Formal nights on Oosterdam Mexico cruise

[Todd R]

Wow, what a wealth of information here! Looks like I need to actually post to find information though rather than just searching.

 

Can someone tell me which nights will be formal on a 7-day Mexico cruise? First formal night I'm sure would be the second night of the cruise, and first at sea other than embarkation night.

 

I was assuming the second formal night would be the second night at sea which ends up being the last night of the cruise. I have made dinner reservations for night 6 (Cabo) at the Pinnacle assuming that is the case.

 

We really like taking our 4y.o. DD all dressed up to formal nights, and don't want to be putting her in Club Hal while we have a night out at the Pinnalce though on a formal night.

 

Searching CC, the wisdom seems to be the final night will never be a formal night, so I called HAL ship services to switch our Pinnacle reservation to the final night so we don't miss the second formal night.

 

Ship services is telling me that the 2nd formal night is indeed scheduled for night 7 at sea and not night 6 after Cabo. What gives, are CC'ers wrong and the last night is a formal night, or is ships services giving me misinformation? FWIW, I'm betting CC may have a better handle on this than ships services.;)

[jtl513]

Welcome to Cruise Critic! :)

 

If your last night on the ship is formal it will be the first time I have ever heard of it. That is normally the Master Chef Dinner night. Look for a night three or four after the first formal where you leave a port early ... like 3:00 or 4:00.

 

What's the date you sail?

[terrydtx]

I have been on many cruises and never had the last night be formal night. This is the case because all of your luggage has to be packed and put out side your room by 8pm or so leaving with only a carry with your clothes for debarkation the next morning. If most passengers would be in their formal wear until the night is over on the ship they would be wearing them off the ship the next day.

[califgary]

The first formal nite will be the first sea day and the second will be the second to the last evening (not the last evening).

[scopewest]

Our last cruise formal on the O was Sunday and second formal was Thursday.

[travel123456]

It may depend on the cruise you are on...the holiday cruises might have a different schedule...i.e. formal on New Years or Christmas Eve...which would be the first night on board???? And then who knows for the rest of the week???

[Todd R]

Thanks for all the feedback folks! :)

 

We're on the 11/26 sailing. When I talked to ship services, they told me the second formal night was scheduled for 12/2 (last night). I even had her double-check since that seemed wrong based on what I had already dug up here.

 

Guess I better call back, or maybe just move our Pinnacle reservation to night 7 and assume that won't be a formal night.

 

We sailed last year for the first time on HAL and liked out Pinnacle experience so much, we opted for a second night. This year we decided we'd book 2 nights again at the Pinnacle, and with our schedule the only nights for our 2nd Pinnacle is night 6 or 7.

[jtl513]

Well, she could be right ... but I very much doubt it. As I said before, it would be the first time I've ever heard of a formal last night. You MUST come back and tell us after the cruise! :)

[Bearnaise]

Hi Todd R

 

We were discussing this recently on the 11/26 roll call. (Come join us!)

 

Personally I was hoping the Le Cirque night didn't overlap with a formal night. My favorite time in the MDR is when it's formal, doesn't seem right to me to have an elegant dining room with people dressed in even "smart casual" clothes.

 

Le Cirque is scheduled for the night we leave Puerto Vallarta at 3:00 p.m. (11/30). Since we don't leave Cabo until 5:00 the next day, and the day after that is the last night, it seemed logical that 11/30 would be the 2nd formal night, also an incentive for those attending the Le Cirque dinner to not show up in polo shirt and jeans. I'm bummed if that's the case since I can't have my Le Cirque and my 2nd formal night too (unless we're really hungry), but I can't believe they'd otherwise do formal night when we leave port at 5:00 p.m. or on the last night for the reasons others have stated (Master Chef dinner, which might not be a reason if they're phasing it out anyway, and the luggage deadline which is a really good reason not to have a formal last night).

 

We're in a suite, so I'm planning to bug the concierge the first day and sort it all out, but you'd think ship's service would have the right answer. Maybe they were thinking of another ship when they said it would be on 12/2?