H A L dress

We are taking the Volendam on August 11 for 4 days in Alaska. As this will be our first cruise, I do not know about the dress code. We do not have formal attire. Will I need a dress? My husband has dress pants, white shirt and tie, but no jacket. Is this acceptable? Starting to love this site for the prep!

The formal dress code calls for a sport coat, w/tie at a minimum for a man. A suit, or tuxedo is suggested.

A woman wears a dressy holiday or cocktail outfit. It does not have to be a dress, as there are evening pants.

If you don't want to pack/don't have these things, you can eat at the Lido or Canaletto restaurants, or have room service on the formal night.

If you want to have the dining room menu, that can be served in your cabin, so long as it's ordered during the first half hour the dining room is open, and served during any of the open hours.

But do consider bringing something to wear for formal night, since it's your first cruise. You may want to experience it at least once, and have a photo taken to remember the occasion.

I will just say what I saw and experienced on the Westerdam Alaska Cruise 2 weeks ago. Your husband does not need a jacket and nice pants and nice top is fine for you and none of us wore dresses. The days of prom type dressing does not seem to happen any longer with everyone since the extra fees of the airlines.

I wear a sparkly pant suit that packs in a gallon ziplock bag. Hubby wears a suit and wears his jacket on the plane to save packing space.

On our last several cruises, the MDR had loaner jackets that they were handing out for people who didn’t have them. Another option for an inexpensive sport coat is to check out local thrift stores. As previously mentioned, wearing the jacket onto the plane saves space in your luggage.

I will just say what I saw and experienced on the Westerdam Alaska Cruise 2 weeks ago. Your husband does not need a jacket and nice pants and nice top is fine for you and none of us wore dresses. The days of prom type dressing does not seem to happen any longer with everyone since the extra fees of the airlines.

I don't understand, people pay thousands of dollars on a cruise, but balk at paying for an extra suit case to go on a cruise.

I don't understand, people pay thousands of dollars on a cruise, but balk at paying for an extra suit case to go on a cruise.

CC needs a like button :rolleyes:, couldn't agree more with you!

I don't understand, people pay thousands of dollars on a cruise, but balk at paying for an extra suit case to go on a cruise.

CC needs a like button :rolleyes:, couldn't agree more with you!

Tick!

If you wear a nice pair of black slacks and a dressy top, you will be fine. Agree your husband really should wear a jacket. If he will really not need one anytime soon after the cruise, maybe he can borrow one or as said before, try the thrift stores as they often have nice ones for only a few dollars so if you do not want to pack it to go home, you can be guilt free leaving it.

Will they have a formal night on a four night cruise?

If so, dress code would be same as every formal night on all HAL ships........

Gentlemen in jackets and ties, at a minimum.

Ladies dressed commensurately, as a minimum.

Will they have a formal night on a four night cruise?

Yes. OP is on the Volendam in Alaska. The short cruise is part of a cruise/tour combo. Others take the land tour with the 3-day cruise during the same week.

On our Baltic cruise on the Eurodam I borrowed a jacket from the hostess, I had forgotten mine. The wife ore a nice outfit. There were Some people that wore a tie/jacket every night.

Don't worry about dressing up. HAL has become very informal. They have been on a cost cutting crusade and there is no longer a true formal night. You can wear almost anything. You can certainly dress up if you like, but for all intents and purposes it is optional.

Many of the people on this chat board are old timers who still cling to the old traditions. An officer on HAL told me that they really don't care what people wear.

Have fun and dress how YOU like.

Don't worry about dressing up. HAL has become very informal. They have been on a cost cutting crusade and there is no longer a true formal night. You can wear almost anything. You can certainly dress up if you like, but for all intents and purposes it is optional.

 

Many of the people on this chat board are old timers who still cling to the old traditions. An officer on HAL told me that they really don't care what people wear.

 

Have fun and dress how YOU like.

Most people are respectful of others and wear what is asked. I guess you need to go back and ask this officer why they have a variety of jackets hanging in the MDR. I'm not an old timer. I just have respect for myself.

We just got off the Volendam this past Wednesday, for men if you had a sports coat you did not need a tie, if you had on a tie you did not need a jacket. We even seen several wearing Members only outdoor coats as a sports coat with no tie on formal night. For women....lets just say I could count on two hands how many were dressed really nice. Many women were wearing outfits that I did not even consider to be slightly dressed up.

So no need to be told you need to dine in your room or go to the Lido.

We got comments each of the two formal nights such as"Wow you are really dressed up, it must be a special occasion"

Don't worry about dressing up. HAL has become very informal. They have been on a cost cutting crusade and there is no longer a true formal night. You can wear almost anything. You can certainly dress up if you like, but for all intents and purposes it is optional.

 

Many of the people on this chat board are old timers who still cling to the old traditions. An officer on HAL told me that they really don't care what people wear.

 

Have fun and dress how YOU like.

Most people are respectful of others and wear what is asked. I guess you need to go back and ask this officer why they have a variety of jackets hanging in the MDR. I'm not an old timer. I just have respect for myself.

Dd you ask that "officer" why HAL bother to have a dress recommendation at all if that's the case.

And why can't he just wear tracky dacks.

We just got off the Volendam this past Wednesday, for men if you had a sports coat you did not need a tie, if you had on a tie you did not need a jacket. We even seen several wearing Members only outdoor coats as a sports coat with no tie on formal night. For women....lets just say I could count on two hands how many were dressed really nice. Many women were wearing outfits that I did not even consider to be slightly dressed up.

So no need to be told you need to dine in your room or go to the Lido.

We got comments each of the two formal nights such as"Wow you are really dressed up, it must be a special occasion"

I wonder why people would say such a rude thing. I've been on ships where people were not dressed up at all and others where they really dressed up. Every time I dress formally I always get told how nice I look. For someone to say this to you is very insulting. Did you ask them why they barely dressed up? To me that would be the correct answer in kind to something like that.

Dd you ask that "officer" why HAL bother to have a dress recommendation at all if that's the case.

 

And why can't he just wear tracky dacks.

Had no idea what tracky dacks were. Google is helpful:D.

Don't worry about dressing up. HAL has become very informal. They have been on a cost cutting crusade and there is no longer a true formal night. You can wear almost anything. You can certainly dress up if you like, but for all intents and purposes it is optional.

 

Many of the people on this chat board are old timers who still cling to the old traditions. An officer on HAL told me that they really don't care what people wear.

 

Have fun and dress how YOU like.

It's actually kind of rude and disrespectful to show up in the MDR on formal night dressed any way you like.

I am glad that HAL ships DO enforce the dress code. The atmosphere & experience are really quite wonderful on formal nights (and really all the nights in a HAL MDR).

Why would you want to take away from others experience by showing up in just anything?

As another cruiser posted, there are many other options if you do not wish to participate in formal night.

BTW, I'm in my 30's, not exactly an old timer.

I don't understand, people pay thousands of dollars on a cruise, but balk at paying for an extra suit case to go on a cruise.

It's the extra class that they lack.

Had no idea what tracky dacks were. Google is helpful:D.

Me too. Found an article that asks if they should even be worn in public. [emoji12]

I wonder why people would say such a rude thing. I've been on ships where people were not dressed up at all and others where they really dressed up. Every time I dress formally I always get told how nice I look. For someone to say this to you is very insulting. Did you ask them why they barely dressed up? To me that would be the correct answer in kind to something like that.

I did not find it rude at all we were really one of the few dressed up on both Formal nights. The 2nd Formal night we were trying to see if Tom was the only one wearing a Tux , I am facing the entrance. And I say .... Ah finally there is a tux ...... Then I start to laugh it was just the Wine Sommelier escorting a senior lady to her table [emoji2]

Here is a pics from both of our Formal nights, trust me we were on the rare side

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I'm not judging people by how they dress or telling them how I think they should dress. My husband and I dress up on formal nights because we enjoy it. But I don't care if others make different choices. I don't consider them disrespectful or insulting. They just want to be comfortable and have a good time, just like me.

My earlier comment was simply to pass along what I have observed and what I was told by one of the officers. He wasn't a spokesman for HAL and he wasn't setting policy. He was simply commenting that HAL is getting more relaxed about formal nights and that they simply want people to enjoy themselves. Nothing more. Nothing less. I guess I don't understand why some people make such a big deal about this. I have found that life goes better if you live and let live. I seems to me that some of the HAL cheerleaders are way more concerned about this than HAL is.

On our Baltic cruise on the Eurodam I borrowed a jacket from the hostess, I had forgotten mine. The wife ore a nice outfit. There were Some people that wore a tie/jacket every night.

HAL has Hostesses again? Since when? Years ago every ship had a Hostess but I haven't seen one in ages.

I did not find it rude at all we were really one of the few dressed up on both Formal nights. The 2nd Formal night we were trying to see if Tom was the only one wearing a Tux , I am facing the entrance. And I say .... Ah finally there is a tux ...... Then I start to laugh it was just the Wine Sommelier escorting a senior lady to her table [emoji2]

Here is a pics from both of our Formal nights, trust me we were on the rare side

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You and Tom look lovely.

Mr. Deering looks good. :)

LAFFNVEGAS, you two look great. Luv it!!! That's what I like to see.

I'm going to be very disappointed if HAL let's people slack on my upcoming Nieuw Amsterdam cruise.

Service, MDR experiences, and the Sea View pool are what I love about HAL.