Which night is likely to be first Gala night in MDR?

[galensgrl]

Hi everyone. My sisters and I have booked on the Enchanted Princess to the Caribbean later this Summer. We're looking at our dining plan to figure out where to have dinner and when. What I remember is that the first Gala night is usually the second nights dinner in the MDR. But I just read that It's usually held on a sea day evening. The second day of our cruise is actually the Day at Princess Cay, technically not a sea day. Does this mean the first Gala night will be held on the third night, which is a sea day? Trying to figure out where and when to make reservations at a Specialty restaurant and want to dine at MDR's Gala nights. Thank you and happy travels.

[satxdiver]

The night of the first sea day which is most likely the second day aboard having boarded the day before. 

[Moondogy]

4 minutes ago, satxdiver said:

The night of the first sea day which is most likely the second day aboard having boarded the day before. 

Our next cruise the day after embarkation is princess cay, so formal night should be day 3. That's the way it has been in the past, I'd say theirs should be the same.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, galensgrl said:

Hi everyone. My sisters and I have booked on the Enchanted Princess to the Caribbean later this Summer. We're looking at our dining plan to figure out where to have dinner and when. What I remember is that the first Gala night is usually the second nights dinner in the MDR. But I just read that It's usually held on a sea day evening. The second day of our cruise is actually the Day at Princess Cay, technically not a sea day. Does this mean the first Gala night will be held on the third night, which is a sea day? Trying to figure out where and when to make reservations at a Specialty restaurant and want to dine at MDR's Gala nights. Thank you and happy travels.

For you Night 3 is Formal Night 1 (Gala is not a Princess term).  The second one is same name or Dress To Impress.  Wear anything from Smart Casual to Formal in either case and you are fine.  SD locations are always Smart Casual (but you can dress up anytime you like). 

 

Your second night depends.  If you end with 2 days at sea, it will be the first one of those.  If you end with one day at sea, then look for the port day with early departure and that should be it.

 

Look in your activities calendar in the App for Formal Photos and that tells you which nights are the ones.

[Torfamm]

On my current cruise that visited Princess Cays on the second day, the following day was a sea day and the first formal night.

 

You can see which nights are scheduled as formal nights in the ship’s schedule under “Journey” in the app. Every evening will show either “casual” or “formal” portraits. I’ve seen it populate as much as a couple of months before a cruise.

[galensgrl]

Thank you for your informative responses. You helped me understand how it works on Princess and what to expect on Formal nights. Us girls probably won't bring formal ball gowns but we will bring nice cocktail dresses with fancy shoes, that's easy enough. I also was able to adjust our dining reservations so our specialty dinner and formal nights don't overlap. On our past cruises DH and I always enjoyed the MDR on Formal night and I don't want to miss that on my first ever Princess cruise. We're so excited it's coming together, Yay! Thanks again fellow cruisers, happy travels.

Lorie

[ArizonaStorm]

Nothing is set in stone.  I've seen Holland America switch dates mid-cruise.  "I love spontaneity -- especially the part where I over-research and plan for it."