Formal Night Question for all you CC experts

[cruz chic]

We're doing the Eastern & Western Carib. also on the Eurodam for 14 days..(a B2B) 7 days each & our boarding passes state 4..We leave Nov. 15..

 

Are you boarding in Ft. Lauderdale & doing 18 days? :confused:

 

I'm going on October 18th. I forgot the th after the 18 but have since corrected it. It will be interesting to see if we only have 3.

[JimAOk1945]

Last week I printed up our Boarding Passes for our 14 day cruise which is mid November & . On our Boarding Passes it states: "Gala Attire Evenings 4 "...

 

Why would it be necessary to know when you book?

 

 

I think it would be a great courtesy for HAL to provide this information at the time of booking, and helpful to those of us who prefer to plan ahead. It's nice to know it will be on our boarding passes.

 

I have always taken the time book our cruises, excursions, specialty dining, etc. as early as I can. That's just the way I am. Maybe it's my military background.

 

Thanks for the tip about the vow renewals and pictures. It sounds like you had a great time on that cruise. Your advice is greatly appreciated!

Edited October 7, 2015 by JimAOk1945

[JimAOk1945]

Wow, fifty years! Congratulations. A cruise is a wonderful way to celebrate. Make sure HAL knows it's a special occasion. You might get only a cake, but it's a nice gesture.

 

I agree that the confusion over gala nights is frustrating. All I can say is keep checking.

 

The way the gala nights vary, I'm wondering if HAL is drifting toward eliminating them quietly. DISCLAIMER: This is a guess, not a prediction, not advice, not some kind of inside knowledge. The wording of the gala night info on the website was sort of like "It's always been this way..." like a "who cares" kind of shrug. If they make it confusing enough, people will be glad to see it go?

Thanks for the tip about letting HAL know about our special occasion, and also for taking the time to reply to my post. We enjoy the formal/gala/elegant nights and hope it doesn't disappear. But I wouldn't mind if it was only once or twice during a cruise.

[JimAOk1945]

Here's a link to the HAL website that you may find useful. Click on "Dress Code."

http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-planning/PlanningAndAdvice.action?tabName=Popular+Topics&WT.ac=pnav_FBG_FAQ.

 

Typically the normal schedule is 2 gala nights for each 7 days. A HAL representative with whom I just spoke says that cruises with a lot of port activity may have fewer gala nights but even on cruises with a lot of sea days the maximum is 2 gala nights per week. He also said a 12 day cruise would normally have 3 gala nights but it may have a fourth if it has a lot of sea time (such as a trans-Atlantic cruise). He closed with the usual caution; that is to check with a HAL rep. at 1‐877‐932‐4259 regarding your specific cruise.

 

Thanks Walt! This information is very helpful.

[serendipity1499]

I think it would be a great courtesy for HAL to provide this information at the time of booking, and helpful to those of us who prefer to plan ahead. It's nice to know it will be on our boarding passes.

 

I have always taken the time book our cruises, excursions, specialty dining, etc. as early as I can. That's just the way I am. Maybe it's my military background.

 

Thanks for the tip about the vow renewals and pictures. It sounds like you had a great time on that cruise. Your advice is greatly appreciated!

 

I don't know how HAL could provide this Info at time of booking? We have been told that the Captain of the ship makes these decisions, not HAL Seattle.. There are always at least two Captains assigned to each ship.. When your Captain gets his assignment I would think he then plans out his gala AKA formal nights for each itinerary..

 

If I'm not correct about who assigns them, please correct me.. The one who could probably confirm this would be Copper 10-8, but believe he is out on a cruise now..

[3rdGenCunarder]

I don't know how HAL could provide this Info at time of booking? We have been told that the Captain of the ship makes these decisions, not HAL Seattle.. There are always at least two Captains assigned to each ship.. When your Captain gets his assignment I would think he then plans out his gala AKA formal nights for each itinerary..

 

If I'm not correct about who assigns them, please correct me.. The one who could probably confirm this would be Copper 10-8, but believe he is out on a cruise now..

 

I would think the captain has better things to do than plan the social calendar, but I have seen other posts that say the captain decides.

 

I think for a lot of people it isn't just how many gala nights, but when they will take place. I'd rather not go to the Pinnacle on a Gala night because those nights have menus that I know I like. No other nights on our recent cruise had anything that I would be sorry to miss. (Which is not to say that the non-gala menus are bad, they just don't have any special favorites of mine.)

[POA1]

We like to know how many, and which nights, will formal. It really helps with packing. It also helps with reservation planning. I don't think it would be that hard to let guests know a few weeks or more in advance. The kitchen has to plan. Menus have to be printed.

 

Considering how many posts we see about "when will my formal nights be?" or "how many?," you'd think that the cruise lines would publish the information. They give advance notice of port calls - and those are more likely to be subject to change.

[JimAOk1945]

I should have been more detailed in my previous posts. Sorry about that! :o

 

What I'm interested in knowing, along with how many Gala nights, is which nights they will take place on our particular cruise.

 

As I mentioned previously, we are looking forward to our first HAL cruise. But,

if I knew which days the Gala nights take place, it would help us plan shore excursions and dinner reservations for specialty dining much easier.

 

I'm not going to worry about it. After all, we will be celebrating out anniversary in Alaska! :D

[kelleherdl]

The 18 April Adriatic Dream from Rome to Venice on the Oosterdam will run 4 times this coming season, but obviously 18 April is the first. I just rebooked to this cruise from the K'dam 15 April. I will be bringing my white dinner jacket and be planning on 3 formal evenings. It is a very port intensive cruise. There is only one sea day on the whole cruise between Naples and Crete. So we will just be prepared for however the program falls out.

 

Dennis

[dakrewser]

The 18 April Adriatic Dream from Rome to Venice on the Oosterdam will run 4 times this coming season, but obviously 18 April is the first. I just rebooked to this cruise from the K'dam 15 April. I will be bringing my white dinner jacket and be planning on 3 formal evenings. It is a very port intensive cruise. There is only one sea day on the whole cruise between Naples and Crete. So we will just be prepared for however the program falls out.

 

Dennis

 

A white dinner jacket, in April, in Europe? You might want to rethink that.

[kelleherdl]

Nope. I don't mind being 'out of season.'

 

Dennis

[FloridaTourist]

The 18 April Adriatic Dream from Rome to Venice on the Oosterdam will run 4 times this coming season, but obviously 18 April is the first. I just rebooked to this cruise from the K'dam 15 April. I will be bringing my white dinner jacket and be planning on 3 formal evenings. It is a very port intensive cruise. There is only one sea day on the whole cruise between Naples and Crete. So we will just be prepared for however the program falls out.

 

 

 

Dennis

 

 

See you onboard Dennis. Join the roll call!

[Stratheden]

A white dinner jacket, in April, in Europe? You might want to rethink that.

 

Why?

[3rdGenCunarder]

Why?

 

White dinner jackets are generally worn only during the summer unless you're in the Tropics. It's like the "rule" about white shoes between Memorial Day and Labor Day in the US. It's what is usually done, but not everyone follows it.

 

I remember a post either here or on the Cunard board in which a man said he wore his white DJ on a cruise and another passenger thought he was a waiter. :eek: