that standards would collapse (just a guess).  Anyway, it makes for endless debates on CC and meanwhile whenever I am on a ship, it appears 99.9% of passengers go about their business and are not arguing about dress on formal night.