how dressy can I be?

what is the real dress code onboard?

im sailing on the Koningsdam in a few days.

just wondering if i wear a long/cocktail dress for dinner every night will i stand out from the crowd or fit in??

thanks

jan

You will fit in nicely in a long gown or cocktail dress on Gala night. But that would not be the norm on Smart Casual nights. On those nights something closer to Country Club Casual, or even as dressy as informal would be as dressy as you will see.

Oh Holland America Lines, you can be as dressy as you wish. If that means putting on your ballgown, heels and tiara, go for it. If it means putting on a LBD (little black dress) and a string of pearls, you'll be just fine. Gala nights are one of the few times when you can pull out all the stops if you want to. Some people love it (like us), while others feel it is an outdated standard when one is on vacation.

For other evenings, if you have a long dress (or a short one) and want to wear it for dinner, feel free. I like to dress for dinner on cruises, but not everyone does.

Smooth Sailing ! :) :) :)

what is the real dress code onboard?

im sailing on the Koningsdam in a few days.

 

just wondering if i wear a long/cocktail dress for dinner every night will i stand out from the crowd or fit in??

 

thanks

jan

They changed it. "Redneck Yacht Club" is now acceptable. :eek:

DH continues to wear coat and tie and I always "dress up" a bit for MDR meals on the regular nights - special top, dress and accessories; and he still wears his tux on gala nights.

We dine at 8pm fixed which we think is a bit more formal than other parts of the dining room which will easily range to very casual to a little more dressy. The dining room is lovely, the table is set with white cloth and sliver formality, and the dining staff is professional - so it feels very okay to dress up a bit when enjoying this setting.

However, we have never been on the Konigsdam so don't know it this feeling has changed with the new direction this ship is taking.

If you do stand out, it will be in a positive manner. There's no need to match the lowest common denominator.

We dress up for dinner every night. I have no intention of becoming part of "the lowest common denominator". We dress the same as we would to go out to a quality restaurant at home.

Be yourself, have fun, and enjoy your cruise.

You will stand out. You will not fit in. But nobody will care.

Unless I am eating in the Lido, I always dress up for dinner. I have been known to wear a long evening skirt and sparkly top/jacket on casual nights. I seldom get a chance to wear "dressy" clothes at home so I enjoy doing so on cruises. If you want to wear evening dress/cocktail dresses every night, go for it molly22.

JMO -- leave home your long dress/gown.

Cocktail dresses will work for Gala nights.

On our spring 21 day repositioning cruise most people wore casual clothes on Gala night. Most men wore slacks and collared shirts and ladies wore slacks and dresses. HAL is no longer a fancy dress cruise line.

Recent Zuiderdam: we still saw long dresses on Gala Night and I was sorry I had left mine home. I'll take it next time. Simple black velvet.

If you do it on "casual" nights, you will stand out a bit...but who cares? Do you KNOW the others? Do you really care what they think?

On "formal" or "elegant" or "chic" , or "gala" nights...go for it. You may be the best dressed person aboard!

You can if you wish ... but most no longer do.

They changed it. "Redneck Yacht Club" is now acceptable. :eek:

do not forget the rubber boots.

JMO -- leave home your long dress/gown.

Cocktail dresses will work for Gala nights.

On our spring 21 day repositioning cruise most people wore casual clothes on Gala night. Most men wore slacks and collared shirts and ladies wore slacks and dresses. HAL is no longer a fancy dress cruise line.

We've taken three cruises on HAL in the past eight months. On every one of them, men without jackets on Gala nights were in the extreme minority. I keep reading about Holland America not being a dress-up line anymore but this has not been the case on our cruises. Yes, there are a handful who do not want to dress up while they are on vacation but the vast majority seem to want to dress up at least on Gala nights.

We are going on our first cruise this weekend and our group is going all out for the 2 gala nights. Tuxes and long gowns all the way! Can't wait.

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You can be as dressy as you want. There are fewer and fewer ball gowns, but the ladies wearing them are always admired. Seems like longer cruises tend to have more people in dressier outfits. As with many others, I enjoy the long skirts and sparkly tops, long dresses, and lots of jewelry.

Dress up as you wish - and enjoy!

Wear whatever you want.Nobody cares. If you want to fill up your luggage with fancy clothes then do what you want. From what I read,the change to smart chic or whatever term is being used has been welcomed by many,not all.

Wear whatever you want.Nobody cares. If you want to fill up your luggage with fancy clothes then do what you want. From what I read,the change to smart chic or whatever term is being used has been welcomed by many,not all.

Today's dressy fabrics are some of the easiest things to pack and arrive with nary a wrinkle or taking up much suitcase space or weight. The days of ruffles, taffetas, unwieldy supporting under-garments and flounces in need of pressing have long passed.

We are going on our first cruise this weekend and our group is going all out for the 2 gala nights. Tuxes and long gowns all the way! Can't wait.

 

 

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Have a wonderful cruise.