Buffets on Alaska Zaandam Cruises

[CrusinAgain]

I just read on the HAL website that you must dress up even for the buffet and they do not allow jeans for the buffet or the rest of the ship for the evening hours.

I was considering a HAL ship for Alaska but we wanted to stay more casual this time for our cruise.

What have you seen or experienced for the buffets? If you can wear jeans, is the food good? Do they also have an icecreme area? What beverages are included such as ice tea, lemonade, fruit punch? Do they serve lobster in the buffet like some of the Princess ships?

It would be on the Zaandam out of Seattle for this year.

Thanks so much for your help!

[Krazy Kruizers]

No lobster in the evening buffet in the Lido on any HAL ship.

Dress code again - no jeans in the dining areas that includes the Lido buffet. Although there will be some who will wear jeans. We don't own any.

Ice Cream is available in the Lido - check your daily program for the hours of operation - it is free. It is open a good part of the day beginning at 11:30 - lunch time.

[formercruisestaff]

Room service is always available free of charge. During dinner time you can order meals off the dining room menu too!

[CrusinAgain]

Room service is always available free of charge. During dinner time you can order meals off the dining room menu too!

So if you want to be casual you are confined to your room for the evening on a HAL ship? I think it is great to order room service but walking around the ship or going to the casino dressed up isn't what we wanted to do and that is how it appears the rules states for evening attire. Is this right?

[bruceh4]

So if you want to be casual you are confined to your room for the evening on a HAL ship? I think it is great to order room service but walking around the ship or going to the casino dressed up isn't what we wanted to do and that is how it appears the rules states for evening attire. Is this right?No, there are no "rules" that say you cant leave your cabin on a formal night unless you dress up. There is a request that you honor your fellow passengers by dressing up. But you will see many people who dress as they want. The lido dinning is very casual every night while on a cruise. I have at times when not feeling like dressing up have gone to the lido in causal clothes and joined the many who felt the same.:eek:

[DFD1]

I hope you will not be put off about cruising on the Zaandam because of the dress "code". We have found that the lido is the perfect place to go if you don't want to dress in the evening. The food is wonderful and you will find many passengers there who are casually dressed.

More than once, after a long day ashore, we have not conformed to the suggested dress of the evening, but rather have avoided the dining room in favor of the lido and a much more casual, relaxed evening.

Not to worry! I hope you cruise on the Zaandam and have a wonderful time.

[richwmn]

I keep reading posts about the "dress code" on HAL and the constant mention of "jeans". There is a lot of room to be comfortable between jeans and formal. I have been out and about on formal nights many times with nice slacks or dockers and a golf shirt and no one minded. I think some people need to expand their wardrobe just a little bit.

[RuthC]

So if you want to be casual you are confined to your room for the evening on a HAL ship? I think it is great to order room service but walking around the ship or going to the casino dressed up isn't what we wanted to do and that is how it appears the rules states for evening attire. Is this right?
HAL requests that you dress to code in the evening while in the public areas. That would include the casino, lounges, and the show lounge.
No one expects that everyone will dress when they eat in the Lido, remain on Lido deck, or are on the outside decks.

But you said "casual". Jeans really don't reach the level of casual. .

[kakalina]

No lobster in the evening buffet in the Lido on any HAL ship.

Dress code again - no jeans in the dining areas that includes the Lido buffet. Although there will be some who will wear jeans. We don't own any.

Ice Cream is available in the Lido - check your daily program for the hours of operation - it is free. It is open a good part of the day beginning at 11:30 - lunch time.



KK We were on the Amsterdam in Jan and lobster was offered twice in the Lido. We were also informed by the F & B manager that jeans were indeed allowed in the Lido, at anytime. We rarely wear jeans on a cruise simply because they are usually too warm; but did see them all the time in the Lido.

[BumperII]

Hi folks,

Just couldn't wait to jump in on this one. We did the eastern Carribean over Christmas on the Maasdam, and loved it! It was our first time on a HAL ship, we now have three more cruises booked.

HAL does put out a dress code, but they don't enforce it. On a ten day cruise we had two formal, three informal and five smart casual nights. We don't pack jeans on a cruise, Dockers do just fine. And on informal nights I use a sport jacket, tie optional. On one formal evening, there was an old guy who looked like a farmer, wearing a set of bib overalls and they let him in the main dining room. He looked a little out of place, but he didn't seem bothered by it and nobody made an issue of it. So just do what you are comfortable with.

All of this is just a matter of finding a cruise line with customs that are a good fit for you. The bride and I both enjoy getting dressed for dinner, and we like the large tables with eight or ten other people. On most cruises, the women folk really do knock themselves out and put on a great show trying to outdo each other. As for the guys, well after dinner and obligatory pictures, most of the neckties get loosened or come off, and many go back to the cabin and shed the jacket.

Dinner on a cruise ship is a lot like going to a banquet. Lord knows, we have attended enough banquets for professional and fraternal organizations. We always try to accomodate the requested attire, even black tie is requested.

They tell me one of the cruise lines is doing away with the dress up nights. That is great, I think there is a market segment out there for dress down. But it is not for us. I paid for that damn penguin costume, and I'm going to get my money's worth out of it.:D

[formercruisestaff]

As an assistant cruise director I have noticed that many people will choose to dress up for the formail dinners, then change into something a little more comfortable before showtime. This is not uncommon.

[CrusinAgain]

HAL requests that you dress to code in the evening while in the public areas. That would include the casino, lounges, and the show lounge.
No one expects that everyone will dress when they eat in the Lido, remain on Lido deck, or are on the outside decks.

But you said "casual". Jeans really don't reach the level of casual. .

Thank you for your responses but I can see the HAL ships attract a different breed of people and I don't think we will fit in. We call designer jeans "casual" and that is what we wear for our casual attire. The dockers are years ago and I don't miss the ironing of them. Trying to keep life more simple now. Nothing is wrong with jeans as long as they are neat, unstained, and no holes. I don't know what you mean by "jean's don't reach the level of casual" but that's okay. Thanks again.

Hope everyone enjoys their cruises.:)

[Krazy Kruizers]

I am one of those who does check and compare the menus in the Lido for dinner. On our 15 day Hawaiian cruise, lobster was never offered in the Lido on our cruise.

[kakalina]

Maybe because it was a thirty day cruise??

[grannynurse]

Dear cruisinAgain,
Please don't get the idea the HAL cruisers are snobs. We're definitely not that way.
We just share a love for the more traditional way of cruising. We pick HAL because we like the calmer atmosphere, the ambiance of the ships without the constant PA announcements, the service, the attitude of the crew, the fresh flowers, the decor, the itineraries offered.
Not everyone follows every rule, most of us are not regimented, but we respect why our fellow pax choose HAL.
If you happen to wear jeans in the lido one night there will not be finger pointing and rude comments. We saw people in the dining room late in our 35 day European cruise who were wearing jeans and no one even appeared to raise an eyebrow.
It's a matter of attitude. Anywhere that people openly flaunt kicking over sacred cows others will notice and comment. If our table mates wore tank tops and cutoffs to dinner every night, we'd probably be offended too but lapses in convention don't usually get noticed.
Try HAL, I think you'll find that you'll "fit-in" just fine.
GN

[mozart1999]

CrusinAgain :

I love HAL and I allways buy a new pair of black levy´s 505 for my cruises to wear at dinner at the DR or the lido, for me that is smart casual.

Sometimes that new black jeans are more dressy than some dockers.

Don´t get intimidated by this boards, TRY HAL, You will not be dissappointed, but try to dress accordingly to the dress code, in the "know before You go" booklet send by HAL for my cruise this june to Alaska, they didn´t mention anything about jeans not been accepted, this point a new trend in dress code.

Enjoy HAL.