H A L dress

And you pack for 61 days? Ships have a laundry and there are porters. I have no problem with the way you husband dress for formal nights. The problem is the jeans t-shirt and baseball cap, and similar attire.

Packing for 61 days involves packing for a variety of seasons. We are not on a boat for 61 days and laundry becomes difficult when you are constantly on the move. I am not complaining just explaining. :)

...Hubby wears a suit and wears his jacket on the plane to save packing space.

I don't want to take things too off-track, but I see this solution often. I always wonder, "doesn't he get awfully hot wearing a suit jacket during the flight and getting through the airport(s)?" I know I wouldn't be able to do it.

I don't want to take things too off-track, but I see this solution often. I always wonder, "doesn't he get awfully hot wearing a suit jacket during the flight and getting through the airport(s)?" I know I wouldn't be able to do it.

Most jackets will fit nicely in the overhead bin ... mine always does ;) and airports are air-conditioned.

Most jackets will fit nicely in the overhead bin ... mine always does ;) and airports are air-conditioned.

Every overhead bin is packed to the nuts on every flight I've been on thanks to people too cheap to pay for luggage. I do bring formal just to throw that out there.

Every overhead bin is packed to the nuts on every flight I've been on thanks to people too cheap to pay for luggage. I do bring formal just to throw that out there.

Not saying I would throw my tuxedo or suit jacket up there, but my blazer always fits and survives quite nicely.

Every overhead bin is packed to the nuts on every flight I've been on thanks to people too cheap to pay for luggage. I do bring formal just to throw that out there.

"Too cheap?" Must be nice to drop $50 - $100 per bag without resenting the fact that the airline is gouging you.

There are many reasons I hate to fly, but one of them is the amount of carry on baggage people bring on the plane, inconveniencing everyone getting on and getting off. How many times have you been hit in the head by the bags and crapola people are yanking out of the overhead bins trying to rush off the plane?

Welcome to cruisecritic and the HAL boards.

I think what your husband has is perfect. For you a nice blouse and pants could work or a dressy dress.

There are times we bring formal wear and end up in the buffet instead because of timing issues--we are enjoying the pool deck and don't want to go in yet, entertainment has good offerings that don't leave a 2 hour window for a meal in the dining room, etc. One time I thought we forgot our son's suit and almost rented a tux online. We found the suit, (to this day no one remembers packing it) yet missed 2 of the 3 formal nights.

I would bring something nice but don't fret over it. There are people on here who want to preserve tradition and like so many issues are a very vocal minority. Most people are enjoying their time with family/friends and do not have a desire to watch and judge everyone else.

Don't feel the need to go on another line. I am so sorry someone would say that to you. HAL is not exclusive or snobby. Most everyone you meet on board is there to have a good time and not judge you.

I hope you have a great cruise.

Another thing I'd add is that, in addition to the thrift shop idea, You can also find a pretty good selection of "sport jackets" and the like at Amazon or Ross for pretty cheap, AND nowadays, they make a lot of them in fabric blends that pack very compactly and don't wrinkle at all. So you can just stuff one in a suitcase/duffel bag and it will still look great when you drag it out and put it on.

Of course, if you don't want to bother with it at all, there's no reason you have to eat in the main dining room at all. You can hit one of the other restaurants or even order room service right from the menu and have dinner in your underwear! LOL. It really does look like there are TONS of options for everyone, whether you want to dress to the nines or not at all, or anything in between, without worrying about breaking tradition or anything.

I just booked my first cruise today and will definitely be packing mostly stuff that will cram into a pack/duffel without looking bad.

In any case, HAVE FUN, no matter what you decide to do for dining!! That's the point of it, after all!

:D

"Too cheap?" Must be nice to drop $50 - $100 per bag without resenting the fact that the airline is gouging you.

It's part of the cost of flying. Try flying from Calgary anywhere. It's ridiculous. That doesn't mean you should take up all the overhead space. I've never ever paid $50 to a $100 but I make sure my luggage isn't over 50 lbs and it's not easy. I hate it when people put everything but the kitchen sink in the overhead bins and there is no room for anything else. Hal gouges me far more than the airlines.

I guess this is what they are talking about trying to make a sticky for posts having to do with just dress. The HAL web site very clearly states what the dress is for formal nights, and they do not enforce it because people don't care. We enjoy getting dressed up on formal nights. We do 30- 40 day cruises with one suite case each. Nothing says you have to wear something different every day/ night. Laundry is available, before we had free laundry we did it every couple or so days. Nothing worse then watching somebody enter the MDR jeans & T shirt , baseball cap on backwards, which I have seen on formal nights.

Allan