Dining room dress code

[Bobbiegentry]

3 hours ago, susancruzs said:

Who am I to get upset with what others are wearing? 

Great points of view, Susan. 

 

Yet those “hardliners” (great word choice) who cruise among us care very much what others are wearing and were it in their purview, they would surely dictate that everyone dress to their “standards”. 

[Kolleen]

I've been cruising since 1979, so I've seen many changes.  My husband bought a tux a while back and he loves it. He finds it very comfortable. I enjoy dressing for formal night too. We don't care what anyone else wears or what they think about what we wear.  However, we have decided that if we are cruising out of our home ports in southern California we will take formal wear, but dress on the less formal side if we have to fly.  It's just easier. We like easy.

 

Funny story. My daughter married into a large family on the wealthier side. Every Christmas they have a large fancy family dinner in Bel Air (a step up from Beverly Hills) at the patriach's home where everyone is expected to dress up even the kids. Men wear dress suits or tuxes and the woman mostly long gowns.  Right before the pandemic our sweet SIL wore a medium blue suit with strings of Christmas lights printed all over it.  His parents almost had a heart attack. 

 

[TrixieBel]

On 2/5/2023 at 7:00 AM, Bobbiegentry said:

Different levels of formality…...hmmmmm…..sounds as though the stuffed-shirt elitists will finally have their very own venue within which they can all focus on out preening one another.

It seems you and many others on here would prefer that everyone just wear the same plain thing. I think Mao went that way too…

 

Personally, I love to see diversity. And a bit of sparkle and bling is always good for my soul. 

[Dreamer333]

On 1/14/2023 at 8:43 AM, wannagonow123 said:

OK. I know what the website suggests, but I would like to know what people are wearing in the dining room for non-gala nights. If someone shows up in shorts, will they be turned away? We are cruising with a couple that mainly cruises with Carnival, where short of bathing suits allows just about anything.

 

This has been a hot topic over the 18 years that I've been on this board. You will never get a correct answer because it differs from ship to ship, dining room to dining room, maitre'd to maitre'd (you get the picture) but I will add that for the first time in over 20 years on Princess I did see men wearing shorts turned away from the dining room on my most recent cruise.

[Broadside]

On 2/5/2023 at 9:22 PM, Bobbiegentry said:

Great points of view, Susan. 

 

Yet those “hardliners” (great word choice) who cruise among us care very much what others are wearing and were it in their purview, they would surely dictate that everyone dress to their “standards”. 

 

One has come to expect such misrepresentation from the Fifth Column Casualisationists.  It is Princess Cruise Lines who set the dress code standards, not your fellow passenger.

[SantaFeFan]

8 minutes ago, Broadside said:

It is Princess Cruise Lines who set the dress code standards, not your fellow passenger.

 

"It is Princess Cruise Lines who set the dress code SUGGESTIONS, not your fellow passenger." There. I fixed your typo. You are welcome. 

 

BTW: your "not your fellow passenger" comment is 100% appropriate for why you "hardliners" are so wrong. 

 

Edited February 6, 2023 by SantaFeFan

[Broadside]

3 hours ago, Dreamer333 said:

I will add that for the first time in over 20 years on Princess I did see men wearing shorts turned away from the dining room on my most recent cruise.

 Wonderful! Princess are sailing in the right direction

[Potstech]

1 hour ago, Broadside said:

 

One has come to expect such misrepresentation from the Fifth Column Casualisationists.  It is Princess Cruise Lines who set the dress code standards, not your fellow passenger.

And it is the Princess Cruise Line that determines the level of enforcement not the Traditionalists. Who seem to becoming more and more the minority.

[PaulC29]

Just off Regal yesterday - saw a mixed bag in the MDR - Didn't care what people wore but loved seeing what some consider "formal"/Dress to impress VS casual.  Personally had khakis and polos for casual nights and black dress pants/long sleeve dress shirts for "formal/dress to impress nights" - Fully noticed people upset by my not wearing a suit/jacket/tie. Wish I would have seen their faces when the man came in wearing suit jacket with red/black basketball shorts/t-shirt on.

[Bobbiegentry]

1 hour ago, Potstech said:

…..Traditionalists. Who seem to becoming more and more the minority.

Absolutely correct!

 

Yet those “hardliners” will never cease  their tireless efforts to force the rest of us into their tiny little idealized world of how THEY think the rest of us should dress.

 

Hardliners - how about you wear your tuxes or whatever it is that you makes you feel good about yourself and let the rest of us wear what we prefer. Is that too much to ask???

[Potstech]

57 minutes ago, Bobbiegentry said:

Absolutely correct!

 

Yet those “hardliners” will never cease  their tireless efforts to force the rest of us into their tiny little idealized world of how THEY think the rest of us should dress.

 

Hardliners - how about you wear your tuxes or whatever it is that you makes you feel good about yourself and let the rest of us wear what we prefer. Is that too much to ask???

Apparently it is !!!!!!

[Torfamm]

8 hours ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

"It is Princess Cruise Lines who set the dress code SUGGESTIONS, not your fellow passenger." There. I fixed your typo. You are welcome. 

 

BTW: your "not your fellow passenger" comment is 100% appropriate for why you "hardliners" are so wrong. 

 

The dress code states very simply and clearly that “shorts are not welcomed in the dining room”. I can’t understand why you think that is a suggestion.  No one can predict whether the policy will be enforced on any ship on any given night. If eating in the MDR is important to a passenger, they should plan accordingly. It isn’t fair to promise people asking for advice that they can wear whatever they want unless you will be the one at the door to the MDR making that decision.
 

https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/pre-cruise/what-to-pack-for-a-cruise/

[MissP22]

2 hours ago, Torfamm said:

The dress code states very simply and clearly that “shorts are not welcomed in the dining room”. I can’t understand why you think that is a suggestion.  No one can predict whether the policy will be enforced on any ship on any given night. If eating in the MDR is important to a passenger, they should plan accordingly. It isn’t fair to promise people asking for advice that they can wear whatever they want unless you will be the one at the door to the MDR making that decision.
 

https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/pre-cruise/what-to-pack-for-a-cruise/

What you say is quite true but at the same time it's not a true representation of what's been seen on many Princess ships in recent times. 

The OP wanted an answer of what's happening on the ships today & not what's printed on their website. Yes, there is a discrepancy between the two but at least they now know what's happening in the real world rather then what someone rights up in an advertisement. 

[Torfamm]

49 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

What you say is quite true but at the same time it's not a true representation of what's been seen on many Princess ships in recent times. 

The OP wanted an answer of what's happening on the ships today & not what's printed on their website. Yes, there is a discrepancy between the two but at least they now know what's happening in the real world rather then what someone rights up in an advertisement. 

Several people have mentioned seeing people turned away for wearing shorts. If someone really wants to eat in the MDR, they need to be aware that they should be sure they have pants. They may very well not need them but it is completely misleading to advise people that it won’t happen.

[MissP22]

2 minutes ago, Torfamm said:

Several people have mentioned seeing people turned away for wearing shorts. If someone really wants to eat in the MDR, they need to be aware that they should be sure they have pants. They may very well not need them but it is completely misleading to advise people that it won’t happen.

Very true.

My husband always has at least one pair of black jeans in addition to his shorts which will now suffice for any situation. Formal, causal, black & white, dress to impress, tropical, etc.

[Princessfan20]

2 hours ago, Torfamm said:

Several people have mentioned seeing people turned away for wearing shorts. If someone really wants to eat in the MDR, they need to be aware that they should be sure they have pants. They may very well not need them but it is completely misleading to advise people that it won’t happen.

 

However, many more people have always mentioned on CC and some with pictures that the dress code is not usually enforced and shorts and a wide variety of casual clothes are easily worn in the MDR's on "Formal" nights.  Princess has definitely changed their standards from what is posted and even in some Patters calling formal night "Elegant Night or Dress to Impress."  

 

It is amazing that some have so little confidence in many cruisers knowing how to put their big britches on and gain admittance to a cruise ship dining room.  We are up to 13 pages and it really will change nothing and rarely are people turned away from MDR's IMHO so nothing to really worry about. 

[Steelers36]

7 hours ago, Torfamm said:

The dress code states very simply and clearly that “shorts are not welcomed in the dining room”. I can’t understand why you think that is a suggestion.  No one can predict whether the policy will be enforced on any ship on any given night. If eating in the MDR is important to a passenger, they should plan accordingly. It isn’t fair to promise people asking for advice that they can wear whatever they want unless you will be the one at the door to the MDR making that decision.
 

https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/pre-cruise/what-to-pack-for-a-cruise/

Quite true.  The only two sentences in the Clothing Recommendations section that are definitive are these two:

 

"Pool or beach attire, shorts, ball caps or jeans with fraying and/or holes are not welcomed in the dining room. Shoes must be worn.".

 

Now, whether the DR mgmt on any particular ship enforces some or all of the above is another question.

[Lady Arwen]

Just an observation.  I frequent the Celebrity and HAL boards since we also cruise with these two lines.  I cannot remember the last time I saw MDR dress code questions on either one.  It’s just not a thing.  On the Princess boards, it’s become a daily, or even hourly, topic of discussion.  The same people with the same comments, over and over and over.  I would love it if someone could kindly explain this phenomenon.  Thank you.

[davekathy]

1 hour ago, Lady Arwen said:

Just an observation.  I frequent the Celebrity and HAL boards since we also cruise with these two lines.  I cannot remember the last time I saw MDR dress code questions on either one.  It’s just not a thing.  On the Princess boards, it’s become a daily, or even hourly, topic of discussion.  The same people with the same comments, over and over and over.  I would love it if someone could kindly explain this phenomenon.  Thank you.

Currently on the Celebrity forum the two big huffs are over cutbacks and extra charges for the different dining venues and also gratuities. Last Friday there was a dress code thread but it died down. Give it time and another will resurface.  Same with RC. As you know being a long time CC member certain topics will never go away. I'll usually add my worthless two cents to the thread(s). Others posts makes for interesting reading (opinions or just stirring the pot) on a cold snowy day. In the end I don't let others positive or negative opinions or experiences influence our decisions. 

Edited February 7, 2023 by davekathy

[Lady Arwen]

I don’t have a problem with folks who sincerely don’t know and want to be informed.  That should take maybe one or two answers and done.  Here, it takes at least three weeks, three hundred answers and still going.  Let’s be honest, it’s the same poop, different day.  Nothing helpful, just people constantly bickering.  And, it’s the same few people who just can’t get enough,

 

Other cc boards have people asking the same question,  but it doesn’t turn into a marathon.  People who are new to the Princess boards must wonder what they started by just asking a simple question.

[GonzoWCS]

10 hours ago, Torfamm said:

The dress code states very simply and clearly that “shorts are not welcomed in the dining room”. I can’t understand why you think that is a suggestion.  No one can predict whether the policy will be enforced on any ship on any given night. If eating in the MDR is important to a passenger, they should plan accordingly. It isn’t fair to promise people asking for advice that they can wear whatever they want unless you will be the one at the door to the MDR making that decision.
 

https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/pre-cruise/what-to-pack-for-a-cruise/

Yup

 

Cheers

[davekathy]

29 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

I don’t have a problem with folks who sincerely don’t know and want to be informed.  That should take maybe one or two answers and done.  Here, it takes at least three weeks, three hundred answers and still going.  Let’s be honest, it’s the same poop, different day.  Nothing helpful, just people constantly bickering.  And, it’s the same few people who just can’t get enough,

 

Other cc boards have people asking the same question,  but it doesn’t turn into a marathon.  People who are new to the Princess boards must wonder what they started by just asking a simple question.

I guess Princess cruisers are more vocal and passionate about the evening suggested dress guidelines for the MDR. Like a lot of reoccurring or ongoing threads, I'll sometimes just read and not reply or don't even open them. Even the smoking thread gets it's on sticky on the Princess forum. 😁

[Princessfan20]

2 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Quite true.  The only two sentences in the Clothing Recommendations section that are definitive are these two:

 

"Pool or beach attire, shorts, ball caps or jeans with fraying and/or holes are not welcomed in the dining room. Shoes must be worn.".

 

 

To some, maybe many,  "not welcome" is not exactly the same thing as a "hard no" or "not permitted".🙂

[Lady Arwen]

6 minutes ago, davekathy said:

I guess Princess cruisers are more vocal and passionate about the evening suggested dress guidelines for the MDR. Like a lot of reoccurring or ongoing threads, I'll sometimes just read and not reply or don't even open them. Even the smoking thread gets it's on sticky on the Princess forum. 😁

I don’t think it’s Princess cruisers, I think it’s Princess cc members.  Onboard, you see nothing even remotely relatable as to what we see here.  And only the same members, day after day.  I’m sure both of us could make a list and come up with the same names lol.  Thank you for answering my question and I’ll close now before I become someone who beats a dead horse.

 

Take care.

[roadster08]

Ok folks  I got a definitive answer to the question "What to wear for formal nights  on a Princess cruise? " from CHATGPT. It replied:

 

For formal nights on a Princess Cruise, it is recommended to wear formal attire such as a tuxedo or a formal gown for women, and a suit and tie for men. Smart casual attire such as a collared shirt, dress pants, and dress shoes for men, and a nice dress or pantsuit for women is also acceptable. Avoid wearing casual clothing such as jeans, shorts, and sneakers.

 

So there you have it. The final word on all things in the future.