Jeans in the dinning room

[peaches from georgia]

I really think HAL needs to change what they say about the main dining room in the brochures and on the website. I think the expectations of pax reading HAL's present description of their elegant DR will not be met if the ships start allowing jeans.

 

There are 'elegant' restaurants and there are 'jeans allowed' restaurants; rarely if ever are they the same place.

 

 

From HAL's website: The Elegant Main Dining Room

 

Each evening as the dinner hour approaches, the melodious call of the chime master invites guests to the main Dining Room where another incredible experience awaits. Servers greet guests and present menus of sumptuous five-course selections, from appetizers and drinks to entrées and dessert, while a quartet plays soft dinner music. Savor seared sea scallops, filet mignon topped with crab and Hollandaise, and wines rated "excellent" by The Wine Spectator. Fresh herbs and imaginative combinations make lighter fare an equally tempting choice. We gladly offer a kosher menu and can easily meet special dietary needs upon request*. Guests can also expect:

 

 

Elegant five-course meals featuring signature dishes

Menu design under the direction of Master Chef Rudi Sodamin

Executive chefs who have been inducted into the prestigious Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, an international food and wine society

Fine Rosenthal China and sparkling stemware on crisp white table linens

Two expert servers per table, selected for their proven abilities to remember guest preferences

Knowledgeable wine stewards adept at pairing wine with food

Surrounding panoramic ocean views, as well as fine art and antiques

[LDinCT]

Don't flame me but yes I do wear jeans on casual nights in the DR. They were def. allowed on my last HAL cruise. Now these are nice, really expensive jeans, dark color, no holes etc. And I certainly wasn't wearing them with a tee shirt or tank top. Like it or not, there are very few restaurants you can't wear them in NYC for dinner these days. Don't know why this gets everyone so worked up. There are many other casual outfits that look much worse.

[Atomica]

This is a very interesting thread. Somehow, the word 'jeans' has become associated with the word 'slob', or worse.

 

On casual nights, I wear my jeans to the dining room. And I am not alone. I have seen plenty of people wearing jeans to the dining room, and not a single one of them, myself included, looked the least bit 'slobbish'. On Formal/Informal nights, I don't wear them. I wear dress pants, and dress accordingly.

 

Perhaps I'm missing something, but I don't see why everyone is jumping to the conclusion that by allowing jeans on a few nights out of the week, that suddenly all these grubby, ill-dressed, ill-mannered people will be coming out of the woodwork. Even on NCL, where I really missed formal nights and dress codes, I can't think of anyone that was dressed THAT badly.

 

Personally, I have a bigger issue with ballcaps in the dining room than jeans.

[jhannah]

Personally, I have a bigger issue with ballcaps in the dining room than jeans.

And herein lies the issue. Each of us has a personal level of tolerance for what we feel is appropriate fine dining attire. You draw the line at ballcaps. I draw the line at jeans. I'm not saying folks who wear them are slobs. (I wear jeans quite a bit ... just not out to dinner.) But I still do not believe jeans are appropriate fine dining attire -- regardless of how fancy-schmancy the label is.

[Scrumpy]

I personally don't think of jeans as necessarily grubby. However, ask my grandparents and they have a totally different perspective. They do not care for jeans - period!

 

My concern is the style of the jeans. I don't mind seeing thongs at the beach or pool - heck, go topless. But, I don't want to look at someone's rear end while I eat. Hopefully, the whole lowrider thing is going out of style. I did read of an even more disgusting trend on the fashion section of cc that I hope does not take hold. It involves MEN going commando and wearing jeans that sag well below the hairline - if you get my drift... not appetizing dinnertime viewing.

 

Yes, ball caps at the table are tacky, too.

[Atomica]

It involves MEN going commando and wearing jeans that sag well below the hairline - if you get my drift... not appetizing dinnertime viewing.

 

Scrumpy, couldn't agree with you more!!! lol

 

And Jim made a very good point - like so many other things, each person has his/her own tolerance level. I don't think that HAL will go the way of NCL anytime soon in terms of dining dress code (at least I hope not!)

[Scrumpy]

Rita,

Maybe people dress more casually here, but we've been out to pretty nice places and seen women wear expensive and low-cut pants and jeans. I've never been subjected to what the guy who wrote Dear Abby saw, but I've seen the tops of more thongs than I ever dreamed I would - even in department stores, now that I think of it. And, you'd think they'd have a dress code for employees. People push the envelope and odds are that some of them will end up on a ship.

 

I guess I need to broaden my horizons. I don't think of butt cleavage quite the same way as I do bust cleavage. Maybe I should? It isn't likely I'll come to grips with that one for a while, so I'm hoping the style itself will change and I won't be looking at 5 inches of someone else's rear at dinner. It is kinda hard NOT to look when something out of the norm happens; I have a friend whose pants slide down when she's doing physical stuff. I tease her mercilessly. And, with some people, it'd probably be a good appetite suppressant, LOL!!! Like I said before, I rarely notice this stuff, so hopefully if it happens while we're around, I will be oblivious.

[Curly57]

I read that piece too ... and had to chuckle. The person who wrote the letter, as I recall, didn't say what kind of a restaurant he was in. If it was a nice restaurant, then I wholeheartedly agree with him. That would be disgusting to look at while enjoying a nice dinner by candle light. But it sounds to me like he was in a roadside diner or a Denny's type establishment. --rita

 

Hi Rita,

Last time my DH and I went to Olive Garden he traded me places because I was in a draft, then said he didn't like the view. I turned around and a big butt crack was showing above a young women's low rider jeans. It was not good. We talked and enjoyed our dinner could have done without that indecency. I wish everyone would dress appropriate for their activity and location.

-curly

[HALOnlyCruiser]

I think the tote bag shortage was a temporary thing. Not that I need any more.....they used to leave one for every pax in the cabin, and we took all three kids several times, so we have about a gabillion (well...maybe only half a gabillion). We have several different designs, and one year in Alaska had ones with totem figues on it. (Neat!)

I am saddened by the lax dress code enforcement. Even if jeans are allowed (and there are some pretty un-dungaree [boy, am I old] women's jeans available) I have never seen anyone turned away from the dining roon, no matter how unsuitably they are dressed. One formal night on our first cruise, a man showed up in a white t-shrt with a "tux" printed on the front...he got in. Another cringe-inducing practice is men who wear tractor caps everywhere (even in the shower, I'm guessing) and are not turned away. On the other hand, I can only imagine the fuss that would be raised at the Front Office if someone were told they could not enter the dining room in their current attire. I can hear it now, "I paid good money for this cruise, yadda, yadda......" Be that as it may, I feel uncomfortable when I am not following the dress convention. Remember the days of "Elegantly Casual"? Nobody knew what it meant, exactly, but it sounded great! I guess the Gen-Xers aren't as uncomfortable if they are not following the code.

[NHCruisr]

We were on the Oosterdam in March. We saw several people in the dining room with jeans. I spoke with the Maitre'd about it and he said that enforcing the no jeans policy is becoming a losing battle. He seemed upset that people coming onboard this beautiful ship were such slobs (these are not the words he used but his feelings were obvious). My experience is diminished by people who are sloppy and do not respect their fellow passengers and the cruise experience. I know this sounds harsh, but I really do not like to see people looking like they've stepped off a tractor dining next to me in the dining room. We also saw people in shorts and flip flops in the show lounge on formal night. Not cool. Many of the jeans we've seen onboard are dirty and torn, clearly they didn't get that way on the ship. Who would pack something like that to go on a cruise?

 

In talking with crew, I've heard expressed their distain for some of the passengers dress and lack of manners. The term they've used is "trailer park." (note: this is not my term) I give them a lot of credit for being as professional and pleasant as they are to these people.

 

We did not get tote bags on the Oosterdam. There is some problem with the production in China or the shipping. We did get a bag on the Zuiderdam last year.

[cruisequeen10]

I live in jeans. But when the dress code does not allow jeans, I simply do not wear them. I think that HAL being a classy line, would stick up and say "no jeans" in the dining room. Period. End of story. On my next cruise in July to Alaska on the Zuiderdam, I am going to adhere and do not wear the comfortable jeans to the dining room. Even if you are allowed, I am going to show respect and dress like everyone else on the appropriate "dress" night.

[csg99]

I think HAL could take note of what's happened in the American workplace. Several years ago "casual Friday" came into being and many companies and businesses participated. Each workplace had their own interpretation of "casual" (some banned sneakers, T's, etc). Some companies even pronounced it such a success that they added an additional day each week for casual wear. Fast forward to present day. There have been numerous articles about how businesses are now moving away from any casual days because they found that the attitude of the employees seemed to mirror their attire on those days. I personally LOVE our casual day each week (that's the day we use for moving files, cleaning our cubicles, etc) but my employer has let us know that if some staff members continue to abuse it (tank tops, beach flip-flops) they will definitely do away with it. I agree that some jeans are more attractive and expensive than normal "casual" slacks or pants, but we all have to be realistic and admit that there will be a lot of people who will show up in their worn, dingy "comfy" jeans. Will it ruin my cruise? Of course not. But it absolutely does detract from the whole experience of dining in the lovely dining rooms on HAL ships.

JMHO

[lougee1043]

We saw several people in the dining room with jeans. I spoke with the Maitre'd about it and he said that enforcing the no jeans policy is becoming a losing battle. He seemed upset that people coming onboard this beautiful ship were such slobs (these are not the words he used but his feelings were obvious). .

 

lose the battle but win the war --- keep enforcing the dress code

 

on our celebrity cruise we were talking to a d/r capt who said that they will only enforce the dress code if they have the complete backing of the maitre d -------he said the pax that is turned away for a dress code violation will in most cases go to the front desk to complain and that complaint is turned over to the maitre d-----------without his backing the captain get in trouble

[NoNoNanette]

Same here, Nanette, I'd love to be a fly on the wall at some of those marketing meetings.

 

It sounds to me like HAL is trying to attract the younger cruiser who often doesn't want to get all dressed up. Especially on the Vista-class ships ... these are the cruisers of the future. All of the older folks who sail the longer itineraries on the more elegant R and S class ships will one day grow too old to travel or will die off, so HAL probably sees this new brand of cruiser as their future. Also, with all new ship builds being on the large "mega-ship" size, one day we're not gonna have these smaller ships to sail any longer. HAL will surely one day have to retire them. That fact will force some of HAL's more traditional cruisers to abandon the line in favor of other smaller lines where these kinds of ships are still in the fleet. So, it's the younger non-traditionalist cruisers that will become HAL's primary market ... and many of those have no attachment to the "golden years of cruising."

 

I just hope HAL enforces some sort of "level" of appropriateness with the jeans ... like they must be neat, and not full of holes, tattered, etc.

 

Personally, I've seen people wearing some very nice jeans that would be totally appropriate for the dining room. I've seen people in jeans with appliques on them, reinstones, sparkles, etc. They look very attractive.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

Something tells me that you have some marketing background, Rita! (As well as being very perceptive) ;)

 

My background is newspaper advertising/public relations and marketing. I tend to analyze these situations from a "bottom line" approach, rather than an emotional one. :)

[kryos]

Something tells me that you have some marketing background, Rita! (As well as being very perceptive) ;)

 

My background is newspaper advertising/public relations and marketing. I tend to analyze these situations from a "bottom line" approach, rather than an emotional one. :)

I work for a newspaper myself ... in IT, but I've been involved in various marketing projects/focus groups in my career with them (close to 30 years). Just like I've said on these boards in the past, believe me ... if HAL's customer majority wanted those dress codes enforced in the dining room ... HAL would be strictly enforcing them to the letter. They often don't enforce them and that is because the chief honchos in the dining room have probably been instructed by Seattle to get the lay of the land first. If there's a lot of people not dressing to code, let it go.

 

I hear tell, though, that you don't pull that crap on the QE2. That is a very, very formal ship and if you want to dine in the dining room, and appear on the public decks in the evening, you must adhere to code. Obviously, the folks who sail the QE2 must demand that ... and thus the cruise line complies. Understandable.

 

My experience on the QE2 will be interesting, that's for sure. Actually, I'm looking forward to it, believe it or not.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[MeOhMy]

What I do not understand is how people end up on ships with dress codes more stringent than they are willing to live with. Surely there are other ships with a dress code more to their liking.

 

Our TA recommended Westerdam to us because he knew we enjoy a more formal ship. Coming from W TX it is fun to play dress up for a few weeks a year.

 

But from what I am hearing, he was behind the curve.

 

I must say out here we have different levels of jeans, for lack of a better word. I have a "dress" pair that is dark color, straight leg and always, always dry cleaned. You wear them with a blouse and jacket and your most expensive silver or turqoise jewelry and I must say that can look more dressed up than just plain "casual."

 

But, truly, what is wrong with rules? If you are going to have nearly 2000 people on, say W'dam, some rules are simply going to be necessary or you will have chaos and no one will have a good time.

 

Or am I terminally old fashioned?

[herb]

I don't even own a pair of jeans because I find them very uncomfortable so I won't join in on the ever so popular "jeans yes or no" issue... but I do hope they have those tote bags in the cabin. DW is looking forward to that :D

[Moogy]

Coming from W TX it is fun to play dress up for a few weeks a year.

 

Where are you in West Texas? :) Although I am now living in Austin, I was born in Midland, and my husband and I are in the process of moving back to west Texas--to a ranch 10 miles north of Eldorado, TX.

 

OFF-TOPIC COMMENT: (Eldorado is a tiny town that is currently famous for a nearby compound belonging to the FLDS polygamist cult. That compound is the suspected hideout of FLDS prophet Warren Jeffs, who was recently added to the FBI's 10-Most-Wanted List.)

 

BTW, even though I am a native Texan, I rarely wear jeans even at appropriate times....they are just TOO hot.

 

Moogy

[MeOhMy]

I live in San Angelo. I know very well where Eldorado is. I do like jeans in the winter, they are just heavy enough. I moved here 12 years ago and still have the winter coat I moved down here with. It really just isn't needed. I save to visit family up north and they tease me about it unmercifully. But I have better things to do with my money, like cruise.

 

Off topic, sorry.

[Moogy]

MeOhMy,

 

We will be neighbors soon! My attorney husband will be moving his practice to San Angelo, since it is the nearest city to our new country abode. :) We recently spent several days looking at office space in your fair city.

 

Too bad we won't be on the same cruise. I am on the Oosterdam 5/20, and I think you are on the Westerdam (?).

 

I enjoy dressing up also, and I got a couple of new dresses for formal nights. Have a great cruise!

 

Moogy

[fridayeyes]

Now that the 'no jeans' language is gone, I personally will wear 'nice' jeans on casual nights if that's what I happen to have worn during the day. I find that many 'nice' jeans outfits look better than some of the knit 'capri and t-shirt' style outfits worn by many. Yes some will wear tatty jeans, but frankly, they always have and they always will. The problem, IMHO, isn't with the fabric named 'denim', it's with certain individuals.

 

Cheers,

 

Friday

[sail7seas]

That is what I always get a kick out of. :)

 

The nice jeans thing......the dress jeans thing.....the designer jeans thing.....the jeweled jeans thing.......the pricey jeans thing....etc etc etc What in the heck are "dress jeans"? That's a contradiction in terms IMO

 

 

Jeans are jeans are jeans are jeans. Call them anything else and they are still jeans. IMO......;)

 

We won't be wearing jeans on the ship. We have never brought a pair of jeans with us to a ship and don't think we're about to start now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gizmo]

Now that the 'no jeans' language is gone

 

Is this REALLY the case ? The jeans clause was missing on this particular cruise, but I would like to hear what other Hal ships are doing.

 

LOL at the butt cleavage. It reminds me of Dan Ackroyd repairing the "old Norge" in SNL. :D

[dakrewser]

I just don't understand what all the fuss is about. I mean, everyone up in arms because "Jean's in the dining room!" What I say is, as long as she follows the dress code then Jean can eat anywhere she'd like.

 

 

 

 

:rolleyes:

[Copper10-8]

I just don't understand what all the fuss is about. I mean, everyone up in arms because "Jean's in the dining room!" What I say is, as long as she follows the dress code then Jean can eat anywhere she'd like.

 

 

 

 

:rolleyes:

 

OK, but what if Jean is wearing jeans in the dining room? Do we call the jeans police? And what if the head of security/jeans police is a French-Canadian called Jean? Are we going to expect Jean to confront Jean for wearing jeans in the dining room?:eek: