Formal night attire for men on Grand Alaska Princess Cruise

Kay D

It appears that Princess is recommending that men wear sports jackets and ties, suits or tuxedos for the two formal nights on this cruise. Just wondering if it would be acceptable for my husband to wear a shirt and sweater with dress slacks. I understand we wouldn't be allowed in the formal dining room on those two nights but I'm sure there are plenty of other dining options.

Any thoughts or recommendations?

British

A friend who went on the same boat whose husband did not want the bother of jacket and tie ate at other restaurants.

Kathy18

When I did the Grand Alaska tour, I took dressy clothes because I thought that I would have to dress for the formal nights. I discovered that there were places to eat on the ship that did not require one to dress formally. The first evening I did get dressed fancier because I carried the clothes with me and was going to wear them! The second formal evening we did not get dressed up and ate in another location. It might have been at the buffet, but I do not remember.

Crackeroo

Princess Cruises have two specialty restaurants, a buffet and on some ships, an international cafe with salads and sandwiches. We have done both the dressing for formal nights and going to the dining room and dressing nice but not formal and going to a specialty restaurant. All depends on our mood. You will have choices.

travelingteacher

Having sailed on the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary, I love the numerous formal nights and never skipped one for the buffet line. Even the waiters dressed up. I can wear my "street" clothes any day of the year, but dressing up, feeling special and seeing others the same way is fun (to me). Takes you back to prom night in high school. One night, the gentleman at the table next to me came to a formal night wearing his tails and a top hat. Sometimes it's just nice to dress up and put on a little extra make up. Of course everything has a down side. For me, it was all the extra weight of the 4 gowns I packed. The beading adds a lot of weigh to your luggage!!! But we all looked marvelous and I wore every one :-)

British

Travelling teacher, I loved your post. I have to say that one of the reasons I fear the dressing up part of a tour is weight of a suitcase. Beaded clothing is surely heavy, I have a couple of old dresses like that, we used to go to at least one black tie a year, not so much these days. We always adhere to the weights that Tauck recommends, we do not like to waste time doing laundry or paying for laundry to be done, so we prefer to take extra practical clothing rather than things for a couple of hours in the evening that are so heavy and cannot be worn during the day touring.

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ok I know it's insignificant compared to the price of the trips but you have to draw the line somewhere and anyway I always think I prefer how I launder my own clothing and also am not a lover of my clothes being washed with other peoples especially on a cold wash program. My husband would also go crazy if I said I wanted to iron a garment on vacation. I'm a pretty good packer but most of these dressier things don't stand up well to being in a suitcase. I also have a size 16/18 top half so I can't just pop into Macy's and buy a cute dress for a few dollars. I prefer to spend my money on nice clothing I can get away with wearing day or night, at a pinch putting them on in the morning and if late back from a tour going straight into dinner. I am one of those very rare people who do not sweat hardly at all, in fact I have not worn deodorant since I was about 21, I was fed up of deodorant staining my clothes, did a few experiments and now never get stains on clothing. This may sound wonderful to some, but it's one of the reasons I do not do well in hot climates because I do not sweat, just get hot and feel exhausted easily instead. SO providing I don't get my clothing dirty I could wear it for days, but I have noticed the snide comments that some Americans can give if you wear the same thing on consecutive days, never on a Tauck vacation I might add!
My husband and I are happy to dress to the nines, he would certainly probably be the one in the top hat, he certainly has one he has used as a prop fro some acting roles, but just don't find it practical on vacation. Any dress suggestions appreciated, and I mean dress not pants.
Keep those travel stories coming!

Claudia Sails

British, your last post cracked me up. I feel like sisters from another mother. Non-sweaters of the world unit. Great for not ruining your clothing, not so great for the dry skin, dry hair, dry eyes, etc. Sigh.

I like the concept of dressing up too but for all the reasons you mentioned, it just seems like too much now. Used to love watching the TV show Love Boat. Thought it was all soooo glamorous. But then I was young and slim.

Glad the cruising world has room for all types. Think I'll stick with the low key life on river boats. Kind of wish that Tauck had added self service laundry to the new boats instead of a hair salon. What, do they think I'm my mother who got her hair washed and styled once a week?

TauckTim

Hi Kay D,

I just wanted to make sure you were aware that while you are on Tauck's Grand Alaska, there is one formal night, not two, and tuxedos are not required for gentlemen. There is one night where a jacket and tie is required, yes, but a jacket and tie are a bit more flexible, and if you pack right, can be mixed and matched for use on other nights as well. It's also worth mentioning that the dress-up night is more casual on Alaska itineraries than in other places.

And if you really don't want to bring the jacket or tie, and would rather exercise another dining option, that's fine too, of course.

I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any questions.

-Tim

ndvb

TMI. Hahahaha

cantraveller

I just spent 2 weeks on the Golden Princess going around Cape Horn and probably 50% of the men did not wear suits on the formal nights and had NO Problem eating in the main dining room. Smart Casual was allowed in all. Formal dining is a thing of the past and some cruise lines have done away with formal dining all together. Princess Cruises did a great job on this trip and it was good value.
Gary

Packerfan41215

I understand the jacket and tie for the gentlemen of the party but what about appropriate clothing options for women on those dressier dining evenings? Is business casual attire okay? Are feminine suits appropriate? Cocktail length or long dresses expected? I heard what was once more formal dinners have become more casual but I don't know to what extent of casual they have become.

SGF

I'm a huge fan of j.jill clothing...I brought a sparkly gold elastic skirt to Morocco recently which I paired with a simple white blouse for the final dinner - loved it! Also, they have petites, which helps with the longer maxi dresses, if you don't want to wear heels. Print dresses are more forgiving- you can't see the creases as much.I squish the fabrics in the store to see how they'll hold up for packing.I also order a lot on line (and return a lot, too 🙄). Nordstrom also has plus sizes and easy returns.

I haven't seen women wearing "bridesmaid" style dresses on cruises in ages; then again, I've mostly been on Regent, Silversea and Azamara in the last 10 years. Those lines tend to be more dressy casual with no formal nights.

Wondering what Ponant will be like...just booked Costa Rica and the Panama Canal with Tauck for January. I can't imagine we'll be getting all fancy after zip lining and hiking in the rainforest, but I just MIGHT need the hair salon after some of those excursions!

Shari