Hal's New Dress Codes

[HeatherInFlorida]

..................But, formal is formal is formal......to me. How can a lady in a sparkly top and long skirt feel out of place when dressed for a proclaimed "formal night"?

 

Easy answer, Sail .... she can't.:)

 

Oh we women of the pantsuit ( WOP) are reminiscing again, eh :).........................

 

Yes, Hammybee:D ... I just never tire of it. Lucky it happened slowly and over a long period of time, isn't it?

 

As to hip huggers, I remember when I could wear them!!! I wouldn't want to describe what would happen if I tried to hug my hips with a waistband now:eek: !!

 

Greg ... those are wonderful pictures of you guys!!! I'll have to find where you have the thread with pictures. But I have to say how could anyone seeing how handsome you all look even think twice about not dressing for formal night. It just doesn't get any better than that.:)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Linda, How fantastic that you can wear the dress you go married in. I would love to get into my wedding dress for our ROV but I was a very petite size 6 then. It would take a true miracle weight loss to loose enough to still wear it by March 17th:o But then again it is 30 years old I am sure it shrunk a lot in the closet:D I still need to do some fast weight loosing before I can go shop. I want to find a special new dress for the occasion.

[jhannah]

Linda, How fantastic that you can wear the dress you go married in.

A true coup, indeed! I surely cannot fit into my wedding garb any more. In fact, I recently sold the Nehru jacket I wore for the rehearsal. (Does that date me sufficiently??) :D

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Oh Jim, I had a few of those Nehru Jackets. I bought my first one in San Francisco with some Love Bead and wore it the day that a group of us were on American Band Stand in 1968:D in LA It was July and they would film 4 episode of AB in one Sunday. They would ask you to bring a change of clothes so not to look the same each week.

[Copper10-8]

A true coup, indeed! I surely cannot fit into my wedding garb any more. In fact, I recently sold the Nehru jacket I wore for the rehearsal. (Does that date me sufficiently??) :D

 

Hey, wasn't he the prime minister of India??

[RevNeal]

WOW! Very impressive and handsome group.

 

Greg, I'd bet my last dollar that you could pull off any paisley dinner jacket.

 

Thanks! Sadly, no, that takes far too much flair in the fashion department. Brian has more polish in his little finger than in my whole body ... it's my occupational hazard. :D

 

I DO look good in a White dinner jacket, but I can't wear my old one any more ... it's WAY too large and Christopher can't size it down sufficiently. I'm probably going to buy a new one before the Ryndam in March.

[RevNeal]

I got married 5 years ago on a Princess cruise and I don't care what the standards say--I'm wearing that dress again on a formal night on Holland America. It wasn't a traditional wedding dress (champagne colored, no train, etc). I bought it to wear again some day and I can't wait! The fact that I bought it off the rack AND it still fits is the true miracle!

 

Good for you! And the standards don't say you can't! Indeed, what the standards set is the minimum! Pull out the stops!!!!!!!

[RevNeal]

I don't know, it does look like your panache is a bit smaller, and the dinner jacket covers it nicely! :rolleyes:

 

hardy har har.

My "panache," not my "paunch." :D

 

I have 100 pounds less paunch today than I had a year ago. :D But I don't have any more panache!

[RevNeal]

Greg ... those are wonderful pictures of you guys!!! I'll have to find where you have the thread with pictures. But I have to say how could anyone seeing how handsome you all look even think twice about not dressing for formal night. It just doesn't get any better than that.:)

 

Thank you very much.

The thread I posted photos and my review on is this one:

 

NOORDAM 1/6 Cruise - Where's The Details

 

Beginning on page 2.

[10s nut]

BTW...when I was on the Oosterdam last week, there was not an informal night. So, obviously this is being implemented early.

[Home Lines Lady]

I still plan to dress the way I always have on cruises in the evening. And by that I mean dressing up. I think that's half the fun of cruising.

 

I can be casual for breakfast and lunch, but in the evening I think it looks nice to see people a little dressy. And I also think they should enforce the dress code which they have not in the past.

[Crusin'Texan]

I agree 100%. My Husband and I love to dress at night He brings a tux and dinner jacket and I bring formal clothes for the formal nights . The other nights we dress the way the ship says. That is part of the cruising experience. We do not care for freestyle cruising. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes.

[kryos]

I still plan to dress the way I always have on cruises in the evening. And by that I mean dressing up. I think that's half the fun of cruising.

And that's exactly what you should do then. I don't know ... but if I wanted to dress BEYOND the requirements of the dress code, I certainly wouldn't let what other passengers were wearing affect me. I would dress as I liked and let the other passengers do their own thing ... as long as they were meeting the minimum standards of the dress code for the evening.

 

I can well understand why HAL has "dumbed down" the formal dress requirements. Don't forget, some people have to fly to get to the embarkation port. Airlines are tightening baggage allowances and if you're like me ... a solo restricted to two checked bags ... that makes things tough ... especially if the cruise is a longer one. I had a very, very difficult time getting all the stuff I needed for a 30-day cruise into two bags and one carry-on. Imagine trying to also stuff some full-length gowns in there as well. No way. And paying an extra $50 to $75 for an additional checked bag is something I certainly don't want to do ... especially since I'll have to pay it at both ends of the trip. So, I think what HAL has done here is a compromise to make it a bit easier on people who must use airlines to get to their cruise. Obviously, if you can drive to the pier, you are vitually unlimited as to how much stuff you can bring ... but the flyers are stuck, and this relaxed formal dress code makes shipboard life a bit easier for them.

 

As a sidenote ... has anyone seen the NCL print ad: "Dress code: Wear Something?" Then it goes on to say that passengers can feel free to leave their suits and gowns at home and that the dress code ranges from resort casual in the restaurants to bathrobe on your balcony. They also mention that some of the dining venues do offer an optional formal night at least once during a seven-day cruise. Totally aside from the NCL freestyle dining concept, this dress code concept seems to be the best I've seen so far. Something for everybody.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Denn33]

I'm happy not to have the "Informal" Night, since I never really wear sport jackets (either suits or business casual for work) and was going to have to buy a new one. Also glad to save the space in my luggage; perhaps I'll rent a tux onboard the ship, and not have to pack any jackets at all, really saving luggage space

[Islandbuoy]

HAL change the dress code to match Carnival's --plain and simple.

 

Now if we could only get CCL to enforce the code.

[kryos]

HAL change the dress code to match Carnival's --plain and simple.

 

Now if we could only get CCL to enforce the code.

Frankly, I doubt that. It doesn't seem like the various lines in the Carnival family try to match either other policy for policy. Look at Cunard. They are in the Carnival family as well ... and from what I've been told, dress codes which tend to run very formal are strictly enforced there ... especially on the QE2.

 

No, I think HAL did this because they realized there were a lot of complaints about dress codes not being enforced, and they wanted to do something to lighten the load on people who claimed it was a hardship bringing separate outfits for formal, informal and casual wear. By eliminating most of the stricter requirements of formal, and basically bringing it down to the level of what informal used to be, HAL is making some effort in this direction. I would assume, however, that now they will STRICTLY enforce the dress codes in the dining room since there really is nothing left to complain about.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[RevNeal]

By eliminating most of the stricter requirements of formal, and basically bringing it down to the level of what informal used to be, HAL is making some effort in this direction. I would assume, however, that now they will STRICTLY enforce the dress codes in the dining room since there really is nothing left to complain about.

 

Rita, what "stricter requirements of formal" have been eliminated? Based upon my read of the new code, the minimal level of "requirements" for formal night dress have not been changed, or lowered, one whit. For guys, Jacket and Tie is still the base-line minimum. For ladies it states that "cocktail dresses or suits are appropriate" ... is this a lowering of the "stricter requirements"? If so, I didn't realize that a gown was "required" ... I've seen lots of women in suits over the years.

 

From what I've been told, the trade-off for dropping informal night is the increased enforcement of formal night's minimums. Perhaps it's wishful thinking on my part to expect that they will follow through? I don't know, but the adding of that critical word "required" is a hopeful sign.

 

As for there being "nothing left" for people to "complain about" ... FOFLMHO. Yeah, right, those who don't like dress codes or their enforcement will complain no matter what.

[Opinions]

From what I've been told, the trade-off for dropping informal night is the increased enforcement of formal night's minimums. Perhaps it's wishful thinking on my part to expect that they will follow through? I don't know, but the adding of that critical word "required" is a hopeful sign.

 

.

 

The new dress code is now on the HAL web site...No where do I see the word "required".

[RevNeal]

Hmmm ... the new code, posted on the website, is not the same as the code guidelines sent out to the ships and, subsequently, to the TAs. For that, see the post that began this thread.

 

The new code reads as follows:

 

On festive Formal evenings, ladies usually wear a cocktail dress or gown and gentlemen usually wear a suit and tie or tuxedo. There are approximately two formal nights per week. Formalwear for ladies and gentlemen can be pre-ordered for your use during your cruise by calling Cruiseline Formalwear at 800-551-5091. Your formalwear will be in your stateroom when you board.

 

The "Jacket and Tie required" line is not present in this published code. Neither is the phrase "dark suit." The word "gown" has been added back in for the ladies.

This is BAD news and does not bode well for how it will be implemented.

I wonder why they are sending stricter guidelines to the ship's staff, but not publishing it on the website?

[Guest LoveMyBoxer]

The trick is to traing them early. My 6-year old son was upset on our recent Noordam cruise because he didn't have a tuxedo like daddy. I thought he look very handsome in his dark suit and red shirt and tie, but we had to promise to buy him a tux for his next cruise. P.S. He also loved his navy blue sports jacket he had to wear and didn't want to take off, not even to go to club HAL! Hope he continues like this as he gets older!

[Opinions]

I wonder why they are sending stricter guidelines to the ship's staff, but not publishing it on the website?

 

Perhaps because new cruisers buy based on information in brochures,websites,etc...Other than claims on this board I've seen no proof that stricter guidelines were sent to the ship's staff...Regardless, since I have no inside sources, I depend on what HAL actually publishes.

[RevNeal]

Perhaps because new cruisers buy based on information in brochures,websites,etc...

 

Most new cruises buy based upon price and itinerary and the advice of their TAs. Dress Codes (be they positive or negative) are WAY down on the list of priority for most people, it would seem.

 

Given (1) that the thread began BEFORE the new dress code was put up on the website (including dates for implementation), and (2) that the code outlined at the beginning of this thread reflects what several of us were told aboard the Noordam a couple of weeks ago, I would say that the source is solid even despite your incredulousness.

[jhannah]

My 6-year old son ... loved his navy blue sports jacket he had to wear and didn't want to take off, not even to go to club HAL! Hope he continues like this as he gets older!

I think it's wonderful that your son is learning at such a young age that there are times to appropriately dress up. Good for him (and you!)

[jhannah]

The "Jacket and Tie required" line is not present in this published code. Neither is the phrase "dark suit." The word "gown" has been added back in for the ladies.

This is BAD news and does not bode well for how it will be implemented.

Indeed, this is much watered down from what I hoped we'd see.

[kakalina]

The dress code this thread is about will NOT go into effect prior to May 2007. The web sit will not be updated to reflect the new code until that time. ( so I was told ;) ) Hope this clears things up for some of you.