Dress Code

[thepoint]

It has been seven years since we sailed on Holland America.  We just booked the 21 Day Azores & Normandy & Norse Legends cruise on the Rotterdam for April, 17, 2022.  (TransAtlantic).  Please tell me that I no longer need to bring three cocktail dresses and my husband no longer needs to rent the onboard tuxedo.   Does Holland America still have the formal nights of years ago?  I know it is a long way off, but planning is half the fun.  Thank you.  

[ger_77]

Formal nights are no longer called that - they are Gala nights.  You don't need your cocktail dresses, nor does your DH need a tux (they are no longer available for rental onboard).  As long as you dress nicely, you'll be allowed into the dining room.  You will see everything from gowns and sparkles to simple clothing throughout the dining room on Gala nights.  Some ladies like to bring a simple black dress and accessorize it with different tops, scarves, jewelery, etc., while others like to really glam it up.   Men are required to have a collared shirt, that's about it.  Some men (like my DH) still love his tux, but you'll see other men in shirts, with or without ties, sport coats, suits, etc.  As long as you're clean and comfortable, you'll be fine.

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

[thepoint]

Thank you so much.  We are looking forward to our return to Holland America.  

[ger_77]

13 minutes ago, thepoint said:

Thank you so much.  We are looking forward to our return to Holland America.  

We all are!  As soon as we get the all clear, it'll take me about 6.2 minutes to pack and we are out the door!

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

[KirkNC]

Wow, I can’t remember the last dress code thread 😎

[Cruisepucks]

This is mostly for your DH and his clothing selection. We were on HAL last in the fall of 2019 for 26 days for the final Mediterranean cruise of the season followed by the repositioning trans-Atlantic sailing. 

 

The dress code was relaxed when airlines started charging more for checked baggage. People just started packing less and looking for clothing options that had a broader use than just for a couple hours at a couple dinners. 

 

I believe we had 4 Gala nights on our most recent HAL cruise, 2 on each segment. A small percentage of men wore tuxes or dinner jackets (<10%). The greatest majority wore either a suit or blazer and slacks and most of these men had neckties. We had the late fixed time dinner seating, so perhaps the early seating was less "formal."

 

At our dinner seating, I would estimate that +/- 80% of the men were dressed at outlined above (tux, suit, blazer) with the remainder closer to the minimal standard of a collared shirt. I wear a blazer, dress shirt, tie, and slacks and do not feel out of place at all.

 

Having been on HAL for a number of Caribbean cruises as well as several cruises in Europe, we have observed that the European cruises tend to be slightly more "formal" on the gala nights than cruises in the Caribbean. 

 

I should mention that the dress code is not necessarily strictly enforced. For example, we did see a very few men in jeans and one fellow near us wore a T-shirt (no collar) with a tuxedo front printed on it. The staff didn't seem to mind and I didn't hear any complaints from the other diners.

 

Hoping this helps with your wardrobe selection a bit. Hoping we get back on the seas again soon.

 

Cheers!

 

[ScottC4746]

55 minutes ago, thepoint said:

It has been seven years since we sailed on Holland America.  We just booked the 21 Day Azores & Normandy & Norse Legends cruise on the Rotterdam for April, 17, 2022.  (TransAtlantic).  Please tell me that I no longer need to bring three cocktail dresses and my husband no longer needs to rent the onboard tuxedo.   Does Holland America still have the formal nights of years ago?  I know it is a long way off, but planning is half the fun.  Thank you.  

We went on 7 night Eurodam a couple of years ago and nice sports button up shirts worked fine for dinner as well as suits on gala nights.

 

[ajcathy]

We are also booked on the April TA and so hopeful it will happen.  We are hoping to spend several weeks in France after the cruise which will present some packing challenges. We won't need dress clothes for the land portion of the trip and won't want to carry lots of luggage on trains.  For the first time I will tell DH he doesn't have to bring a suit, or maybe even a sport coat. I wonder how different we will all feel after two years of no travel and no walking the deck. Will we all feel the need to dress up or will we have forgotten how?

[Mary229]

@ajcathy I guess we should start a thread.  We were discussing packing in this thread too.   I was surprised how many people pack light 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2774820-barcelona-to-venice/

[ajcathy]

We are travelling with good friends who always pack light. They are promising to teach me how to do this.  A year in stretchy pants and almost no make-up is probably a good start.

 

[Mary229]

7 minutes ago, ajcathy said:

We are travelling with good friends who always pack light. They are promising to teach me how to do this.  A year in stretchy pants and almost no make-up is probably a good start.

 

I am so tired of stretchy pants!  

[cruisegirl]

I know I am in the minority here but I hate to see the dress code downgraded for the gala nights. I couldn’t get DH in a tux if I tried but am glad he is enjoys wearing a nice suit, dress shirt and a tie. I am surprised HAL allows jeans on the Gala Nights and I am sorry to hear they do. I imagine in another ten years there will be no formal or gala nights as it sounds like it is moving in that direction. 

[thepoint]

For the last 7 years, we have been cruising Celebrity and AMA river cruises. Much more casual.  Yes, there are still some who prefer to dress formal, but, most people enjoy the slacks, nice top or sweater.  My husband stopped bring jackets and ties years ago.  I gave away all my dresses.   Even if luggage is not limited to one suitcase, we still pack light.  If I buy something new, I try to practice the rule of something has to go out.  Usually, I save the “out item” for travel because I don’t have to pack if for the return trip.  The most important thing is the item is still in good condition, and we look clean, neat, and presentable.   It is a great way to make room for anything you may purchase on your trip.  Vacation clothes do not always have to be brand new.   

I look forward to meeting you on this cruise ajcathy. 

 

[ajcathy]

Thanks. I am so hoping to meet you too.  We are vaccinated now and feel safe but I won't do a cruise that requires being on ship's tours.  Just too used to doing our own thing now.

 

[Cruisepucks]

Here is the Official HAL Dress Code information:

 

CLOTHING Most evenings smart casual attire is appropriate.  Shorts, pool/ beachwear, distressed jeans and men’s tank tops are best left to the daytime and are not permitted in fine dining restaurants. Gala Nights evoke the grand traditions of cruising as guests dress to impress for special events on board, including a multi-course gourmet dinner in the Dining Room. On Gala Nights in fine dining restaurants, collared shirts and slacks are required for gentlemen. For ladies, elegant dresses, skirts, or slacks are all acceptable. Jeans, shorts and T-shirts are only allowed in the casual dining restaurants. 

                                                     ______________________________________

 

So, officially, jeans are NOT allowed in the dining room for dinner, but as mentioned earlier, we have seen "violations" on occasion. I would add, though, that the few people wearing jeans have been wearing nicer jeans, no hole or "fashionable" rips or tears. 

 

I do not know what the dining room manager would do if someone complained about a passenger wearing a T shirt or jeans. I suspect that the first response would be to offer to move the complaining passenger to another table. The two-level main dining room is so large that you may not even notice people who may not be dressed up to "code."

 

Also, the dress code for the dining room applies only for dinner. For breakfast and lunch in the main dining room,  T-shirts, shorts, etc. are acceptable. On most cruises, we sit in the upper level dining room near the railing, so we get a bird's eye view of the folks in the lower level. Perhaps, because we can see so many people at once, we see more of the full range of attire.

 

I would also say that, on Gala nights, the dining room seems to be less busy. We have speculated that people who have chosen not to dress "up" have opted to dine in The Lido. We haven't had dinner in The Lido, but from a few walk arounds, the dinner food up there looks to be very good indeed, so except for not having table service, the casually attired folks who do dine there aren't missing out at all.

 

On our first cruise, a few decades ago, most men wore tuxedos or white dinner jackets. That was more elegant, but the world has changed and the practicalities of packing and travel have become unstoppable forces of change. HAL had to go with the societal flow. I think a few lines (ie. Cunard) may still require more formal attire, so those who want that kind of ambiance could opt for those lines. We select our cruises by itinerary and have enjoyed the service and other aspects of HAL, so we're happy with them (despite the cutbacks) and will tolerate the staff "overlooking" attire offenders - it just doesn't bother us.

 

Hope this helps. Enjoy your cruising once it gets going again.

[Mary229]

Nice jeans are allowed in the dining room except on gala night.   
 

I think the change started when and because the airlines started charging luggage fees. 
 

if we are simply cruising with no pre or post travel we pack it all.  

Edited March 22, 2021 by Mary229

[aliaschief]

Frankly, it’s refreshing to see a dress code posting. Maybe this is a good sign of things to come!😀🛳

[Shmoo here]

1 hour ago, cruisegirl said:

I know I am in the minority here but I hate to see the dress code downgraded for the gala nights.

I agree.

[BobbiSox]

Several years ago, I bought three sparkly floor length cocktail dresses, and shortly after, that same year, HAL did away with those formal nights, so I 'did away' with those dresses. Now I wear black dress slacks, with a sparkly top. Hubbs always wears a sportscoat and tie. I suspect no one is turned away because of their  lack of judgement on Gala Nights. I believe that's why the name of the evening was downgraded from Formal Night, to accommodate everyone's taste, or lack of it. ☺️

[KirkNC]

We are in the camp of either having a true gala night (required suits and tux’s) or just doing away with it and going to an all resort casual dress code.  The current code results in a half a$$ed result.

[Hflors]

I really never pack light.  Most if our cruises we bring 6 bags if luggage between 

dh and I.  If we fly we pay the extra charges.  It is just part of our overall costs.  I want to have the clothes I like and want to wear.  One cruise my sis convinced me to do the black pants and nice top thing. By the third night I had enough of that.  I felt like I was attending a funeral every night!  I went back to my more colorful clothing.   When I am on vacation I want to look nice and feel "nice" also.  Dh says its a good thing there is laundry on the ship!   Btw our next cruise is 20 days and the following one is 45.   We will need lots of clothing for those!!!

[DaveOKC]

It seems to me that since HAL changed to Gala Nights the guests have gotten more and more casual with every cruise we have taken - I assume its because many people were initially not aware of the change and once they saw it in person (or word of mouth got around).  On our last cruise (Caribbean in Dec. 2019) there were alot of men without jackets and/or ties.

 

[iancal]

We switched to casual resort dress code ten plus years ago.  We gave up attending those nights in the MDR.    Did not miss it one bit.  

 

We really do not care what HAL or other cruise lines do.  Gala/formal nights lost their shine for us years ago.  

[Mary229]

57 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

(Caribbean in Dec. 2019) there were alot of men without jackets and/or ties.

I have noticed that Caribbean and other beach vacations destinations are much more casual than say Northern European.  I guess in the north you need to dress a bit more warmly so why not where a jacket - at least that is DH's take.  I have no problem with the black pants and shiny blouse - as long as the blouse can be rolled into a fist size bundle and doesn't need to be ironed.  I have really good earrings.  I was told when I moved to Texas if you are looking bad throw on good earrings, a scarf and tease your hair a little.  

[CaliforniaAC]

DH and I really enjoy gala night. We dress formal on those nights. Since we have laundry service we have room in the suitcase. 

One of the nicest things about gala night is that they're icebreakers. If someone looks wonderful, I can compliment them and not feel shy. I love to hear about earrings received  for anniversaries, scarfs bought on exotic trips, or a ring that has been passed down through the generations.