What would you do if HAL went strictly FORMAL on one of their ships?

[Slinkiecat]

We took a HAL cruise around the world and really enjoyed the twice-weekly formal nights. Some of them were themes, such as "black and gold," "black and white," Valentine's or St. Patrick's, and more. It was a great addition to the cruise.

 

Other shorter cruises also had their formal nights, and nobody was thrown out for wearing less than formal attire as long as it was respectful and not casual.

 

The funny thing is that women are usually dressed with a lot of skin exposed, or else covered with something sparkly or flimsy, while men are expected to wear jackets. I always observe formal nights and suffer from the cold, while my sweetie swelters in his tux, suit or dinner jacket, all with tie. He looks so very good, though. I think we both suffer a little, and we are able to end the evening when one of us has suffered enough.

 

Slinkie

[marle7]

I found this active thread on the Cunard board.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=769201

 

A poster is not pleased with the advise she received relative to the norm for attire. Apparently, she was convinced that ballgowns were the way to go for the evening and that jeans were not allowed, anytime and surprise.....

 

 

Anyway, it looks like the majority on Cunard continue to take attire far more seriously than passengers do on most of the other cruise lines.

 

Or possibly, the majority on that board.:rolleyes: I'll let you know, when I sail Cunard in November.:D

[Old As Dirt Mom]

........... I think we both suffer a little, and we are able to end the evening when one of us has suffered enough.

 

Slinkie

 

LOL, "No pain, no glory":D:)

[iancal]

If it was for Dining Room and Pinnacle Grill only, I may consider HAL again. IF it included the other specified areas, unquestionably I would not even consider a HAL vacation. That is the beauty of choice.

[CoconutFish]

We would personally be thrilled beyond all belief if HAL were to enforce the dress code, be it Formal or Casual.

We would be happy with 3 or 4 Formal nights a week, enforced, but would prefer Casual nights for late port day departures. As we book mostly longer cruises, this would work out well.

A Formal-dedicated ship would have our bookings.

[RuthC]

Formal every night in every venue? I can do that. :)

Formal 2 nights out of 7, and enforced in every venue? Fine by me. :)

Formal all day---one does not wear formal in the daytime. :rolleyes:

[RevNeal]

Thank you, Del! I appreciate you posting this thread. My question for clarification would be the same as John's ... you mean strict enforcement on the nights that are designated as formal nights, not every night being formal. Correct? In other words, something like this alternative dress code:

 

Evening dress falls into two distinct categories: Smart Casual and Formal. Each night a daily program will be delivered to your stateroom announcing the required dress for the following evening; there will be approximately 2 Formal Nights a week. Dress slacks and print, polo, or button-down shirts for men and dress slacks and blouses or cocktail dresses are appropriate for evenings designated as Smart Casual; however, T-shirts, swimsuits, tank tops and shorts are not allowed in the main dining room, Lido Restaurant, or any of the public lounges during the evening hours.

 

On festive Formal evenings, women shall wear cocktail dresses, dressy pantsuits, or gowns and men shall wear tuxedos, business suits, or jacket and tie. Other than on the Lido deck and all outside spaces, Smart Causal attire will not be considered sufficient wear for Formal Nights. The dress code will be enforced throughout the entire evening.

[Nancyquilts]

Works for me! I love formal nights, and DH looks so great ;) in his white dinner jacket. Nancy

[EngineerDel]

John & Greg:

 

That's exactly what I meant. If HAL were to strictly enforce the FORMAL dress code on the nights designated as such....without exception....and specify this in documentations.....would those who prefer "CASUAL" cruising still book HAL?

 

So many people these days don't want to bother with formal wear, but if they knew beforehand that they HAD TO dress formal on FORMAL nights, or be restricted to certain areas....would HAL still be their choice?

 

After all....we're talking about 2 formal nights per 7 day cruises...3 formal nights on 10 day cruises....etc. Which means that one would still have most of his time to dress casual, if that was his preference.

 

I think we all agree that whatever HAL decides is fine.....just MAKE IT ABSOLUTELY CLEAR so we will know what to expect before we book the cruise.

 

Nothing is more discouraging than to book a cruise and expect EVERYONE to dress FORMAL on formal nights. If one has packed his best clothing and jewelry and has to sit at the dinner table next to someone wearing casual clothing (although clean and neat)....that's a bomber.

 

On the other hand, there's should be a feeling of uneasiness when one expects to dress AS HE WISHES on formal nights, regardlesss of the "DRESS CODE"...and sits next to someone at the table who is dressed in formal attire.

 

People will respond...IF HAL steps up to the plate and ENFORCE the rules, whether it be FORMAL NIGHTS....or DO YOUR OWN THING EACH NIGHT!

 

By the way...how would we all feel if the Captain and his crew, including the waiters and wine stewards, were to wear t-shirts and tennis shoes during our cruise...and especially while serving our dinner? Even Carnival doesn't do that. Nor does any of us WANT that. (not even casual cruisers)

 

Again, none of us want to dress up all day, every day! Its our vacation!

But, there's a time and place for everything.....and FORMAL nights are for dressing FORMAL.

 

And if HAL were to designate one ship for STRICTLY ENFORCING the dress code on FORMAL nights....I guarantee you that it would be booked solid for every cruise and there might even be a waiting list....because everyone would know in advance....that FORMAL NIGHTS WOULD BE JUST THAT!

 

Of course, if one wanted to cruise STRICTLY CASUAL...then all the other ships would probably stay booked as well. Everyone is happy.

But MAKE THE CALL, HAL.

 

Del

[WOWJr1]

Other than on the Lido deck and all outside spaces, Smart Causal attire will not be considered sufficient wear for Formal Nights. The dress code will be enforced throughout the entire evening.

 

We are fine with strict enforcement a couple of nights a week in the various dining rooms. However, if even Smart Casual is not permitted except as noted above, we most likely will favor other lines. This wording means if you are not in formal wear on Formal Nights, your options are extremely limited. No show, no casino, few bars, no Internet, no shopping, possibly no late night Dessert Extravaganza (held on 2nd Formal Night on our cruise, although it was on the Lido deck) - can't even curl up in the library with a book. This will be especially restrictive with colder-weather itineraries where remaining on deck is technically OK but probably too nippy to be practical for many.

 

On Westerdam in Feb 2008 (Western Caribbean) we dined in the Lido dressed Smart Casual on Formal Nights. (We were actually dressed slightly Smart-er Casual than on S.C. nights in the main dining room, e.g., long-sleeve dress shirt v. short sleeve or Polo.) I would guess formal compliance in the dining rooms themselves exceeded 90%. But in the main show lounge, about 1/3 dressed down after dinner - 1/2 if you counted the men who removed their jackets and/or ties. If this demographic is in any way representative, HAL will have its hands full trying to strictly enforce Formal outside the dining rooms.

[ger_77]

We would love it if HAL strictly enforced formal attire on formal nights. Both of us enjoy dressing in our finery and look forward to formal nights onboard. Sign us up!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[RevNeal]

We are fine with strict enforcement a couple of nights a week in the various dining rooms. However, if even Smart Casual is not permitted except as noted above, we most likely will favor other lines. This wording means if you are not in formal wear on Formal Nights, your options are extremely limited. No show, no casino, few bars, no Internet, no shopping, possibly no late night Dessert Extravaganza (held on 2nd Formal Night on our cruise, although it was on the Lido deck) - can't even curl up in the library with a book. This will be especially restrictive with colder-weather itineraries where remaining on deck is technically OK but probably too nippy to be practical for many.

 

On Westerdam in Feb 2008 (Western Caribbean) we dined in the Lido dressed Smart Casual on Formal Nights. (We were actually dressed slightly Smart-er Casual than on S.C. nights in the main dining room, e.g., long-sleeve dress shirt v. short sleeve or Polo.) I would guess formal compliance in the dining rooms themselves exceeded 90%. But in the main show lounge, about 1/3 dressed down after dinner - 1/2 if you counted the men who removed their jackets and/or ties. If this demographic is in any way representative, HAL will have its hands full trying to strictly enforce Formal outside the dining rooms.

 

Don't worry ... HAL won't ever even come close to adopting a code even remotely like this. They're in the process of going the other direction. I just offered up this alternative code as an example of what could be done.

[usha]

We both love to get all dressed up for formal nights, and if HAL strictly enforced them, we would just keep dressing up for formal nights!:D

[pipedreams62]

[WOWJr1]

I just offered up this alternative code as an example of what could be done.

 

Understood, and I appreciate you providing something specific to comment on, unlikely as it might be in reality. I provided my observations just to ensure readers would be clear about the implications. Even some proponents of strict formal enforcement in the dining rooms may prefer (or at least accept) a more relaxed enforcement of the code in other locations.

[kenevenpar]

Just my 2 cents worth ... I would embrace this concept! But then, I am "old school" and truly enjoyed the old three distinct types of evening dress that some lines used, and that most people seemed to follow.

 

I can live with almost any dress policy, I just wish that whatever standards are in place would be enforced uniformly.

 

Ken

[Harry1954]

Just my 2 cents worth ... I would embrace this concept! But then, I am "old school" and truly enjoyed the old three distinct types of evening dress that some lines used, and that most people seemed to follow.

 

I can live with almost any dress policy, I just wish that whatever standards are in place would be enforced uniformly.

Ken

You can ditto that for me too!

harry

[srlafleur]

If a cruise line, any cruise line, is going where I want to go, for a price I want to pay, I'll wear whatever they want me to wear!

I like formal. I get a second/third/fourth wearing out of the dresses I buy to wear to our formal company Christmas parties. DH would have you think he'd be happier without formal (Mr. macho-working-class-man-of-the-people-dude) but in reality, he likes to look spiffy, too. And, since I'm the one doing the planning, he'll go wherever I take him.;)

[fireofficer5]

Count me in.

[hammybee]

Or possibly, the majority on that board.:rolleyes: I'll let you know, when I sail Cunard in November.:D

 

Yes Marle, I think you may have hit upon something. Please come back after your Cunard cruise and tell us all about it.

[hammybee]

John & Greg:

 

If HAL were to strictly enforce the FORMAL dress code on the nights designated as such....without exception....and specify this in documentations.....would those who prefer "CASUAL" cruising still book HAL?

 

So many people these days don't want to bother with formal wear, but if they knew beforehand that they HAD TO dress formal on FORMAL nights, or be restricted to certain areas....would HAL still be their choice?

 

Del

 

Thank you for the clarification, Dell. I do however think you have answered your own question. With 14 ships in the water, HAL has no choice but to balance what so many peope these days don't want with

the business need to fill all berths at a competitive price or they risk not being around next year.

 

Cruise lines, resorts, restaurants and entertainment venues are not private equity country clubs where members vote on things like attire and use their financial resources to ban those who chose not to comply.

 

Does anyone have a reasonable idea how any cruise line could reasonably enforce formal nights, especially outside the dining room?

 

Changing after din-din is happening on every cruise line that carries a predominate North American passenger base, sailing from from U.S. ports. The high end, luxury cruise lines are no exception to this.

[Copper10-8]

...............Does anyone have a reasonable idea how any cruise line could reasonably enforce formal nights, especially outside the dining room? ....................

 

The only way you can do that is to post a ship's security guard at the entrance(s) to the Crow's Nest, Casino, Show Lounge, Piano Bar, etc. and we all know that's not going to happen. Besides, logistically (manpower and schedule-wise), it's impossible with the current staffing. You can have security guards roving the public area's of the ship at night kinda like the old "beat cop" twirling their night sticks and getting into it with dress code violators - That's not going to happen either!

[Susie51]

I would still book, but I don't think it will happen. It's nice to dream about what it would be like. Ah, the good old days when getting ready for a cruise meant buying more formal wear. Now I repeat outfits.

[tpwolfe]

NO! Wouldn't go near the ship.

[Avril]

Greg recently posted a survey on: "What would you do if formal nights were discontinued?"....geared toward those who prefer FORMAL cruising.

 

In response to my comments, he suggested that I post the same question to all those who prefer "CASUAL" cruising and would like to see "formal" nights discontinued.

 

So, here goes! Please don't flame me and take this question the wrong way! Inquisitive minds want to know! (maybe even HAL)

 

How many of you "casual cruisers" would continue to cruise on HAL IF they were to REPLACE the language, "SUGGESTED DRESS CODE", with the unquestionable clarity that "EVERYONE MUST MEET THE FORMAL DRESS CODE REQUIREMENTS FOR FORMAL NIGHTS....and WILL BE REJECTED FROM ENTERING THE DINNING ROOM....PINNACLE GRILL... AND OTHER SPECIFIED AREAS...on nights desiginated as FORMAL ATTIRE...as this ruling will definitely be INFORCED....and those who wish...may dine in the Lido or choose to dine in their cabins on such nights...and ANYTHING OTHERWISE WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!"

 

Of course this is not likely to happen....BUT....WHAT IF??????

Will you accept this clarification and continue to cruise with HAL? Or will you look for alternative cruises, knowing that they probably will not meet the high standards of HAL?

 

And for those of us who prefer "FORMAL"....WHAT IF...HAL were to dedicate one of their ships (say, the Volendam or the Maasdam, or the Prinsendam) to this luxurious upscale type of cruising, would you book this cruise as opposed to one where HAL does not INFORCE the rules and tolerates those who disregard the dress codes?

 

From the many comments, there are some who prefer "FORMAL"....who are ready to switch to Cunard....even though they have spent many years with HAL.

 

Del

 

I would love if HAL (or any other cruise line) went all formal. The formal nights are my favourite nights on a cruise!! :D Sadly however, I don't think this is going to happen. :(