HAL Gala Attire Evenigs 2

[taxmantoo]

Thanks. I agree that good wine can be had at low cost. We love Spanish so bringing some aboard won't be a problem. That makes me wonder, is it just at first boarding that we can bring bottles on, or can we buy some in different ports and get it labeld for corkage, too?

You can carry wine on at any port and pay corkage for it. There is usually a wine attendant collecting corkage fees once you have gone past the security scanners. If not, you will be charged corkage by your dining room wine steward.

[marshajc]

Thanks, taxmantoo. Seems like corkage is the way to go for me.

[Herfnerd]

I asked this same question recently and felt like it started a class war. ;)

 

We just got off the Eurodam and on Gala nights saw one man in a tux, most in slacks and dress shirts, maybe with a tie. We also saw some in jeans and t-shirts. Women were mostly in cocktail dresses. We ate in the Tamarind one night, and the MDR on the other.

 

Honestly, if I were packing again I would take one nice dress and wear it both nights. No one notices what you're wearing except you and whoever you may be traveling with.

 

We must have crossed on the ship, then!

 

I saw the one man in the tux - mainly for the photos. I saw quite a few men in suits (me one of them) or sports jackets/tie (maybe around 30%) but mostly slacks and dress shirts.

 

First Gala night, we were in line to get seated (Anytime Dining) and saw a family in jeans/t-shirts. The maître 'd talked to the man and told him he had to have at least a collared shirt and he left to go change. The mother asked if she was acceptably dressed in jeans, t-shirt, denim jacket and sneakers and he allowed her through.....

[scoobdoo]

We're on the last Alaskan cruise of the year next week. Could anyone let me know on which nights the gala evenings typically fall?

[bobandjo]

Checked your posts scoobdoo and looks like you're on the NA. We were just on her and gala nights were Sunday, sea day, and Wednesday, Glacier Arm sea day. Friday, your final night but not gala, they have a great menu in the MDR with surf and turf.

[scoobdoo]

Thank you so much, bobandjo!

[draftxhorselover]

On the Westerdam Sept. 20 Barcelona to Venice. Can anyone tell me how much a glass of house wine costs at dinner? Does it pay to get a beverage package if I only drink 1-2 glasses of house wine at dinner?

 

 

COME JOIN OUR Meet and GREET.. Its going to be a blast!

[MaxThrusters]

On Gala Nights, if dining in MDR or planning to be at other non lido venues, I would say just dress up as you would to a nice restaurant. For some people (alas, a minority these days!) that means tuxedos and gowns; for most it means a suit or a dress, or at the least an odd jacket/slacks and something sparkly for the ladies.

 

The lido buffet or in-room dining is always there if one prefers shorts etc for dinner on gala nights.

[slidergirl]

On Gala Nights, if dining in MDR or planning to be at other non lido venues, I would say just dress up as you would to a nice restaurant. For some people (alas, a minority these days!) that means tuxedos and gowns; for most it means a suit or a dress, or at the least an odd jacket/slacks and something sparkly for the ladies.

The lido buffet or in-room dining is always there if one prefers shorts etc for dinner on gala nights.

 

Does that mean my trusty plain LBD is not good enough??? No sparkles to be had. It was good enough for dinner at Le Bernadin and Alain Ducasse (his old restaurant in Paris at the Sofitel), so I'm hoping it would be good enough for a boring MDR on a "gala" night...

Edited September 14, 2017 by slidergirl

[Herfnerd]

Does that mean my trusty plain LBD is not good enough??? No sparkles to be had. It was good enough for dinner at Le Bernadin and Alain Ducasse (his old restaurant in Paris at the Sofitel), so I'm hoping it would be good enough for a boring MDR on a "gala" night...

 

 

 

Your LBD will be perfectly fine. Max is trying to say that if anything, you might be overdressed

 

 

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[navybankerteacher]

 

...

 

Most of us pronounce it like the Grand Coulee Dam. :)

 

Actually , I believe most pronounce the last syllable of ships named for well-known cities: Amsterdam and Rotterdam, for example to sound like "dam", as you say "... like the Grand Coulee Dam." , while most others , such as Maasdam, Noordam, Prinsendam, etc. end with more of a "Dom" kind of sound.

[iancal]

The new dress code is very clear. It is flexible, it provides choice, and it mirrors (IMHO) what the majority of cruisers want. Which is why HAL made the switch.

 

There are some who like to put out their own version of what is appropriate. In many instances it reflects their opinion and is simply not factual. I did not spot the word sparkly on the HAL website or in the documentation.

 

So, if folks want the actual HAL guidelines, simply dial into their website (which can sometimes be a challenge in itself) and review the actual verbage. It is very flexible and provides a wide range of choice. At the end of the day, if it does not suit, one can always try the Lido...but don't go very late.

[bigwally]

And in our view, these are the two most important persons on board, so we make sure to dress up for them as much as we can. ;p

 

I agree. And if I can make a fair number of other women on the ship swoon into the bargain then my job will be done.

 

Plus I've had formal wear since I was around 14 years old and enjoy wearing it, but get few opportunities to do so these days outside of cruise formal nights and the occasional classier New Year's Eve party, so I'm going to take them when I get them. :D

[iancal]

That is fine. But there can be a huge difference between what someone 'likes' to wear, what their spouse 'likes' them to wear and what the dress code really is.

 

I would think that it would be the latter that most people who are asking want to know. We don't care what others may be wearing but we do want to follow the dress code, as laid of by the cruise line, in the MDR. If we don't like it we simply go on our way and dine elsewhere.

[Cruising-along]

Actually , I believe most pronounce the last syllable of ships named for well-known cities: Amsterdam and Rotterdam, for example to sound like "dam", as you say "... like the Grand Coulee Dam." , while most others , such as Maasdam, Noordam, Prinsendam, etc. end with more of a "Dom" kind of sound.

 

Interesting...I just did a search and got more confused than ever. Opinions were all over the place. :D Maybe Copper John can come help here.

 

I live near Seattle and have only heard it pronounced "dam", but when I read your post out loud, it did sound better as you wrote it. :D

[kenevenpar]

Does that mean my trusty plain LBD is not good enough??? No sparkles to be had. It was good enough for dinner at Le Bernadin and Alain Ducasse (his old restaurant in Paris at the Sofitel), so I'm hoping it would be good enough for a boring MDR on a "gala" night...

 

What is a "LBD"?

[taxmantoo]

What is a "LBD"?

Little Black Dress

[slidergirl]

What is a "LBD"?

 

Yep - Little Black Dress

 

A woman's staple in the closet. Mine is a basic as it gets - a simple, black, A-line cotton dress. I can wear it with sneakers and a jeans jacket in the daytime, switch to flats for dinner...

 

I was trying to point out that the poster I referred to was saying that women should at least wear something "sparkly" - way beyond the HAL dress code...

[sandbag7]

Does that mean my trusty plain LBD is not good enough??? No sparkles to be had. It was good enough for dinner at Le Bernadin and Alain Ducasse (his old restaurant in Paris at the Sofitel), so I'm hoping it would be good enough for a boring MDR on a "gala" night...

 

LOL: Almost every woman we saw in Le Bernardin in May was wearing some LBD variation except some Japanese Girls wearing short shorts, but they did have sparkles on their T Shirts.

I will be in a shirt and non-jeans pants for any fancy lad meals on HAL, but I will not be upset if some wear their jools.

[MaxThrusters]

Does that mean my trusty plain LBD is not good enough??? No sparkles to be had. It was good enough for dinner at Le Bernadin and Alain Ducasse (his old restaurant in Paris at the Sofitel), so I'm hoping it would be good enough for a boring MDR on a "gala" night...

 

I said dress before that. LBD is a dress!

[MaxThrusters]

Yep - Little Black Dress

 

A woman's staple in the closet. Mine is a basic as it gets - a simple, black, A-line cotton dress. I can wear it with sneakers and a jeans jacket in the daytime, switch to flats for dinner...

 

I was trying to point out that the poster I referred to was saying that women should at least wear something "sparkly" - way beyond the HAL dress code...

 

I think I've been misunderstood. Notice I equated 'something sparkly' with blazer jacket and odd pants for the men: the lowest tier of dressing up for gala nights. Something sparkly was meant to infer those ladies knit tops with sequins etc sewn in them.. you know what I refer to if you have sailed before. I certainly did not mean diamonds haha