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HAL formal Dinner dress code

MickeyP

By MickeyP,
in Holland America Line

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AV8rix

AV8rix

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, esimon said:

Oh there is a dress code,   it's formal,   people do NOT pay attention  LOL

Just curious as to why you posted that inaccurate and snarky comment?  You must have known that "Formal" was changed to "Gala" about 5-6 years ago (and "Dressy" just this year), didn't you?

 

The OP is seeking information.  We are here to help on this forum.

Edited by AV8rix
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katmu

katmu

Posted
Posted

I am also wondering about the formal dress code, even after reading the policy.  I have never sailed on HAL before but I have 2 cruises booked in the next year.  The first is a 7 night Caribbean sailing and the second is a 14 night Norwegian fjords cruise next summer.  I was wondering if the longer sailing might tend to see more formal attire versus the Caribbean on average?  I’m trying to pack a bit lighter for Europe if I can.

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crystalspin

crystalspin

Posted
Posted
30 minutes ago, katmu said:

I am also wondering about the formal dress code, even after reading the policy.  I have never sailed on HAL before but I have 2 cruises booked in the next year.  The first is a 7 night Caribbean sailing and the second is a 14 night Norwegian fjords cruise next summer.  I was wondering if the longer sailing might tend to see more formal attire versus the Caribbean on average?  I’m trying to pack a bit lighter for Europe if I can.

It really is this simple:

"For gentlemen, collared shirts and slacks are required in all fine dining restaurants."

"...ladies’ gala attire? Dresses, skirts, and slacks are all acceptable."

 

They discourage jeans on Gala nights (the FAQs still refer to Dressy as Gala), or rather say to wear only to Casual Restaurants aka the Lido/buffet... But I have worn colored "jeggings" with a matching top and no questions asked! In the Caribbean you will see 'Hawaiian' shirts (they do have a collar after all). If you are female AND if you have a sparkly top AND if you want to, it's a fun time to wear it. 

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SilvertoGold

SilvertoGold

Posted
Posted
21 hours ago, katmu said:

I am also wondering about the formal dress code, even after reading the policy.  I have never sailed on HAL before but I have 2 cruises booked in the next year.  The first is a 7 night Caribbean sailing and the second is a 14 night Norwegian fjords cruise next summer.  I was wondering if the longer sailing might tend to see more formal attire versus the Caribbean on average?  I’m trying to pack a bit lighter for Europe if I can.

Generally on longer cruises pax tend to go more formal.  I've seen this for years (as well as post-pandemic) on Hawaii, Australia, Asia, Europe, Tahiti and South America cruises. Over about 28 days and you get even more formal wear.

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rtdiva

rtdiva

Posted
Posted
On 8/10/2022 at 1:05 PM, katmu said:

I am also wondering about the formal dress code, even after reading the policy.  I have never sailed on HAL before but I have 2 cruises booked in the next year.  The first is a 7 night Caribbean sailing and the second is a 14 night Norwegian fjords cruise next summer.  I was wondering if the longer sailing might tend to see more formal attire versus the Caribbean on average?  I’m trying to pack a bit lighter for Europe if I can.

It seems to me the Caribbean cruise will be casual, some guys as stated, wear Hawaiian collard shirts for formal.  My husband brings a long sleeved black shirt on all cruises. He wears black sketchers on board for everything other than around the pool. The Norwegian cruise may be dressier as often times European passengers dress upscale. That said the little black dress, or black shirt with pants or skirt, topped with a lightweight colorful “ kimonos “ are an easy way to look nice, vary your look, and lighter in weight to pack. Check out Amazon. Costume jewelry helps. Plus embellished flip flop type sandals work for evenings.  Always bring a wrap, the ships most often are not regulated in all areas with heat. However, don’t deprive yourself of the opportunity to enjoy yourself to experience cruise dressing up, especially after staying in casual clothes the past Covid years. 

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crystalspin

crystalspin

Posted
Posted

I would tend to less formal with longer cruises! (Just thinking of luggage...) I wonder what the reasoning is that would see more dressy on longer cruises? Maybe "since I can't do carry-on only I will pack to the max"? I will just do carry-on whatever length criuse: black bottoms/multicolor top and wear on each Gala night. My husband re-wears a Guaybera shirt for a few hours those nights.

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retird

retird

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 8/9/2022 at 7:27 PM, MickeyP said:

On HAL , is there a formal night dress code in effect? 

Here is the answer from HAL website.   Please note there is no mention of “Formal” in their policy to describe clothing or nights   That seems to be a word (some) people posting seem to continue to use

 

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 five-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.

Edited by retird
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iceman93

iceman93

Posted
Posted
On 8/18/2022 at 9:33 PM, crystalspin said:

I wonder what the reasoning is that would see more dressy on longer cruises?

My guess is that it's difficult to justify all the space and weight a tux (for example) takes up when you're only going to wear it once.  But if there are going to be multiple dressy nights on a longer cruise, it's easier to justify.

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sofietucker

sofietucker

Posted
Posted
On 8/19/2022 at 12:33 AM, crystalspin said:

I would tend to less formal with longer cruises! (Just thinking of luggage...) I wonder what the reasoning is that would see more dressy on longer cruises? Maybe "since I can't do carry-on only I will pack to the max"? I will just do carry-on whatever length criuse: black bottoms/multicolor top and wear on each Gala night. My husband re-wears a Guaybera shirt for a few hours those nights.

Here's one reason why we dress up more on longer cruises: it's less "expensive."  You know that formula to determine how much your clothes will cost? Based on frequency of wear: the more you wear something (price per wearing), the less it costs and vice versa. If I wear those $150 shoes twice a week for a year (104 times), they ultimately are $1.44 a wearing! My fancy winter boots might still "cost" a lot more since I may only wear them a few times in a season. So those patent leather formal shoes I bought for an event but only wore once, I will take along and get some more use of them. Now that we're retired, it's DH's rationale for bringing his suits (and justify French cuffs, so he can wear some of his many pairs of cufflinks for a change; those Redskins ones are now a collector's item, lol).

 

And of course, as you observe, the packing issue. We have gotten really good at carry-ons only (helps to have free laundry service). But after awhile, you do get mighty sick of wearing that same outfit yet again. And sometimes we're gonna bring an additional bag anyway, for those hiking boots (wearing them through TSA can be a pain, as we may have to half-undress in spite of pre-check, especially in Europe) or snorkel gear.

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sofietucker

sofietucker

Posted
Posted
On 8/18/2022 at 11:48 PM, rtdiva said:

It seems to me the Caribbean cruise will be casual, some guys as stated, wear Hawaiian collard shirts for formal.  My husband brings a long sleeved black shirt on all cruises. He wears black sketchers on board for everything other than around the pool. The Norwegian cruise may be dressier as often times European passengers dress upscale. That said the little black dress, or black shirt with pants or skirt, topped with a lightweight colorful “ kimonos “ are an easy way to look nice, vary your look, and lighter in weight to pack. Check out Amazon. Costume jewelry helps. Plus embellished flip flop type sandals work for evenings.  Always bring a wrap, the ships most often are not regulated in all areas with heat. However, don’t deprive yourself of the opportunity to enjoy yourself to experience cruise dressing up, especially after staying in casual clothes the past Covid years. 

And that's a thing with me too: after almost 3 years of no rings (due to constant handwashing), no earrings (get tangled in mask) and no necklaces (similar), not to mention no lipstick (why bother, under a mask): I want to get gussied up.

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Torquer

Torquer

Posted
Posted

We just got off a European cruise on Oosterdam.  This was the first cruise ever where we did not take men's suits along for me and our two sons, because of what I read on Cruise Critic in the past couple years.  This was a mistake and I felt under-dressed on the "dressy" nights.  I dressed in what I would call "business casual" which is a collared-polo shirt and nice slacks.  I was definitely in the bottom 10% of the way men dressed in the dining room on these nights.  I would say 70% of the men had at least a jacket on, not necessarily with a tie, and many of these had a full suit, along with some tuxes.  The majority of the remainder had a button-down-the-front shirt, many of these with a tie.

 

I'm sure it varies by cruise and location, but this is what I observed on a European cruise.  I definitely won't make this mistake again and we will bring men's suits along.

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