? for Holland America cruisers

[Guest suzeycruisey]

Hi everyone,

 

We are about to take our first HAL cruise in October, going with DH's parents and grandparents. Do people dress more formally on non-formal nights on HAL than other cruiselines? I usually bring summer skirts with knit tops and sandals for casual nights...is this appropriate or do I need to be dressier than that? Also I read somewhere that HAL has an informal night, something that we are not familiar with being on so many RCI and Princess cruises. Is a cocktail dress too dressy for this night? Should I stick with a LBD?

 

Thanks in advance! It's amazing how going on a new cruiseline can inspire so many questions!!

 

suzey :)

[robthens]

We have cruised on Princess, HAL & Royal Carribean and didn't really see a difference in dress.

[caviargal]

Hi everyone,

 

We are about to take our first HAL cruise in October, going with DH's parents and grandparents. Do people dress more formally on non-formal nights on HAL than other cruiselines? I usually bring summer skirts with knit tops and sandals for casual nights...is this appropriate or do I need to be dressier than that? Also I read somewhere that HAL has an informal night, something that we are not familiar with being on so many RCI and Princess cruises. Is a cocktail dress too dressy for this night? Should I stick with a LBD?

 

Thanks in advance! It's amazing how going on a new cruiseline can inspire so many questions!!

 

suzey :)

 

"Informal" nights on HAL call for a dress/pantsuit/nice outfit for ladies and sportcoats for men.

 

This was enforced on ZUI in March and four men in my dining party were not allowed in the Pinnacle Grill until they put jackets on.

 

What you describe as casual will work.

 

I saw NO shorts in the dining room on HAL, a big change from the last few RCI cruises where anything was apparently acceptable.

[LandLockedInAZ]

Hi everyone,

 

We are about to take our first HAL cruise in October, going with DH's parents and grandparents. Do people dress more formally on non-formal nights on HAL than other cruiselines? I usually bring summer skirts with knit tops and sandals for casual nights...is this appropriate or do I need to be dressier than that? Also I read somewhere that HAL has an informal night, something that we are not familiar with being on so many RCI and Princess cruises. Is a cocktail dress too dressy for this night? Should I stick with a LBD?

 

Thanks in advance! It's amazing how going on a new cruiseline can inspire so many questions!!

 

suzey :)

 

I have cruised HAL four times and I would say a cocktail dress or LBD would be fine. If an LBD, I'd dress it up with a bit of nice sparkly jewelry.

Your casual night outfits sound fine.

In my experience on a Princess cruise, people rushed to get out of their formal night clothes, even before going to a show. I don't see much of that on HAL. The cruiseline asks us to stay dressed for the evening and most do.

Enjoy!

[momofmeg]

Hi everyone,

 

We are about to take our first HAL cruise in October, going with DH's parents and grandparents. Do people dress more formally on non-formal nights on HAL than other cruiselines? I usually bring summer skirts with knit tops and sandals for casual nights...is this appropriate or do I need to be dressier than that? Also I read somewhere that HAL has an informal night, something that we are not familiar with being on so many RCI and Princess cruises. Is a cocktail dress too dressy for this night? Should I stick with a LBD?

 

Thanks in advance! It's amazing how going on a new cruiseline can inspire so many questions!!

 

suzey :)

 

I found on my HAL and Celebrity cruises both that the informal or semi formal night was almost formal-no evening gowens and no tuxes of course-but cocktail dresses , LBDs , and dress slacks paired with sparkly tops for women and men in suits is what you saw for the most.

 

Your casual skirts and tops would look nice on casual nights. Even on casual nights people are mored "dressed" for the most part then you see on Royal Caribbean.

[Jeal]

Whenever we have cruised on HAL we have found that on non formal nights most men do not wear jackets - business casual is how I would describe it. You will be fine with summer skirts, knit tops and sandals. Most of the men within our age group - fifties - wear nice sport shirts and khaki pants - and many of them wear Hawaiian shirts.

No matter which line you cruise with you will find some people who like to dress up every night but many others who do not.

Personally, I am always cold on the ship so often I wear pretty sweater sets and black pants.

And, even on formal nights I sometimes change after dinner to a dressy sweater set and black pants.

Whatever you decide to wear - be comfortable - it is your vacation!

[ozland]

 

This was enforced on ZUI in March and four men in my dining party were not allowed in the Pinnacle Grill until they put on sportscoats

 

Since this was an "informal night" my guess is it was a requirement only for the Pinnacle -- which is a speciality restaurant. Have been on the Zuiderdam twice and the traditional dining rooms didn't have the same requirement on informal nights. Dress slacks and a casual shirt/nice polo/or Hawaiian shirt were the norm.

 

That being said you will find that some people do like to dress up every night -- and some people like to dress down every night :D . Sounds like you have the right idea. Go and ENJOY!

[Guest suzeycruisey]

Thank you everyone for your help. DH and I always follow the dress code, but I think we are even going to step it up a notch this time, especially since DH's family will be there and we are looking forward to having formal pictures taken.

 

Thanks again!:)

[LandLockedInAZ]

Since this was an "informal night" my guess is it was a requirement only for the Pinnacle -- which is a speciality restaurant. Have been on the Zuiderdam twice and the traditional dining rooms didn't have the same requirement on informal nights. Dress slacks and a casual shirt/nice polo/or Hawaiian shirt were the norm.

 

Just to clarify, I think this poster may be thinking of "casual night". HAL has three levels of dress code for the evening- Informal Night being one of the most confusing for many pax.

 

From their web site:

 

Evening dress falls into three distinct categories. Each night a daily program will be delivered to your stateroom announcing the suggested dress for the following evening. Comfortable, relaxed clothing is fine for evenings designated as casual; however, T-shirts, jeans, swimsuits, tank tops and shorts are not allowed in the dining room, Lido restaurant, or public areas during the evening hours. During informal nights, dresses or pantsuits for women and jackets (tie optional) for men are standard.

On festive formal evenings, women usually wear cocktail dresses or gowns and men usually wear business suits or tuxedos. There are approximately two formal nights per week.

In order to complement your fellow guests, Holland America asks that you observe the suggested dress code throughout the entire evening.

 

The dress code may not be enforced in the main dining room (and I believe this varies by ship and dining room staff), but it is requested.

[ozland]

Landlocked:

 

You're right -- I forgot about the three categories of dress :o

[Cats' slave]

I've only been on one HAL cruise, Zuiderdam about a year ago. If I remember correctly, it was just a little dressier than RCCL. Most people followed the dress suggestions pretty closely.

 

The outfits you describe will be perfect. Between the cocktail dress and the LBD, I would choose the LBD, but it's a close call.

 

I don't know if it's fleet wide, but Zuiderdam had a white screen photo area, where you pose in casual, kind of unusual ways. In my favorite, I am sitting cross legged on the floor with my rather dignified husband posed behind me. We got the cutest pictures, all dressed in black and barefoot. Those wonderful photos may be affecting my vote for the LBD.

[Guest suzeycruisey]

thanks Cat's slave, those sound like really cute pictures. Not sure if we will be able to get grandparents barefoot, but definitely a pose that would be good for DH and I. I love the black & white look, too, so that may sway my choice to the LBD and make sure DH brings his black suit. Thanks for the suggestion!