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Do all Princess Cruises have formal night?

The number of formal nights varies based on the length of the cruise, with shorter voyages having a Dress to Impress night instead. Passengers can choose to dine at the casual buffet venue if they wish to avoid the dressy evenings.



Yes, virtually all Princess Cruises voyages that are five nights or longer feature at least one "Formal Night," which the cruise line officially calls "Dress to Impress" nights. On a standard 7-night cruise, there are typically two such evenings. During these events, guests are encouraged to wear tuxedos, dinner jackets, or dark suits, while women often opt for evening gowns or cocktail dresses. The "Dress to Impress" nights are a core part of the Princess brand identity, designed to evoke the "Golden Age" of ocean travel. However, Princess has become more relaxed in recent years; if you do not wish to participate in the formal dress code, you are not excluded from the ship's activities, but you may be asked to dine in the World Fresh Marketplace (buffet) rather than the Main Dining Rooms. Additionally, the "MedallionClass" technology on Princess allows you to order high-end food to your room or other casual areas if you prefer to stay in your loungewear. While the tradition remains strong, it is no longer a strict "suit-or-starve" policy, allowing for more passenger flexibility.

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The best source for this information is the Compass (daily cruise newspaper) which will post the suggested dress along with the weather forecast so check it each day of your cruise. Not always. We've had formal nights on port nights too. But, in general, first formal night is almost always night 2.

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You should make sure you have a wide array of clothing packed away in your suitcase, as cruises may require everything from a casual swimsuit to a formal tuxedo. Princess Cruises is smart casual, so pack clothing that adheres to that guideline.

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On one night of your cruise, your cruise director will be throwing a White Hot Night Party… and you're invited! So when packing for your cruise, remember what an amazing photo op this will be and bring your favorite, most fun… even quirkiest white clothing and matching accessories.

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However, videotaping the onboard entertainment performances is not allowed for copyright reasons. To reflect the suggested dress code, dinner wear such as pool or beach attire, gym shorts, ball caps and casual jeans (with fraying and/or holes), is not welcomed in the dining rooms. Shoes must be worn.

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Princess Cruise Line Princess has both smart casual and formal dress codes for evening dining. Smart casual options include casual dresses and skirts, or pants and a nice top. Nice jeans (clean and not torn) are permitted in Princess' main dining room and specialty restaurants on smart casual evenings.

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Longer cruises have optional formal or semiformal nights. On these evenings, passengers can either wear elegant casual attire or opt for a more formal look, such as gowns, cocktail dresses, dark suits or tuxedos.

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The dress code for formal nights on a Princess Cruise is tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits for men and evening gowns, cocktail dresses or elegant pantsuits for women. Smart-casual attire includes pants and open-neck shirts for men and skirts or dresses, slacks and sweaters for women.

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Princess Prohibited Items
  • All firearms including non-firing weapons. ...
  • All forms of ammunition, explosive materials and propellants, projectiles of all kinds, cartridges.
  • All imitation or replica weapons including de-commissioned weapons, those not capable of being fired and realistic imitation/toy weapons.


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Shows are time to coordinate with the fixed seating dining times. Most common is 8:00 or 8:15, and 10:00 or 10:15. Usually at least once each cruise they are 7:00 and 8:30 or 8:45, giving those with late dinner seating a pre-dinner show. (Usually happens the night of the Deck Party on Caribbean and Mexican sailings).

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Anytime Dining is available from 5:30 to 10 p.m. On most Princess ships the traditional dining times are as follows: Early seating is at 5:30 p.m. 1st seating is at 6 p.m. 2nd seating is at 8:15 p.m.

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T-shirts, swimsuits, robes, bare feet, tank tops, baseball caps, and pool wear are not allowed in the main restaurant or specialty restaurants at any time. In addition, shorts and flip-flops are not permitted during the evening hours.

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Stateroom Services Waffle weave cloth bathrobes are available upon request from your stateroom steward for your comfort and convenience.

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I usually dress for dinner, but they don't have to be completely different outfits for each evening. Usually a long skirt and a pair of dress pants, and 2 or 3 dressy tops (which are incredibly small when rolled) will do me for a week or 10-day cruise. For your 4-nighter, 1 or 2 evening outfits will be fine.

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While they might not host the excessive midnight buffets of yore, many cruise ships do still offer late-night snack stations in the buffet areas, featuring items like sandwiches, tacos or crepes.

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May I bring my own food on a Princess cruise? The only food that Princess always permits onboard is pre-packaged items, such as breakfast bars or snacks. Most fresh food is subject to customs restrictions and is highly discouraged.

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Dressy shoes It's a good idea to bring just one pair of dress shoes that can go with your outfits for formal nights. I like to bring a pair of gold strappy dress shoes, as they look fabulous with every color of dress (black, white, navy ect).

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