Diningroom dresscode for young men / Culinary center

[furluvcats]

Greetings from sunny Southern California! Our family is booked on the lovely Veendam for an October Mexican riveria sailing in October of this year. As we are new to HAL I had a couple questions I was hoping the veterans would chime in on...

 

Does anyone have any detailed info on the culinary center? It sounds fascinating and my daughter is a true fan of culinary arts and is looking very much forward to this. I took her on the Princess behind the scenes tour in March on our Golden cruise, and one of the places we visited was the kitchen and store rooms etc...one of our gifts was a Princess chefs jacket...still in the packaging, but neat none the less...

 

So we have been on a variety of cruiselines and hubby and I are excited that it looks like HAL adheres to the old standards of dress in the dining room in the evenings, however, our 18 yr old son does not presently have the wardrobe for a jacket and trousers every evening at dinner, though I can easily recitify this! lol In your past experiences with Hal is it true that a jacket will be required for men each evening at non formal dinners, and dress jeans not permitted? I'm happy to supply him with the proper attire, I just want to make sure when we get on the ship he does not see that dress more to his style IS indeed permitted and be a bit miffed at mom =). Thanks for all of your HAL knowledge and advice.

 

Shannon

[Krazy Kruizers]

From HAL's website:

 

Clothing & Dress Code

Clothing & Dress Code The right clothing can make a big difference in the enjoyment of your cruise. First and foremost, dress for comfort. Daily life aboard ship and in ports of call is relaxed and casual. Warmer climates call for clothing made of lightweight, breathable fabrics. For cooler climates, we suggest casual clothes that can be layered easily and possibly a raincoat and waterproof hat or umbrella and gloves. Certain shore excursions may require particular attention to clothing. For example, certain churches or other places of worship may not allow tank tops or short pants. Bring a swimsuit as all of our ships have pools and whirlpools. You may wish to bring more than one outfit for the water. We ask that you wear shoes and a cover-up over a bathing suit when walking through the interior of the ship. If you would like to jog on the sports deck or work out in the fitness center, bring workout gear. Footwear should include comfortable walking shoes for visits ashore and sandals or rubber-soled shoes for strolling on deck.

Evening dress falls into two distinct categories: Formal or Smart Casual. Smart Casual can be defined as slacks and collared shirts for men and casual dresses, slacks and informal evening wear for women. T-shirts, swimsuits, tank tops and shorts are not allowed in the restaurants or public areas during the evening hours. On festive Formal evenings, ladies usually wear a suit, cocktail dress or gown and gentlemen wear a jacket and tie, dark suit or tuxedo. There are approximately two formal nights per week.

In order to complement your fellow guests, Holland America Line asks that you observe the suggested dress code throughout the entire evening.

Formalwear for ladies and gentlemen can be pre-ordered for your use during your cruise by calling Cruiseline Formalwear at 800-551-5091 or make your reservations online. Your formalwear will be in your stateroom when you board.

[Krazy Kruizers]

As you can see HAL's dress code has changed over the years and neither your DH or DS have to wear a jacket every night of the cruise.

As for the culinary arts center. This is where the free cooking demonstrations are held -- Wajang Theatre serves two purposes. There will be at least 2 of them on a 7 day cruise. This is also where the cooking classes are held - limited to 12 people -- cost $29 per person -- sign up at the front desk on embarkation day.

There are no behind the scenes tours of this area.

[furluvcats]

thanks so much for your swift reply! =)

[catl331]

I have enjoyed the cooking demos in the culinary centers. The chef will make 2 recipes and you get to taste one of them. Printed recipe cards will be distributed. On a Zuiderdam cruise I signed up as soon as I got on the ship to cook with the chef. We received hats and aprons and made a salad with scallops in it and a lamb chop recipe. The chefs are very personable and we had six women and six men in the class. We were able to eat everything we made but I had to rush out to a Mariner's lunch and just had a taste. p.s. we signed up at the front desk but I do not know if that is where you would do it now.

[dandro]

Your son will either need to wear a suit or a dark jacket & tie and slacks for formal night. Otherwise, on the smart casual nights, it would be similar to what someone would wear to a nice restaurant or church. Khaki pants and polo shirt would be fine for the smart casual night, just as a suggestion. Don't forget the dress shoes for formal night, no athletic shoes.

[furluvcats]

thanks so much!

[Bethwte]

In my recent experience on HAL I would say that men dressing in jackets at dinner during the non-formal nights were in the minority, so don't worry at all about your son. As for the jeans, I can't say I really noticed anyone wearing them other than the first night, but I wasn't paying much attention to that to be honest. I would say khakis are a much safer bet if you can swing it.

 

Re the culinary center: During the day (I believe everyday) there would be some sort of culinary or "party" related demonstration. What I mean by "party" is something that the party planner hosted that wasn't necessarily about cooking, but would relate to entertaining, like how to nicely fold napkins or make cute thank you cards. The actual cooking demonstations were fun, though the chef was a bit hard to understand at times due to a thick accent. The samples given out were a nice touch. I do have to say though, I found it funny how often they would need to substitute ingredients found on the printed recipe cards. For instance, one recipe required coconut milk, but cream was used as they apparently had none on board. I got quite the chuckle out of this, as the soup featured either that night or the night before (can't remember) featured coconut milk as a main ingredient. Reminds the cruiser a bit too much that some of their food is not prepared a la minute ;)

[pms4104]

To the OP ... your son is a young adult and soon enough will need to add items to his wardrobe for things like job interviews, college visits, or similar. And, dressing in keeping with the suggested dress code should be no biggie and actually the discipline, for lack of a better word, will serve him well as he moves into a more adult world and lifestyle.

 

If other young people are dressed more casually ... so what? As my mother used to say to me when I was very young, in the middle of the previous century: If Sally jumps off a bridge, are you gonna follow her?

[heathriel]

DH and I are in the midst of an argument about this - he *swears* that people have been wearing jeans in the dining room on HAL, and I keep telling him that he's mistaken.

 

They get away with that on Carnival, but not on HAL (at least, not after the first night.)

[sail7seas]

Your DH wins. HAL now allows clean, neat, pressed jeans in the dining room on smart casual nights. They are not permitted on formal nights.

[furluvcats]

To the OP ... your son is a young adult and soon enough will need to add items to his wardrobe for things like job interviews, college visits, or similar. And, dressing in keeping with the suggested dress code should be no biggie and actually the discipline, for lack of a better word, will serve him well as he moves into a more adult world and lifestyle.

 

If other young people are dressed more casually ... so what? As my mother used to say to me when I was very young, in the middle of the previous century: If Sally jumps off a bridge, are you gonna follow her?

please reread my original post..I'm happy to follow the dress code to the t! The rest of the family cruises many times a year and we love our cruise closets!! My question was what is the dresscode for HAL...thanks!

[furluvcats]

Your DH wins. HAL now allows clean, neat, pressed jeans in the dining room on smart casual nights. They are not permitted on formal nights.

 

Thank you..that is good to know, though its ds not dh...dh wouldn't be caught DEAD in jeans on a cruise lol We have quite the old school mentality when it comes to dressing on cruises...lol we have noticed that cruises embarking from southern california ports tend to be more casual, but it doesnt affect us as we dress in "cruise traditional" ...I am actually looking forward to updating a few peices in my DS's wardrobe =).

[pms4104]

So we have been on a variety of cruiselines and hubby and I are excited that it looks like HAL adheres to the old standards of dress in the dining room in the evenings, however, our 18 yr old son does not presently have the wardrobe for a jacket and trousers every evening at dinner, though I can easily recitify this! lol In your past experiences with Hal is it true that a jacket will be required for men each evening at non formal dinners, and dress jeans not permitted? I'm happy to supply him with the proper attire, I just want to make sure when we get on the ship he does not see that dress more to his style IS indeed permitted and be a bit miffed at mom =). Thanks for all of your HAL knowledge and advice.

 

Shannon

 

please reread my original post..I'm happy to follow the dress code to the t! The rest of the family cruises many times a year and we love our cruise closets!! My question was what is the dresscode for HAL...thanks!

I apologize if my comment came off as critical of your intentions. I fully acknowledge that you want to understand and follow the dress code ... but I had the impression, wrongly perhaps, that your son might not appreciate dressing in keeping with HAL's suggested code if other young people are dressed more casually.

 

I did not misusderstand your question ... I tried to offer some thoughts on why your son shouldn't be miffed at you if you request he comply with the code.

[off2ctheworld]

Our son has enjoyed 2 HAL cruises with us. He often wore a polo shirt and khakis or nice jeans on smart casual nights. On formal night he wore his suit and we have a great family picture from one of those evenings. And yes, he did take a baseball cap and wore it on excursions.

 

Have fun attending the culinary programs! Be sure to read your daily planner to attend the events-get there early to get a good seat, pick up the recipe cards and enjoy the free taste of whatever the chef cooks. I have not bought the cooking classes offered-just attended the free ones. I also enjoyed the scrapbook class on our recent Alaska cruise-planned by the party planner-cost as I recall about $12-15. There were also napkin, towel pet folding, and party appetizer ideas classes.

[serendipity1499]

DH and I are in the midst of an argument about this - he *swears* that people have been wearing jeans in the dining room on HAL, and I keep telling him that he's mistaken.

 

They get away with that on Carnival, but not on HAL (at least, not after the first night.)

 

Your DH wins. HAL now allows clean, neat, pressed jeans in the dining room on smart casual nights. They are not permitted on formal nights.

 

Agree with Sail..HAL has permitted clean pressed jeans in the DR on smart Casual night for several years..

 

Enjoy your cruise..Betty

[heathriel]

Ahh, clean, pressed jeans. Therein lies the crux of our argument.

 

Our jeans may be clean, but they've never seen an iron, and they're generally of the "fashionable" variety - read: ripped (by design- I turn them into rags when they get tears of their own ;) ), hip-hugger (for me, not him), etc.

 

Hence, not the kind anyone would wear in the HAL dining room.

 

I just turned it around on him and said that while people may indeed be wearing "nice pants made of denim", they most certainly will not be wearing anything he considers "jeans."

[serendipity1499]

Ahh, clean, pressed jeans. Therein lies the crux of our argument.

 

Our jeans may be clean, but they've never seen an iron, and they're generally of the "fashionable" variety - read: ripped (by design- I turn them into rags when they get tears of their own ;) ), hip-hugger (for me, not him), etc.

 

Hence, not the kind anyone would wear in the HAL dining room.

 

I just turned it around on him and said that while people may indeed be wearing "nice pants made of denim", they most certainly will not be wearing anything he considers "jeans."

 

OK, then you win the argument err discussion! :)

Only clean, pressed jeans with no holes by design or otherwise.;)...LOL

Hope you made a bet, like a piece of jewelry on your cruise or something exotic..It's always wise to make a bet with ones DH...Usually the Ladies are right, especially when it comes to discussing fashion trends! ;)

Betty

[furluvcats]

ahhh thanks so much for the input. He says khakis are out but he will go with black dress pants lol

[furluvcats]

Well...the kid is set!

Just bought him a suit and a tux!

[RuthC]

Well...the kid is set!

Just bought him a suit and a tux!

He'll look soooo good! Get some family portraits done when you're all dressed in your best. They will become family treasures.

[furluvcats]

He'll look soooo good! Get some family portraits done when you're all dressed in your best. They will become family treasures.

 

 

Oh most definitely Ruth...hahaha why do you think I take teenagers on a cruise with us?? To get that great family portrait with no complaints! My photo bill is always higher than my bar bill...lol just love cruise pics!