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dress code from 5-10 p.m. EVERY night on the ship

divadhayes

By divadhayes,
in Holland America Line

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momofmeg

momofmeg

Posted
Posted
why NCL...is that supossed to be the most casual ship of them all or something? I dont mind looking nice for dinner in fact i like it but to have to keep that on for the rest of the night to see the ship - :(

 

Formal night is optional on NCL. On the Pearl, the only restaurant that was formal was the Summer Palace. The Indigo Room though had the same exact menu. The indigo room also allowed jeans, Summer Palace did not. The pay extra venues you could wear jeans and casual, the lido , of course was casual, the Blue Lagoon also was casual.

 

However, hardly any one wore shorts in the evening-jeans and dockers, a few, but no shorts.

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momofmeg

momofmeg

Posted
Posted
This is JUST my opinion, but just because you pay X amount of $ on your cruise does not give a person carte blanche to do whatever they want, behave in whatever manner they please and wear whatever they want.

 

As I stated earlier, shorts and t shirts are not acceptable attire in the evenings ON HAL ships. Also as I stated, no one will throw you overboard if you choose not to follow the suggested dress code.

 

Exactly, but they will look out of place. But something tells me-those that do this don't mind looking out of place-they like the attention.

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momofmeg

momofmeg

Posted
Posted
Your opinion is fine. I just thought it was directed that the OP...Maybe in the future you will give some thought to the thread that you give your general opinion to. I dont feel she wanted a general opinion nor did she insuinuate anything.....She was a first time poster.

 

Dan

 

No he directed it at the poster he quoted. I understood this. The OP did not say this-but the poster he quoted.

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wldflr

wldflr

Posted
Posted

I know for a fact that my DH will not be in a tux during our cruise. The one (and only) time he wore a tux was for our wedding 11 years ago.

 

Getting him to put on a suit for dinner will be a trial and you can bet he will be out of his dress shirt and jacket and change into a polo shirt as fast as he can right after dinner in the MDR(if we eat there). It wouldn't surprise me that we opt to eat on the Lido most nights.

 

And just paying the extra fee to bring the suit bag on the airplane besides our regular suitcase is going to be a point of argument. (sigh)

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bonsat

bonsat

Posted
Posted

momofmeg, the op can eat at the lido in her comfy capris if she wants to. her little boy will look just fine in a nice pair of shorts and a polo shirt. i don't think it will effect the quality of your own vacation in the least.

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RevNeal

RevNeal

Posted
Posted
Granted, we take shorter cruises (7 to 10 days) but I've never seen "most" men wearing tuxes.

 

I have ... but, as you suggest, it's either been on the longer cruises or it's been on special cruises in specific markets where a more formal-oriented passenger-base might be expected.

 

For instance, I saw an exceedingly HIGH percentage of men in Tuxedos on the Noordam Inaugural in 2006 ... a 10 day cruise to the Caribbean out of New York City. That, however, was a very special cruise. Something similar could be said for both the 3 day and the first 10-day Inaugurals of the Eurodam. Those were special-cases, with a high percentage of passengers who dress formal, and in a market where a higher percentage of formal-type folk might also be expected.

 

Aside for those special cases, it's only been on the longer cruises (20+ days) where the percentage of gentlemen attired in Tuxedos on Formal Nights reached the "majority" category. On most 10 - 15 day cruises the numbers of Tuxedo-clad gentlemen will average in the 30 - 50% rage (with some notable exceptions, as on one Hawaii cruise where the percentages hovered around 75% or better on any given formal night), while the numbers of gentlemen in Tuxedos on 7-day cruises will nominally decline to the 30% range and bellow. Exceptions to this rule might be special occasions like New Years, where more people (even on a shorter itinerary) will tend to understand that it's a time for being festive and formal.

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rotaryscotty

rotaryscotty

Posted
Posted

I'm surprised at all the avoidance of the dining room on formal nights. Yes, room service can be romantic, and the Lido can be more casual and speedy.

 

But the real pleasure for us is the interaction of our tablemates in the dining room. A little dress up, and sharing our lives with new friends is a special benefit to cruising.

 

I don't bother with a Tux, but I do throw in a double breasted sportcoat and a couple of collarless shirts so I can enjoy the elegance of the evening while remaining comfortable.

 

The buffet provides you an opportunity to interact only with a bunch of steamed food instead of fellow travelers.

My wife and I find the WHOLE CRUISE as being romantic so we don't feel the need to stay in our rooms for a meal. Incidentally, we will be on the Oosterdam on November 26th for our 40th anniversary.

 

Have fun with your fellow travelers at the dining table. Discuss food selections, laugh at the food that is subpar and regale in the food that is a joy to consume. Share some wine with them, and toast your good fortune to live in a country that gives you the freedom to enjoy life!!

 

I don't dread formal night- I celebrate it, as everyone who cruises should.

 

And to those who prefer going to the buffet or staying in their stateroom I have only one thing to say, "HAPPY SAILING":)

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momofmeg

momofmeg

Posted
Posted
momofmeg, the op can eat at the lido in her comfy capris if she wants to. her little boy will look just fine in a nice pair of shorts and a polo shirt. i don't think it will effect the quality of your own vacation in the least.

 

I have nothing against anyone hanging out at the lido-nope I am not one of "those" who turn their nose up at someone in the elevator on their way up to the lido. But I did find distasteful seeing the gal in the piano bar on the Westerdam in Daisy Dukes and a midriff top on formal night, my last HAL cruise in April 2008.

 

Actually a man in a polo and khakis I do not mind seeing so terribly much either in the piano bar-nor would I mind the OP in capris there- at least they are dressed properly for a casual night-Daisy Dukes cut offs are not appropriate any night on a cruise ship

 

But no worry about my being her cruise mate-we are on different cruises-and since mine is 10 days-I am sure there will be many of my fellow old fogies with me, as not many of the Daisy Dukes crowd will be doing that itinerary.

 

As far as my comments, her initial post sounded so displeased and unhappy-I really have a feeling HAL is not for her-I think it would be to her benefit, (not mine) if she switched cruises. I have a feeling she will be miserable the whole week. She and her son both would love one of the RCI monster ships, I am sure, and people tend to dress more casually on that line than HAL. Even the comedian was making jokes formal night about most of the crowd dressing down after dinner on my Mariner of the Seas cruise.

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Guava26

Guava26

Posted
Posted

Yes, HAL is one of the more elegant lines, and an older crowd, and not that many children at all, we have been on about 3 other HAL cruises and sometimes never see kids. Pretty laid back really. We will only cruise HAL for this reason, because we are on relaxation holidays, not big partyers, but there is still a ton of fun on a HAL cruise. Dress code, nice to think that they could enforce it but they cant, only other cruisers give you looks, you have paid your money to be there.

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Ians Grandma

Ians Grandma

Posted
Posted

I have cruised with HAL before and I didn't realize that the dress code is so strict. I like to run on the sports deck every night because its cooler and I can avoid the long sun exposure. I usually run for about 1 hour. Nobody ever said anything but I guess that I am not really supposed to be on deck in running attire. It is a sports deck so what do you think, is it okay?

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Copper10-8 "Live from...." Rare

Copper10-8

Posted
Posted
I have cruised with HAL before and I didn't realize that the dress code is so strict. I like to run on the sports deck every night because its cooler and I can avoid the long sun exposure. I usually run for about 1 hour. Nobody ever said anything but I guess that I am not really supposed to be on deck in running attire. It is a sports deck so what do you think, is it okay?

 

THe HAL dress code is a 'suggested' dress code and not that strict. The responses you see here from the two 'camps' are typical. There are other options available for those that don't feel like following 'da code' for whatever reason. There is absolutely nothing that stands in the way of you exercising/running on the Sports Deck at night on any night, be it formal or smart casual! That includes your route to and from that deck to your cabin! Have a great time!:)

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