"formal nights" on Holland America?

[j3000]

need some input here.... sailing first time in HA  next month.Statendam Caribbean 7- night.

have done carnival, celebrity, rc & princess before. have found that "formal nights" on these is  now pretty much "anything goes...within reason". 

first question - does HA still have them?

if so, what do "most" passengers wear?

full disclosure: I dont own a tux, and we  like to travel as light & casual as possible! 🤫

comments?

[Krazy Kruizers]

HAL hasn't had formal nights in several years.

 

HAL now has Gala nights and the majority of the people do not dress up.  Many men wear a collared shirt with their slacks.  Some men will add a tie and jacket.  These same rules apply to the specialty restaurants as well.  You will see very, very few tuxedos.

[taxmantoo]

They are now called "gala" nights and you will have 2 on your 7-night cruise.  People pretty much wear what the people on Carnival, Celebrity,  RCI & Princess wear, ie. pretty much "anything goes...within reason".   

Some of us would prefer it to be a bit more dressed up, but it is what it is or as some other post described it "The slobs have won" 🙄

[j3000]

hahah...thanks guys

"Honey, unpack that formal ball gown!"

[JT1962]

40 minutes ago, jargey3000 said:

hahah...thanks guys

"Honey, unpack that formal ball gown!"

You’ll be fine with Docker’s type pants and a collared shirt. 

[terrydtx]

7 minutes ago, JT1962 said:

You’ll be fine with Docker’s type pants and a collared shirt. 

and a collared shirt can be a polo or golf shirt. Do not be surprised if you see some men passengers in "wife Beater" shirts as has been reported by some in CC which are not allowed but It is the hot Caribbean after all. A lot of what you will see depends upon how much your maître d' enforces the recommended HAL dress code, some are pickier than others.

Edited March 18, 2019 by terrydtx

[JimnKaren]

I have two tuxedos in the closet, regular fit and another one "why did you eat so much" fit! I also have a black suit. One of those goes with me and I wear them as appropriate. I also have a collection of "special" ties that I enjoy wearing. I no longer work, and I have those things in the closet...why not!

Do it if you want, or not. You will not be out of place.

Jim

[OlsSalt]

You will see plenty of men in tuxes still - esp late fixed dining and lots of women dress up. Gala is still  Gala. Every time we were told "nobody dresses up anymore", or they never do it on Alaska or Caribibean cruises, there were plenty who still did. And they looked great.

 

Do what you want, but can't agree with posts that claim no one dresses up - why even bother having Gala Night in that case. Which may soon be the case. Times are changing.  Formal clothes are very comfortable, light weight and packable today. But if you won't want to wear them, no point pointing this out. We simply enjoy the extra sparkle of the dining room on those few nights - part of old sea going traditions and not typically done land-side much any longer. 

[J4NEC]

What about my son and husband wearing the kilt on gala nights? Highland dress acan be ful, or casual. Modern kilts can be worn with an open necked button shirt.  Is this appropriate or over the top? They tend to wear th Emily to weddings, funerals and rugby/ international soccer matches. J xx

[Bemidji Ty]

I can't think of a cruise where I haven't seen at least one kilt.  And we are about to embark on #60.  Got my tux ready to go.

 

Cheers

Edited March 19, 2019 by Bemidji Ty

[kazu]

35 minutes ago, J4NEC said:

What about my son and husband wearing the kilt on gala nights? Highland dress acan be ful, or casual. Modern kilts can be worn with an open necked button shirt.  Is this appropriate or over the top? They tend to wear th Emily to weddings, funerals and rugby/ international soccer matches. J xx

I’ve seen a number of kilts.

 

Dear CC friends have them as attire for both the husband and son and they look great.  Mum and daughter are dressed very well to suit.  You’d be fine in that I would think.

 

[lindadear]

On 3/18/2019 at 1:51 PM, taxmantoo said:

They are now called "gala" nights and you will have 2 on your 7-night cruise.  People pretty much wear what the people on Carnival, Celebrity,  RCI & Princess wear, ie. pretty much "anything goes...within reason".   

Some of us would prefer it to be a bit more dressed up, but it is what it is or as some other post described it "The slobs have won" 🙄

The Holland America dress code is a collared shirt and slacks for men and a top and slacks or dress for women. No jeans or t-shirts in the dining room or specialty restaurants at dinner. HAL is not enforcing this dress code and some passengers (abut 25-30%) were wearing t-shirts and jeans to the dining room on the California Coastal cruise 11/5-11/12/22. Really, they can't dress up for 7 nights? They have to wear old jeans and t-shirts even on gala nights?! That would be men AND women who dress like they are taking out the trash or cleaning the garage. Very unappealing when your fellow passengers have looked forward to dressing well for dinner so it could be a special occasion with fine dining. I refuse to just give up and say "It is what it is." That is why there are so many slobs who do not even have enough self-respect or respect for their fellow diners to put in some effort and wear a collared shirt or top. 

[lindadear]

On 3/18/2019 at 2:47 PM, terrydtx said:

and a collared shirt can be a polo or golf shirt. Do not be surprised if you see some men passengers in "wife Beater" shirts as has been reported by some in CC which are not allowed but It is the hot Caribbean after all. A lot of what you will see depends upon how much your maître d' enforces the recommended HAL dress code, some are pickier than others.

Personally, I would not like to look at someone's underarm hair while trying to enjoy my dinner. I saw this on the Alaska cruise. Repulsive. He wore the same sleeveless red t-shirt for 5 days in a row and would raise his arms over his head exposing all including his oversized gut.

[*Miss G*]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

[CruisingAndDiving]

On 3/18/2019 at 6:52 PM, J4NEC said:

What about my son and husband wearing the kilt on gala nights? Highland dress acan be ful, or casual. Modern kilts can be worn with an open necked button shirt.  Is this appropriate or over the top? They tend to wear th Emily to weddings, funerals and rugby/ international soccer matches. J xx

I have worn my kilt on every cruise Gala night.  I just took the argyle jacket and tie as opposed to going full formal Prince Charlie.   Both my wife and I like to dress for Gala nights.

 

Edited November 15, 2022 by CruisingAndDiving
To add picture

[BetsyS.]

Cruising and Diving - Thanks for the picture!  You both look great! 😊

[CruisingAndDiving]

2 hours ago, BetsyS. said:

Cruising and Diving - Thanks for the picture!  You both look great! 😊

Thank you so much for the kind words and compliment!

[newtocruiseinblue]

On 3/18/2019 at 5:47 PM, terrydtx said:

and a collared shirt can be a polo or golf shirt. Do not be surprised if you see some men passengers in "wife Beater" shirts as has been reported by some in CC which are not allowed but It is the hot Caribbean after all. A lot of what you will see depends upon how much your maître d' enforces the recommended HAL dress code, some are pickier than others.

Yes, that is fortunately false. Just did 7-night Eastern Caribbean on NS and most people dressed up for the formal nights and there was a nice splattering of tuxedos in there as well. This was even a bit dressier than our celebrity Mediterranean cruise last July, which surprised me. No wife beaters and my husband felt underdressed in slacks and a golf shirt.

[terrydtx]

28 minutes ago, newtocruiseinblue said:

Yes, that is fortunately false. Just did 7-night Eastern Caribbean on NS and most people dressed up for the formal nights and there was a nice splattering of tuxedos in there as well. This was even a bit dressier than our celebrity Mediterranean cruise last July, which surprised me. No wife beaters and my husband felt underdressed in slacks and a golf shirt.

If you look this thread goes back to 2019 and what I described in March 2019 is pretty much what I I saw on our July 2019 Alaska cruise. So how do you know what I or others saw on our cruise or others report is false. I saw one guy wear the same farmer's blue jean coveralls in the MDR every night and by the end of the cruise they were dirty and rank.  The current trend in cruising of dressing down is on all cruise lines, but I never let what others wear bother me or effect my enjoyment of the cruise. In the 2 Italy and Greek cruises I took this last summer on HAL and Celebrity, I saw everything in the MDR's from shorts and t shirts to suits and Tuxes on formal nights. Nothing I saw has changed since 2019. Not once did I feel underdressed in slacks and golf or Hawaiian shirts, even on the dressy nights.

Edited November 15, 2022 by terrydtx

[JeffElizabeth]

I like the option of the collared shirt and slacks but we are going on the 35 day Viking cruise in July of 2023 so I will be bringing a tux for that many "gala" nights. I do get compliments and I think others appreciate that some of us still dress up. 

[Chickadee910]

I always tell my husband to dress appropriate for church. Would pay him to wear his suit but he says he’s on vacation so be happy he has long pants on and a dress shirt. 

[peanutter]

Cruisinganddiving, I simply love your picture.  The matching tartan shall and kilt look fabulous.  Thanks for sharing!

[CruisingAndDiving]

2 hours ago, peanutter said:

Cruisinganddiving, I simply love your picture.  The matching tartan shall and kilt look fabulous.  Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for such a wonderful compliment 😀

[Augustsunshine]

Will be my first time on Holland America.I see most references are for attire in the MDR. Do specialty restaurants follow different rules? I do not dress up much at home and I don’t want to buy  lot of clothes I am unlikely to wear for a while, if ever. But I don’t want to feel uncomfortably under dressed. It seems like some nice black pants and a couple of fancy shirts would be fine. Any thoughts? I am an “older” woman doing the a 7 day Eastern Caribbean.

[oldbluff]

8 minutes ago, Augustsunshine said:

Will be my first time on Holland America.I see most references are for attire in the MDR. Do specialty restaurants follow different rules? I do not dress up much at home and I don’t want to buy  lot of clothes I am unlikely to wear for a while, if ever. But I don’t want to feel uncomfortably under dressed. It seems like some nice black pants and a couple of fancy shirts would be fine. Any thoughts? I am an “older” woman doing the a 7 day Eastern Caribbean.

This attire will be fine anywhere on the ship, including the MDR and specialty restaurants. Enjoy your cruise - you have earned it.

 

My dear wife and I love Vermont. We were up near Burlington late September, visiting family in Essex Junction. Drove up the West side of the state and back down the Eastern side. Beautiful countryside.