Please help with clothing!

[cruisinmom68]

As you can see from my signature I have only cruised with NCL which is extremely laid back. I wore jeans every day which is what I am most comfortable in. They did have optional formal nights but we chose not to get dressed and never felt out of place as about 50% of the ship did not.

 

What will be different on HAL? I see they have 3 formal nights for Alaska. Is this mandatory? We are just not the get dressed up in a gown and tux type of people. Once I am dressed for the day thats it. Plus I want to pack as little as possible.

 

Will we be out of place if we dont get really dressed up or will we find others who stay casual as well on those formal nights. By casual I mean in the same clothes they wore all day.

 

Should we just hide in our cabin those nights and order room service?

[geoherb]

Please don't hide in your cabin. You can get by with very little effort. All that is required for women is a nice outfit for the formal night. Think black skirt or pants with a dressy top. Men are requested to wear a dark suit and tie. You don't have to have an evening gown and your husband doesn't have to wear a tuxedo.

[AAL]

If you prefer to wear casual clothing on formal nights, you can eat in the Lido. Or, if you bring one pair of black pants and a nice top, you can wear the same outfit for all three formal nights -- no one keeps track.

[CowPrincess]

If you do decide to skip formal nights, dinner is available at the Lido. Apparently (though I haven't experienced this), you take your appetizers, etc, then order your entree, which is delivered to your table. Or you can order from room service if you want. I understand (though haven't experienced this either) that you can order from the dining room menu for room service, if you do it before 5ish pm????? Someone WILL know the exact time. Or from the regular room service menu.

 

For formal nights, I'm taking a long black skirt, and 2 different tops. Won't even take up as much room as a pair of jeans.

[Aunty Pat]

Alaska cruises are much less dressy than other itineraries. I’m surprised you have 3 formal nights. What itinerary are you on? Most of the Alaska cruises are only 7 days long. HAL’s 7 day cruises usually only have 2 formal nights. Cool, wet weather is the norm in Alaska so you might find that it is more comfortable to change into dry, clean lighter weight clothes when you return to the ship in the evening.

 

 

Aunty Pat

 

 

Barefoot Windjammer - Phantom ‘81

K&D German Rhine Line ‘84

NCL - Norway ’85, Pride of America ’05, Southward ’87, Star ’97 & ‘05, Starward ’92, Sun ’02 & Windward ’93

RCC - Song of America ‘89

American Hawaiian - Independence ‘98

HAL - Volendam ’99, Noordam ’06, Oosterdam ’07 & ‘09, Statendam ’02 & ‘08, Prinsendam ’03 & ’06, Westerdam ’09 & Zuiderdam ’04, ’06 & ‘07

Carnival - Spirit ‘05

Celebrity – Summit ‘05

Cruise West - Yorktown Clipper ‘06

Princess - Golden Princess ‘07

A & K - East Queen ‘07

Cunard - QM2 ’08

[docksider21]

For him, how about a navy blazer or dark sport coat with slacks. He will need slacks or khakis anyway for casual dining nights (no jeans) so the only extra item for the luggage is the jacket.

 

And I agree with the previous posters, Alaska is less dressy, also after tromping around in the rain, or wet, or snow, etc. you will want to change for dinner anyway.

 

Have a great time!

[sail7seas]

Maybe it's just us?? but we like to shower and clean up before dinner. We dress formal, DH in tuxedo or dinner jacket and me in dressy whatever but it varies by cruise how many gents are in tuxes.

 

Code does not permit you in the dining room in jeans on formal night. If you want to wear your jeans, you shouldn't plan on being in Dining Room or Pinnacle on formal nights. Dress Code on HAL ships is for the whole evening, not just dining room and dinner. They ask we not change out of our formal clothes if we are going to out and about in public areas.

 

I agree with the others that say there are two formal nights for seven day cruises. Are you on a ten (or more) day cruise?

 

[mamaofami]

I believe you can order room service from the dining room one half hour before the dining room opens. If I'm wrong, someone please correct me.

[Jemima]

Most passengers change to clean smart casual clothes on casual nights. Nice jeans are permitted on casual evenings although not many wear them. Shorts are not permitted in the dining room for dinner.

 

If you don't wish to dress appropriately for formal nights, then eat in the lido. We've done that a couple of times. The lido is a combination of buffet and served entree in the evening, tableclothes are used, the food is mostly the same as the dining room, and dinner there can be very enjoyable.

 

We've done two HAL Alaskan cruises and passengers dressed appropriately for formal and casual nights. They were just as dressy as other HAL cruises.

[DizzyDallasDi]

You can wear jeans or any other reasonable attire in the Lido on any night. I think they frown on tank tops in the Lido during dinner but since you're going to Alaska, that's probably not gong to be an issue. People do tend to dress up on formal nights and the main dining room will have restricted attire, i.e., no jeans. You can definitely wear nice jeans in there on other nights.

 

I've also sailed on NCL and HAL's passengers do have a different attitude about dress codes. I wouldn't worry about it, though. If you want to eat what's on the menu in the dining room on formal night but don't feel like dressing up, you can get it via room service. No problem!

 

Enjoy your cruise on HAL! It's a great line and I know you'll have a wonderful time!

 

Diane

[Copper10-8]

Enjoy Alaska! A great state! Jeans and Alaska go hand in hand, even the Governor wears them!;)

The Lido "casual dining" option is a nice one; a relaxed atmosphere, the exact same food as in the formal dining room (only difference is usually two less entrees), a different, but nice, way to have a meal after a port intensive day!