Dress codes

[MOYSHA]

What are, or where can I find out, what the dress codes (formal, casual, etc.)are on the Veendam. This is our fist time on HAL Thanks

[Mollynme]

Hi
If you go to the HAL website, click on "For Booked Guests" and select "TopTen Questions", they will have a link for their dress code.
Here is the url - http://www.hollandamerica.com/guests/category.do?category=packing&topic=dressCode

[MOYSHA]

On INFORMAL nights, do most men adhere to the request for jackets?:mad: Instead of a jacket will I be "out of place" in a nice "Hawaiian type" shirt and dress slacks?:p

[Grumpy1]

On INFORMAL nights, do most men adhere to the request for jackets?:mad: Instead of a jacket will I be "out of place" in a nice "Hawaiian type" shirt and dress slacks?:pthe Hawaiian shirt and slacks will be more appropriate for casual night. I always wear a jacket on informal night, but sometimes do without the tie.

[Roz]

Yes, most men do the jacket on informal night. The few who don't do a jacket wear a shirt and tie. The Hawaiian shirt would be more appropriate on casual night or in the Lido.

Roz

[twinkletoes4445]

Yes, most men do the jacket on informal night. The few who don't do a jacket wear a shirt and tie. The Hawaiian shirt would be more appropriate on casual night or in the Lido.

Roz

Will we feel out of place if we wear the same type of clothing for casual night as we do for informal? We really want to get more dressed up in the evenings and save the casual attire for lunch.

[Orcrone]

Twinkletoes. If you wear informal clothes (coat, tie optional for men) on a casual night you will be more formally dressed than most. But I don't think you would feel uncomfortable. Some men wear coats to dinner. It's not like you're wearing a tuxedo to casual night.

Enjoy!!

[sail7seas]

I dress about the same for Informal and Casual nights. DH doesn't usually wear a jacket on casual night unless we are going to Pinnacle. He never goes to Pinnacle without a jacket no matter what the Code for the evening.

Many ladies dress in pant suits, skirt sets, dresses etc that could be worn for Informal on Casual nights.

[twinkletoes4445]

s7s & Orcrone...

Hubby will wear a tux on the formal nights...but we do enjoy dressing up a bit and thought we would on the other nights. I have lots of pant suits that I want to wear. He just goes along with whatever I ask of him...he's such a sweet man.

Thank you both for your help. :)

[sail7seas]

Have a great time.....I'm sure you will. :) Sounds like you'll both look terrific.

[Krazy Kruizers]

On our last cruise on the Amsterdam nearly every man who didn't wear a jacket on informal night was turned away from the dining room. I reported this in my review last monrth.

[lkmamom]

Please bear with me, we are new to HAL our first cruise in just a few short weeks! We have always sailed with Princess, so I guess I thought that the dress codes would be fairly similar. Our 16 year old son will also be traveling with us. He has always worn a nice golf shirt and dress pants to dinner, or a dress shirt no tie on informal nights on Princess. Am I understanding correctly then that both of the guys should wear jackets to dinner on informal nights as well as formal? I know that our son will not object;) he would just be happier to not wear the jacket every night:) thanks so much for your help, you are all so kind to those of us that are
"newie Holland cruisers!"
Linda

[twinkletoes4445]

Have a great time.....I'm sure you will. :) Sounds like you'll both look terrific.





We're really looking forward to this cruise. In our daily life, we don't dress up very often, so we are looking forward to doing this. Besides, I'm a softie when it comes to a man in a tux! :)

[twinkletoes4445]

On our last cruise on the Amsterdam nearly every man who didn't wear a jacket on informal night was turned away from the dining room. I reported this in my review last monrth.

That's good to know. I'll make sure hubby wears a jacket. I'm sure he would anyway, but better to know this ahead of time.

[kakalina]

On INFORMAL nights, do most men adhere to the request for jackets?:mad: Instead of a jacket will I be "out of place" in a nice "Hawaiian type" shirt and dress slacks?:p

This is exactly what my spouse wears and he has never had a problem and doesn't feel one bit out of place. He wore just that on the Veendam last Oct/Nov when we were on her.

Just enjoy yourself and have a wonderful time

[sail7seas]

Please bear with me, we are new to HAL our first cruise in just a few short weeks! We have always sailed with Princess, so I guess I thought that the dress codes would be fairly similar. Our 16 year old son will also be traveling with us. He has always worn a nice golf shirt and dress pants to dinner, or a dress shirt no tie on informal nights on Princess. Am I understanding correctly then that both of the guys should wear jackets to dinner on informal nights as well as formal? I know that our son will not object;) he would just be happier to not wear the jacket every night:) thanks so much for your help, you are all so kind to those of us that are
"newie Holland cruisers!"
Linda

Hi Linda....... Welcome to HAL.
Yes, you understand correctly. HAL asks that gentlemen wear a jacket (tie optional) on Informal Night and a Tuxedo or suit on Formal Nights. Some have said they have now 'downed' to simply a jacket (tie required) but just about everyone on our recent 14 day Ryndam cruise wore a suit or tuxedo on Formal Nights.

If your son wishes, he'd be okay with his pants and polo jersey with a blazer (or other sports jacket) for Informal. Put on a dress shirt and tie and he'll do okay for Formal. If he is wearing a jacket, shirt and tie, no one will ask him to leave the dining room. ;)

[RevNeal]

While I will often wear nice dockers and Hawaiian, silk, print, or polo shirts on casual nights, I have been known to add a jacket ... particularly if I'm eating in the Pinnacle Grill. It often depends upon what's been happening during the day. On Casual nights that also happen to be sea-days I usually dress up a bit more (I'll often add a jacket). On long port days (and particularly if we have late port departure on a casual night) I will dress more casual (silk shirt, polo shirt, etc., with slacks). But, then again, if it happens to be a Sunday night I'll dress more according to the informal night code (and most especially if I'm "working").

On informal nights most men will follow the code and wear a jacket, but some won't. Personally, I've been known to wear a suit and tie on informal nights -- particularly if I've been wearing Tuxedos on Formal nights. Some men will be in slacks, colored dress shirt (or button-down-shirt), and tie; in general, the tie off-sets the lack of a jacket and I've never seen someone dressed this way ejected from the dining room. Some will ignore the code altogether and wear casual garb. But, they tend to be in the minority ... and particularly if it happens to be a longer cruise (14 days, for instance) ... and while they also may not be ejected from the dining room, if they're in shorts they're VERY LIKELY to be sent back to cabins for long pants. However, in my opinion (and observation) those who don't abide by the dress code are (usually) in the minority.

I think the best advice -- as already articulated above -- is to go and have a good time. Yes, abide by at least the minimal dress code guidelines, but if you feel like you want to "dress up" a bit more on a casual or an informal night, DO IT. While you might be "over dressed" according to the code, you will not be in violation of it ... nor will you be alone. I've often seen men (myself included) in jackets on casual nights, and suit and ties on informal nights.

[middle-aged mom]

Please bear with me, we are new to HAL our first cruise in just a few short weeks! We have always sailed with Princess, so I guess I thought that the dress codes would be fairly similar. Our 16 year old son will also be traveling with us. He has always worn a nice golf shirt and dress pants to dinner, or a dress shirt no tie on informal nights on Princess. Am I understanding correctly then that both of the guys should wear jackets to dinner on informal nights as well as formal? I know that our son will not object;) he would just be happier to not wear the jacket every night:) thanks so much for your help, you are all so kind to those of us that are
"newie Holland cruisers!"
Linda

Hi Linda:

I am also a newbie HAL cruiser. Heck, I'm a newbie cruiser, period.:) I have a copy of HAL's Youth Program Guidelines. It states, and I quote:

"We encourage all children to conform to the suggested dress code of the day."

I see that those cruisers with far more experience than I have already given you good information. Have a wonderful cruise!:)

[RevNeal]

Some have said they have now 'downed' to simply a jacket (tie required) but just about everyone on our recent 14 day Ryndam cruise wore a suit or tuxedo on Formal Nights.

Sail, it's not just "some" who say this: it's the Dress Code itself.

Gentlemen: Although business suits or tuxedos are suggested attire for formal evenings, they are certainly not required. You are welcome to wear a jacket and tie on formal nights.

I wouldn't attempt to put percentages upon it, but from my observations probably somewhat less than a third of the men dress in this fashion on formal night. On the Oosterdam in Jan 2005 I noticed that one fellow at my table was dressed in dark grey slacks and a black jacket with white shirt and tie. I heard him mention to his wife "I guess I should have brought a suit" when he noticed how many of the men were in tuxedos and suits, but I'll have to admit that the fellow looked sharp nevertheless and, when seated, I couldn't tell he wasn't wearing a suit.

I DO agree with you that most men seem to wear suits or tuxedos, but it's the code itself which establishes "jacket and tie" as the minimal required dress. Indeed, as I scanned in from the Daily Program from the Zaandam in 2004:

http://revneal.org/formaldress1.jpg

[mike35]

We'll be on our first HAL cruise on 12/22 - the Statendam's New Zealand/Australia itinerary. Thanks everyone for the excellent info on attire on HAL. Our most recent cruises have been on Oceania, which has only one dress code - country club casual, where our experience has shown that everyone "dresses up" to the code rather than dressing down. Obviously, we'll have to modify the packing of our luggage, especially with the reduced weight allowances.


On formal nights on HAL, do folks continue to wear their formal attire after dinner? On a recent Princess cruise, many fellow passengers changed back to jeans and even some shorts after dinner, which we found a bit offensive.

Mike

[RevNeal]

On formal nights on HAL, do folks continue to wear their formal attire after dinner? On a recent Princess cruise, many fellow passengers changed back to jeans and even some shorts after dinner, which we found a bit offensive.

Some will do this, yes, but they tend to be a minority. And ... it's a violation of HAL's dress code, which states:

In order to complement your fellow guests, Holland America asks that you observe the suggested dress code throughout the entire evening.

Again, some will ignore this "request" and shuck part or all of their dress clothing before heading out again for shows or Casinos or such. Sometimes they really DO stick out like sore thumbs and, I suspect, they feel a bit self-conscious. I know I would if I were one of only a tiny minority walking around in shorts and most everyone else were in Tuxedos.

[RevNeal]

Here's HAL's full dress code:

Clothing and dress code
The right clothing can make a big difference in the enjoyment of your cruise. First and foremost, dress for comfort. Daily life aboard ship and in ports of call is laid-back and casual. We encourage you to wear whatever makes you feel most comfortable-sportswear, shorts, sundresses, slacks, and so on. Warmer climates call for clothing made of lightweight, breathable fabrics. For cooler climates we suggest casual clothes that can be layered easily and possibly a raincoat and waterproof hat or umbrella and gloves. Bring a swimsuit-all of our ships have pools and whirlpools. You may wish to bring more than one outfit for the water, if you'll be spending much time in and around it. We ask that you wear shoes and a cover-up over a bathing suit when walking through the interior of the ship.

If you'd like to jog on deck or work out in the fitness center, bring workout gear. Footwear should include comfortable walking shoes for visits ashore and sandals or rubber-soled shoes for strolling on deck.

Evening dress falls into three distinct categories. Each night a daily program will be delivered to your stateroom announcing the suggested dress for the following evening. Comfortable, relaxed clothing is fine for evenings designated as casual; however, T-shirts, jeans, swimsuits, tank tops and shorts are not allowed in the dining room, Lido restaurant, or public areas during the evening hours. During informal nights, dresses or pantsuits for women and jackets (tie optional) for men are standard.

On festive formal evenings, women usually wear cocktail dresses or gowns and men usually wear business suits or tuxedos. There are approximately two formal nights per week. (Gentlemen: Although business suits or tuxedos are suggested attire for formal evenings, they are certainly not required. You are welcome to wear a jacket and tie on formal nights.) Formalwear for ladies and gentlemen can be pre-ordered for your use for the duration of your cruise. Just call Cruise Line Formalwear at 800-551-5091 to reserve and it will be ready in your stateroom when you board.

In order to complement your fellow guests, Holland America asks that you observe the suggested dress code throughout the entire evening.

This is for reference purposes. :) A link to it was given in a prior post.

[serendipity1499]

Here's HAL's full dress code:

This is for reference purposes. :) A link to it was given in a prior post.


Last Sunday we disembarked the "Prinsendam"..(26 day Amazon Explorer Cruise)..Had a great table close to the door & often observed the different types of dress..I'm a people watcher & love to look at the many beautiful outfits..I was amazed to see Jeans & Cargo Pants in the dining Room on Casual Nights..They were not dress jeans either and it was not just one night..It was all the casual nights..No one was turned away at the door...

I left my Know Before You Go Booklet at Home..Looking at it now, see it's a new booklet from HAL & it has deleted Jeans from the not allowed list..The brand new booklet has a sharp brown (picture of a wooden deck chair w/HAL logo) three toned Jacket..

Can't find any reference of the printing date but it has completely changed from the ones we received on the Amsterdam & Westerdam..the last pages of this booklet show pictures & rental prices of the formal wear...

The last paragraph on Page 15 reads: Quote
Comfortable, relaxed clothing is fine for evenings designated as casual: however, T-shirts, swimsuits, tank tops and shorts are not allowed in the dining room, Lido Restaurant or public areas during evening hours. During Informal nights, etc. etc. Unquote

The new policy looks more relaxed to me & will not comment on it, since it's been hashed out before..What others wear really have no bearing on my enjoyment of a cruise but can't help noticing the changes..The only thing I really I did not enjoy seeing were the sleeveless (muscle) shirts & hats on a few men in the Lido..But that's just me..

[RevNeal]

serendipity1499,

Thanks ... the change as found in some, but not all, of the "Know Before You Go" booklets has already been noted on prior threads. It looks like HAL is phasing out the prohibition against jeans on casual night.

[peaches from georgia]

..The only thing I really I did not enjoy seeing were the sleeveless (muscle) shirts & hats on a few men in the Lido..But that's just me..
No, it's not just you. When we book a HAL cruise we are not expecting to dine in a Denny's, even in the casual Lido Restaurant.

[HALOnlyCruiser]

Oh, no! This isn't going to evolve into another "Jeans in the Dinning (sic) Room" is it??????
On our one "Holiday" cruise (7 days-1999-Volendam) because of Christmas and such, there ended up being 4 Formal nights! I was a little unprepared, but I did the best I could. Probably just as well I didn't know ahead. Packing four formal outfits would have burst my suitcase!:)

[Sunshine91]

Again, some will ignore this "request" and shuck part or all of their dress clothing before heading out again for shows or Casinos or such. Sometimes they really DO stick out like sore thumbs and, I suspect, they feel a bit self-conscious. I know I would if I were one of only a tiny minority walking around in shorts and most everyone else were in Tuxedos.

Greg - Just a thought. Perhaps these folks had eaten oysters for dinner in the Lido (or room service) & were casually dressed to begin the evening?

After dinner I might go back to the cabin to change my shoes for dancing, but I like to wear my pretty dresses for the entire evening. I don't get any other chance to wear them. Besides, it's only a few hours. John might loosen his tie, but he still wears his dress kit for the evening, too.

[Opinions]

[QUOTE=revneal]Sail, it's not just "some" who say this: it's the Dress Code itself.

Than you for posting this...When I suggested that there were those who have not accepted that a suit or tuxedo are not required on formal nights I was criticized and accused of setting up a "strawman".

For years the HAL dress code has said a jacket was acceptable for formal nights...Fortunately the HAL code is set by the cruiseline not by the individual cruiser.

[RevNeal]

Than you for posting this...When I suggested that there were those who have not accepted that a suit or tuxedo are not required on formal nights I was criticized and accused of setting up a "strawman".

Opinions, I'm sorry if you have been accused of setting up a strawman on this subject. No one is asserting such regarding you here, nor was such asserted about you earlier this month when I accused someone ELSE of setting up a strawman with this topic. In that earlier thread a certain poster had made the claim that: "On page 1, someone ... said that an unmatching jacket & slacks were not following the formal dress code". In TRUTH, no such post and no such claim existed on page 1, page 2, or ANY page of that particular thread. In other words, it was a phony, made up charge devised to paint traditionalists in a very bad light ... as being inconsistent and hypocritical in quoting the rules. In such an instance, the making of such an assertion IS a strawman.

The charge can also be a strawman due to the indiscriminate way in which it is sometimes applied to ALL those who prefer the dress code and would like to see it enforced. Those who enjoy the code and want it enforced are often characterized as "rich, arrogant, stuffed shirts" who don't believe that anything less than a dark suit will do. I can think of 2 recent specific posts (neither by you) in which this charge was leveled. Indeed, on one particular thread it was being suggested by someone that the traditionalists were asserting that the code required dark suit or tuxedo, but "ah-ha! here's the code and it actually says otherwise ... so who's ignoring the code now, huh!?!?!?!?!?" (or words and attitude to that effect) When the observation is used THAT way, it is a strawman. In drawing a sarcastic conclusion in order to make debate-points, a true observation is twisted to support a false premis (i.e., that all traditionalists are stuffed shirts and are claiming that only a dark suit or a tuxedo will do).

[kryos]

On INFORMAL nights, do most men adhere to the request for jackets?:mad: Instead of a jacket will I be "out of place" in a nice "Hawaiian type" shirt and dress slacks?:p
What ship will you be on? What itinerary? That has a lot to do with how "gussied" up people get for the various dining room nights. If you're on a Caribbean cruise, I'd personally say that you could probably get away with a nice Hawaiian shirt and dress slacks. You could always bring a jacket to the dining room and then just remove it if you see most of the men without one.

To be totally honest ... on my last cruise I treated informal and casual nights pretty much the same. I was always dressed nicely, so I didn't worry about the distinctions. I wore Hawaiian silk tops on both informal and casual nights, but never on formal nights.

But then ... maybe you'd best not listen to me. I'm a dress code rebel. :)

Blue skies ...

--rita

[RevNeal]

What ship will you be on? What itinerary? That has a lot to do with how "gussied" up people get for the various dining room nights. If you're on a Caribbean cruise, I'd personally say that you could probably get away with a nice Hawaiian shirt and dress slacks. You could always bring a jacket to the dining room and then just remove it if you see most of the men without one.

Rita, you are correct that issues such as ship, itinerary, length of cruise, and time of year will all play varying roles in how the passengers will view and abide by the dress code. The more "mass market" the itinerary, the more young families and children, the shorter (i.e. 7 days as opposed to 14 days) the cruise, the greater chance that observance of the dress code will be more lax. Cruises in the Caribbean can be more lax, but not always -- for example, not if it's longer than just 7 days or is a cruise taking place when school is in session, etc. I've been on some Caribbean sailings in mid-January where my fellow passengers have been exceedingly well attuned to the dress code. AND, I've been on 7 day cruises over Thanksgiving where informal night saw some men in Hawaiian shirts or polos but without a jacket. Also, I have frequently seen men take their jackets off on informal night once they've been seated in the dining room ... and particularly if the AC isn't working very well in a particular area. I've done that myself (HAD to do it on the Noordam, where the AC wasn't working in one area).

To be totally honest ... on my last cruise I treated informal and casual nights pretty much the same. I was always dressed nicely, so I didn't worry about the distinctions. I wore Hawaiian silk tops on both informal and casual nights, but never on formal nights.

But, Rita, you're a woman. You're not required to wear a jacket on informal nights. :) You can get away with blurring the distinction between casual and informal night ... particularly if your casual night clothing is rather nice. And I'm sure you looked great.

But then ... maybe you'd best not listen to me. I'm a dress code rebel.

Oh, pish and tosh ... you bring an important perspective. For instance, being a guy and not being married I often forget that the Dress Code has regulations about what women should wear too. Thinking back to what my Mother used to do ... her dress on Casual nights and Informal nights differed not at all ... she always dressed nicely and would wear very nice slacks or a skirt on casual night as equally on informal night, and from my reading of the code would be just fine either night. The sticking point between casual and informal night is really for guys and the wearing of that jacket ... which, for whatever reason, so many of them just don't want to do.

[kryos]

But, Rita, you're a woman. You're not required to wear a jacket on informal nights. :) You can get away with blurring the distinction between casual and informal night ... particularly if your casual night clothing is rather nice. And I'm sure you looked great.

LOL ... well, I'm sure I looked nice ... colorful, if anything. :) I love my Hawaiian garb.

I'll tell you one thing, though ... despite the fact that I am a "dress code rebel," I don't like the "no jeans in the dining room" rule being dropped from the Know Before You Go brochure. I think jeans on casual night should be an "unofficial" policy ... yes, you will be allowed in the dining room in jeans on a casual night IF the jeans are nice ones. The thing that concerns me here is that once the rule prohibiting jeans is "officially" dropped from all the brochures, over the course of time you are going to see some really tattered, full-of-holes jeans on some people ... especially on the "mass market" seven-day cruises. You'll see people dressing for the dining room the same way they would for a trip to Denny's at home. Throw on anything. It's casual night!

No, I think the "official" rule should remain ... no jeans in the dining room, and then give the dining room captains and Matri 'd the flexibility to allow them on a casual night only as long as they are neat and clean. Otherwise, we might as well convert the dining room into a Denny's on casual night ... or, hey ... how about a Mickey D's? Big Macs on the menu tonight! ... because you'll be shocked at what you'll see in there over time.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[TrojanCruiser]

On INFORMAL nights, do most men adhere to the request for jackets?:mad: Instead of a jacket will I be "out of place" in a nice "Hawaiian type" shirt and dress slacks?:p

The cruise documents for our recent Ryndam cruise to Alaska, stated 2 formal nights and 5 casual nights. I brought my tux for the formal nights and didn't bring a jacket since there wasn't an informal night scheduled. Low and behold, one of the casual nights during the cruise got changed to an informal night. Since I didn't bring a jacket, I just used my tux coat with my Hawaiian shirt and dress slacks. The fashion police didn't stop me and I enjoyed my dinner in the Rotterdam Dining Room. So, "Aloha" and "Hang Loose", 'bra!