I'm not sure I "get" formal night

[KLLund]

Yes I believe it is a lovely holdover from the old days when cruising was pretty much limited to the elite (unless you were in steerage) and the tradition has continued. In those days everyone dressed like that for dinner every night so nothing "special" needed to be planned.

 

I for one hope it is tradition that holds over for a good long time .. I am saddened by the way some lines are doing away with it .. and though I an cruising Carnival for the first time .. I still plan to dress for "Elegant Evening" as if it were formal night on HAL.

 

But at least now EVERYONE has choices because some lines don't bother and some do!!

[CrystalLady]

The comments I'm about to make should really put me up before the firing squad...

 

I, personally, LOVE formal nights and love to dress accordingly. But I predicted the "dressing down" of cruise lines (note the plural) when (1) casual alternative dining venues were offered on formal night and (2) changing out of formal attire after dinner began to be allowed.

 

How does the ship maintain FORMAL NIGHT when it's the suggested dress, but not really enforceable because of the above two exceptions? :confused:

 

As for me, I'll continue to bring formal attire and stay dressed accordingly for the entire evening.

[innlady1]

The point of formal night is that I'm on a beautiful ship, enjoying a great dining room and a wonderful meal, and am dressed up. It's fun, and it feels special.

 

You enjoy formal nights...we enjoy formal nights. That's one of the many things I like about HAL.

However, if I didn't enjoy formal nights, and wanted to dress casually every night of the cruise, we look into another cruise line. Or, just go to the Lido or have dinner on our verandah if I really wanted to sail HAL sans formal nights.

 

I wouldn't come on here and complain about it, for sure.

 

Why book a cruise that doesn't fit what you expect of a cruise? It boggles my mind, Carol.

[babyher]

This is what they call "the slobbing down of America". I'm surprised you all don't want to run around the ship with only your robes on........I really don't get why it is so hard for people to dress for dinner or is it that no one goes to decent restaurants any more, I guess we're all more inclined to go to fast food places, where we can go in jeans - tee-shirts

There is a difference on formal nights, the menu has more high quality food choices on it, such as Lobster and caviar. Your wait servers have their better dress uniforms on and yes they do cover the chairs and table in white. Some tables are lucky enough to have an officer sit and eat with them. By the way they furnish all the wine, really enjoy having them at the table.

Love dressing up for dinner, it is part of the ambiance of cruising and like another poster said, if you don't want to or don't like to, try NCL.

 

 

 

Where did the Op say they wanted to be slobs , or wear bathrobes, or jeans and T shirts .

 

Why does it have to be one extreme or the other?

 

If a person doesn't wish to wear a tux or suit or fancy gown, some people automatically think that they want to wear ripped shorts and a wife beater, and sandals. That is not the case at all for most people.

 

 

I dress in accordance with every dress code, but would be a very happy camper to just do the smart casual thing ( nice pair of Dockers, a button down or polo shirt, and nice casual shoes , Rockports) every night.

[satchiesmom]

I don't understand why anyone should forgo the HAL experience because he or she chooses not to dress for formal night. Simply go to the Lido. I have done this and they do a lovely job, the tables are set with white tablecloths, stemware etc. There is no reason to "...try NCL" if one doesn't choose to. Suggesting such is a bit rude IMO. But if you choose to eat in the DR on formal nights, then dress according to the guidelines set up by the cruiseline. And if you want to eat in your pajamas, order room service. ;)

[mindydaile]

 

I wouldn't come on here and complain about it, for sure.

 

 

In the original poster's defense, she didn't come on here and complain about anything! She simply asked a question.

[PCruzer]

As I said before, I enjoying dressing up, and don't find it particularly "hard", but I was still interested in the answer to the question "why do we have formal nights."

 

We have formal nights because it is a part of the cruise experience - always has been, and, I hope, always will be. A cruise is a very special kind of vacation. It is a different atmosphere than going to a land resort. For one thing, everyone on a cruise starts their vacation on the same day, unlike a resort where you have people coming and going every day. The other thing is that a cruise has a dress code. It would be a terrible shame if cruise lines like HAL did away with formal nights. They are such special evenings. It is so nice to get all dressed up and to see your fellow passengers in their gowns and tuxedos. I don't know about anyone else, but dressing up makes me feel special. I just don't understand why people are so opposed to it. I also don't understand why people would choose to book a Holland America cruise and then complain that they don't want to get dressed up for 2 evenings. Really...would you go to a wedding and not get dressed up for it? As it is, HAL has the Lido option for those who don't feel like dressing up, but those people seem to want to change the whole cruise atmosphere by doing away with formal nights. I truly hope that never happens.

[Boytjie]

I don't mind dressing up for formal night, but I don't see anything different on that night over any other. Everyone is in fancier clothes but the food and atmosphere are the same.

 

When people are dressed up the atmosphere is quite different IMO.

[Boytjie]

Just don't show up looking like this

 

 

Do you think he showered after his excursion? Looks like he just walked on board all sweaty. :eek:

[Boytjie]

I do not "disrespect" the dress code, or even complain about it at all. I dress up in my formal attire and stay in it the rest of the evening even though as I head off to dinner at 5:30 there are still people running around in shorts and t-shirts which kind of ruins the "festive atmosphere" :D

 

I do enjoy seeing others all dressed up, but the fact still remains that I don't "get" why we do it. Is it simply tradition that has carried over through the years or is there some other reason I just don't know about since I'm new to cruising? If I spend a week at an all inclusive resort on vacation I dress nicely for dinner but there is no designated formal night. How did this get started on cruise ships and why has it carried over to today?

 

Help educate a new cruiser :)

 

Well, it is an old cruising tradition when people dressed up for dinner. Those in the upper classes, of course. ;)

[satchiesmom]

We have gotten away from the OP's question it seems. As Mindy pointed out, the OP never said she didn't want to dress appropriately for formal nights, she just wondered why we do it. Excellent question I think. I've always assumed it was simply tradition. Is there particular reason other than that the wealthy passengers in days past dressed to the nines for dinner?

[WOWJr1]

I don't understand why anyone should forgo the HAL experience because he or she chooses not to dress for formal night. Simply go to the Lido. I have done this and they do a lovely job, the tables are set with white tablecloths, stemware etc. There is no reason to "...try NCL" if one doesn't choose to.

 

I agree, and this is exactly what we do. We found we actually like using the alternative venue during the cruise. The original poster mentioned being crammed into a noisy dining room. I don't know about "crammed" - although our particular DR location was pretty tight - but I can confirm "noisy." Our last cruise on Westerdam we had a table of 8 next to our 2-top, and they were quite the - ahem - rambunctious group. Since we did not pack any formals, we ate in the Lido on those two nights. Wow! Truly intimate dining by candlelight with great food and service. A most pleasant change.

 

As for the "try <name the line> instead" comment, I also get tired of hearing this. The unstated assumption seems to be that - except for dress code - all lines are interchangeable: same departure dates and ports, itineraries, cabin choices, amenities, costs, etc. We all know that's not true. My understanding is that - among the general public at least - most people choose by itinerary and cost first, and many never look beyond that.

 

With the Westerdam sailing mentioned above, we had been wanting to cruise the Western Caribbean. Our local travel agent had a group offering on a date and at a price that met our expectations. It happened to be on a HAL ship. If it had been RCCL, Princess, or NCL, that would have been fine, too. We did do our homework and discovered HAL was more serious about formal than some lines, so we chose to use the Lido alternative. We loved the cruise, the ship, the crew, and the Lido.

[jtl513]

... the menu has more high quality food choices on it, such as Lobster and caviar.

Caviar? Last two HAL cruises we were on only offered a "low cholesterol" imitation caviar at dinner, which wasn't very good. (I understand that the suites get the real stuff at their parties.) And BTW, I've gotten some pretty low quality lobster and crab legs on HAL on two occasions. The crab legs had almost no flavor, and the lobster was like rubber. :(

[Barek]

... and I didn't really think of it this way until one member of our group asked, "Other than everyone getting dressed up ... what's different?" You're still crammed into the same noisy dining room, the menu is basically the same, there's no special entertainment or anything like that, no champagne toasts like you might have at a banquet. On the 2nd formal night, they put white covers on the chairs but that was the only change. I guess it's just a holdover from the days of the Titanic and the great ocean liners when everyone dressed up for dinner all the time. I can see why it's probably on the way out.

Based on our recent Westerdam cruise, for early seating ... I would say that "crammed in" is a misnomer. Some of the conversation at our table on both casual nights included how much emptier the main dining room became on formal nights ... much more elbow room that evening! (not that I felt crammed in on regular evenings in any way - plenty of room - just that in our corner for early seating, we estimated at least 10% fewer were there the first formal night, and at least 20% fewer the second - kinda' sad to see 4 tables along the aft windows completely empty for the second one, among other tables that were open).

 

By the second formal night, it also seemed that many who did attend dressed down somewhat from what they had worn for the first one - just as many jackets, but I noticed several that skipped wearing ties. To me, they didn't ruin formal night - but then I don't care what others wear - so long as they aren't getting in my face or actively drawing attention to themselves to flaunt their down-dressing - then it's not a critical aspect of my enjoyment to care what someone else wears to dinner - it's just fodder for table conversations, nothing more.

 

As for being on its way out ... I suspect that has equal parts to do with the decreased dining room attendance we saw at formal nights, combined with the airlines charging more for extra bags (so omitting formal clothes from the luggage can becomes a cost-saving measure now).

[innlady1]

Caviar? Last two HAL cruises we were on only offered a "low cholesterol" imitation caviar at dinner, which wasn't very good. (I understand that the suites get the real stuff at their parties.) And BTW, I've gotten some pretty low quality lobster and crab legs on HAL on two occasions. :(

 

Haven't tried the crab legs but have tried the lobster. We're from New England so are used to Maine lobster...no comparison. I passed on the lobster our last cruise and just had the escargot...that alone was well worth enjoying the dining room on the last formal night! ;)

[PathfinderEss]

Where did the Op say they wanted to be slobs , or wear bathrobes, or jeans and T shirts .

 

Why does it have to be one extreme or the other?

 

If a person doesn't wish to wear a tux or suit or fancy gown, some people automatically think that they want to wear ripped shorts and a wife beater, and sandals. That is not the case at all for most people.

 

 

I dress in accordance with every dress code, but would be a very happy camper to just do the smart casual thing ( nice pair of Dockers, a button down or polo shirt, and nice casual shoes , Rockports) every night.

You may think my statement about wearing robes is extreme but if you have cruised for anytime at all, we all have seen the dress codes on cruiseships being down grade to the point, now they allow jeans in the dining room for dinner. At the rate it is going, it will be OK to wear shorts, tee-shirts, etc at night in the same. That is my point, yes it is from one extreme to another but that is what has happened over the years. We have slobbed down the way we dress. Yes, we all like to be comfortable but how far do you want to take it.

There are options, if you must cruise on Hal, you can eat in the Lido, or eat in your room on formal nights. Otherwise choose another cruiseline that fits your desires better. Please don't keep trying to change Hal, they have traditions which many of us love about them, if we wanted something else then I guess we would go somewhere else.

mindydaile to answer your question about why formal nights, in actuality that had been answered by another poster but to reiterate, years ago they use to dress formally every night on cruiseship it was a traditon - now they have taken it down to only one or two nights because most people still enjoy dressing for dinner.

ctsally, no one is asking you to spend hundreds of dollars for a fancy dress or gown. There are lots of places where you can buy a pair of black slacks and a little sparkly top for little money, and if your lucky enough to be on a cruise where there is two formal nights you could wear the same outfit again, no one really would notice.

[Wavesprite]

I don't understand why anyone should forgo the HAL experience because he or she chooses not to dress for formal night. Simply go to the Lido. QUOTE]

 

We sort of "had" to do this on our Alaska cruise. My son who was almost 2 at the time was getting "horrible" looks in the dining room, so we chose to leave. He was only one of about 3 children on board, and was exceptionally well behaved and was dressed to the nines, but my GOD, the looks. We chose the Lido for dinner every night after that...I have NEVER felt so uncomfortable in my life. It was as if Holland America patrons didn't want children on board.

[DesertDogs]

I don't understand why anyone should forgo the HAL experience because he or she chooses not to dress for formal night. Simply go to the Lido. QUOTE]

 

We sort of "had" to do this on our Alaska cruise. My son who was almost 2 at the time was getting "horrible" looks in the dining room, so we chose to leave. He was only one of about 3 children on board, and was exceptionally well behaved and was dressed to the nines, but my GOD, the looks. We chose the Lido for dinner every night after that...I have NEVER felt so uncomfortable in my life. It was as if Holland America patrons didn't want children on board.

 

Is there a reason why your son was getting "horrible" looks? Was he misbehaving? Not sure why you chose to leave unless there was a problem.

[NetwrkEng]

Lindaj+ as I'm sure you have noticed by now, on this board at least, you have just smacked the hornets nest with a bat. Now just sit back and watch....

[dan40]

Just don't show up looking like this

 

 

 

Absolutely not!!!

 

For formal night, the sox MUST be black.

 

Dan

[dan40]

What's different on formal nights? Well the evening is called formal, it is not called casual. How much different does it have to be?

And you knew that when you purchased your cruise.

 

Dan

[serendipity1499]

Yes I believe it is a lovely holdover from the old days when cruising was pretty much limited to the elite (unless you were in steerage) and the tradition has continued. In those days everyone dressed like that for dinner every night so nothing "special" needed to be planned.

 

I for one hope it is tradition that holds over for a good long time .. I am saddened by the way some lines are doing away with it .. and though I an cruising Carnival for the first time .. I still plan to dress for "Elegant Evening" as if it were formal night on HAL.

 

But at least now EVERYONE has choices because some lines don't bother and some do!!

 

Unfortunately it looks like HAL is going to do away with Formal Nights..:(

See post Number 13 on the Alaska Board:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=803376

 

You enjoy formal nights...we enjoy formal nights. That's one of the many things I like about HAL.

 

However, if I didn't enjoy formal nights, and wanted to dress casually every night of the cruise, we look into another cruise line. Or, just go to the Lido or have dinner on our verandah if I really wanted to sail HAL sans formal nights.

 

I wouldn't come on here and complain about it, for sure.

 

Why book a cruise that doesn't fit what you expect of a cruise? It boggles my mind, Carol.

 

Carol , your post is very unfair to the OP..As others have pointed out she never complained at all & she never said she did not dress for Formal night! Also, not everyone can afford a Verandah..We take long cruises in outside cabins, which are perfectly fine with us & like to be served in the DR...

 

In the original poster's defense, she didn't come on here and complain about anything! She simply asked a question.

I agree with you..

 

And for those who really put down NCL & other Cruise Lines, you are also being very unfair & certainly not sophisticated..We've often been on NCL (on the Crown in 06) & have never seen slobs in the Dining Room..Last year we cruised on Oceania for the first time..The service was Far Superior to the service we've received on HAL..I never observed any fellow passengers who looked like "Slobs" with one exception on the last night....

I erroneously believed that I would be considered over dressed, since I took the same long dresses & skirts I use on HAL... I was even amazed at the lovely outfits my fellow Diners had on..Only once did I see something which did annoy me, but that was at the last night of our 26 day cruise...I dislike seeing men or boys of all ages wearing hats in the DR, so I chose to put that person behind my back & out of my line of vision..Both of these folks were in their 40's, slim & beautifully dressed prior to this..

That being said, we enjoy dressing up with me in my glitzy tops & chiffon Skirts, & love seeing DH in his TUX... Unfortunately we hardly ever get to really dress up in Florida & I'll miss those Formal Nights! On our next HAL cruise in August, we intend to take the same clothes we've always used on HAL.. Our Guest room closet is jammed full of dressier clothes for our cruises... DH will not be in his TUX, which I'll miss but he'll be in a dark suit only because he's been restricted to taking only two extra pairs of shoes..So he'll take a pair of black loafers not TUX shoes..I'll also have to for-go my nine pairs of shoes & do with only three pairs..:( We have no problem with paying $25.00 for another bag, after paying thousands of $$$ for the cruise... However, the Tour Operator on the seven day land portion requests only one checked piece per person... Those warm clothes we're taking will use up a great deal of the weight..

Now if HAL would only revise their smoking policy to be more like Oceania's, we'll be delighted..;)

JMO...:) Betty

[navybankerteacher]

It is a generally accepted phenomenon that people's behavior trends up or down -at least partially as a reflection of their dress. That is why schools (some public as well as private) apply dress codes - if not school uniforms. A formal night lends an air of celebration and festivity which most cruisers on the more traditional lines appreciate. It really does not hurt for a man to wear a tuxedo -- or the fully acceptable dark suit -- to complement the special dress or combination his companion is wearing.

 

The only thing which is difficult to understand is the attitude of those who procaim the absolute right to wear just what they want, and not be "...told how to dress." if they do not like a bit of formality, they should not book on a traditional line. Yes, booking on Holland America does imply that you ARE going to be "...told how to dress". Yes, you ARE being imposed upon a bit -- but can't you understand that, by refusing to go along with a dress code, you are imposing YOUR tast upon those who appreciate a bit of formality and have gone out of their way to have it.

 

Grow up -- being told what to wear - on a ship which advertises its approach -- is less of an imposition on the "casual dresser" (read: "slob") than is his imposition on others by appearing in casual clothes on an evening when virtually all others are seeking part of what thy have paid for.

[pipedreams62]

I just went to 2 mariners brunches on the Veendam. The Captain said that with the way the airlines are going with baggage etc. It was a perfect opportunity to rent a tux on board. He was plugging the tux rental on the ship,not giving a pass to people to dress in dockers and a polo shirt on formal night.

 

I heard this with my own ears twice.

[Wavesprite]

 

Is there a reason why your son was getting "horrible" looks? Was he misbehaving? Not sure why you chose to leave unless there was a problem.

 

 

No, he was being an angel, but I think that people didn't want to think that their evening MIGHT be ruined by a child being present. We just didn't want to be uncomfortable all dinner, so we chose to leave....we had a great cruise, and actually my husband are doing a short repositioning in the fall on the Statendam for a little getaway.