Days For Formal Nites, 12 Day Cruise

[COLGATE]

I know this has been asked (and answered) before on these boards, but I've been unable to locate that post, so here goes again. We're on the December 7 Noordam cruise, 12 nights with 3 formal nights. Can anyone help with with which days will be formal? Thanks!!!:)

[Boytjie]

According to the HAL website the December 7, 2008 cruise is 10 days.

I would guess the first three sea days would be the formal nights.

[Alexat2]

They're usually sea days - if there are enough of them. The first formal is usually the day after embarkation - except if that day is a port day and the next day is a sea day then they'll probably hold off until the sea day.

The second, somewhere in the middle - probably a sea day, if there's one.

Third either the night before disembarkation or the night before that.

Hope that helps.

Lydia

[Krazy Kruizers]

I checked your 10 day Dec 7 itinerary.

Formal nights:
First Sea day after HMC (day 2 )
Sea day (day 5)
Sea day (day 8)

There is never a formal night the evening before you disembark.

[COLGATE]

Thanks to all the great Board members who helped me with this question. Thanks also for remining me that the cruise is only 10 days (obviously wishfiul thinking on my part saying it was "12")! :)

[Alexat2]

There is never a formal night the evening before you disembark.

that depends on the cruise line - with Orient Lines, and back when NCL did formal - the last night was ALWAYS formal. And HAL used to do it that way to.

Lydia

[Krazy Kruizers]

that depends on the cruise line - with Orient Lines, and back when NCL did formal - the last night was ALWAYS formal. And HAL used to do it that way to.

Lydia

Have over 40 cruises on HAL -- first cruise on them was in 1996 -- never had a formal night the evening before we got off the ship.

[Alexat2]

Have over 40 cruises on HAL -- first cruise on them was in 1996 -- never had a formal night the evening before we got off the ship.


My first cruise with HAL was 1985... and if you like I probably still have the ships program from that cruise (I know I still have all the programs from NCL (late '90s), Orient Lines ('96-'07), and Cunard (late '80s early '90s). The HAL cruise in '85 on the OLD Nieuw Amstserdam, was a last night formal - I remember it clearly because it was my first cruise and a very proper but charming little old lady at our table took great pains to explain that it was "tradition" for the last night onboard to be formal with lobster, baked Alaska, and a champagne toast. And all the cruises that have followed have been last night formals - except for the Statendam this past March - and I thought that very strange they did the farewell dinner 2 nights before disemarkation.

Lydia

[Culater]

Just to let you know and add to the excitement here, we were on the Zuiderdam on the Med July 7 -19. The last day was a sea day, so we thought it would be formal night....NOT. The formal night and Baked Alaska gala were on the second to the last night. Maybe HAL has gotten too many complaints from people too busy packing to dress for formal night.

[Host Michell]

Just to let you know and add to the excitement here, we were on the Zuiderdam on the Med July 7 -19. The last day was a sea day, so we thought it would be formal night....NOT. The formal night and Baked Alaska gala were on the second to the last night. Maybe HAL has gotten too many complaints from people too busy packing to dress for formal night.

And on the southbound leg of our Alaska round trip this summer the first formal night was day 2, a sea day (pretty normal there) but the second formal night was the fifth night of the cruise, which was not a sea day but was a day with a fairly early sailing from port. The sixth night we were in port until 7:30 PM, and the seventh night we had the Master Chef's dinner (which had Baked Alaska, but was not formal night). I think this is basically a very hard thing to predict in advance. Information from others traveling the same itinerary a few weeks before you do might be helpful, but anything else is just a prediction/guess.

[RuthC]

My first cruise with HAL was 1985... The HAL cruise in '85 on the OLD Nieuw Amstserdam, was a last night formal - I remember it clearly
You might want to double-check your daily program on that point. I've been sailing HAL since 1978, and have never had a formal night the last night. It's usually the night before that, but even that can change due to a late port.

[Alexat2]

You might want to double-check your daily program on that point. I've been sailing HAL since 1978, and have never had a formal night the last night. It's usually the night before that, but even that can change due to a late port.

Most of the cruises we've been on the last day is always a sea day - and usually the 2 before, or at least the one before is a port. that could be the difference. But, I'm only 42 and my memory - is really good. I'll dig up the program and post it (it may be a couple weeks, I'm on my way to Vegas on Monday).

Lydia