Jeans onboard or on shore?

[gonnago]

I read on the HAL forum some people mentioning they had seen no jeans while onboard. However, they were cruising the Carribean.

 

Does anyone know if jeans are acceptable during cruising days or while going ashore on an Alaskan cruise?

 

Thanks for any advice or personal knowledge.

Janet

 

"...First-time cruiser who is very, very excited....thanks to all of you!"

[dustyroad]

gonnago

 

i have been on carnival to alaska and jeans are a common site. alaska is a more 'casual wear' cruise. i wear a size 8-10 and love streach jeans because they are so comfortable and go well with sweaters and tops. i took a couple of pairs on my 7 day trip and was not out of place. sweat outfits and comfy pants and tops are the rule of thumb for this trip. formal night of course is still the same but other wise be comfy, clean and happy. have a great time.

 

DUSTY

 

Carnival Spirit, 9/10/03 Alaska glacier bay

 

Carvival Spirit, 5/11/05

Alaska glacier bay again

[Coral]

Gonnago - you will be fine during the day on the ship and at port. A lot of people wear the matching pant and jacket wind/workout clothes. You really need to dress for comfort (and warmth) in Alaska during the day.

[Genessa]

jeans are absolutely fine on shore and on board.

I've even worn my clean, untorn jeans to dinner on a "casual" night.

 

You don't see many jeans in the Caribbean, because it's warmer there

[roohound]

I've been on 2 HAL cruises and yes, we had people wearing jeans..I swear....if all the info I had about HAL was what I read on these boards, I would have never gone on HAL.

 

Jeans are definitely ok onboard..just not in the evenings. The only caveat I've heard about jeans in Alaska is there's always a good chance of getting rained on but they don't dry easily.

[Coral]

I booked a HAL cruise last Dec (they had some great Suite bargains) and cancelled it due to the HAL boards. I probably should not have but decided to go with good old reliable Princess.

[Italy52]

Coral Couldn't agree with you more. We just got back from the Dawn Princess sailing to the Southern Caribbean and had a wonderful time. Asking questions on the Princess board is such a joy, great feedback. Ask a question on the HAL board and you get slammed. We took a HAL cruise a year ago and I asked the HAL board if HAL had any future plans to do PC dining. I explained how much we enjoyed it on Princess. Well, you would have thought I asked for the moon. They nailed me to the floor and stomped on me. I replied back that a simple yes or no would have done nicely. I have read many times people stating that they were cancelling their cruises with HAL due to the attitude of the posters on the HAL board. They need to get a grip with reality!

[gonnago]

Thanks all for replying. I just found this forum a couple of weeks ago or less. I had been reading the HAL forum exclusively. I have received a lot of great advice from them and most have been nice and friendly. But I do agree that the 'dress code' question, as well as tipping inquiries, really stir things up!! I even posted once that after reading "to tux or not to tux" thread that I wished we weren't taking HAL for our first-ever cruise. Got a ton of sympathy out of that from the moderate ones.

 

DH says I am being too much of a worry-wart and we should just go to enjoy the cruise and I should stop obsessing over proper dress and etiquette. He is probably right, ya think?

 

I just want my first cruise to be a great experience.......and a good friend who cruises often, says I shouldn't worry about dress codes, etc.

 

Again, thanks for making me feel much better.

 

"...First-time cruiser who is very, very excited....thanks to all of you!"

[Coral]

Italy - I made the mistake of asking which night was "Dutch night" so that I could go to the alternative restaurant then and got slammed by doing that. I also got lumped into "a sterotype of people" who had never sailed HAL previously but decided to when their rates fell. All the loyals kept posted that they couldn't wait for the prices to increase so people like me wouldn't switch lines and be on their ship. It was a strange situation.

 

It turned out to be a strange irony - I had a great rate with HAL for an S suite and gave it up and booked with Princess for a mini-suite --so here I took a downgrade for the same price. I ended up getting upgraded on Princess to a Suite so it all worked out. I still want to try HAL sometime. I hear it is a classy line.

[roohound]

HAL is great for the most part. The funny thing is on our first HAL cruise (7 day western) we were so in a tizzy about being properly dressed that DH went ahead and bought a tux and, I kid you not, you could count on one hand the number of people in tuxes. (altho on our 10 day HAL cruise there were more.

 

On our 10 day in Nov we were traveling with friends (it was their first HAL) and I had to keep saying, I swear, it's not as bad as it seems like on the boards LOL

 

The service was great (altho much better on the 7 day than on the 10 day) but hey, maybe Princess really is where I belong LOL

 

So wear your jeans, don't stress about wearing pants to dinner, and on formal night don't go nuts over getting a tux or ball gown.

[Kentucky woman]

gonnago,

 

DH is right. Worry only about make the most of your cruise for you! My first Alaska cruise, I too was concerned about apparel. Packed way too much for dh and myself. Yes, jeans are great but wet or damp can be uncomfortable. Consider sweats, "swishy" stuff, or khakis for daytime. Khakis with long silk underthings worked great! Don't forget to take a small journal! Pictures and/or movies can't capture all you'll experience.

 

We're in Louisville and off to Alaska again in August on NCL Spirit.

 

ENJOY!

[mii]

Even though I read the Princess board more than any other board I often go into all the boards to see what info I can find. Trust me the subject regarding the dress code stirs out the beast on every board. Especially the formal nights. Whewww. Sometimes it just gets nasty. As for the jeans to Alaska. I have been on two Alaska cruises and yes I do wear them. Especially the stretch ones and I am very comfortable. Go for it.

 

 

Marilyn

[dustyroad]

wow, i am coming to the conclusion that carnival is the ship for me for all my cruises. i really like the spirit anyway and from the sounds of it i ''might not fit in'' on hal. stick with us here on this thread and we will treat you right.

 

DUSTY

 

Carnival Spirit, 9/10/03 Alaska glacier bay

 

Carvival Spirit, 5/11/05

Alaska glacier bay again

[Italy52]

dustyroad Don't let what people on the boards say get to you. A lot of them give advice and have never sailed on cruises..they just like to hear themselves talk. These boards really do give a lot of good information. I have cruised Sitmar, RCCL, NCL, Premier, Princess, Renaissance, and yes, even HAL. I have cruised a total of 17 times and loved every one of them. Cruises are what you make of them, just like life. Don't be afraid to venture out and enjoy other lines, I'm sure you'll enjoy the cruising experience whatever line you choose in the future.

[roohound]

and some of us have "only" sailed 8 times but still have a pretty good ida of what's going on

 

FWIW..both of my HAL cruises were last year....a 7 day on the Veendam in January and a 10 day on the Volendam in November.

[dustyroad]

italy

 

im sure i will branch out in the future. i went solo to alaska last year on my first cruise and carnival filled all of my cruise dreams. and now my friend wants to do the same ship and itinerary as i did for her first cruise. these will not be my last cruises and im sure i will have a chance to sail on other ships and experience some great trips. i cant wait to keep ''sailing away''.

 

DUSTY

 

Carnival Spirit, 9/10/03 Alaska glacier bay

 

Carvival Spirit, 5/11/05

Alaska glacier bay again

[champton18]

In Alaska jeans are acceptable for just about everything. We don't do a lot of dressing up. However, If you have any chance of getting wet. DO NOT WEAR JEANS. Jeans take too long to dry and will be cold. A nylon or polyester pant. Check will some outdoor outfitters for these types of pants. Also plan on layers for our changing weather.