Formal Dining Question

BeckyK

My husband and I are traveling with friends on the May 24 Grand Alaska tour. The cruise portion will be on the Crown Princess and we have a question regarding the formal dining. This may have already been asked so I apologize if the question is repetitive, but is the food any different on the formal nights that then "regular" nights in the dining room? We are foodies and don't want to miss out on anything special, but if the food is the same as any other night on the ship it doesn't seem worth the hassle of bringing formal attire.

We are considering visiting Sabatini's on the cruise portion, but it sounds like the required attire is more casual than formal. Has anyone ever dined with Sabatini's and what was your experience?

Kathy18

When I did this tour a few years ago, I learned that formal attire was only necessary in the main dining room. With Tauck you have open dining so you can dine in any of the restaurants and the only time we ate in the formal dining room was the night we boarded. We knew that we would not be permitted here on the other evenings because it was reserved for the people who wanted that formal setting. A nice pair of slacks and blouse is fine for women. The men might have a jacket and tie but not all did. It was fun walking through the ship on formal nights and seeing some people dressed in tuxedos and gowns while others were more casually dressed. Hope this helps. It was a great tour.

BeckyK

Thanks Kathy!

I guess my question is is the food in the formal dining room any different than what is available in the other dining options on the ship?

Kathy18

I cannot say for sure but somewhere in my memory, I seem to remember being told that you could get whatever was served in the main dining room at any other venue. I do not go on many large cruise ships so this is only what I know from when I was on this tour a number of years ago.

BeckyK

Okay - thanks so much! No point in getting dressed up as far as we are concerned then and that certainly makes packing easier!

USCJo

My mom and I will be on the Grand Alaska trip starting May 24! And we love food, too! Can't wait to meet all of you!

BeckyK

We are looking forward to meeting you USCJo! This trip should be wonderful!

jkm

BeckyK wrote:

Okay - thanks so much! No point in getting dressed up as far as we are concerned then and that certainly makes packing easier!

The informality of American culture as well as airline charges for luggage have definitely influenced formal attire on cruises. For men, a sport coat (usually with a tie) is fine. For the ladies, slacks with a sparkly top is just fine on formal night.

On a Canada/New England cruise, our dinner companions had only planned for attending 1 of the 2 formal nights. We talked them into joining us, but she did not want to wear the same dress. It would have been fine, but she was hesitant. She wore black slacks, a black knit top, borrowed some chunky jewelry from our group and topped it off with a $10 shawl she purchased onboard.