Who Wants an End to HAL Formal Nights Entirely?

[YXU AC*SE]

What people wear is not the only thing that makes the evening elegant. The food, the service, the room, the table setting all make the evening elegant!

 

Agreed (although I would argue that the food and service ostensibly remain the same); however don't you find being [elegantly, yet casually] dressed in, say, slacks and a collared golf shirt somewhat incongruous to your surroundings on a declared formal night? Jus' sayin' :D

 

 

As I previously posted, I am indifferent to whether formal nights come or go; however if the pax aren't going to dress up, why should the dining room?

 

Scott.

[Laurie S.]

No, I love formal nights. I don't get a chance to dress up any other time and it's one reason I'm cruising HAL. My usual clothes are jeans and a casual top, but I love sequins, etc.

[RetiredMustang]

After 28+ years of wearing whatever was the uniform of the day in the Navy, from battle rattle and cammies to full dress whites (and there's a reason they are called "chokers") with full-sized medals, combination cover, white gloves and sword, I can wear whatever and be comfortable in it. So, on cruise I usually wear a tux, or sometimes a dark suit, on formal nights, and it ain't no thing.

 

That said, though, I personally would not mourn for a nanosecond if HAL never held another formal night ever ... but DW would. She loves it, and I love her, so I put on the HAL "uniform of the day". I notice how many are going with the formal thing, but don't really care if anyone else is or not.

 

 

Dave

[Taxguy77]

No, don't do away with formal nights. (Did I really say that:confused:)

I have always live in warm, informal areas and have never had more than one suit (my current one doesn't even fit anymore), but when I picked a HAL cruise I packed my navy blue blazer,best slacks, two dress shirts and two ties. I don't like to dress up, but think formal night adds to the ambiance of cruising.

After going to the 'anytime' MDR, we decided the Lido was the same food with a nicer environment and missed the formal dining room after all.

[RuthC]

:) elegant in Italy means : armani suit for hubbie and valentino long red dress for me, suppose it is the same in Texas.

Where I go in Texas "dressed up" means a clean pair of jeans. :rolleyes: (that would be just outside Houston, so it's not like it's the wilderness.)

[eldercruser]

Ok, I'll add my $.02. On our recent Noordam cruise we had dinner one night in the Lido (not formal night). I was astounded by the number of people present. It was hard to find an empty table. At our formal nights I also noticed a large number of empty tables in the MDR. The middle formal night (2nd of 3 on a 10 day cruise) was "formal optional" so formal night is already starting a slow retreat.

 

Based on the number of people we saw in the Lido (especially compared to past cruises) and the large number of vacant tables in the MDR (the ship was full), my guess is that this issue will resolve itself in the next few years to less and less requirements for "formal dress".

[RuthC]

Pic's please :D

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.

[Kween Karen]

No Way! I love the formal nights and consider it to be part of my cruise experience!! It is the only time I ever get to dress up! Keep them coming HAL!

[m steve]

When I first started crusing and had a new custom tux I was all for formal dress. Now that I'm retired and living in Florida, a jacket and tie seem formal here. I do like to wear a dress shirt (any color) and tie w/ jacket and do so most night on a cruise but as my cruising experience has expanded so has my waist line and I'm not ready to lay out $500 for a new custom tux. I don't like wearing rented clothes. Maybe I'll find one at Sims or the like and bite the bullet if it fits. We cruise a lot and my partner likes to dress up and prefers I do as well. There is also the matter of formal patent leather shoes at another $200. So for now I'll wear a suit on formal night or possibly a blue blazer and shirt and tie.

[GCurry]

Where I go in Texas "dressed up" means a clean pair of jeans. :rolleyes: (that would be just outside Houston, so it's not like it's the wilderness.)

Well Hell Ruth, I hope they're yer best jeans!!:) BTW, even JR Ewing don't wear jeans to the Petroleum Club.

 

We belong to two ballroom clubs here in the Galveston area so we get to enjoy formal wear several times a year.

 

Steve look on-line for tux and shoes, I'm driving an After 6 Matrix for much less than $500. Ditto the shoes, about 1/2 the $200.

 

elegant in Italy means : armani suit for hubbie and valentino long red dress for me, suppose it is the same in Texas.

If I could afford Armani and Valentino it would be!!

[Tampa Girl]

We enjoy formal nights, and always dress appropriately.

However, if formal nights come to an end, we'd be okay with that, too.

I don't get the luggage issue though:confused:

Our last cruise was 14 nights with 3 formal nights, plus 2 days pre and 1 day post cruise at hotels.

We still had 1 checked bag each.

It's not rocket science.:rolleyes:

 

Agree! Whatever one's reason for not wanting to dress formal, the "extra weight" of formal wear is not a legitimate excuse. My husband's tux weighs less than a suit of clothes. My formal, long dresses take up very little room because they are either silk or polyster (usually the latter). They take up less room, in fact, than do t-shirts and shorts.

[kelleherdl]

m steve

 

Log onto Jos A Bank every once in a while. Or better yet sign on for email specials. They sometimes have 'major' sales on formal wear. Just go into a Jos A Bank store, get sized, and click your way to James Bond-dom.

 

Dennis

[RuthC]

Well Hell Ruth, I hope they're yer best jeans!!:)

Me? In jeans? Not going to happen.

[Tampa Girl]

but, m steve, the Syms salesman said that regular black shoes, including slip-ons, were pefectly o.k. with a tux. So,. . . you can feel free to leave those patents at home! BTW, cast my vote to continue formal nights. This thread seems to be dwelling on "it's either tuxes and gowns" or "not formal." Formal per HAL can be a suit and, for women, pants and a dressy top. Are we making too much of this designation?

[Arwen]

There are so many people who say they will eat in Lido rather than dress formal, that I wonder at what point, it's time to do away with formal nights - to go all 'elegant casual'.

 

Maybe it is mainly because of airline weight restrictions and people don't want to lug the formal clothing or maybe it is because formal is alien to their lives and they don't want to experience on vacation but it seems many folks say they don't wish to participate.

 

You want it to continue or not?

 

Formal nights are fine, but on our last cruise on the Rotterdam (33 days) we had nine formal nights. Far too many of them for hubby and me. We attended three of those and on the other six formal nights had a delightful more casual time in the Lido for dinner.;)

[serendipity1499]

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.

 

Can't we ask Greg to post your picture..Everyone in favor say "Eye"

 

Agree! Whatever one's reason for not wanting to dress formal, the "extra weight" of formal wear is not a legitimate excuse. My husband's tux weighs less than a suit of clothes. My formal, long dresses take up very little room because they are either silk or polyster (usually the latter). They take up less room, in fact, than do t-shirts and shorts.

 

Also agree, as DH's TUX is completely wrinkle proof..He always takes an extra Jacket, which he wears either in the car or on the plane..With his TUX & Blazer,he wears slip-on black shoes....The "clothes Police" might frown at that, but we couldn't care less..... Most of my dresses & skirts are wrinkle proof & several of my long black Skirts can be rolled.... I try to take 4 formal outfits on a 28 day cruise (8 formal nights) & wear most twice..If something is wrinkled I either use "Downey Wrinkle Remover" spray or send it out to be pressed..

However on our last cruise, DH became weary of wearing his TUX on the eighth formal night..We never will eat dinner in the Lido..That's the reason I'm thinking of a compromise..Instead of completely abolishing Formal night, on the longer cruises, one formal & one formal/optional per week would satisfy those of us who enjoy dressing up & those who don't....We rarely get to dress up in Florida except for one Christmas Ball & New Year's Eve....

For our Alaskan land/sea trip we paid extra for our rolling garment bag with our formal & nightly dinner outfit's... Figured if we were going to spend that kind of money for a land tour & cruise, we could spring for the extra $25.00 (before the rate increase on Delta) for the extra bag... Would do the same thing if we decided on another cruise which requires us to fly..

Betty

[fayruz]

Where I go in Texas "dressed up" means a clean pair of jeans. :rolleyes: (that would be just outside Houston, so it's not like it's the wilderness.)

So that is the reason people stared at me when went around Dallas in a white linen tailleur :)

Maybe they thought I was trying to imitate Jacqueline Kennedy.

[RuthC]

Can't we ask Greg to post your picture..Everyone in favor say "Eye"

Greg's got something going on right now, and I don't want to intrude.

...That's the reason I'm thinking of a compromise..Instead of completely abolishing Formal night, on the longer cruises, one formal & one formal/optional per week would satisfy those of us who enjoy dressing up & those who don't....

I'm totally opposed to that idea (I know you're just repeating it; HAL has already had them). A "formal optional" night is "neither fish nor fowl", as it were, and satisfies no one.

Formal night isn't merely dressing up. It's an atmosphere that's created and permeates the ship. And just as a discordant note throws off a musical piece, so would a large segment of people not dressed up throw off the atmosphere of a formal night.

[Two@Sea]

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.

 

Never tried this before, but am attempting to cut and paste the picture below. If it doesn't work, well, sorry...

 

 

[Two@Sea]

Well, I'll be darned... it worked! :D

[RuthC]

That's the one! Thanks for finding it.

[Two@Sea]

That's the one! Thanks for finding it.

 

You are most welcome! And, I might add, you both DO look absolutely stunning!

[innlady1]

After 28+ years of wearing whatever was the uniform of the day in the Navy, from battle rattle and cammies to full dress whites (and there's a reason they are called "chokers") with full-sized medals, combination cover, white gloves and sword, I can wear whatever and be comfortable in it. So, on cruise I usually wear a tux, or sometimes a dark suit, on formal nights, and it ain't no thing.

 

That said, though, I personally would not mourn for a nanosecond if HAL never held another formal night ever ... but DW would. She loves it, and I love her, so I put on the HAL "uniform of the day". I notice how many are going with the formal thing, but don't really care if anyone else is or not.

 

Dave

 

Aw, you're such a sweetie, Dave. Cathy is a lucky lady! :D

[1Alaska]

We no longer pack formal wear on Alaskan cruises due to luggage constraints and the clothing needs for such a climate. We ate all dinners in the Lido on last year's BtoB 14 day cruise and had a blast! We became good friends with the Lido staff and the other guests doing the same thing we did. And, we only spend 30 minutes at dinner with time to walk the decks and take sunset photos.

[innlady1]

Ok, I'll add my $.02. On our recent Noordam cruise we had dinner one night in the Lido (not formal night). I was astounded by the number of people present. It was hard to find an empty table. At our formal nights I also noticed a large number of empty tables in the MDR. The middle formal night (2nd of 3 on a 10 day cruise) was "formal optional" so formal night is already starting a slow retreat.

 

Based on the number of people we saw in the Lido (especially compared to past cruises) and the large number of vacant tables in the MDR (the ship was full), my guess is that this issue will resolve itself in the next few years to less and less requirements for "formal dress".

 

During our 20 days, we had dinner one evening in the Lido. Can't remember which night...guess I should keep a diary...but know that it was toward the end of the 1st ten. Anyway, we don't eat dinner often in the Lido...so noticed many, many more people than on previous cruises.

 

Also, on the 1st 10 days, they had just one sailaway party at the Seaview Pool...when we left Barbados. It was far more elaborate than any other sailaway party/b-bque we've ever seen. Palm fronds tied around anything standing and not moving! Chaises no where in sight; instead, tables with with white linens and candles in their place...it was quite pretty.

 

2nd 10 days, a similar...but not so elaborate...sailaway party..scaled down somewhat. But, still much more special than anything we've seen in past years.