How long before Hal changes and allows shorts in the dining room ?

[Odd Ball]

How long before Hal changes and allows shorts in the dining room ?

Carnival's new dress code.

 

 

Hello Everyone,

Please be aware that we have made a change in our Dress Code policy.

Below you will find the new policy as it will be stated in our marketing materials:

What to wear?

Casual attire is the order of the day. We suggest shorts, sundresses, tank tops, etc. for the ladies, and for men; shorts, polo shirts, T-shirts, etc. will do. We suggest you wear rubber-soled, low heeled or flat shoes for extra traction while onboard. The use of any footwear with wheels, including but not limited, to Heelys© shoes, is prohibited on board our ships. For dining you may want to dress up a bit and/or bring along a light sports jacket or cardigan.

Most evenings we have a Cruise Casual dress code, but there are those Cruise Elegant evenings one or two nights throughout your “Fun Ship” voyage, where you will have the opportunity to showcase your more elegant attire. For those who want casual attire for dinner time, the Seaview Bistro on the Lido Deck is open nightly, and has a more relaxed theme. Both dress codes for the dining rooms are described below.

 

Cruise Casual Dining Dress Code: Gentlemen - Sport slacks, khakis, jeans (no cut-offs), dress shorts (long), collared sport shirts; Ladies - Casual dresses, casual skirts or pants and blouses, summer dresses, Capri pants, dress shorts, jeans (no cut-offs). Not permitted in the dining room during the Cruise Casual dinner for ladies and gentlemen: gym shorts, basketball shorts, beach flip-flops, bathing suit attire, cut-off jeans, and sleeveless shirts for men.

 

Cruise Elegant Dining Dress Code: Gentlemen - Dress slacks, dress shirts. We also suggest a sport coat. If you wish to wear suits and ties or tuxedos, by all means we invite you to do so. Ladies - Cocktail dresses, pantsuits, elegant skirts and blouses; if you‘d like to show off your evening gowns, that's great too! Not permitted in the dining room during the Cruise Elegant dinner for ladies and gentlemen: shorts, T-shirts, beach flip-flops, bathing suit attire, jeans, cut-off jeans, sleeveless shirts for men, sportswear, and baseball hats.

 

Special Sailings

For Canada/New England / Alaska cruises: Sweaters, lightweight jackets and raincoats are suggested. Casual clothes that can be layered easily are highly recommended. Bring a heavier sweater if you are traveling to the glaciers, along with a raincoat and umbrella, because it is often cold and windy in such areas.

 

For South America and Europe cruises: Comfortable shoes and a just-in-case raincoat. Bring a sweater if you are traveling to the glaciers, along with a raincoat and umbrella, because it is often cold and windy in such areas.Special note: It is essential that you wear the proper apparel when visiting the Vatican and other religious sites (no bare legs or shoulders).

 

The new policy will be enforced beginning with May 19th sailings

How do you define dress shorts ?

Do white knee socks with sandals go with dress shorts ? :D

[RedmondCruiser]

One of the reasons that I do not cruise with Carnival. How would you like to be at a table, on formal night, with another couple in shorts - tank tops and baseball hats ?? or some yayho who looks like he just crawled off his tractor ?

Sorry but I'll pass.

[ybarber]

I agree with those of you who still want a "standard" of dress at dinner - in the dining rooms. If someone wants to be super casual let them eat in the Lido, or order room service. Keep the dining room a civilized affair - this makes it feel special.:D

[AerynSun_JohnCrighton]

I agree with those of you who still want a "standard" of dress at dinner - in the dining rooms. If someone wants to be super casual let them eat in the Lido, or order room service. Keep the dining room a civilized affair - this makes it feel special.:D

 

Amen ;)

[mamaofami]

"How long before Hal changes and allows shorts in the dining room ?"

 

 

Hopefully, they will never allow that.

[Lurker1]

 

Hopefully, they will never allow that.

 

I agree, and DW empahtically agrees!

On our first cruise a few years ago, one fellow always wore jeans (it was an Alaskan cruise), but he always ate in the Lido.

[RuthC]

How long before Hal changes and allows shorts in the dining room ?

With a little luck it it will start with new bookings only, one week after the world comes to an end.

[bUU]

It all comes down to how much extra are customers willing to spend to reward Holland America for not relaxing the dress code. My instinct: Not much; so that'll prompt Holland American to push the dress code in a direction where it will appeal to a greater number of higher paying passengers. A remarkably high number of shorts-wearing-people have a remarkaly high level of income. Attire now has very little relationship to affluence.

[mr green]

"How long before Hal changes and allows shorts in the dining room ?"

 

 

 

 

Just as soon as the company wishes to sail with its ships half empty.

 

john

[boards]

Hopefully that will never happen. That is one the reasons we cruise on Hal. We enjoy dressing up.

[jhannah]

As we've seen numerous times, some people will stretch definitions to fit their own desires. "Dress shorts" (what are those, anyway?) will quickly become "any shorts" and there will be, in effect, no dress code at all. That's the way these things go down.

 

Hopefully HAL will not even open the door.

[Rhea58]

Unfortunately, as indicated above, the noveau riche do not necessarily

wish to dress and possibly some don't know how.

I truly hope HAL will take the high road and not allow this to

fully disintegrate.

After all, cruising is one of the last bastions where one CAN be

properly attired.

[sail7seas]

Here's another vote for no shorts for dinner in the dining room.

 

I sense we will be seeing many changes in the coming year. Just speculation but it is my uncomfortable feeling that by mid 2009, some of us are not going to be thrilled with some changes that loom.

[sail7seas]

Unfortunately, as indicated above, the noveau riche do not necessarily

wish to dress and possibly some don't know how.

I truly hope HAL will take the high road and not allow this to

fully disintegrate.

 

:confused: Where did the 'nouveau riche' part come from? Bicker's post said affluent but I did not notice anything about newly affluent.

Are people with old money more well mannered than those with new money?

[jhannah]

Are people with old money more well mannered than those with new money?

Not if it's old Hilton money! :eek: :D

[98Charlie]

One of the reasons that I do not cruise with Carnival. How would you like to be at a table, on formal night, with another couple in shorts - tank tops and baseball hats ?? or some yayho who looks like he just crawled off his tractor ?

Sorry but I'll pass.

Just a quick question. When did you encounter this on a Carnival cruise? Or any cruise for that matter.

 

I'm guessing that you haven't been on a Carnival ship in the past five years if ever. We bought in to the Anti-Carnival stuff for a number of years. Then we decided to give it a try and were pleasantly surprised.

 

The demographics on Carnival are similar to the other lines that we have been on.

 

It is sad that standards are slipping on many cruise lines. HAL is adopting the open seating dining program. We enjoy it when we cruise NCL but there are problems when lines like Princess and HAL try to blend the open seating and traditional dining.

 

I hope that it's a long time before "dress shorts" come to other lines including HAL. But, the reality is that it will probably happen.

 

Those who don't wish to be "exposed" to that kind of dress code will be left with only the premium lines at a premium price.

 

Just my 2¢

 

Charlie

[hammybee]

It all comes down to how much extra are customers willing to spend to reward Holland America for not relaxing the dress code. My instinct: Not much; so that'll prompt Holland American to push the dress code in a direction where it will appeal to a greater number of higher paying passengers. A remarkably high number of shorts-wearing-people have a remarkaly high level of income. Attire now has very little relationship to affluence.

 

And as usual, I agree with the Team Worriers.

[kryos]

How long before Hal changes and allows shorts in the dining room ?

Carnival's new dress code.

I doubt you'll ever see shorts allowed at dinnertime in HAL's dining room ... though I'm sure breakfast or lunch they will be permitted (if they aren't already ... I don't know ... I normally don't wear shorts).

 

But HAL does allow jeans on casual nights in the dining room now, and I am sure in the not-to-distant future, mandatory formal nights will go away too, which means you'll be able to wear your jeans pretty much any night in the dining room.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

Here's another vote for no shorts for dinner in the dining room.

Personally I can't imagine ever wearing shorts in HAL's dining room ... breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's too cold! I'd freeze to death. :(

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[mamaofami]

I predict that formal nights will go first and then the dress code will continue to slide downhill. I just can't imagine those beautiful dining rooms with shorts all around.

 

In my youth, the term old money did denote a certain air of dignity, and that meant dressing for dinner. As new generations of people have inherited old money, the term doesn't seem to apply anymore. And their are many newly affluent people who want to dress up. It's just that they seem to be in the minority. Most of them work in sutis all week, under lots of pressure, connected to cell phones and comoputers, and want to get away from it all when they vacation. That means dressing down.

 

I agree that many of us won't like the changes that are coming. But I do think they will be coming.

[kryos]

"How long before Hal changes and allows shorts in the dining room ?"

Just as soon as the company wishes to sail with its ships half empty.

Hate to say this, but I think the opposite is actually true. Cruise ships as a rule a becoming more informal. I think HAL would likely cruise with the ships half empty if they stuck to a rigid dress code. True, they would continue to have the HAL "die hards" sailing, but what happens when the "die hards" die off?

 

HAL, just like all cruise lines, has to attract a steady stream of new cruisers ... ones who will take that "once in a lifetime" cruise, love it, and continue to book for years to come. Sorry, but a lot of those folks don't want to bother playing "dress up" these days. It's just the way it is in our society ... it is becoming much more casual. Also, a lot of these new cruisers are younger and are still "working stiffs." They may have to dress up everyday for work depending upon the nature of their jobs. They are sure as h*ll not going to do it while on vacation too. They want to pack and wear nothing but slacks and jeans, tee and polo shirts, while onboard. And, let's face it ... if they go to an island resort on their vacations, they can wear nothing but tee shirts and shorts all week. So why would they cruise if they had to dress up on the boat?

 

HAL is a mass market cruise line ... just like Carnival, RCI and NCL. We like to kid ourselves and say that HAL is upscale, but it's really in the same classification as these other lines. True, HAL has it's unique points, which is exactly why we sail the line, but then Carnival, RCI and NCL have their unique points too ... and their fans as well.

 

So since HAL is a mass market (or as some like to say "premium") cruise line, they have to compete on a level playing field with these other cruise lines. They have to draw their share of the new cruisers too, the ones of "average," or slightly above average income ... who wouldn't be likely to book a luxury line. So HAL has to "go with the flow" whether we like it or not.

 

As I've said many times before, trust me, the end of mandatory formal nights and more relaxed dress codes are coming ... whether we like it or not. I also personally think we are not too far way from the end of formal fixed seating dining either. We might as well just learn to deal with it if we want to continue sailing the line. And for myself, as long as HAL still maintains the other unique traits that I love, this dress code issue won't be that much of a deterrent for me booking cruises on the line for years to come.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Typhoon1]

Probably never, Carnival has always been known for it's casual atmosphere.

[kryos]

Hopefully that will never happen. That is one the reasons we cruise on Hal. We enjoy dressing up.

This is something that never ceases to amaze me. Why on earth do you have to wait for HAL to tell you it's okay before dressing up? Who says you can't don your formal duds and be dressed to the nines every night? If you are traveling with a group of friends who all enjoy that, why not declare your own formal nights where you all get dressed up?

 

Personally, what I think HAL should do is have certain designated optional formal nights. Have one area of the flexible dining room turned into a "supper club" environment where only those who dress up in formalwear can be seated. Then, for everyone else, in every other eatery onboard, the casual dress code applies. The food in that "supper club" would be the same as everyone else was eating in the dining room, so no one could complain that they were being penalized because they didn't want to dress up. HAL could just have that one area where formal elegance would be the order of the day. By the way, before someone posts here and says the Lido is casual every night, let me say that some people, while on a vacation, don't want to eat in a buffet. If the Lido wanted to go to full table service every night, then fine, I guess the Lido would work. But lots of people eat regularly in buffets at home and want to be served while they are on vacation. And, they don't want to have to get all dressed up in order to do so.

 

Again, by casual, I'm not saying sloppy. I doubt you'll ever see shorts allowed in the dining room at dinner time. But I do think more casual dress codes are coming and that's just the way it is. But that shouldn't stop you from doing exactly what you want to do while on vacation ... and if that means dressing up every night for dinner, why not?

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[mamaofami]

Kyros, I don't know how you attributed the above quoted post to me. It's not mine.It was posted by Mr. Greenpost # 9. And he quoted me as asking a question which I put in quotes because it was posted by OP.

[innlady1]

I don't like the way people dress during church services these days, for that matter. Frankly, I'd rather see people dressing down on a cruise than in our houses of worship.

We've belonged to the same church for 38 years, and attend regularly when we're on the mainland for the winter. I've noticed a significant "dressing down" over the years...from then until now. Last Sunday, I observed a local realtor we know, in a nice linen blazer, heels...and long "dress" shorts.

I thought shorts were out of place in a house of worship but our 30-something daughter informed me that that's the style these days. I don't like it...but I guess that's the way the younger generation dresses for "dress occasions" these days.

 

I don't like it, but I guess if shorts are acceptable in a house of worship, they're acceptable on a cruise ship.