holland america formal nights

[Despegue]

No Sir, it you who is the true Gentleman.

I would buy you a drink but alas, I am currently in Indonesia.

 

 

[SetAnOpenCourse]

7 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

(bold is mine) I love formal nights and dressing up. That's one of the things I love about Cunard. For Cunard, I take the "posh frocks." So does everyone else. And for those who say ambiance isn't important to them, well it is to me, and I really enjoy it.

 

But formal nights on HAL are gone. LIke it or not, that's how it is. Do I wish everyone would dress to the nines for dinner? Yes, I do. But that isn't how it is on HAL. Hasn't been for quite a while, really, because "formal night" wasn't enforced. So HAL has gone to a less formal dress code, and I dress to meet that, or maybe a bit "above." But the evening gowns stay home.

 

Bottom line for me is their ship, their rules. And the text I bolded above states exactly how I feel. So well said!

 

The only complaint I have about HAL's dress code is the "gala night" nonsense. "Dress to impress" is silly when you read the description of the "gala night" minimum. Sorry, I'm not "impressed" by chinos and a golf shirt. HAL should stop pretending to have some kind of formal night, because they don't. 

 

Perhaps it’s not really nonsensical. HAL may be hinting that dressing more formally than the “minimum” is appreciated, while not expected.

[SWFLAOK]

I've commented before on Cruise Critic, that I only have 2 evening gowns. I have them because I had to wear them on New Year's Eve in 2001 and 2002 when our friends insisted that we attend a very upscale NYE dinner and dance evening  that lasted well past midnight. We had a great time, but have never done anything like that again. I kept the gowns since they were pretty, and expensive. When I die, one of them can be chosen as my last outfit for whatever funeral arrangements are made. I won't be wearing a gown on any cruise before then.

On our recent HAL cruise over the holidays, with 3 gala nights, a gala optional night, and a festive night, I did not feel uncomfortable wearing a cheap dress from Kohl's with black flats. A little black dress and a magenta dress with a lace overlay worked fine in both the MDR and Pinnacle Grill on gala nights. A dark navy jacket with dark pants, and a dark pink jacket with gray dress pants worked fine for my husband on gala nights. He only brought one pair of dress shoes (black), and 2 ties. He only wore the ties on the gala/festive nights. We found that most men wore jackets in the MDR  on gala nights, and in the Pinnacle Grill at dinner.  On NYE, we saw 2 men leave the Pinnacle Grill and return with jackets, which they put on the back of their chairs. There were people dressed more casually in the MDR for dinner, but we didn't really see shorts or T-shirts. We did see a few people in what appeared to be nightgowns and pajamas, but there are always a few of those on any cruise.

We didn't dine elsewhere at dinner, but we did see very casually dressed people in the bars after dinner. They were mostly under 40 (and some less than 18) dressed in the same casual clothes that everyone wore during the day. Our previous cruise on Silver Sea did not allow casual dress outside of your stateroom after 6PM, and tuxes were in the majority on formal nights, so HAL is much more relaxed on their dress code than some of the luxury cruise lines.

[RocketMan275]

14 hours ago, SWFLAOK said:

On NYE, we saw 2 men leave the Pinnacle Grill and return with jackets, which they put on the back of their chairs. 

If Holland would simply sew jacket sleeves on the sides of chairs in the MDR, then everyone would satisfy the dress code.

 

Also demonstrating absurdity, RCI offered jackets to men who wanted to enter the dining room but did not have a jacket.  When the jacket didn't fit, the men were instructed to carry the jackets to the table and place it on the back of the chairs.  When they ran short of jackets, they had the men carry the jackets to the table, then give the jackets to the waiter who would take them back to the entrance where they could be carried by more men.  IOW, just carrying a jacket to the table was sufficient for entry. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

57 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

If Holland would simply sew jacket sleeves on the sides of chairs in the MDR, then everyone would satisfy the dress code.

 

 

 

Now I have to wipe coffee off my computer screen. 😂

[bUU]

On 1/8/2019 at 10:52 AM, Nashna said:

What we have here is a failure to communicate. 

 

I think practically everyone in the thread has made their beliefs known rather effectively. I think there are some people who don't like the fact that their beliefs are considered insulting or elitist, etc., but that's not really a failure to communicate. 

 

23 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

These sorts of expressions are the type of thing that always has me rethinking whether HAL is the right line for me... [when akav8er claims] that any who agree with HAL's relaxation of the dress code (together with virtually ever other mass market cruise line) are to be lamented for not showing proper respect; are "lazy" and not interested in putting forth an effort; and ought to opt for a "Bubba Gump" cruise.  Wow.

 

It's the opposite though: akav8er's claims are without merit. As such, Holland America is perhaps not the right line for akav8er; those claims don't say anything about whether it is the right line for you. 

 

23 hours ago, ScottC4746 said:

Sadly, society has changed.

 

There is a lot to be sad about with regard to how society has changed. What people wear to the grocery store isn't one of them. As a matter of fact, those things that have "sadly" changed are so severe and cause such harm to those most vulnerable in our society, that it is arguably offensive to even try to put what people wear to the grocery store in the same category. 

 

23 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Bottom line for me is their ship, their rules.

 

Amen. It is up to Holland America to decide, judge and take action. Our obligation - a guests' obligation that has been inherent in the code of hospitality for as long as any of us have been alive, and unlike dress codes, hasn't changed one bit - is to defer to our host in matters like this, and without a doubt doing nothing to make their other guests feel unwelcome.

Edited January 9, 2019 by bUU

[SWFLAOK]

9 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

Also demonstrating absurdity, RCI offered jackets to men who wanted to enter the dining room but did not have a jacket.  When the jacket didn't fit, the men were instructed to carry the jackets to the table and place it on the back of the chairs.

Off topic, but we once went to an upscale restaurant in Newport Rhode Island, and were unaware that jackets were required. My husband is tall, but not really overweight, and weighed even less back then. They offered him a size 50 jacket that was way too wide, and not very long. It was bright green. He was told he needed to wear it if we wanted to dine there that evening. It was a very slow night, but the 5 other tables that were seated after us all asked him if he had won the Master's that year.

Edited January 10, 2019 by SWFLAOK
typo

[RocketMan275]

29 minutes ago, SWFLAOK said:

Off topic, but we once went to an upscale restaurant in Newport Rhode Island, and were unaware that jackets were required. My husband is tall, but not really overweight, and weighed even less back then. They offered him a size 50 jacket that was way too wide, and not very long. It was bright green. He was told he needed to wear it if we wanted to dine there that evening. It was a very slow night, but the 5 other tables that were seated after us all asked him if he had won the Master's that year.

Should have offered an autograph.

[ScaryLarry]

If you are having trouble packing your suit jacket without wrinkles, get on YouTube & check out the video from The Gentleman's Gazette. They have a great tutorial on how butlers used to fold jackets. It's cool & it works. They also have lots of tutorials on manners, they come in good stead for cruising.

As a note on formal night dress code, it is always best to be a little overdressed than under dressed. I always wear a tux on formal nights. I have 2 of them & have real, tying bow ties. I live in Florida so only on a cruise do I really get the chance to dress up. It helps make the cruise more special. On other nights, with the exception of the 1st & last nights, I wear a sport coat without a tie BUT I always wear a jaunty pocket square. Remember, clothes make the man! 

[iancal]

We stopped bothering with formal nights in MDR years ago,   

 

We really do not care what the MDR dress code is as long as there are alternate casual dining venues available on those evenings.   And no...we do not hide in our cabin on those evenings.  

Edited June 19, 2020 by iancal

[taxmantoo]

14 minutes ago, iancal said:

We stopped bothering with formal nights in MDR years ago,   

 

We really do not care what the MDR dress code is as long as there are alternate casual dining venues available on those evenings.   And no...we do not hide in our cabin on those evenings.  

[VennDiagram]

1 hour ago, ScaryLarry said:

If you are having trouble packing your suit jacket without wrinkles, get on YouTube & check out the video from The Gentleman's Gazette. They have a great tutorial on how butlers used to fold jackets. It's cool & it works. They also have lots of tutorials on manners, they come in good stead for cruising.

As a note on formal night dress code, it is always best to be a little overdressed than under dressed. I always wear a tux on formal nights. I have 2 of them & have real, tying bow ties. I live in Florida so only on a cruise do I really get the chance to dress up. It helps make the cruise more special. On other nights, with the exception of the 1st & last nights, I wear a sport coat without a tie BUT I always wear a jaunty pocket square. Remember, clothes make the man! 

 

Finding the boards a bit boring? Decided to "liven things up"? 😄  Interesting choice of threads to bump, for your 2nd post in 10 years 😄 

 

Looking forward to this....

[JeffElizabeth]

One of the reasons we stay with HAL is that formal nights have become more casual.  I still enjoy dressing in a tuxedo for Gala nights but my wife stopped that many cruises ago. 

[Wonderingabout]

25 minutes ago, JeffElizabeth said:

One of the reasons we stay with HAL is that formal nights have become more casual.  I still enjoy dressing in a tuxedo for Gala nights but my wife stopped that many cruises ago. 

Maybe she did not like wearing a commerbund.