Jeans in the dining room and other last minute attire questions

Hi all-- We are seasoned cruisers, but we've never cruised with HAL before. We sail round trip out of Seattle on June 2nd to Alaska. Our party will be me and my husband (in our late 30's), our two boys, ages 12 and 13, my sister and her hubby (in their 40's), and my parents (in their 70's). I seem to be finding conflicting information about dining room dress code, so I thought I'd come here and get the real answers! Are jeans allowed in the dining room on "smart casual" nights? Also, do my boys need collars every night or is a long sleeve t-shirt going to work? Do the men need jackets and ties on "gala" nights or is a button down collared shirt enough? Thanks so much for your input. --Katie

Nice jeans are allowed in the main dining room on smart casual nights -- none with holes or ones that look "ratty".

Gala nights -- and more so in Alaska -- men wear slacks and a collared shirt. You will see very few men in jackets and/or ties (not even in the specialty restaurants). And there will be even less men in tuxedos and suits.

Your boys will need a collared shirt. Tee shirt (short or long sleeved) are not allowed.

The Main Dining Room on HAL is considered to be a fine dining restaurant by HAL.

In the dining room you will have white table clothes, china, and fresh flowers on every table. Service will be impeccable.

The simple answer is that a T-shirt is not smart casual. Is it really so hard to buy some Dockers pants and polo shirts for the guys?

igraf

Hi all-- We are seasoned cruisers, but we've never cruised with HAL before. We sail round trip out of Seattle on June 2nd to Alaska. Our party will be me and my husband (in our late 30's), our two boys, ages 12 and 13, my sister and her hubby (in their 40's), and my parents (in their 70's). I seem to be finding conflicting information about dining room dress code, so I thought I'd come here and get the real answers! Are jeans allowed in the dining room on "smart casual" nights? Also, do my boys need collars every night or is a long sleeve t-shirt going to work? Do the men need jackets and ties on "gala" nights or is a button down collared shirt enough? Thanks so much for your input. --Katie

The simple answer is that a T-shirt is not smart casual. Is it really so hard to buy some Dockers pants and polo shirts for the guys?

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Jeans are not smart casual either.

There is no definition of, "smart casual," so everyone gets to define it for themselves.

However, the cruise line does give some definitive rules people are to follow:

"Most evenings smart casual attire is appropriate. Shorts, pool/beachwear, distressed jeans and men’s tank tops are best left to the daytime and are not permitted in fine dining restaurants."

 

"Gala Nights evoke the grand traditions of cruising as guests dress to impress for special events on board, including a five-course gourmet dinner in the Dining Room. For gentlemen, collared shirt and slacks are required in all fine dining restaurants . For ladies, dressy attire is appropriate, dresses skirts and slacks are all acceptable."

 

So, as long as they aren't beachwear, t-shirts are allowed most nights, but not on gala nights when a collared shirt is required.

 

Jeans are allowed on most nights, but not distressed jeans. And jeans aren't allowed on gala nights.

 

The problem is that the t-shirts that the youngsters in my family wear are suitable for the beach and therefore not the dining room, and the jeans that the youngsters in my family wear are generally distressed. So unless your children are different, t-shirts and jeans probably won't work.

 

There isn't a more lax policy for children. The same rules apply.

 

It is possible to get a set dining time once you get aboard but there are no guarantees.

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Jeans never seem right in the main dining room, even if they are "allowed". See if you can pump it up notch - a nice simple pair of black dress pants with a few interesting dressier tops can cover a lot of bases instead, and pack easily.

But sure, why not dress down the barest minimum guideline. Permission granted.

There is no definition of, "smart casual," so everyone gets to define it for themselves.

 

However, the cruise line does give some definitive rules people are to follow:

 

 

 

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Defining smart casual is hard for some people;especially when they're the ones that are vocal with their opinions about formal night.Just sayin'.:*

Defining smart casual is hard for some people;especially when they're the ones that are vocal with their opinions about formal night.Just sayin'.:*

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Jeans may not seem 'right' to some cruisers. Fortunately those cruisers do not make the guidelines.

HAL's guidelines, as noted above, are what count, not other cruiser's opinions.

^Yeah that. Time to pop the popcorn. There have been a lot more dress code threads lately..and plenty of people who have opinions about it.

Dockers and collared shirts are a nice touch.

We just got off the Eurodam yesterday. Nice jeans are perfectly fine for the dining room. I saw very few men with jackets and ties. Saw a lot of khakis and polo type shirts.

A few want to see just how far they can lower the bar.

Sandra

As a seasoned cruiser I knew this thread would evoke some ire. Let me be clear. We are not interested in breaking any rules. That is why I asked. We are, however, limited in luggage, and I'd rather not buy my ever-growing teenage son a ton of button down shirts and dress pants that he will quite literally wear once, if I don't have to. Thank you to those of you who simply stated HAL's policy without interjecting your opinion. The rest of you are more than welcome to give us the stink eye when they let my 13 year old into the dining room wearing jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt. I will smile and tell you to have a nice cruise :).

The dress code police are a legend /authority in their own minds..and only exist on the HAL boards here.

Just go on HAL's web site and check out their suggestions concerning appropriate apparel for specific venues on certain evenings. Then decide whether you want to pay any attention to those suggestions or not.

It's not that hard ; the suggestions are not that onerous; and, as a practical matter, you can probably get away with pretty much whatever you want to wear if you have no concern about the expectations of others who might be inclined go along with the suggestions - and reasonably expect that others will as well.

Is it really so hard to buy some Dockers pants and polo shirts for the guys?

 

igraf

It can be :( ... just today (Sunday) we spent almost 6 hours driving around to different stores trying to find some Dockers that would fit Mr Chew!! Don't even get me started on shopping for polos!

A.......and I'd rather not buy my ever-growing teenage son a ton of button down shirts and dress pants that he will quite literally wear once, if I don't have to...........

Don't over look thrift shops, resale and ebay for readily appropriate main dining room "cruise clothes", esp for for growing teenagers. Or even for our adult selves - often these types of cruise-festive items are often single or limited use donations.

If they are cheap enough, even better because then they become easily disposable at the end of the cruise so you don't have to pack them and take them home. Todays dressier fabrics are so light weight and packable that there are plenty of options out there to dress up a bit when cruising.

Recycle, re-use, re-purpose. And have fun dressing up a bit.

It can be :( ... just today (Sunday) we spent almost 6 hours driving around to different stores trying to find some Dockers that would fit Mr Chew!! Don't even get me started on shopping for polos!

There you go. Hope that shuts the dress code police up a little. Not everyone is so lucky.:mad:

It can be :( ... just today (Sunday) we spent almost 6 hours driving around to different stores trying to find some Dockers that would fit Mr Chew!! Don't even get me started on shopping for polos!

Plug in the size you are looking for since you know the brand, and see what you can come up with on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=mens+clothing+dockers+pants&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_sop=15

I would recommend against jeans in Alaska solely because you want clothing that can dry quickly there and jeans don’t. Plus they are very often quite a no heavier than any type of chino or whatever. Target fwiw actually has a very good and cheap chino brand mow that are supppper comfy.

Online stores( eBay has always seemed a bit sketch to me) are your best bet-plus free shipping probably!

Online stores( eBay has always seemed a bit sketch to me) are your best bet-plus free shipping probably!

Know your brand and you size and eBay can be a great find. I personally stick with Talbots, Eileen Fisher. Alex Evenings, Adriana Pappel and Joseph Ribkof. Quality and fit are consistent.

eBay has a good return policy and pre-paid mailing labels if something goes wrong with a sale - they do a lot of internal monitoring to keep the trust level high. Perfect place to find these seldom used festive cruise items, that we won't be wearing at home when we are out gardening.