Introduction and firt question

[paulista1950]

My name is Mario and we (my wife and I) are booked for a cruise to Alaska on the Zuiderdam. We cruised before, but this will be our first time with HAL, so I have a few questions, the first one being:
Are there formal nights? If so, how many in a seven nights cruise? What is the dress code?

[Krazy Kruizers]

yes -- there will be 2 formal nights

on your cruise they will be your first sea day and the evening you leave glacier bay

on formal nights some men will wear tuxedos, some will wear a suit and some will wear a sports jacket with tie

ladies will wear cocktail dresses, long and 3/4 length skirts with fancy tops

[musicismylife]

Welcome to HAL! If you are on Facebook, the HAL page just posted photos of formal nights from fans. Apparantly one woman wanted to see what people wear and there are 20+ pictures to see.

Enjoy your cruise.

[paulista1950]

I don't mind dressing formally, what bothers me is packing and carrying it:D

[kyriecat]

Mario,

If you don't wish to pack and carry your formal clothes, HAL offers tux rentals. My husband decided with luggage fees to fly and the hassles of packing a suit or tux, the rental fee isn't that bad. They also offer a few formal items for women, but, quite frankly, I'm not impressed with the selection so bring my own formal outfits. I've given up the long, beaded dresses because they weigh too much! For two formal nights, I pack a long, black velvet skirt and two dressy blouses to go with it.

If you are interested, the website is cruiselineformal dot com. The tux is normally waiting in your stateroom when you get onboard. I recommend trying it on before formal night. My husband has used them 5 or 6 times now and once got a shirt with the sleeves too short. He was able to exchange it onboard. They keep a limited selection of tuxes onboard for exchanges and last-minute rentals.

[AZNative2000]

Mario, you will love the ship and the cruise (JMHO). That was our very first cruise (last year) and I also rented a tux. (You get two shirts, one for each formal night.)

DO try the tux on as soon as you can (it will be hanging in your room when you arrive). Other than a missing cummerbund, mine was fine. I got a cummerbund within an hour of relating the problem to my room steward. Had there been other problems, the onboard tailor could have fixed it. But there is only a small supply of tuxedo items aboard for those with problems so you want to make sure you have no problems right away.

Have a GREAT cruise!

[paulista1950]

I'll definitely check the rental option