More Gala Nights Cutbacks

[djhsolara]

We have always been a fan of formal night...we always wore our tuxes, etc. Now that it is Gala Night, we really don’t find it necessary.

 

There is absolutely nothing special in the MDR on Gala Night now. The crew were dressed in their normal uniforms. No chair covers. No “fancy” menu. We dressed better than we did any other night, but I didn’t feel the need. If they really aren’t doing anything special, why should I put forth extra effort?

 

 

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[KroozNut]

Am I the only one who thinks that the food is actually inferior on gala nights?

 

Hmmmmmm, yes, I would venture to say that you're probably in the minority here. ;)

[Florida_gal_50]

We have always been a fan of formal night...we always wore our tuxes, etc. Now that it is Gala Night, we really don’t find it necessary.

 

There is absolutely nothing special in the MDR on Gala Night now. The crew were dressed in their normal uniforms. No chair covers. No “fancy” menu. We dressed better than we did any other night, but I didn’t feel the need. If they really aren’t doing anything special, why should I put forth extra effort?

 

 

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You are right, there is nothing special. If you've only sailed once on Hal you might think otherwise. I generally wear long dresses for gala nights. Given that tshirts, yoga pants and distressed jeans were acceptable on my last cruise on gala night I'm rethinking what I'll take on my next cruise.

[Florida_gal_50]

Am I the only one who thinks that the food is actually inferior on gala nights? I have been disappointed in the choices every.single.time. maybe i can convince my mother to go to pinnacle grill on a gala night next cruise.

I agree, far fewer choices IMO.

[RocketMan275]

Jeez... give it up already! :rolleyes:

Give what up and why?

Was my post factual and accurate?]

Was my post relevant to the subject?

[Sue from Canada]

So are smaller tails cooked till they're rubbery still special? Or does HAL still do it right?

 

HAL has always cooked them right - thank goodness.

[bluesplayer]

Formal nights were wonderful in the day when 2 checked airline bags were no charge.

[KroozNut]

Give what up and why?

Was my post factual and accurate?]

Was my post relevant to the subject?

 

For me, your posts appear to only reflect a personal agenda regarding the Gala Night / MDR experience on HAL, which IMO makes your comments less relevant to these discussions.

[RocketMan275]

For me, your posts appear to only reflect a personal agenda regarding the Gala Night / MDR experience on HAL, which IMO makes your comments less relevant to these discussions.

 

You're saying that pointing out that the "special menu" in the MDR on Gala Nights isn't "special" is irrelevant to a discussion of the Gala Night Menus? I guess some don't like it when others point out the fact that the Emperor has no clothes.

[summersigh]

For me, your posts appear to only reflect a personal agenda regarding the Gala Night / MDR experience on HAL, which IMO makes your comments less relevant to these discussions.

With the exception of a few threads that require a definitive response ... like what year did HAL ships come on line ... or what is the distribution of the auto-grats .... ALL of the posts on a Cruise discussion board are personal response whether agenda and/or experience. IMHO it's what interests folks most ... "hearing" the opinions of others.

[RuthC]

Formal nights were wonderful in the day when 2 checked airline bags were no charge.

My 3 formal wear outfits weigh a lot less, and take up less space, than some of my single smart casual outfits. And they all fit in one suitcase. That includes on cruises of 20+ days, to climates ranging from the 90s to the 30s---on the same trip!

At best, charging for luggage is a spurious argument for cutting out formal nights.

[iancal]

We cruise numerous lines. We no longer care about formal nights, gala nights, whatever. They are not even on the radar when we are selecting a cruise. They stopped being special some time ago.

 

If we want to play Mr. and Mrs. Dressup it is much easier to do it at home. Saves packing those items that we would only use for a few hours.

[Wakepatrol]

There's been new developments on the dress code.

Guests will only be allowed three lido meals on the front of their tracksuit.

[Stevanb]

Jeez... give it up already! :rolleyes:

 

Finally someone who gets it You are on vacation wear what you want . Dress code should be like all inclusives have which we go to . Long pants collared shirt and no open toed shoes for men. Long pants, Capri pants, skirt, blouse, casual shoes and elegant sandals must be worn.Even the luxury lines have adopted it now. If you want formal go on Silver Seas we have been on it a few times and you MUST have coat and tie on formal and coat for semi . very few casual .

[iancal]

Agree. Time to give up the pretence.

[ithaca gal]

Pretense? Many of us consider it good manners, not pretense. But that's just me (and several others on this thread).

[SetAnOpenCourse]

Pretense? Many of us consider it good manners, not pretense. But that's just me (and several others on this thread).

I can't say for sure but I think what was meant was pretense on HAL's part (pretending there's still these special nights while knowing it's a thing of the past at this point). I don't necessarily agree.

[SetAnOpenCourse]

There's been new developments on the dress code.

Guests will only be allowed three lido meals on the front of their tracksuit.

I'm going to intentionally stain mine on a fourth night. Nobody tells ME what I can wear!

 

Hmm, but how will they actually distinguish the remnants of individual meals, in order to count??

 

 

(I hope I got your joke..:))

 

(Btw I hope you weren't knocking the lido, as I am a big fan of it.)

(Except for some of the music.)

[RocketMan275]

I can't say for sure but I think what was meant was pretense on HAL's part (pretending there's still these special nights while knowing it's a thing of the past at this point). I don't necessarily agree.

 

Here is HAL's description of Gala Nights: "Gala Nights evoke the grand traditions of cruising as guests dressto impress for special events on board, including a five-coursegourmet dinner in the Dining Room."

 

Hard to think that description is anything but "pretentious".

[navybankerteacher]

Agree. Time to give up the pretence.

 

 

Precisely: while I always make a bit of effort when I go out to dinner with my wife-- and personally feel that a clear, and enforced, dress code does contribute to a sense of "specialness", it is obvious that the majority of cruisers do not want to be told what to wear - and the cruise lines clearly go along with what the majority of their customer base wants: so it is simply BS when they talk about capturing old traditions of elegance, while letting people wear tee shirts to dinner in the MDR (as happened on Zuiderdam in September).

[iancal]

I absolutely meant pretence from HAL.

 

Really, the bottom line is their words around formal night have not corresponded with their on board actions for years. Not to mention the downgrading of the food quality, the service, etc. in the MDR. Clearly, IF HAL wanted to leave formal nights as their were 20 years ago they could. The truth is they did not want to/do not want to.

 

Don't blame the customers, put the blame where it belongs...on HAL's intransigence.

 

Who's kidding whom? This is a HAL issue. A very poor attempt to satisfy one group while trying desperately to appeal to a new contingent of cruisers. HAL did exactly the same with their smoking policy. And who really knows what HAL is doing to their entertainment program?

 

HAL's challenge seems to remain the same. They don't know what they want to be when they grow up as it were.

Edited October 30, 2017 by iancal

[navybankerteacher]

I absolutely meant pretence from HAL.

 

Really, the bottom line is their words around formal night have not corresponded with their on board actions for years. Not to mention the downgrading of the food quality, the service, etc. in the MDR. Clearly, IF HAL wanted to leave formal nights as their were 20 years ago they could. The truth is they did not want to/do not want to.

 

Don't blame the customers, put the blame where it belongs...on HAL's intransigence.

 

Who's kidding whom? This is a HAL issue. A very poor attempt to satisfy one group while trying desperately to appeal to a new contingent of cruisers. HAL did exactly the same with their smoking policy. And who really knows what HAL is doing to their entertainment program?

 

HAL's challenge seems to remain the same. They don't know what they want to be when they grow up as it were.

 

Why blame HAL for wanting to serve their customers? They have decided not to follow Cunard's pattern in maintaining traditional dress codes - probably because they recognized that there was not a sufficient market to justify the effort.

 

I would like HAL to have adhered to the model they provided when I first sailed them --- but I have to recognize that not enough others do. If I am dissatisfied with MDR dinners, I can dine at Pinnacle: why blame HAL if the bulk of their customers prefer less expensive dining to paying for higher quality?

 

 

The world is full of changes I have to live with - the cruise industry is far from the only arena in which I feel quality has recently faded.

[Lizzie68]

Here is HAL's description of Gala Nights: "Gala Nights evoke the grand traditions of cruising as guests dressto impress for special events on board, including a five-coursegourmet dinner in the Dining Room."

 

Hard to think that description is anything but "pretentious".

 

Full disclosure up front - we enjoy Gala night, and dressing up a bit. But honestly, HAL's description does not match the reality at all any more. The dinner is nothing special, the actual menu is a different format but recycled - there were wine stains on the last one I had - they no longer "dress up" the MDR (actually, I prefer not have the white seat covers, anyway), and on each gala night in a 4 weeks cruise, the band didn't even play in the Ocean Bar before dinner. There was really nothing special about the evening - apart from dodging the annoying photographers.

[iancal]

I am certainly not blaming HAL for change. Indeed, I think HAL has been about the slowest in the industry to adapt to changing customer preferences and demands. You can see it in their customer base.

 

I am blaming them for pretending that MDR on formal night is what is has always been while the same time essentially telling new customers that they have switched to casual on formal nights.

 

You cannot have it both ways. We prefer casual and have done for the past ten years or so. But there are people out there who really do like the formal nights. HAL is giving those people lip service. I do not blame HAL for moving forward to what customers want. I do blame them for trying to 'pretend' that formal night exists in the manner that it has in the past. Because it does not.

[RocketMan275]

Have we reached the point where we can concede that it is difficult to argue that passengers should dress up for Gala Nights because Gala Nights are "special"? There might be other reasons for dressing up but "special" isn't one of them.