I read in one of the brochures that shorts were not allowed in the Princess dining room even on casual nights. Do you think they stick to that, or do you think I could get by with a dressy shorts outfit. <BR> <BR>Thanks for your input.

<BR>Hi Michele, <BR> <BR>The cruise-lines must have a strict policy since if they say "shorts allowed" you will find men with their sloppy below the knee baggy shorts and that will bring out the "muscle" shirts. They are afraid many will wear cut-off jeans and those are not appropriate for the dining rooms. <BR> <BR>I am sure you would be OK with shorts that look like a skirt. <BR> <BR>Paul

Michelle, <BR>Make sure that your shorts outfit looks like a skirt (skort) since Princess tends to be a bit more traditional. Unfortunatly, Paul is correct, if guidelines were relaxed, you would have the slobs in jeans. Why not a casual dress or nice pants outfit?

Re/ shorts: <BR>Why is it important to "get by"? <BR>Since they have asked you in writing to not wear shorts to the dining room,you are aware in advance and therefore should respect the rules rather than look for a way to "get by" them.

A "dressy shorts outfit" is not appropriate on Princess ships for dinner. <BR> <BR>Shorts are not allowed in the dining room - you will be asked to leave.

Since it is a long cruise (16 days), I was wanting to minimize the amount clothes I packed. Nice shorts could be worn with a Tshirt during the day and a blouse at night. I thought they may have the rule to be able to kick out people in casual outfits. As an example, I work in an office where some people wear shorts suits that are certainly classy and though technically against the rules, they have never been reprimanded.

Michele, <BR>Another way you might try to cut down on the amount of clothes you have to take and still dress appropriately is to take a nice pair of black slacks that can go with several different tops. I think the actual " shorts suits " that you refer to would be okay though I can't quite see that type of shorts with a t-shirt in the day time. Mine are all linen and have to be dry cleaned. <BR>

Just returned from a cruise (not Princess) that did not allow shorts or jeans in the dining room at any time. On casual nights everyone was still pretty dressed up. I know the kind of shorts you are talking about and they might pass muster since they include a matching jacket. I doubt they would ask you to leave the dining room but I guess it's possible. While no jeans were allowed on our cruise in the dining room, our luggage didn't get delivered on time for the first night's casual dinner so we were all in jeans in my group! Truly, you will see a little bit of everything and it is hard to control what people wear. Formal takes on a whole new meaning when you get 2000 people together! Before I went I posted about the tuxedo thing and was told by many that over 50% of men would wear them but it turned out that I only saw a handful. Glad I didn't insist my hubby take his! To cut down on my packing I took 2 pair of black slacks, one dressy and one more casual. All of my tops matched the slacks for the various dinners, from formal to casual. Good luck with the packing and have a great time.

Let me share this packing tip: <BR>Buy giant ( 2 1/2 gallon) zip lock bags at Target or WalMart and pack your clothes in them. I put several tops in one, sit on it to get all the air out, then zip it up. It keeps things so organized in your suitcase and none of my clothes were a bit wrinkled. I put all of my hose,panties,socks,etc in one too to keep them organized. It worked great.

Not sure what the last posters remarks had to do with the subject of this post. But if this is a Caribbean cruise and you plan to wear the same shorts all day and at night too..well...let's just say...besides the wrinkle factor...how about the body odor factor?

The original poster was concerned about cutting down on luggage so any packing tips like this are pertinent to this thread. As to wearing the same shorts...... I'm sure she meant to wear a pair in the evening when they should not get dirty at all and then also use the same pair for a day. I seriously doubt she was going to wear them all week!

Three words: black velvet pants. They can be dressed up or down, depending on the occasion, pack extremely well, and don't need ironing. I don't think shorts of any type are really appropriate for the dining room -- cruise "casual" is not the same as what most of us would consider "casual". There are also, of course, alternatives to the main dining room. Have a great cruise!

No, no - one word: silk. <BR>I got a pair at Sams Club if you can believe that. (then I went back and got two more) They are tough, lightweight, thin, cool and wash and dry well.

If you want to wear shorts, T-shirts,blue jeans, etc... go on RCCL they don't enforce their dress code or any posted rules. <BR> <BR>In the main dining room I saw people in jeans and t shirts, and in their Windajammer Cafe cutoffs and bathing suits were acceptable attire. Ugh!!! <BR>What happened to the old days when people actually dressed for a meal on a ship. Yes, this actually did happen Michele(and Paul).

Xman: It went the same way as people wearing shorts and tshirts here in Las Vegas when going to a show. I too remember the days when people dressed up for dinners on cruise ships and also for show here in Las Vegas. I could go on about the class of people but that would only make the natives restless!

Michele, If it's a 16 day cruise, then shorts - no matter how nice they are - are definitely not appropriate for the dining room. In general,longer cruises tend to be more dressier than 7-day cruises and have more formal and semi-formal nights. (This is because usually the only people who have the time or money for a 2-week+ cruise are older & more affluent.) I have been on 23 cruises, on a variety of cruise lines including 6 on Princess, and, IMHO, you would look out of place in shorts in the dining room.

Michele, Princess has no more semi-formal nights.Just returned from 20 day cruise,they had 4 formal and 16 smart casual(what ever that means). No more dresses, sports jacket. Wish I had known before we left, could have saved alot of packing.So maybe dressy shorts will be acceptabe.