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Who Wants an End to HAL Formal Nights Entirely?

sail7seas

By sail7seas,
in Holland America Line

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joe122

joe122

Posted
Posted
We don't mind formal nights....but they are not the reason we cruise. We've also not participated and dined in the lido .. I think curise lines need to figure out how to make both camps happy, and those that wish to cruise HAL and not participate in formal nights should not be told to consider cruising elsewhere .. there are many other reasons to cruise HAL than a formal night. We've enjoyed many cruises .. we've dressed up and enjoyed it .. but frankly, we've been there/done that and with the pain of traveling these days we're quite happy to reduce the amount of luggage and leave our formal duds behind.

 

This is extremely well put, in my opinion. I'm leaving my steamer trunks on the dock. Our last HAL cruise of 14 days had 4 formal nights, which I thought was a bit much...and I'm hardly the tank top and flip-flop at dinner type. Our upcoming 20 day HAL cruise has 5 formal nights, so I think I'm not exaggerating. I interpret the formal rule literally and wear a nice jacket and slacks.

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topspot

topspot

Posted
Posted
It bothers me that folks don't "dress-up" much anymore. It bothers me that I see jeans, shorts and tee-shirts at church. One of the reasons I choose HAL is the higher level of sophistication of the passengers, officers and crew, including smart dress.

 

I do not measure a persons level of sophistication by how that decides to dress.

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babyher

babyher

Posted
Posted
He's very good. A really great New York boy and I love New York! Such style!

Love how New Yorkers talk too. What an accent! Oy.:)

 

 

 

Actually a Connecticut boy with a mother from Brooklyn *LOL*

 

No accent here , but I do have a few relatives who speak like they know where Jimmy Hoffa is buried :)

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RevNeal

RevNeal

Posted
Posted
Wish I knew how! Greg has a lovely picture of the two of us. It was taken on a formal night; I in a lovely beige gown, he in his clericals.

We looked gorgeous to the max.

 

Do you mean this one, my dear Ruth?

 

revnealruthc1.jpg

 

I agree, it's a good one.

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RevNeal

RevNeal

Posted
Posted
Give me a break already! If you want to wear a suit and tie on casual night, do it! Who's going to stop you? Who cares about "the stares" and "little comments" from others. The people who do that need to get a life!

 

I've done it. I often do wear at least a jacket on Smart Casual Nights ... sometimes a Jacket and clerics (on Sunday nights that aren't formal nights) and I have worn a jacket and tie ... though it's been a long time since I wore any kind of tie other than a bow tie.

 

And, yes, I was once asked "aren't you a little overdressed?"

 

My mother would curl up and try to crawl under the table if she thought she were not properly attired for the evening. Me ... RuthC helped me get over my British-rooted embarrassment gene.

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durangoscots

durangoscots

Posted
Posted

I enjoy formal nights .... and since formal can be a nice cocktail type dress (not a full length gown) I am very happy with it. And HAL does not have that many per cruise .... I took a QE2 World Cruise .... 55 formal nights in 77 days .... now that is too much formal!!!!

 

Susan

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RevNeal

RevNeal

Posted
Posted
My dad used to say walk in the door like you own the place.

 

Not in the way of being pushy or overbearing, but with confidence and your head held high.

 

Let em look let em stare *LOL*

 

And then they call you a snob. :) Like has already happened on this thread. :D

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RevNeal

RevNeal

Posted
Posted
And it does not even represent a majority of HAL cruisers.

 

"represent" ?

No.

But it is truly quite amazing how reflective it is of a nice cross-section of the frequently cruising HAL constituency. That's part of the reason why HAL executives and officers read these boards on a regular basis ... as a source of feed back. Granted, MOST people on HAL ships don't post on CC. We're a tiny tiny tiny fraction of a percent of the total HAL passenger-base. But we're more reflective of the average frequent HAL cruiser than not.

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Kween Karen

Kween Karen

Posted
Posted

I often dress up on casual nights....not FORMAL.....but dressy enough that it would pass on a formal night. I have been asked in the stairway on the way to dinner if this was a formal night....I just reply..."No, but I felt like dressing up!" Never received a negative comment....just an "Oh."

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SALMARK

SALMARK

Posted
Posted

Wow, this is a hard question for me. I was sooooooo happy when HAL went from 3 to 2 different dress codes - saved a lot of packing. My DH tends to like formal nights more than me but then it is easier for men - pack one tux and you are done. I agreed that HAL has way too many formal nights on long cruises especially in the tropics. If HAL did away with formal nights, it would be fine with me but in the very least they should cut down on the number of them for cruises longer than 7 days! I know you wanted a yes or no answer so if pressed I would vote to do away with them.

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RevNeal

RevNeal

Posted
Posted

Having read through the thread, and having commented a few times in-process, I've not yet shared my own "vote." So ... here goes:

 

No surprises here: I don't want the dress code changed. I like formal nights and would enjoy seeing them continued at their current frequency. But if it were changed, I'd probably still continue dressing up at least once a week. And, I would continue pushing the margin on Smart Casual nights, with jackets on many such evenings. And, since I so rarely ever get to wear a tie these days, I might even take such opportunities to wear a tie with my jacket. :D

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suse

suse

Posted
Posted
"represent" ?

No.

But it is truly quite amazing how reflective it is of a nice cross-section of the frequently cruising HAL constituency. That's part of the reason why HAL executives and officers read these boards on a regular basis ... as a source of feed back. Granted, MOST people on HAL ships don't post on CC. We're a tiny tiny tiny fraction of a percent of the total HAL passenger-base. But we're more reflective of the average frequent HAL cruiser than not.

but maybe a teeny, tiny, itsy, bitsy, little bit more opinionated than the "typical". Ha ha, I hope so. I have a reputation to uphold.:)

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madelinerose

madelinerose

Posted
Posted

DH and I are basically indifferent regarding formal nights.

 

We always dress appropriately for any venue on land or sea, but formal nights on a cruise ship we can definitely do without.

 

We're a non-traditional, elegant, country club/resort casual couple. ;)

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