Have YOU been accosted by the fashion police? We were

[Cruising-along]

I prefer the British expression "quite". It says so much without saying anything at all.;)

 

I like that one too Sapper. I also like "exCUSE me???"

 

It's funny, I had to ask 3 of my southern relatives about the expression "well bless your heart" before I found one who had heard it used. And we're talking Savannah, GA, about as south as you can get! All born and raised in the south.

 

So is this phrase used more in other parts of the south? Or maybe my in-laws don't get out enough? :D:D

[Tamaracboy]

pdxcostumelady...our experience on HAL is that The Fashion Police, The Old Biddy Committee, The Busybody Society, and the Hysterical (aka Historical)|Society only exist on this HAL board.

 

I think that 99.999 percent of HAL cruisers belong the Polite Society and the MYOB Club so there is absolutely nothing to worry about. We just go and have a good time.

 

I could not have summarized it better myself. :cool:

 

The onboard atmosphere is so truly pleasant and the people so friendly and this truth is often NOT reflected on this board.

I find the average passenger to be very far above "average" when it comes to manners, comportment, seasoned travelers and class, which by truest definition excludes any hint of snobbery. :p

 

I really enjoy reading these threads for entertainment and always "read between the lines" to interpret the intent of certain posters. :rolleyes:

 

The really good and typical HAL passengers are here too, and very easy to spot from their posts.

 

To pdxcostumelady: Have a fantastic adventure in Alaska, it is truly awesome !

 

r.

[Tamaracboy]

I prefer the British expression "quite". It says so much without saying anything at all.;)

 

Yes the British are the masters of understatement.

And there is an American equivalent to "Quite!"

The well placed and properly inflected "Well . . . ." can achieve the same results. :cool:

I think when properly executed it comes across as "Well, I never . . . " but can mean so much more ;)

 

This is where children could be so useful in responding to those who seem obligated to speak up when they want to feel superior:

If you are lucky to have a child with you, just say loud enough to not be missed "You see, Johnny, these are the type of people I was telling you about . . . ."

Maybe that would "teach them a lesson" (and I don't mean Johnny ;) )

[melehundele]

Freshly returned from the June 13 sailing of the Ryndam in Alaska, my first HAL cruise, I feel compelled to share my observation as to dress code. I dined in the MDR 5 nights, the Lido once, and the Canaletto/Lido "special" restaurant once. I was in the MDR on both formal nights. I was struck by the casuality of formal night. Formal nights on my NCL cruise and my other Alaska cruise with Princess were decidedly more "formal."

 

I did not observe a single full length gown (there may have been some, but I did not see them). Women wore everything from cocktail length dresses to plain blouses with slacks to sparkly tops to more casual knit pant outfits; one woman wore colored knit pants, a knit top, and a cardigan sweater. I DID observe a few snazzy looking gentlemen in tuxes, while I would say the majority wore a neutral color suit, sport jacket, or just a tie with slacks and a button-down shirt.

 

Bottom line, dress decently and within your concept of "formal," but don't get too worked up over feeling out of place. The dress code is obviously open to--and widely the subject of--interpretation.

[NSWP]

Have the 'fashion police' been known to patrol the Lido Buffet on formal nights? LOL.

[rugbypopsie]

Have the 'fashion police' been known to patrol the Lido Buffet on formal nights? LOL.

 

If they do I will make sure I am wearing my best rhinestone encrusted thongs (i.e. aussie slang for rubber casual sandals)..Ouch just the thought on rhinestones on the other kind of thong apart from the frightening thought of my generously covered middled aged frame in a thong!

 

Honestly you can't take "fashion police" seriously. I have seen some sights on formal nights that had nothing to do with formal wear, they may have been in evening dress but it was a long way from classy or tasteful. Round the pool, many swimsuits both male and female have you wondering "what were they thinking"...who cares, we are all on holidays..if they are happy and comfortable its none of my business.

 

I personally love the odd formal night, my DH looks great in a tux and I scub up pretty well too, I just don't want to do it twice a week though...glad to hear on HAL I can order from the dining room menu and have it delivered..on those nights I will be out on the balcony probably in my jamies.:p

[Joshua1]

We also say in Britain, when someone lectures us in a fuddy duddy way, 'Oh get over yourself' and walk away. This works well too.

 

On the Sea Princess in May the buffet was very relaxed with some men wearing smart shorts and shirts in the evening on formal nights and some just smart slacks and shirts. I think as well with our travel restrictions on luggage weight on long haul flights, and there only being say 3 formal nights people tend to use the space for more smart casual clothes. If the men pack anything it would usually no more than a suit and tie for formal nights. Dinner suits seem to weigh much heavier and are a waste of money if you are only using them for cruises.

 

Thomas Cook (an English airline) weight is 23kg but coming back from Miami American Airlines made us pay $100 for being 3kg overweight as their limit was 20kg! We were furious.

[gkny]

On Formal nights my wife and I just wore resort casual with no tie and jacket. Nobody ever said a word to us and many other people wore resort casual on the Westerdam. For work I'm always in a tie and jacket and on vacation it's a nice change to be resort casual.

[lady_cruiser]

"I avoided the shoulder pads, big hair and leg warmers in the '80s -- "

 

Oh, I wish now I could say the same.

 

I agree with rafinmd.

 

We've never been fashion policed, but on our first HAL cruise a "gentlemen" said in a very condescending tone that "on Holland America we do not save seats." He, by the way, was trying to find six seats together right before the show, and I simply said "my husband is using the bathroom." (The truth.)

And I would have said in my loudest condescending southern nasal voice that my husband was in the bathroom peeing :eek:!

[retiredkid]

And I would have said in my loudest condescending southern nasal voice that my husband was in the bathroom peeing :eek:!

 

 

Or.... my husband is on the toilet..... too much, maybe?:D

[TracieABD]

Or.... my husband is on the toilet..... too much, maybe?:D

Or in my best Southern accent, "My husband is in the can..." (OK, maybe not, but one can always ponder...):rolleyes:

[AmyDawne]

The last cruise my DH and I were on was a longer one, so after dinner one night I went to do laundry. Now, in the light of complete honesty, I threw on some sweatpants and a black tank top and some flip flops. You would think that people might understand the pile of laundry in my arms...not so much.

[vickiw0318]

Wow. I've just read all 287 posts and am feeling quite overwhelmed. I am a good Southern girl (from Tennessee) who was "raised right" up to and including the private girls' school. One of our more famous graduates, Sarah Cannon, would come to talk to us about her days at the school that preceded ours and related that the teachers were fond of saying that "you could always tell a Ward-Belmont girl when she went to town." Mrs. Cannon would then quip, more in the way of the alter ego you would know her by, Minnie Pearl, "that of course you could - we were the only ones wearing gloves."

 

So, here I am, after years of dressing up and never wearing white after Labor Day or patent shoes before Easter, honestly not caring if I ever put on a cocktail dress again. I would never dream of going to the MDR or the Pinnacle Grill not dressed appropriately and I don't drink, so I won't be in any of tbe cocktail lounges. But, I can only hope that most of you are right in saying that I'll not be accosted if I do happen to be out and about the ship (on the way to the Lido to dine or elsewhere) and that if I am, I'll remember to say "Bless your heart" to the accoster.

 

We loved the Veendam's itinerary and the idea of spending three nights in Bermuda. We just didn't get to see enough of the island when we simply overnighted there last summer on the Grandeur. I just hope (like other HAL first timers have expressed in this thread) that my first HAL cruise won't be my last.

[DizzyDallasDi]

But, I can only hope that most of you are right in saying that I'll not be accosted if I do happen to be out and about the ship (on the way to the Lido to dine or elsewhere) and that if I am, I'll remember to say "Bless your heart" to the accoster.

 

Don't worry, you'll be fine....especially if you remember your manners and flash a big smile if you should have the need to say "bless your heart." :D The atmosphere on this board and onboard the ship are entirely different.

[HWY 101]

your pants under a sport coat for men acceptable? We have seen this on the streets and upscale young venues?

[vickiw0318]

Don't worry, you'll be fine....especially if you remember your manners and flash a big smile if you should have the need to say "bless your heart." :D The atmosphere on this board and onboard the ship are entirely different.

 

Thank you so much.

[lady_cruiser]

And you have to realize sometimes what we write on these boards and what we actually say in person are two entirely different things. Here I get to say things that I would never have the nerve to say in person.

[rjse]

We just returned from the Zuiderdam. My wife and I had read this thread before we left if for no other reason than the entertainment value. Although watching for the fashion gestapo during the cruise we never saw them. We enjoyed dressing up for dinner and I believe most others did to. There were a few in the MDR that probably did not meet HALS dress code but they enjoyed dinner like everyone else did. On the last night we dinned at the Pinnacle. It was casual dress code that evening and I was only going to were my blazer however changed into my suit at the last moment at the request of my wife and glad I did as most of the men wore suits. My take on the dress code is that it should be honored as respect of your fellow passengers. We had no problem packing all of our formal wear and other clothes in two 26 inch non expanded suitcases and a couple of small carry ons. My suit went in my suitcase and my blazer I wore on the plane. Our four year old daughter also lived out of those two suitcases. Many of the clothes we brought we never even wore. I can now say the argument for not bringing formal wear along is not due to the new airline baggage costs. As for someone publicly commenting to another that there attire is not apropreate.... thats the cruiselines job that made the policies and has the authority to enforce the rules not yours.

[3rdGenCunarder]

your pants under a sport coat for men acceptable? We have seen this on the streets and upscale young venues?

 

I doubt you'd be turned away from the dining room for that. But it's a look I dislike. I don't think it's "hip" or "cool," I think it's sloppy. Whenever I see it (usually a photo of a celeb) I can imagine someone's mother saying "tuck in your shirt, young man!"

 

ooohkaaay, must go write my check for membership in the old biddies club now...

[pris993]

We also say in Britain, when someone lectures us in a fuddy duddy way, 'Oh get over yourself' and walk away. This works well too.

 

On the Sea Princess in May the buffet was very relaxed with some men wearing smart shorts and shirts in the evening on formal nights and some just smart slacks and shirts. I think as well with our travel restrictions on luggage weight on long haul flights, and there only being say 3 formal nights people tend to use the space for more smart casual clothes. If the men pack anything it would usually no more than a suit and tie for formal nights. Dinner suits seem to weigh much heavier and are a waste of money if you are only using them for cruises.

 

Thomas Cook (an English airline) weight is 23kg but coming back from Miami American Airlines made us pay $100 for being 3kg overweight as their limit was 20kg! We were furious.

 

Seems strange, i.e., AA charging extra for luggage -- limit for international has been 50 lbs which I believe is 23 kg. I will have to check AA web site.

[debbiepete]

The last cruise we went on, hubby wore his militaty choker whites with full medals and I wore a gorgeous long red dress. All night long we had our pictures taken, offers for drinks. Was a long night,,,,

[RevNeal]

Thomas Cook (an English airline) weight is 23kg but coming back from Miami American Airlines made us pay $100 for being 3kg overweight as their limit was 20kg! We were furious.

 

That's weird. American Airlines specifically states that 50 pounds or 23kg is the maximum weight for checked luggage: "Over 50 lbs/23 kgs but less than 70 lbs/32 kgs - is subject to a $50 USD overweight baggage charge."

 

Are you sure it was because your bag was overweight?

Note: American Airlines allows 1 free bag (up to 50 lbs) per person on international flights to Europe from the USA. For a second checked bag they charge $50.

[panpan16]

Not personally, but I was on the Maasdam June 5-12 and I saw a family turned away from the dining room at dinner because they were all dressed in shorts. It was a smart casual night, not a formal night. I later saw the family up in the Lido.

[RevNeal]

And you have to realize sometimes what we write on these boards and what we actually say in person are two entirely different things. Here I get to say things that I would never have the nerve to say in person.

 

Now, Rosie, don't give the secret away!!!! :D ;)

[trailercruiser]

This thread caught my eye and I have enjoyed reading it. My husband and I own two car dealerships and we have taken our employees on cruises for the last 6 years. All of the cruises have been with Carnival except our Alaskan cruise which we took with HAL. Since it was our first trip with HAL I addressed the dining attire issue with my TA in an email and he assured me slacks and shirts would be acceptable for men in the main dining rooms. Welll,,,, the first formal night we were seated at our table with our employees and their spouses. No one was in jeans or shorts but no one had on coats. A group of people in tuxs passed our table and one of them looked and us and said "They must be from Tennessee." (Which we aren't, we are from Louisiana, probably even more laid back then Tennessee.) We just laughed at the comment. A few minutes later the maitre'd came to our table and told us our dress was not acceptable. I apparently gave him a look that got my message across because we were served and finished our meal. When we got to our room that night I called the front desk and told them I was an extremely unhappy cruiser and needed to have a meeting the next morning with someone that could make me happy. So, I met with someone the next morning and started by telling how much I was spending to bring 80 employees on their ship, all in balcony rooms, not to mention what my employees were spending on drinks and the casino. I told them I had addressed the dress issue before sailing with my TA and if he had in fact not checked with them that would be between me and him. I was returning to their ship in two weeks with the other half of our employees and wanted all issues resolved before we returned. They were so apologetic. I received letters of apology from several people, I received food in the room, we were treated fine the rest of the trip. We did return two weeks later with the second group of employees and were seated each night in the dining room with no problem. In hind sight my guess is that the people who thought we were from Tennessee probably complained and the maitre'd felt compelled to do something about it. I felt he should have addressed it with me, as host of the group, privately, and not embarrassed my guest. I think once the ship staff realized the amount of money I was spending with them and the amount the people doing the complaining was spending they decided to let the money do the talking. We have not sailed with HAL since bringing our groups to Alaska and do not have any plans on doing so. We felt overall it was a stuffy, uppity ship. We have taken several more on Carnival and next year will be going to Hawaii with our employees on Norwegian.

 

You are exactly correct. We have always worn slacks and a shirt and that is following there rules. Don't let the fashion snobs tell you otherwise. If you do as these fashion snobs say you will then become the "ugly european". ;)