The-Inside-Cabin

While reviewing the India Embassy website, I noticed that you can now get a tourist visa for 30 days on line - called an ETA like Australia. Are the days of the convoluted form over? Seems pretty simple now...

Am I missing something? Answered my own question...

The ETA is only available if you arrive by air. Seaports don't have the biometric screening capability

Here is our itinerary leaving Seward July 26th

My guess if Formal nights will be July 27th and July 31st

Does anyone have better information?

Does anyone know which production shows will be on which nights?

Thanks!

July 26: Seward (Anchorage), Alaska

July 27: At Sea

July 28: Glacier Bay

July 29: Haines, Alaska

July 30: Juneau, Alaska

July 31: Ketchikan, Alaska

August 1: Inside Passage

August 2: Vancouver, B.C.

Anytime after 1pm and you will be fine.

FORMAL NIGHT RIP

Just returned from the Veendam. Maybe 10 tuxes in the entire dining room. Very few suits, mostly sport jacket and tie. A few with no tie or jacket.

People still wearing shorts in the rest of the common areas and shows. Cruise director said on her morning TV show. "Wear whatever is formal to you".

Can't see anyone being turned away for any reason .....swimming attire is still probably too far, but give it a year....

I will continue to wear a tux but now feel like I am almost part of the staff. Sad, but I accept reality and it doesn't bother me anymore.

Women, as always, can wear whatever they want except swimwear. But if they throw on some pearls and a cover up skirt they would probably be admitted.

I think Cunnard line may be the last hold out for a true formal night.

LOL offside rule....I will have to remember to ask who can explain icing in hockey or the infield fly rule for baseball..

My experience in Lido is when people joined my table - they have always asked and never engage in conversation and treat the one table as separate. When crowded, I will ask someone if they mind me joining them, but I will not start a conversation.

This is different than MDR when everyone starts at same time and conversation is expected.

Most people can read the room and engage is appropriate conversation. The longer the cruise, more in depth discussions are possible. Inquires as to vocation, location are usually innocent probes to finding common ground for discussion as opposed to seeking private information.

Where do we meet while on the ship? I would like to partake in some of your tours, contact me via cruise critic to let me know. I'm new to the site and not really sure how it works, I'm sailing May 28th on The Nieuw Amsterdam from Barcelona-Venice. Thanks for your help! You can also contact me via email @ mygalsal2000@webtv.net having some issues with viewing posts on the site.

If you are using web TV, that is the problem as modern websites are too advanced for web tv.

Let's talk about formal night dress codes

Upgrade or else......I was offered the same cruise a week later but only if I bought a higher level cabin. I did get $1000 off but still had to fork over $1200 extra. What does that upgrade get you?

Same size room, but You can make reservations at speciality restaurant 60 days in advance. And get free soda in the mini bar....

But at least they require final and full payment 18 months in advance!!!!!

Viking should spend more money on customer service for paying customers and less on those TV ads.

We were contacted promptly by telephone - they offered us same itinerary 7 days later on different ship. They put our reservation on a 24 hr hold so we could contact travel companions.

6 hours later we email back to say OK. No response to email in 48 hours. I called and left VM. No reply. Now over the weekend. On Monday - call again - get routed to VM after 15 minute wait. On Tuesday I try a different number- finally get thru and this person seems to be able to figure it out.

Apparently they got my email and VM and confirmed my request internally, but never bothered to reply and tell me that they had received them.

Princess doesn't offer any room service on last day. Plus they make you vacate your room by 8am and wander around till you get off. I really like HAl Service on the last day...

My guess is that TA 's have the ability to offer a lower effective price than PCC by including more perks from their commision. I don't see any move from the cruise lines to bypass TAs like the airlines did. Most people need more help booking a cruise than an airline flight and if HAL undercut the TAs...unpredictable chaos would ensue... HAL doesn' turn down direct bookings but is probably loathe to be accused of stealing business from any TA .

I was checking out recent price drops advertised after final pay to see how much more I paid for the security of getting ANY cabin and a better cabin choice. I placed a cabin on hold for 24 hours and let it expire so I could check other options.

The next day I get a call from HAL inquiring if I needed any help.

I have often shopped around different travel agents looking for better deals but was wondering if I should add the HAL cruise consultants into the mix? My perception has been that HAL will never undercut travel agents so why bother checking with them.

I am a very low maintenance cruiser and If I could book the entire trip online like I book airfare that would be fine with me. However, the cruise business seems to insist on having someone in the loop to get a commission ...so I go along and use a TA .....if there was savings for a no frills booking process I would be the first in line...

Can you save by dealing direct with HAL? I would be surprised if that was the case. But I have been surprised before.

There was definitely a way to answer the question with the same result but not in the same way..."every line caters to their premium passengers differently ...we feel our current offering meets the needs of most of our passengers and represents a outstanding value. We appreciate your comment and will take it into consideration as we look for areas to improve."

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If you had them hold wine you bought in port....would they return it to you the last night? Or would they realize you were btob and continue to hold

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Is there an additional fee to participate in the dance lessons?

No additional fee.....

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After reviewing many threads on this subject on many lines - I have learned that they all follow a similar path....

OP inquires about dress code

After receiving factual answers - OP asks if something less than the requirement will be acceptable offering one or all of following reasons for non compliance.

1) I am on vacation and don't want to wear a tie

2) formal clothes are uncomfortable

3) airline baggage charges - no room in baggage

Then the OP engages into debate with posters about the validity, and possible workarounds of the above and then some general discussion about the merits of the reasons for non compliance...

Now the discussion will enter the last phase titled:

"How does my dress affect your cruise".

This will begin the lively final phase as everyone will chime in with their opinions - changing no ones mind - and hopefully not getting anyone too offended in the process.....

In conclusion someone will summarize the dress code, remind all of other options and wish everyone happy cruising....

Fade to black until it starts again...

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This thread was a question as to what was considered acceptable on HAL and then migrated to why people felt that way. Everyone here expressed their opinions respectfully and further explained how dress codes affects them. We ended up with a consensus that their should be be some dress code....no daisy Dukes or swimwear....so the bottom line for me is everyone should adhere to the published dress code as 99 pct of the people do.

I see about 10pct tuxedos, 25 pct suit and tie with the remainder in sports jacket and tie.....I have never observed anyone attempting entry into the MDR not wearing a jacket and tie....I am sure it happens every cruise, but the norm on HAL is men wear a tie and some sort of a jacket 99pct of the time....

I think I can safely say that if you attempt entry not wearing a jacket and tie on formal night you risk being denied entry and will definitely be in the minority.

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I always figure I judge my dinner companions by the kind of people they are and not their clothes. But I guess I live in a different world.

Would you be ok with swim attire in the MDR? Shorts and a t shirt?

If your standard is I don't judge clothes then all the above should be OK.

Then there should be no MDR dress code ever. I think wind star has that policy.

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Two of the common issues some have about formal night can be solved by the following website : http://www.cruiselineformal.com.

Issue 1: I don't have room in my suitcase --- Rent your clothes from the above website. They have stuff for women as well. Saves a lot of space in your suitcase.

Issue 2: Formal clothes are not comfortable.. Formal clothes are not any more or less comfortable than anything else. What is not comfortable is clothes that don't fit. If people don't wear a coat/tie regularly - they will often try to wear a suit they bought 20 years and 20 pounds ago. And yes....a shirt that is too tight - trousers and jacket too tight - are very uncomfortable. Again the solution is to rent your clothes. They are guaranteed to fit. The rental clothes are on the ship and if you get the wrong size at first - they will swap it out on the spot. They will even take it in or let it out . The ship has a tailor.

Wearing formal clothes that fit are very comfortable and they can help create that special ambiance - formal night - where all the passengers work together to create an elegant and festive atmosphere.

A third issue usually never stated explicitly is - I don't like to follow rules I don't like or cause ME some inconvenience...followed up by - how does my conduct - not following rules - affect you? Most people, not wanting to create a fuss, quickly demur and say - oh...no big deal.....

Here is my opinion as to why this is important.

Being part of larger group that choose to share the same experience - formal night is very enjoyable.

When people choose not to participate - it is distracting, decreases the value of the formal night experience and makes the vacation less enjoyable than it could have been.

I always wonder if people who are invited to a friends wedding - that states the attire is formal - would ask their host if it is OK to not wear the attire requested in the invitation. The host would exclaim..."oh wear what you want - all we care about is you sharing our day" All the while they would be rolling their eyes.....

Going on a cruise is a contract between you and the cruise line.....you agree to give them money and comply with a myriad of rules. They agree to provide you the cruise experience - which includes enforcing their rules across the board.

There any thousands of ways to spend your vacation money.....everyone should buy a vacation where they enjoy following the rules of the venue they CHOOSE to visit.

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However, I just don't understand how me not dressing up spoils that experience for other people.

I enjoy formal night because everyone on the ship is dressed up and you feel part of a larger group that is sharing and values that same experience.

When people choose to not comply with group norms that were established as part of the deal, it creates stress because one can feel as if they don't fit it and they are the outside of the norms.

When everyone complies with the dress code they agreed to prior to sailing it helps create an ambiance I enjoy. When people choose not to conform, the ambiance is less and not as enjoyable (aka spoiled) as it could be.

Not conforming to agreed upon group norms is a way to passively inform other passengers that one finds those values and experience unimportant and silly - and that is disrespectful and lessens (spoils) the experience.

Hope this helps....

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I lament the 'declining' formal night standards but at the same time my goal is to enjoy and relax during my vacation and not try to promote my sense of fashion..

Complying with the dress code that everyone is aware of is not promoting a sense of fashion, it is simply comforming to the rules everyone agreed to follow when they bought a ticket.

If people don't like the rules that are disclosed well in advance they should choose a cruise line that has the rules they like.

Not following rules, be it formal night dress codes or saving chairs, is disrespectful and tells everyone that I am above the rules and they don't apply to me.....being around disrespectful people is what decreases my vacation fun factor.

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Well it's a matter of space really, just don't really have the room for it.

L

If your only concern is space, then rent a tux from the ship. It will appear in your stateroom...very easy....takes up no space in your luggage.

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Here are the lyrics to the birthday song

Panjang umurnya

Birthday Song

(Bahasa Indonesia)

Panjang umurnya

Panjang umurnya

Panjang umurnya

Serta mulia

Serta mulia

Serta mulia

Selamat ulang tahun kami ucapkan

Semoga panjang umur kami kan doakan

Selamat sejahtera sehat sentosa

Selamat panjang umur dan bahagia

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When people complain that formal clothes aren't comfortable it is because they don't fit. They don't fit because they gained weight since they last wore them to a wedding 20 years ago. Clothes that fit are very comfortable, formal or casual.

Clothes that fit look better when you wear them as well.