Why is everyone hating on formal nights?

[serendipity1499]

In my case, I would have to find another cruise line. Let me be clear. I abide by the rules. (I seem to recall at one time the "rules" did specify evening pants outfits--the chiffon pants I have are billowy and look like a long skirt). Anyway, it sounds like a skirt and top wouldn't be allowed either. It has to be a dress? Once again this is HALs bad writing (I'm an English professor, by the way, so though I don't ever correct others' grammar/spelling, I do think it's fair game to criticize the clarity--or lack of--of a company's policy statement.

 

I prefer to eat in the Lido anyway. I'm not lazy. You can ask anyone who knows me. I simply do not want to dress in formal clothes. I'm on vacation. But if I went to the MDR on formal night I would dress in what I really believe are appropriate clothes.

 

Also Love it!!!:D:) BTW HAL also states Suit's for ladies, wonder if a dressy pant suit would qualify?..LOL:)

 

My chiffon pants are billowy too, with thigh high slits in the legs & look like a skirt.. However, since both my skirts & my chiffon pants don't qualify as Formal on HAL, don't know what to do..:eek: Now I only have two ankle length dresses to wear for Formal night... Guess, that's a good enough excuse to purchase a couple of gowns? ...:D

Edited August 28, 2014 by serendipity1499

[cruz chic]

OK, we don't want to. We will wear smart casual during the evenings on our next two Alaksa cruises and not visit the MDR or the PG on formal nights.

 

Thank you for saying that. I appreciate your honesty.

[cruz chic]

[

 

Love it!!! :D:D

 

BTW I really enjoy formal nights, as it's the only chance for me to dress up in SW Florida...

 

However DH was starting to get to the point of hating formal nights on our Prinsendam cruise as we had so many...All he could wear was either his Suit or Tux..

 

I, on the other hand, took many different Formal wear outfits & did enjoy dressing up, even on the nights when I was not in compliance by wearing chiffon Palazzo pants...LOL;)..:):eek:

 

I'm happy to see that HAL is cutting back on their number of Formal nights per cruise..

 

Yeah, it doesn't break my heart either that there are less formal nights. I do dress formally but I'm not overly married to it.

[cruz chic]

I checked on what HAL offers for women for formal wear rental. It's a skirt and top, which I would say is not technically a dress. They haven't thought this through. Unlike a lot of CC members, they obviously don't obsess over it.

 

I don't understand your post at all. The formal wear they were going to lend me was pretty formal.

[POA1]

I suspect that the suit that women are allowed refers to formal pants suits, which do exist. Ask Katherine Hepburn.

I suspect that she would be silent on the matter and offer no comment whatsoever.

Edited August 28, 2014 by POA1

[TheEmerson]

It is what you make of it. I enjoy formal nights personally because it is what I put into it. The dress is one part, the food is another, the environment is also one part and, most important it is the people/person you are with.

 

 

How many people have been to a wonderful family wedding to have steam table chicken or fish? I know I have. But was the evening a horrid affair, no because someone you love got married. Or a wedding where everyone is in full tails or the one at the beach with shorts and Hawaiian shirts. Was one better than the other?

 

I bet there has been more than one person here that went to a Prom in school where there was a drive thru or random happy birthday song in a chain restaurant. The height of formal for that one night.

 

Everything makes it formal or casual in the eye of the person.

[cruiser gilly]

i suspect that she would be silent on the matter and offer no comment whatsoever.

 

bravo!

[Vineyard View]

So we are coming up on our first time cruising on HAL. I have been following threads and have learned a lot of great information and advice - but I have to say that I have never pondered attire on any other cruise, quite so much as I find myself this time. DH and I have had several discussions and have gone back and forth - suit, jacket/tie, tux......pack it/rent it. Then there is the lido, room service, or Canalleto - and I think that having all the options are great.

Now this thread sure has some heat to it - and some very strong feelings that are all over the place.

So - not knowing how we are really going to feel about the whole formal night experience after reading way too much about it, we are thinking that the simplistic solution is: rent a tux. No packing. No wondering if the attire is ok. That leaves us with hopefully great formal night experiences - and if not so much so, the tux can hang in the closet, I can bring my dressiest outfits home, and we can engage in the several options available to us. I don't know yet, but right now that seems the easiest solution.

[msclonly]

Now, It will be much simpler for me to dress up, as I always do,

every day in a Designer Label Hawaiian shirt and feel very very comfortable !

 

And to reassure everyone, I will NOT dine in the MDR on any Formal Nights, since I do not like Baked Alaska, etc. anyway ! :rolleyes:

That should give the Dress-Up Bunch & table mates some relief,

that their Party will not be spoiled by me!

 

:)

[POA1]

We know what fine dining is.

 

And we know what it is not. Clothing does not make fine dining.

 

We don't mistake dressing up for dinner with a fine dining experience. They are mutually exclusive.

 

You do know that you're saying that you cannot have a fine dining experience while dressed up, right?

[Lizzie68]

So we are coming up on our first time cruising on HAL. I have been following threads and have learned a lot of great information and advice - but I have to say that I have never pondered attire on any other cruise, quite so much as I find myself this time. DH and I have had several discussions and have gone back and forth - suit, jacket/tie, tux......pack it/rent it. Then there is the lido, room service, or Canalleto - and I think that having all the options are great.

Now this thread sure has some heat to it - and some very strong feelings that are all over the place.

So - not knowing how we are really going to feel about the whole formal night experience after reading way too much about it, we are thinking that the simplistic solution is: rent a tux. No packing. No wondering if the attire is ok. That leaves us with hopefully great formal night experiences - and if not so much so, the tux can hang in the closet, I can bring my dressiest outfits home, and we can engage in the several options available to us. I don't know yet, but right now that seems the easiest solution.

 

Why not simply follow HAL's suggested dress code, and stop worrying about the wildly varying opinions on here. Trust me, it is not that big a deal.

[solocanadian]

There are so many options for cruises - including lines that do NOT have formal nights. If you do not like formal nights - DO NOT sail with HAL as many cruisers love the formal nights and that is 1 reason we sail with HAL.

 

Come on people - we all live by 'rules' - and as a past 'hippie' I am not a fan of rules. Have learned that if you make a choice or decision, you also choose the conditions and rules for that choice.

 

I agree with you 100%.

[Sue from Canada]

Is it really that bad? Wow you have to put on some cloths and try to look decent for a few hours while you eat and maybe get a picture taken. after that you can schlep back to your cabin but your bathrobe and flip-flops back on. It seems the majority of posters about formal nights are always asking questions about how can they get out of it, or even more refusing to participate at all and see if anyone tells them no, you can't come to the MDR or Pinnacle looking like that.

 

I'm by no means a conservative, wealthy, classist or old. But I guess I'm a traditionalist and feel formal night is one of things you should try to celebrate and enjoy, like going to a wedding, or midnight mass on X-mas eve, or watching the band perform at halftime of a college football game, or singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the 7th inning stretch.

 

But to hear some CC'ers talk about it you think they were being tortured beyond the Geneva Conventions by having to put on a coat and tie and eat some fine food.

 

Man-up and dress-up you land loving, whining Applebee's types.

 

-Paul

 

Hi Paul. I enjoy the formal nights. What I don't like is the number of them. HAL should keep it at one at the beginning of the cruise and one at the end of the cruise. No more - And I don't care how long the cruise is. Another reason for keeping the number of formal nights to two max is airline luggage rules.

Edited August 28, 2014 by Sue from Canada

[msclonly]

Isn't the Holland America line owned by the Carnival Cruise line?

Or managed?

Edited August 28, 2014 by msclonly

[sapper1]

Isn't the Holland America line owned by the Carnival Cruise line?

Or managed?

 

Both Carnival Cruise Line and Holland America are owned by Carnival Corporation. Carnival Cruise Line does not own Holland America.

[msclonly]

I guess that does make a difference!

 

:cool:

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

I hate formal nights because I hate the dressed chairs! The covers make it hard to move the chairs close to/away from the table, your clothes (even if they're not formal) stick to them uncomfortably. If the person at the early seating had glitter on their formal wear, it's highly likely I'll get their leftover glitter on my non-glittery formal wear, which is nearly impossible to get off!

 

If they would stop dressing the chairs I'd be much, much happier to dress up. Furniture does not need clothes!!!!!

 

Very good point ..

[navybankerteacher]

You do know that you're saying that you cannot have a fine dining experience while dressed up, right?

 

Haven't you noticed that a number of people (and not just on this thread) do not seem to know what they are saying?

[3rdGenCunarder]

Who makes the rules or are they leftovers from a distant time?

Isn't the Holland America line owned by the Carnival Cruise line?

Or managed?

 

I added your header because that was the part of this post I wanted to answer. The cruise lines make the rules, and what you call "leftovers" they call "traditions."

 

To expand on Sapper's answer, Carnival Corp owns many cruise lines. HAL, Carnival, Costa, Princess, P&O, Seabourn, AIDA, and Cunard. Carnival is very smart. As they acquired cruise lines, they made relatively few changes, allowing each to have its own style and traditions. Why own a bazillion ships, all the same? Far better to own ships that fit a variety of cruisers and match a wider customer base.

 

HAL is our second favorite line, with Cunard being first choice (I guess that's obvious, given my screen name). Cunard is probably the most traditional of Carnival's brands. One of the many traditions we love on Cunard is the formality of formal nights. On our last TA, I'd guess 95% of the men wore tuxes. The remaining 5% wore dark suits or kilts--you want to talk about packing issues? The kilt, the jacket and all the rest of the accoutrements must need a suitcase of their own. Some women wore cocktail dresses. Most women wore gowns or long skirts and formal tops (real beads, not glued-on glitter). People truly make an effort, and it does add to the ambiance when everyone looks so good. It helps that QM2 has a beautiful ballroom and they do have a proper Captain's reception on the first formal night. In fact, one of the captains of QM2 usually comments on how lovely everyone looks when he makes his welcome speech. Cunard doesn't require tux and gown--dark suit and cocktail dress meet the code. But as Ruth once said, the dress code doesn't have to be a ceiling, it can be a floor. Most people on Cunard go above and beyond because they choose to, not because someone makes them do it.

 

So when I hear people complain about the difficulty of dressing for formal night on HAL, I have to shake my head. HAL really isn't asking for much. I don't get the "hating on formal night," as the OP put it.

 

For the record, we have two cruises booked. One HAL, one Cunard.

Edited August 28, 2014 by 3rdGenCunarder

[Linda&Vern]

I added your header because that was the part of this post I wanted to answer. The cruise lines make the rules, and what you call "leftovers" they call "traditions."

 

To expand on Sapper's answer, Carnival Corp owns many cruise lines. HAL, Carnival, Costa, Princess, P&O, Seabourn, AIDA, and Cunard. Carnival is very smart. As they acquired cruise lines, they made relatively few changes, allowing each to have its own style and traditions. Why own a bazillion ships, all the same? Far better to own ships that fit a variety of cruisers and match a wider customer base.

 

HAL is our second favorite line, with Cunard being first choice (I guess that's obvious, given my screen name). Cunard is probably the most traditional of Carnival's brands. One of the many traditions we love on Cunard is the formality of formal nights. On our last TA, I'd guess 95% of the men wore tuxes. The remaining 5% wore dark suits or kilts--you want to talk about packing issues? The kilt, the jacket and all the rest of the accoutrements must need a suitcase of their own. Some women wore cocktail dresses. Most women wore gowns or long skirts and formal tops (real beads, not glued-on glitter). People truly make an effort, and it does add to the ambiance when everyone looks so good. It helps that QM2 has a beautiful ballroom and they do have a proper Captain's reception on the first formal night. In fact, one of the captains of QM2 usually comments on how lovely everyone looks when he makes his welcome speech. Cunard doesn't require tux and gown--dark suit and cocktail dress meet the code. But as Ruth once said, the dress code doesn't have to be a ceiling, it can be a floor. Most people on Cunard go above and beyond because they choose to, not because someone makes them do it.

 

So when I hear people complain about the difficulty of dressing for formal night on HAL, I have to shake my head. HAL really isn't asking for much. I don't get the "hating on formal night," as the OP put it.

 

For the record, we have two cruises booked. One HAL, one Cunard.

 

Very nice post. Thank you!

[sandthrush]

We don't do formal night, been there, done it, we don't care to participate. We don't go to the MDR on formal night. Why we don't is nobody's business, and we won't be bullied into doing it.

 

However, for those of you that are so passionate about formal night, why aren't you contacting Holland America about it and demand that they create strict dress policies and enforce them. Instead of wasting your energy on these boards stirring the pot with snide, disparaging remarks your energy would be better spent on organizing a letter writing campaign.

Edited August 28, 2014 by sandthrush

[iancal]

As long as the cruise line provides reasonable alternatives for formal nights we are happy campers.

 

But, of all the main line cruise lines that we have been on, HAL provides the poorest alternative to the MDR on formal nights. They could remedy this easily if they wished simply by extending the Lido hours of operation.

 

There is no question in our minds that there are two very distinct and growing trends in this market segment. One is the move away from traditional dining to anytime dining. The second is the move to casual, alternative dining venues on formal evenings. I suspect part of the reason for this is larger ships have the space for more varied offerings. And the cruise lines appear to be marketing heavily to this segment because the demand is present and it results in increased onboard revenue.

 

The notion of a mainstream cruise ship where everyone is either attired in formal night MDR dress requirements or hiding in their cabins has long since passed. You can probably see it in some of the movie re-runs on television.

[rafinmd]

It is what you make of it. I enjoy formal nights personally because it is what I put into it. The dress is one part, the food is another, the environment is also one part and, most important it is the people/person you are with.

 

 

How many people have been to a wonderful family wedding to have steam table chicken or fish? I know I have. But was the evening a horrid affair, no because someone you love got married. Or a wedding where everyone is in full tails or the one at the beach with shorts and Hawaiian shirts. Was one better than the other?

 

I bet there has been more than one person here that went to a Prom in school where there was a drive thru or random happy birthday song in a chain restaurant. The height of formal for that one night.

 

Everything makes it formal or casual in the eye of the person.

 

I'm with everything here but especially the first paragraph. For myself, on a formal night, my first choice would be to have my tablemates dressed as suggested. Second is to have them more casually dressed. My DISTANT, LAST choice is to look at their empty chairs for the evening.

 

I wonder how many of the "rules are rules" people have never driven 65 in a 55mph zone.

 

Roy

[mikeange]

I keep saying that HAL should simply make the traditional, assigned-dining-time MDR the dining room for formal night and the non-traditional, eat-at-whatever-time-you-want-dining room to be resort casual for the length of the cruise. If you want a formal dining experience, pick the traditional dining room. If you want a resort casual dining experience, pick the non-traditional dining room.

 

Everyone could be accommodated. No one would be forced or coerced to participate in formal night. No one would be exiled to the Lido which has a similar but not exactly the same menu as the MDR (no lobster, no veal chops or other higher-end items, different desserts) not to mention no table service. No one would be eating dinner on the couch in their stateroom. No one would need to be scolded to comply or go elsewhere.

 

There would be no more tsk tsk tsking that this one or that one is not attired properly. There would no more need to suggest the folks who want to be resort casual sail on NCL/RCI or that the formally inclined migrate to Cunard, where they really get into formal night and dress accordingly.

 

And before anyone responds how formal attire is for the entire evening including the shows and the casino, have you been on any cruise ships that still have formal night lately?

 

Just sayin' .

[iancal]

We just booked a late Oct. cruise on RCI Serenade. It is about the same size as NA. Have not been on RCI for a long time. We selected anytime dining.

 

The surprise? When filling out the usual bumph on line we were given an option for dining reservations. Not only could we make a MDR (or any other venue) reservation for anytime dining, we had the option of selecting the same or a different time each day of the cruise. 15 minute intervals from about 5:30 to 8 pm

 

We were also given the option of what size of table we preferred. The next option? We had the ability to add other guests to our table reservation.

 

I was amazed at this flexibility and the convenience and the fact that we were able to get it done quickly, get it done in advance, and with a very user friendly interface. It is a sign of the times.

Edited August 28, 2014 by iancal