Male Dress Code Question and Pinnacle Grill/Premium Restaurant Question

[FieldstonEagle]

According to HAL's web site, even evenings designated as formal, it is acceptable for a man to wear a collared shirt and slacks, not needing a jacket or blazer. Most recently I've been sailing on cruise lines ,such as Azamara,which have a "country Club Casual" dress code for all evenings. If I were to wear a button down long sleeve sport shirt and nice dress khaki slacks on HAL formal nights would I be out of place in the main dining room or Pinnacle Grill?

Also, when making online reservations in advance of the cruise for the Pinnacle Grill and/or other premium restaurants, can one reserve a table for 1, dining alone?

I'm thinking of booking the March 2018 Koningsdam transatlantic.

Thanks!

[Lady Arwen]

You certainly can wear nice slacks and collared shirt any night you choose. There really are no formal nights anymore. They're now known as Gala nights. Some people dress to the nines, others choose to wear more casual attire......either is perfectly acceptable. This applies to the MDR and all specialty restaurants.

 

As for a table for one, I would call guest services at HAL (for some reason the phone number has escaped me) and make that request. I called and requested a 2 top for our Koningsdam cruise recently and we received an email within a day to confirm our dining choice.

[ithaca gal]

There are many dress code threads where you will get lots and lots of comments regarding the dress code for men in the MDR and fine dining restaurants.

 

On Gala evenings, khakis and a long-sleeved, collared shirt is definitely within the suggestions for men.

 

You will most likely not feel out of place. On our sailings on the Koningsdam and Eurodam in the past year, the great majority of men had either added a tie, jacket or both. This is not required but I added it only to answer your question.

[RuthC]

Also, when making online reservations in advance of the cruise for the Pinnacle Grill and/or other premium restaurants, can one reserve a table for 1, dining alone?

When you dine in a specialty restaurant, you are seated with your party only, and no others. So, if you are a party of one, you dine at a table for two, with one place setting.

[DaveOKC]

When you dine in a specialty restaurant, you are seated with your party only, and no others. So, if you are a party of one, you dine at a table for two, with one place setting.

 

Exactly. I have seen a number of people dining in the Pinnacle alone - nothing unusual about it.

[Krazy Kruizers]

What you described for dress code in the dining room and Pinnacle and Tamarind will be fine.

People pretty much stay with the smart casual dress code all nights.

We have seen people dine alone -- at a table for 2 -- in both the Pinnacle and Tamarind. They will not ask you to join someone else nor will they ask other people if they would mind if someone else sits at their table.

[SilvertoGold]

OP: you'll be fine. Just so you are aware since you are thinking about a transatlantic cruise: on Transatlantics (and European) cruises we have found that many pax go for more formal dress. hard to predict, of course.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

According to HAL's web site, even evenings designated as formal, it is acceptable for a man to wear a collared shirt and slacks, not needing a jacket or blazer. Most recently I've been sailing on cruise lines ,such as Azamara,which have a "country Club Casual" dress code for all evenings. If I were to wear a button down long sleeve sport shirt and nice dress khaki slacks on HAL formal nights would I be out of place in the main dining room or Pinnacle Grill?

 

 

 

Also, when making online reservations in advance of the cruise for the Pinnacle Grill and/or other premium restaurants, can one reserve a table for 1, dining alone?

 

 

 

I'm thinking of booking the March 2018 Koningsdam transatlantic.

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

If you went to the Pinnacle on gala night and encountered 10 men, here is what you would likely observe: 1 man in a tuxedo, 2 men in suits, 5 men in sport coats and ties, 1 man in a sport coat- no tie, 1 man with a collared shirt and nice khakis.

 

Of course the actual attire will vary and YMMV....

 

Would you be out of place? No one will give you a second glance or care what you are wearing - but only you can decide what it means to be out of place. I will be the one guy in the tuxedo and I don't feel out of place.

 

If you want to blend in with the masses - coat and tie is your sweet spot

[ithaca gal]

If you went to the Pinnacle on gala night and encountered 10 men, here is what you would likely observe: 1 man in a tuxedo, 2 men in suits, 5 men in sport coats and ties, 1 man in a sport coat- no tie, 1 man with a collared shirt and nice khakis.

 

Of course the actual attire will vary and YMMV....

 

Would you be out of place? No one will give you a second glance or care what you are wearing - but only you can decide what it means to be out of place. I will be the one guy in the tuxedo and I don't feel out of place.

 

If you want to blend in with the masses - coat and tie is your sweet spot

 

As they say: No more calls, please, we have a winner!

 

This post sums it all up perfectly right down to the example of a representation of what 10 men would be wearing on Gala Night in the Pinnacle Grill.

 

I attempted to be more subtle when I said that the majority of men we have observed on our recent cruises were wearing either a tie or jacket or both (on Gala Nights). The-Inside-Cabin wasted no time getting down to brass tacks!

[FieldstonEagle]

Thanks for all your helpful responses.

[CHEVSTRISS]

ahhhh,, easy enough to pack a tie. and who'll notice if he wears the same tie twice?

[TAD2005]

One word of caution.... the usual Pinnacle Grill dinner is not rushed, to put it nicely. It is a relaxed, slow paced dinner, taking anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes, and sometimes longer. If you are dining alone, you might bring something to occupy your time.

[doublebzz]

Would you be out of place? No one will give you a second glance or care what you are wearing - but only you can decide what it means to be out of place. I will be the one guy in the tuxedo and I don't feel out of place.

 

If you want to blend in with the masses - coat and tie is your sweet spot

I used to wear a tux on all formal nights but now wearing one, I would feel out of place.

[JRG]

If you went to the Pinnacle on gala night and encountered 10 men, here is what you would likely observe: 1 man in a tuxedo, 2 men in suits, 5 men in sport coats and ties, 1 man in a sport coat- no tie, 1 man with a collared shirt and nice khakis.

 

Of course the actual attire will vary and YMMV....

 

Would you be out of place? No one will give you a second glance or care what you are wearing - but only you can decide what it means to be out of place. I will be the one guy in the tuxedo and I don't feel out of place.

 

If you want to blend in with the masses - coat and tie is your sweet spot

 

10 is much too small a sample size to draw such a precise inference. Let's say there are 100 men, are you saying that 10% would be tuxed?. I suggest that this number is ambitious. I would suggest that only a few of the 100 would be wearing tuxes. I would also suggest that most of them would be our friends from the gay community. For whatever reason, they always look smashing in tuxes and more and more us straight guys are looking like Harvey Weinsteins. I am not joking. In the past few cruises I've noticed that our gays friends always look awesome in their selection of fashionable tuxes. Who really cares what the other 90% percent are wearing anyways. You might feel more alone than you think.

 

If I were you, I'd head down to the outlets and find an Armani jacket and black undershirt. Pair it up with some nice slacks and wingtips and you'll look and feel awesome too.

 

The times are changing and tuxes are on the decline at gala night. Make no mistake about it.

[creel5857]

we had a dinner there while on a cruise earlier this month and my husband was the only one out of 8 tables of couples who had coat and tie on.......others had collard shirts and slacks.......hubby not too happy with me since I told him he was to wear coat and tie

[The-Inside-Cabin]

we had a dinner there while on a cruise earlier this month and my husband was the only one out of 8 tables of couples who had coat and tie on.......others had collard shirts and slacks.......hubby not too happy with me since I told him he was to wear coat and tie

 

 

 

While one cruise could find no one wearing a jacket (as you observed) the next cruise could find half the room in tuxedos. The variability of attire night to night can be extreme in a small venue like the pinnacle.

 

If blending in to what your table mates are wearing is important to your husband, then here is my suggestion.

 

About 10 minutes prior to your reservation - wander down to the pinnacle and look around. Then head back to your cabin and have your hubby add his tie - or remove his jacket. Both quick changes.

 

Another option: If he wears a jacket to the venue - no tie, then he can remove the jacket and put it on the back of the chair or leave it on if the room is more formal that night.

 

Next cruise you may head to the pinnacle and now that your hubby left the jacket behind - you find the opposite situation.

 

Recommend a scouting trip to avoid an unhappy hubby. If you want to avoid walking back to your room, have hubby stay back and you can call him on the nearby house phone.

Edited December 25, 2017 by The-Inside-Cabin

[JRG]

Sounds like a lot of 'cloak and dagger' special ops just to figure out what to wear to dinner.

 

Maybe you should just ignore what everyone else is doing and focus on enjoying the dining experience.

 

Hardly anyone would be judging you anyways. Dear Hubby deserves to not 'sweat it out' waiting for last minute instructions. How would you feel if he did the same to you?

[DaveOKC]

Just had a Pinnacle dinner on a "non-gala" night on the Oosterdam last week. A mixture of male attire, from suits to very casual (might even call it sloppy). I wore a nice collared shirt and slacks and did not feel out of place.

 

I was not happy with the over 2 hour time frame though! They were obviously short on servers. Food quality has declined somewhat over the past few years (it seems like everytime they increase the price the quality goes down). Plus they have reduced the steak sizes and now charge extra if you want lobster.

 

I wonder how many people are actually paying the $35 pp cost - many people seem to get the Pinnacle dinner for free with a booking package, etc. or are 4/5 Star and only pay $17.50.